Review: A Good Ride UNTIL It Got Too Judgemental
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 12 4, 2013
Before I get into the meat of the review, to those just scanning for a good bit of entertainment quickly, I'll say this: IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO READ A TRAGEDY THEN MOVE ALONG TO SOMETHING ELSE. "Everyone", and do mean everyone in this book dies. All humanity, in all our known universe... Not the ending I thought and hoped for while I was riding along through the first parts.I really enjoyed the first three quarters of the story/series (bought the complete novel after first three free parts). I'm not sure the author originally intended to rant near the end of the story, but did so through one of the supporting characters through the end.To justify the authors preaching about man's corrupt "human nature" he uses the villain in the story, a somewhat benevolent "activist" who, in the end, annihilated everything and everybody because humanity is a disease...Even though I can sympathize with this point of view, and it's not new to scifi, I didn't like the fact that a story where people are initially doing a good job of beating the odds, flips full-face on you and rubs YOUR face in your own humanity, and then doesn't even have the courtesy to at least leave you standing back up in the end. It was truly designed to lead you in and then stab you in the heart.You put up with the half enraged main character through most of it because you start to believe that there is a change due for this guy. Why else would the violent scumbag be spared over and over. But in the end he just gets even more crazed and out of control until you just don't care what happens to him any more, and then you run out of the point of reading this letdown in the first place.There is even a very long passage of poetry within the story which would make at least this reader believe that within it is the authors main message and purpose for the story in the first place.I was disappointed that the author chose to get a bit overly obscure in the last ten percent of the story, not only with the events as they pan out, but with the story line itself, message having already been delivered to the unsuspecting reader.Events felt like they splintered in all directions and it felt like the author, through his obscurity, either relieves himself of his obligation to his readers to give us a defined ending (although I guess there was one in there), or just wanted to throw a cerebral hook at us to finish us off. In the end I said "WTF"?I guess I'm just pissed that after spending all my valuable time reading the first three quarters and liking it, that the author really dropped the ball and let his passions (whatever they are) take over and run away with the story. Or maybe someone else did. If that was his original plan, "congratulations, you succeeded". And he also made sure I never buy another one of his titles. I for one, do not like when the author betrays me by turning my entertainment into preaching.Want to preach to me? Fine. I'm all for it if: a), you tell me that's what you're doing and I mentally prepare for it, and b), keep it out of my leisure time.One other observation that may actually be way out in left field is I felt the author tried too hard (even though the attempt may have thought to have been subtle) to convey his athiestic beliefs through the main agitant in the story, which would also explain the very negative view the author apparently has on human behavior of the future.I did notice afterward that he asked for input from readers as he was apparently writing episodically. This may have been the downfall here. The story was not done before it was released.As a former publishing firms editor, I can say that releasing an unfinished work can be the death of it once the reading pool starts messing with the author's head. Shame. When I first started reading the saga, I thought for sure it was going to earn all five stars.The ONLY reasons I gave it the three stars is that it was good enough to entertain me for awhile, and "my" letdown may not be someone else's. It IS well written despite the seemingly two-faced direction the story takes. If you're into doomsday scenarios, have at it!