Rating: 
Summary: Thought provoking as usual.
Review: My husband and I fought over who got to read "Trigger" first then we each stayed awake nights to finish it! Kube-McDowell specializes in thought provoking plots with a lot of action, excellent scientific backing and compelling characters and this book was no exception. Especially in today's world with so much attention on violence, and specifically gun related violence, this book was timely and interesting. We both were impressed with how well the author presents different opinions fairly and clearly. Highly Reccomended!
Rating: 
Summary: An interesting idea...
Review: Personally, I found this book to be very thought-provoking. The views of our society and political system are interesting, and the science behind how the Trigger works was intriguing to me. I had never thought of the universe that way. Even though the book does get a little preachy at some parts, the message behind this book is a good one. Some of the gun advocates do come across as a bit overdone and maybe even a little villainous but it doesn't detract from the story, and you can still understand both sides of the argument. It also offers a somewhat bleak view of our future. While the idea of something that could render a gun useless is a reassuring one, its implications are a bit frightening. What could be next? All in all, I thought it was a good book.
Rating:
Summary: Yeah, well...you still got beer
Review: Politics and personal agendas aside, Kube-Macdowell and Clarke have written a pretty good book. One cannot overlook the absurb portrayal of some pro-armament characters, but the unbalanced portrayals do not detract from the central question presented by the primary storyline - what if it were possible to eliminate all nitrate based explosives? I only wish the book had reached a larger audience than sci-fi readers. Some of the posted opposition to it harkens back to Lewin's 1967 satirical piece "Report From Iron Mountain", where a government commission (later shown to be fictitious) recommended development of a contingency plan in the event war was eliminated. THE TRIGGER is nothing more than a speculative work of science fiction; at its base, the story of the accidental development of a technology that in real life may never be achievable, even if desired. Like all good fiction, this story comes from the fertile minds of contemplative people. Literature has been the locale of social commentary throughout the written history of man (of course, I haven't checked my "wormcam" yet). Whether you agree with the authors in this instance is secondary to examination of the possibilities associated with implementation, or elimination, of any social policy. THE TRIGGER addresses one conceivable outcome of a non-reality and it is presented in a very enjoyable manner.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful premise and an engrossing read
Review: The discovery of the mechanism to detonate or defuse nitrate based explosives is the authors' springboard into the souls of the characters. Where is the military without bombs? Where is the terrorist without a machine gun? How do average Americans react to the idea of being disarmed? These are some of the themes that spiral through this wonderfully entertaining and thought provoking book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent idea - too much chit-chat...
Review: The idea of a device that neutralises explosives is excellent and the analysis of the great variety of consequences, expected, or not so easy to foresee, is very well carried out in this story. Especially so in the last pages. The reader is, however, often irritated by the sheer volume of unnecessary dialogue. The text could easily be reduced by one third without affecting the impact of the story. Indeed, this book would surely be better remembered if that were so. Four stars, nevertheless, for the idea....
Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking
Review: The premise for The Trigger was certainly thought provoking, although the physics was a little suspect (and never well explained). I could see the hand of Mr. Clarke in influencing the story, both in the scientific angle and in character construction. Despite some uneven editing, it was a very enjoyable read and worth the price of admission.
Rating: 
Summary: Not One of Clarke's Better Efforts
Review: This book has some interesting what if situations, based on the invention of a device that triggers all weapons within a specified range. This invention virtually renders all conventional weapons (guns, bombs) useless. Where the book lacks is in character development and plot. Instead of writing this book, Clarke could have choose to write an political essay on the plusses and minuses of using the technology introduced in the story.
Rating:
Summary: Not One of Clarke's Better Efforts
Review: This book has some interesting what if situations, based on the invention of a device that triggers all weapons within a specified range. This invention virtually renders all conventional weapons (guns, bombs) useless. Where the book lacks is in character development and plot. Instead of writing this book, Clarke could have choose to write an political essay on the plusses and minuses of using the technology introduced in the story.
Rating: 
Summary: Too bad....
Review: This book is the result of a previously succesful, gifted author--Clarke--deciding late in his days that it's OK to get political. The result is a wish list of things that might issue from technology. We have my namesake, Horton, making the serendipitous discovery of an effect that no one can explain, but which causes the destruction of nitrogen-based explosives. What does the world do then? Another reviewer points out the imbalanced viewpoints, pro-gun people being totally irrational in the book, anti-gunners being walking ages of reason. I agree with his criticism of this. One might do well to send Messers Clarke and Kube a copy of John Lott's excellent statistical study of the matter: More Guns, Less Crime. Or: I could just chalk it all up to the genre. After all, it's *supposed* to be fiction. I might as well see the idea that predatory people won't take advantage of a Trigger as another part of the same fiction. Too bad that it flies in the face of demonstrated human nature.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting...
Review: This collaberation between Clarke and Kube-McDowell takes a simple 'what if?' question and develops it in a logical manner to its eventual cyclical conclusion. In this case the 'what if?' is 'What if we were able to render all nitrate-based munitions impotent?' What would the global, political and social consequences be?
In 'Trigger' our authors seek to pursue this to its ultimate conclusion with a massive dose of cutting edge physics and mathematics thrown in along the way.
The story focuses on the Terabyte corporation, whose bright young spark, Dr Jeffrey Horton, experiences scientific serendipity one day and discovers that he has created a machine that destabilises any nitrate-based compound, effectively acting as a detonator. Not only that, it has a range that is dictated only by its power. Inevitably, the realization occurs that this can act as an invisible shield as all known munitions simply explode or decay on contact with the edge of the shield thus paving the way for a fiercely debated topic as to the constitutional legitimacy of effectively removing the second act of the US constitution.
Very quickly, Horton and his boss, Karl Brohier, decide to release the discovery to the US government and President Mark Breland authorizes the development of the Trigger, thus loosing all the inherent issues that come with it. Over the next few hundred pages we are treated to debate at the highest level, amongst all forums possible as to the constitutionality of the trigger, its global impact and the social upheaval that it brings. This debate in its various forms dominates most of the book, Senator Wilman and Senator Trent taking it to its personal conclusion.
As the politics and debate rage, the Trigger continues to be developed, version 2 giving some ability to control a 'beam' and then the discovery that a Jammer can be developed that takes the initial 'hammer' effect that the Trigger version 1 has and convert it to a tool that safely disables all munitions. This is based on the scientific realization that the universe is simply a set of information instructions that binds energy and that if you change the instructions you can change anything. In a lot of respects, it's the ultimate alchemical answer - lead can truly be turned to gold.
The book's lengthy conclusion has Horton being kidnapped by a group demanding to know how to shield themselves from the effects of the Trigger and his final rescue before the final logical scientific step is taken in the last pages when they realize that as DNA enables them to isolate any specific individual then any single person can be uniquely targeted for expiry. So, by the end, we have come full circle and discovered that the ability of universal alchemy not only gives the means to save lives, but also to take it away.
I found this an intriguing piece of science fiction from the acknowledged master of the genre and Clarke's co-authorship with Kube-McDowell is written in a manner that makes compulsive reading. Laced throughout with the necessary debate that such an invention would engender, this is another fine effort.
| 
