Science Fiction Book Review

Half Life

When I start a book, I feel an obligation to finish, even if I don't like it. In those cases, I usually want to like the book, and I slog through it with optimism. Not with Half Life. I didn't like it, and the more I read, the less I wanted to like it. I came to loathe it.

I'm not sure why. I usually enjoy Clement's work. Clement's characters always take a back seat to his science, so that's not the issue. Part of the problem is the abrupt shifting between character viewpoints. Another is Clement's propensity to shift between using first names and last names. That's confusing.

And finally, the plot just sucked. A shipload of scientists sent to Titan to study the origins of life, for the purpose of combatting the myriad diseases that threaten to drive mankind to extinction. It's really dumb.

I couldn't finish Half Life, and I do not apologize.

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