cats22's review against another edition
3.0
A pretty good, though schizophrenic little book.
The story is about a giant mass- thought at first to possibly be dark matter, then maybe a black hole- that's hurtling through space toward our solar system. It will either destroy the earth, destroy the solar system, fling the earth into the sun, fling the earth into deep space, or....well, nobody really knows what's going to happen.
Anyway, the daughter of one of the astronomers working on the project is the main character. She's stubborn, has a haunted past, is somewhat abrasive, and kind of unlikeable. You're supposed to like her because she has a prosthetic leg and an indomitable will. And maybe I should, but... I kind of don't.
In fact, none of the characters are particularly likeable. There's a conventionally handsome Italian baron love interest with a bit of arrogance and an appropriate awe of the main character. There's a wise, doting, caring, supportive mom who's just too cardboard to be interesting. There's a little boy whose entire purpose is to be put in danger so he can be rescued. I guess I kind of liked the dad.
Anyway, this is part unlikely romance, part interesting speculative fiction, and part totally unbelievable big budget action flick. That doesn't mean it isn't entertaining, but I don't feel invested enough in the characters to continue the series.
The story is about a giant mass- thought at first to possibly be dark matter, then maybe a black hole- that's hurtling through space toward our solar system. It will either destroy the earth, destroy the solar system, fling the earth into the sun, fling the earth into deep space, or....well, nobody really knows what's going to happen.
Anyway, the daughter of one of the astronomers working on the project is the main character. She's stubborn, has a haunted past, is somewhat abrasive, and kind of unlikeable. You're supposed to like her because she has a prosthetic leg and an indomitable will. And maybe I should, but... I kind of don't.
In fact, none of the characters are particularly likeable. There's a conventionally handsome Italian baron love interest with a bit of arrogance and an appropriate awe of the main character. There's a wise, doting, caring, supportive mom who's just too cardboard to be interesting. There's a little boy whose entire purpose is to be put in danger so he can be rescued. I guess I kind of liked the dad.
Anyway, this is part unlikely romance, part interesting speculative fiction, and part totally unbelievable big budget action flick. That doesn't mean it isn't entertaining, but I don't feel invested enough in the characters to continue the series.
mistylyn's review against another edition
3.0
A tale of two halves here, really. The first half of this book is incredibly well done. I can’t rave enough about the development of the characters, the storylines and the wonderfully atmospheric settings. Somewhere around the 50-60% mark, however, it was as if someone else sat down behind the keyboard. The writing became almost “juvenile” in tone and far more steeped in a well of fantasy. Suddenly the sci-fi aspects were replaced with throw away lines, ridiculous relationships and almost slap-stick style missteps, not to mention golden swords, jeweled daggers....you get the picture. What began as an awesome apocalyptic novel was sent into costuming and forced to wear an ill fitting coat of “chick-lit meets medieval fantasy.”
Would love to see this as a rewrite, without the nonsense.
Would love to see this as a rewrite, without the nonsense.
mrrwmix's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent!
Make sure to watch the YouTube video that Mather referred to at the end of the book. It will help explain a lot of what happened.
Make sure to watch the YouTube video that Mather referred to at the end of the book. It will help explain a lot of what happened.
books10's review against another edition
3.0
I found the scientific parts of this book interesting, but was not captivated by the family saga part of the book.
npscott's review against another edition
3.0
This an end of the world scenario without the Hollywood-type rescue plans.
The prose is easy to read with a few bits of science and theology thrown in the mix.
Is this the best world ending book out there no but its not the worst either.
I enjoyed this a nice palette cleanser between two epic fantasy books and it scratched my itch for dystopian fiction.
The prose is easy to read with a few bits of science and theology thrown in the mix.
Is this the best world ending book out there no but its not the worst either.
I enjoyed this a nice palette cleanser between two epic fantasy books and it scratched my itch for dystopian fiction.
danylle's review against another edition
2.0
The main story line is very intriguing- but the side story feels like a filler and was no need to be added in. It starts off slow and builds up and once action really starts it doesn’t slow down. The characters are decent; the background for main character is told several times in book (once was enough), the romance felt pushed and unnecessary to story, the end is closed but also left open for the second book. Overall story was good, quick read, science was well written.
bherrera's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent apocalyptic thriller. Well how do they try to destroy the earth in this one? A binary black hole that is on trajectory to pass through our solar system. The author put a lot of thought and realism into the story in what would happen. Tidal shifts, earthquakes volcanoes ect. There does end up being a few survivors including a few of the main characters, and this sets up the sequel to this book which I can't wait to start. One thing I was annoyed with were the numerous side plots, but those were overshadowed by the overall story in the end which makes this a worthwhile read.
closet_rebel's review against another edition
2.0
This is basically a mob family feud story with the end of the world as a backdrop. Will not be reading the next book in the series.
parisabell's review against another edition
4.0
I ended up really enjoying this, despite being annoyed with the heroine most of the time.
ampersand148d8's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyed, but a lot of astral physics jargon clogging up the beginning.