The BBC Radio dramatization of the story about the crew of a starship who were born in space, but whose spiritual home is Earth - which has somehow vanished from the solar system. They have studied holograms and videos of Earth and long to find it and return there - after half a million years.
James Follett (not "Follet") was an author and screenwriter, born in 1939 in Tolworth, England.
Follett became a full-time fiction writer in 1976, after resigning from contract work as a technical writer for the British Ministry of Defence. He has wrote over 20 novels, several television scripts (including episodes of the BBC's Blake's 7), and many radio dramas. Follett was one of the 400 most popular British authors, measured by the numbers of books borrowed from public libraries in the UK, having spent 11 years in the public lending right's top two bands of authors.
While the details are all quite different, this is really just a remake of Logan's Run. So I was more than a little disappointed to find that so much of the premise was cobbled, and watered down, from another narrative.
This is a prelude to the Earthsearch series (2 other books) which I would definitely recommend reading before reading the other two books. It gives you a grounding in some of the ideas of the people of the planet at this time and leads to a better understanding of what is happening in the other books. It turns conventional thinking on its head as normal life is conducted underground and "The Outdoors" which is where you are sent if you are bad is above ground. You follow Jenine and Ewen on a journey of discovery of what is happening on their world and how they learn about the world around them. As a reader, it leads you to question whether you would think the same as them when presented with things that we take for granted. It isn't even clear where they are until you get quite a way into the book.
I found this book an engrossing read that made me want to read more of the adventures and discoveries.
An absolutely outstanding read that I thoroughly enjoyed and found utterly unputdownable. This book delivers on every front, brimming with suspense, action, and thrilling twists that keep you on the edge of your seat. Interestingly, it brought to mind some thematic parallels with the Silo series, feeling like a significant precursor in its bold conceptualization.
The premise is nothing short of brilliant, executed with superb writing that brings both the narrative and its well-crafted characters to life. The pace is simply phenomenal, flowing like mercury and ensuring a truly immersive experience. If you're looking for a book that has it all, look no further.
It was pleasant that this read well as a standalone novel though part of a series. I thought some of the personalities weren't fully convincing, and I never really gelt 'there' so the descriptions were perhaps lacking, which is a bit of an issue when world building. But it was fun and I read it all the way.
Not to be confused with the Doctor Who story Mindwarp. Apparently this is a prelude to a couple other Earthsearch stories. Not quite sure if I’ll check them out.
A fantastic science fiction story but the wooden performance of Leon Parris kept throwing me off. He did make an amazing soundtrack for this story though
This was my intro to the series. I put it into the usual run of books like the island until towards the end when the expected plot was ditched for a much more interesting and wider range of options. The quest is now on to get the rest of the series.
Fillet is a gifted writer of fiction. As with such, he channels the truth about the human condition. Love sinking into a cozy chair and traveling with him to created planets. A great read even if you don't like science fiction.
Do you know, I started reading James Follett prior to discovering Ken Follet. I then read every book the latter wrote, but now I have read Mindwarp (OK Title aint to prepossessing) I have rediscovered him all over again. The length and breadth of this epic story makes it one of my top ten best books, and pretty high up there too! Magnificent.