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fassinated's review against another edition
2.0
I'm afraid I have to shelf this without having finished it. Lost my interest somewhere in the middle. May/may not revisit in the future to find out what happens. But I don't particularly care to.
megabyte117's review against another edition
3.0
(3.5) I feel extremely conflicted about this one. The premise and plotting are very good and hook the reader immediately. However, through it all none of the characters are engaging or likable enough that I was ever rooting for them. As a result, there’s a lack of tension and I felt myself pushing through just to satisfy the curiosity what would happen next, rather than any emotional connections to the characters.
kingsamong's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Suicide
mirlatte's review against another edition
3.0
Detailed Rating: 6.5/10
Recommended For: Someone who loves science fiction and the idea of space travel.
Short Summary: A group of astronauts are sent into space to go further than anyone before, but all of them, except one, end up dead due to suspicious circumstances. The last astronaut alive is doomed to relive his memories... literally.
Plot: The plot of the book isn't something completely new. The idea of the book analyzes a paradox, therefore the plot can seem repetitive, however the repetitions are balanced out with flashbacks.
Characters: All the characters seemed well developed, especially the main one. He has a sad backstory and it does translate to his actions and thoughts in his current situation.
Writing: The story is told from a journalist's perspective, therefore I wasn't very happy to encounter a couple of very weirdly worded and formatted sentences. Some descriptions seemed a little bit repetitive and I would've liked more of the character's inner thoughts and feelings in the flashback chapters, yet overall the story is well written.
Personal Notes: I have a love/hate relationship with this book. I've seen the movie Moon and read The Martian before I read The Explorer, so I can say there are not one and not two similarities and it doesn't raise many philosophical questions (which I hoped for, considering the main character knows he'll die soon and it wasn't humorous like The Martian), yet still I cannot dislike it.
Recommended For: Someone who loves science fiction and the idea of space travel.
Short Summary: A group of astronauts are sent into space to go further than anyone before, but all of them, except one, end up dead due to suspicious circumstances. The last astronaut alive is doomed to relive his memories... literally.
Plot: The plot of the book isn't something completely new. The idea of the book analyzes a paradox, therefore the plot can seem repetitive, however the repetitions are balanced out with flashbacks.
Characters: All the characters seemed well developed, especially the main one. He has a sad backstory and it does translate to his actions and thoughts in his current situation.
Writing: The story is told from a journalist's perspective, therefore I wasn't very happy to encounter a couple of very weirdly worded and formatted sentences. Some descriptions seemed a little bit repetitive and I would've liked more of the character's inner thoughts and feelings in the flashback chapters, yet overall the story is well written.
Personal Notes: I have a love/hate relationship with this book. I've seen the movie Moon and read The Martian before I read The Explorer, so I can say there are not one and not two similarities and it doesn't raise many philosophical questions (which I hoped for, considering the main character knows he'll die soon and it wasn't humorous like The Martian), yet still I cannot dislike it.
gemmaduds's review against another edition
5.0
A gripping science fiction read written in a more literary style. It's poignant and tragic at once, reminding me of the likes of The Road (McCarthy) and The Bunker Diary (Brooks). I really did not like the protagonist (anti-hero?), but it was written in such a personal way, direct to the reader, that I could get over that quite easily. Set in the near future and fairly plausible - don't pick it apart - The Explorer is deeply disturbing and will be read in a day.
shailshetye's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
nkatzi's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
3.0
andrew61's review against another edition
4.0
Last year I really enjoyed Smythe's sci fi novel The Machinist so thought I would give this a go. I don't ususally read Sci Fi , perhaps put off by the idea of other worlds and galaxies , perhaps I lack the imagination to truly sail off into other worlds , however I loved this book. The plot is based upon a space programme to send a spaceship out to the further edges of space , beyond anywhere other ships have gone. Privately funded the mission's aim is to recapture the world's wonder at space travel and the idea of 'The explorer' in the mould of Scott, Columbus et al. Six people make up the crew and they are put to sleep to wake when arrived at the extremeties of space before the ship turns around and thery come back heroes. The main player in the novel is Cormac Easton a reporter who carries the weight of an emotional break up at home as he leaves. I won't say anymore as I will leave it to future readers to enjoy the journey however it is a thriller and while I struggled to understand how it would all be explained at the end, even though I didn't know if the science of it was based on fact or imagination, I accepted it as part of a very good thriller which I guess in essence is what you want from sci fi an element of the imagination with the idea that in the future the premise ans science is possible. Perhaps there is hope for me yet as far as sci fi goes!!