Customer Reviews

NEPTUNE CROSSING...

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the second Jeffrey Carver book I've read. The first was Infinity Link with wich I wasn't too impressed... but thought it had potential.

I came across Carver's collection in our local library and picked up Neptune Crossing with the hopes I might have a good series to read. I wasn't disappointed.

The fact is, different people expect different things from a sci fi book. To me, Neptune Crossing never ceased to be interesting. There weren't side stories that bored you... it was "in your face" throughout and I found myself glued to the book. Carver developed a believeable character in John Bandicut and placed him in a position we'd all like to be in... he had to save humanity.

This book is a great read. It gives you a glimpse into our potential future with the computer. I highly recommend it.

I disagree with many of the reviews here. I think this is a great book, because Carver is a good storyteller. The three books in this series (soon to be a fourth) are interesting due to the characters and the universe they inhabit. It reminds me of the Roche World Series (Robert Forward), somewhat Heinleinesqe, and yet it is all his own. I think you will find books two and three in the series are a bit better, but this first novel will get you interested!

This book combines hard sci-fi with a bit of humor to create an interesting story. Keeps you interested and wanting for more, which is provided in the sequels. Maybe alien "inhabitation" of human minds isn't so bad after all...

This book was great. The main character is John Bandicut, some kind of a land surveyor on Triton, a moon of planet Neptune. He encounters a very interesting type of alien that does not have its own physical presence in this universe. The alien takes up residence in John's mind, which is pretty strange. But the two have to become friends and work together as they try to figure out how to save Earth from destruction.

This alien who, calls himself Charlie, is quite interesting as he tries to understand human behavior. I especially liked the scenes where John Bandicut is trying to meet or get close to women because this alien does not like females and the idea of sexual contact is just too gross for it to handle. "It is so... organic" he says. Very funny.

first I want to say that this may seem harsh but I am frustrated at wasting my leisure time on poorly written books....

This is tedious and seemed to copy multiple ideas I recall from numerous other sci fi novels that I have read over the years. Indeed I began to wonder whether I had already read this in the past because is seemed so familiar. But checking the date I realized that was not so. In any event it is very cliched and predictable.

My main frustration follows. I decided to plow through to the end for two reasons. First is because I have dumped many books like this partway through lately for the same reasons and heck I just wanted to find a decent read and hoped if I kept going it might get better. It did not. Second is a trend I really hate which is the badly handled cliff hanger ending. Writers note that not all of you equate with JRR Tolkein and your forced efforts to milk out a wimpy story across multiple tomes is misguided.

I feel that I wasted time on this and therefore want to alert others who might view things from the same perspective. I would say that if you are still bored about a third of the way through then you can safely just set it aside. Otherwise you may enjoy it.

While Clarkes HAMMER OF GOD is his weakest efford I know, Carvers NEPTUNE CROSSING is equally compelling and enjoyable. His advantage over Clarke are his aliens; creatures that accompany the lead charakter on his involuntary and dangerous quest to save the earth.
Just this team of "feet on the ground hero" (human) and "guiding presense" (alien) make this book so interesting.
Although it is the opener for the CHAOS CHRONICLES it is also great as a stand-alone novel. Enjoy the amusing dialoques and the suspensefull plot!

I loved this book. As other reviewers have said, it is a real page turner and a very entertaining read. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Nevermind that you don't understand everything that's going on in the story... that's what's great about SF!

I was very pleased with the pace of this book. It moved at just the right pace and found you skipping because there were no boring parts.

The characters aren't that deep but just deep enough to keep you wanting more. Bandie's character develops at just the right pace for the book but not so much that you don't want to move on to the next one.

I'm ready for book 2!

This book was great. The main character is John Bandicut, some kind of a land surveyor on Triton, a moon of planet Neptune. He encounters a very interesting type of alien that does not have its own physical presence in this universe. The alien takes up residence in John's mind, which is pretty strange. But the two have to become friends and work together as they try to figure out how to save Earth from destruction.

This alien who calls himself Charlie is quite interesting as he tries to understand human behavior. I especially liked the scenes where John Bandicut is trying to meet or get close to women because this alien does not like females and the idea of sexual contact is just too gross for it to handle. "It is so... organic" he says. Very funny.

This really is a nice little book. It was well written The characters in it are memorable protagonists. The scenes are well set in the far future in the solar system. There is action, adventure, romance, and humor and last but most importantly a well intentioned but problematic alien presence.