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Space Precinct 2040 #3
Alien Island
Assigned a temporary partner in a curvaceous lady cop from Earth, Brogan quickly finds his job and marriage compromised before he is called upon to save Demeter City from a life-sucking energy being. Original. TV tie-in.
- GenresScience Fiction
257 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1996
18 people want to read
About the author
David Bischoff
164 books103 followersaka Mark Grant (with Bruce King), Brad Quentin (with Terry Bisson)
Born in Washington D.C. and now living in Eugene, Oregon, David Bischoff writes science fiction books, short stories, and scripts for television. Though he has been writing since the early 1970s, and has had over 80 books published, David is best known for novelizations of popular movies and TV series including the Aliens, Gremlins, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and WarGames.
Born in Washington D.C. and now living in Eugene, Oregon, David Bischoff writes science fiction books, short stories, and scripts for television. Though he has been writing since the early 1970s, and has had over 80 books published, David is best known for novelizations of popular movies and TV series including the Aliens, Gremlins, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and WarGames.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 10, 2018
This isn't the kind of book that I usually read. However, my friend and I like to send each other weird things, and this cover definitely qualified! So I read it.
It was surprisingly ok. I liked the world of Demeter City, and I found the idea of a universe where people travel to other planets interesting. There was a general sense of suspense and mystery concerning the main conflict: murder!
However I wasn't a huge fan of the dialogue. Often it felt very forced and made me cringe a bit. The characters were either alright, or seemed to embody stereotypes (i.e Jane the angry feminist, Podly and the other men as very "hurr durr manly" types).
I was glad to try out a book outside of my usual reading tastes. This one neither amazed, nor bored me.
It was surprisingly ok. I liked the world of Demeter City, and I found the idea of a universe where people travel to other planets interesting. There was a general sense of suspense and mystery concerning the main conflict: murder!
However I wasn't a huge fan of the dialogue. Often it felt very forced and made me cringe a bit. The characters were either alright, or seemed to embody stereotypes (i.e Jane the angry feminist, Podly and the other men as very "hurr durr manly" types).
I was glad to try out a book outside of my usual reading tastes. This one neither amazed, nor bored me.
August 9, 2015
The first thing to say about this third and final novel in Gerry Anderson's space precinct series is that it is by far the best edited of the series. I didn't spot a single spelling or grammar mistake, and the other two are littered with them, so a huge thumbs up there.
Sadly what it gains in editing it loses in story and character. The plot revolves around Podly inviting Brogan and Haldane to an exclusive men's club on the titular "Alien island' Jane gets her knickers in a twist and decides to spy on them and unmask the sexist conspiracy. Meanwhile there's a somewhat confused plot to assassinate Podly and Jane's boyfriend Ted looks like he's the assassin.
The story itself is ok, but taking the action away from Demeter City or the precinct is a mistake. I want exciting high speed cruiser chases, murderers and alien drug dealers not Creon ritual and a game of alien golf.
The cast are also out of character which is odd considering the same author got them so spot on in the previous two books. Podly lets down his hair and we see a completely different side of him - that's just about acceptable.
Jane's feminism is very wearing and not in character, gone is any connection to Haldane and the fact that she takes back and supports her ex Ted after he hasn't spoken to her for two years contradicts the feminism she's spouting.
Jack too is out of character - he stands up against hunting which is something Brogan is more likely to do. Took is long suffering and underwritten and I also found I had to suspend my disbelief on how Matt and Liz managed to follow the trail of the soul jewel so easily.
This is the worst of the space precinct novels in terms of character and story, but bizarrely the best written. Its not without charm and we do get to see Brogan and Haldane in dresses in a bizarre hazing ritual. Still, over all its a bit of a disappointment.
Sadly what it gains in editing it loses in story and character. The plot revolves around Podly inviting Brogan and Haldane to an exclusive men's club on the titular "Alien island' Jane gets her knickers in a twist and decides to spy on them and unmask the sexist conspiracy. Meanwhile there's a somewhat confused plot to assassinate Podly and Jane's boyfriend Ted looks like he's the assassin.
The story itself is ok, but taking the action away from Demeter City or the precinct is a mistake. I want exciting high speed cruiser chases, murderers and alien drug dealers not Creon ritual and a game of alien golf.
The cast are also out of character which is odd considering the same author got them so spot on in the previous two books. Podly lets down his hair and we see a completely different side of him - that's just about acceptable.
Jane's feminism is very wearing and not in character, gone is any connection to Haldane and the fact that she takes back and supports her ex Ted after he hasn't spoken to her for two years contradicts the feminism she's spouting.
Jack too is out of character - he stands up against hunting which is something Brogan is more likely to do. Took is long suffering and underwritten and I also found I had to suspend my disbelief on how Matt and Liz managed to follow the trail of the soul jewel so easily.
This is the worst of the space precinct novels in terms of character and story, but bizarrely the best written. Its not without charm and we do get to see Brogan and Haldane in dresses in a bizarre hazing ritual. Still, over all its a bit of a disappointment.
August 10, 2013
This was the best edited of all the Space Precinct novels, but sadly that could not save this book. The feminism of one of the characters, which seemed very out of place for how she behaved in the show, made the book nearly impossible to read, and that's coming from a woman. The feminism is so overblown and over the top it didn't even seem the least bit real. The fact that the feminist character goes GaGa over a guy who has ignored her for over two years just make her completely and totally unbelievable. I felt like I was forcing myself to get to the end of the book, and this feeling started around page 40 of a 257 page novel.
January 27, 2013
I am very disappointed. The other two Space Precinct books are very good and entertaining plus for the most part Bischoff seemed to get the characters. Alien Island is terrible, no-one acts like would, especially Castle. Boring and badly written, it lacks the humour of the other books and the TV series.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews