Alphanauts
J.Brian Clarke
Edge Science Fiction & Fantasy
ISBN 1894063147

"Alphanauts", by J.Brian Clarke, follows the adventures of a group of space travelers who have colonized an Earth-like planet light-years from home and have named it Genser's World--one that they discover is already inhabited by the decedents of another space-traveling species. Intelligent ships, anticipating the arrival of hostile aliens and shooting anything they see as a possible threat; computers intent on annihilation, and white supremacist refugees all threaten the peace on Genser's World.

"Alphanauts" is a very well-written piece. Very inventive and easy to follow, for the most part. Some science fiction is so technical that the typical reader can easily get lost. It may have just been me, but I did apparently miss something--one moment, the alphanauts were dealing with the affects of returning to Earth after such a long space voyage; the next they're returning to space. I found myself rereading, trying to find when the decision to head back out to space was made. The last I'd seen, the were trying to figure out how they'd deal with reentering society. This threw me, but I quickly gave up trying to figure out what I'd missed and continued on with the story. Another thing I found Jarring was the sudden leap ahead in time after each challenge was faced by the colonists. It gave a definite feeling of several shorter stories grafted into one long consecutive novel.

Still, it's an interesting concept, as well as an insightful look at colonization and life on other planets--one I'd recommend to others.

Reviewed by Lisa Ramaglia, Scribes World

Available from   Amazon.com.

Find the lowest price for Alphanauts!  Powered by