Review: Difficult but absolutely fascinating
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 9, 2011
I have reviewed a complimentary free copy of this book. This is why I thought I have received an early manuscript version, and not the final one. Later into the book, I realized that even if all the typos and other writing issues were corrected, the book would still be rough. Just so you know what to expect:1. The chapter sections seem to be thrown at random. Some are very short, others are very long.2. Even within chapters, the points of view often change suddenly, and I found myself reading for a while before realizing that I'm reading another character's thoughts. Even worse, you will sometimes find a few sentences about an entirely different plot, thrown into the chapter, after which the point of view returns to the main plot and continues without breaking pace. Just like someone thought to copy/paste a paragraph right there, between two paragraphs of the main plot.3. Most of the characters are thin, but I found some who were actually well developed, and even funny.4. There are some unclear points in the plot development, some characters get into action without being introduced at all, letting you wonder where did the came from. And you don't really get a clear explanation later.This being said, let me tell you why this book is absolutely fascinating. I've started reading it yesterday afternoon intending to go a few chapters just to pass some time. As it turned out, I left everything else I intended to do that day, and didn't put my Kindle down until I finished it, late into the night. I had a difficult time with the things I described above, but that didn't stop me at all.If you read the free sample, and the other reviews, you can figure out some of the premises of the plot. An lone alien comes to Earth, and inadvertently leaves behind a piece of equipment which is examined and reverse engineered by a team of students. A surprising idea is that even if the aliens have superior traveling technology, that same technology delayed their technological development in other branches. Electronics is one of them. They are still stuck with rudimentary computing technology, greatly surpassed by the Earth. Put these two things together, and you can expect great things. And you won't be disappointed...The author knows what he's talking about, so you can expect thorough descriptions of technology. Everything is consistent with the starting premises, built upon the idea of a cold fusion cell, capable of generating huge amounts of power, but also of creating a gravity distortion field (and subsequently, inertia and time distortion). From here a growing team of scientists starts what will undoubtedly be a golden age for the Earth and probably the entire galaxy.My advice? If you are a fan of science fiction, you need to read this. Prepare for a tedious read, but do it nonetheless.