Official Review: While the Universe Dreams by R A Whitridge

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Erin Painter Baker
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Official Review: While the Universe Dreams by R A Whitridge

Post by Erin Painter Baker »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "While the Universe Dreams" by R A Whitridge.]
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2 out of 4 stars
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I decided to pick up While the Universe Dreams by R A Whitridge specifically because the blurb made reference to the old John Carter books by Edgar Rice Burroughs. I love those books and have read the entire series at least twice, and some of the books even more. So when I saw that this novel was using those books as its jumping-off point, I was immediately drawn to it.

For those not familiar with the Burroughs books, John Carter is a Civil War veteran who gets mysteriously transported to Mars. The books are pure pulp. They are action-adventure with a hint of romance, exactly what you would expect to appeal to young men in the decades they were published (1912-1964).

While the Universe Dreams takes as its premise that the phenomenon that transported John Carter to Mars is real and exists at fixed points in space, including at a cabin in upstate New York. In the book, this cabin was built by John Carter and later is owned by the Rothman family. The Rothmans are a wealthy, politically influential family, and when they discover the threshold, they immediately begin to think of how they can use it to increase their own wealth and power. Whitridge’s book is basically the story of the impact that the Rothman’s quest for wealth and power in the midst of severe climate change on Earth has on the rest of humanity and the way that select small groups of people who are aware of what is going on react.

The story takes place on Earth, Mars, and in between. It spans centuries on Mars and generations on Earth. It is epic in scope, trying to earn its nearly 700-page count. But it fails. There are too many characters, making it hard to care about any one of them. Which is sad, because Whitridge writes relationships really well. The best parts of the book were the relationships between Gerard and Lisa, and Devon and Kurzy. Unfortunately, those relationships get buried in the word count and the schemes of the characters.

Even as the story ended, I could not tell you whether or not some of the characters were “good guys” or “bad guys”. Some people were involved in so many different schemes that I could not keep track of which other characters were in which scheme with them. The plot was convoluted beyond the point of my caring enough to keep track of it.

It might have helped if Whitridge had had a content editor work with him on the book. The copy-editing was pretty solid, but there were confusing content episodes. For example, we have one scene where characters A and B leave the group to head out to the plane. Then we have a conversation among the rest of the group and suddenly, B is participating in that conversation. A few paragraphs later, the group heads out to the plane, where B is discovered unconscious. These are common mistakes that happen when a book goes through multiple revisions, and are why authors need a content editor, or at least beta readers.

The other thing a content editor could have helped with was cutting the exposition. Every time we met a new Rothman character, we were given multiple paragraphs telling us how the family and their company had become so powerful. And considering that we met at least four different Rothmans, that was at least three tellings too many.

In the end, I give R A Whitridge’s While the Universe Dreams two out of four stars. There are bits in the book that are really well done, and if Whitridge were to write something with a more limited scope, I would pick it up without hesitation. However, for this book, it was all just too much - too many characters, too much exposition, too many overlapping schemes.

I have a hard time recommending While the Universe Dreams to anyone, but it is suitable for just about anyone who likes science fiction stories. The reader does not need to have read any of the John Carter books for this one to make sense. It is going to be too complex to hold the interest of younger readers, but it is completely appropriate for anyone from young teens through adults.

******
While the Universe Dreams
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Nujudee
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Post by Nujudee »

The rating is quite not convincing which already made me lose interest.
You must have really had a difficult time pulling through.
I'm glad you did
Thank you for a nice straight to the point review
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Post by angelbeats1 »

Wow. This book definitely had an interesting concept. However, it seems a little overwhelming with the 700 pages, different characters, and many schemes. This sounds like a book that needs a Sparknotes for the plot and characters. Thank you for the thorough review! :techie-studyinggray:
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Post by Tonika632 »

I just love sci-fi books, but I don't like too many characters in a huge book like this who are not incorporated in it. I think it's very important that reader can take control over what he's/she's reading. Thanks for the great review. I don't think I'll dive into this book.
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Post by MsH2k »

Thanks for the info on the Burroughs books—I was not familiar with them. A 700-page science fiction book is not for me, but I loved your review!
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Post by Nonso Samuelson »

Once I saw the book's title and the book cover design, I was sold already. I love the outer space element in the book. Great review!
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Post by NetMassimo »

It's curious that the author chose to use elements from John Carter's novels, which were fast-paced adventures, to write a story that seems more in the style of J.R.R. Martin, who writes stories full of adventures but also very complex. Thank you for your honest review!
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Post by HusainNecklace52 »

I appreciate your honesty in the review.
I agree that too many characters are one of the prime reasons for spoiling a well-crafted novel. I've had too many experiences in this field and I always end up feeling bad for the writer who worked so hard on their story but due to this one factor fell short.
All in all, thank for the review! :D
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Post by Sheila_Jay »

I am not a fan of science fiction but I truly enjoyed reading the review. I hope that the author will fix the downsides so that lovers of the genre can enjoy subsequent versions of the book. Thanks for the great review.
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Post by Amberlily »

Shame. Perhaps the author should have considered dividing this into two books. 700 pages can be fine, but only if the reader can follow and care about what is happening.
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Post by UzmaKhan »

This seems like a good plot. It's a shame that the book wasn't properly edited.🌸
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Post by Samuel Windybank »

Like yourself, I’m a big fan of the John Carter novels. After reading your review, this seems more painful to read than anything. Thanks for the honesty!
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Post by riyosha »

Hmm, interesting review. Might check out the book.
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Post by Rwill0988 »

It's too bad the book didn't go through content editing. It's definitely a pet peeve of mine to be retold things too many times in a book. Hearing about the Rothman's background more than twice would have been my limit. If there are so many characters that the author felt the need to remind the readers, that should have been a signal there were too many character. I like science fiction but this book doesn't sound like a good fit. Great review!
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Erin Painter Baker
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Post by Erin Painter Baker »

Thank you all for reading and commenting!

@Nujudee - You do have to be pretty dedicated to make it through this book. As I said in the review, I would hesitate to recommend it to anyone. But I am glad the review helped you make a decision.

@angelbeats1 - The spark notes I would want was for the different plots and who was involved in what. :)

@Tonika632 & @HusainNecklace52 - Definitely a few too many characters and plotlines to make for easy reading.

@MsH2k, @NetMassimo, & @Mr_Wimbaum - I grew up with the Burroughs books and loved them. I really wish this book had taken more inspiration from them than just starting point for the story.

@Jachike Samuelson & @riyosha - I have to know, did you end up reading the book? What did you think?

@Sheila_Jay, @Amberlily, @UzmaKhan, & @Rwill0988 - It would be nice if the author went back and removed some of the exposition, or divided this into two books, or in some other way dealt with the content editing issues.
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