Review of The Ripsons

[NetMassimo]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Ripsons" by Joe Morrow.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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The Ripsons by Joe Morrow is a science fiction novel that explores the consequences of the crash of an alien spacecraft that is kept secret. John and Geraldine Ripson are college professors who are offered the opportunity to join a top-secret operation with the task of studying alien creatures and their spacecraft. They're arm-twisted into accepting by Mr. Lee, the project's director, so they have a strong scientific interest and moral reservations at the same time. Their discoveries about Mr. Lee and his superiors' agenda will worry them.

Joe Morrow drew inspiration from UFO folklore for the start of this novel. An alien spacecraft crashed on Earth and the three aliens aboard were taken by the US military to be studied in a secret facility. The place is not called Area 51 but is pretty much what you can expect from the secret place depicted in conspiracy theories.

After the beginning, the author offers a lot of background information about the protagonists, so we understand where they come from and how they think. That's important to understand the motives behind their actions during the novel.

John and Geraldine Ripson are among the people brought into the top-secret project despite being civilians because of their scientific skills. They think that ethical and moral issues are to be taken into account when dealing with the aliens. On the contrary, Mr. Lee was picked as the project's director because of his nationalist belief, so his priority is to discover anything useful to make the USA the only superpower in the world.

The story spans several years starting from 1963, with occasional leaps forward in time. The pace is mostly slow with occasional events that are particularly significant and sometimes intense. Honestly, sometimes, I had the impression that some bits might have been cut out. To be fair, occasionally, an event might seem irrelevant just for its significance to be revealed later. In general, the pace is quite slow with sudden peaks when something crucial to the plot happens. On a few other occasions, some important events seemed even too rushed.

Honestly, this is not a novel suitable for readers who are looking for an action-packed story. Flashbacks are used to dig into the protagonists' background and a lot of dialogues offer a strong character development that in my opinion is the best part of the novel. The Ripsons bring ethical and moral dilemmas, Lee is a sort of fulcrum for the nationalists, and his second in command Mocaber is sort of caught in the middle.

The editing could be better. There are many errors, especially misspelled words, so I have to take a star from my rating. I don't think the problem with the pacing is bad enough to take another star. Therefore, my rating is 4 out of 5 stars. The story has a development I found great with food for thought about the diverse agendas of people involved in studying alien sentient beings with various ramifications and twists. If you're interested in this kind of story, I recommend The Ripsons. It contains swearing and some violent moments, so it's not suitable for readers who are very young or impressionable.

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The Ripsons
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[Gerry Steen]

It must have been somewhat stressful for the Ripsons to be strong-armed into studying the aliens. Dealing with Mr. Lee and his lack of ethics adds suspense. This sheds some light on the mystery surrounding the US Military's interest in UFO's and the secrecy that results. This will be an entertaining and thought-provoking story to read. Thank you for this informative review.

[NetMassimo]

It must have been somewhat stressful for the Ripsons to be strong-armed into studying the aliens. Dealing with Mr. Lee and his lack of ethics adds suspense. This sheds some light on the mystery surrounding the US Military's interest in UFO's and the secrecy that results. This will be an entertaining and thought-provoking story to read. Thank you for this informative review.

Dealing with someone as ruthless as Mr. Lee is tough indeed and the author uses those interactions to develop ethical and moral issues. Thank you for your appreciation!

[Alice Heritage]

There's just something about Area 51 that refuses to die in the popular imagination.

This sounds fascinating - thank you for the introduction!

[NetMassimo]

There's just something about Area 51 that refuses to die in the popular imagination.

This sounds fascinating - thank you for the introduction!

It's the kind of folklore so widespread - and also exploited by someone to make money! - that even if you want to write something original, it's difficult not to use it. Thank you for commenting!

[Raymonda Onwuka 1]

Sounds intriguing, stories about aliens are always intriguing to me but I have to consider the mentioning if grammatical errors and spacing problems. Thanks for the amazing and honest review.

[NetMassimo]

Sounds intriguing, stories about aliens are always intriguing to me but I have to consider the mentioning if grammatical errors and spacing problems. Thanks for the amazing and honest review.

Proper proofreading would help but the errors are not distracting, so don't hesitate just for that reason. Thank you for your appreciation!

[Saliha Hussain]

"Thank you for sharing your insights on 'The Ripsons' by Joe Morrow! It sounds like a thought-provoking science fiction novel with a focus on ethical dilemmas and character development. Your review provides valuable feedback on the pacing of the story and the depth of the characters. Your critique regarding editing issues is noted, but it's great to hear that the overall development of the plot was engaging. Thanks for recommending it to readers interested in this genre!"

[Alissa Nesson]

Thanks for your intriguing review! It sounds like an interesting premise. I love books that are character-driven. I’m not sure about the slowness of the pacing but otherwise sounds like my kind of book. I do get frustrated with books that aren’t properly edited, though. It seems lazy to me and I get very distracted.

[NetMassimo]

Thanks for your intriguing review! It sounds like an interesting premise. I love books that are character-driven. I’m not sure about the slowness of the pacing but otherwise sounds like my kind of book. I do get frustrated with books that aren’t properly edited, though. It seems lazy to me and I get very distracted.

This is not the kind of book with errors in every page, still there are several of them throughout the novel. You might read the Kindle preview to see if your find it readable without getting distracted. Thank you for your appreciation!

[Jennifer Coxon]

Thanks for another detailed review. This sounds like an interesting piece on ethics and morality that is just within a science fiction setting. I don't know if I'm convinced about the pace of the book, but do appreciate back stories that shed insight on the characters perspectives. It would be on the maybe pile for me.

[Rezwanoor Rahman]

Sounds fascinating; I'm usually interested in stories about aliens. However, I should take into account the remark of grammar faults and spacing issues. I appreciate your insightful and wonderful review.

[NetMassimo]

Thanks for another detailed review. This sounds like an interesting piece on ethics and morality that is just within a science fiction setting. I don't know if I'm convinced about the pace of the book, but do appreciate back stories that shed insight on the characters perspectives. It would be on the maybe pile for me.

The flashbacks that offer background stories and the plot spanning years are what slows down the pace. It's up to you to decide if that's OK for you. Thank you for your appreciation!

[Claudia Angelucci]

Fantastic job, Massimo! I like science fiction and the concept of alien spacecraft, so this novel sounds promising to me. However, I typically prefer fast-paced reads because I'm quite curious and a bit impatient! It's disappointing to hear about the editing issues, though. Nevertheless, your review was a pleasure to read – clear, detailed, and insightful. Thank you for providing a glimpse into this book!

[NetMassimo]

Fantastic job, Massimo! I like science fiction and the concept of alien spacecraft, so this novel sounds promising to me. However, I typically prefer fast-paced reads because I'm quite curious and a bit impatient! It's disappointing to hear about the editing issues, though. Nevertheless, your review was a pleasure to read – clear, detailed, and insightful. Thank you for providing a glimpse into this book!

The preference concerning stories' pacing is among the most subjective. In this case, the author chose to slowly unveil the parts of the story and I understand that not everybody wants to put up with that. Thank you for your appreciation!