Hopscotch

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Premise, Poor Execution
Review: Author Kevin J. Anderson has a long-standing interest in issues of identity and body-image -- witness his "Resurrection Inc." from several years ago. In this book he postulates a "what if" involving the ability to move personalities from body to body. In a more thoughtful treatment this could have been a philosophical exploration of packaging vs. contents, of what makes us who we are (nature vs. nurture), or even an exploration of the differences between the sexes, or between the generations, or between races.

Instead what we get is a longwinded detective novel with "hopscotching" as a mere backdrop. There are a lot of major plot holes and untidy ends (such as any explanation of hopscotching itself) and when the author writes himself into a pickle he's not above creating new characters, new powers or new conditions to pull himself out. The story is not only sloppily-plotted, the writing is wooden, with stilted dialog and unconvincing characters. As other reviewers have noted, the passage of time is jerky and off-putting, and the book's 1950s morality is loudly anachronistic.

I hate to say it, but Anderson's involvement writing series novels for Star Wars, X-Files and Dune does not seem to have instilled good discipline.

Rating:
Summary: Thought Provoking but.....
Review: I greatly enjoyed the complexity of "What if we could swap bodies" in the book. However, parts of it were disjointed and lacked flow. Specifically, many of the smaller sub plots did not with the main story.

The timeline could have been developed better. All of the sudden the story would be a month (or year) ahead without describing what had transpired.

The people in the book often swap bodies. Sometimes it takes place as no big deal with no concern from anyone. Other times, it's an issue of not having legal contracts, etc. and the author doesn't clarify why it is sometimes so serious and of grave concern and other times it is no big deal - something you meet at the bar to accomplish.

I give the author's writing a 3 but the story a 5. Overall, a 4.

Rating:
Summary: Thought Provoking but.....
Review: I greatly enjoyed the complexity of "What if we could swap bodies" in the book. However, parts of it were disjointed and lacked flow. Specifically, many of the smaller sub plots did not with the main story.

The timeline could have been developed better. All of the sudden the story would be a month (or year) ahead without describing what had transpired.

The people in the book often swap bodies. Sometimes it takes place as no big deal with no concern from anyone. Other times, it's an issue of not having legal contracts, etc. and the author doesn't clarify why it is sometimes so serious and of grave concern and other times it is no big deal - something you meet at the bar to accomplish.

I give the author's writing a 3 but the story a 5. Overall, a 4.

Rating:
Summary: What happens when people can switch bodies?
Review: In the not-too-distant future, humans have developed the ability to switch bodies with one another. Since the opportunities for crime are immense where a criminal can simply use another's body, law enforcement has taken on a powerful role and the BTL is a much feared organization. In an orphanage run by monks, three of four friends learn to experience body shifting. One, however, is incapable of shifting bodies but has the unique ability to see the true identity of a person no matter what body she may be wearing. One of the friends, Eduard, takes on jobs switching bodies for money. When one body switch goes horribly wrong, the four friends become caught in a battle between friendship and the law.

Author Kevin J. Anderson's concepts of human ability to shift bodies (hopscotch), as well as that of the semi-sentient computer/human web that monitors all activities, are both interesting and well presented. Anderson's talented writing keeps the reader involved in the story and willing to suspend disbelief. The characters' lack of real motivation, however, undermines the story. Eduard recognizes the futility of proving his innocence and doesn't even try to do so. Garth achieves success as an artist and doesn't know what to do next (although Anderson's descriptions of Garth's frustration with his success and his need to achieve more ring true). Daragon serves to hunt down Eduard, yet doesn't seem especially motivated beyond this. Even Teresa, separated from her body by a brutal cult leader, meanders through much of this novel.

Anderson's writing, and his development of the idea of body-shifting are both capable enough to make HOPSCOTCH enjoyable reading. I found myself wishing that he had done more with his talent and with the basic premise.

Rating:
Summary: Hopscotch is 40 years old, but that's not necessarily bad.
Review: Science Fiction in the 50's and 60s - like most other fiction in the US - was discrete about sex, to say the least. Thomas Bowdler would have found little to expurgate. And that's exactly what struck me the most about Hopscotch. Not its characters or plot (more about that later), but that it is so eminently a 1960s novel. Hopscotch could have extended and completed the work Heinlein tried to do (and failed to do, I think) with "I will fear no evil." But it didn't.

Sex is important. It divides the human race in two, and each half is somewhat alien to the other. Anderson left a dark veil obscuring this difference. There are a few obligatory sex scenes, but nothing that really delves into the difference between man and woman during them. Perhaps that was Anderson's intent, but it leaves a book that will provoke far less honest discussion than it otherwise would have.

It could be that in a world where you can swap your body with another, everyone is so used to it that they slip on others' bodies like clothes from a closet. I have a feeling it wouldn't be quite that simple. Every closet has clothes that don't fit anymore, and every body has reflexes that your mind accepts naturally. When danger is coming, do you jump left or right? Everyone has a primary preference, and these are often reenforced at an early age. What if your body jumps left when your mind subconsciouly expects a jump to the right? And how do you adjust to different weight distributions between the sexes? Sadly, most of the body adaptation area is missing from the book.

Probably the best parts of the book are Anderson's descriptions of Garth's art, and the reaction of those who see it. I couldn't picture the exhibits or pictures in my mind, but I could picture the reaction of those coming out of the exhibits. That's a perfectly valid tool in a novel.

Less perfect are the characters. They just don't jell. They do things, you say "uh-huh," and go on reading. Characters in most novels much face difficulties and react to them. If the characters are fully drawn, the reader will understand - or at least accept - these changes. Changes in Hopscotch do occur, but I never felt comfortable that they were not doing so via the hidden hand of an author trying to keep a story moving along.

Hopscotch is OK, but it never truely condenses into the fine granularity that makes a novel memorable. It's not a bad book for the beach or some other idle time, but it's not worth buying until the paperback comes out. You will like the story better if you approach it with lowered expectations. You will like it least if your expectations are higher.

Rating:
Summary: frightening yet intriguing
Review: The four orphan "swans" grew up together as pals at the Falling Leaves Monastery. Three of them (Garth, Teresa, and Eduard) have the ability to HOPSCOTCH into and receive other bodies. The other friend Daragon cannot move about, but can "see" the true identity of an individual.

While Garth's ardor is painting, Teresa turns to spiritualism, and Daragon joins the Bureau of Tracing and Location (BTL). Eduard "sells" his body so that others can avoid temporarily pain and illness like the flu. However, this time something is different as the person Eduard exchanged bodies with apparently has decided to keep the host body. Desperate to find his own body and cleanse himself, Eduard turns to his friends for help.

The premise is frightening yet intriguing as Kevin J. Anderson provides a terrifying look at the future of virtual reality. The story line is loaded and fast-paced especially when Eduard and cohorts search for his body or even when the monastery monk and the head of BTL "interfere". The central theme of the tale, when the trio switches bodies actually slow down the amateur sleuth investigation that serves as the prime plot. Still fans who relish tales that focus on the impact on society of technology out of control will want to read this science fiction novel and HOPSCOTCH over to award winning Mr. Anderson's strong back list of best sellers.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: frightening yet intriguing
Review: The four orphan "swans" grew up together as pals at the Falling Leaves Monastery. Three of them (Garth, Teresa, and Eduard) have the ability to HOPSCOTCH into and receive other bodies. The other friend Daragon cannot move about, but can "see" the true identity of an individual.

While Garth's ardor is painting, Teresa turns to spiritualism, and Daragon joins the Bureau of Tracing and Location (BTL). Eduard "sells" his body so that others can avoid temporarily pain and illness like the flu. However, this time something is different as the person Eduard exchanged bodies with apparently has decided to keep the host body. Desperate to find his own body and cleanse himself, Eduard turns to his friends for help.

The premise is frightening yet intriguing as Kevin J. Anderson provides a terrifying look at the future of virtual reality. The story line is loaded and fast-paced especially when Eduard and cohorts search for his body or even when the monastery monk and the head of BTL "interfere". The central theme of the tale, when the trio switches bodies actually slow down the amateur sleuth investigation that serves as the prime plot. Still fans who relish tales that focus on the impact on society of technology out of control will want to read this science fiction novel and HOPSCOTCH over to award winning Mr. Anderson's strong back list of best sellers.

Harriet Klausner