Review: Classic Sci-Fi, But the Plot Could Use Some Work
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 6, 2014
I approached this book with a lot of anticipation, perhaps too much in fact. Epic science fiction series are always a bold and ambitious choice for an author, but with the promise of a quintet ahead of me and a promising premise, I settled in for the first section of the Kalahari Series. Unfortunately, it didn't grab me as I had hoped. Don't get me wrong, Marshall is clearly a science fiction junkie and understands many of the tropes and classic techniques employed by Asimov, Clarke, and Frank Herbert, among others, but he doesn't bring as fresh a take to some old ideas as I had expected. I felt myself being reminded of other authors, and while that isn't uncommon in sci-fi, as everyone seems to "read each other", it isn't the best way to start a 5-part series. However, all that being said, Marshall is a good writer, the plot isn't "ripped off", by any means, and the characters alone are worth diving into this pretty intimidating text. I enjoyed the ancient civilization tie in, which is another area of my interest, so this was double appealing. Throw in some energy crystals that could save the human race, a bit of intrigue and attempted murder, mysterious motives, and what you have here is a complex and well-structured novel that delivers on its promise to entertain and draw you in.I don't mean to be overly critical, and I will be giving the second book a go; perhaps Marshall will have ironed out a few of the issues and hit the mark that I think he is completely capable of achieving. If you've got a couple weeks and a hankering for some classic sci-fi, then check out the Kalahari Series and decide for yourself. I think the juice is worth the squeeze, although I had to squeeze slightly harder that I would have liked.