Friday, November 25, 2011

Seven Point Eight


Title:  Seven Point Eight
Author:  Marie Harbon
Publication Information:  Smashwords Edition. 2011. Kindle version.

Book Source:  I received this book through the LibraryThing Member Giveaway program free of cost in exchange for an honest review. The book was delivered via Smashwords.

Favorite Quote:  She did not want to be extraordinary, or to stand out; she merely wanted to contribute something extraordinary, something that stood out, there was a difference.

Seven Point Eight is the start of a new science fiction series. The focus of the book is on applying scientific concepts to further understanding what constitutes human consciousness or a human soul. It deals with the use of psychic powers to travel beyond our physical realms and explore the worlds out there. An interesting line of thought!

The book begins by alternating between different strands of the story - each character's circumstances and how they arrive at the Out of Body Experiment (OOBE) project. The project itself is not directly introduced until well into the book. At the beginning, the characters do not have an inherent relationship. The project and the nature of the scientific investigation is not clear. Portions of the story are told in third person and portions as a first person account, often within the same chapter. In addition, scattered through the book are scenes of sex and drug parties. These seem unnecessary and not really related to the main plot. These elements make the story hard to follow and also makes it hard to develop an interest in the characters.

The story does come together as it goes on and the nature of the OOBE project becomes clear. It ends with a clear indication as to where the next in the series will start. It could be referred to as a cliffhanger or the ending of a chapter that will be picked up in the next book. The book does not stand alone as it leaves questions unanswered for the book that will follow.

No comments:

Post a Comment