I have reviewed several of Vance Huxley’s books, and I am always impressed by the breadth of his creativity. However, I have also had occasion to call attention to certain slips in the area of writing form. So, while I enjoyed this book immensely, it is my duty to inform other readers to be prepared for one element that distracted me from my involvement in the story.
But first the good stuff.
This book is hard to label, because while it is definitely Science Fiction, the general subject matter is more usually found in Romantic Comedy. At the same time, it has all the elements of Action Adventure, but is more light-hearted and far less gory than most books of that type.
Note, I do not consider this amount of variety a detriment. In fact, it all blends together rather nicely.
Another unusual demonstration of Mr. Huxley’s creativity is that this book has no main character. This is a story of a group of people on a mission, and as the group grows, so does the cast list of important people. The result is that instead of becoming heavily invested in one or two characters, the reader gets involved with the whole group. It’s a difficult balance to pull off, but it fits in neatly with the Rom-Com nature of the game.
The strength of this format comes from the quirky but lovable natures of all the individuals involved (including the antagonists), and the author’s gently reproving attitude towards their foibles.
A third quality adding to the style of the story is the balance in point of view. While most of the book is taken up with the heroes and their quest, a decent amount of time is given over to the government authorities trying to track them down. This works beautifully for structuring the beats of the story, scenarios where the heroes need to accomplish a certain technological level which will allow them to move on, but their activities give out clues to their whereabouts, which the government agent puts together. Then our POV switches back and forth between the hunter and the hunted until the last moment, when the good guys blast away to safety. This format is used several times in the story, and each time the suspense is stronger and the timing is tighter, until the final blastoff which is…well, you’ll just have to read it and see.
But now to the problem: too much of a good thing.
There is a specific point in every story which some people call the “fun and games” section. That’s where the writer indulges us with the premise of the book; with Sci-Fi, it’s usually a “how it works” explanation. The author impresses us with the thoroughness of his imagination, and aficionados pry to see if they can find a loophole in the logic. In this book, this material comes too early, and it continues too long.
One example: this is a story about flying clumsy cargo containers, which require careful attention on the part of the pilots to keep them on an even keel. So, how much sleep everyone is getting is a major concern. Fair enough.
The first time. Once it has been established that this problem has been settled, we don’t really want to hear about it again unless it’s part of the conflict. However, in this book we do. For every trip, and in great detail. Later on in the story, when the fugitives are on the run, there are too many details of money transfers, bank accounts and cash cards. In this case, the extra detail is somewhat forgivable, because it is an element of the conflict, with the government agents using transactions to trace them. But it is still in too much detail for the end of the story, when the action needs to be pumping up.
This is a pleasant, if slightly wonky group of people to spend a few hours with. If only they didn’t talk quite so much! Recommended for fans of lighter, more romantic Action Adventure Sci-Fi.
(4 / 5)