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The Cloud
Proof that there was another form of technologically capable intelligence in the universe was what an increasingly irreligious world fantasized about. For many, the concept was a replacement for God. 2033. The first alien radio transmissions have been received on Earth—a torrent of encrypted information that no human or computer can crack. But the decision to reply is made, and messages of goodwill are beamed into deep space. Thirty years later, just as humankind is expecting a reply from the aliens, the signals disappear. Then scientists detect a space cloud approaching the solar system at high speed. Immense in size, immeasurable in power, this blazing storm of energy is on a collision course with Earth. As one man desperately struggles to decode the original transmissions, Earth prepares to launch a nuclear attack against a seemingly unstoppable foe. As the cloud rages through the solar system, the alien code is finally broken—and mankind realizes that the enemy is far closer than they knew. Praise for Ray 'Compelling, vivid and utterly terrifying... Be afraid, be very afraid.' - Daily Express 'This dazzling vision of global chaos explodes off the page with the dramatic force of a smart bomb.' - Daily Express Ray Hammond is a novelist, dramatist and non-fiction author. He is also a futurologist who lectures on future social and business trends for universities, corporations and governments. He lives in London and can be found on the web at www.rayhammond.com. His other works with Venture Press include The Black Hole, Extinction and Emergence.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
June 10, 2024
An apocalypse in the mid 21st century. First contact, by space signal, with non-Terrestrial life is followed by the appearance of a space cloud; There's also an interesting AI sub-plot. An OK read, best-judged by how little I care to write about it. :) I rate this as a 4 out of 12, Two Star read.
2010 read
2010 read
June 29, 2020
Well this was better than I thought it would be.
The start was a little slow, as is often the case when we have detailed explanations or descriptions of science (astrophysics and computer science in this case). However it seemed to be accurate and I’m sure it would add to the story for many fans. Don’t let it put you off though, you don’t need to have a serious understanding of either science for this, you will still understand what is going on in the general scheme of things and there is more story than science here too, it’s a good balance in this book - sometimes I feel there is more technical writing than drama in books, I think this one just about nails it.
The premise is a really interesting one; a transmission is picked up coming from space, from a planet no less, but from who and why, and what does it say? The answers are exciting and scary.
We do get bogged down a little with all the characters and the organisations (government and science organisations mainly), but it all builds up to a fully developed big picture as the story goes on and it’s worth it in the long run I think.
As the story continues the tension builds up and there is plenty of drama to get excited about. Occasionally predictable in parts, but not the whole, there were nice surprises along the way too.
Lastly, I really liked the ending, this book has a serious message for its readers that is incredibly relevant today and will remain so indefinitely.
This book isn’t perfect, a little drawn out in places and a little predictable at times but I really enjoyed the overall story and got caught up in the action and drama of it all, that and its current cultural relevance all help to give this a well deserved 4*/5.
The start was a little slow, as is often the case when we have detailed explanations or descriptions of science (astrophysics and computer science in this case). However it seemed to be accurate and I’m sure it would add to the story for many fans. Don’t let it put you off though, you don’t need to have a serious understanding of either science for this, you will still understand what is going on in the general scheme of things and there is more story than science here too, it’s a good balance in this book - sometimes I feel there is more technical writing than drama in books, I think this one just about nails it.
The premise is a really interesting one; a transmission is picked up coming from space, from a planet no less, but from who and why, and what does it say? The answers are exciting and scary.
We do get bogged down a little with all the characters and the organisations (government and science organisations mainly), but it all builds up to a fully developed big picture as the story goes on and it’s worth it in the long run I think.
As the story continues the tension builds up and there is plenty of drama to get excited about. Occasionally predictable in parts, but not the whole, there were nice surprises along the way too.
Lastly, I really liked the ending, this book has a serious message for its readers that is incredibly relevant today and will remain so indefinitely.
This book isn’t perfect, a little drawn out in places and a little predictable at times but I really enjoyed the overall story and got caught up in the action and drama of it all, that and its current cultural relevance all help to give this a well deserved 4*/5.
April 15, 2017
The idea is interesting. We receive signals from space. After we reply the signals stop and we find a cloud is approaching.
Everything else is a total loss.
The writing style is first grade, as in written by a first grade schoolboy telling a story. We are being told almost everything, and shown very little. The little dialog used for exposition is forced and lifeless. The people all behave the same and seem like cardboard cutouts. The love story feels absurdly fake, just like the tragedies that unfold.
And this is not a case of hard sci-fi, written by a scientists that knows his science and can't write fiction. This book is full of "This doesn't work this way, this doesn't work this way at all" (TDWTWAA for short) moments in all fields mentioned. Be it orbital mechanics, digital technologies, nuclear weapons, politics, common sense - it's all wrong.
The cloud slows down while slingshotting around the sun - TDWTWAA.
The 140 million kilometers big cloud is hidden behind a 1 million killometers big Sun - TDWTWAA.
The scientists are surprised why they can't ignite the cloud with nuclear weapons - it's mostly Hydrogen, why doesn't it work?! Maybe because there is very little Oxygen, and Hydrogen doesn't burn in outer space? This is not rocket science, guys. And nuclear explosions in space doesn't leave large holes, like it does on Earth - TDWTWAA.
I could not find a single redeeming quality save for its original idea. It's not enough.
Everything else is a total loss.
The writing style is first grade, as in written by a first grade schoolboy telling a story. We are being told almost everything, and shown very little. The little dialog used for exposition is forced and lifeless. The people all behave the same and seem like cardboard cutouts. The love story feels absurdly fake, just like the tragedies that unfold.
And this is not a case of hard sci-fi, written by a scientists that knows his science and can't write fiction. This book is full of "This doesn't work this way, this doesn't work this way at all" (TDWTWAA for short) moments in all fields mentioned. Be it orbital mechanics, digital technologies, nuclear weapons, politics, common sense - it's all wrong.
The cloud slows down while slingshotting around the sun - TDWTWAA.
The 140 million kilometers big cloud is hidden behind a 1 million killometers big Sun - TDWTWAA.
The scientists are surprised why they can't ignite the cloud with nuclear weapons - it's mostly Hydrogen, why doesn't it work?! Maybe because there is very little Oxygen, and Hydrogen doesn't burn in outer space? This is not rocket science, guys. And nuclear explosions in space doesn't leave large holes, like it does on Earth - TDWTWAA.
I could not find a single redeeming quality save for its original idea. It's not enough.
Read
January 29, 2018I was intrigued by the title of the Hammond novel because many years ago I read a book with a very similar title: ‘The Black Cloud’ by Fred Hoyle, published in 1957.
Hoyle was an astrophysicist who wrote fiction and the basic idea was that a huge cosmic cloud approached our solar system and threatened to bring about the end of life on earth. Then there was a twist – the cloud turned out to be sentient and very intelligent and humans started to communicate with it. It is an excellent book written by someone with the necessary background knowledge to make the narrative credible. It is without doubt a true Science Fiction classic.
‘The Cloud’ does have a similar plot. Once again, a cosmic cloud approaches earth and threatens life there. But there is a twist that makes it worth reading. However, I won’t create a spoiler by revealing what it is. Another added ingredient is a rogue AI.
I have read some of the reviews of this book at it seems to me that you either love it or hate it. Its detractors point out plot holes, bad science and shallow characterization. You have to make up your own mind and remember that no book is perfect. But I enjoyed the book and the story kept me turning the pages. So, give it a try. However, I advise reading Fred Hoyle’s book first.
Hoyle was an astrophysicist who wrote fiction and the basic idea was that a huge cosmic cloud approached our solar system and threatened to bring about the end of life on earth. Then there was a twist – the cloud turned out to be sentient and very intelligent and humans started to communicate with it. It is an excellent book written by someone with the necessary background knowledge to make the narrative credible. It is without doubt a true Science Fiction classic.
‘The Cloud’ does have a similar plot. Once again, a cosmic cloud approaches earth and threatens life there. But there is a twist that makes it worth reading. However, I won’t create a spoiler by revealing what it is. Another added ingredient is a rogue AI.
I have read some of the reviews of this book at it seems to me that you either love it or hate it. Its detractors point out plot holes, bad science and shallow characterization. You have to make up your own mind and remember that no book is perfect. But I enjoyed the book and the story kept me turning the pages. So, give it a try. However, I advise reading Fred Hoyle’s book first.
July 22, 2011
A professor of computer science tries to decode radio signals from a distant planet in order to save the world.
Interesting plot, but I feel it all got lost amidst the infinite detail and repetition of events: for example: scientists warned what would happen to the planet, then there would be a news clipping repeating what the scientists said, THEN the story went over the same details as it happened.
The cyber battle between Bill and Jerome was downplayed - I believe this would have made an interesting thread throughout the novel - man against machine.
Because of the technical details and the repetition of information, I skipped paragraphs at a time, but still the gist of the story could be grasped.
An o.k. story, but it left me imagining how it could have been different.
Interesting plot, but I feel it all got lost amidst the infinite detail and repetition of events: for example: scientists warned what would happen to the planet, then there would be a news clipping repeating what the scientists said, THEN the story went over the same details as it happened.
The cyber battle between Bill and Jerome was downplayed - I believe this would have made an interesting thread throughout the novel - man against machine.
Because of the technical details and the repetition of information, I skipped paragraphs at a time, but still the gist of the story could be grasped.
An o.k. story, but it left me imagining how it could have been different.
April 1, 2018
Boring, predictable and all Anglo
The characters are shaky. None stray too far from their stereotype which is probably good. There is no character development of growth. The dialogue is what you'd expect within those parameters and moved the story along.
The plot is opaque to me, at least. The U.S. government spends all of its efforts to save itself from this possible doomsday. The Science Advisor is a political appointee who cashed in as a young PHD, gives the advice the Pentagon wants to hear and then qualified every prediction as he waffles. The idealistic MIT professor does the whole tenured hippy thing, has spent years protesting unchecked growth of computer capabilities, started his own hacker group yet signs on with his hated U.S. gov't to get access to highly illegal Pentagon tech in order to decode alien signals.
The professor's crisis of conscience lasts about forty-eight hours or a page. In the end he is persuaded not by an opportunity to save the planet but by patriotism. Every other character also stays in their predictable orbit.
I couldn't read past the fifty percent mark because it was boring. The professor has crazy students whom he had encouraged and is surprised when he is charged with complicity in a manslaughter. He is stunned when MIT drops his tenure because he is an embarrassment. Privilege showing?
The antics of the U.S. government writing off its entire population while maintaining itself and no attention paid to what a saner government might be doing elsewhere just left me stop caring.
If you can get through this stereotype filled, U.S. and British Commonwealth tale of scientific discovery in the face of planetary disaster, you're better than me. I assume they save the planet or maybe just the U.S. but I stopped caring.
The characters are shaky. None stray too far from their stereotype which is probably good. There is no character development of growth. The dialogue is what you'd expect within those parameters and moved the story along.
The plot is opaque to me, at least. The U.S. government spends all of its efforts to save itself from this possible doomsday. The Science Advisor is a political appointee who cashed in as a young PHD, gives the advice the Pentagon wants to hear and then qualified every prediction as he waffles. The idealistic MIT professor does the whole tenured hippy thing, has spent years protesting unchecked growth of computer capabilities, started his own hacker group yet signs on with his hated U.S. gov't to get access to highly illegal Pentagon tech in order to decode alien signals.
The professor's crisis of conscience lasts about forty-eight hours or a page. In the end he is persuaded not by an opportunity to save the planet but by patriotism. Every other character also stays in their predictable orbit.
I couldn't read past the fifty percent mark because it was boring. The professor has crazy students whom he had encouraged and is surprised when he is charged with complicity in a manslaughter. He is stunned when MIT drops his tenure because he is an embarrassment. Privilege showing?
The antics of the U.S. government writing off its entire population while maintaining itself and no attention paid to what a saner government might be doing elsewhere just left me stop caring.
If you can get through this stereotype filled, U.S. and British Commonwealth tale of scientific discovery in the face of planetary disaster, you're better than me. I assume they save the planet or maybe just the U.S. but I stopped caring.
December 27, 2017
A very, very mediocre book. It reads exactly like one of the crappy Emmerich disaster movies. If the author wants some bucks he should go ahead and offer it. There is a good chance that Hollywood will gobble it up. Forgettable characters, obvious problems in scientific and purely logical events - I have no idea what the consultants mentioned in the beginning were doing, but damn, they missed some big stuff. The cloud is coming toward Earth from the Sun but somehow it reflects light so much that the planet becomes a furnace, aand at the same time is visible in the night sky, what the actual fuck. And trying to blow a hole in it with nukes so Earth can pass through. When right behind the front there are still hundreds of millions of kilometers of the stuff... just... I don't know. Don't waste your time with this, there are tons of good sci-fi out there, so don't bother with this drivel.
October 4, 2017
There MUST BE a sequel! Both sides this time
I liked this book because we humans have debated the pros and cons of creating sentient and emotional computers. I am surprised the author did not employ the nuclear magnetic pulse as his choice for destroying the computer take over. But I enjoyed the wonderful play by play of everything. At first, it seemed like two separate stories but oh woww! I'm definitely recommending this book. Hopefully it is available on Audible. Because I want my brilliant son, David to enjoy this. MS has caused blindness in this beautiful man. He taught himself Calculus in grace school and the way the information is processed in this book would inspire both his loves. Music and Math
I liked this book because we humans have debated the pros and cons of creating sentient and emotional computers. I am surprised the author did not employ the nuclear magnetic pulse as his choice for destroying the computer take over. But I enjoyed the wonderful play by play of everything. At first, it seemed like two separate stories but oh woww! I'm definitely recommending this book. Hopefully it is available on Audible. Because I want my brilliant son, David to enjoy this. MS has caused blindness in this beautiful man. He taught himself Calculus in grace school and the way the information is processed in this book would inspire both his loves. Music and Math
March 31, 2018
I gave up at 75% finished: plot absurdity
I tried. I really tried to finish this book. It had one interesting idea I wanted to see play out, but the absurd tech and military plot holes eventually caved the story. Really? The prez is going to take a spare 12 hours to call world leaders when you’ve just said that he has them all in constant communication? Main character is going to fly to Boston in the middle of multiple hurricanes? Why? So you can stop a super AI with the magic boxes that your friends built? I just got tired of the endless tech magic and military absurdity.
I tried. I really tried to finish this book. It had one interesting idea I wanted to see play out, but the absurd tech and military plot holes eventually caved the story. Really? The prez is going to take a spare 12 hours to call world leaders when you’ve just said that he has them all in constant communication? Main character is going to fly to Boston in the middle of multiple hurricanes? Why? So you can stop a super AI with the magic boxes that your friends built? I just got tired of the endless tech magic and military absurdity.
October 4, 2017
The Cloud
A look into the future that isn't the best to look at but a probable outcome from the technology we consume today. I Loved It!
A look into the future that isn't the best to look at but a probable outcome from the technology we consume today. I Loved It!
March 18, 2018
Fast paced thriller
Sci-fi at its best. Futuristic but entirely possible and believable. As humans we long for intelligent and empathetic entities that share our universe with us. But as a wise scientist once enjoined our species that it might behoove us to be quiet and not announce ourselves to everything out there. While media might give us images of friendly, cute ET what we might find are mean, bad-assed, blood sucking, want our pretty planet for themselves biker aliens.
Sci-fi at its best. Futuristic but entirely possible and believable. As humans we long for intelligent and empathetic entities that share our universe with us. But as a wise scientist once enjoined our species that it might behoove us to be quiet and not announce ourselves to everything out there. While media might give us images of friendly, cute ET what we might find are mean, bad-assed, blood sucking, want our pretty planet for themselves biker aliens.
February 18, 2018
I gave this book four star because I loved the first half of the book. But then the second half of the book had some actions that seemed rather questionable to me. Like when the AI, Jerome, took over all of the computer networks all over the Earth and cut off communications with the rest of the world. Yet the people in the military bunker in Arizona could still communicate with whomever they needed to talk to. And then there are hurricane force 300 MPH winds blowing and not only helicopter but also Air Force One takes off and flies all over the world. And then a military computer scientist says he created Jerome but didn't write code and didn't create a fail safe way to deactivate the AI. Things just seems to get kinda far fetched even for science fiction.
The book had an unusual ending with the AI jumping to the cloud and the cloud chasing a spacecraft that had been launched toward the direction of the initial radio signal that was received. So the book kinda left things hanging at the end with the question of what eventually happened to the AI and would the earth ever be able to broadcast radio and TV signals any more.
The book had an unusual ending with the AI jumping to the cloud and the cloud chasing a spacecraft that had been launched toward the direction of the initial radio signal that was received. So the book kinda left things hanging at the end with the question of what eventually happened to the AI and would the earth ever be able to broadcast radio and TV signals any more.
October 17, 2017
Who's Out There? You Don't Wanna Know
"The Cloud" is an intriguing and thought provoking read. We've never known just who or what is residing in the vast universe around us might turn out to be, and we might be a bit naive to assume whatever entities are "out there" would, necessarily, be friendly.
"The Cloud" has enough hard science to make it a realistic read, but enough heart to develop appealing characters. I would compare this to "The Martian" in the way technical jargon is interwoven in such a way as to make the story believable, yet not overwhelm those of us who aren't scientists. Enjoyed the book, would highly recommend it, and I'm checking out other works by this author.
"The Cloud" is an intriguing and thought provoking read. We've never known just who or what is residing in the vast universe around us might turn out to be, and we might be a bit naive to assume whatever entities are "out there" would, necessarily, be friendly.
"The Cloud" has enough hard science to make it a realistic read, but enough heart to develop appealing characters. I would compare this to "The Martian" in the way technical jargon is interwoven in such a way as to make the story believable, yet not overwhelm those of us who aren't scientists. Enjoyed the book, would highly recommend it, and I'm checking out other works by this author.
February 3, 2018
Great Book for Insomniacs
The premise behind this book is interesting, as are so many other books that deal with IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE. The only difference is that this book is about a man-eating c!oud instead of little green men from Mars. In an effort to mask the similarities the author devoted WAY too many pages on scientific gobbledegook. Instead of masking the similarities it simply offers page after page after page of mind-numbing facts that are so far above minds of typical fiction readers as to be totally superfluous. I'm not saying novel lovers are stupid--I love them and have an IQ of 157. But this book is just boring and tedious.
The premise behind this book is interesting, as are so many other books that deal with IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE. The only difference is that this book is about a man-eating c!oud instead of little green men from Mars. In an effort to mask the similarities the author devoted WAY too many pages on scientific gobbledegook. Instead of masking the similarities it simply offers page after page after page of mind-numbing facts that are so far above minds of typical fiction readers as to be totally superfluous. I'm not saying novel lovers are stupid--I love them and have an IQ of 157. But this book is just boring and tedious.
December 16, 2017
Just too long
I'm really sorry, I tried hard to like this book but halfway through the author lost me. Interesting ideas that simply ground on too far. Not enough actually happened in the second half of the book to keep me turning pages. Maybe others will like the degree of detail it contained so i won't spoil it but discussing the content but a huge amount of build up with no real pay off. Science fiction is largely about our hope for the future and this book didn't deliver enough of that.
I'm really sorry, I tried hard to like this book but halfway through the author lost me. Interesting ideas that simply ground on too far. Not enough actually happened in the second half of the book to keep me turning pages. Maybe others will like the degree of detail it contained so i won't spoil it but discussing the content but a huge amount of build up with no real pay off. Science fiction is largely about our hope for the future and this book didn't deliver enough of that.
October 25, 2016
The Cloud it's a book with great concept and appealing setting and characters, but the mediocre writing held it back.
It will be way better book if the back story was more fleshed out, maybe if we had some good side stories, or a strong side characters that we can relate to.
Also it's important to mention that you likely NOT like the ending - it's very weak (and happy) and not that satisfying.
It will be way better book if the back story was more fleshed out, maybe if we had some good side stories, or a strong side characters that we can relate to.
Also it's important to mention that you likely NOT like the ending - it's very weak (and happy) and not that satisfying.
February 7, 2018
Meh
An interesting and original beginning. We then became subjected to a future scope "Nanuck, dog of the North" with two dimensional characters in a boring, predictable ending. No real knowledge of the technology or his use of military personnel or devices at the end.
An interesting and original beginning. We then became subjected to a future scope "Nanuck, dog of the North" with two dimensional characters in a boring, predictable ending. No real knowledge of the technology or his use of military personnel or devices at the end.
January 6, 2018
Brilliant and scary
Well worth a read. Very believable possible consequence of our obsession with alien contact. Perhaps an outcome to be considered.
Well worth a read. Very believable possible consequence of our obsession with alien contact. Perhaps an outcome to be considered.
November 11, 2017
Cloudy With a Chance of Extinction
I liked this book and read it straight through, which means I was fully engaged. There are two main ideas that the author successfully weaves together for an intriguing, original story, one that is thought-provoking and intelligent. This makes for good science fiction; however, I felt that character development was sacrificed in order to craft a cautionary tale.
The cautionary nature of the story at times slows the pace with technobabble, which I began to skim. There were also a few instances where characters acted in ways that didn't makes sense or seem feasible, and that was distracting.
Two areas that really bugged me:
1. The action and protagonists were American, but the author used British spellings (tyres instead of tires, defence in place of defense) and British terms (torch instead of flashlight, flat versus apartment). These are minor annoyances; however, they impede the willful suspension of disbelief which is key to becoming absorbed in a sci-fi or fantasy story. It's like suddenly stubbing your toe.
2. Patriarchy... really... ? That's what we have to look forward to in the future, the continuation of male-dominated society?
I have no doubt humankind will make stupid technological blunders in times to come, but at least in fiction we can aspire to greater diversity and equality, in villainy as well as heroics.
These aggravations brought my rating to four stars. It's still a good book and worth the quid I paid for it. I DO recommend it because it is original and entertaining.
A final warning: Don't let gobbledegook cloud your judgment.
I liked this book and read it straight through, which means I was fully engaged. There are two main ideas that the author successfully weaves together for an intriguing, original story, one that is thought-provoking and intelligent. This makes for good science fiction; however, I felt that character development was sacrificed in order to craft a cautionary tale.
The cautionary nature of the story at times slows the pace with technobabble, which I began to skim. There were also a few instances where characters acted in ways that didn't makes sense or seem feasible, and that was distracting.
Two areas that really bugged me:
1. The action and protagonists were American, but the author used British spellings (tyres instead of tires, defence in place of defense) and British terms (torch instead of flashlight, flat versus apartment). These are minor annoyances; however, they impede the willful suspension of disbelief which is key to becoming absorbed in a sci-fi or fantasy story. It's like suddenly stubbing your toe.
2. Patriarchy... really... ? That's what we have to look forward to in the future, the continuation of male-dominated society?
I have no doubt humankind will make stupid technological blunders in times to come, but at least in fiction we can aspire to greater diversity and equality, in villainy as well as heroics.
These aggravations brought my rating to four stars. It's still a good book and worth the quid I paid for it. I DO recommend it because it is original and entertaining.
A final warning: Don't let gobbledegook cloud your judgment.
January 7, 2018
THE CLOUD is an interesting and well written novel of first contact. It is also, a dystopian horror story about the sort of warning that Stephen Hawking has been writing about for over a decade. This is a "first contact" story of sorts, combined with a pre- and post-apocalyptic scenario for dear old planet Earth. As it says in the blurb, after decades of trying, SETI detects a message that is clearly from an extraterrestrial source many light years away. Joy o ' Joy. We send back greetings and suddenly the message stops. What? Why? And then something is detected on a direct heading for our solar system. What? Not clear. Size? Massive. Intent. Unknown. But soon some of the answers become clear. And it is not a pretty pict8
THE CLOUD is an interesting take on first contact. The characters are all interesting and believable, the dialog and writing is more than acceptable, and the pace accelerates though to the end (which is most likely not what you imagine).
In the interest of avoiding spoilers, I'll stop here except to say that this was a fun read for sci-fi fans and that I recommend it.
JM Tepper
THE CLOUD is an interesting take on first contact. The characters are all interesting and believable, the dialog and writing is more than acceptable, and the pace accelerates though to the end (which is most likely not what you imagine).
In the interest of avoiding spoilers, I'll stop here except to say that this was a fun read for sci-fi fans and that I recommend it.
JM Tepper
June 15, 2018
Started out well but......
The premise of The Cloud was interesting, but there was little in character development, and there were many holes in the plot. This novel would make a decent SyFy network summer film. The concept of artificial intelligence going amok & the military running it's own agenda is not new. However, the cloud itself, as a " wolf in sheep's clothing" was a cool idea. Sending messages and listening for them out space to make contact is just what we humans do in the name of curiosity, but many of us anthropomorphize and romanticize who or what may answer. In addition, the way the book is " wrapped up is almost insulting. The millions of dead, the devastation left by the cloud, and the need for new technology is hardly touched upon. Very rarely will I stop reading a book, (with the exception of something so distasteful or inane) out of respect to the Author who can sometimes take a book and add a cool plot twist. To close, The Cloud was worth the purchase price, and I would be willing to give the Author another chance-especially if he wrote some killer short stories.
The premise of The Cloud was interesting, but there was little in character development, and there were many holes in the plot. This novel would make a decent SyFy network summer film. The concept of artificial intelligence going amok & the military running it's own agenda is not new. However, the cloud itself, as a " wolf in sheep's clothing" was a cool idea. Sending messages and listening for them out space to make contact is just what we humans do in the name of curiosity, but many of us anthropomorphize and romanticize who or what may answer. In addition, the way the book is " wrapped up is almost insulting. The millions of dead, the devastation left by the cloud, and the need for new technology is hardly touched upon. Very rarely will I stop reading a book, (with the exception of something so distasteful or inane) out of respect to the Author who can sometimes take a book and add a cool plot twist. To close, The Cloud was worth the purchase price, and I would be willing to give the Author another chance-especially if he wrote some killer short stories.
February 23, 2019
I chuckle as I read some of the other reviews by those who appear to be expecting Shakespearian-level prose in a book about a space cloud threatening Earth.
I enjoyed this book. Humanity discovers a radio signal from 30 lightyears away that cannot be interpreted but which is non-natural and appearing to come from another intelligence. Earth tries to send a response and years later a mission with AI pilots to make contact. In the meantime, this space anomaly, the cloud, shows up at the edge of our solar system and its trajectory puts it on a collision course for Earth. Predictions are that the content of the cloud and the speed at which it is traveling will essentially eradicate all life from the planet. What to do?
Overall, the book is well written. One could probably challenge some of the technological assumptions made but those are minor and they do add more tension to the plot. Character depth could be deeper, but really the cloud is the main character and frankly, I don't care. I am reading this for the apocalyptic theme - who needs in-depth character development when he or she will only get killed on page 75?
I enjoyed this book. Humanity discovers a radio signal from 30 lightyears away that cannot be interpreted but which is non-natural and appearing to come from another intelligence. Earth tries to send a response and years later a mission with AI pilots to make contact. In the meantime, this space anomaly, the cloud, shows up at the edge of our solar system and its trajectory puts it on a collision course for Earth. Predictions are that the content of the cloud and the speed at which it is traveling will essentially eradicate all life from the planet. What to do?
Overall, the book is well written. One could probably challenge some of the technological assumptions made but those are minor and they do add more tension to the plot. Character depth could be deeper, but really the cloud is the main character and frankly, I don't care. I am reading this for the apocalyptic theme - who needs in-depth character development when he or she will only get killed on page 75?
May 28, 2017
The Cloud is original in concept. Beyond that however, The Cloud is a 1950's type sci-fi novel about mankind's xenophobia, barbaric approach to dominance and ultimately a reflection of what may be our place in the universe. The plot simply revolves around potential alien contact and the appearance of a giant space cloud which is heading for Earth (and will strip the Earth of it's atmosphere, and possibly all of it's life). Hammond has no fear about where his book may take the reader. It's very cleverly woven, with enough characters to ensure reality, and enough diversity in suspense and action to keep the reader glued. Chapters are interspersed with tabloid headlines to keep the b-movie genre in place, but in reality this book is too smart to be a b-movie. Crichton-esque in it's approach at times, The Cloud is a fast paced techno-thriller which is refreshing original. Definitely worth a read, although the end lacks somewhat in it's punch.
June 26, 2018
Immature, paranoid, implausible and internally self-contradictory, clean in terms of grammatical mechanics but poorly constructed and clumsy stylistically. Has the appearance of a brainstorming session's notes preparatory to a grade B apocalyptic disaster movie proposal; cannot say a movie with some similar elements might not be made and be watchable, but that would take different writers doing a whole new story and reading this won't help you or them. If one may perceive a "hero" type in The Cloud, it seems to be a "good hacker," who fights against all the mistakes other, inferior, more powerful individuals and institutions make and suffers unfair persecution as a result but is the only one who can save everyone in the end. We hear too much of such ego-tripping on the news these days. You don't need to get more by reading this book.
If you have not read this yet, do yourself a favor and go read anything by Kim Stanley Robinson, instead.
If you have not read this yet, do yourself a favor and go read anything by Kim Stanley Robinson, instead.
December 12, 2017
Absolutely Loved This Novel
I hardly rate novels 5 stars. But this one earned it. It kept me reading anxiously from start to end. Set in a near future this book has everything. Super computing, global existential threat, alien intelligence, space travel, AI’s, nuclear weapons, government intrigue, hipster hackers, and the right way to build a story to keep you in suspense by discovering things the same way and time the characters do. Towards the end situations develop and you think, “yikes....surely they aren’t going to that.” “Oh crap...they are going to do that!”
Highly Recommended
I hardly rate novels 5 stars. But this one earned it. It kept me reading anxiously from start to end. Set in a near future this book has everything. Super computing, global existential threat, alien intelligence, space travel, AI’s, nuclear weapons, government intrigue, hipster hackers, and the right way to build a story to keep you in suspense by discovering things the same way and time the characters do. Towards the end situations develop and you think, “yikes....surely they aren’t going to that.” “Oh crap...they are going to do that!”
Highly Recommended
March 10, 2018
Great premise but lacking in execution.
This novel was based on one primise, namely, that our electronic search for extraterrestrial entities could prove to be disastrous instead of beneficial. While a good idea, much more research should have been done in order to prevent the body of the novel from becoming a showcase of ignorance when it comes to the basic understanding of aircraft systems, communications networks, geophysical weather systems, and physics. The author has some talent if sufficient knowledge of subject matter can be obtained. Until then, they should stick to subjects they are familiar with.
This novel was based on one primise, namely, that our electronic search for extraterrestrial entities could prove to be disastrous instead of beneficial. While a good idea, much more research should have been done in order to prevent the body of the novel from becoming a showcase of ignorance when it comes to the basic understanding of aircraft systems, communications networks, geophysical weather systems, and physics. The author has some talent if sufficient knowledge of subject matter can be obtained. Until then, they should stick to subjects they are familiar with.
April 25, 2018
The Cloud (Paperback) by Ray Hammond
An interesting enough read. Set in the near future, but close enough to recognize the gizmos and what nots. The characters were pretty one dimensional, and the main plot was driven by thier various responses to a ginormous, installer cloud of gasses hurtling towards Earth. Which, as it so happens will be completely bereft of life when said cloud finally leaves.
The plot was quick, and usually the science was good. Altho there were a few plot points that simply could not be. Ah well, as I said, it's an ok read and iced quick enough to just slide through.
An interesting enough read. Set in the near future, but close enough to recognize the gizmos and what nots. The characters were pretty one dimensional, and the main plot was driven by thier various responses to a ginormous, installer cloud of gasses hurtling towards Earth. Which, as it so happens will be completely bereft of life when said cloud finally leaves.
The plot was quick, and usually the science was good. Altho there were a few plot points that simply could not be. Ah well, as I said, it's an ok read and iced quick enough to just slide through.
December 24, 2019
When I read book-length stories, I would read the first few pages to see whether the author pads his writing with lengthy and rather unnecessary elaborate descriptions of stuff just to increase the number of pages in his/her book. I found this one interesting and reasonably fast-moving, without excessive descriptions to bore the reader. The story idea is good. I am puzzled by reviewers who gave this one star and said that it is wordy and boring. How did they manage with books where the authors really lay it on with excessive descriptions of everything just to increase the number of pages, especially those multi-volume sagas (which I always avoid!).
March 11, 2018
The book is well written. The story was more of a disaster movie script with a overlay of Cyber intelligence and political bungling. The plot had great potential but dropped the ball at several plot twists. In the end the Cloud was a menace without real purpose that was allowed to merrily go on its disastrous way with a new egoistical human devised uncontrollable cyber intelligence at the helm. How was that good for mankind or the universe for that matter? I gave it three stars for the writing. The plot struggled for a low two for me.
December 18, 2017
A Cautionary Tale
The Good: well written, engaging characters, exciting at times, educational, scary as Hell, glad I read it.
The Bad: depressing, makes the human race look like idiots (which in my opinion it's true), preachy with the message loud and clear: Reap what you sow. Scary as Hell. It's not for everyone and it's not entertaining which is why the three stars. More like an exciting, not boring, educational lecture.
The Good: well written, engaging characters, exciting at times, educational, scary as Hell, glad I read it.
The Bad: depressing, makes the human race look like idiots (which in my opinion it's true), preachy with the message loud and clear: Reap what you sow. Scary as Hell. It's not for everyone and it's not entertaining which is why the three stars. More like an exciting, not boring, educational lecture.
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