What do you think?
Rate this book
Heaven's Shadow #1
Heaven's Shadow
The science fiction epic of our time has arrived.
Three years ago, an object one hundred miles across was spotted on a trajectory for Earth's sun. Now, its journey is almost over. As it approaches, two competing manned vehicles race through almost half a million kilometers of space to reach it first. But when they both arrive on the entity, they learn that it has been sent toward Earth for a reason. An intelligent race is desperately attempting to communicate with our primitive species. And the message is: Help us.
Three years ago, an object one hundred miles across was spotted on a trajectory for Earth's sun. Now, its journey is almost over. As it approaches, two competing manned vehicles race through almost half a million kilometers of space to reach it first. But when they both arrive on the entity, they learn that it has been sent toward Earth for a reason. An intelligent race is desperately attempting to communicate with our primitive species. And the message is: Help us.
398 pages, Hardcover
First published July 15, 2011
60 people are currently reading
1475 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 212 reviews
March 9, 2012
After the first few pages and reading things like "trajectory, plasma curtain, cylindrical, and neo (near-earth-object)" I thought maybe this book was going to be a little too..... nerdy for me to get into haha. After the second chapter I crossed a line into a whole new level of nerdiness and LOVED it! This book was so cool, it has edge on your seat suspense. The characters were easy to develop feelings for. This book made me anxious, had me in tears and had me so mad I wanted to tear it into tiny little pieces! LOL I really enjoyed it. The story is written in a way that makes it believable, but at the same time being "blow your mind" trippy. I can't wait for the second book to come out! This is a must read for science-fiction lovers for sure. The only thing that would have made this story better for me is if the love triangle.. or what could have been a juicy love triangle was brought up more and made apart of the plot in a more focused way.
February 14, 2012
A little over a year ago I read and reviewed the classic science fiction novel Rendezvous with Rama. David S. Goyer and Michael Cassutt’s Heaven’s Shadow is in many ways a modern update to that story and tries to blaze a new path employing tropes and scientific concepts that weren’t as familiar or at all extent during Arthur C. Clarke’s time. Heaven’s Shadow opens as two competing spacecrafts, one from America and one an alliance of Europe/India/Russia, race to intercept a Near Earth Object (NEO) amusingly dubbed Keanu. It of course becomes obvious that Keanu isn’t quite what it appears to be; it is not a simple asteroid but rather a ship sent by mysterious alien entities. Heaven’s Shadow owes a lot to Clarke’s Rendezvous with Rama. How much? Keanu, the NEO detected in the novel, would have been found by the Spaceguard program. The Spaceguard program, founded in 1992, is inspired by the organization of the same name in Clarke’s novel. Rama, I should add, was also mistaken for a NEO.
My main issue with Heaven’s Shadow is that it gets bogged down in details of operations. As I’ve said countless times I really do love a good science fiction story that focuses on the discovery and exploration of an alien spaceship. The problem with Heaven’s Shadow is that a lot of the exploration just never happens. The story spends a lot of time focusing on NASA Command seeing how they manage to revelations regarding alien life. That reaction is very much endemic to modern cynicism in how big government operates. Honest in some ways but lacking the optimism of classic science fiction. Indeed that response, and the similar tension regarding the potential threat of the non-American crew of the Brahma spacecraft, reveal an atmosphere more in line with the old Cold War era space race than today’s more egalitarian level of cooperation.
I didn’t really connect with any of the character aboard Keanu. For some reason none of the characters, particularly the Destiny mission commander Zack, really seemed to come together in a meaningful way. Despite being the novel’s protagonist Zack remained a difficult character to understand. While he seems adept at making decisions over the course of the novel his willingness to abandon important personal relationships, particularly with his girlfriend and daughter, seemed a bit strange. In fact many of the secondary characters had more interesting relationships. I rather liked the blustery and rough-around-the-edges Harley Drake whose no-nonsense attitude and straight-shooting personality felt more real to me than dispassionate feeling Zack.
That same habbit of showing rather than telling later extends to the aliens who sent Keanu. Any information we glean about them is through dialogue and hazy at best. There is a clumsiness to the scenes where Zack question’s the alien’s mouthpiece and while some of what we learn is interesting there is a certain letdown to the casual, almost flippant, air in which that information is conveyed. On the other hand Goyer and Cassutt manage to convey some awe inspiring and truly wonderful scenery both with the views from space and of the bizarre interior of Keanu. The moments when Keanu are at its strangest, when the writers move away from staid character interaction to fantastic description, are when Heaven’s Shadow shines the brightest.
The pacing of Heaven’s Shadow is never perfect and this is unfortunately more true the further into the novel one progresses. The final third seems to drag as very little forward progress is made and almost no answers to questions posed early in the novel are forthcoming. The ending of the novel is disappointing answering almost nothing and raising a lot more questions in the process. Thankfully there is another book in the works: Heaven’s War.
I listened to the audio version of Heaven’s Shadow produced by the folks at Random House Audio. Narrator Joe J. Thomas does a good job offering accents for some characters (his Harley Drake is probably part of the reason I felt drawn to the character) and manage to employ slight variations in tone and pitch to create distinct voices for everyone (important to note, since the audiobook I’m currently listening too is entirely less successful at doing this). Some of the novels pacing issues, parts that might be easily glossed while reading text, are a bit of a trial in the audio format but by and large I found the added character provided by a talented narrator made the book a bit more palatable to my tastes.
In the end Heaven’s Shadow is both a promising and disappointing read. Despite the question’s raised at its conclusion, or maybe because of them, I am curious to see where things will go in Heaven’s War. Characterization remains an issue throughout the novel but the sense of wonder and the fantastical nature of Keanu’s interior make up for those issues. Furthermore, though I can’t quite corroborate this, the operational aspects of the novel ring true (at least to someone unfamiliar with NASA operations). Heaven’s Shadow has been optioned by Warner Brothers and I definitely think, especially given my experience with Joe Thomas, that the right characters could at the very least gloss over the deficiencies in characterization. Disappointment aside I look forward to seeing where this series goes in both print and film.
My main issue with Heaven’s Shadow is that it gets bogged down in details of operations. As I’ve said countless times I really do love a good science fiction story that focuses on the discovery and exploration of an alien spaceship. The problem with Heaven’s Shadow is that a lot of the exploration just never happens. The story spends a lot of time focusing on NASA Command seeing how they manage to revelations regarding alien life. That reaction is very much endemic to modern cynicism in how big government operates. Honest in some ways but lacking the optimism of classic science fiction. Indeed that response, and the similar tension regarding the potential threat of the non-American crew of the Brahma spacecraft, reveal an atmosphere more in line with the old Cold War era space race than today’s more egalitarian level of cooperation.
I didn’t really connect with any of the character aboard Keanu. For some reason none of the characters, particularly the Destiny mission commander Zack, really seemed to come together in a meaningful way. Despite being the novel’s protagonist Zack remained a difficult character to understand. While he seems adept at making decisions over the course of the novel his willingness to abandon important personal relationships, particularly with his girlfriend and daughter, seemed a bit strange. In fact many of the secondary characters had more interesting relationships. I rather liked the blustery and rough-around-the-edges Harley Drake whose no-nonsense attitude and straight-shooting personality felt more real to me than dispassionate feeling Zack.
That same habbit of showing rather than telling later extends to the aliens who sent Keanu. Any information we glean about them is through dialogue and hazy at best. There is a clumsiness to the scenes where Zack question’s the alien’s mouthpiece and while some of what we learn is interesting there is a certain letdown to the casual, almost flippant, air in which that information is conveyed. On the other hand Goyer and Cassutt manage to convey some awe inspiring and truly wonderful scenery both with the views from space and of the bizarre interior of Keanu. The moments when Keanu are at its strangest, when the writers move away from staid character interaction to fantastic description, are when Heaven’s Shadow shines the brightest.
The pacing of Heaven’s Shadow is never perfect and this is unfortunately more true the further into the novel one progresses. The final third seems to drag as very little forward progress is made and almost no answers to questions posed early in the novel are forthcoming. The ending of the novel is disappointing answering almost nothing and raising a lot more questions in the process. Thankfully there is another book in the works: Heaven’s War.
I listened to the audio version of Heaven’s Shadow produced by the folks at Random House Audio. Narrator Joe J. Thomas does a good job offering accents for some characters (his Harley Drake is probably part of the reason I felt drawn to the character) and manage to employ slight variations in tone and pitch to create distinct voices for everyone (important to note, since the audiobook I’m currently listening too is entirely less successful at doing this). Some of the novels pacing issues, parts that might be easily glossed while reading text, are a bit of a trial in the audio format but by and large I found the added character provided by a talented narrator made the book a bit more palatable to my tastes.
In the end Heaven’s Shadow is both a promising and disappointing read. Despite the question’s raised at its conclusion, or maybe because of them, I am curious to see where things will go in Heaven’s War. Characterization remains an issue throughout the novel but the sense of wonder and the fantastical nature of Keanu’s interior make up for those issues. Furthermore, though I can’t quite corroborate this, the operational aspects of the novel ring true (at least to someone unfamiliar with NASA operations). Heaven’s Shadow has been optioned by Warner Brothers and I definitely think, especially given my experience with Joe Thomas, that the right characters could at the very least gloss over the deficiencies in characterization. Disappointment aside I look forward to seeing where this series goes in both print and film.
January 30, 2015
Heaven's Shadow was an interesting read, and I have mixed feelings about it. To keep it short, it was a throwback to those BDO books that, for me anyway, are the cornerstone of sci fi.
I couldn't decide on whether or not to give this book 3 stars or 4. I'm still not sure, I may feel differently a few weeks from now, but as of this writing I decided it gets 3, mostly because while I liked it, I'm not sure it impacted me emotionally the way I'd hoped it would.
I probably judge these type stories more harshly than others, this is where that sense of wonder, that awe at the universe, comes into play. Perhaps because I have read so many books like this that I'm trying to think of what it adds to all the others that are in the Rendezvous with Rama vein of sci fi stories. I can't really think of what that is.
A near future mission to a NEO by competing agencies, NASA and the Russian/Brazilian/Indian alliance means that two groups of astronauts arrive to explore within a day of one another. Mistrust with one another and the discovery that the asteroid is really an Alien starship means that both crews are forced to work together if either of them hopes to survive.
For me, these type tales are like Star Trek episodes, even if I feel like the same story is getting told over and over, I will read them as long as they keep getting published. I miss these type of novels, and hope that with the release of Leviathan Wakes earlier this year, as well as this one, that we are going to be seeing a resurgence of this type of story in the near future.
And I can't say for sure what it is that kept me from liking it more. It could have been written in the 60's or 70's, and it has that nostalgic feel for the future that I increasingly doubt we'll ever have where humans go out to explore the solar system. It also feels authentic, from the way that NASA handles adversity on a mission to the way the bureaucracy within the organization works. I like so much of this, it just missed the mark. Just barely, it could have been a classic, instead it was only a fun read.
It does give me high hopes for the next book in this trilogy, and I'm thinking the events that unfolded in this novel have lain the groundwork for some mind-bending sci fi awesomness in the next one.
I couldn't decide on whether or not to give this book 3 stars or 4. I'm still not sure, I may feel differently a few weeks from now, but as of this writing I decided it gets 3, mostly because while I liked it, I'm not sure it impacted me emotionally the way I'd hoped it would.
I probably judge these type stories more harshly than others, this is where that sense of wonder, that awe at the universe, comes into play. Perhaps because I have read so many books like this that I'm trying to think of what it adds to all the others that are in the Rendezvous with Rama vein of sci fi stories. I can't really think of what that is.
A near future mission to a NEO by competing agencies, NASA and the Russian/Brazilian/Indian alliance means that two groups of astronauts arrive to explore within a day of one another. Mistrust with one another and the discovery that the asteroid is really an Alien starship means that both crews are forced to work together if either of them hopes to survive.
For me, these type tales are like Star Trek episodes, even if I feel like the same story is getting told over and over, I will read them as long as they keep getting published. I miss these type of novels, and hope that with the release of Leviathan Wakes earlier this year, as well as this one, that we are going to be seeing a resurgence of this type of story in the near future.
And I can't say for sure what it is that kept me from liking it more. It could have been written in the 60's or 70's, and it has that nostalgic feel for the future that I increasingly doubt we'll ever have where humans go out to explore the solar system. It also feels authentic, from the way that NASA handles adversity on a mission to the way the bureaucracy within the organization works. I like so much of this, it just missed the mark. Just barely, it could have been a classic, instead it was only a fun read.
It does give me high hopes for the next book in this trilogy, and I'm thinking the events that unfolded in this novel have lain the groundwork for some mind-bending sci fi awesomness in the next one.
November 11, 2011
Heaven's Shadow has a lot going for it: an interesting lead character, a couple of ongoing mysteries, a representation of the near future which feels real, cool spaceflight and technology, an international rivalry, tense action sequences, aliens, a nifty cover, and a cute central pun (the Near Earth Object, or NEO, gets nicknamed Keanu.) What it doesn't have: other fleshed-out characters, explanations, or satisfing resolutions. There were parts of this book where I couldn't put it down, and others where I wasn't sure I wanted to pick it back up. It doesn't add up. I wonder if there's uneven writing between the team of former screenwriters and I was picking up on that.
At the end, it's clear that this book was the set up for a series. While I'm all for leaving loose ends to tie in a sequel, the ends here were either too loose or somewhat uninteresting. I'll wait until the second one comes out to decide if I'll read it.
As an aside- every time the authors used an exclamation point in description paragraphs, it made them look like amateurs and took me right out of the book. One of the simplest things from How To Write 101: don't tell me, show me. If the description is seriously exciting, it just IS. It doesn't need an exclamaiton point to tell me that.
At the end, it's clear that this book was the set up for a series. While I'm all for leaving loose ends to tie in a sequel, the ends here were either too loose or somewhat uninteresting. I'll wait until the second one comes out to decide if I'll read it.
As an aside- every time the authors used an exclamation point in description paragraphs, it made them look like amateurs and took me right out of the book. One of the simplest things from How To Write 101: don't tell me, show me. If the description is seriously exciting, it just IS. It doesn't need an exclamaiton point to tell me that.
February 21, 2015
Awful tedious crap.
Biggest pile of it I've read in years, in fact. Stale, derivative (worse, /knowingly/ so), with poorly-thought-out error-ridden tech (such as dial-up internet access from Antarctica) mixed with indifferently-executed Sufficiently Advanced™ alien tech: a big dumb object that they /call/ a BDO in the most crashingly-awkward move since Avatar's "unobtainium" which, it emerges, isn't dumb & which resurrects the dead as a (very poor) communications medium.
There's a mix of mysticism, cod-science, borrowed bits & bobs of tech, setting, plot & I lost count of what else. The characters are all cardboard-cutouts, populated with the same crass tokenism -- teen girl, wheelchair dude, jock space pilot, heroic mom, etc. -- as Glee. And the authors know it and think it's fun -- one character is consistently referred to as The World's Greatest Astronaut, for instance, with regular comments about his good looks.
The description is breathless, slow-paced and reads like a novelization of bad TV skiffy. It's about as coherent as Heroes was. Yes, that bad.
The authors have borrowed enough description of Space Stuff to do what they think is convincing detail. It bears as much resemblance to spaceflight as CSI does to actual police work. It's the wretched tissue-thin veneer of shininess that dominates modern Hollywood.
Please do not read this book. Do not buy it even as gift; you'll encourage 2 talentless hacks that should have stayed in the mindless media industry. I am tempted to give my copy away, as it was given to me, but then someone else might read it. Worse still, they might read it and think that SF should be like this.
Awful, terrible, trite, glib, kitsch, crappy, shallow, dull, uninsightful, clichéd, hackneyed shite. Really very bad indeed. Don't know why I finished it. A crashingly bad, stupid, shallow pastiche of /Rendezvous with Rama/ lacking any intelligence or thought, but slathered with sickening sentiment and seasoned with cryptoreligious schmaltz.
It's a crime that hacks this talentless can get writing work. Stick to doing scripts, guys. I already know better than to watch the kind of crap your studios put out.
Biggest pile of it I've read in years, in fact. Stale, derivative (worse, /knowingly/ so), with poorly-thought-out error-ridden tech (such as dial-up internet access from Antarctica) mixed with indifferently-executed Sufficiently Advanced™ alien tech: a big dumb object that they /call/ a BDO in the most crashingly-awkward move since Avatar's "unobtainium" which, it emerges, isn't dumb & which resurrects the dead as a (very poor) communications medium.
There's a mix of mysticism, cod-science, borrowed bits & bobs of tech, setting, plot & I lost count of what else. The characters are all cardboard-cutouts, populated with the same crass tokenism -- teen girl, wheelchair dude, jock space pilot, heroic mom, etc. -- as Glee. And the authors know it and think it's fun -- one character is consistently referred to as The World's Greatest Astronaut, for instance, with regular comments about his good looks.
The description is breathless, slow-paced and reads like a novelization of bad TV skiffy. It's about as coherent as Heroes was. Yes, that bad.
The authors have borrowed enough description of Space Stuff to do what they think is convincing detail. It bears as much resemblance to spaceflight as CSI does to actual police work. It's the wretched tissue-thin veneer of shininess that dominates modern Hollywood.
Please do not read this book. Do not buy it even as gift; you'll encourage 2 talentless hacks that should have stayed in the mindless media industry. I am tempted to give my copy away, as it was given to me, but then someone else might read it. Worse still, they might read it and think that SF should be like this.
Awful, terrible, trite, glib, kitsch, crappy, shallow, dull, uninsightful, clichéd, hackneyed shite. Really very bad indeed. Don't know why I finished it. A crashingly bad, stupid, shallow pastiche of /Rendezvous with Rama/ lacking any intelligence or thought, but slathered with sickening sentiment and seasoned with cryptoreligious schmaltz.
It's a crime that hacks this talentless can get writing work. Stick to doing scripts, guys. I already know better than to watch the kind of crap your studios put out.
June 18, 2012
This was one of the most enjoyable reads I've had in a long time. The feeling that this could all happen, the fear, desperation and wonderment from the characters really capture my attention and awe.
It harkens back to a time when Sci/Fi was more than just laser guns and space battle akin to 1945 dogfights. Not that those are bad but they really don't take advantage of the audience's need for more. It paints the idea of strange events as something we should applause and seek. It gives big ideas a real feeling.
You know its good when you feel sadness when you flip that last page and you immediately look for the release date of the next book.
It harkens back to a time when Sci/Fi was more than just laser guns and space battle akin to 1945 dogfights. Not that those are bad but they really don't take advantage of the audience's need for more. It paints the idea of strange events as something we should applause and seek. It gives big ideas a real feeling.
You know its good when you feel sadness when you flip that last page and you immediately look for the release date of the next book.
October 1, 2012
This turned out to be a page-turner and pretty good. I am looking forward to the next book.
Reviewed for Bitten by Books. http://bittenbybooks.com.
Reviewed for Bitten by Books. http://bittenbybooks.com.
September 19, 2011
Discovery plays an important part in any story telling medium. Whether it's discovering who really dunnit, why the love interest is acting so strange all of a sudden, or how the bad guy became the person they are. Without those elements of mystery or new things for us to learn, stories become stale and uninteresting. Discovery is one of the many essential aspects of storytelling. That being the case, Heaven's Shadow is a great/disappointing book because it gets this important aspect so right/wrong.
There's always an extra layer of discovery that is inherently present in Science Fiction. Learning about new worlds, life forms and/or technologies is par for the course, especially when dealing with space and astronomy, areas in which discovery is a huge focal point even outside of fiction. In this case, Goyer and Cassutt succeed in continuously bringing to light interesting and fascinating discoveries. Best of all, we get to experience them with the characters. On many occasions, Sci-Fi writers will explain the rules and regulations of a world they've created through an audience surrogate, which can work just fine, despite feeling a bit like a classroom lecture if handled improperly, but pales in comparison to really feeling like part of the discovery. It's a good feeling.
The more story based discoveries are unfortunately handled less spectacularly. While I admit that I love the book's synopsis, and that it was the reason I picked up the book, it really ruins the story. I would say that what I'm about to say is a spoiler, but if you've read the synopsis the story's already been spoiled for you by that far more than anything I'll be saying. It's unfortunate that such a potentially awesome discovery is ruined before you even read the first page. Not just any discovery, mind you, but THE discovery. As in the "this is the lead in to the next book revealed in the final few pages" type of discovery. The entirety of the book is spent working towards a goal anyone who reads the synopsis is already told will be reached long before it happens.
Granted, there is more to the story than that "reveal" and the journey there is fun and at times even exciting, but the entire time I was reading the book, I felt like the story hadn't really taken off yet because the points in the synopsis weren't covered until the end. It really took the wind out of the book's sails.
Perhaps that issue wouldn't be so bad if the book had more going for it. Unfortunately, most of the many characters we follow in the story are really lacking in the dimension department, with Zack being the only one really viewable with 3D glasses. Problems arise in technique as well where dialogue is concerned. Often times, little to no indication is given to who is talking in a conversation between three or more people, which makes scenes confusing and hard to follow.
Despite its flaws, Heaven's Shadow is a decent read. It's fast paced with plenty of good action and lots of great discoveries to be made. It's just that none of those discoveries are related to the story.
There's always an extra layer of discovery that is inherently present in Science Fiction. Learning about new worlds, life forms and/or technologies is par for the course, especially when dealing with space and astronomy, areas in which discovery is a huge focal point even outside of fiction. In this case, Goyer and Cassutt succeed in continuously bringing to light interesting and fascinating discoveries. Best of all, we get to experience them with the characters. On many occasions, Sci-Fi writers will explain the rules and regulations of a world they've created through an audience surrogate, which can work just fine, despite feeling a bit like a classroom lecture if handled improperly, but pales in comparison to really feeling like part of the discovery. It's a good feeling.
The more story based discoveries are unfortunately handled less spectacularly. While I admit that I love the book's synopsis, and that it was the reason I picked up the book, it really ruins the story. I would say that what I'm about to say is a spoiler, but if you've read the synopsis the story's already been spoiled for you by that far more than anything I'll be saying. It's unfortunate that such a potentially awesome discovery is ruined before you even read the first page. Not just any discovery, mind you, but THE discovery. As in the "this is the lead in to the next book revealed in the final few pages" type of discovery. The entirety of the book is spent working towards a goal anyone who reads the synopsis is already told will be reached long before it happens.
Granted, there is more to the story than that "reveal" and the journey there is fun and at times even exciting, but the entire time I was reading the book, I felt like the story hadn't really taken off yet because the points in the synopsis weren't covered until the end. It really took the wind out of the book's sails.
Perhaps that issue wouldn't be so bad if the book had more going for it. Unfortunately, most of the many characters we follow in the story are really lacking in the dimension department, with Zack being the only one really viewable with 3D glasses. Problems arise in technique as well where dialogue is concerned. Often times, little to no indication is given to who is talking in a conversation between three or more people, which makes scenes confusing and hard to follow.
Despite its flaws, Heaven's Shadow is a decent read. It's fast paced with plenty of good action and lots of great discoveries to be made. It's just that none of those discoveries are related to the story.
March 30, 2013
OUTSTANDING!! If I could recommend just one sci-fi book that I would want everyone to read--even those for whom sci-fi would not be their first genre of choice--this would be the book. There is enough real science to keep the Hard SF community engaged, yet at the same time a riveting, compelling storyline and some really good characterization to satisfy those readers who aren't really into Hard (scientific) SF. It wasn't until after I read Heaven's Shadow that I learned that the both of the writers have written screenplay material that I know and like very much: David S. Goyer wrote The Dark Knight, one of my favorite films of the decade, and Michael Cassutt wrote Eerie, Indiana, a TV show I used to enjoy as a kid.
I read a wide variety of genres in fiction, and I'm always a big sucker for character development--it's one of the things I love above just about everything else in reading/writing (and in film, for that matter). For better or worse, sci-fi always seems to get the short end of the stick when it comes to character development, possibly because more writers are focusing on either the science, or the space exploration, or a combination of both. Something as big as the universe has a way of dwarfing all of us, to where individual characters may not seem so significant. Yet...they are...and this story does a great job of showing that. While many of the secondary and minor characters may be a little bland or underdeveloped, most of the characters in the forefront of the story--particularly Megan Stewart, a bit ironic since she's not an astronaut herself--really, really shine. And since I have read that this is only the first in a trilogy, I have a pretty good feeling that we haven't seen half the character development we're going to see as the story unfolds even more.
I am also reminded of Carl Sagan's Contact for several reasons that will become apparent as you begin to really get into this story. I dearly loved Contact, but at the same time it left me hungry for more, wanting to know what happened next. Heaven's Shadow is the type of story--and the beginning of a story--where I think we're going to get to know quite a bit of what "happens next."
Space exploration...and just plain wondering what is out there in the fathomless cosmos...has always been something I've dreamed about. So that part was fascinating enough. But this story doesn't stop with just the science, or just the exploration...but goes on to remind us how little we really know about anything...and not only about the distant reaches of the universe...but also how little we know about ourselves, and the reality around us.
And if that isn't enough, there is plenty of action, suspense, and plot twists (another favorite of mine) to keep you entertained right up until the last page. Definitely recommended, and I will certainly be reading the next book(s) in this series!
I read a wide variety of genres in fiction, and I'm always a big sucker for character development--it's one of the things I love above just about everything else in reading/writing (and in film, for that matter). For better or worse, sci-fi always seems to get the short end of the stick when it comes to character development, possibly because more writers are focusing on either the science, or the space exploration, or a combination of both. Something as big as the universe has a way of dwarfing all of us, to where individual characters may not seem so significant. Yet...they are...and this story does a great job of showing that. While many of the secondary and minor characters may be a little bland or underdeveloped, most of the characters in the forefront of the story--particularly Megan Stewart, a bit ironic since she's not an astronaut herself--really, really shine. And since I have read that this is only the first in a trilogy, I have a pretty good feeling that we haven't seen half the character development we're going to see as the story unfolds even more.
I am also reminded of Carl Sagan's Contact for several reasons that will become apparent as you begin to really get into this story. I dearly loved Contact, but at the same time it left me hungry for more, wanting to know what happened next. Heaven's Shadow is the type of story--and the beginning of a story--where I think we're going to get to know quite a bit of what "happens next."
Space exploration...and just plain wondering what is out there in the fathomless cosmos...has always been something I've dreamed about. So that part was fascinating enough. But this story doesn't stop with just the science, or just the exploration...but goes on to remind us how little we really know about anything...and not only about the distant reaches of the universe...but also how little we know about ourselves, and the reality around us.
And if that isn't enough, there is plenty of action, suspense, and plot twists (another favorite of mine) to keep you entertained right up until the last page. Definitely recommended, and I will certainly be reading the next book(s) in this series!
December 25, 2014
"Heaven's Shadow" is the first book in the series by David S. Goyer and Michael Cassutt. It's a Scifi space novel and I didn't think I was going to like it but it was pretty good.
The story: A comet is approaching Earth (no collision course but real close) so two space organizations re-purpose their moonshot programs to make a landing on the comet but what they discover is that the comet is not a comet.
Any problems with the book? Well... it delves into religious ideas in an ecumenical way similar to the Steven Spielberg movie "AI: Artificial Intelligence". People struggle with the questions, "What is a soul?" and "What constitutes life?"
Some of the characters act in a clunky, cartoonish way but that is credibly explained later on.
Although it starts off a little slow, once they land on the comet it gets really exciting and strange (which is good). My one objection is to wonder why the space ships landed so close to a known geyser. That was obviously dangerous especially given the low gravity if for no other reason. The out-gassing spray could blow them off of the comet. Other than that, the novel went along great.
It's been a month or so since I've read it. I don't recall any cursing or sex. A lot of people die... many heroically.
I'd read the series again. As of this writing I've read three books in the series and I understand there is a fourth. That makes sense because the third book left open the possibility but reading the three books ought to be satisfying. I liked it.
The story: A comet is approaching Earth (no collision course but real close) so two space organizations re-purpose their moonshot programs to make a landing on the comet but what they discover is that the comet is not a comet.
Any problems with the book? Well... it delves into religious ideas in an ecumenical way similar to the Steven Spielberg movie "AI: Artificial Intelligence". People struggle with the questions, "What is a soul?" and "What constitutes life?"
Some of the characters act in a clunky, cartoonish way but that is credibly explained later on.
Although it starts off a little slow, once they land on the comet it gets really exciting and strange (which is good). My one objection is to wonder why the space ships landed so close to a known geyser. That was obviously dangerous especially given the low gravity if for no other reason. The out-gassing spray could blow them off of the comet. Other than that, the novel went along great.
It's been a month or so since I've read it. I don't recall any cursing or sex. A lot of people die... many heroically.
I'd read the series again. As of this writing I've read three books in the series and I understand there is a fourth. That makes sense because the third book left open the possibility but reading the three books ought to be satisfying. I liked it.
January 27, 2012
This was a pretty good first contact story. An object moves into the solar system and will pass close to earth, giving two separate teams of American and international astronauts a chance to land on it during its closest approach. The near earth object turns out to be an interstellar ship, and the astronauts encounter some strange developments. The story is told from several points of view, bouncing between astronauts on the surface of the NEO, astronauts inside the NEO in contact with aliens, and mission control specialists on the ground in Houston.
The controlling agencies on the ground do their best to keep the public in the dark about what's happening, just as they would do in real life, giving the story a sort of urgent political realism and immediacy. The alien ship and the things that happen on board are fantastic yet thought provoking, and you want to keep reading to find out what happens next. The end is actually somewhat poignant.
I miss good sci-fi. This was good sci-fi.
The controlling agencies on the ground do their best to keep the public in the dark about what's happening, just as they would do in real life, giving the story a sort of urgent political realism and immediacy. The alien ship and the things that happen on board are fantastic yet thought provoking, and you want to keep reading to find out what happens next. The end is actually somewhat poignant.
I miss good sci-fi. This was good sci-fi.
September 17, 2012
Fascinating look at NASA, astronauts, encounters with aliens, etc. Mostly though, I really enjoyed the technical aspects of the story. Will definitely be checking out the sequel!
August 13, 2024
A "Fast Read" as it reads exactly like a film; the chapter and time/perspective/location changes work exactly as you would edit a feature film to create plot from the essential narrative. This is quite essential to the book's success as what drives you to continue to read is not the beauty of the language (although there is more evocative, descriptive and intelligent use of language than you will find in a lot of your average 'blockbuster quick fiction' novel) but your desire to find out what happens. Some of this desire comes from the straightforward trajectory of the narrative itself; (trying not to spoil anything here) but your reader-quest to satisfy your need to know, the urgent desire to understand the 'bigger picture', the 'what' and 'what next' at the core of the narrative, follows a logical on-going, unfolding series of 'satisfactions' in a well-timed manner and this is a key part of why you keep reading. The drip-feed revelations giving satisfaction followed with further tantalising 'there's more!' enigmas are at the core style of the novel's plotting and are why it feels plotted like a movie with multiple changes of point of view and the occasional 'flashback'. There has to be some denial of the reader's satisfaction without dragging on too much and some 'fleshing out' of character and setting, all the while avoiding driving the reader 'too' mad by distracting and denying too long. The balance is managed well and small 'diversions' generally add to the enjoyment of the story and, at least for me, never got to the point of being 'too much'. The other key driving force in the novel is central to it being science fiction; avid sci-fi fans will be constantly wondering 'how will this get resolved without resorting to utter cliche?' and so the novel offers up the added pleasure of allowing the reader to continually make guesses as to the 'denoument absolute' as well as how each 'stage' will be resolved. I found the answers to be fairly pleasing and not cliche. You might want more depth or beauty of language or maybe even more deep dives into the psychological or philosophical nature of what is unfolding before you; if that is what you desire this probably isn't the book for you! As a 'blockbuster' 'summer' quickread novel in the Sci-Fi genre, designed to interest you and drive you to read on relentlessly, plotted like you're reading a film, this works very well, was enjoyable and managed to present a 'unique' explantion behind the dark object heading towards planet Earth...
December 6, 2018
Fascinating story about a near-future event in which a giant asteroid appears to be approaching Earth. NASA and a coalition of the governments of India, Russia and Brazil are both sending rockets to land on it and explore. But as they approach and land, things happen that make it obvious that the asteroid is actually a giant spaceship. Then things start going wrong in a giant proof of Murphy's Law, beginning with an accident during the first steps outside the lander. The first part of the story has a fair number of flashbacks to introduce the main character's backstory, but once they get out of the lander and stuff starts happening quickly, the flashbacks stop.
The minimal formatting done for the e-book made it harder to follow the changes from one scene change to the next. The "chapters" opened with quotes from various sources-- press releases or social media posts. But there was nothing to indicate a difference between that and the regular story narrative. Barely even paragraphs. But I managed to soldier through. It's a good "First Encounter" story. I liked it a lot. Looking forward to reading part 2.
The minimal formatting done for the e-book made it harder to follow the changes from one scene change to the next. The "chapters" opened with quotes from various sources-- press releases or social media posts. But there was nothing to indicate a difference between that and the regular story narrative. Barely even paragraphs. But I managed to soldier through. It's a good "First Encounter" story. I liked it a lot. Looking forward to reading part 2.
October 14, 2020
Тъпо, клиширано, че и недовършено :(
August 3, 2018
A first contact novel, with some likeable characters, too much repetition and sentiment, and unanswered questions.
April 15, 2014
So when I decided to read David S. Goyer and Michael Cassutt's "Heaven's Shadow", the first in a trilogy (which seems to be a theme with me of late - trilogies, that is), I'll admit that the pedigree is what attracted me at first. I mean, for all my complaints about his movies, Goyer is a talented screenwriter (for the most part) and the prospect of reading an original work by him was intriguing. So how did the book stand up? Well, the book was... actually, not bad.
The story revolves around two groups of astronauts heading to a Near-Earth Object (a N.E.O.) called "Keanu" (get it?) to explore. The massive object, at first thought to be a planetoid or other space matter, turns out to be something else entirely. I know I usually give a far more in depth synopsis of the plot, but everything else would ruin the story, which is itself full of twists and turns and... well, not really surprises really, but definitely intriguing developments.
The story of "Heaven's Shadow" is pretty good. A lot of people have made comparisons to Arthur C. Clarke's "Rendezvous with Rama" and that is entirely appropriate, given that both have similar set-ups. But whereas "Rendezvous with Rama" tends toward the philosophical and the speculative, "Heaven's Shadow" is much more grounded and far more action-oriented. There are quite a few important characters, but unlike the last two books that I reviewed, Goyer and Cassutt actually do a really good job of balancing the story between them. With the exception of, to make a movie credit analogy, characters who could just as easily be called "Random NASA Computer Guy #675" (and even these are used sparingly throughout the book in favor of giving more time to the important characters), everyone in the book has personality, motivations, and their own difficulties to overcome.
My only two criticisms of this book are the ending and some of the tones. As to the ending, it isn't necessarily that it is a bad ending; it's that it is abrupt. And when I say, "Abrupt," I mean Desolation of Smaug and the Sopranos abrupt. I'm not going to give away what happens at the end, but the book literally just stops at the end of a paragraph and says to be continued. It isn't even a cliff-hanger; it just stops. Now I realize that this is the first in a trilogy and that the subsequent two books will finish the story. But come on! How about the literary equivalent of a fade to black? Or if you do want to end abruptly, how about a real cliffhanger?
My other criticism goes back to the comparison to Clarke's classic "Rendezvous with Rama". Now generally "Heaven's Shadow" does try to be its own creature. But even Goyer and Cassutt seem to recognize that to a large degree, they are doing an updated "summer blockbuster" version of the "Rama". To that end, there are times that it seems as though, especially in the last third of the book, they are trying to capture some of that metaphysical and speculative tone that so permeates Arthur C. Clarke's work. The problem though is that neither really want to commit to it. They kind of wade into the water, then run back out to go sit by the pool. What this leaves the reader with is some very short, very poorly realized scenes where one character starts dealing with the heady issues that are raised by the big reveal halfway through "Heaven's Shadow", only to have another character say, basically, "Enough of that $hit. Here comes Mongo!"
So is "Heaven's Shadow" worth a read. Yeah, it is. The story is good, the characters are well-developed, and the action is fun. But as I said earlier, bear in mind that this is definitely a summer blockbuster sort of book. Not that it is trash or throwaway, but definitely not the sort of thing that is either revolutionary or likely to be anyone's favorite book years down the road.
The story revolves around two groups of astronauts heading to a Near-Earth Object (a N.E.O.) called "Keanu" (get it?) to explore. The massive object, at first thought to be a planetoid or other space matter, turns out to be something else entirely. I know I usually give a far more in depth synopsis of the plot, but everything else would ruin the story, which is itself full of twists and turns and... well, not really surprises really, but definitely intriguing developments.
The story of "Heaven's Shadow" is pretty good. A lot of people have made comparisons to Arthur C. Clarke's "Rendezvous with Rama" and that is entirely appropriate, given that both have similar set-ups. But whereas "Rendezvous with Rama" tends toward the philosophical and the speculative, "Heaven's Shadow" is much more grounded and far more action-oriented. There are quite a few important characters, but unlike the last two books that I reviewed, Goyer and Cassutt actually do a really good job of balancing the story between them. With the exception of, to make a movie credit analogy, characters who could just as easily be called "Random NASA Computer Guy #675" (and even these are used sparingly throughout the book in favor of giving more time to the important characters), everyone in the book has personality, motivations, and their own difficulties to overcome.
My only two criticisms of this book are the ending and some of the tones. As to the ending, it isn't necessarily that it is a bad ending; it's that it is abrupt. And when I say, "Abrupt," I mean Desolation of Smaug and the Sopranos abrupt. I'm not going to give away what happens at the end, but the book literally just stops at the end of a paragraph and says to be continued. It isn't even a cliff-hanger; it just stops. Now I realize that this is the first in a trilogy and that the subsequent two books will finish the story. But come on! How about the literary equivalent of a fade to black? Or if you do want to end abruptly, how about a real cliffhanger?
My other criticism goes back to the comparison to Clarke's classic "Rendezvous with Rama". Now generally "Heaven's Shadow" does try to be its own creature. But even Goyer and Cassutt seem to recognize that to a large degree, they are doing an updated "summer blockbuster" version of the "Rama". To that end, there are times that it seems as though, especially in the last third of the book, they are trying to capture some of that metaphysical and speculative tone that so permeates Arthur C. Clarke's work. The problem though is that neither really want to commit to it. They kind of wade into the water, then run back out to go sit by the pool. What this leaves the reader with is some very short, very poorly realized scenes where one character starts dealing with the heady issues that are raised by the big reveal halfway through "Heaven's Shadow", only to have another character say, basically, "Enough of that $hit. Here comes Mongo!"
So is "Heaven's Shadow" worth a read. Yeah, it is. The story is good, the characters are well-developed, and the action is fun. But as I said earlier, bear in mind that this is definitely a summer blockbuster sort of book. Not that it is trash or throwaway, but definitely not the sort of thing that is either revolutionary or likely to be anyone's favorite book years down the road.
October 9, 2019
Another solid "meh" read for me. I think the synopsis is misleading/a bit spoiler-y because you don't find out until the end that the craft is looking for help, and it never feels like a desperate cry. I wish the mystery of what it was it and why it came to earth was maintained; I think I would have appreciated that more instead of waiting for what turned out to be the main plot to resolve in order to get to the Help us message.
There were parts that completely engrossed me and I wanted more of (mainly the crews having an emergency in space aspects), but the rest really left me disinterested. I simply didn't care about and I was left unconvinced by the crews' reactions to such a revelation. There were also too many things I felt could have made more compelling reading, but were dropped: There were just so many bits in this book that I found more interesting and wished had been explored instead of what actually happened.
And then I disliked the ending. I was left sighing deeply and rolling my eyes.
I'm not bothered by the time I spent listening to it, but now I have a craving for a book that takes place in space and has real tension.
There were parts that completely engrossed me and I wanted more of (mainly the crews having an emergency in space aspects), but the rest really left me disinterested. I simply didn't care about and I was left unconvinced by the crews' reactions to such a revelation. There were also too many things I felt could have made more compelling reading, but were dropped: There were just so many bits in this book that I found more interesting and wished had been explored instead of what actually happened.
And then I disliked the ending. I was left sighing deeply and rolling my eyes.
I'm not bothered by the time I spent listening to it, but now I have a craving for a book that takes place in space and has real tension.
April 19, 2012
This begins in the year 2019 with a cowboyish NASA mission to land astronauts on a newly discovered Near-Earth Object. The NEO turns out to be an alien spaceship, and the story goes all Rendezvous with Rama for a while as the crew explores tunnels and finds artifacts and whatnot.
The writing is clunky and shallow, but serviceable for a cowboyish space adventure.
But then the story dips into Dean Koontz territory when the spaceship spits out . That spoiler serves to give us some vague exposition about the aliens (they’re ancient and immortal and don’t need bodies anymore, etc., and they can ). It turns out that the aliens want to . The ending sets up for the next book, which I won't be reading.
My favorite parts of the book were the quips and quotes at the beginning of each chapter. Also the hardback has a gorgeous iridescent cover.
This feels like a bad SyFy Channel movie, the kind you watch because you’re too lazy to look for something else, while shaking your head over the waste of two hours of your life. The authors are screenwriters, and George R. R. Martin must have owed them a favor because he mentioned this book in a blog entry. (In that same post Martin spoke favorably about another new novel, Leviathan Wakes, and that turned out to be a good book, which has just garnered a Hugo nomination.)
The writing is clunky and shallow, but serviceable for a cowboyish space adventure.
But then the story dips into Dean Koontz territory when the spaceship spits out . That spoiler serves to give us some vague exposition about the aliens (they’re ancient and immortal and don’t need bodies anymore, etc., and they can ). It turns out that the aliens want to . The ending sets up for the next book, which I won't be reading.
My favorite parts of the book were the quips and quotes at the beginning of each chapter. Also the hardback has a gorgeous iridescent cover.
This feels like a bad SyFy Channel movie, the kind you watch because you’re too lazy to look for something else, while shaking your head over the waste of two hours of your life. The authors are screenwriters, and George R. R. Martin must have owed them a favor because he mentioned this book in a blog entry. (In that same post Martin spoke favorably about another new novel, Leviathan Wakes, and that turned out to be a good book, which has just garnered a Hugo nomination.)
November 13, 2014
Heaven's Shadow by David S. Goyer and Michael Cassutt, http://bit.ly/1cOn4WY is strongly flavored with NASA-speak and reminiscent of other "first contact" stories involving a "Big Dumb Object." Of the 37 reviews on Amazon, well over half (22) rated the book 4 or 5 stars, which is all any author could hope for. Some readers disliked the characters, thought other "Big Dumb Object" books did a better job, or complained the story set you up for the next book in the series without its own satisfying conclusion.
But one complaint echoed something I noticed as I read: The book will lead you through an exciting chapter to a cliff-hanger, and then jump to a subplot. The first such jump is quite jarring.
As an aspiring author, I've read many opinions on what makes a book popular. It seems that people decide to read a book based on the first page or a thirty-second perusal. Even if you'd like to browse more, Internet vendors only show you the first few thousand words. The common advice to writers is: Grab 'em by the eyeballs! If the first chapter doesn't contain an explosion (at least metaphorically), no one will read the book.
What do you think of this trend in fiction? Would you like to see the author choose an action-packed chapter and place it at the front of the book as an excerpt, so you could read it on-line, and then present their story in chronological order? Should Internet vendors scatter their preview pages throughout the book? Would that create spoilers? Do you like alternating the main story with flashback or subplot chapters?
Every book you buy is training the current crop of hopeful authors. What do you want them to know?
But one complaint echoed something I noticed as I read: The book will lead you through an exciting chapter to a cliff-hanger, and then jump to a subplot. The first such jump is quite jarring.
As an aspiring author, I've read many opinions on what makes a book popular. It seems that people decide to read a book based on the first page or a thirty-second perusal. Even if you'd like to browse more, Internet vendors only show you the first few thousand words. The common advice to writers is: Grab 'em by the eyeballs! If the first chapter doesn't contain an explosion (at least metaphorically), no one will read the book.
What do you think of this trend in fiction? Would you like to see the author choose an action-packed chapter and place it at the front of the book as an excerpt, so you could read it on-line, and then present their story in chronological order? Should Internet vendors scatter their preview pages throughout the book? Would that create spoilers? Do you like alternating the main story with flashback or subplot chapters?
Every book you buy is training the current crop of hopeful authors. What do you want them to know?
July 3, 2015
The books concept was really well thought out, and I actually enjoyed the read (to an extent), so why only two stars? Let me explain:
1 - The story is written in 3rd person, but the author slips many times into omnipotent. This causes a little confusion in the narrative which removes one of the stars.
2 - Throughout the book there are repeated words. I'm not saying words used multiple times, I'm talking about words used twice, one right after the other, in the narrative. EG: Bob took the the time to see the girl. It takes away from the read and moves you out of the story.
3 - When an author uses 3rd person the narration should be removed, and have no uncommon words. The author took the time to use swear words in the actual narrative that took away from the actual story, and made this reader wonder why he used them. They did not add to the story, thus I took another star away due to this issue.
A lot of the issues in this book should have been fixed by the publisher. Knowing the publisher is one of the big ones I can only say, "Shame on you."
Some of the information given in the novel seemed contrived and a little out of place. In one scene the plating of a window in one of the shuttles is broken by an astronught throwing a rock at it. Sorry, little wrong here. Those windows are made strong enough to take the impact of small rocks like that while travelling at high speeds through space. Also, they are tripled pained in order to be safe. Other things that would have been resolved by a little more research would have helped this novel out tremendously.
I will be reading the next one shortly, so be ready for that review as well.
1 - The story is written in 3rd person, but the author slips many times into omnipotent. This causes a little confusion in the narrative which removes one of the stars.
2 - Throughout the book there are repeated words. I'm not saying words used multiple times, I'm talking about words used twice, one right after the other, in the narrative. EG: Bob took the the time to see the girl. It takes away from the read and moves you out of the story.
3 - When an author uses 3rd person the narration should be removed, and have no uncommon words. The author took the time to use swear words in the actual narrative that took away from the actual story, and made this reader wonder why he used them. They did not add to the story, thus I took another star away due to this issue.
A lot of the issues in this book should have been fixed by the publisher. Knowing the publisher is one of the big ones I can only say, "Shame on you."
Some of the information given in the novel seemed contrived and a little out of place. In one scene the plating of a window in one of the shuttles is broken by an astronught throwing a rock at it. Sorry, little wrong here. Those windows are made strong enough to take the impact of small rocks like that while travelling at high speeds through space. Also, they are tripled pained in order to be safe. Other things that would have been resolved by a little more research would have helped this novel out tremendously.
I will be reading the next one shortly, so be ready for that review as well.
April 26, 2014
I liked that one. It's thrilling, fast-paced, has some fun moments (and to be honest - a few WTF? in a not good way moments too) and since it's deals with space flight and exploration - ♥
I like that this book is set only a few years into the future (it's 2019 in the book) and that therefore the technology is a bit advanced but not too much. I like the little glimpses into the outside world with the short quotes of postings on websites at the beginning of the chapters. That's a nice touch. I like that there is a second space faring nation/colloberation that has its headquarters in India. I like the characters (yay, for having multiple races/nations up there and an handicapped POV character on Earth!) and I like the overall plot. Yes, there are a few things I'm not fond of (Like Pogo. I can't believe that a hothead like him would ever get the chance of being an astronaut but on the other hand - what do I know about the process of selecting astronauts? *hands*) and some decisions I have trouble to get behind (like, going into the interior of Keanu. Or taking the helmets off. These (and some other) decisions have been a bit "Hmmmm." to me.). Also, there are some repeat infos - be it background on characters or events. I caught myself thinking "I know that because you've told me that already!" a few times. Maybe that's because the book's been written by two authors or due to some other reason.
But all in all, I like this book and I'm looking forward to reading the next part.
I like that this book is set only a few years into the future (it's 2019 in the book) and that therefore the technology is a bit advanced but not too much. I like the little glimpses into the outside world with the short quotes of postings on websites at the beginning of the chapters. That's a nice touch. I like that there is a second space faring nation/colloberation that has its headquarters in India. I like the characters (yay, for having multiple races/nations up there and an handicapped POV character on Earth!) and I like the overall plot. Yes, there are a few things I'm not fond of (Like Pogo. I can't believe that a hothead like him would ever get the chance of being an astronaut but on the other hand - what do I know about the process of selecting astronauts? *hands*) and some decisions I have trouble to get behind (like, going into the interior of Keanu. Or taking the helmets off. These (and some other) decisions have been a bit "Hmmmm." to me.). Also, there are some repeat infos - be it background on characters or events. I caught myself thinking "I know that because you've told me that already!" a few times. Maybe that's because the book's been written by two authors or due to some other reason.
But all in all, I like this book and I'm looking forward to reading the next part.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 21, 2011
When I realized I'd won this book through Goodreads Firstreads, and I saw how sci-fi it was, I was a little unsure. Normally, I'm not into the science fiction, but in this case, I really really liked this book. It felt very thriller-ish, which would make sense considering who the authors are. There are two authors, both screenwriters, and one of them wrote the screenplays for Batman Begins and the Dark Knight. (Which are both fantastic movies.) I started reading it, and I'll be honest, it took me awhile to get into it. There is a lot of space jargon, especially in the first 30-50 pages, and it's easy to get bogged down in that. However, once everything started happening, well it was more a "hang on for the ride" experience. Tons of action and lots of things that I did not expect at all. One of the reasons I liked it was because everything is believable. When the book starts, it's on earth, and it could be any day for one of us. This is not another world, another galaxy, away from everything you know kinda sci-fi book. Yes, there are unknowns and unexpected things, but you feel as if it could happen today.
For those who are sensitive about language, there was quite a bit. Normally it doesn't bother me, but they use the "F" word a lot, which got on my nerves after awhile. Other than that, this was a great book!
For those who are sensitive about language, there was quite a bit. Normally it doesn't bother me, but they use the "F" word a lot, which got on my nerves after awhile. Other than that, this was a great book!
March 22, 2014
Set in the very near future, 'Heaven's Shadow' is a first contact story that never quite lives up to it's billing. As a novel, I'd have to say that it falls a bit closer to space opera than it does hard science fiction.
Positives:
* The aliens are well, truly alien, including their motivations.
* None of the characters are infallible.
* Political machinations are kept to a minimum.
Negatives:
* I found the profanity to be a distraction. The NASA personnel were portrayed as quite unprofessional at times, and I am skeptical. If either of the writers had any professional experience at NASA or even in the defense industry, I'd be willing to believe they had some insight. Both however are writers ONLY. They have impressive bibliographies, but no apparent real world experience.
* The authors seem to conflate mass and weight, something any high school physics student knows is incorrect.
* The writing is uneven, and I suspect that if I spent enough time picking the book apart, I'd be able to identify who wrote what. In a few places, it reads like a cheapo SyFy channel script.
Despite the negatives, I plan to read the next book in the series, 'Heaven's War'.
Positives:
* The aliens are well, truly alien, including their motivations.
* None of the characters are infallible.
* Political machinations are kept to a minimum.
Negatives:
* I found the profanity to be a distraction. The NASA personnel were portrayed as quite unprofessional at times, and I am skeptical. If either of the writers had any professional experience at NASA or even in the defense industry, I'd be willing to believe they had some insight. Both however are writers ONLY. They have impressive bibliographies, but no apparent real world experience.
* The authors seem to conflate mass and weight, something any high school physics student knows is incorrect.
* The writing is uneven, and I suspect that if I spent enough time picking the book apart, I'd be able to identify who wrote what. In a few places, it reads like a cheapo SyFy channel script.
Despite the negatives, I plan to read the next book in the series, 'Heaven's War'.
August 2, 2011
Good book, had some semblance of greatness through out but ultimately fell short. What I was looking forward to was the sense of mystery, a "neo" (near earth object) from another galaxy being shot toward sol's sun but making a stop and settling in earth's gravity. It had the workings to be a fabulous read but at some points I was yawning through all the filler. It's not until really the last 30 or so pages you get "some" answers.. emphasize on some because nothing about the vessel and it's purpose is described deeply, you get a quick explanation to set up for book 2 in the series and you think to yourself the previous 300 pages was mostly all for not if only to setup some of the major characters.
Don't get me wrong, even though most of the review has been negative, it's not a bad book, most people will eat this story up, as for myself and alot of avid sci/fi readers, it's only average.
Don't get me wrong, even though most of the review has been negative, it's not a bad book, most people will eat this story up, as for myself and alot of avid sci/fi readers, it's only average.
November 26, 2012
Never judge a book by the occupation of its author. When I read that screenwriter David S. Goyer had 'penned' a novel, with Michael Cassutt, about a dual-nation First Contact space mission to a BDO heading towards Earth, I immediately wondered if it would be the literary equivalent of Armageddon - that is, implausible and melodramatic.
Much to my surprise, Heaven's Shadow is a ripping good read with a lot of thought and detail to the speculation and science -- unlike most Hollywood SF. (It will be interesting to see if the detail survives the inevitable movie adaptation).
The open ending is a bit frustrating, as this is the first novel in a trilogy ... but it is such a WTF ending that I am happily compelled to read the next instalment.
Much to my surprise, Heaven's Shadow is a ripping good read with a lot of thought and detail to the speculation and science -- unlike most Hollywood SF. (It will be interesting to see if the detail survives the inevitable movie adaptation).
The open ending is a bit frustrating, as this is the first novel in a trilogy ... but it is such a WTF ending that I am happily compelled to read the next instalment.
October 16, 2015
almost a total waste of time. lots of neat ideas that were done better in superior books, movies, and even video games (namely, the martian, prometheus, and mass effect). about 100 pages of story, with 400 pages of filler. everytime a character speaks, another character immediately questions what that character said and they spend half a page arguing about it. characters wander back and forth between two or three locations, argue with each other, then wander back to the other one without doing anything. the story goes almost nowhere for hundreds of pages. the characters are undeveloped, the action wasn't engaging, the story was extremely thin... i'm just really glad i only bought the first book in the series because i definitely won't be reading the rest
May 24, 2011
I won this through the Goodreads first reads giveaway. So, a big "Thank You" to Goodreads and the publisher for this book.
This is instantly one of my favorites and I absolutely can't wait for book 2 in the series to come out. Imagine taking the best parts from The Abyss, 2001: A Space Odyssey and the Apollo 13 story. The result may be something like Heaven's Shadow. This was a very fast paced, action filled book that always keeps you wondering "What's going to happen next?" right up until the very end, where once again you're left wondering the same thing. I would recommend this book to anyone that's in the mood for an epic adventure
This is instantly one of my favorites and I absolutely can't wait for book 2 in the series to come out. Imagine taking the best parts from The Abyss, 2001: A Space Odyssey and the Apollo 13 story. The result may be something like Heaven's Shadow. This was a very fast paced, action filled book that always keeps you wondering "What's going to happen next?" right up until the very end, where once again you're left wondering the same thing. I would recommend this book to anyone that's in the mood for an epic adventure
Read
July 9, 201253/552 The Right Stuff + Rendezvous with Rama? Arthur C. Clarke with better characters? Maybe. It has some really impressive blurbs by Sawyer, Benford, McDevitt, and Brin. Seems very NASA-authentic. One thing...I am not a big fan of flashbacks, of which there are many. ETR = 11.5 hrs. Paperback is in that tall format with the bigger font.
July 29, 2011
Full review at Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys: http://sciencefictionmusings.blogspot...
Interview with authors here: http://sciencefictionmusings.blogspot...
Interview with authors here: http://sciencefictionmusings.blogspot...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 212 reviews