patchworkbunny reviewed Across the Void by S. K. Vaughn
Review of 'Across the Void' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
Review copy provided by publisher - review first posted at Curiosity Killed the Bookworm.
Commander May Knox awakes from a medically induced coma to find her ship damaged and her crew gone. The Hawking II was on a mission to collect samples from Europa and hopefully find proof of alien life. But something has gone dreadfully wrong and May needs help.
S.K. Vaughn is a pseudonym for a screenwriter and I can only think they are writing for those dreadful daytime soaps, based on the plot of this book. What starts of as a reasonable space survival story, if somewhat cheesy in its dialogue, soon descends into nonsense. I suppose it's entertaining in its own way if you don't try and take it at all seriously.
May awakes on the Hawking II with amnesia, she can't remember what happened to the rest of the crew or even her own …
Review copy provided by publisher - review first posted at Curiosity Killed the Bookworm.
Commander May Knox awakes from a medically induced coma to find her ship damaged and her crew gone. The Hawking II was on a mission to collect samples from Europa and hopefully find proof of alien life. But something has gone dreadfully wrong and May needs help.
S.K. Vaughn is a pseudonym for a screenwriter and I can only think they are writing for those dreadful daytime soaps, based on the plot of this book. What starts of as a reasonable space survival story, if somewhat cheesy in its dialogue, soon descends into nonsense. I suppose it's entertaining in its own way if you don't try and take it at all seriously.
May awakes on the Hawking II with amnesia, she can't remember what happened to the rest of the crew or even her own divorce. Why does her divorce matter? Well back down on Earth Stephen is working for NASA, and May thinks she still loves him. Her amnesia seems to go back a conveniently long way. The story goes back and forth between the action in space, Stephen's frankly possessive behaviour back on Earth, the story of how they got together, and May's relationship with her mother.
The writer isn't great at writing emotion so it's mind-boggling that they inserted this awkward relationship plot into what should have been an acceptable action-thriller. I'm going to talk about a bit more of the plot than I usually would in reviews, so stop reading now if you think you still want to read it unspoiled.
So May isn't feeling great, and despite the ship's AI having run blood tests, it takes her ex-husband to deduce that she's pregnant! All the way across space, when May had no idea. And conveniently this NASA spaceship stocks pregnancy tests...and abortion pills. But tough, no nonsense May decides that it would be a great idea to keep the baby... whilst alone in space on a badly damaged ship.
I mean, I'd be interested in a book exploring pregnancy in space, if done well, with research and consideration for all the dangers. But this is then used as a vehicle for the men back on Earth to start fighting over her. And one of them just happens to have their own space programme! Oh yeah, didn't I mention the people in charge of NASA have gone rogue because there was an alien virus that never gets mentioned again.
The only character I liked was Eve, the AI. All the humans come across as jerks, trying hard be tough and making terrible jokes. I think the writer was trying to add little comments that might appeal to liberals but they come across as disingenuous.
The cynic in me feels like this was written in an attempt to cash in on the popularity of The Martian and they intend to make it into a film. Maybe it's faults wouldn't be so bad in a film either. I suppose I was kinda gripped towards the end, what crazy thing would happen next? But I will admit to skim-reading some of it.
