Review of Doyle's Law
Posted: 23 Sep 2021, 08:32
[Following is a volunteer review of "Doyle's Law" by Sam Roberts.]
A disgraced scientist watches as a cleanup crew disassembles his abandoned space station, Neith, near the orbit of Venus; a monument of failed experiments. A sudden discovery may lead to a breakthrough in propulsion and allow humanity to explore galaxies never before reached. First, it must be put to the test to rescue the team from an imminent collision, as inexplicable events occur all about the Neith space station and cause chaos; setting the four men in conflict with one another. Who is telling the truth? Who is to blame? Will they make it out alive, or crash and burn up in Venus' atmosphere?
Doyle's Law by Sam Roberts is a novel where science fiction meets mystery, which was a pleasant surprise at first. With its original setting and engaging narrative, I was enthralled at first, but it slowly lost its charm with the turn of every page past a certain point.
Let me start by stating that this book was a delightful read in a lot of ways. The low count of characters made it easy to remember who everyone is, unlike other sci-fi works. Plus, each crew member's distinct personality aids in that regard and creates interesting dynamics. Although, I feel like I wouldn't be able to connect as much with the characters if it weren't for the immaculately executed delivery of perspective. I never got lost regarding whose point of view the narrative was following, as unconscious thoughts that often contrast with what the previous person was thinking solidified the sense of mystery. For the first half of the book, I was engrossed in this back and forth of characters, viewpoints, thoughts, and feelings, facts and hypotheses. Let me also state that Sam Roberts has created this incredibly complex and intriguing scenario. When its inner workings were unveiled in the latter half, I have to confess; I was amazed by the sheer scale of complexity and thought that went into creating as well as explaining this space mystery. I would've been content if it stuck to this format for its entirety.
My main complaints come from the second half of the book (keep in mind I am the one making this classification and not the author himself). The shift that occurs around the middle eliminates any element of mystery, to the point where I felt like I was reading a different work entirely. The build-up of questions such as "Who? When? Why?" is defused with the flip of a coin. From that point on, going through past events isn't occasionally occurring but the norm; leading to an often monotone retelling of what the reader already knows, just stated differently. Not only that but the inherent structure of the second half leeways itself into easily guessing what comes next, plus any tension and unpredictability are often dumbed down by "Doyle's Law"; which in and of itself felt more like a crutch, a convenient plot device. Speaking of events, I often found myself confused when it came to the location within the station the narrative was going. While the book cover is a decent depiction of Neith itself, maps/illustrations of the station would be of great help. A glossary could also be a nice addition, as this book is no stranger to jargon; it won't blow your brains off, but it can be tiring at times, especially when definitions are scarcely provided (I'm still curious as to what a "shell" really is). Furthermore, there's uneven attention when it comes to the characters; Ryburn and O'Connor are the ones hogging the spotlight, while the rest get little to no attention at all. Quite a shame, since the other characters had the opportunity to deliver more in the grand scheme of things. Book's content aside, there were a lot of editing errors, mostly missing punctuation and the odd misspell. Didn't ruin the reading experience altogether, but I got tired of spotting missing full stops at some point.
Overall, Doyle's Law has the potential to be a captivating experience but suffers a little from a lack of clear direction. Despite that and a few technicalities, it's a worthwhile read if you're looking for a sci-fi read that goes off the beaten path. With everything under consideration, I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars.
******
Doyle's Law
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
A disgraced scientist watches as a cleanup crew disassembles his abandoned space station, Neith, near the orbit of Venus; a monument of failed experiments. A sudden discovery may lead to a breakthrough in propulsion and allow humanity to explore galaxies never before reached. First, it must be put to the test to rescue the team from an imminent collision, as inexplicable events occur all about the Neith space station and cause chaos; setting the four men in conflict with one another. Who is telling the truth? Who is to blame? Will they make it out alive, or crash and burn up in Venus' atmosphere?
Doyle's Law by Sam Roberts is a novel where science fiction meets mystery, which was a pleasant surprise at first. With its original setting and engaging narrative, I was enthralled at first, but it slowly lost its charm with the turn of every page past a certain point.
Let me start by stating that this book was a delightful read in a lot of ways. The low count of characters made it easy to remember who everyone is, unlike other sci-fi works. Plus, each crew member's distinct personality aids in that regard and creates interesting dynamics. Although, I feel like I wouldn't be able to connect as much with the characters if it weren't for the immaculately executed delivery of perspective. I never got lost regarding whose point of view the narrative was following, as unconscious thoughts that often contrast with what the previous person was thinking solidified the sense of mystery. For the first half of the book, I was engrossed in this back and forth of characters, viewpoints, thoughts, and feelings, facts and hypotheses. Let me also state that Sam Roberts has created this incredibly complex and intriguing scenario. When its inner workings were unveiled in the latter half, I have to confess; I was amazed by the sheer scale of complexity and thought that went into creating as well as explaining this space mystery. I would've been content if it stuck to this format for its entirety.
My main complaints come from the second half of the book (keep in mind I am the one making this classification and not the author himself). The shift that occurs around the middle eliminates any element of mystery, to the point where I felt like I was reading a different work entirely. The build-up of questions such as "Who? When? Why?" is defused with the flip of a coin. From that point on, going through past events isn't occasionally occurring but the norm; leading to an often monotone retelling of what the reader already knows, just stated differently. Not only that but the inherent structure of the second half leeways itself into easily guessing what comes next, plus any tension and unpredictability are often dumbed down by "Doyle's Law"; which in and of itself felt more like a crutch, a convenient plot device. Speaking of events, I often found myself confused when it came to the location within the station the narrative was going. While the book cover is a decent depiction of Neith itself, maps/illustrations of the station would be of great help. A glossary could also be a nice addition, as this book is no stranger to jargon; it won't blow your brains off, but it can be tiring at times, especially when definitions are scarcely provided (I'm still curious as to what a "shell" really is). Furthermore, there's uneven attention when it comes to the characters; Ryburn and O'Connor are the ones hogging the spotlight, while the rest get little to no attention at all. Quite a shame, since the other characters had the opportunity to deliver more in the grand scheme of things. Book's content aside, there were a lot of editing errors, mostly missing punctuation and the odd misspell. Didn't ruin the reading experience altogether, but I got tired of spotting missing full stops at some point.
Overall, Doyle's Law has the potential to be a captivating experience but suffers a little from a lack of clear direction. Despite that and a few technicalities, it's a worthwhile read if you're looking for a sci-fi read that goes off the beaten path. With everything under consideration, I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars.
******
Doyle's Law
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon