The Mote in Andrea's Eye

by David Niall Wilson

When the US Government cuts funding for Operation Stormfury, Andrea funds her own project. She sends her team into battle against a hurricane, but her darkest nightmare unfolds.

Genres: Audiobook, Fiction

301 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

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David Niall Wilson has been writing and publishing horror, dark fantasy, and science fiction since the mid-eighties. An ordained minister, once President of the Horror Writer 's Association and multiple recipient of the Bram Stoker Award. He lives outside Hertford, NC with the love of his life, Patricia Lee Macomber, His children Zane and Katie, occasionally their older siblings, Stephanie, who is in college, and Bill and Zach who are in the Navy, and an ever-changing assortment of pets.

David is CEO and founder of Crossroad Press, a cutting edge digital publishing company specializing in electronic novels, collections, and nonfiction, as well as unabridged audiobooks and print titles.

Reviews

[Bill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just ok. Not a lot going on honestly even there was a lot going on.

Warning - book ruining spoiler:
If somebody disappears and then reappears 30 years later you would think that would be a bit of a big deal, but nobody in this one seemed to care and it made for a strange vibe which derailed my attention from the other story line which kind of fizzled at the same time.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE MOTE IN ANDREA'S EYE
Written by David Niall Wilson
Narrated by Karyn O’Bryant

I just finished this audiobook and I am still a bit wide-eyed. I really enjoyed it, and the last half was like a roller coaster ride, it just kept building tension until the last few minutes. This author knows how to keep my attention, that's for certain! I thought the premise of this story was very interesting – fighting hurricanes juxtaposed with the Bermuda Triangle – but the novel was even better than I had hoped. The first half, with explanations of how hurricanes can be fought, had just enough technical information to keep us science geeks happy but not drowning in the details. Although I did keep wondering what the results of an Environmental Impact Statement on the methods would be these days, it didn't detract from the story at all. For the big storms, people just want to save lives and will do most anything to accomplish that goal. The second half of the book, once a giant storm had appeared as if by magic (see previous Bermuda Triangle reference) really pulled me along. I usually listen to books during meals, and I found myself sitting and listening with a fork hanging in the air. And lunches took a bit longer than usual. :) The descriptions in this book are quite vivid, and kept me visualizing the scenes and almost feeling that I was right there with the characters. I had to listen to the last two hours without stopping, because I couldn't wait to find out whether Mother Nature or Man won the battle … I thought the narrator was excellent for this reading. I don't think I've listened to her before, but I certainly would again. I suspect her voice and delivery style were part of what drew me along so well thru the narrative – she blended into the story so well that I didn't once consider what I liked or disliked about her reading until the book was done. I can't even now comment on what I liked, except to say that her tone of voice and pacing was very comfortable to my ear. But she let the story flow thru her exceptionally well, in my opinion. So, an excellent narration of an absorbing story, and I will definitely be reading more by this author.

Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 9 hrs 15 min
Publisher: Crossroad Press
Copyright: 2009/2012

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andrea has been obsessed with hurricanes since her father was killed in one while trying to help a neighbor. Where most people would express their obsession by frantically tracking storms on the news, and a few would go on to become full-fledged meteorologists, Andrea takes it a step further. She’d determined to figure out how to end hurricanes—to de-fang them, so to speak, and she’s got the brains that just might be able to find a way to do it.

The novel tracks her through decades, struggling to discover ways to steal the energy out of hurricanes and turn them into normal storms. In the course of her work, an unexplained event adds dramatically to the personal cost. Her husband, flying in a hurricane, and the entire storm, abruptly disappear in the Devil’s Triangle. It’s bizarrely unexplained, but only serves to make Andrea push harder. Decades later she’s still at it when her husband—and the storm—abruptly reappear threatening the U.S. coast without warning.

This novel is powerfully built to tap your emotions and is truly exciting as Andrea and her team struggle to save lives. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. The way that Andrea’s husband—decades out of time—was handled is sweet and unexpected. But it needs to be said that the big question—why that storm disappeared and reappeared and why her husband returns in the state he and his plane are in is never explained—although there is a hint when radio signals from a decades-lost ship are momentarily heard from the heart of the Devil’s Triangle.

I received this book from FreeAudioBookCodes.com in exchange for an honest review.

If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.

[Warren Benton · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Andrea was young her family with through a big hurricane. As her father was saving the neighbor from the rising flood waters the storm raged. After Andrea lost her father to a hurricane she vowed to find a way to stop them from taking anyone else's life. She went to school and studied hard, she became one of the leading groups pursuing hurricane control. She was passionate about her job, she also took the time to listen to everyone who had an idea on things to do to slow hurricanes down. While fighting a small storm in Bermuda in the 1960's her husband who was her favorite pilot was lost in the storm to never be found. That was until 30 years later when a devastating category 5 hurricane popped up out of the blue.

[BookLoversLife · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Andrea is young, she and her parents are caught in a hurricane, while they barely survive it, it's when her dad tries to rescue her neighbour in the aftermath, that she loses him. From that moment on, she was fixated with the idea of trying to stop a hurricane! Years later, while researching a promising way to stop the hurricane, her husband and his men, unintentionally create the largest hurricane in history, but while most of her colleagues return safely, the hurricane, along with Andreas husband, disappear in the "Devils Triangle". Heartbroken, Andrea keeps trying to find a way to stop the hurricanes from hitting land, or at least, slow them down! 30 years pass and Andrea is getting data that seems to confirm that a massive hurricane is forming exactly where the last one was! Everything points to it being the exact same as the one years earlier, one that will devastate the country. Along with a weird transmission from the hurricane, she believes this is the one that vanished 30 years ago, the one that vanished her husband too!!

At first I expected this to be like the movie "Twister" but with hurricanes, since the blurb said, Hurricane Hunter! But it's not! This is more a detailed look at hurricanes and Andreas life trying to change them so other people never have to lose a loved one! While not being very fast paced, I still enjoyed this. Even with it being Fiction, it was still fascinating following Andrea and her team and learning all about hurricanes.

Andrea was a worthy heroine, she was focused, smart and not afraid to take the necessary risks to try to save people. Her husband, Phil was also an awesome character, though we didn't see much of him! Both were well written, though not as developed as I would of liked.

In all this was a good read. It wasn't very fast paced but still enjoyable. It made me realise how lucky I am to live in Ireland since we don't have extreme weather like that. Hurricanes are deadly!!! If you like an adventurous detailed tale of hurricanes, then this is for you :)

Karyn O'Bryant did a good job narrating this. She was clear and concise and read the story well, though her male voices weren't the best! She needed to lower her tone a little more.

*I received a copy of this for review. This in no way affected my thoughts.*

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've admired Dave Wilson's fiction, both short and long, for many years, and THE MOTE IN ANDREA'S EYE is another of this prolific author's works well-worth seeking out, even if horror/dark fantasy isn't your cup of tea. While MOTE may be rooted in fantasy, the better part of story is pure action/adventure with a touch of science fiction for accent.

In her youth, protagonist Andrea Jamieson loses her father to a hurricane -- an event that sets the course for the rest of her life. As an adult, she becomes a scientist engaged not just in the study of hurricanes but in a quest to halt them altogether. Aided by her husband, Phil Wicks, and a crew devoted to seeing her dream fulfilled, Andrea concocts a plan that evidence indicates may succeed in actually stopping a force five hurricane.

What no one has counted on is the fact that the storm has originated in the Bermuda Triangle.

Wilson's prose here is less textured than in most of his works; it's so plain, so workmanlike, that at first, I wasn't sure it was going to hold me. In fact, with so little dimension, the characters initially held almost no interest for me, and it was only the leaked promises of fantastic events to follow that kept me engaged. However, once the book kicked into higher gear, some hundred pages in, the characters at last came to life and I found myself in their corner as events become increasingly dire.

Wilson uses science as a sturdy backdrop for the story. At no time are the technical details overwhelming. In fact, as the novel progresses, the little details themselves serve to augment the rising tension. By the climax, not only was I convinced I had ridden out one helluva storm, I had the feeling that I knew quite a bit more about certain meteorological events than I did the day before I started reading.

I don't believe MOTE is as powerful as some of Wilson's darker, more philosophical works, such as THIS IS MY BLOOD, but once it finds its stride, it's a fast-paced, highly enjoyable adventure that's not just for aficionados of the dark.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hurricane ends Andrea's childhood. Since then her forever focus is set on stopping the storm, or at least lessening it so that it doesn't destroy as much as it normally would. When see meets Phil, she meets the love of her life; but even Phil cannot stop her obsession. Having obtained her doctorate, Andrea develops software and systems to help her with storm simulation. Over the years she meets others that give her ideas and support, but nothing can keep her from experiencing the wrath of Andrea, the monster storm named when the love of her life disappears into it’s rage.

[Susie Q · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure about The Mote in Andrea's Eye when I started the book, but I plowed through until it became a adventure. The second half of the book went very quickly with great descriptions that made me feel as if I were there. The narrator did a really good job keeping up with the suspense in the story and kept it flowing.
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest an unbiased review.

[Tasula]

I read about half and lost interest.