Thursday 16 December 2010

SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW: Guardians of the Phoenix - Eric Brown

Release Date: 16/12/10

BOOK BLURB:

Global warming has taken its terrible toll. The seas have dried up and deserts cover much of the Earth’s surface. Humankind has been annihilated by drought and the nuclear and biological conflicts following the Great Breakdown. Desperate bands of humans still survive. Some live far underground, away from the searing temperatures and ongoing conflicts on the surface; others scrape a living in the remains of shattered cities above ground. In Paris, Pierre lives like an animal among the sand-drifted ruins of the once great city. Near death, he faces a choice: join the strangers heading south in search of water, or remain in the city and perish. Guardians of the Phoenix tells the story of the last survivors on planet Earth, their desperate fight for survival and their last hope to save the world.


REVIEW:

To be honest, after Engineman I was sort of expecting something pretty special with this, the latest title by Eric Brown, but alas I was left wondering if I was reading the same author. The story was pretty hodgepodge, the character plain and unremarkable and to be honest predictable which made it as dull as dish water. Overall I really was put off this author quite a bit with this offering but considering the reputation that he’s carefully built over a few years I was surprised that this actually made it to print. Personally I’d have been happier had they left this one out or allowed a lot more time for the author to correct the many glaring errors within.

If you want to try Eric go for Engineman or perhaps wait for his next offering, the whisper in the wind is that Kings of Eternity is perhaps his best work to date. We’ll have to wait and see but I’m prepared to forgive this title if he provides something exceptional on his next outing.

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