PILLAR TO THE SKY

Having read William R. Forstchen’s One Second After (see my review of 4/15/2011), I expected to read an exciting adventure based on the novel’s title. Not so. I dozed off and on through the first 184 pages until something happened to wake me up. A woman astronaut, Selena Singh, has three of her toes sliced off when she had to unjam the tangled wire being dropped to Earth to start the building of the 23,000 mile high Space elevator. That’s right...A Pillar to the Sky. Who would even think of this project? Well, the author did. Sometimes I think that sci-fi writers come up with an idea that makes no sense at all then try to justify the story with farcical claims and details. This is one of those suppositions that makes little horse sense. I’m not saying that the story was all bad or boring but it was close to being a surreal probability at the very best. What one reads as monotonous sometimes becomes a smash hit in the movies; such as, the mind-numbing novel, The Martian (see my review of 4/15/2014) by Andy Weir. If you think potato farming is exciting then you will love this novel. If you are a reader who tends to count sheep when reading...then order an extra herd. Okay, what’s this novel about?

The novel begins with Dr.Gary Morgan, a PhD in astrophysics and engineering, sitting in front of the Senate committee headed by Senator Proxley who has the oversight of NASA’s budget. The senator reacting to Morgan’s request for money to build a 23,000 mile high elevator into space says, “In these times of economic stress, of towering deficits and public demand for budget cutbacks...pipe-dream schemes that are a waste of taxpayer’s money are utterly absurd and, frankly, a waste of my time as a senator who believes in fiscal responsibility.” As the process continues, Dr. Morgan and his wife, Dr. Eva Morgan, realize that they fighting a losing battle. Their bright daughter, Victoria, is fuming in the audience. Finally Gary Morgan makes his final statement, “Senator, ten years after its completion, this project has the potential of transforming the global economy...This project is not some ill-conceived flight of fantasy like those we see in far too many government proposals, which either deservedly get filed away and forgotten or become public embarrassments after they are attempted, when they fall flat…” The senator rejects their request for the funding of the Pillar to the Sky. As the senator leaves the room, he is verbally attacked by the Morgan’s daughter, sixteen year old Victoria, to no avail.

After the senate defeat, the Morgans are greeted by their long time mentor, Dr. Rothenberg, who consoles them at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies. From here we travel back 18 years to see how this project started and then back to the present. This flip-flopping continued for quite a few pages. I fought gamely to stay awake. Finally, the Morgans and Dr. Rothenberg found a benefactor. On page 63, Dr. Rothenberg tells the Morgans (the Morgans always seem to be together), “A friend of ours who has taken great interest in the events of today. He expected this debacle. The moment the hearing closed and it was clear that NASA would be forced to entirely drop this line of research, he was already in flight from Seattle.” Then suddenly, we zoom back to 18 years earlier. Once again, I’m counting sheep. Later, the reader finds out that the benefactor is Afro-american billionaire, Franklin Smith. On page 77, Smith says, “With your help we are going to build that.” Smith flies the Morgans to Kiribati (formerly the Gilbert Islands). This is where the Pillar to the Sky will be built or fail. Sometime later, a professor Garlin debates Franklin Smith about the project (I’m snoring) and says, “Are you familiar with the thesis of disruptive technologies?” “I am.” “You do realize if this tower-or, as you call it, this pillar-of yours actually works, it will put hundreds of thousands out of work...And to be blunt, sir, it would put into your hands, and your hands alone, access to space. I am uncomfortable with that.”

What happens next will require you to buy your own copy of this novel. Although the story was tedious for me, it might not be for you, especially if you think a space elevator can be built 23,000 miles high. I, for one, didn’t buy into the hypothesis. There was too much technical jargon versus sci-fi action. The best excitement for the first 185 pages is when Singh has her three toes severed. So I think you get my thoughts loud and clear. I must give this novel a neutral rating.

RATING: 3 out of 5 stars

Comment: Even though I’ve read and liked some of this author’s previous works, I will not read his novels in the future. If you write a clunker...then I move on. There are too many authors out there that I want to read before I pass on. But in doing a little research, I’ve found many despised sci-fi novels doing time in oblivion. Here are three:

The Saga of Seven Suns by Kevin J. Anderson. Blastr.com says, “Anderson has built quite a career both as a solo author and collaborator, but this epic saga has some outspoken detractors...Redditor FlaveC called it the worst pile of sci-fi crap ever!” Well, let’s cross this novel off our list of ‘books to read.’

The Eye of Argon by Jim Theis. Wikipedia says, “The Eye of Argon is a heroic fantasy novella that narrates the adventures of Grignr, a barbarian. It has been described as one of the genre’s most beloved pieces of appalling prose.” Cross that one off.

2121 by Susan Greenfield. Newstatesman.com says, “The neuroscientist’s first novel has clunking cliches, terrible characters and dialogue about the dissociation of reproduction from copulation.” So there you go, now I don’t feel bad about about wasting my time reading Forstchen’s novel. By the way there are many clunkers from big time writers that have received horrible reviews, but I choose not to mention them.