book review: Oxygen by John B. Olson and Randy Ingermanson

I recently took advantage of a cheap Kindle download of John B. Olson and Randy Ingermanson's 2001 novel Oxygen. though I'm not a fan of its genre (near-future scientific thriller), I wanted to see if Snowflake guru Ingermanson could actually write fiction and was attracted by the "Bonus Goodies For Aspiring Authors" included in this edition.

The story is about a space mission to Mars. We meet the main characters—the astronauts—when they are in training before the mission launches. The main male character, Bob is outwardly self-assured but inwardly fearful that he will be axed from the mission. The main female character, scientist, medical doctor, and resourceful woman extraordinaire Valkerie joins the crew late, bumping Josh to the consternation of some. Kennedy and Lex, the other male and female astronauts are mysterious and sometimes appear sinister—all the more because they are not point-of-view characters and we don't know their motivations. Characters are well-developed, believable and to varying degrees sympathetic.

On launch day we experience the bone-shaking liftoff through Valkerie's consciousness and the various mishaps that follow through Valkerie's and Bob's. One of the crisis points of the plot occurs when the ground crew realizes that the bruised space craft hurtling toward Mars doesn't have enough oxygen to get the crew of four safely landed on the red planet. This shortage combined with the hostile setting makes for a fascinating exploration of the psychology of people under pressure, as the astronauts together with mission control decide how to handle their dilemma.

The authors' probing of the themes of trust, loyalty, love, and faith make the story more than just a scientific thrill ride.

I enjoyed it. The authors in their back matter, explain how they did their best to make it a page-turner (John Olson: "I was obsessed with giving the reader the most extreme ride possible. I wanted the tension to be maxed out at every point in every scene of the book..." - Kindle Location 7579) and it certainly was that. In fact, I could have used a little more down-time amidst all the high angst.

The authors also talk about selling their idea to an agent, explain how they researched and wrote the book, then quote parts of their submission (with comments of what they would do differently if they were submitting that proposal today). It was enlightening. This ten-year-old award-winning book stands up well though its now-nearly-upon-us dates (mission launch January 2014) feel a bit spooky.

book review: Relentless

Title: Relentless
Author: Robin Parrish
Publisher: Bethany House
Genre: Fiction / Suspense
ISBN: 9780764202216

“Collin Boyd stepped off the Metro bus on his way to work, and across the street he saw himself strolling down the sidewalk.”

With that intriguing first line, Robin Parrish launches us into Relentless, his debut novel that is combination science fiction, fantasy, suspense thriller and super hero comic book, though to my way of thinking is most like a video game – in book format.

Collin, having morphed into the body of a stranger (Grant Borrows), with abilities and a reputation he didn’t know he had, is plunged into a lethal game of cat-and-mouse. The trouble is, he (and we) are never sure who the cat is or why he’s the mouse. As the story progresses, however, and we fit characters and incidents together, we begin to comprehend the extent of what’s going on here. For Grant’s shape-shift and whether or not he fulfills his prophesied destiny will impact not only him and the other changelings he meets, but the whole world.

As a plot-maker, Parrish does a masterful job of weaving his universe of characters (and there are many) into the non-stop action. Practically every chapter has its scene of high drama with car chases, sword fights, shadowy villains, and amazing escapes. His deftness in the story-telling department kept me reading just one more page, and one more, and one more...

The characters were another thing. Though realistic in a stock actor kind of way, I found it hard to empathize with them. The women were mostly beautiful and sexy, or gray and wise. The men were athletic, or brainy or both. All had the incredible ability to fight to the death, yet emerge alive and with the emotional and physical energy to keep running or pursuing. Perhaps I wasn’t taken with them too because I didn’t really like many of them – Grant included with his irritable, impatient, impulsive, petulant, self-pitying ways. As a whole, I’d say that character complexity, believability and likeability were sacrificed to plot.

The writing is strong, though, with vivid prose and a truly relentless pace maintained throughout. Parrish especially excels at the crisp description of fight and chase scenes, which abound. Gaffes, like Collin referred to as Grant before Grant is officially introduced (p.10), pus pouring out of an apparently uninfected wound only hours old (p. 32), and ‘retch’ spelled ‘wretch’ (p. 379) were rare exceptions.

The Christian aspect of this book is found in the existential questions it poses and its symbolism. Grant struggles the entire time with questions of purpose – why am I here and what am I meant to do. The plot plays games with another philosophical / theological dilemma as Grant and others grapple with issues of free well – do I do the things I do because I choose to do them, or am I playing a pre-determined role. And as the book progressed, I couldn’t help but also see how Grant’s portrayal as a potential savior, built on the fact he was the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy, paralleled another such one.

Though Relentless ends on a high note, many plot ends remain untied. We’ll have a bit of a wait to discover how they turn out. Book Two of Parrish’s Dominion Trilogy isn’t due for publication until the summer of 2007.

Thank you to Bethany House for providing a copy of Relentless for review.

Filed in Book Reviews (Fiction)