A Signal Shattered

This was a great sequel to "Signal to Noise". As you read, you are definitely drawn into the characters' feelings and thoughts, especially in a world where subconcious, hunches, and metaphors are a way of life in this story. As you read, you definitely grasp the characters' feelings of hopelessness and struggle in the beginning, then it picks up as they find their path to survival. What follows are just as much twists and turns as the first book, which is naturally very unlikely for the setting of the story, but Nylund pulls it off with excellece. The last two chapters WILL get your blood pumping. Awesome book.

My wife bought this book for me as a gift, and I read it before reading the first book. It was fantastic! As a writer I know that the first line, or at least the first page, is supposed to "hook" the reader. This one was fantastic and hooked me instantly, espcially since I hadn't read the first book. The book starts with a bang and the pace never lets up until the very end when things get so weird it's hard to imagine the reality he's portraying, but I *like* that! The whole reason I read sci-fi is to be drawn into visions of a reality I would never imagine on my own. It's hard S.F. but with strong characterization. Each character is unique and clearly defined. Bottom line: I couldn't put it down! I heartily recommend it.

I really enjoyed this book. It starts with a premise which reminded me of Stars My Destination (i.e. instantaneous jumping from point to point), but this book is really about a psychological cat and mouse game among the protaganist, his "friends," and the evil alien traders. I liked that the aliens were not drawn as all that alien, they are just pure machiavellian capitalists taken to wild extremes. The style is great and I really liked the main character, especially his moral dillemas. There is also some cyber-punk type hacking, but with a cool (frankly unique) poetic, sensory view of programming. Overall an excellent read. My only beef is that the book itself does not state on the cover (or anywhere else) that it is a sequal. I picked this up cold from the book store and the first two pages of this novel gives spoilers (the whole plot and ending really) for the first one which I would have loved to have read fresh. Serves me right for not checking here first!!

Action-packed, fast and exciting, this sequel to SIGNAL TO NOISE does not disappoint. On par with and reminisecent of good Zelazny. Check it out.

In 2071 on a secret base on the moon, mathematician Jack Potter knows that his defaulting on his business deal with the alien Wheeler led to the mass destruction of the Earth. Billions are dead. The few survivors who escaped Earth via Wheeler's technology remain under attack by Wheeler. Internally, one of the members of the camp is sabotaging the earthlings' attempts to stay alive. When all of them seem doomed, the Gersham, another advanced alien race, arrives to offer Jack a new deal. Considering the calumnious results of his previous deal with an off-planet being, Jack has doubts as to whether to sign on with the Gersham. Then again, he has few options if the human race is to survive into the next century. A SIGNAL SHATTERED, the sequel to the insanely wonderful satire SIGNAL TO NOISE, is a fabulous tale that leaves science fiction fans desiring more novels in the series. The action-packed story line is filled with energy and irony, but never stints on its characterization even with future technology buzzing through the pages. Though he heats up the action, Eric S. Nylund shows his understanding of the human essence as he obtains empathy from his audience for his surviving earthlings, especially Jack.Harriet Klausner