Half Life [Paperback]

Hal Clement (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC (1999)
• ASIN: B000GSLO10
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars *hard* sci-fi, March 15, 2000

By 

Ethan Fremen "mindlace" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Half Life (Hardcover)

The hardest of hard sci-fi, Half-Life is one of the best books in the genre I've read. A gripping story line, with plot- and characterizations- that are in line with the described world.

If you're looking for a challenging, intellectually rigorous read, this is the book for you.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting Read, September 30, 2002

By 

"phaley9" (Syracuse, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Half Life (Paperback)

This is definitely an idea book; what else would you expect from Hal Clement? In that it is hard science fiction, the writing is a little dry, but certainly does not read like a term paper.

In critique of Mr. Clement's writing, I would only say that he tells us more about what is going on rather than showing us. Also the obstacles his intrepid band of scientists must overcome are quite standard fair for science fiction. And his General Order 6 device gives the dialogue the feel of Star Trek: The Next Conversation; I would have preferred more action. But the way he sets up this story really leaves him no alternatives. These are the reasons that I give this book only a four.

It is certainly worth both your investment of time and money if you truly like hard (and I mean tungsten hard) science fiction.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Damn this Synapse Amplification Syndrome!, September 21, 2000

By 

Adam Rutkowski (Lennox Head, Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Half Life (Paperback)

This is a book rather heavy on conversation. There is always something going on, but it is through the discussions of the protagonists that the story develops.

There is also a lot of science. Real science. Clement has obviously thought this part of the book out well, and although the plot line is fairly simple, and the character development minimal, if you like hard sci-fi, you will like this book.

The flight sequences tend to get a bit repetitive, and in such a short book, they shouldn't have taken up such a large portion of it. Also, I have trouble accepting the premise of all of these terminally ill people being sent of a space mission. Since two of them are healthy, surely a full complement of healthy people could have been assembled. We are not given any reason why this particular group was chosen for the mission. Besides these two faults, the book is great reading.