Review:: On the Loop by J.D. Robinson

On the Loop by J.D. Robinson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Having read the author's The Hole in the World , it didn't take an arm twist to pick up On the Loop.

The first novel is listed in young adult and this one is not--so, there is that.
This one takes us to a resort island; however it is about a group of people who are getting ready to leave the planet to settle on another far off world. This is their farewell to Earth party and the company sending them has put some rather strange limitations on them(limits that are vital to the plot).

I have to say that the author is beginning to show a style preference in his plot threads.
This is not a bad thing, just an observation.

Once again we have a good start that leads to a bit of a slowdown as we build an image of things that are taking place, because things are going to get turned on their ear again. For this reader it was easy to figure out; however the author doesn't belabor the point as the story becomes something reminiscent of such movies as Groundhog Day.

All this build up is because there is something going on in the background that eventually has to be dealt with.

There are a handful of characters that take the focus: all of them well developed with their own idiosyncrasies.
It's interesting to watch how they work(or fail to work)together.

Once more the editing could be a bit tighter; however again this is only mildly distracting for this reader. Though there is one place where a he is referred to as she and that one might need fixing.

This author has at least three more novels almost completed.

So, lets hurry it up.

JLD

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Review:: The Hole in the World by J.D. Robinson

The Hole In the World by J.D. Robinson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I picked up The Hole in the world by J.D. Robinson on someones suggestion.

This is one of those books that starts out with an interesting beginning and then sort of wanders off to do some world building and if you are in a hurry you might get annoyed; however it is helpful to continue on because the nature of the story is such that it needs this buildup.

This is one of those types of stories similar to Philip K Dicks work where things happen for a reason and everything is building up to that point where the reader discovers that everything you just processed has been turned on its ear. For this reader that part was easy to figure out so it was more a matter of waiting for that other shoe to drop. When it does--things get fun. The focus is mostly on three main characters that are done quite well and keep the reader on his toes.

As I mentioned there are a number of word problems. Places where the word in the text doesn't make sense until the reader figures out what should be there. It's not real bad, because after stopping to process it, it is easy to figure out. However for me this lost it a star.

The book could end without the Epilogue--which incidentally leaves room for a sequel.

Definitely heading on to the author's next offering.

JLD


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