Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Author's Notes about End in Fire, May 25, 2005
Hi, I'm Syne Mitchell, the author of this book. I'm not going to speak to the quality of the writing because, obviously, I'm biased. ;> But here's some behind-the-scenes comments about the book I thought you might find interesting.
The idea for END IN FIRE came from the 1970's, when the whole world seemed on the brink of nuclear war. These days we don't think much about the nuclear arsenals we still have--and which countries like India, Pakistan, and North Korea are developing--but the threat of nuclear war hasn't disappeared. And given the havoc a high-altitude nuclear explosion would cause for satellite communications, we are in some ways more vulnerable than ever.
End in Fire was a blast to write (if you'll forgive the pun.) I got to interview NASA astronauts--one of whom had even read my previous book, TECHNOGENESIS--so it was both a thrill and an honor. In some ways, this book is MURPHY'S GAMBIT done right. Now that I'm a more mature writer, I could bring more characterization and atmosphere to the story. This was also the first book written after the birth of my son, which changes your perspective on the world, and the future in particular.
I hope you'll give END IN FIRE a read, and I look forward to your comments on Amazon.com.
Best Wishes,
Syne Mitchell
http://www.sff.net/people/syne/
P.S. Please forgive the five-star rating, I would have preferred not to rate the book, but Amazon.com wouldn't let me post without one.
|
|
|
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A TV Movie, October 29, 2006
I hesitate to express what I believe to be shortcomings in a book that does not purport to be anything that it is not. Ripping off a nice thriller once and awhile has always been a favorite activity. But "End in Fire" couldn't quite decide what it was going to be. There are seeds of several excellent stories but I believe that the author unintentionally blunted the impact of each thematic opportunity by sacrificing characterization to the demands of action and plot. The author is trying too hard. Great artists make the work look effortless. Great authors have a story so finely developed that you know exactly what the characters are doing and why; crucially, the reader cares why. Otherwise, it is as if you are watching a TV movie where you know that everything will wrap up with a nice satisfactory ending in time for the 11:00 news broadcast.
The hugely relevant issue of what would happen in the event of a nuclear exchange would have itself been a very interesting premise. It is about time someone revisited the issue: Brinkley's "The Last Ship" comes to mind and here we have the perspective of astronauts rather than sailors. Some serious thought went into the framing of the nuclear exchange, interesting observations included the importance of ham radio operators, the dependence of society on satellites, vulnerability to EMP, etc. I admire an author willing to push the button as it were, but the opportunity to make any conclusions or to develop the theme was missed.
The characterizations were also rife with missed opportunity. None of the characters developed during the story. Our proud, self-sufficient mother-astronaut who shouldn't have left her baby didn't learn anything from her journey. The others who accompanied her at various times were little more than shadows. The more I read and the older I get the more I appreciate a finely-drawn character. You can put such characters in the most outrageously contrived situations and the story will move along nicely--Neal Stephenson has a gift for that.
SPOILER WARNING! There was an entire book lurking in the space rescue, which was horribly abbreviated. Sure, the whole thing smacked of dramatic hyperbole--but hey, a dramatic space rescue is what kept me reading. Here it pushed the bounds a bit much--reentry is difficult enough with all of the computers. Apollo 13 would have provided a little foundation for the framing of a crisis situation. All you need is a little hole in the craft. Reengineering a reentry vehicle on the fly--in space no less--was just over the top. As for reentry itself... I won't go there. Suffice it to say that it is reminiscent of the cartoon with scientists at a chalk board full of equations and the words at the bottom corner "Then a Miracle Occurs" and one scientist says to the other something to the effect of "there needs to be a little more detail here."
I will watch Ms. Mitchell's future efforts as I do think that the seeds of some excellent writing are present--but can't get past 3 stars on this one.
|
|
|
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A sidestep in Mitchell's development, August 7, 2005
I was born in 1950, so I grew up with science fiction during the Cold
War. I found End in Fire to be an odd blend of SF from then and now,
especially since SF then tended to look beyond the insanity of the
time at hand to successfully dealing with future challenges. Modern
SF seems to extrapolate the way things are going and often winds up
some place I'd rather not be.
Still, End in Fire is worth reading, for the warning of a possible
future, for the hands-on jury rigging of tin cans to get home, and for
a decent stab at handling various personalities and nationalities
thrown together in situations that weren't in the training manual.
Ultimately, people will look back at this as a bit of a sidestep in
Mitchell's development as a SF writer. One's firstborn can do that
to you....
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
by Syne Mitchell
by Syne Mitchell
by Syne Mitchell
by Syne Mitchell
by Jack Campbell
See all 7 books this book cites
