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The Ripple in Space-Time
When the huge lunar Ultra Energy Laboratory is destroyed by a mysterious blast, Inspector Ryo Trop of the Free City Inquisitor's Office is called in to sort out who is responsible for the disaster.
Early reports imply that rogue moon miners are to blame but Ryo quickly discovers that a far more complex and sinister scheme is afoot.
With the help of a promising young Liaison Agent and a faltering Grad student, Ryo searches for clues and culprits in the corrupt and moldering feudal fiefdoms of the Warlords that dominate human affairs in 2445.
Ryo’s longtime friend, Biology Professor turned spy Malcolm Evans, suggests that the wave of space piracy that has recently vexed the Solar System could be connected to the obliteration of the lunar lab.
But why would reckless and marauding space raiders have an interest in a research facility?
Early reports imply that rogue moon miners are to blame but Ryo quickly discovers that a far more complex and sinister scheme is afoot.
With the help of a promising young Liaison Agent and a faltering Grad student, Ryo searches for clues and culprits in the corrupt and moldering feudal fiefdoms of the Warlords that dominate human affairs in 2445.
Ryo’s longtime friend, Biology Professor turned spy Malcolm Evans, suggests that the wave of space piracy that has recently vexed the Solar System could be connected to the obliteration of the lunar lab.
But why would reckless and marauding space raiders have an interest in a research facility?
260 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2013
9 people are currently reading
493 people want to read
About the author
S.F. Chapman
6 books23 followersA lifelong Northern Californian, S F Chapman traded his construction job for the more docile (but no less demanding) profession of novelist in 2008 when the US economy faltered.
The tireless author has since written eight books. His first, "I'm here to help" (published by Striped Cat Press in July of 2012), is a literary fiction novella about a teenage daughter looking for answers to some troubling inconsistencies in her birth certificate. "The Ripple in Space-Time" (published by Striped Cat Press in February of 2013) is Chapman’s second book. It is an exciting science fiction detective adventure set in a moldering and corrupt future controlled by greedy warlords.
S F Chapman's third novel, "On the Back of the Beast" was released in August 2013. The author describes it a fast-paced disaster survival story centering around a giant earthquake in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Other completed works awaiting publication are the post-apocalyptic soft science fiction MAC Series consisting of "Floyd 5.136", "Xea in the Library" and "Beyond the Habitable Limit"; and a recently completed sequel to "The Ripple in Space-Time" entitled "Torn From On High."
Chapman is currently writing a rough and tumble literary fiction novel about homelessness called "The Missive In The Margins."
S F's huge gray male tabby cat keeps him company while he writes and was the inspiration for Striped Cat Press.
The tireless author has since written eight books. His first, "I'm here to help" (published by Striped Cat Press in July of 2012), is a literary fiction novella about a teenage daughter looking for answers to some troubling inconsistencies in her birth certificate. "The Ripple in Space-Time" (published by Striped Cat Press in February of 2013) is Chapman’s second book. It is an exciting science fiction detective adventure set in a moldering and corrupt future controlled by greedy warlords.
S F Chapman's third novel, "On the Back of the Beast" was released in August 2013. The author describes it a fast-paced disaster survival story centering around a giant earthquake in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Other completed works awaiting publication are the post-apocalyptic soft science fiction MAC Series consisting of "Floyd 5.136", "Xea in the Library" and "Beyond the Habitable Limit"; and a recently completed sequel to "The Ripple in Space-Time" entitled "Torn From On High."
Chapman is currently writing a rough and tumble literary fiction novel about homelessness called "The Missive In The Margins."
S F's huge gray male tabby cat keeps him company while he writes and was the inspiration for Striped Cat Press.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 19, 2013
Book Info: Genre: Science Fiction
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of character-driven science fiction.
Trigger Warnings: Violence, piracy, (implied) drug use
Please note: This is also part of a blog tour. A guest post from the author can be seen here on the 15th. A giveaway for this book will start on the 16th and can be viewed here on or after that date. Additionally, this book will be free through a KDP promotion on Amazon from March 1-3, 2013, so if you’re interested in picking up a copy and don’t win through the giveaway, you can pick it up from Amazon then.
My Thoughts: This is set a bit over 400 years in the future on Earth, and things have become quite dismal. I was interested by the idea of the world breaking up into fiefdoms, but would have liked to have explored that a bit more, and had a better understanding of the current setup of the world. Since this is either a short novel or long novella, there probably wasn’t much room to do that, but there were a couple places where information was obviously thrown in for the reader’s information on other things (“Remind me again why you’re called CRAMP?” and “I know you are aware of this, but we are ...” and such like things), so why not a brief geography/history lesson somehow?
The editing on this is really sloppy. The punctuation is a hot mess, and there are missing words and a lot of misused words. I obviously didn’t keep track of them all, but just to give you some examples, “seating” is used for “sitting,” “in route” is used for “en route,” “and “repeal” is used for “repel.” Another instance of misusing a word came up fairly early in the book when something is described as “ubiquitous” in one paragraph and “one of a kind” in the next. Since ubiquitous means “so common it should be expected at any time,” anything that is ubiquitous cannot, by definition, be one of a kind.
For the first half of the book, I was pretty well set on a three-star rating at the most. The first half is sort of slow moving, and I never did feel particularly connected to the characters, but the second half made up for that. The pacing speeds up and I started to have a better feeling about the characters and action. I think fans of character-driven science fiction tales will enjoy this story. I will likely watch for the upcoming sequel to this, and also take a look at some of this author’s other books in the future.
Disclosure: I received a free e-book copy of this book from JKS Communications (the author’s publicists) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Series and Author Information: This is the first book in the Free City Series. The second book, Torn from on High, has not set date for release, but is listed as “coming soon.” This author has another other book available, if you like his style, called I’m Here to Help, which is listed as literary fiction. There are a number of books scheduled for release in addition to the one already listed, so we can look forward to a lot of works from this author.
Synopsis: When the huge lunar Ultra Energy Laboratory is destroyed by a mysterious blast, Inspector Ryo Trop of the Free City Inquisitor's Office is called in to sort out who is responsible for the disaster. Early reports imply that rogue moon miners are to blame, but Ryo quickly discovers that a far more complex and sinister scheme is afoot.
With the help of a promising young Liaison Agent and a faltering Grad student, Ryo searches for clues and culprits in the corrupt and moldering feudal fiefdoms of the Warlords that dominate human affairs in 2445. Ryo’s longtime friend, Biology Professor turned spy Malcolm Evans, suggests that the wave of space piracy that has recently vexed the Solar System could be connected to the obliteration of the lunar lab.
But why would reckless and marauding space raiders have an interest in a research facility?
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of character-driven science fiction.
Trigger Warnings: Violence, piracy, (implied) drug use
Please note: This is also part of a blog tour. A guest post from the author can be seen here on the 15th. A giveaway for this book will start on the 16th and can be viewed here on or after that date. Additionally, this book will be free through a KDP promotion on Amazon from March 1-3, 2013, so if you’re interested in picking up a copy and don’t win through the giveaway, you can pick it up from Amazon then.
My Thoughts: This is set a bit over 400 years in the future on Earth, and things have become quite dismal. I was interested by the idea of the world breaking up into fiefdoms, but would have liked to have explored that a bit more, and had a better understanding of the current setup of the world. Since this is either a short novel or long novella, there probably wasn’t much room to do that, but there were a couple places where information was obviously thrown in for the reader’s information on other things (“Remind me again why you’re called CRAMP?” and “I know you are aware of this, but we are ...” and such like things), so why not a brief geography/history lesson somehow?
The editing on this is really sloppy. The punctuation is a hot mess, and there are missing words and a lot of misused words. I obviously didn’t keep track of them all, but just to give you some examples, “seating” is used for “sitting,” “in route” is used for “en route,” “and “repeal” is used for “repel.” Another instance of misusing a word came up fairly early in the book when something is described as “ubiquitous” in one paragraph and “one of a kind” in the next. Since ubiquitous means “so common it should be expected at any time,” anything that is ubiquitous cannot, by definition, be one of a kind.
For the first half of the book, I was pretty well set on a three-star rating at the most. The first half is sort of slow moving, and I never did feel particularly connected to the characters, but the second half made up for that. The pacing speeds up and I started to have a better feeling about the characters and action. I think fans of character-driven science fiction tales will enjoy this story. I will likely watch for the upcoming sequel to this, and also take a look at some of this author’s other books in the future.
Disclosure: I received a free e-book copy of this book from JKS Communications (the author’s publicists) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Series and Author Information: This is the first book in the Free City Series. The second book, Torn from on High, has not set date for release, but is listed as “coming soon.” This author has another other book available, if you like his style, called I’m Here to Help, which is listed as literary fiction. There are a number of books scheduled for release in addition to the one already listed, so we can look forward to a lot of works from this author.
Synopsis: When the huge lunar Ultra Energy Laboratory is destroyed by a mysterious blast, Inspector Ryo Trop of the Free City Inquisitor's Office is called in to sort out who is responsible for the disaster. Early reports imply that rogue moon miners are to blame, but Ryo quickly discovers that a far more complex and sinister scheme is afoot.
With the help of a promising young Liaison Agent and a faltering Grad student, Ryo searches for clues and culprits in the corrupt and moldering feudal fiefdoms of the Warlords that dominate human affairs in 2445. Ryo’s longtime friend, Biology Professor turned spy Malcolm Evans, suggests that the wave of space piracy that has recently vexed the Solar System could be connected to the obliteration of the lunar lab.
But why would reckless and marauding space raiders have an interest in a research facility?
January 11, 2013
S.F. Chapman's The Ripple in Space-Time
Story is about how a scientist is kidnapped, along with others and taken far away. The pirates plan for her especially is to work and create some elements that will aid them.
Her son Lev has received her daily message and knows something is not right and contacts the authorities and gets together with Ryo who heads up the investigation. They can't figure out who
took the professor and they soon learn with Lev's help and one of the many satellites, who they are. There are many people involved that I had a hard time keeping track of as some are only mentioned a few times, others many times over.
They gain clues and track down others who help them figure out what their next step should be. This all occurs in the future.
To keep her sanity she quotes Shakespeare plays she has learned and seen over the years.
There are many instances of quoting others who are very famous in their field of expertise that make the whole story believable. I enjoyed the story although I rarely read sci fi books.
There are other villains with dangerous information and weapons that also want to rule everybody...
Like all the scientific information that explains just what the ripple is. love how the book got it's title.
Also love the list of characters and the vessels, makes it a lot easier to understand right off the launch pad.
Story is about how a scientist is kidnapped, along with others and taken far away. The pirates plan for her especially is to work and create some elements that will aid them.
Her son Lev has received her daily message and knows something is not right and contacts the authorities and gets together with Ryo who heads up the investigation. They can't figure out who
took the professor and they soon learn with Lev's help and one of the many satellites, who they are. There are many people involved that I had a hard time keeping track of as some are only mentioned a few times, others many times over.
They gain clues and track down others who help them figure out what their next step should be. This all occurs in the future.
To keep her sanity she quotes Shakespeare plays she has learned and seen over the years.
There are many instances of quoting others who are very famous in their field of expertise that make the whole story believable. I enjoyed the story although I rarely read sci fi books.
There are other villains with dangerous information and weapons that also want to rule everybody...
Like all the scientific information that explains just what the ripple is. love how the book got it's title.
Also love the list of characters and the vessels, makes it a lot easier to understand right off the launch pad.
January 9, 2013
A friend loaned me an "Advance reader copy" that he got in Florida. Good classic science fiction. I really liked the cat and mouse chase between the good guys and bad guys at the end.
February 13, 2013
Original review here: http://offbeatvagabond.blogspot.com/2013/02/indie-book-review-ripple-in-space-time.html
The Ripple in Space Time is a story that takes in the year 2445. A lab has been destroyed and hundreds have lost their lives including lead scientist Dr. Jana Fesai. So an inspector named Ryo has been sent on the case. To join him on the investigation is Jana's son Lev and an officer named Keira. The three take a journey across the universe to find the people responsible. But they soon find out that an explosion is the least of their problems and must act quickly before an even bigger disaster takes place.
This was an interesting read for me. I love my science fiction and that is why I wanted to read this. The story was interesting. From the get go we are thrown into quite the story. It starts off with an obituary and kicks off from there. I love where the book takes us. The threat of a dictator who pretty much takes over the universe. That is no easy feat. It was scary as hell to think about. I like the mystery that was thrown in which I can't spoil but I didn't see coming. The best thing about the story for me was the introduction of CRAMP. That was one interesting group I would love to have seen more of in this book. The characters have a nice dynamic we get to see a bit of and they were sneaky and well put together. I also enjoyed our main group Ryo, Lev and Keira. I especially liked Ryo. He had a nice fatherly presence in the book and just knew the kind of man he was. I don't know he sort of gave off a nice quiet confidence that I liked.
But I had problems with this book. Boy did I have issues with this book. Biggest problem; character development or lack thereof. Whatever we know of the characters are either told to us in one paragraph or not told at all. I didn't like that when I was done with this I still didn't know who these characters were. I have a little connection to Ryo, but that was it. Lev is promiscuous, but insanely brilliant. Keira was smart from the few scenes we get and had the hots for Lev, but then what? There was a romance brewing between Lev and Keira, but we barely get the chance to see it. There are scenes where Keira is mad at Lev for something and doesn't talk to him for weeks. But do we ever find out why? No, we don't. Was he staring at another girl? Did he say something he shouldn't have? I mean, what was it? Then I didn't understand why Keira put up with Lev's crap. She says if they are together, he will only have eyes for her. He responds, “I'll try my best.” What?! That better had been a joke. He is obviously not 100% ready to settle down. Run for the hills, woman! I felt like I was on the outside looking in a few times when reading this. I want to be put in the tension, not just told about it.
Same thing for the villains in this book, specifically the dictator. He is vicious and says mean things, but he doesn't do anything horrible (except one major horrible thing later on in the book). Knowing my villains are just as important to me as knowing my good guys. I have no idea what made this guy tick. Why did he feel the need to have so much power? Why did he hate his half-brother who was also a ruler but not nearly as cruel? Well that is what we are told anyway. We don't actually meet him in this book.
Another issue I had with this book was the overall world. I love the idea of this being set into the future. It sounds like an interesting world. But how did it get to this point? Where exactly is Free City? Why the hell is there so much war going on in Dublin? What about New Rome? None of this is explained and I was curious as hell especially the New Rome thing. That sounds really interesting. So not only do we get a lack of character development, there is also a lack of worldbuilding as well. I understand this is the future and all, but we the audience aren't in that future. Paint us a picture or leave us bread crumbs to get us to this point.
Another issue; convenience and/or no tension. There were times in this book where it would builds up to something and we don't see the ending result of how it happened. Or something would happen that was just so convenient for the character. For instance, a main character in the book (can't tell you who) is always being sat down in the cockpit with one of the bad guys. Why? Absolutely no reason. But something happens just so that character can send a message for help or to do something else they would get in trouble for. We also get a part where the same character is forced to help the bad guys and does something that will save them all in the end. But we don't see this play out. Why? It would have been a great action scene if played out right.
Also I want to talk about the title. Why exactly is it called The Ripple in Space-Time? The ripples are mentioned maybe twice in the book, but don't play a role in the scheme of things, well at least not with our characters anyway. Again, why? It would have been awesome. Ever watched Star Trek (Abrams')? Remember what happened to the Romulan ship in the end? Yeah, I was expecting something like that. I know it wouldn't be exactly the same since a black hole and space-time aren't the same. But still, why not use that to your advantage somehow. Again, that would have been amazing. But what we got was a bit anticlimactic for my taste. And there were a few scenes like that. Where the buildup was great, but the ending result just didn't satisfy quite like they should have. The only real tension for me came from the CRAMP group. But even when they are done, we don't see the ending result, we are just told about it. Why?! I would have loved to have been in the room when that had taken place. Come on!
Overall, this was an okay read for me. I want to love it because it has all the right elements. But those elements need to flow and they need to be developed. I felt a bit detached from this at times. Not to mention that detachment was a little amplified when I finished the book and found the appendix at the end. I got more info about the characters in the appendix at the end than I did in the actual book. Something isn't quite right about that. Although I will say I would like to check out the next book in this series because I want to see where else could this go. The very last chapter especially needs an explanation.
The Ripple in Space Time is a story that takes in the year 2445. A lab has been destroyed and hundreds have lost their lives including lead scientist Dr. Jana Fesai. So an inspector named Ryo has been sent on the case. To join him on the investigation is Jana's son Lev and an officer named Keira. The three take a journey across the universe to find the people responsible. But they soon find out that an explosion is the least of their problems and must act quickly before an even bigger disaster takes place.
This was an interesting read for me. I love my science fiction and that is why I wanted to read this. The story was interesting. From the get go we are thrown into quite the story. It starts off with an obituary and kicks off from there. I love where the book takes us. The threat of a dictator who pretty much takes over the universe. That is no easy feat. It was scary as hell to think about. I like the mystery that was thrown in which I can't spoil but I didn't see coming. The best thing about the story for me was the introduction of CRAMP. That was one interesting group I would love to have seen more of in this book. The characters have a nice dynamic we get to see a bit of and they were sneaky and well put together. I also enjoyed our main group Ryo, Lev and Keira. I especially liked Ryo. He had a nice fatherly presence in the book and just knew the kind of man he was. I don't know he sort of gave off a nice quiet confidence that I liked.
But I had problems with this book. Boy did I have issues with this book. Biggest problem; character development or lack thereof. Whatever we know of the characters are either told to us in one paragraph or not told at all. I didn't like that when I was done with this I still didn't know who these characters were. I have a little connection to Ryo, but that was it. Lev is promiscuous, but insanely brilliant. Keira was smart from the few scenes we get and had the hots for Lev, but then what? There was a romance brewing between Lev and Keira, but we barely get the chance to see it. There are scenes where Keira is mad at Lev for something and doesn't talk to him for weeks. But do we ever find out why? No, we don't. Was he staring at another girl? Did he say something he shouldn't have? I mean, what was it? Then I didn't understand why Keira put up with Lev's crap. She says if they are together, he will only have eyes for her. He responds, “I'll try my best.” What?! That better had been a joke. He is obviously not 100% ready to settle down. Run for the hills, woman! I felt like I was on the outside looking in a few times when reading this. I want to be put in the tension, not just told about it.
Same thing for the villains in this book, specifically the dictator. He is vicious and says mean things, but he doesn't do anything horrible (except one major horrible thing later on in the book). Knowing my villains are just as important to me as knowing my good guys. I have no idea what made this guy tick. Why did he feel the need to have so much power? Why did he hate his half-brother who was also a ruler but not nearly as cruel? Well that is what we are told anyway. We don't actually meet him in this book.
Another issue I had with this book was the overall world. I love the idea of this being set into the future. It sounds like an interesting world. But how did it get to this point? Where exactly is Free City? Why the hell is there so much war going on in Dublin? What about New Rome? None of this is explained and I was curious as hell especially the New Rome thing. That sounds really interesting. So not only do we get a lack of character development, there is also a lack of worldbuilding as well. I understand this is the future and all, but we the audience aren't in that future. Paint us a picture or leave us bread crumbs to get us to this point.
Another issue; convenience and/or no tension. There were times in this book where it would builds up to something and we don't see the ending result of how it happened. Or something would happen that was just so convenient for the character. For instance, a main character in the book (can't tell you who) is always being sat down in the cockpit with one of the bad guys. Why? Absolutely no reason. But something happens just so that character can send a message for help or to do something else they would get in trouble for. We also get a part where the same character is forced to help the bad guys and does something that will save them all in the end. But we don't see this play out. Why? It would have been a great action scene if played out right.
Also I want to talk about the title. Why exactly is it called The Ripple in Space-Time? The ripples are mentioned maybe twice in the book, but don't play a role in the scheme of things, well at least not with our characters anyway. Again, why? It would have been awesome. Ever watched Star Trek (Abrams')? Remember what happened to the Romulan ship in the end? Yeah, I was expecting something like that. I know it wouldn't be exactly the same since a black hole and space-time aren't the same. But still, why not use that to your advantage somehow. Again, that would have been amazing. But what we got was a bit anticlimactic for my taste. And there were a few scenes like that. Where the buildup was great, but the ending result just didn't satisfy quite like they should have. The only real tension for me came from the CRAMP group. But even when they are done, we don't see the ending result, we are just told about it. Why?! I would have loved to have been in the room when that had taken place. Come on!
Overall, this was an okay read for me. I want to love it because it has all the right elements. But those elements need to flow and they need to be developed. I felt a bit detached from this at times. Not to mention that detachment was a little amplified when I finished the book and found the appendix at the end. I got more info about the characters in the appendix at the end than I did in the actual book. Something isn't quite right about that. Although I will say I would like to check out the next book in this series because I want to see where else could this go. The very last chapter especially needs an explanation.
January 23, 2013
I don't normally write reviews, but having received this book through the First Reads program, I feel that I should explain my rating in this case. Warning, there are some minor spoilers scattered throughout, though I do try to keep it vague.
I was fairly excited going into this one, and was eager to find this in my mailbox. With that said, I was greatly let down by this one in many ways.
I'll start with the good. The one point I appreciated was in the organization of the chapters. Every few chapters Chapman would designate one as a news article, which was unique as far as anything I've ever read. While this worked for me for the first few instances, the writing style of the articles felt less and less like they were pulled from a newspaper. For example, one article detailed a memorial day for a war 249 years past, though it explained how the war played out and its results. I can't believe that a news article would detail information which one would think is common knowledge in this world. Today, we don't discuss who won World War II; it's just common knowledge.
Unfortunately, that's as far as the positives go for me. Characters were cliche yet lacking any real characterization, somehow. The first to come to mind was one of the kidnappers; the no-good wildcard who just wanted to see some blood. He even came packaged with the laughable scene where he slightly nicks the victim's neck with his knife for no reason besides his pure bad-guy-y-ness. The lead villain of the book also fulfilled a characterless cliche. We're told his entire story within two pages, to include his taking his father's empire by ruthlessly murdering him for his lack of love. I should note that all of these vital characterization details are simply told to the reader, never shown. We're told that the villain is evil and ruthless, but we're never shown a real instance where it feels true. We're told that the detective is well seasoned and at the top of his field, but it never once felt like it. In all cases where Chapman attempts to actually display the characterization honestly made me laugh out loud.
This rating may have also suffered because of the most recent books I've finished by writers like Nick Harkaway or China Meiville, whose writing styles I am completely in love with. With The Ripple in Space-Time, I felt like I was reading a mad-lib. The incredible amount of adjectives and adverbs was ridiculous. If there was a noun, it was gonna get described! It just didn't have any flow. I feel like a jerk saying it, but I couldn't help but read it as one reads a mad lib, with accentuated pauses on description words. I'm attaching a single paragraph below to demonstrate:
"Ryo and Lev had been waiting for twenty anxious minutes in the parlor of the Free City Consular's residence in Dublin as the house staff noisily battled an especially tenacious plumbing problem involving the third floor commode. Loud thuds and profuse swearing sporadically pervaded the official household. Through the open sitting room door, the men watched a worried old butler hobble by several times with yet another thick stack of white bath towels to sop up the gushing muck."
No flow, right? Mad-lib, right?!
I'm a fan of show, not tell, and as I've explained, there was little to no show. The 'information dumps' didn't feel natural. Maybe others would enjoy this style, but I appreciate reading a hard sci-fi book and being confused 100 pages in, to be rewarded by complete understanding in a natural, believable manner which doesn't take me out of the story. Every time the science was explained, I felt like I was watching a children's show where the whole group is collectively trying to solve a simple problem; finishing each other's sentences, stumbling their ways to revelations which felt obvious from the beginning.
The last point I wanted to hit on was the massive plot holes. One instance I want to mention was the fact that the kidnappers kept bringing out the key victim to the captains deck of the ship for no apparent reason at all other than to allow her to show how 'clever' she was in getting facts out of her captor (which were incredibly far from clever, in fact it felt like natural conversation), or to make contact with her friends without supervision. There were a handful of these instances where no reason is ever given for actions, and it completely took me out of the story. All of the major events which could have opened the book up into exciting events were completely glossed over. Unfortunately it's difficult to explain this without giving up major spoilers.
In the end, the only reason I completed this book was because I felt that I owed the community a complete review for winning the advanced copy. I almost put it down a good thirty times, but I pressed on. I rolled my eyes and laughed out loud at the absurd dialogue and scenarios throughout.
I would not recommend this book, and I do not believe that I'll be giving this author another read in the future.
I was fairly excited going into this one, and was eager to find this in my mailbox. With that said, I was greatly let down by this one in many ways.
I'll start with the good. The one point I appreciated was in the organization of the chapters. Every few chapters Chapman would designate one as a news article, which was unique as far as anything I've ever read. While this worked for me for the first few instances, the writing style of the articles felt less and less like they were pulled from a newspaper. For example, one article detailed a memorial day for a war 249 years past, though it explained how the war played out and its results. I can't believe that a news article would detail information which one would think is common knowledge in this world. Today, we don't discuss who won World War II; it's just common knowledge.
Unfortunately, that's as far as the positives go for me. Characters were cliche yet lacking any real characterization, somehow. The first to come to mind was one of the kidnappers; the no-good wildcard who just wanted to see some blood. He even came packaged with the laughable scene where he slightly nicks the victim's neck with his knife for no reason besides his pure bad-guy-y-ness. The lead villain of the book also fulfilled a characterless cliche. We're told his entire story within two pages, to include his taking his father's empire by ruthlessly murdering him for his lack of love. I should note that all of these vital characterization details are simply told to the reader, never shown. We're told that the villain is evil and ruthless, but we're never shown a real instance where it feels true. We're told that the detective is well seasoned and at the top of his field, but it never once felt like it. In all cases where Chapman attempts to actually display the characterization honestly made me laugh out loud.
This rating may have also suffered because of the most recent books I've finished by writers like Nick Harkaway or China Meiville, whose writing styles I am completely in love with. With The Ripple in Space-Time, I felt like I was reading a mad-lib. The incredible amount of adjectives and adverbs was ridiculous. If there was a noun, it was gonna get described! It just didn't have any flow. I feel like a jerk saying it, but I couldn't help but read it as one reads a mad lib, with accentuated pauses on description words. I'm attaching a single paragraph below to demonstrate:
"Ryo and Lev had been waiting for twenty anxious minutes in the parlor of the Free City Consular's residence in Dublin as the house staff noisily battled an especially tenacious plumbing problem involving the third floor commode. Loud thuds and profuse swearing sporadically pervaded the official household. Through the open sitting room door, the men watched a worried old butler hobble by several times with yet another thick stack of white bath towels to sop up the gushing muck."
No flow, right? Mad-lib, right?!
I'm a fan of show, not tell, and as I've explained, there was little to no show. The 'information dumps' didn't feel natural. Maybe others would enjoy this style, but I appreciate reading a hard sci-fi book and being confused 100 pages in, to be rewarded by complete understanding in a natural, believable manner which doesn't take me out of the story. Every time the science was explained, I felt like I was watching a children's show where the whole group is collectively trying to solve a simple problem; finishing each other's sentences, stumbling their ways to revelations which felt obvious from the beginning.
The last point I wanted to hit on was the massive plot holes. One instance I want to mention was the fact that the kidnappers kept bringing out the key victim to the captains deck of the ship for no apparent reason at all other than to allow her to show how 'clever' she was in getting facts out of her captor (which were incredibly far from clever, in fact it felt like natural conversation), or to make contact with her friends without supervision. There were a handful of these instances where no reason is ever given for actions, and it completely took me out of the story. All of the major events which could have opened the book up into exciting events were completely glossed over. Unfortunately it's difficult to explain this without giving up major spoilers.
In the end, the only reason I completed this book was because I felt that I owed the community a complete review for winning the advanced copy. I almost put it down a good thirty times, but I pressed on. I rolled my eyes and laughed out loud at the absurd dialogue and scenarios throughout.
I would not recommend this book, and I do not believe that I'll be giving this author another read in the future.
July 26, 2013
The Ripple in Space-Time The Ripple in Space-Time is set well into the future, in a time when the outer reaches of space have been colonized. The human race lives spread throughout the galaxy, and I can't deny that I was drawn in by the possibility of such a vast world of people. Through a mix of news reports and narrative, S.F. Chapman shares with readers a world where anything is possible. This is definitely what I enjoyed most about this book. Although I would have liked the opportunity to explore this universe a little more, it was very immersive in its own right.
The world is populated with some great characters. The problem is that there are so many that it is tough at times to keep them straight. This is helped with the addition of an appendix. However I felt like I really didn't get to know some of the characters as well as I would have liked. Ryo would definitely have to be my favorite though. The way he handles situations really makes him shine.
What really hampered my total enjoyment of this book though was the writing style. The Ripple in Space-Time is extremely heavy handed in the science department, which is to be expected I suppose. I was okay with it for the most part. It was the overuse of adjectives and adverbs that really drove me crazy while reading. A sentence that could be written in 5 or 6 words would end up as a paragraph. It was maddening, and made it difficult for me to fully appreciate the story line. I see a lot of readers being turned off by this fact. Still, I can promise that the story itself is well worth your time.
Overall I felt good upon finishing The Ripple in Space Time. It did remind me of why I don't read a lot of Science Fiction anymore. You really have to be invested in the science behind the world that is being built to fully understand the whole story line. While there were definitely things that could have been done better, I enjoyed the story as a whole. Pick this up if you're a fan of Science Fiction.
The world is populated with some great characters. The problem is that there are so many that it is tough at times to keep them straight. This is helped with the addition of an appendix. However I felt like I really didn't get to know some of the characters as well as I would have liked. Ryo would definitely have to be my favorite though. The way he handles situations really makes him shine.
What really hampered my total enjoyment of this book though was the writing style. The Ripple in Space-Time is extremely heavy handed in the science department, which is to be expected I suppose. I was okay with it for the most part. It was the overuse of adjectives and adverbs that really drove me crazy while reading. A sentence that could be written in 5 or 6 words would end up as a paragraph. It was maddening, and made it difficult for me to fully appreciate the story line. I see a lot of readers being turned off by this fact. Still, I can promise that the story itself is well worth your time.
Overall I felt good upon finishing The Ripple in Space Time. It did remind me of why I don't read a lot of Science Fiction anymore. You really have to be invested in the science behind the world that is being built to fully understand the whole story line. While there were definitely things that could have been done better, I enjoyed the story as a whole. Pick this up if you're a fan of Science Fiction.
January 14, 2013
The Ripple in Space-Time by SF Chapman is set in the future when Earth has managed to colonize space and the human race lives in one of seven fiefdoms either on Earth or in one of the intergalactic colonies. Through a series of news reports mixed in with the narrative we get hints of the past wars that lead to this governmental structure as well as the politics that rule them now. It’s an interesting world with lots of potential for adventure to abound.
The wide range of characters includes an experienced investigator and a directionless college student as his inadvertent partner as they search for the latter's kidnapped mother. She is a renowned scientist desperately trying to prevent her creation from being used by those who have taken her team hostage.
While the characters could be better developed and the narrative greatly expanded with more in-depth scenes it is a fun read.
The wide range of characters includes an experienced investigator and a directionless college student as his inadvertent partner as they search for the latter's kidnapped mother. She is a renowned scientist desperately trying to prevent her creation from being used by those who have taken her team hostage.
While the characters could be better developed and the narrative greatly expanded with more in-depth scenes it is a fun read.
February 6, 2013
I had this book in my grip for a few hours while visiting someone who had a proof copy from the author... couldn't take it with me as it wasn't mine :( Looking forward :) to the official release so that I can find out what happens!!! ...GOT THE BOOK WHEN IT CAME OUT IN FEBRUARY 2013 -- VERY MUCH IN THE TRADITION OF TIMOTHY ZAHN'S STAR WARS -- love the weaving of science and fiction - hope there is a sequel or trilogy planned to expand on the lives of Ryo and Lev and Jana and Keira.
August 6, 2018
Boring
The title of this space opera peaked my interest, but I found it was hard to get into and was only mentioned once. It was boring as most of the characters lacked depth. The concept of DNA weapon as discussed in the plot was unoriginal. Breaking up the universe into feudal segments for a technological era is simply not realistic.
The title of this space opera peaked my interest, but I found it was hard to get into and was only mentioned once. It was boring as most of the characters lacked depth. The concept of DNA weapon as discussed in the plot was unoriginal. Breaking up the universe into feudal segments for a technological era is simply not realistic.
June 30, 2013
I haven't read any science fiction novels that I truly enjoyed lately. I'm happy to say that The Ripple in Space-Time has ended that little streak I had goin' on. The novel was about a scientist who was abducted and a team was assembled to to rescue them. When Tribute Books emailed me about this book, I'm not going to lie, I was excited. I loved how S. F Chapman laid out this book. I don't really know why, but the way the chapters were broken up added a lot to the book. I also thought that the way the book was written added so much to the story which is an obvious kudos to the author, again. In stories like this, you need to be able to picture everything because everything is so different when a story takes place this far into the future. For the most part, I could picture everything that S.F Chapman was describing, and I could visualize where he was trying to take the reader. I really don't know what to say other than I just enjoyed this story. A lot. Don't get me wrong, it was a lot different than the bluster of cute romantic novels I've been reading lately, and let me tell you that it was a breath of fresh air. My only critique of this would be that it starts out great, and it ends great, but the middle could sometimes be a little eh. It was worth it though, and I really enjoyed this read! I feel like this review was all over the place, I've just literally finished it. I definitely recommend any sci-fi lover to pick this book up, it won't disappoint! P.S can I just say that I love when the title suddenly makes all the sense in the world?
Final Thoughts: Good read. Definitely would consider re-reading. Perfect for anyone who loves sci-fi and/ or crime!
Final Thoughts: Good read. Definitely would consider re-reading. Perfect for anyone who loves sci-fi and/ or crime!
December 25, 2012
Arc from NetGalley.
It sounded promising. I love science fiction; to read how the future might be and the technology and everything that science fiction is. Adding some crime into it sounded interesting.
But the writing didn't capture me at all. It was very standard and I found myself drifting away several times with all the info dumps. Naturally one has to explain when the world isn't as ours, but... to much tell and not showing or something.
And as I don't a) have patience and b) don't want to spend time reading something that doesn't grab me I didn't finish to read the book.
Good concept, but not so well executed.
It sounded promising. I love science fiction; to read how the future might be and the technology and everything that science fiction is. Adding some crime into it sounded interesting.
But the writing didn't capture me at all. It was very standard and I found myself drifting away several times with all the info dumps. Naturally one has to explain when the world isn't as ours, but... to much tell and not showing or something.
And as I don't a) have patience and b) don't want to spend time reading something that doesn't grab me I didn't finish to read the book.
Good concept, but not so well executed.
July 18, 2014
The concept of this book was great. I liked Ryo, but he was a little passive at times. I didn't much like the romance between Lev and Keira, mostly because he was too much of a fickle playboy and she was far too serious. The bad guys were one dimensional and dim.
The story overall was intriguing and I'd like to know more about this setting. I liked the news articles before the chapters, and the chapters were short, which lent to the fast pace of the story.
Other than this being geared toward a younger reader with characters being a little too flat, I enjoyed the book. I think it would be a great graphic novel.
The story overall was intriguing and I'd like to know more about this setting. I liked the news articles before the chapters, and the chapters were short, which lent to the fast pace of the story.
Other than this being geared toward a younger reader with characters being a little too flat, I enjoyed the book. I think it would be a great graphic novel.
January 5, 2013
I wrote it, I love it. SF
February 11, 2013
Surface level writing, cliche characters and tons of physics babble. Kind of a hard story to get into and there isn't much to get into anyway.
June 1, 2013
An enjoyable space opera.
started_finish_later
December 3, 2012starts interesting but then stalls in standard sf with average writing
April 3, 2017
There is Potential Here
I commend anyone who makes an honest attempt to write a novel. This has a good storyline, but it lacks character description and development. It's lacking in details that could have been spread around like little bread crumbs to lead us to the revelations.
I commend anyone who makes an honest attempt to write a novel. This has a good storyline, but it lacks character description and development. It's lacking in details that could have been spread around like little bread crumbs to lead us to the revelations.
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