Review by wthatch -- E M P Honeymoon by Dorothy May Mercer
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- Latest Review: E M P Honeymoon by Dorothy May Mercer
Review by wthatch -- E M P Honeymoon by Dorothy May Mercer
[Following is a volunteer review of "E M P Honeymoon" by Dorothy May Mercer.]
EMP Honeymoon: Kelly & Tom, by Dorothy May Mercer, is a science-as-much-as-fiction story. That is, the story is made up, but the science at its core is real, contemporary, and potentially devastating — one of those things that can happen, has happened, and in all likelihood will happen again. The reality aspect of this novel, rather than the fictional story, is what most appeals to me.
EMP stands for ElectroMagnetic Pulse and is well known to scientists and sci-fi enthusiasts alike. In nature it is a phenomenon caused by, for example, a solar flare strong enough to disable anything which runs on electricity. Scientists know that this has occurred in this planet's history. The most recent notable example occurred in the early days of telegraph communication, when the social impact was brief and minor. Today “enormous super-generators” virtually control our lives, each handling one of half a dozen sections of the North American power grid. Even a medium-sized solar flare can wipe out an entire grid. Loss of one means months of delay; it must be ordered new, and only one country makes them. (I wonder which country that could be.) Our entire society, even our lives, now depend heavily on all things electrical, including, most importantly, computers. And, most importantly, an EMP can be man-made, even by small, seemingly insignificant groups. This is the subject of EMP Honeymoon.
Kelly and Tom are on their honeymoon on an island off the coast of Honduras. Tom is off fishing and Kelly decides to take a bus tour of the village, ignoring warnings and good sense by leaving the main street shopping area and straying into an alley with a curious looking shop, actually a front for mysterious activities conducted by scary people, slowly, but not surprisingly, strongly suggested to be North Koreans. They are plotting to cripple North America with an EMP-producing bomb launched from an intermediate-range ballistic missile. Kelly stumbles into the terrorists' last phase of preparations and the plot begins.
EMP Honeymoon opens before Chapter 1 and even before the Prelude with a section called the Teaser in which we are instantly immersed in a fearful and clearly dangerous situation. In the Prelude we are introduced to characters who are “ordinary citizen” types and also to a U.S. Senator, further indicating a political and/or national importance to the story. We eventually meet Kelly, the bride, police officer Tom, Kelly's new husband, Senator Mike, her big brother, his staff, including former special forces operatives, CIA people, Su-jin, the North Korean terrorist commander, U.S. President Bigelow, and Dear Leader (DL) and his terrified lacky in North Korea.
Between and within the chapters the scene switches frequently from Honduras (focusing on either the honeymooners or the terrorists), Washington DC (focusing on either the Senate Office Building or the CIA), and North Korea. Sometimes the switch is very brief and there is nothing actually happening at the location, but all switches are easy, understandable transitions furthering some aspect of plot or character. There is never any confusion as to where we are, who is present, or what is going on.
This seems to be a very well edited book, free of typos that are so annoying in other books. There is no profanity to speak of, unless one considers “crap” (location 1475, Kindle), “hell” (loc. 1502, K.), or “son-of-a-bitch” (loc. 1571, K.) to be profane. There is some mild sexual tension but no actual sex and no real violence. I consider all this a big plus, given what we are frequently bombarded with today. I would say this novel is suitable for general reading, teen through adult. It is not wildly exciting, but it does bring to focus something that we should all be aware is a very real threat. My main complaint, and the primary reason I give Ms. Mercer's novel 3 out of 4 stars, is the dialogue between men and women. Good dialogue is difficult to master, and much of the male-female dialogue here is just too “cutesy” and all the “darling” talk would fit better in a 40s movie. All-in-all, EMP Honeymoon is a good read and would make a decent, low-budget, PG-rated, "B” movie with B- or C-list actors.
******
E M P Honeymoon
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
EMP Honeymoon: Kelly & Tom, by Dorothy May Mercer, is a science-as-much-as-fiction story. That is, the story is made up, but the science at its core is real, contemporary, and potentially devastating — one of those things that can happen, has happened, and in all likelihood will happen again. The reality aspect of this novel, rather than the fictional story, is what most appeals to me.
EMP stands for ElectroMagnetic Pulse and is well known to scientists and sci-fi enthusiasts alike. In nature it is a phenomenon caused by, for example, a solar flare strong enough to disable anything which runs on electricity. Scientists know that this has occurred in this planet's history. The most recent notable example occurred in the early days of telegraph communication, when the social impact was brief and minor. Today “enormous super-generators” virtually control our lives, each handling one of half a dozen sections of the North American power grid. Even a medium-sized solar flare can wipe out an entire grid. Loss of one means months of delay; it must be ordered new, and only one country makes them. (I wonder which country that could be.) Our entire society, even our lives, now depend heavily on all things electrical, including, most importantly, computers. And, most importantly, an EMP can be man-made, even by small, seemingly insignificant groups. This is the subject of EMP Honeymoon.
Kelly and Tom are on their honeymoon on an island off the coast of Honduras. Tom is off fishing and Kelly decides to take a bus tour of the village, ignoring warnings and good sense by leaving the main street shopping area and straying into an alley with a curious looking shop, actually a front for mysterious activities conducted by scary people, slowly, but not surprisingly, strongly suggested to be North Koreans. They are plotting to cripple North America with an EMP-producing bomb launched from an intermediate-range ballistic missile. Kelly stumbles into the terrorists' last phase of preparations and the plot begins.
EMP Honeymoon opens before Chapter 1 and even before the Prelude with a section called the Teaser in which we are instantly immersed in a fearful and clearly dangerous situation. In the Prelude we are introduced to characters who are “ordinary citizen” types and also to a U.S. Senator, further indicating a political and/or national importance to the story. We eventually meet Kelly, the bride, police officer Tom, Kelly's new husband, Senator Mike, her big brother, his staff, including former special forces operatives, CIA people, Su-jin, the North Korean terrorist commander, U.S. President Bigelow, and Dear Leader (DL) and his terrified lacky in North Korea.
Between and within the chapters the scene switches frequently from Honduras (focusing on either the honeymooners or the terrorists), Washington DC (focusing on either the Senate Office Building or the CIA), and North Korea. Sometimes the switch is very brief and there is nothing actually happening at the location, but all switches are easy, understandable transitions furthering some aspect of plot or character. There is never any confusion as to where we are, who is present, or what is going on.
This seems to be a very well edited book, free of typos that are so annoying in other books. There is no profanity to speak of, unless one considers “crap” (location 1475, Kindle), “hell” (loc. 1502, K.), or “son-of-a-bitch” (loc. 1571, K.) to be profane. There is some mild sexual tension but no actual sex and no real violence. I consider all this a big plus, given what we are frequently bombarded with today. I would say this novel is suitable for general reading, teen through adult. It is not wildly exciting, but it does bring to focus something that we should all be aware is a very real threat. My main complaint, and the primary reason I give Ms. Mercer's novel 3 out of 4 stars, is the dialogue between men and women. Good dialogue is difficult to master, and much of the male-female dialogue here is just too “cutesy” and all the “darling” talk would fit better in a 40s movie. All-in-all, EMP Honeymoon is a good read and would make a decent, low-budget, PG-rated, "B” movie with B- or C-list actors.
******
E M P Honeymoon
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: E M P Honeymoon by Dorothy May Mercer
