You may have noticed that this month a local author, Darrell Lee, sponsored Space City Weather. It’s the first time that’s happened (but not the last, check back in April). Anyway, as part of the sponsorship I agreed to read the book and post a short review. Spoiler alert: I liked it!
In his first book Lee has plunged us several centuries into the future, into a post-nuclear holocaust world, where there is a small band of civilized people beset by several tribes of nomads. While a tale about a post-apocalyptic world hardly plows new ground in the science fiction genre, this story does not feel well-worn, nor unoriginal. Quite the contrary, this is an interesting world, with an interesting story, and unwinds the misfortunes that led our heroes to their present plight in a very, very cold world. And without giving too much of the story away, let me also say that for Texas residents there are some recognizable landmarks in the second half of the book.
As a first effort, this is a fun read. There are a few moments where the author’s inexperience breaks through, in passages that do more “telling” than “showing,” and some awkward dialogue, but truthfully these are minor quibbles. My biggest criticism is not a bad one—the book is too short, and could have benefited from a little more character development. But it’s a good thing, I’d say, when you leave your reader wanting more!
Anyway, check out the Gravitational Leap here, if you’re interested.
