I have a tremendous respect for Robin Parrish. He's given so much to the Christian Fiction world through his INFUZE internet magazine and through his books. He really is a good writer.
Offworld has a great science fiction premise and is executed quite well with none of that "deflating reality" when the reader realizes that what's on the cover isn't what's inside. (All too often I've had that feeling.)
Robin actually produces a little more than what is expected in this offering. It kept me reading well past midnight, which is saying a LOT for these old bones and eyes. It's a worthy read and worth the money.
But... to be very fair to those of us readers who actually live in Mississippi and Louisiana...
Hurricane season is June through November (even though it's been more than 80 years since a hurricane came into the Gulf region after October.
In no way by any wild stretch of the imagination could the Mighty Mississippi River flood Biloxi much less Gulfport by 12 inches much, much less 12 feet, no matter what time of year. The river gets really high in March, April and May. But around June it starts falling. Because of the terrain and the elevation between these two cities and the Mississippi it is impossible. Even in the Great Flood of 1929, when the levees broke just north of Vicksburg, the land was flooded with 4 feet of water, but it did not flood Vicksburg or Natchez (50 miles south of Vicksburg). It took a superhuman effort on the part of the Corps of Engineers in 1929 to keep the river from shifting courses to the Achafalaya Basin (close to Lafayette). If the river was as high as suggested, then New Orleans would have been underwater. The levees are not that high, and if the population was gone, then the pumps would not have started to keep the city dry unless there are MAJOR renovations and MAJOR changes to the pumps and levee systems.
I attribute this problem to lack of research on the author's part. In a SyFy novel, anything goes just about, but simple research of terrain and feasibility probabilities of what ever event that you are writing about is critical. If something is impossible, then a reasonable explanation should be offered and it doesn't have to be more than a sentence or two. Something like: "Chris, all this water is coming from the Mississippi River. Before the earthquake of 2021, it would have been impossible. With no one to monitor the locks systems, the river has over run the locks and the spillways from St. Louis to here."
I couldn't concentrate on the story for 2-3 chapters because I knew what I was reading was not only implausible, but impossible.
Just keep reminding yourself, "This is science fiction, anything is possible," and you'll enjoy the story.
Robin Parrish had two great ambitions in his life: to have a family, and to be a published novelist. In March of 2005, he proposed to his future wife the same week he signed his first book contract with Bethany House Publishers. They contracted him for the rights to not only that first book, Relentless -- but two sequels including Fearless and Merciless. A trilogy that unfolded in the consecutive summers of 2006, 2007, and 2008.
Robin Parrish is a journalist who's written about pop culture for more than a decade. Currently he serves as Senior Editor at XZOOSIA.com, a community portal that fuses social networking with magazine-style features about entertainment and culture. He and his wife, Karen and son live in North Carolina.
ABOUT THE BOOK
"Every Person on This Planet Has Disappeared."
Commander Christopher Burke and his crew are humanity's greatest explorers. They've finished their mission on the red dirt of Mars and now they just want to get back to Earth. To see friends, family, and loved ones. To be home. But even with communication to ground control cut and a perilous landing, nothing could prepare the crew for what they discover when they step foot back on planet Earth.
Everyone...everywhere...is gone.
It's not a dream. It's not a trick. Now Burke and his team have one mission:find out who or what is behind the disappearance of all mankind.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Offworld, go HERE
Honest perspective. Thanks for your review. I'm going to review the book soon, but for now, I'm giving away a copy of Offworld at ResAliens Blog. Drop by and enter the drawing. Thanks, Lyn
Robin Parrish had two great ambitions in his life: to have a family, and to be a published novelist. In March of 2005, he proposed to his future wife the same week he signed his first book contract with Bethany House Publishers. They contracted him for the rights to not only that first book, Relentless -- but two sequels including Fearless and Merciless. A trilogy that unfolded in the consecutive summers of 2006, 2007, and 2008.
"Every Person on This Planet Has Disappeared." 
1 comment:
Honest perspective. Thanks for your review. I'm going to review the book soon, but for now, I'm giving away a copy of Offworld at ResAliens Blog. Drop by and enter the drawing. Thanks, Lyn
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