Customer Reviews

Great Ship Of Knowledge

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

William Bailey's first novel asks a lot of questions. Is the evil present on earth worth it? Why have we done so little to prevent mutually assured destruction? But most of all, it asks "Is life just a dream?" If you're reading this review however, I am guessing the only question you're asking is is it worth reading. In my opinion, yes. This book is a fascinating read...if you can stand grammar the level of a high school creative writing class.

The story starts out extremely shakily and feels as if the reader is being rushed into Learning Earth's Deathly History. But once we get there, it begins to pick up steam. The main plot follows a team of navy seals in an operation to bring down the evil DOOMS-TEAM. While the name may seem corny, doom is definitely their main goal. Without spoiling the story, once the history lesson is over, the reader is brought back to the present (1000 years in the future). What follows is the best part of the novel in my opinion, answering just enough questions and leaving just enough mystery to satisfy a reader.

One final warning. Grammar police, stay away. I found myself editing in my head as I read the multiple tense misuses, spelling errors, and overuse of some words. However, as the novel progresses, there is a slow but steady decline in the poor grammer usage. After talking to the author, I know that he is taking steps to improve his writing skills for the rest of the trilogy.

If one thing stands out in this novel, it is the authors enthusiasm for his story. This is both good and bad as the story is occassionally rushed yet still an entertaining ride. I rate the story itself a 4/5, but the poor grammar sadly was enough for me to knock off a point. In short, while the diction isn't exactly spot-on, I recommend this novel to science fiction fans who are ready for a new adventure.

This is a hard book to rate. The story was good and I will get to that in a minute, but the problem is in the early part of the story, the writing was distracting enough that I put it down for a couple of days. As another reviewer states though, the writing becomes better as the story progresses. The story is a mash up of various movies and books, Matrix, Battlestar Galactica, Rainbow Six, and others. The story is a very interesting idea, and it takes all these really separate elements and combines them into a cohesive plot. Even with the writing working as a distraction, I still wanted to finish it, and I definitely want to read the sequel. I'd recommend it to anyone that can put their hidden "English Professor" aside long enough to get to the middle, when a lot of the problems start to disappear.

Unfortunately, I was unable to finish this book. It just couldn't keep my attention. The writing was sub-par and there were too many discrepancies with the real world to allow me to suspend belief for the science fiction sections. I think this book needs to be rewritten a few more times before it winds up on the shelves. The major tenet this author needs to follow is REWRITE! The story might go somewhere if the author spends more time on it. I really wanted to finish this book, and more than that, I really wanted to enjoy it. But its going to take a lot of work before it should grace bookshelves.

Okay, so I don't really know what to say. I am a book snob, I want brain candy, if I'm not hooked by page fifty I stop reading. I like many different genres and feel this one covers many. I litterally couldn't put it down. I finished it in one day it was so good.

It has a little of everything romance, suspense, humor, and sci fi. The story flows in such a way that you get pieces of people's lives as you read a very realistic description of the end of the world. You find yourself surrounded by the events the author describes as if you are really there. I almost forgot I was reading fiction the images were so real. To me, that makes this a wonderful book and awesome brain candy.

Then when it seems like things can't get any worse for the world, you're in the future in a fleet of spaceships. As the characters are awakened they learn it was all a dream and that their job is to populate a new planet. Slowly you meet some of the people who populated the world as it the ended. As they awaken to their new bodies and surroundings you can feel a kind of tension build inside you. The better everything looks for the dreamers the more you get a feeling that something is off.

This book is the first in a series and I can't wait to learn how my favorite characters make out and what the catch is. Because for some reason I think there is one. Just like the characters I want to know what the GREAT SHIP OF KNOWLEDGE has to say. How did the fleet come about? Who made it? And most important what happens next?

This book is a definite read and it ends with just the right note of suspense, leaving the reader wanting more.

This book is a gem of a science fiction story. That's not all it is. It's a cry for the people of the world to wake up before they destroy the planet they live on. And it's a very realistic depiction of the holocaust and destruction that will take place if we continue on the present path. In this regard, it is truly frightening in its vivid and seemingly very realistic portrayal of current events escalating into apocalyptic proportions with the final outcome being an all too possible, human-wrought, Armageddon. The people that we follow in the story are living out a dream sequence, even as their physical beings are being stored in limbo onboard very elaborate space craft bound for a new planet to inhabit. They have been enroute for a thousand years, and are now just arriving at their destination. These "dreamers" who are to populate the new world, must first virtually live out a life on the Earth of a thousand years ago and the nightmare of the Armageddon that occurred then. The powers that be felt in this way, they would learn to respect their new world and all mankind would live in peace after they had seen for themselves what the stupidity of religious and racial hatred did to the Earth. How these "dreamers" were saved from the destruction of Earth is only hinted at, and is to be explained in detail in later volume(s).

The depiction of the strife that led to the Earth's destruction; as well as the portrayal of the advanced space traveling crew, "dreamers", futuristic equipment and gadgets, space craft full of specimens from the old world that were salvaged and are being transported to the new planet, holographic workers of all kinds, complete with elaborate costumes; and especially vivid descriptions of various modes of futuristic transport is awe-inspiring. I have read alot of science fiction books, and never has one painted such a vivid picture in my mind; as if a movie were playing in the background. This story just begs to be made into a movie--3D please!!!!

The foreword describes the eerie birth of this story; that alone is truly frightening. In it, the author also explains that he is not a writer, and is rather poor in English subjects, including spelling and tense; as mentioned by an English teacher he had originally asked to look over the manuscript. I appreciate his honesty and I must say, he is absolutely right. As far as English is concerned, this book would appear to be a pretty rough draft greatly in need of massive proofreading, spelling corrections and heavy editing. The tense issue is a prevalent one. Sentence structure is very poor, with long, run-on sentences full of ambiguity. Ordinarily, the problems mentioned in this paragraph would have turned me off of a book I was reading. I used to think that was the main reason I read; to experience elegant usage of the English language, which is truly an art form of its own. I've changed my mind after reading this book. The story that is told here, is worth it!

Library Thing and the author of this book have afforded me the opportunity to experience a book that I would not ordinarily have come across; and I would like to extend my thanks to them for their consideration. This book has enriched my imagination and also filled me with a new level of dread for the current state of affairs of this world we live in. Reading this book has truly been a unique and rewarding experience.

RESPONSE FROM AUTHOR:

Dear Shirley,

I woke up early this morning and saw another reviewer (yours) had posted another review of The Great Ship of Knowledge, on Amazon.com. It's always emotional for me when I read a review of my work, and yours made me tear up! Thank you! I still find it so hard to believe that I wrote a novel.

As you know after reading "The Epiphany," this story is truly the result of lucid dream I suffered through just after midnight, on the morning of January 1st, 2008. A dream so vivid and powerful, that it inspired and forced this 47 year old, who had never written more than 5 pages of scribble in his life, to become immediately obsessed with writing about it.

Writing this first volume, with only a highschool English class for my educational background (English was my worst class in highschool) was no easy task for me, but I knew the story had to be told, and told by me. So I just started writing and rewriting it until I felt I had written my best draft, and then rewrote it a few more times, before I had burned out and just needed to let go of my manuscript, and have the first volume printed.

I know my writing still needs help, but I'm elated I was able to articulate the words well enough for the reader to see my vision as if they were there. I'm taking steps to improve my writing skills before I write the next volume of The Great Ship of Knowledge. Two days ago, I signed up for a English comp one class, at the local community college, and after I complete that course, I will be taking English comp two along with a creative writing class they offer. The story gets more involved and detailed in the next edition, so I want to take the necessary steps now to improve my writing skills, before I pick up the pen and once again disappear into a world of thought for months on end as a writing-recluse.

Thanks again! You made my day!
Sci-fi Dreams, William Bailey

Truly imaginative and a work of genius. I could not put this book down! The fictitious world suffering from nuclear holocaust is so realistic that it is almost terrifying. The depictions and cruelty outlined in this magnificent piece are enough that if everyone were to read this book, there is not a doubt in my mind that, world peace would finally envelope the Earth.

Yet, with all the destruction, cruelty, disease, and pain in this book there is a lighter, hope-filled side to this story that is just as enveloping, if not more. This story is also filled with mystery, adventure, romance, sci-fi, and history with plenty of twists and turns to keep any read glued to the pages.