2 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Have you ever wanted to take a cruise... to the stars? Join Commander Jeff Travers and Cruise Hostess Erlie Dawn for the journey of a lifetime aboard Star Boat.
The plans have been in the works for years now. In fact, it's almost ready – a cruise ship built to sail to the stars. Commander Jeff Travers has been asked to command the ship which will carry civilian passengers to the stars for the first time in history. Their mission is to bring peace to the alien peoples living on some of the planets in this solar system. Unfortunately, not everyone is happy about that. There is a group called the Black Cartel that would rather promote war and will stop at nothing to make sure that Commander Travers fails no matter the cost. This pleasure cruise might well turn into a nightmare.
The concept of this book drew me in as I love taking cruises. I wanted to live vicariously through the characters as they cruised where I can only dream about. The descriptions of the planets did not disappoint. I felt like I was there as the ship cruised from the Moon to Mars to Europa. The author uses vivid words to describe the worlds that are so different from our own.
Unfortunately, the science part of this fiction book was, to me, lacking. This ship is described as very similar in design to a cruise ship that sails the ocean (as you can tell from the cover of the book.) Two twin geniuses, Pete and Pat Greenwald, have designed a system called AGGIE. AGGIE is designed to keep the ship afloat in space as well as providing atmosphere and gravity. However, it isn't really explained how the ship maintains breathable air. After all, this ship is complete with open decks and swimming pools. I can see that there would be some type of system keeping the vacuum of space away, but where does the air come from? I'm still trying to figure that one out.
Overlooking the fact that the science behind the ship requires some suspension of disbelief, this book necessitates a bit of patience. Plot lines in this novel tend to come and go. A short time into the story we are introduced to two kids and their pet goat Cappy. These two kids – Pepe and Rosy – flee Mexico to the United States along with their mother and goat. What does this have to do with Star Boat? You'll find out eventually, but the author doesn't reintroduce them until quite a bit farther into the story. This is one of several examples regarding the meandering side stories. This causes the plot to drag in some places which is distressing in a 500 page novel.
One more thing worth mentioning is that, although the author is great at describing the planets in the solar system, he didn't do very well at setting the stage back on Earth. It took quite a few chapters to even figure out what year it is – 2077 if you are interested. He makes it obvious that advances in society have been made, but he doesn't really tell us what they are. What does his world look like in 2077? I still don't really know. This was very disappointing to me as it took away from some of the realism.
This is a book that I find myself wanting to give half stars. If I could I would give this book 2.5 stars. Since I can't, I rate Star Boat 2 out of 4 stars. The book is rather lengthy, the plot drags in places, the scene isn't set up well enough, and the science is lacking. There is a good story in there somewhere, but it gets buried along the way. I would cautiously recommend this to science fiction fans that don't mind unrealistic science and a meandering story.
******
Star Boat
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like kandscreeley's review? Post a comment saying so!
