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November 2004
Reviews
This book was quite a departure from our usual flavor of reading. The plot presents a dark view of the future without
falling into nihilism. The story represents the underbelly of technology, that to advance requires leaving something behind.
That being said, the book deals only tangentally with the technology presented. Although the author dwells heavily on the
science at times, the true meat of the plot was how this group of characters handles being left behind.
Never before have I read a book with such an all-star cast of losers.
The story shows how a crew of misfits lose the a only thing holding them together, the Captain. Without his guiding influence, this pathetic band of loners is unprepared to cooperate to face the trials ahead. I enjoyed the interactions between characters and the revelations regarding their pasts, but each character came across as stale and stereotyped.
Gripes
| Gripe #1: Viewpoint | Something I haven't griped about in a while is what a call an Unstable Viewpoint. I dislike when the viewpoint switches characters paragraph to paragraph. This book has it switch three times in a single paragraph. The author does handle the switching well enough to deminish the effect on the reader. Although this is not the sign of a bad writer, it is a style I do not enjoy. |
| Gripe #2a: Ending - Crew | I did not like the authors choice to leave the reader hanging over the future of the crew. He allows some hope by getting survivors into a lifeboat but then leaves it at that. |
| Gripe #2b: Ending - Ship | I am completely reversed on my opinion of the ship. I did not like his choice to offer a glimpse into the ship's future. I feel the tone of the book would have been better served by leaving the future of the River of Stars uncertain. |
