Review of Balloon

[LinaMueller]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Balloon" by Christopher Keith.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Few individuals doubt that space tourism is an enterprise of the future. Any entrepreneur will say that. Some may make predictions about when space tourism will become mainstream, but no one can deny the viability of this kind of business. Having this context in mind, Christopher Keith created the fictional book Balloon, which depicts the inaugural flight of a zero-pressure helium balloon, an enterprise that was only possible with money, persistence, and risk. If everything goes well, it could be the beginning of a new era for space tourism.

Unfortunately, the plan doesn't go as expected. Any conservative planner would draw a scenario where a balloon accident would occur, or maybe the initial results would not be that positive. Fair enough. However, what happens in this book while the crew is in the stratosphere is a chaotic scenario that not even the most pessimistic soul could ever imagine. I don't want to give spoilers, but the situation on the Earth's surface was so chaotic that the crew would put their financial interests in the background and focus on the most primitive needs of all living beings.

The most striking facet of this book is its originality. There are few books written about a crew traveling in a helium balloon in the stratosphere. What happens up there, however, is something unexpected that will make the plot incredibly fascinating. Since the reader is not expecting it, what happens in the middle of the book is more surreal than a zombie apocalypse and creates a delightful suspense atmosphere. I'm curious about what's going to happen in the sequel to this trilogy.

I liked every aspect of the book, and I can't pinpoint any flaws. It's professionally edited without typos or any style issues. There are some swear words, but nothing excessive. The story's unfolding justifies the use of some profanity since, in that context, the characters' last concern would be virtue signaling and puritanical language policing.

I gladly rate Balloon by Christopher Keith four out of four stars for its originality, good plot development, and lack of mistakes. The author achieved his goals in this first work of the trilogy and managed to leave the reader interested in the following events. As mentioned above, there is nothing negative to be highlighted. I recommend this work to all those who like apocalyptic stories about survivalism and primitive instincts. Although there are some swear words, they appear only sparsely and are not as severe either. That's why I recommend this work for ages 12 and up.

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Balloon
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[Barbara Perini]

Sci-fi is a genre that appeals to me, and with topics such as survival and primitive instincts, I'm sure I'll enjoy it.  Also, I'm glad to know that fact that it has a captivating plot. I made me curious about the book, and now I want to read it.

[Itemebo Peters]

There is no vulgar language used and it's full of hypothesis

[Ekezie1998]

This looks like quite an intriguing plot. Would definitely love to have this book on my shelf.

[NetMassimo]

This seems like a suspenseful adventure in the stratosphere that depicts some dark sides humans show when things go bad and their survival instinct takes over. Thank you for your great review!

[Sarah Sonbol]

Wow, this books sounds unique and thrilling. The uniqueness of this one is that it is high in the sky ;however, other books tackled human behaviour and survival instinct in catastrophic events. I think I would really enjoy it. Thanks for the superb review.

[Immaculate06]

The plot of the book is quite fascinating. The book sounds unique and original, I would love to read it. Good review.