Review: A good book about bad metal
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 6, 2012
Full disclosure: I know the author's father and he told me about this book. But I don't know the author himself. You'll have to settle for my assurance that this is an impartial review.I think this is Black's first book and if I graded on the curve I'd probably rate it a 5 because...1. The characterization is very good. Gibson, the main man, is a very likable, Everyman type of hero. He's brave and resourceful but still self-deprecating and knows he's a flop with chicks. The other characters are well drawn and believable, too; Black has a nice touch for this. The only complaint here is that the book's so short that many characters don't get all the development they could use.2. The dialog is not only entertaining but shows a writer who has a feel for how people talk. It's very convincingly written.3. The plot pacing was good and the story was believable (for sci-fi). The pace was never overwhelming but it was never boring either. This story's paced like a thriller and when I hit the end, I was disappointed there wasn't more to read. Three cheers again.4. Finally, I was relieved that it wasn't just another piece of post-apocalyptic sci-fi angst. It opens with a description of a somewhat devastated world, so I was a little apprehensive. But no worries: while it's not Roses & Sunshine, neither is it Gloom & Despair.I had a little bit of trouble swallowing "The Company" line. No matter how many billionaires survive the apocalypse, I don't think they could re-industrialize a sparsely-populated world in only a few decades. (Not to mention that they probably wouldn't *remain* billionaires after an apocalypse -- not unless they're land barons or Scrooge McDuck types with bunkers full of gold coins. An apocalypse can destroy your brokerage account balance pretty good.)So with all those excellent qualities, why not a 5? Two reasons.1. This book needed an editor. It's a good book but it could be a *very* good book with a little guidance. The storyline was pretty minimal: it carried the plot and developed the characters very sparely. Often, I think authors are too wordy. Bad Metal 01 was the opposite case. A little more exposition and explication would have been a good thing.Then there are the usual Indie-author usage & grammar faux pas. The possessive of the third-person singular neuter pronoun needs no apostrophe. It's "its", Mr. Black. I overlook this when it happens on a random basis (who wants to be a grammar Nazi?) but when I see it 10 times in 15 pages, then it gets tattooed on my brain. (Ouch!) Writers are supposed to know all those silly rules.2. Black makes no secret that this is the "first in a series." (I guess it's sort of like the First Annual Whatever.) But I was left with the feeling that he could have put a little more into this one instead of saving so much for the sequel(s). As I said, I was left wanting more. With basically only two primary episodes, this book's a bit too short - especially for the first in a series which ought to leave a lot of dangling ends for future development.