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Fragment (2009)

by Warren Fahy(Favorite Author)

3.65 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0553807536 (ISBN13: 9780553807530)

languge

English

genre

Mystery & Thriller

publisher

Delacorte Press

review 1: I cannot recommend this book enough!! I listened to this as an audiobook, but I am buying the book, too! It is a superior action-packed thriller that kept me completely on the edge of my seat. In fact, sometimes when the suspense was killing me, I almost wanted to skip forward because I was afraid of what was going to happen next, but I didn't because I didn't want to miss a thing! The characters are very well fleshed out and you feel like you know them and how they are going to act (even if it's in a bad way) and although I'm not a science major, I thought the scientific parts of the book were really interesting and thought provoking.A new reality show called Sealife has a ship full of scientists traveling around the world "exploring." In reality, and to the disappoin... moretment of several of the scientists, it IS just another reality show, and Cynthia, the producer, is more interested in which of them hook up than in any real science being explored. This comes as a major disappointment to botanist Nell Duckworth, who auditioned for and was chosen for the trip, since her true hope was that the Sealife ship would stop at Henders Island, an island that was discovered in the 1700's but never set foot on by man again. A distress signal coming from that island, however, necessitates a change in plans. Landing upon the island to investigate, the landing party is immediately and savagely attacked by all sorts of unfamiliar life forms, with the exception of only one or two, who manage to escape on the Zodiac and return to the ship. All this is broadcast live around the world, which will change the fate of Henders Island. The U. S. government surrounds the island with warships and sends in top hand-picked scientists to determine what is to be done about this island and it's mysterious and dangerous life forms, with predictable debates about whether they are just too dangerous to be allowed off the island. I really, really enjoyed this book and am getting ALL of Mr. Fahy's books! I can't believe I haven't heard of his books before!!! I could say that if you're a fan of Lincoln Child or maybe James Rollins this book is up your ally, but I think that's too limiting! I don't often gush over a book, but I'm gushing now and am so happy to have found a new author to enjoy! 5 stars and then some for sheer entertainment value!
review 2: A screechingly awful work of true hackery. Characters are profligate and are only differentiated by what brand of polo shirt they're wearing; military characters occasionally LAPSE INTO ALL-CAPS which helps. There are three false starts and hundreds of pages of cruel padding, and only two scenes amid dozens exhibit even a hint of tension. The reality TV angle is unnecessary and only adds to the character bloat.But, saddest of all, the science is violently misrepresented. The extent of Fahy's research appears to have been a glance at some Wikipedia articles. How else would you explain his repeated misuse of simple principles like genes, natural selection, evolution, predation, and competition? The idea that evolution is guided towards anything is imbecilic alone; the idea that it guides towards cooperation is enough to make your eyeballs roll out of your head. Real debates exist within biology that would apply directly to this case. Instead, Fahy makes up a bunch of stuff that a first-year student would be embarrassed to say, let alone professional researchers with PhDs (in whose mouths he crams this codswallop). The portrayal of scientists as cartoonishly eccentric mavericks who all nevertheless speak in the same voice gives the whole thing away: Fahy knows nothing about science and cares less. (Normally this would be of less concern, but people keep praising Fahy's science like it's competent and even innovative, when in fact it's less convincing than a wet noodle).They say you should write what you know. Evidently, Fahy has never seen an episode of reality TV, or read any biology, or even had a conversation with a real-life human being. And yet this book exists. Avoid with prejudice. less

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