Thursday 10 May 2012

Good Review for My Rocket Science Story

It's a good job that my last post dealt with rejections, becuase here's a little bragging to balance it out. A review from The Future Fire: 

".....
Each of these stories is set in a world of very convincing scientific advancement, and while that framework is extremely important and effective in painting each individual world, it is the people, the characters, that are the ultimate focus.


In ‘Sea of Maternity’ by Deborah Walker, for example, we have an intriguing glimpse of the rigours of living in a lunar colony. Innovative ways have been developed to protect the inhabitants from lethal washes of radiation sent out by the sun. The first generation have survived and the second are growing up through adolescence toward adulthood. Yet all is not well, the children of the moon are as restless and rebellious as their earthbound counterparts. This is a marvellous story, and in a few thousand words, ‘Sea of Maternity’ gives us the vast backdrop and convincing history of the colony, and at the same time focusses tight into a fraught mother-daughter relationship that encapsulates the whole issue of lunar colonisation.


.....


My recommendation? Even if you are put off by the term “Hard SF” and are nervous of negotiating zero-g, aphelion, radiation, weightlessness and the dynamics of re-entry, give this book a try. The hardware, the steel and plastic actually emphasise the sheer fragile-yet-iron tough humanity of its protagonists. The real winner here is the human spirit."


So, lessons learnt? Well, get more of that character stuff into my hard stories. People seem to like it. 

18 comments:

  1. Yeah! That story is doing really well. Agreed, that no matter what bells, whistles, gears and gadgets we throw at readers, character and conflict are king and queen of storyworld.

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  2. I find conflict very difficult. I often think of my stories of mysteries. When the mystery on a persons life/behaviour is revealed. But this story had plenty of conflict in it, hmmmm, I'm seeing a pattern here.

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  3. Great review and recommendation! It sounds like you really have a grasp of hard sf. That's awesome. I love hard sf.

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  4. Replies
    1. Ok, couldn't resist ;) Well, a very BIG congratulations on the review. Ever thought about taking on an apprentice, hmm? Huh? Huh? Have you? *bats eyelids*

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    2. You shall be the first, Mark. I'll probably need your input on a science fiction cult, I'm thinking of starting.

      World domination starts here.

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  5. Can't go wrong with that character stuff -- awesome review, and well-deserved.

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  6. Congrats on the great review.

    I think getting plenty of that character stuff in any story is a good move.

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  7. Congratulations!

    It sounds like a great story. Wonderful title, too.

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  8. Congratulations on the review! :)

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  9. Excellent stuff, Deborah. It all comes down to character in the end, no?

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  10. Thank ye all kindly. Yep, story is all about character-- except when it's not!

    Story is so varied, that's what I love about it. Character is definitely up there with one of the most important components.

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  11. Congrats, Deborah! Isn't that two great reviews for that story? A real winner.

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  12. Excellent review. Congrats, Deborah.

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  13. Rad reviews! It's interesting how people provide feedback, often the same thing expressed in very different words:)

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  14. Well done on the reviews!! That's excellent :)

    I have an award for you here: http://thefarseas.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/great-comments-award.html

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