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1st: I believe book reviews should be why or why not a
book is enjoyable, not a 5000 word summary of
it.
2nd: Good, light reading. You will not find any
answers to your pathetic questions about the meaning of
life, but you will be entertained for a couple of
hours.
3rd: Now for the rest.
I have read
some of Varley's other works, but not in a long time. I thought he did an ok job, but not spectacular. I picked this up
because i hadn't read anything by Varley in years, the
"books to read" stack was thin to non-existant, and i
felt like spending some money.
I was
pleasantly surprised by this book. It is very Heinlein-ish (young Heinlein, not old horny Heinlein) in that is has a young cast,
is about achievement, and space. The setting of
the book I admit to having a personal bias for. I
grew up in Florida, and like seeing it portrayed in
books and movies as something other than being a fantasy
RatWorld, a flatland Deliverance set, or a Cuban crime
riddled Miami. True that's about all there is to
Florida, but like everyone who grew up or is still stuck
there, like pretending it isn't.
I was
surprised by his accurate descriptions of the Canaveral area of florida. I went to university in that area, and liked it. The county
Canaveral is in (Bevard) is pretty wacky in real
life. It is a very serious part of the Bible Belt,
has NASA Rocket Scientists living next door to folks who
make their living off air boats and gator farming.
Big Culture clashes. Then add in the usual Florida
background stuff, the discrimination against hispanics,
poverty, wealth, hurricanes, failed dreams and
desperation that seem to resound through out the state. His description of the incredible Florida Public
Eduction System is so accurate you would think he has
had first hand experience
with it. (I did, but i can read, write and do math
despite my 8 years of exposure to it.)
The story
takes place over 1 summer, so don't expect a lot of character development. I mean really, how much character did you
develop in 3 months of summer when you where
20ish?
This seems to
be a movie ready book. If your not sure what that means, read anything By Micheal Crichton. All his crap is just a script
without the script formatting.
4th: Overall, don't spend your money for the hardback
version, but wait until it comes out in paperback.
Editor's Note : The links for this review point to the mass market
paperback. - Critus
5th: Rating: 6/10
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