Wednesday, November 18, 2009

The Great Ship of Knowledge: Learning Earth's Deathly History


The story opens with a group of space ships approaching a beautiful new planet, on the other side of the universe from Earth. We learn that on these ships are the last remnats of Earth's inhabitants- animals, plants, humans, and technology. Most of the humans on board of these ships are living in life cells, living a virtual life on Earth. They are learning Earth's Deathly HIstory. We learn that a terrorist group, called DOOMS-TEAM, has pummled America with nuclear weapons, and America along with her allies, has sent nuclear missels back. Now the whole world is destroyed in a WWIII. People are suffering from cancers and starvation, going mentally insane due to destruction. The book paints a bleak picture of a future Earth.The beggining of this book, the introdction, was a wonderful addition. It really helped to set the mood for the story. I liked the way it let us get to know the history of the story and the author behind it. The plot of the story was not very original, but the presentaion made it fresh and new. The book was filled with details that made it clear the author had a percise vision. Though this was William Bailey's first book and he has little writing experience, it was a good first effort. The describtion of destroyed Earth was truly terrifying, it especially brought a chill down my spine when describing NYC and Long Island destroyed, my home. The author really focused on the Midwest, where he is from, in descrbing the destruction, which was a little weird to someone not from there. It made it sound like the terrorists were trying to hit Detroit instead on of NYC or LA, which is a bit unrealistic. I found that although there were many details, there were only a few spots where the authour 'over-detailed', like at the Navy Seal Operation Sea Otter. The author showed many different perspectives, that showed a new part of the story each time. You really got to know the characters and feel for their struggle, this was made more interesting by the array of characters (from an albino Navy Seal to a Middle Easter heart surgeon). The plot kept many secrets and surprises, even after the end. I look forward to part two in The Great Ship og Knowledge trilogy.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for turning me onto a new title- I have never heard of this but it sounds like a great choice for the IMC. I will put it on my next order!

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