Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Review: Alone on the Edge


I "met" Patrick Stutzman, author of "Alone on the Edge" through my participation in Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. Patrick is a great guy and the "geek's geek".  He loves role-playing-games, sci-fi, and all things Star Wars.  When he published his first book, I was very excited to read it.

I loved the premise of this book. Mr. Stutzman does a good job of making you feel exactly how alone the heroine really feels. If you like your sci-fi on the gritty side, with a dash of smut and a storyline that hasn't been done-to-death, this is the book for you.

Format: 5 Stars
I read the Kindle version of this book. The book was well formatted with no typos (that I noticed). Since I've finished "Alone on the Edge", I've read several other e-books ( self-published and from "traditional" publishing companies).  All but one of those recent e-books lacked proper Table of Contents and chapter hyperlinks.  Patrick's book is a true gem because he took the time to format it correctly.

Premise: 5 stars 

There are hundreds of thousands of sci-fi books on the market. Most of those have a futuristic space setting. Finding a book that is set in space, in the future, and doesn't make you roll your eyes and go "Oh not THIS again" is a nice change.

Prose: 4 stars

This book is very descriptive. At times it was TOO descriptive. I wasn't expect graphic sexual language and you will find that in the first ten pages! (Note: the author has included a warning about the content on the Amazon description page.)

Plot and Execution: 3 stars
I found the middle section of this book to be very slow. I had a hard time staying engaged. I know that the author was trying to make the reader feel the depth's of Anna's despair and loneliness, but I think he went a bit overboard. Also, there were several minor plot points raised during this time that were abandoned or did not reach a satisfying conclusion. The final climax of the story required far too many mental gymnastics and ripped me right out of the story.

Final Rating: 3.5 stars

Ever since I initially published this review on Goodreads, I've felt like a horrible person.  I know how badly a 3star or lower review can hurt an author.  Also, a self-published author relies on word of mouth and reviews to promote his or her work.  On the other hand, I feel that giving a book an honest critique is the only way I can maintain my own integrity.  If I give a book 5 stars, it means I think it's the greatest book I've read in a long time.  4 stars are for books I enjoyed but weren't necessarily "great".  3 star books are good books that I've had several issues with while reading. Some of the issues might be e-book formatting or editing, or they may be content related.  This is why a longer text review is, in my opinion, more helpful to an author and a reader.  You can read for yourself why I gave a book a lower rating and decide if my opinions are bunk.  And let me be clear on that, reviews are MY OPINIONS.  What I like or dislike isn't going to be the same as what you like or dislike.  That's why books are awesome.

In conclusion, I like this author and look forward to reading more from him. While I only gave this book 3.5 stars, I still recommend it to my friends.  Patrick Stutzman is a good author who deserves recognition for his work.