Review: After reading Definition, I can recommend...Renewal
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 31, 2013
JF Perkins is on my must-read list because of his Renewal series, which shares nothing in common with Definition - not even writing quality.In Definition, Perkins writes a young adult novel where characters are wooden and the bad guys seem to have been ordered off a menu. He's got some good sci-fi concepts to play with in the universe of Definition, including a "D-Drive" that is an almost-believable way to overcome acceleration and gravity issues in space. Then he wastes all that good science speculation with sappy teen romance and characters that are far too simplistic for the plot.Perkins had a wonderful opportunity with wheelchair-bound Mick, whose special talents help expand the story and provide a mechanism for some of the reality-as-program elements of the novel. But Mick's story really makes no sense - and for some reason, we are well-informed that the kid sleeps. A lot.While Perkins projected great optimism into a future where humanity has finally gotten off its duff and begun to mine the resources of the asteroid belt, for some reason all his teenage characters are stuck in 2013 lingo and slang. Strange, and distracting.I'll eagerly await the continuation of the Renewal series, where Perkins stays grounded - literally, on planet Earth - and where he has the capacity to write a bit more in a layered tapestry of plot and character. Personally, I think he should chalk up Definition as an interesting writing experiment and let ideas of a sequel rest.