Colin Harvey (1) (1960–2011)

This novel is about a man who is forced to crash land on a forgotten world and hopes to reach a working station so that he can send a distress signal; but the community into whose hands he's fallen won't let him go that easily. The basic story is fine, I guess, but the prose is so awkward and amateurish, the dialogue so unconvincing, that it fails completely. It really should have gone through more rewrites and editing (there's some annoying repetition now and again) and feels like it was rushed out. Also, I'm not a physicist, but I'm pretty sure the science and situations, especially in the final act, aren't even remotely realistic. This book went quickly from three stars (it was only okay in the beginning) down to two and then finally blew it in the end. Reminded me a lot of Jack L. Chalker's work (particularly The Four Lords of the Diamond) so if you really like that you might like this.… (mehr)

I finally finally got around to ordering and reading the collection of stories that contains my friend's first commercially published short story, yay! I was a bit surprised to see that they used a more standard style than the way they post snippets to LJ/DW (which I love) but it was still good. :-) The collection was super interesting and gave a neat speculation on what Bristol England could become in the future. My aunt settled there decades ago and I've visited family and friends there before so I had some context, but it felt like all you needed to know what that there's a bridge over a chasm. :-) Seeded trolley tracks and temporal urban exploration were the centres of two stories… (mehr)

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2741049.html

I liked this book a lot: protagonist from sophisticated spacefaring society crashes into Viking-style world, and then must track down the long-abandoned spaceship to break out of the surly bonds of the planet Isheimur and bring about the seeds of a new society. There's plenty else in there - commentary on polyamory (good), libertarianism (bad), being nice to trolls who turn out to be differently evolved humans (good). There are dramatic chases across frozen landscapes with 'orrible creatures snapping at our heroes' heels, and a seat-of-the-pants rocket launch with barbarians complaining about weightlessness. Lots of good stuff, and I think he'd have got better.… (mehr)

In Damage Time, by Colin Harvey, we find ourselves in New York City in 2050, after the collapse of most of Western civilization. Pete Shah has worked for many years as a cop, specializing in the Memory Association field, in which he is able to "read" the last moments in the lives of murder victims. The technology exists to "rip" memories from individuals, who lose the memories that are taken (voluntarily or otherwise); those memories can then be sold to others for their entertainment. But when a new Ripper begins kidnapping and forcibly removing the memories of people to such an extent that they are left as little more than vegetables, Shah and his partner must find a way to bring the miscreant to heel.... This is an interesting book with some fascinating ideas, particularly the central idea of being able to "rip" one's memories for the delectation of others. The writing is solid and the action is fast-paced, but I found the characters to be somewhat thin and the level of misogyny expressed in words and actions by some of the characters ("good" guys as well as bad) was troubling. Definitely a mixed review, here, as although I found myself interested enough to keep reading to the very end, I also found some of it tough going.… (mehr)