Outward Bound
Author: James P. Hogan
Year: 1999
Abstract:
Linc, a troubled youth, is caught in a violent crime. The police give him an option,
to either go to jail, or to listen to a strange doctor, who offers an alternative. Linc
figures the alternative is better than jail, so he signs up. He's thrown into a camp
with a bunch of other disgruntled youth, and learns how to work with people. He
is being trained for something big, something where people no longer are
concerned about money, politics, or hoarding resources. Something bigger than
just himself. Linc learns much, and makes new friends, and finally learns what
it's all about. It's far bigger than he ever imagined. . .
| Advanced Mind | |
| Exploration/Quest |  |
| Military/Fighting | |
| Horror | |
| Magic | |
| Advanced Technology | |
| Time Travel/Alternate History | |
| Science | |
| Aliens/Beasties | |
| Contemporality | |
Other books in this series:
None
Spectre's Review
I found this book to be a very literate book. I was well pleased with the dialogue,
and with the word structure. Simple, yet not too much repitition. Quite often I get
distracted by poor word usage, but Hogan did an excellent job maintaining
interest, as well as keeping a simple, clear, and elegant language usage.
The story line was very appealing, although near the end it was getting a little
boring because of all the memories and such. The action was quick, and you
knew what was going on, but didn't know WHY it was going on. I liked that.
I also really liked the character development of the main folks. Linc's especially
was very interesting to watch, and I found it slightly predictable, but only to a
point. Hogan led you to believe something was going to happen, and then
changed things slightly to give it a different twist. I found it very satisfying.
I really liked the idea of a relatively altruistic space society built from reeducated
rif-raf of Earth. The technologies and stuff were a mix between contemporary
and future technologies. I found it quite enjoyable.
Date posted: 2000 07 24
Spectre's Rating
Excellent, excellent, but minus one for too many memories at the end.