Emprise : Book 1 of the Trigon Disunity

Rating:
Summary: A chaotic Earth receives a message from the stars!
Review: Earth is in chaos after the Fuel Wars of the 1970's. Scientists are mistrusted, even persecuted. Yet in the face of all adversity one man receives a message from the stars. The Radio signals of the 1920's and the early TV broadcasts have been received, understood and replied to. The Senders are on their way. Can Earth prepare in time?

Rating:
Summary: A (Mostly) Worthy Successor to Arthur C. Clarke
Review: Emprise is a novel that feels more like three novellas flying in loose formation. The first is an intimate tale about a group of scientists trying to make sense of a message from an alien civilization. The second is a sprawling story about the political intrigue that follows once they figure it out. The third is a classic "first contact" story, with a twist that sets up the two books to follow.

Oddly enough, this structure works in the book's favor: Each of the three stories works well at 100 pages or so, and none of them (I think) could carry a full-length novel. The interwoven characters and contrasting textures add interest--it is (for you fellow SF fans in the audience) a little like reading condensed versions of _The Andromeda Strain_, _Foundation_, and _Childhood's End_ in rapid succession. Kube-McDowell keeps the ideas flowing thick and fast . . . fast enough, for the most part, to cover the flatness of most of the major characters. I kept reading less because I cared about the people than because I wanted to see what rabbit was coming out of the hat next.

_Emprise_, at its best, is good enough to stand next to middle-of-the-pack novels by Arthur C. Clarke (say, _The Fountains of Paradise_ and _Imperial Earth_). It's worth a try for SF fans who like Clarke's austere, idea-heavy, emotion-light style of storytelling. [Kube-McDowell, by the way, improved markedly in later works: his _The Quiet Pools_ is as good as Clarke's best.]

Rating:
Summary: A (Mostly) Worthy Successor to Arthur C. Clarke
Review: Emprise is a novel that feels more like three novellas flying in loose formation. The first is an intimate tale about a group of scientists trying to make sense of a message from an alien civilization. The second is a sprawling story about the political intrigue that follows once they figure it out. The third is a classic "first contact" story, with a twist that sets up the two books to follow.

Oddly enough, this structure works in the book's favor: Each of the three stories works well at 100 pages or so, and none of them (I think) could carry a full-length novel. The interwoven characters and contrasting textures add interest--it is (for you fellow SF fans in the audience) a little like reading condensed versions of _The Andromeda Strain_, _Foundation_, and _Childhood's End_ in rapid succession. Kube-McDowell keeps the ideas flowing thick and fast . . . fast enough, for the most part, to cover the flatness of most of the major characters. I kept reading less because I cared about the people than because I wanted to see what rabbit was coming out of the hat next.

_Emprise_, at its best, is good enough to stand next to middle-of-the-pack novels by Arthur C. Clarke (say, _The Fountains of Paradise_ and _Imperial Earth_). It's worth a try for SF fans who like Clarke's austere, idea-heavy, emotion-light style of storytelling. [Kube-McDowell, by the way, improved markedly in later works: his _The Quiet Pools_ is as good as Clarke's best.]

Rating:
Summary: Unpleasantness well told
Review: I've never cared for the political or religious ideas that Kube-McDowell appears to favor. His characters portray attitudes toward their fellow humans that I believe are unfortunately typical of most politicians: they are the only ones capable of rational thought--the rest of us need to be controlled for our own good. Even more unfortunately they are sometimes right. One of the hallmarks of a great writer is that he can present characters and situations that I would normally find distasteful, but pull me in regardless. Emprise is a great story. I've read it three times now....

Rating:
Summary: Overblown and ordinary
Review: It's evident that Kube-McDowell cut his literary teeth watching nebbish tv shows and mediocre movies. The plot structure carries the story as well as can be expected, but the language and characters are pedestrian at best. Where Kube-McDowell strives for passion, he loses control and becomes hackneyed. If the author can't truly care for his characters, why should I? Not recommended.