Customer Reviews

Lure

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

 

 

I was intrigued by the concept, and I have to say that the technology and the ethical dilemmas were all presented in proper detail, but the writing mechanics were marginal throughout. Several chapters had a completely new style that was disconnected from the rest of the book. Plus, he has an annoying habit of forgetting to introduce characters, and then referencing them by name. And his description of the romance only reinforces the stereotype that nerdy scientists know nothing about the opposite sex.

I'll give credit that the escape sequence in the cave was well written, as were most of the descriptions of buildings and scenery.

THE LURE kicks off in the Tatra's, in an underground laboratory which detects signals that could only have come from an extra-terrestrial intelligence. How do we authenticate it? Do we respond to it? And most importantly, what consequences could this have for us? Indeed, several governments suddenly take a big interest in the matter, and they have somewhat different view about how to deal with this situation. The result: scientists on the run! Getting chased by none other than the CIA hit squads and other unsavory characters!

This novel takes us to some fascinating locations in Eastern Europe, and I enjoyed the trip. However, this book requires considerable suspension of reality, so fair enough: it is a novel after all. In fact, I found the idea very original, which was a refreshing change from most of the re-hashes I have read lately. Furthermore, the author is clearly a scientist. Indeed, he is a Professor of Astronomy! It is absolutely evident from his writing, and you do not encounter a string of scientific "blunders" as you do for example with Matthew Reilly's novels. Which is a good thing. However, on the down side, while his idea is excellent, the story leaves a bit to be desired. There are too many boring stereotypes. Somewhat forward Norwegian (read Scandinavian) women with long blond hair; Russians who never stop smoking and who could drink endless amounts of hard liquor. They tend to make the plot seem a little shallow and unoriginal. The key political figures, for example, the US president, seem to be simple and somewhat dim; although given the current incumbent, this is probably right on the mark. There is also perhaps an overdose of physics and astronomy, but these are well-worked into the story. While I still recommend THE LURE without hesitation, I certainly preferred NEMESIS, REVELATION and SPLINTERED ICON, and would direct prospective readers to those novels first.

A truly incredible, pulse pounding thriller that come close to the level of great literature. Napier develops characters of depth and humanity and puts them in realistic situations that put all that they are to the test. What distinguishes his writing here is the philosophical and ethical questions that permeate the book yet never slow down the breathlessness and blazing excitement of the plot. The author really does elevate the genre thriller to a new literary level and the respect of his fellow authors are clear from the endorsements on the jacket. In many ways, this is Napier's masterpiece and certainly a not to be missed treasure for demanding readers.

I just finished The Lure. It was full of philosophical and ethical debates, but there was enough action to keep me reading. I loved the premise and liked the characters a lot. I can't wait to dive into his other books.

This is definitely an interesting novel delving into the idea that humanity receives a coded message from extraterrestrial sources. I am also reading another novel right now by Napier, entitled Nemesis, that details the concept that a power hostile to the United States is able to adjust the trajectory of an asteroid to destroy the country. Both are well-written and have interesting characters that you definitely find entertaining and engaging.

I did find this novel much easier to read than some of his other works. He is an astronomer by trade, and writes dialogue utilizing his expertise in science, mathematics and astronomy that is sometimes over my head, quite frankly. The lure was fun, exciting and had a few misdirections that kept me interested.

This is my first experience reading this author and was 'lured' into reading the book by the captivating description. I'm a sci-fi fan and have been reading the genre for at least 25 years. I've never written a review before, but was compelled to write one for this book. I'm amazed it wasn't a self-published book. The writing was atrocious, the circumstances and events in the book were bizarre, and the description on the back cover is misleading. It reads like it was poorly translated from a language other than english. The scientists behaved like they were suffering from paranoid delusions with completely un-scientist like behaviour. There was no lead-in to the suggestion of a pattern in the blizzard of particles. The story begins witht a blizzard and immediately jumps to the assumption and discovery of a pattern with the 'scientists' squabbling like children over who gets the credit for the particle discovery. The desperate race against time is a race to finish before the end of the week when their borrowed office space is to be used for a conference and before some other team possibly publishes the discovery (another paranoia). The sci-fi element of the book is gone well before the end where it transitions into just another non-adventurous spy non-thriller. This book is minimally sci-fi. The only science in it is the detection of particles and suggestion of biological information revealed through the patterns. There is no race through space or time as the book cover suggests, and the only desperacy is the attempt to add a sci-fi element through wild conclusions jumped to by the mathematician. This book is definitely not a recommended purchase. There are much better authors out there with significantly superior writing and story telling ability. Some of these are Brin, Simmons, Bear, Reynolds, Robinson.

Like Dr. Napier's other novels, The Lure puts the man of science in the lead role of reluctant hero. No synopsis is needed as it is provided above, but leave it to say that it is in my opinion almost equal to Nemesis for entertainment value and it keeps the science facts and conjecture true to the mark! An excellent read!

I found this to be a very realistic and unusual science fiction adventure. European scientists discover a strange communication from an alien intelligence in space. They set out to analyze it and share it with the world before they can be silenced by the governments of the world.

It is easy to believe this story could happen in real life. Important ideas are explored here in an entertaining fashion.

Michael Travis Jasper, author of the novel, "To Be Chosen"

Mr. Napier had at his disposal a storyline that could of been expanded in a much more entertaining and scientific elucidative process. Instead, he chose boring cliches and the overused government is the villain themas.

For the most part, I found this an enjoyable read. I liked the characters, the premise, and especially liked the outcome. However, I can't get by the atrocious writing.

As a struggling writer trying to follow all these intricate rules just to get an agent to look at my manuscripts, it really bugs me that this novel could get published here in the states with virtually no Americanized editing. I know the British have some different standards for grammar, syntax, structure, etc., but to see a book like this make it to mass market paperback in this condition just seems wrong.

I may have counted 30 "was's" on the first page alone, along with the many passive phrases that went on throughout the story. Second, the points of view shifted, sometimes within scenes, and sometimes within the same paragraph! To top this off, he changes from third person past tense, to first person present tense, then to first person past tense, and so on.

A few years ago I could have read this story and thought it was great. But from what I know now and have had pounded into my head as a struggling writer, I lost some of the impact this book might have had on me. It just goes to show that luck must have just as much to do with getting published as writing skill.

Though this tirade may make you think I actually hated this book, I didn't. Despite everything, I didn't find it a chore to read, and will be looking for more books by Mr. Napier. Bill, if you're reading this, you've created a fan, despite all. Recommended.