Customer Reviews

Time Storm 2012: Atlantis and the Mayan Prophecy

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

I really enjoyed the main story line of this book. It had a lot of elements that I always find appealing and intriguing. The science is plausible and the tie-ins with the 2012 phenomenon are not allowed to overpower the story line.

Unfortunately, the author apparently published this book without the benefit of having anyone competent at editing involved in the process. There were more run-on sentences, completely wrong punctuation and syntax, capitalization failures and other such mistakes than I've encountered in a published work in many, many years. Based on this book, the author would have a tough time passing a basic composition course at any decent college. Any number of times, I stopped, closed the book and said to myself, "I cannot read any more of this badly edited writing. It's too distracting." Admittedly, as a professional writer and long-time journalist, I am more sensitive to such issues than most readers. Still, there's no excuse for not having a copy editor go over the manuscript before releasing it.

The other major flaw I encountered was the very cardboard nature of the main characters. They did not undergo any real growth or change in the course of the book. Their reactions as a result were highly predictable, which removed a lot of potential suspense from the story. The author frequently told us what a character was feeling instead of showing us their emotion in a way that would have made them more real. It was hard for me to work up a lot of caring for what happened to any of them for most of the story.

So this book would have gotten at least four and maybe even five stars from me had the author been a lot more polished and a bit more practiced at her craft. As it is, it's a solid three-star effort. I hope she writes more in the future but heeds my advice about making the book more a polished effort.

This has to be one of the lamest books I have ever read and I've read a lot. Simplistic plot, childish dialogue, military bad ....spare me. The science was the only part I enjoyed because some was actually plausible. From the initial meeting to the lame "kumbaya" ending, the plot is unbelievable and sophomoric. After nuclear reactors have exploded and destroyed a good part of the US, the rest of the world is going about with business as usual...I don't think so. Guess you can just wish away that whole radiation thingy (they use that word in the book). Wouldn't waste my time or money. Bought it on Kindle and wish I could get a credit for a real book - and this one was only $0.99.

The authors ability to write dialog is good. The cover denotes science fiction which should mean an elementary understanding of science. The book does not purport to have magic yet the author states that a nuclear power plant can somehow cause a nuclear detonation. There were other minor occurrences that did not follow basic science and this caused disapointment.

The authors understanding of metaphyics is better than most and she thankfully did not try to explain all of the metaphysical phenomenon. I believe she can be a good writer if she eithers stays away from science fiction or has it proofed by anyone with a basic understanding of physics,engineering and or economics.

I wanted to give it two stars but the writers obvious talent made up for some of the technical deficiencies.

I really enjoyed this book! With my busy schedule, when ever I had to put it down, I could hardly wait to pick it up again. When it ended I wanted more! I enjoyed the balance with a great storyline, some fun romance mixed in and great suspence. I enjoy science fiction, but so many are so unbelievable. This was written so well it had me talking to myself. I thought, man this could really happen!

I enjoyed this book. The ideas were interesting, and the author did her research. The only quibble I have is that it comes off as an early draft instead of the finished product. A stronger editor would have lifted this from a good book to a really good, possibly great book. There were some misspellings, some grammatical mistakes, and quite a few times when it took me a second to figure out who was speaking. The descriptions were well done, and I liked the characters. I thought that, especially near the end, the story fell into telling not showing. Again, a stronger editing job would make this a great read.

I am looking forward to more from this author.

I found the story line refreshing with unexpected and novel ideas. The science was well researched making the story seem almost plausible in spite of it being fiction. The characters were real and compelling and blended well with the mixed in urban legend. The story line spanned over 10,000 years and had every kind of science you could imagine all blended into one cohesive story line. I loved it.

I thought this book was totally awesome. I hope the author keeps writing. I haven't ever read a book that I had absolutely no idea of what would happen next. Well, maybe Farscape but that wasn't a book, at least I saw the show maybe there was one. Anyway, this book was a roller-coaster of unexpected things that tied together in a totally unexpected way. I loved the section in the back that gives information on some of the real science involved in the story. The most hard to believe stuff turned out to be some of the real stuff. I can't wait for more. Totally loved it and the author's unusual sense of humor made it even more unique.

I must say I have never read such an unexpected combination of theories and urban legend. I couldn't put this book down, especially toward the end. I love science fiction but am often disappointed by the lack of in depth relationships. This one had a great romance on top of the science. Some of the science seemed a little far fetched at first but after reading the notes section in the back and learning a little more about theoretical physics I think it was really well done. I guess truth is stranger than fiction. It seemed some of the weirdest science in the book is actually the current accepted theory. Wow, I had no idea. I was watching the show on the science channel, "Through the wormhole" after reading this book and was astounded at just how much research must have gone into this book. The science at first seems really out there but not only is most of it based on accepted theory, much of it has been proven. I can't wait for more from this author, it has what so many science fiction books lack, real people. I couldn't guess what was coming next and even though the science is complex it's explained in a way that I could understand it even though I have never had a physics class. Too bad it's so close to the year 2012 or I think this book could have become a classic. Of course 1984 is a classic and it's well past that year. I wish they had based the 2012 movie on this book instead of the one they used.

Here is a book which combines all the best aspects of science fiction (as opposed to sci-fi and science fantasy) with action, has three dimensional female as well as male characters, and draws on scientific evidence so accurately that it seems uncanny on the day of writing (with pendulum observations related to a solar eclipse taking place in Africa and with the Caribean earthquakes occurring). The build up to the climax is exciting and rewards the reader for chosing this book.

Some of the dialogue, particularly in passages associated with the love stories that weave in behind the main theme, could be improved - a minor issue but one which leads to my only real criticism of this book.

The Kindle edition I read demonstrated the need for a good editor. Some sentences were incomplete, seeming to lack a verb or suffer from misplacement of punctuation, and a few words (such as demeanor)are used in unexpected ways. Typos seem to be lightly sprinkled through the text. These minor irritations give on the feeling of reading a late draft.

The cover art combines with these to cheapen the presentation of what could be a high priced best seller. The book calls for re-release with the benefit of a good editor and good marketing.

Someone should snap up the film rights quickly - and use them.

I really enjoyed this book. It had an intriguing story line and an unusual emotional honesty about it. I couldn't put it down and I like the fact that it was family friendly, I mean rated PG; you don't find that very often anymore. The characters came alive and I found myself laughing and sometimes crying. I thought the dialogue was real; so many books sound phony. I also liked the fact that the characters had imperfections. Mark had his irritable moments and Ashlyn was insecure at times. My heart really went out for Stewart, poor guy. He was like the Timex watch "takes a licking and keeps on ticking." I have always wanted to go diving and the underwater scenes made me feel like I was there. I've also been in the Bahamas and I thought the author did a good job of capturing the essence. The science was cool. I loved the way everything was intertwined and so much of it based on real science. The notes section in the back was compelling; it made me wonder if there really is something going to happen in 2012. The NASA reports and the Hutchison effect, I had never heard of it and I can't believe that it hasn't been more pronounced in the news. The fact that there have really been underwater pyramids discovered was news to me too. I think the author must have done a lot of research to put everything together that way. It's complex enough to interest a scientist and yet she uses the characters to explain it in terms that people like me can understand. I wanted to give it five stars but I felt like the book was a little too short; I wanted more. I think the author could have added more details about some of the characters so I gave it four stars. In spite of that, I highly recommend it. The book was unusual and had unique twists and a refreshing storyline. I'm really looking forward to her next book, whatever it is.