The Sky Is Falling

Rating:
Summary: Sheldon is Slipping
Review: I'm not sure if it's age or what, but Sheldon is definitely slipping. I was appalled when I read this book. If it wasn't Sheldon who wrote it, it probably would've never got published. As the earlier reviewers said, the plot is thin and predictable. When I look back on my experience reading this book, I remember going through a series of disjointed paragraphs, as the scenarios are incredibly short. I've read all of Sheldon's books and have observed this gradual decline of the quality of his stories. Looks like it started with "Nothing Lasts Forever" and went downhill from there. So don't judge Sheldon by the quality of this book, or you'll miss out on incredible fiction. I highly recommend "Master of the Game," "If Tomorrow Comes," "Rage of Angels," "Windmills of the Gods," and "Doomsday Conspiracy." A good rule of thumb will be to stick to the books he wrote before "Nothing Lasts Forever." I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Not a complete waste of time, but close
Review: It usually takes me at least a week to read a novel, but it took me just one afternoon to read this one. This is the first Sidney Sheldon book I've read and judging from the reviews here I would have been happier with his earlier work.

The plot seems intriguing enough at first, what with the secret group of men buying mysterious "packages" in increments of billions of dollars. But as soon as Russia and military equipment was mentioned I immediately knew what the whole thing was about. And that's pretty much the major failing of the novel: predictability. Every single character is so one dimensional, polarized to be the stereotypical representative of a personality type. It gets to the point where even dialogue becomes forced, such as those rediculously deliberate slang words spoken by Kemal. The plot developments were so unimaginative, about what you'd expect from a low-budget action movie. Men in black suits and walkie-talkies guarding entrances, sexy secretaries acting as spies, generals that bark orders at everybody everywhere,... etc. Oh and the rich well-off family that has a string of family tragedies, scandals, and are described as the American royal family. I wonder if the Kennedys minded.

Other issues include inconsistencies and loose ends that I would never expect to find in a New York Times best seller. Some thing would happen out of the blue for no good reason that completely solves a problem and the reader is supposed to just go "hmmm, I guess that could happen". Some parts I've gone back and re-read to confirm that I remembered them correctly. I also had a hard time believing the pace of the story. It seemed as if Dana was traveling for about three weeks. In the mean time a character in the story has enough time to find cancer, have an operation, complete chemotherapy and even get the results of a "new treatment". The fizzle finish at the end looked like the author write it in 20 minutes. No closure, I kept expecting another chapter.

I read the book so quickly becuase each page presented very little information. About 400 pages of large font doesn't tell a whole lot when they are written this way. It would be a good book to have if someone is really tired, say after taking their final exams, and have an afternoon to kill.

Rating:
Summary: Another Sidney Sheldon Glimpse of Celebrity
Review: My fellow reviewers are brutal in their attacks on this, the 17th novel, that best-selling author Sidney Sheldon has offered to a more than accepting (judging by his book sales) public. Let's face it Sheldon isn't pretending to be Tolstoy here; the only reason that one of his earlier books, say "The Other Side of Midnight" or "The Master of the Game", seems more acceptable than "The Sky is Falling" is because it was written during the Harold Robbins/Jaqueline Suzanne blitz where such fictional characters clearly reflecting their wealthy Hollywood/Washington/Eurotrash/Captains-of-Industry prototypes in all their tinsely glory were considered fresh and honest representations of the ruthless moguls that ran the world and ate in the finest and trendiest restaurants. Such honesty had not been depicted in such a blatant fashion before . . . and readers loved it. Hunkering down with such a book on the subway, on the beach or in bed on a rainy day was akin to eating forbidden fruit. Mention of the sex scenes alone most likely turned the hair of the members of the Legion of Catholic Decency gray and for those of us who grew up during this time period, so much the better. This sinless bird's eye look into a world I was never going to see first-hand, began a whole new genre that has been cloned the world over. Sheldon hasn't become a tired writer, we, the readers, constantly barraged by this type of escapism, have become almost immune. But not quite . . .

I found the further adventures of Dana Evans, television journalist extraordinaire introduced in Sheldon's earlier novel, "The Best Laid Plans", entertaining, there is too much action in too many different world cities to be that predictable. But I wasn't expecting Tolstoy, I was expecting Sheldon. I purchased the book on tape to listen to while I exercised and I got what I paid for---a great campfire story that was easy to listen to and with enough excitement to extend my exercise time to yet another mile. Yes, some of novel's conclusions are reached by the reader before they are reached by the protagonist and some of the international scenes are unnecessary and are clearly set up to give the reader a second-hand look at the globe. But again, this is why a Sheldon novel is purchased: its quick, its fun and it doesn't take place on your grandmother's farm. The characters are drapped in Harry Winston and D&G, not last year's dungarees.

Bottom line: If you want a breeze of a read from a reknowned storyteller or need a great book on tape to get your mind off the pain of your long-distance run, this tale of investigative reporting intermingled with the realities of adopting a disabled child from war-torn Bosnia while dealing with a boyfriend's dedication to his ex-wife, just might fill the bill. Just don't expect Booker prize literature.