Review by jascoggi -- The Scent of Distant Worlds
1 posts
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Scent of Distant Worlds" by W. D. County.]
I received a free copy of The Scent of Distant Worlds by W. D. County to read and review. Overall I rate this book a 4 out of 4 stars. This rating reflects how easy it was to read, my level of interest in various characters and the quality of the storytelling. I do not assert this is a flawless book with my rating. Instead I wish to convey this is my level of recommendation for all who are still intrigued after reading my review.
County weaves a tale for mainstream science fiction lovers about pioneers of another world in an age of rapid technological advancement. The alienness found is described in a perfect amount to propel the story forward without slowing down the plot. The author’s use of cultural stereotypes does diminish some characters but in his defense there are plot related reasons. Anyone looking for a politically correct master piece should look elsewhere. Alternatively, readers looking for a plot-driven conflict-based story of discovery can stop looking for at least a few hours. This book promises and delivers a science fiction tale of alien exploration and struggle. Additionally, in the age of multi-book epics, it was refreshing to reach an actual conclusion at the end of a single book.
Overall this book was well written and edited as expected of any quality publication. The author has a love of commas and dialogue. Fortunately his use enhances his particular style and creates a more engaging tale. There were occasional barrages of “science” but they were bite-sized and did not impede the story’s flow.
The story opens in corporation owned first-of-its-kind spaceship on mission to a new planet for science and profit. A small international crew of various experts are tasked to mine resources for profit and maintain a Star Trek like prime directive towards new life. These two goals quickly come into conflict. Various altruistic and greedy members of the crew play out a drama which escalates into violence and mystery. The story progresses adding a third element to the conflict.
Sadly this is book where I must avoid going into more detail with a summary as it can easily lead to spoilers and ruin a future reader's experience. On that same note, while I greatly enjoyed the read, I doubt I will have a great desire to re-read it. Instead this is a tale where you get a unique experience and simply increase one’s desire for more good sci-fi.
County makes a quasi-believable future universe to explore how we define our place in the stars. While it would be easy to ascribe depth that all English teacher want to give to classic stories to this book, I think we should instead just enjoy what is presented. A word of warning for all hardcore science geeks, plot holes and science pits falls exist in this story. It is a work of fiction, not perfection.
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The Scent of Distant Worlds
View: on Bookshelves |
I received a free copy of The Scent of Distant Worlds by W. D. County to read and review. Overall I rate this book a 4 out of 4 stars. This rating reflects how easy it was to read, my level of interest in various characters and the quality of the storytelling. I do not assert this is a flawless book with my rating. Instead I wish to convey this is my level of recommendation for all who are still intrigued after reading my review.
County weaves a tale for mainstream science fiction lovers about pioneers of another world in an age of rapid technological advancement. The alienness found is described in a perfect amount to propel the story forward without slowing down the plot. The author’s use of cultural stereotypes does diminish some characters but in his defense there are plot related reasons. Anyone looking for a politically correct master piece should look elsewhere. Alternatively, readers looking for a plot-driven conflict-based story of discovery can stop looking for at least a few hours. This book promises and delivers a science fiction tale of alien exploration and struggle. Additionally, in the age of multi-book epics, it was refreshing to reach an actual conclusion at the end of a single book.
Overall this book was well written and edited as expected of any quality publication. The author has a love of commas and dialogue. Fortunately his use enhances his particular style and creates a more engaging tale. There were occasional barrages of “science” but they were bite-sized and did not impede the story’s flow.
The story opens in corporation owned first-of-its-kind spaceship on mission to a new planet for science and profit. A small international crew of various experts are tasked to mine resources for profit and maintain a Star Trek like prime directive towards new life. These two goals quickly come into conflict. Various altruistic and greedy members of the crew play out a drama which escalates into violence and mystery. The story progresses adding a third element to the conflict.
Sadly this is book where I must avoid going into more detail with a summary as it can easily lead to spoilers and ruin a future reader's experience. On that same note, while I greatly enjoyed the read, I doubt I will have a great desire to re-read it. Instead this is a tale where you get a unique experience and simply increase one’s desire for more good sci-fi.
County makes a quasi-believable future universe to explore how we define our place in the stars. While it would be easy to ascribe depth that all English teacher want to give to classic stories to this book, I think we should instead just enjoy what is presented. A word of warning for all hardcore science geeks, plot holes and science pits falls exist in this story. It is a work of fiction, not perfection.
******
The Scent of Distant Worlds
View: on Bookshelves |
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