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Summary: Journey to an Untamed Parallel Earth
Review: Interesting tale of parallel universes. The premise is not new but it is told in a different way. A universe where man has not developed and nature still controls. Species that are extinct by man in our world, roam freely in the "wildside." A group of young people realize that a fortune can be made by finding a world's full of gold. They finance their venture by selling "extinct" passenger pigeons to zoos. The government eventually learns about their gate to the wildside and a renegade CIA operative tries to wrest control of the gate through an illegal covert action.Though most of the book seems to slug along, it has a phenomenal ending. The tale is told in "first-person," a style which I am not too crazy about by Charlie Newell. Throughout the book we only learn snitches about Charlie and what makes him tick. Some of his friends (Maria, the Vietnamese girl and Joey particularly) are hardly developed at all. Gould's book "Jumper" was far superior to this one (I gave that one five stars). In that book as well as this one, the main character has a very poor relationship with his father, which leads me to believe that Gould's childhood may not have been the happiest.
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Summary: Nice Read
Review: It feels good to just sit down and read a nice simple story without having to wrap your brain around complex ideas or situations. Wildside is a nice simple story, but it is not childish or mundane. Gould builds the story around the characters, and does a good job of weaving a believable story about a doorway to another reality. Gould is a much better writer than I am, so enough with the review, read Wildside and enjoy it for yourself.
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Summary: A wild ride on the Wild Side!
Review: Once again, Gould doesn't disappoint. If you liked Jumper, you'll love Wildside. If you didn't read Jumper, by all means do so, but don't worry, these are stand-alone stories so you don't need to read them in a particular order. Gould does fine work here, particularly in describing the details that our young protagonist engages in to conduct his business. The author certainly has a handle on the young and writes about them very well. Enough people have described what the book is about, so you don't need a rehash from me. Just read it. You'll be glad that you did.
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Summary: A teen finds himself while exploring an alternate Earth
Review: Steven Gould has done it again! He explores the trials of youth and weaves a tale that is both thrilling and timely. As he did with his first novel - _Jumper_ - Gould has given fans of Robert Heinlein a new source of adventure with a familiar yet unique style all his own. _Wildside_ is one of those novels that draws the reader into the story without insulting his or her intelligence. I am eagerly waiting to see what magic Gould reveals to us in his next novel
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Summary: This Book Is Awesome & Imaginative.
Review: Steven Gould is one of my favorite authors and this may very well be his best book. It is awesome. A group of friends open a doorway to another world where they find prehistoric adventure. Saber-tooth tigers, giant misquitoes, a primitive, undeveloped world. This book is filled with technology, adventure, excitement, and action, even if some of the characters turn out to be really weird. Unlike many books these days, it also has a strong ending.
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Summary: Great concept but too much description of logistics.
Review: The main weakness of the book was its endless detailing of building sheds and wiring and purchasing equipment, etc. Relatively little time is spent in the wilderness on the other side. It was, however, well written.
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Summary: Very Good! Buy This Book!
Review: This is an *excellent* book! It's a coming-of-age novel, combining very good character development, a well-developed science fiction device, Man-vs-Nature adventure, ecological ethics, and a rousing dose of good-American-boy vs. evil-Government-agents. As in Steven Gould's first novel, Jumper, issues of alcoholism are examined in a sensitive manner. If you are an aviation buff, you will want to read this book. If you are a Heinlein fan, you will want to read this book. If you live in Texas, you will want to read this book. If you were ever an American teenager, you will want to read this book. Get the picture? :-)
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Summary: Smart Fantasy !
Review: This is an intelligently written fantasy with an innovative plot. The characters are well developed and the interplay among them enough to keep me interested in their own stories minus the fantasy aspects. The narrator is a likable hero and come through smarter than his age. The only complaint I have is too much descriptive technical jargon which tends to slow down the pace of the story. A few times I just skiped how a certain object is built or how a plane is flew! More effort could have been invested in the wildside itself and the characters. A pity!
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Summary: Take a Walk on the...
Review: This was another great book from an author with a rapidly expanding fan base. The story was excellent, the characters were well developed, and the main character, Charlie, was just as much a unique indivudual as Gould's hero from Jumper, without being a carbon copy of the character. The story itself is fast-moving and it's hard to put the book down once you've begun.
As the synopsis says, the hero, Charlie, discovers a portal in an old barn that leads into an alternate earth; an earth where humans never existed. Actually, it's not proven that there are no humans anywhere -- it doesn't matter to the story and the main character doesn't explore the entire world -- but it appears there aren't.
Charlie hatches a scheme to use this portal for fun and profit, but to do so he needs to enlist the help of some friends. So the group establishes a base on the far side of the portal - the wild side - and gets to work. Though it seems as if the story of setting up a base in a humanless environment would be dull, Gould is able to tell even this with a writing style that compells the reader to continue. The logistical element is used in large part for character development, as we see the dynamic of the group of friends and watch them progress in their lives even as the story progresses.
In his realistic if somewhat cynical fashion, the writer does not allow Charlie's actions to go unnoticed by the government, and they decide to get involved, which creates a building conflict between the heroes and the government which infuses the story with a sense of urgency and suspense.
In his previous book, Jumper, Gould used teleportation as a device to further the plot, never fully explaining the reasons behind it. It seems throughout most of Wildside that he is going to do the same thing with the portal. However, at the end of the book, the portal itself is explained, and the explanation is... unexpected.
I found the book to be enjoyable and fast-paced without being a vapid adventure tale. There is plenty to think about in the story, and it leaves you with the satisfying feeling you can only get from a good story told well.
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