Review: Riveting
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 14, 2014
Make the wonderful “mistake” of reading even the few sample chapters of ‘Open Channel’, and I’m betting my right arm you’ll be hooked. Author Daniel Betts has crafted something that will stay with you even days after reading it.Basically, ‘Open Channel’ is a breath-taking reimagination of the distant future, where colonizing other worlds has become commonplace. However, these individual colonies evolved to be suspicious of the intentions of humans from other worlds, and such serves as seeds for the terrible tragedy that ensues. The book, however, pulls into focus on a well-developed character we can all root for: Captain Drake, whose “Captain Kirk-like” directive is to steer and command his warship as he is driven by professional as well as deeply personal reasons: out to avenge the death of his daughter and the mess that has become of his previous marriage, Drake makes every decision with a far-reaching eye for revenge. And there’s the rub: he’s the man in charge of bringing about justice. But an unexpected twist amps up the suspense and basically “time warps” the reader into a complication you cannot look away from.Also, there’s something in Daniel Betts’ writing that reminds me so much of William Gibson in his post-Neuromancer novels—that is, the Gibson that is sharper and raw in ‘Spook Country’ or dazzling in ‘Pattern Recognition’. Betts, however, stands on his own as a distinct literary voice, regardless of the comparison.Overall, ‘Open Channel’ is a book you open and doesn’t put down until the very last page—it is that arresting and immersive. If you love a science fiction tale that throbs with style and grace and weighs heavily with its emotional gravitas, then you’ll love this book to shreds. Get a copy—or send it as a gift to a friend who loves the genre. A solid five-star rating for this one.