Review:: On the Loop by J.D. Robinson

On the Loop by J.D. Robinson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Having read the author's The Hole in the World , it didn't take an arm twist to pick up On the Loop.

The first novel is listed in young adult and this one is not--so, there is that.
This one takes us to a resort island; however it is about a group of people who are getting ready to leave the planet to settle on another far off world. This is their farewell to Earth party and the company sending them has put some rather strange limitations on them(limits that are vital to the plot).

I have to say that the author is beginning to show a style preference in his plot threads.
This is not a bad thing, just an observation.

Once again we have a good start that leads to a bit of a slowdown as we build an image of things that are taking place, because things are going to get turned on their ear again. For this reader it was easy to figure out; however the author doesn't belabor the point as the story becomes something reminiscent of such movies as Groundhog Day.

All this build up is because there is something going on in the background that eventually has to be dealt with.

There are a handful of characters that take the focus: all of them well developed with their own idiosyncrasies.
It's interesting to watch how they work(or fail to work)together.

Once more the editing could be a bit tighter; however again this is only mildly distracting for this reader. Though there is one place where a he is referred to as she and that one might need fixing.

This author has at least three more novels almost completed.

So, lets hurry it up.

JLD

View all my reviews

Review::The Hole in the world by J.D. Robinson

The Hole In the World by J.D. Robinson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I picked up The Hole in the world by J.D. Robinson on someones suggestion.

This is one of those books that starts out with an interesting beginning and then sort of wanders off to do some world building and if you are in a hurry you might get annoyed; however it is helpful to continue on because the nature of the story is such that it needs this buildup.

This is one of those types of stories similar to Philip K Dicks work where things happen for a reason and everything is building up to that point where the reader discovers that everything you just processed has been turned on its ear. For this reader that part was easy to figure out so it was more a matter of waiting for that other shoe to drop. When it does--things get fun. The focus is mostly on three main characters that are done quite well and keep the reader on his toes.

As I mentioned there are a number of word problems. Places where the word in the text doesn't make sense until the reader figures out what should be there. It's not real bad, because after stopping to process it, it is easy to figure out. However for me this lost it a star.

The book could end without the Epilogue--which incidentally leaves room for a sequel.

Definitely heading on to the author's next offering.

JLD


View all my reviews

Review:: Trail of Lightning (The Sixth World Book 1) by Rebecca Roanhorse

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I wanted to love this book and give it a 5 star after reading all of the Editorial Review listed. However there is something to say toward not trying to build something up beyond its measure. I had great expectations. I did not expect a typical zombie apocalypse story.

Add to it that there were moments that I kept thinking there were too many fragmented sentences and pages that I would have to scan back over to try to figure out what was being said. Maybe that was my own measure of denseness or maybe there was a need for editing to find a measure of simplification that would at least let the reader stay in the story without so much stumbling. I really wanted to give a 4 star but this was getting in the way.

That gets us to three stars so how did I get to 4 again?

I had to step back from preconceived notions garnered from misleading reviews and look at this through the eyes of this reader and what I like about reading fiction. Maybe it would have been helpful to put a warning at the front that: the people and the nation depicted in this book do not always match reality. Maybe it is just that I should remember it is fiction and writers often take license regardless how much research they do or whether or not they have firsthand knowledge.

For me characters are the most important part of the story. Sure setting and culture and sociopolitical structure can add to it; however, I don’t particularly care that they dominate and in all truth I mostly am concerned that internally they reflect the reality of the story and not necessarily our reality. Sure it would have been great to get some real insight into what the Navaho nation is all about and I was somewhat disappointed, however that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the story.

Who doesn’t love Zombie Apocalypse?

It’s clear from the beginning that the main character, Maggie, is more an outsider to her people than anything else. It is also clear that one weakness she has is that she is naïve enough to be vulnerable to the mystical in the story, to the point that the Trickster is confident that he can fool her despite her resistance to his overtures. I don’t expect Maggie to have a concise view of the beliefs of her people.

Is that the goal in the story?

I’m not certain.

And there is a point where the story reaches a dramatic tragic solution that cuts to the heart of the main character and seems the culmination of her growth and her strength. For this I could almost give 5 stars.

However the story should have ended quite close to this point and it goes on mercilessly to a virtual reversal, which could have waited for book two revelations.

Four Stars and I’ll be looking forward to Storm of Locusts sometime soon.
J.L.D




View all my reviews