Upsetting the Tides by David Englund

*E-book provided. by author*


3.5
This is a science-fiction e-book by writer David Englund written in a weird way, but sprinkled with humour and all the usual (acceptable) sci-fi cliché.

First off, I have to say I didn't love the start. I had to force myself to read it because (fact alert) I'll only stop reading a book if I'm getting to the point where it's is practically impossible for me to continue. But it gets better. If you decide to read this, about a third of the way through you'll be drawn in as the plot starts to improve and the actually fantasy element becomes more prevalent.

I can imagine some people would read this as being melodramatic and not enjoying it, but I think it requires a different sense of humour. It wasn't uproariously hilarious, but it made me smile fairly frequently. It's third person, so the humour tends to appear when we jump into Clark's head. On that note, I think I should say I didn't have a problem with Clark, but I didn't like him either. He seemed a bit tactless occasionally and even a bit slow on the uptake. But I could enjoy the story anyway. As I say, he wasn't bad.

I think the thing I liked the most had to be the Gadgets and Alien race. As always with Sci-Fi or fantasy, I find these elements particularly interesting. I liked the idea that races would change a develop in different ways and how their lives, intelligences and outlooks changes dependent on how they evolve. And it's all believable here. Whether its the idea of hive mind and mutual advancement, or living simply and merely as required.

I had some problems with the book I admit. I think it felt rushed, sometimes, and that some points of the story were told (not shown). It just took away from the book. But again, I think the tone and way of the book makes it that you get used to it to read.

There's nothing else to say. It wasn't a horrible book, but I wouldn't charge out to buy it. But its short and cheap ($0.99 I think) so it's up to your discretion. I think I should say this is an honest review, but my slight derision and my slightly disinterested tone makes that clear. And, if it interests you, I probably will get the sequel too. I need to see where it might go, and it should be engaging!

Thinking back on the book now, I'd say it was written as a train of thought, despite it not being in third person. It's hard to explain, because it's only a feeling, but I'm confident that (for me) that's the best way to think of it.

You can find the writer here:
Website (Its the protagonist from the book posting as diary entries, perhaps just simply as though he were a blogger! Yet the site says they are chronicles, so perhaps that is more apt, and I should in fairness call him a chronicler.)