Review of Liner

[Anine Nieman]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Liner" by Chris Coppel.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The novel Liner by Chris Coppel follows David Easton as he decides to take his last journey on the extravagant cruise liner, the Oceanis, before ending his life by jumping off its edge. David’s personal and work life is in shambles and he sees no other way out. His plan is however disrupted when he meets Diana, a strong willed, independent woman travelling with her overprotective parents.

Their love affair brings him out of his despair, but as they navigate this new relationship they also have to contend with strange events occurring on the Oceanis that make all those on board question their sanity. Together, David and Diana work to find out what is causing the bizarre occurrences on the ship and how to save everyone on the Oceanis before it is too late.

I enjoyed reading the novel because it kept me engaged throughout. Each strange new occurrence keeps the reader intrigued. Chris Coppel does well to make sure his reader is always wondering what will happen next and does not disappoint in his ideas. The author also gets it right to pull you into the storyline and was able to evoke feelings of the fear one would experience should one find oneself in a maritime emergency. It is a story that had me captivated and wanting more from the beginning.

I, however, did not enjoy that the story felt very rushed with one event hurrying into the other and the characters just accepting each new bizarre event as the next one hits them. It felt at times as if ideas were just being thrown at you without being fully explained or explored. While this kept me engaged, I ended the book feeling like I just needed a little more from the story. It felt like I read an in-depth summary of a much bigger story and I feel Chris Coppel could have expanded more on his ideas.

I give the book a rating of three out of four stars. I chose this rating because I really enjoyed reading the book but felt I needed a little more from the story at the end. If the events had been explored more and the characters had more realistic responses to each strange occurrence, I would have given the book an extra star.

I would recommend this book for an adult audience (even young adults) who are fans of science fiction. I would also recommend it for people who enjoy reading about the ocean as this book captures the feeling of being at sea very well. I would not recommend this book for young readers as it has an element of fear to it as well a few sexual scenes that may not be appropriate.

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Liner
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