Official Review: The Circles Beyond Forever by D A Jennings

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greenstripedgiraffe
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Official Review: The Circles Beyond Forever by D A Jennings

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[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Circles Beyond Forever" by D A Jennings.]
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2 out of 4 stars
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Alien mythology has been a part of our world's history since nearly forever. Is there life "out there"? If so, why has contact not been made? Many have theories, but since nothing has been definitively proven, much speculation has been jotted down in fiction. The Circles Beyond Forever by D.A. Jennings deals with one such alien theory.

Including both fantasy and sci-fi elements, the premise of the book is most intriguing, albeit shocking. An seemingly ancient artifact is discovered, however no one can tell what period of history this item could have come from. Small enough to be portable, it is made of an unknown substance and is engraved with curious markings. When examined closer, the markings match crop circles found in various parts of the earth. Even more disturbing is that America's satellite just picked up images of the exact same crop circles being drawn in space. Is "contact" being made?! The President of the United States acts quickly by shutting down all satellite communication and disseminating a cover story about repairs being needed. Next, he assembles a top secret team of young people who have no connections to military, politics or even the known scientific world. Their mission: find out what the artifact is, what it is made of, what the crop circles mean, determine if contact is being made, and if so, what THAT means.

David Quinn is selected to be director of the small group that includes Casey, an Astronomy Ph.D.; Jim, computer genius; Martha, agnostic visionary; Alan, computer and engineering nerd; Kris, microbiologist; and Alicia, alien specialist. They didn't know it at the start, but they were going to spend the next few years in close quarters, completely cut off from the world. The pay is significant, and they are given nearly limitless resources. The group reports to David Quinn, who reports to Dr. Ray Bradley, who reports to the President. Together they search for answers. The answers that do come are life-altering.

The author is very careful to set up each section of the book; each puzzle and each discovery is explained carefully. However, the magnitude of the situation necessitates that such detailed writing significantly slows the overall pace of the book. Often, it felt as though I were never going to get to the end of the story. I would have enjoyed a much quicker pace. I would not assume that this book should include be filled with action, but would have liked to move through the story line faster.

While the characters obviously go through times of growth and change as would be appropriate in spending such close quarters with each other, I did not feel as though that were adequately developed by the author. I felt that the characters could have been better developed. The author does explore interpersonal conflict, but I felt that the writing did not reflect a realistic view of relationship issues found when people live with each other 24/7. The author does work with the very real possibility that people in this situation would develop love interest in others. In my opinion, I was glad that the author did not include steam intimate scenes as that would detract from the main purpose of the novel. However, I did feel that the love interests were somewhat sterile and "too perfect."

This book would appeal most to readers who are interested in scientific conundrums, discoveries and a small shot of philosophy. The editing is overall done well; I found only a few scattered errors. However, although the basic premise is quite good, I did not feel that the writing style matched my expectations. With the characters being somewhat sterile and the pace being so slow, I am going to give this 2 out of 4 stars.

******
The Circles Beyond Forever
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Post by Darlynn_Tebogo »

I read the book and also felt that the couple just seemed too perfect which is not realistic. The story line was so slow that I was unable to finish the book. Great review!
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Post by kandscreeley »

This sounds somewhat intriguing. However, the detailed nature the book is a bit of a turn off. I understand it's necessary, but I wonder if the author could have done it in a more interesting way. I think I'll pass on this, but thanks!
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Post by Itskai88 »

it seemed very captivating at first even just from the tittle but for me at some point, it took a wrong turn in the presentation of the story and i quite agree with you on the fact that the writing style didn't meet expectations. awesome review.
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Post by Taytay15 »

This book does sound interesting but I am concerned about the slow pace of the book. I might give this book a chance.
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Post by Jessacardinal »

The information provided in your review for The Circles Beyond Forever brings me to ponder what would be if this were to really happen. It sounds like this occurrence would be terrifying if it were to happen in real life. I find myself thinking about how there are most definitely things in our own world that do happen and are covered up for the safety of the public. This book sounds like it would get readers thinking and could cause anxiety for some. Too many details mixed with underdeveloped characters always create a buzz kill for me. I think I will skip this read.
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Post by Sweet Psamy »

The strange artificial seems to have caused quite a stir in the story. Were they finally able to decipher it's origin? Maybe I'll read this book to find out.
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