Warriors of the Rainbow

Rating:
Summary: Good environmental science fiction story
Review: A man is released from jail in near-future England to find that Europe has been plunged into an endless winter. While he was jailed, his girlfriend died in a mysterious epidemic. She isn't really dead; she's been brought back to life, and her body is being used as a test bed for an artificail brain. He kidnaps the creature with his girlfriend's body from the research center where it is being monitored, and they live together sort of happily while society collapses around them. One night, they are arrested by the police, but not for the usual reasons. The whales of the world have learned how to communicate with man, and have told the governments of the world to put those two on a small boat on a southwest course into the Atlantic-Or Else. The animals of the world have started to fight back against man, led by the whales, who have learned how to mess with earth's climate. This Brave-New-Worldish novel is interesting, strange, and very easy to read. Except for a feeling that the novel ended before the story did (sequel?), this one is very much worth checking out.

Rating:
Summary: Preachy pseudo sci-fi
Review: A.D. Harvey should probably stick to what he knows best and leave speculative fiction writing to others. I found his first attempt laughable and moralizing to a fault. The dialog is wooden, the male character has testosterone instead of brains, the female character is literally brainless. The animals are broadly brushed cartoon characters in search of sympathy. They don't get it from me. And what's with the Editor's note saying there was a page missing from the original manuscript? Hasn't he ever heard of the telephone? The fax? Email? But then, I guess if the Editor would let "learnt" pass for "learned" (3 times - page 15) and let gibberish like "instruments accurate to the two hundred and twenty-fifth part of the force of Mach nine" slip by him, he'd fall for anything. The "force" of Mach nine?What does the speed of sound have to do with the accuracy of instruments? Let's see; the speed of sound times 9 divided by 225. Oh! Now I get it! The instruments were as accurate as 30 miles per hour. Fascinating! Don't waste your money on this claptrap. I'm glad I got my copy from the library!

Rating:
Summary: Preachy pseudo sci-fi
Review: A.D. Harvey should probably stick to what he knows best and leave speculative fiction writing to others. I found his first attempt laughable and moralizing to a fault. The dialog is wooden, the male character has testosterone instead of brains, the female character is literally brainless. The animals are broadly brushed cartoon characters in search of sympathy. They don't get it from me. And what's with the Editor's note saying there was a page missing from the original manuscript? Hasn't he ever heard of the telephone? The fax? Email? But then, I guess if the Editor would let "learnt" pass for "learned" (3 times - page 15) and let gibberish like "instruments accurate to the two hundred and twenty-fifth part of the force of Mach nine" slip by him, he'd fall for anything. The "force" of Mach nine?What does the speed of sound have to do with the accuracy of instruments? Let's see; the speed of sound times 9 divided by 225. Oh! Now I get it! The instruments were as accurate as 30 miles per hour. Fascinating! Don't waste your money on this claptrap. I'm glad I got my copy from the library!

Rating:
Summary: Captivating with some minor quibbles
Review: I thought this book was wonderful. Arguably, the science will not be hard enough for the purists, and some of the secondary characters are a little stock. Still this was a gripping story stuffed into a hothouse of ideas. I mean who can resist: love, the end of the world, the nature of consciousness, whales, ants, AI, etc. Buy this book readers have an obligation to cultivate and support budding talent.

Rating:
Summary: Captivating with some minor quibbles
Review: I thought this book was wonderful. Arguably, the science will not be hard enough for the purists, and some of the secondary characters are a little stock. Still this was a gripping story stuffed into a hothouse of ideas. I mean who can resist: love, the end of the world, the nature of consciousness, whales, ants, AI, etc. Buy this book readers have an obligation to cultivate and support budding talent.