Showing posts with label Senan Gil Senan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Senan Gil Senan. Show all posts

Monday 8 January 2018

A Stitch in Time by Senan Gil Senan

So I finished 2017 having read and reviewed 52 books. Soon as it is the 8th of January I'd better get a review posted! This writer I liked a lot but it took me a while to get back to his work. I enjoy short stories as I mostly read in my lunch break. This bundle was great; 5 stars.



I’ve read a full length novel by this author before; Beyond the Pale; A dystopian fantasy with some very well written characters, thrown in with a good dose of humour. When I saw this bundle of shorts I was hoping to find more of the same but in bite size pieces. There is a strong common thread binding these stories together; time.
I loved how the writer used a number of genres (Sci-Fi, Horror, dystopian) to play with time in the narrative. I’m not normally a fan of Sci-Fi but I loved ‘Hold the bridge’ and it claustrophobic and tense atmosphere, as a space travelling officer wakes up from stasis before her crewmates do. Disoriented and with just one other crewmember awake she sets to work finding out why. The development and conclusion of this story was one of my favourites.
‘Hello Friend’ was also excellent, a satire of our reliance on technology but taking it a little step further into the future. The last story I was less keen on. Like the others it is narrated in the first person, but this one was told by a more advanced alien. I think this muddied the waters a little as we first had to get our head around this being, before we could get into the real story. I found myself drifting off a bit midway, but I did like the ending.
Altogether a bundle of stories that had a strong voice and a coherent theme. I enjoyed it and would recommend.

Tuesday 15 March 2016

Beyond the Pale by Senan Gil Senan

It is good to be back reading books, especially if its an enjoyable book like this one. I rated it 5 stars.
Beyond the pale on Amazon.com


Senan Gil Senan has created in Beyond the Pale a very believable world, were two sets of humans have evolved in two very different ways. The character of River; a young Native American or outlander who lives a hidden existence outside of the city bounds and its controls; is the embodiment of the group that have re-embraced a more tribal way of life. He seems to be in tune with his environment and his own body. The differences between the groups become clear when River saves Nathan Carlson; a security officer from the fortified city of New Denver. Even though Nathan is grateful for River saving his life, he can’t avoid him being taken captive by the cities forces. He does however succeed in taking custody of River and he brings him home to live with his family. Here the differences become even clearer when we see how the somewhat dysfunctional Carlson offspring deals with life.  Both children had their intelligence artificially enhanced at birth, but in their society social skills seem less important. Anton the son is so involved with all his gadgets that he rather deals with a virtual woman than a real girl.  Audrina is the epitome of a hedonistic society that needs technology, drugs and sex for entertainment. River falls in love with Audrina and a relationship develops. It doesn’t make for comfortable reading, when Audrina plays games and pushes River into her dysfunctional world. Here our hero shows his moral fibre and stands up to her.
There is plenty of action in this book and I found it hard to put down. I wanted to rush to the end to find out how River ended up. The descriptions of the new ‘advanced’ world are vivid without overwhelming the reader with techno-babble. The writer also brought the Colorado landscape (or the outlands) to life for me. There are plenty more questions to be answered at the end of the book and I’m pleased that there is already a follow up to this book; The Fifth Seed.