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The End Of Marking Time (2010)

by C.J. West(Favorite Author)

3.67 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

097677884X (ISBN13: 9780976778844)

languge

English

genre

Science Fiction

publisher

22 West Books

review 1: (Received free from author, reviewing was optional.)Wow, I don't know where to start. First of all, I'm marking this review as containing spoilers before I even know exactly what I'm going to write. I'm doing this because I think there is something to be gained by going into it knowing as little as possible about the situation you are walking into.Often when we read a book that takes place in a different world, we have a character that "guides" us, shows us what is "normal" in that world. Here, our character is learning everything as he goes along. Where he is unsure, we are unsure. When he gets into trouble, we don't know any better either. We have no idea where we are going or what the "right thing to do" actually is. Many times I thought, "That's not such a bad idea" or... more "That's insane!" about something only to be thinking the opposite later. Sometimes the question was, "To what lengths would we go to be safe?" and other times it was, "What is 'too far' when intentions are (supposedly) good?" Eventually, there was no question of "good guy" or "bad guy" because everyone was neither or both.There are some who believe that all criminals should be treated mostly equally, but at what point does a property crime justify the taking of a life? Does it ever? And how much must one change before it "counts"?Many questions, few answers, except "Be careful what you wish for."
review 2: "The End of Marking Time" starts off by introducing us to an expert house burglar who makes the mistake of robbing the home of a local district attorney. Of course, Michael (the thief) is arrested and sent to prison~only he's accidentally shot on his way to prison and in a coma for four years. Upon awakening, he learns that the penal system he knew before his coma is no longer in existence. Criminals are now re-educated by private companies who install tracking devices into their heads to monitor the criminals' behavior. Michael thinks it sounds great~so much easier than prison, but he has quite a bit to learn about this new prisonless society....and the lessons can be quite painful.At first, I was really into the futuristic novel; I liked the main character and the story line. But, somewhere along the way I lost interest and only wanted to get through it so I could move on to something else. Michael seems a little bit too naive and changes his attitude too quickly to be believable, especially if he's really that much of a hardened criminal in the first place. Some scenes just didn't make sense to me~it was as if West just didn't know where he/she was going with this plot. The ending was really a let~down for me as I thought that Michael (if his change is to be believed) would make a productive citizen in spite of everything that happened to him.I liked the novel~the agent of change (Michael) and the plot are interesting, but the action is just a bit stilted and contrived for me. I'm probably not going to read anything by this author again. less

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