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The Sensory Deception (2013)

by Ransom Stephens(Favorite Author)

3.55 of 5 Votes: 2

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

47North

review 1: This is a fun, escapist page-turner. The nice thing about this book is that the storyline and characters are just far enough outside of the current reality to be good science fiction, and close enough to current reality to make it feel possible, perhaps even probable...eventually.So what's it all about? Let's just say that if you mix a beautiful venture capitalist scout, a former direction action environmental activist, an emotionless but totally twisted steel and sex appeal laden neuroscientist, and a peerless computer programmer who combine forces to try to find a way to sell an experience where you don't watch, but actually experience what it's like to BE an endangered species, then you've got the premise.OK, in full disclosure you need to know that I'm a sucker for jus... moret about any book that is set at least in part in Santa Cruz, CA.As for my experience with the book...the story takes off nicely, the writing does not get in the way of the storytelling (not great literature, but it is pretty well written), and there are twists and turns a plenty to keep things interesting. The science is pretty good, except for some of the details of the biology of diving whales but nothing to get too worked up about, and things come together nicely as the story rolls along. I think though that the conclusion though satisfying at some levels pulls up one star short of "awesome."FYI, there is a smattering of potentially offensive language, but in most cases it does not come across as gratuitous.All in all, an enjoyable read and well worth adding to your summer reading list. Don't wait too long though, summer won't last forever.4 solid stars.
review 2: The true purpose of literature, regardless of genre, is to express the human condition and give an opinion on our behavior. “The Sensory Deception” is not what I would call “hard-core” sci-fi, which is to say a lot of cutting-edge or futuristic science that drives a story. However, I would certainly say that it meets my criteria for literature.The main sci-fi in this story is “virtual reality”, which is fairly old. In fact, I wrote a novel 15 years ago describing pretty much the same thing, only without the more recent whiz-bang stuff Stephens describes. Being a scientist, he explains the hardware and software a lot better than I did. The equipment used to record the required data is pretty much what is used for special effects in a lot of movies. From that standpoint, it’s only mildly interesting. One of the subplots is the venture capital world of Silicon Valley, which Stephens depicts very accurately, and somewhat sympathetically.However, this book is actually about full-on, militant environmentalism. While the beginning is somewhat slow, the book becomes a techno-thriller to some extent. Although I have a background in engineering/construction management, the strong bias toward protecting the earth’s ecology was very appealing to me. To some extent, Stephens even made a case for some of the “piracy” that goes on in Somalia, in the sense that he depicts how the local politics and interference of the developed nations forced the natives out of their traditional industries and into desperate measures. However, the main focus is on how the rain forest is being systematically and maliciously destroyed, which is decimating our natural resources and our atmosphere. Other ecological themes are explored.Okay, on to writing. Stephens’ forte is the typical short, punchy action style popular in the genre. He does it well, so the pacing is good. Most of the characters are complex enough to be really interesting, although the male and female leads are pretty much stereotypes of the beautiful, heroic protagonists. The book starts in the gimmicky “medias res”, which is written in present tense, switches throughout most of the book to flashback in past tense (or normal narrative style), then reverts back to present tense for the ending. This bothered me, having to make that reading shift for no discernible reason.Overall, I kept turning the pages and enjoyed the action and the messages. The writing is certainly strong enough to carry the blatant proselytizing, although if you are the type to deny global warming, don’t bother. If you are concerned about the future of the earth, you might enjoy this novel. less

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