Review: From the end of the world to a new universe
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 05 13, 2012
Endless is a book that begins with the fall of earth and ends on a distant world. The writing is very well put together and can be touching at times. What would one do if faced with the realization that every human around you has died? What are the steps when finding out that you are the only one living, no matter where you go? The descriptions of action and quiet as the main character, John, deals with this situation are very well focused on and often had me envisioning what it would be like if I were in his shoes. I could feel his suffering, experience what it would be like to wander Earth as the only human left, taking what I needed and realizing that law meant nothing any more.The progression into a new world is a result of a combined event between what has happened on Earth and what is happening elsewhere. John finds himself suddenly among other living beings again, but realizes they are not human. He is elsewhere and becomes drawn into the struggles of the people around him. This new world is different and strange and the differences between the two planets are well described without too much pining for Earth. The reminders are subtle, such as saying an animal has bovine eyes, rather than spending pages comparing it to a cow.If there had been more time to spend on this book, I think I would have spent it on the connections between what John left and what his new life had become. He encounters other people from Earth, but once the initial realizations are made, there are only fleeting thoughts about back home, memories of television shows or attempts at describing technology to a people who have never seen such wonders before. While it was good to not have a constant pining for home, I had thought that once all was revealed there would be a few more thoughts of familiar things. But perhaps this is only another way to draw the reader in to the story, because I have found myself wondering if I would set aside Earth so easily, even after all I had experienced before leaving, in order to join a new world in its struggle for survival.Note: Though this book was a free gift from the author, the content of my review was in no way influenced by the gifting. The book speaks for itself and my review would have been worded just this way even if I'd gone out and bought it. I also give bonus points for Text To Speech enabling on Kindle format.... but that also wasn't a factor in the above review.