Review: Awful
Rating: 1 out of 5
Date: 11 3, 2011
Simply awful.Why authors with the scientific knowledge of a 6th grader insist on writing science fiction is beyond me.Within the first 20 pages, we have repeated juxtaposition of descriptions of the area where the events take place (the Nine Systems") and references to the "entire universe" and the "known universe".  It doesn't bode well for a science fiction book when, after only a few pages, the author demonstrates his ignorance of the difference between solar systems, galaxies, and the universe.  We find spaceships that are large enough to hold hundreds landing on planetary surfaces.  These ships "blast off" from the planets using "fission drives" (producing some undescribed thrust) which then within minutes send the ship to "deep space" where they engage their "fusion drives" which, in some undescribed manner, send the ships into "hyperspace" and to the other star systems in the story within a couple of hours.  Yet after thousands of years using such magical propulsion systems there are only 9 systems!  We see our heroes on their wondrous ships, after they have arrived at a planet occupied by the enemy, manage to "hide" in low orbit.  But nothing beats how one of our heroes while opening the ship's hatches to release their shuttle boats after hiding his ship in orbit, drops this little gem:"They might pick up some noise down on the  surface, he said worriedly."  Simply amazing.Of course, scientific knowledge isn't the only thing the author lacks.  For example, we learn that 100% of the food raised to support the billions of people on the planets of all nine systems is grown on only one of the planets in one of the nine systems.  This is both economically and logistically absurd.Naturally, much of the book is what you might call military science fiction.  But by this time you shouldn't be surprised that the author has no clue how militaries operate, how they are organized, or how they plan and conduct operations.  He apparently thinks that admirals and captains just make it up as they go along; there is no such thing as strategic, operational, or tactical planning.Of course, all of that is simply the backdrop to the story.  In and of itself, this backdrop would have caused me to throw a paper book across the room after reading less than a quarter of it.  But the character development, story, dialogue, and writing style are equally poor.One reviewer thought this book might be suitable for teens.  I disagree.  Even a teen would find the book juvenile.