Another Space in Time

There is a lot of originality in this dark tale. Burrell writes very well, and with a great deal of invention. I can only find any significant fault any in the concentration demanded of the reader. A little more description of each character on first appearance, or an index of characters profiles and key locations, would have helped me. My poor memory, alongside my tendency to skim read, are certainly much of my problem and so I really don't wish to labour the point. This nice mix of quirky new and well-worn fantasy elements gives plenty of scope to build for ourselves onto the scenery of Burrell's adventure. In my mind, the story emerged as a sort of future-time "scripture" story written in contemporary style. Indeed we have distant absent "gods" or, even if not, certainly their disciples. The "Reds", or rather their legends, are clear reflections of higher power. There are big evil spirits, we never quite know, casting "devil" shadows...

This is an absolutely first class read, both in terms of style and content. Like so much great fiction this book builds on a great deal of personal experience and a wide local knowledge. Based on truth may not be an accurate enough descriptive, but based on true-life certainly is. The first person view only increased my sense of connection with the characters. I am not like the main Paul Forté at all, but for the time it took me to read this book I thought I really could be. He is an easily recognisable character, the jovial success that is so often both popular and the subject of seething jealousies. This is not so much a book about a small fish that is getting fried, as about a dirty struggle for dominance in a world of variably moral and immoral egos. We smell the fishy stink of politics and its connections with the law. The main character and defendant is an intelligent and quick witted character, the sort of success in life that most can only aspire to equal. We see that even the ...

This fast paced action sci-fi thriller has some originality of content and style. It is one for lovers of a good Sci-fi romp, with plenty of action and a few glimpses of exciting sex. Science orientated SF fans will enjoy it if they keep their tongues firmly planted in their cheeks. One has to give one's imagination a free rein, not that there is anything wrong with that, to really enjoy this book. Strait has made very good use of the current fascination with the expiry date of a certain Mayan calendar, which certainly gives his book some current form, at least as far as the 21st December 2012. Actually, I don't really think the passing of that date will do anything to reduce the impact of the story, as there is always another convenient date looming for the end of the Earth, or at least of Earth as we currently know it. Projectile vomiting aside, I think this book could be the basis of a good film, though the date issue does rather reduce the time frame for this. Actually I ...