Customer Reviews

Thunderstrike!

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I discovered Michael McCollum about a year ago and have been reading his titles as fast as I can get them. I love science fiction, but not fantastica, which is what I find most authors produce. What I like about McCollum's style is that his science and any theoretical license he takes is solidly grounded in practicality and therefore what he writes makes sense. Also his characters seem like real people with every day problems, which include things like paying bills and such--the only different being is the year is 2150 or thereabouts. His themes vary enough so that each book you read is thoroughly different. Thunderstrike is based on a comet coming from deep space on collision course for earth. The comet is discovered and observed for some time before someone computes it will hit earth. Then the fun begins! First, our heroes have to fly out and intercept the comet, land on it and try to blast it into pieces. Failing that they try to turn the comet into a rocket ship and try to propel it into another orbit, but that proves almost impossible (you'll have to read the book to see what I mean by almost). Then they try to propel asteroids into its path to divert it-like a game of deep space billiards. Finally they have no choice but to try and crash it into the moon to save Mother Earth, but that means it will be necessary to evacuate the 10 million people living on the Lunar Republic before the impact. The conclusion is hair-raising and very, very surprising. I can understand why Hollywood has purchased the screen rights, because this will make a great movie!