James R. (jamesrose) - , reviewed on 2/4/2010 + 6 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 2

Four young adults in Daytona, FL nearly run over a drunk ex-astronaut as he laid in the surf at night on the beach to see his ex wife launch on a mission to Mars (wow, is that a run-on?). What follows is a fun and enjoyable read.
The cousin of the the drunk is a brain damaged genius that has invented a machine that he intends to market as a game of sorts. It is soon discovered that what he has invented will change the course of humanity.
This book is a fun read with believable characters and high adventure. However, some areas fall a little flat: the description of the squeezer is hard to picture and even harder to believe and some of the things that happen are hard to picture in your mind. I'm sure Varley understood what he was trying to say...it just wasn't that clear.
Also, this book is marketed as a Heinlein-esk juvenile novel. A word of warning: this book contains graphic depictions of sex, alcohol abuse, underage alcohol use, reference to drug use, and a fairly horrific example of child abuse (it involves a 2x4 with nails driven through it).

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