Review: Expectations Exceeded
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 23, 2013
Given the media's current obsession with the Amish culture (mainly due to MTV's abhorrent reality shows), I really wasn't sure what to expect when I read the premise of Pennsylvania - a young Amish man travels to a newly discovered planet to begin a new life. That couldn't be very exciting could it?Well, I was wrong.Pennsylvania is well-crafted engaging tale full of intrigue and mystery heightened by the protagonist's innocence and naiveté dealing with not only the outside world but another world altogether. What should be a straightforward trip suddenly turns in to an action-packed sci-fi thriller on a much grander scale than expected and life will never be normal again for Jed Troyer.Setting and characters are well-balanced and quickly established and thankfully uncompromising to it's subject and the genre. The plot twists and turns with genuine tension and excitement but never meanders and it's impressive just how much of this great story the author manages to pack in before it's sudden cliffhanger. This is no short story. This is the start of something much bigger.