Breaking Strain (Arthur C Clarkes Venus Prime) [Paperback]

Paul Preuss (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Avon Books (Mm) (October 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380753448
• ISBN-13: 978-0380753444
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,954,904 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Venus Prime series:, December 1, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Breaking Strain (Arthur C Clarkes Venus Prime) (Paperback)

Sparta is a young woman who grew up as Linda, was enrolled in a specieal program for the extremely intelligent, but was kidnapped and changed by the use of an advanced technology so that she has special and unusual skills and abilities. The mysterious cult that changed her cannot bend her will to their purpose; she escapes, assumes an alias, and rises, aided by her powers and a great deal of effort, to become a Space board investigator, wherein she solves crimes that may have been perpetrated by her abductors. Her abductors having blocked many of her memories before she was able to escape, she has to piece together her own history to get a sense of who she is, and piece together clues as to what the cult are about; she is aided in this by her friend Blake Redfield.

After having gone through crises and adventures (each gripping adventure being covered by a volume of this series), she learns more of her history. This is crime-solving science fiction at its best, and having read the first 5 volumes I can hardly wait to read the 6th.

Volumes of this Venus Prime series are:
1. Breaking Strain
2. Maelstrom
3. Hide & Seek
4. Medusa Encounter
5. Diamong Moon
6. The Shining Ones

If you enjoyed Robert A. Heinlein's "Friday," you will like Sparta even better. In this reviewer's opinion, Asimov, Clarke (& Preuss in this series), Heinlein, and Kaplan are the best autors of this genre. These are well worth the re-rreading! -DM

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Breaking Strain (Venus Prime - Vol. 1), June 25, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Breaking Strain (Arthur C Clarkes Venus Prime) (Paperback)

An excellent book and an easy read that combines a good mystery with a SF setting. I have read four of the six books in the series so far, and each has been excellent. The author combines great immagery and vocabulary and a great story line. With 6 books in the series, there is plenty to keep up the interest. Although it is a light read, this is a pure SF book. There are few ,if any, fantasy components.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you are a GUY, October 4, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Breaking Strain (Arthur C Clarkes Venus Prime) (Paperback)

If you're a guy. You will love SPARTA/LINDA. She is a dream (conceived by male writers... I would love to get a female's opinion of this book). This is very good reading of the Asimov/detective/SF variety. An easy read that combines a good detective mystery with a futuristic setting. There are 6 books in the series, so there is plenty to follow. Although it is a light read, this is a pure SF book. There are few ,if any, fantasy components.