Osiris / EJ Swift

Osiris
(Osiris Project #1)
by EJ Swift

science fiction

copyright 2012
read in December 2015

rated 5/10: readable, but only if there's nothing else

An interesting concept: One self-sufficient city survives the environmental destruction of the Earth. There are the haves... and the have-nots. The haves built the city. The have-nots arrived later, as refugees.

Hang on ! Haven't I read this before ?

Oh yes, a recent movie. Which I believe was set in a spaceship. Or, perhaps, set in a train. Oh yes, and lots of other dystopian science fiction stories. It's not a new idea. No worries, the Osiris world is interesting enough. With the bonus question of, Is there any other livable area anywhere else on Earth ?

So I'm reading. And it's not gripping. Family conflict, political manoeuvrings, rich girl introduced to suffering of poor people, betrayal, love... It's all there. Yet it simply fails to interest me. With all that's happening, I feel that nothing much is really happening.

The more I read, the less interest I find. Conflict appears -- then fades away. It all seems to be rather unbelievable... rather unreal.

About two thirds of the way through -- I give up, and read just the last few chapters.

There are two main characters, they have alternate chapters. That works well, no confusion as we read the two views of the story.

In the last few chapters... But wait ! I'm going to write a spoiler. So first: This book is that most annoying of books, the introduction to a series. There is no conclusion, no wrap-up, no sign of a satisfying ending. Not a "novel", just an extended "chapter one".

And this is the spoiler, for those who want to read this book: In the last few chapters, a missing third character is really dead, one main character gives his life to save the other but reappears, alive, in the next chapter, the other main character is missing presumed dead but living under a false name. Ho hum.

I skipped over 140 pages. In that 140 pages, all I apparently missed was confirmation that this is book one of many. There is no conclusion, no plot closure. Just an introduction to many more books which are threatened for the future.

Definitely not a novel. More an investment for the future income of the author. If there are enough readers willing to risk the boredom of subsequent books in the series.

===

21mar18:

It doesn't take me long to realise that it is familiar. I've barely finished chapter one before I realise, This book is not worth reading. I stop reading and wonder, What did I think of it the first time?

I read my five-year-old review, reinforced my decision to stop reading.

One plus, though: I notice that the cover does say, clearly, "Book One". It's the ones that hide the "to be continued" that really annoy me.