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Solar Flare

Solar Flare

List Price: $14.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: The Second Half Sure Beats the First Half!
Review: Like all the serious readers, I struggled to get through the first half of the book. Great idea, but awfully communicated. Worst writing I have seen in years.

But get to page 250-300, and it actually gets good. The plot develops, the story is decent. It even makes sense!!! Kinda like The Little Prince, the cover (or first half of the book) is meant to discourage the timid reader.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: GOOD INTENTIONS
Review: Mr. Burkett's "Solar Flare" is obviously written with the best of intentions and as a treatise on morality and man's inability to live with his fellow men, it is commendable. However, Burkett's talents as a developer of characters and plausible scenarios is minimally evidenced.

The plot revolves around what happens when a scientist predicts disaster from solar flares. (Burkett must go through the effects of a flare at least two dozen times, enough is enough, Larry.) Of course, we have our staunch heroes and our nasty villains. They are so stereotyped, they become laughable.

Also, Mr. Burkett spends a great deal of time philosophizing and offering obvious personal political beliefs. Some of what goes on at the evacuation camps at the end is pure hokum, and stretches credibility.

It is refreshing to have no foul language or sex scenes, but there is some violence, although not gratuitous.

The book is long, overdrawn and ultimately boring. The last few sections maintained my interest because I had spent so much time with the book I felt obligated to see how it resolved.

I don't recommend this book for seasoned readers who find plot and character development essential; however, if you want something to make you feel a little more "uplifted," it's not too bad.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: GOOD INTENTIONS
Review: Mr. Burkett's "Solar Flare" is obviously written with the best of intentions and as a treatise on morality and man's inability to live with his fellow men, it is commendable. However, Burkett's talents as a developer of characters and plausible scenarios is minimally evidenced.

The plot revolves around what happens when a scientist predicts disaster from solar flares. (Burkett must go through the effects of a flare at least two dozen times, enough is enough, Larry.) Of course, we have our staunch heroes and our nasty villains. They are so stereotyped, they become laughable.

Also, Mr. Burkett spends a great deal of time philosophizing and offering obvious personal political beliefs. Some of what goes on at the evacuation camps at the end is pure hokum, and stretches credibility.

It is refreshing to have no foul language or sex scenes, but there is some violence, although not gratuitous.

The book is long, overdrawn and ultimately boring. The last few sections maintained my interest because I had spent so much time with the book I felt obligated to see how it resolved.

I don't recommend this book for seasoned readers who find plot and character development essential; however, if you want something to make you feel a little more "uplifted," it's not too bad.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great
Review: Ok, alot of people didn't like this book but everyone that I have personaly talked to loved it. So did I. I read this book in 7 days and couldn't wait to finish it. though it has a slow start. this is a great book and I'd recommend it. The whole book is science fiction but possible, if a large flare ever hit and mind you it could, this could all come true.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Novel falls far short of goals
Review: One of the worst novels I have ever read. As an evangelical Christian I can appreciate the urge to promote Christian principles and ideals especially since there is a definite anti-Christian bias in the media both in TV and secular novels but this novel isn't the answer. It is so badly written that it is almost laughable. It's impossible to take it seriously. The characters are simply not believable -- they are stereotypes and caricatures. Better choices are Grisham's "The Testament", any of Frank Peretti's novels or the novels of Jan Karron.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Did this book even have an editor?
Review: Rarely do I find a book so horrible that I can't finish it. Solar Flare was one of them. I bought the book expecting it to be another brilliant piece of work, like The Illuminati. Besides, the premise looked interesting. Instead, the extremely slow pace and horrible writing soon bored and disgusted me. In fact, the writing style was so different from that of Burkett's earlier novels that I began to wonder if he had really written the book. (I believe it is a strong possibility that a ghost writer penned this novel.)

A few other reviewers have said that this is a "well-written" story. My question to them is this: since when has an overabundant use of the passive voice been considered good writing? My grammar books tell me that passive verb forms produce awkward or stilted sentences. I have never read a book that uses the word "was" as many times as this one does. Also, Burkett--or whoever wrote this--could have shortened the beginning quite a bit without losing any of the story. If you are thinking about reading or buying this book, DON'T. The only way you could enjoy it is if a solar flare wiped out all your brain cells.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Solar Flare: A Boring Time Waster
Review: Reading Solar Flare was a reading assignment for a portion of my studies in my 8th Grade Science class. I was continuously bored while reading this 456 page book. I think that the characters were developed much too quickly and often new characters were added. Confusion was not a rare occurrence. I also found that every conversation was repeated atleast 15 times throughout the entire book. I have read better short stories written by fellow writing students in my 8th Grade class. I learned nothing about solar flares ,really, that I didnt already know. But I give Mr. Burkett a mercy point. I feel sorry for a man who spent that much time on a book that is undeveloped as far as character sketches and plot. I don't think Larry Burkett should try to go beyond his scientific professionality and try to double as a writer. People just aren't interested in that. But if you really want to read something to pass the time and entertain yourself, dont get this book to read.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The longest climax possible! Screams Movie!
Review: The book was quite good. It held my interest, which is hard to do. The climax of the book lasted for over 200 pages. I just couldn't put the book down. The only thing I didn't like was that it seemed to have a little too much of a Christian theme to it near the end. It seemed to almost preach religion here and there, but other than that, I say it's an excellent book. I recommend it. The characters were very well developed. It also alost seems perfect for a movie.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Great idea, terribly executed.
Review: The only reason this book gets two stars is because of the premise of the story. The characters were rediculous. I am a conservative, but I don't enjoy reading about totally virtuous conservatives and totally depraved liberals. The author, whoever that may be, SCREAMED points that should have been whispered. Not only should the author find another line of work, but the editor should do the same. There were many obvious errors and repetitions. I don't read a lot of novels and was very displeased to have picked such a bad one.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good Science Fiction - Overdone Social Commentary
Review: The solutions to social problems were simplistic, but that didn't spoil the story for me. I enjoyed the fantasy that seventeenth century justice could solve all the worlds problems. Don't know if the science was accurate, but it was believeable.


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