Green Comet

Green Comet by Jim Bowering

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I'm rating this a 5 but there's a huge caveat. This novel is in the HARD science-fiction genre. If, when reading sci-fi, you're more for the fiction and less for the science then I think you'll have a problem with it. I can't be certain but it seems that the author has done considerable research in order to make sure that that elements in the novel are theoretically possible - far in our future but possible nonetheless. I'm not quite as scientifically inclined as Mr. Bowering and I found the first half pretty tough sledding in places.

There are three plots interwoven throughout the novel. The first involves an engineering problem. Then an intergalactic threat to all life arrives on the scene. Lastly and interleaved with the others is a really nice love story.

The setting is in a solar system that is distant from our own and, as a result, the author sets about doing a considerable amount of world building. I was quite impressed by the scope of this but less so by the pacing which was probably correct for a hard-sci-fi aficionado but which I found a bit tedious from time to time. Nevertheless, if you are comfortable with a lot of explanation then the underlying tale is worthwhile. There was one mistake that caused me to chuckle. The alien invader is an AI self-replicating robotic starship that has gone out of kilter and seems intent on destroying all life. One of the characters makes reference to it as a Von Neumann machine which is correct but that's an description from Earth and the setting for this story is far, far from Earth. Still, oopsies like that are allowed and often creep into stories.

If you like hard science fiction I think you'll enjoy this book. It's a little slow in places but it really gets rolling around the half-way mark.



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