Book of the Month–One Jump Ahead by Mark Van Name
One Jump Ahead by Mark Van Name is a wonderful little sci/fi adventure. Funny how I don’t read much sci/fi compared to fantasy and mysteries, but this year, the books I’ve most enjoyed have been in the sci/fi camp. Anyone who likes John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War series will love this series by Mark Van Name. I’d say I even liked One Jump Ahead just a bit better because I connected with the main character, Jon Moore, better. The creativity in this book gets extra points–there’s some use of animal characters that I really appreciated. There weren’t many female characters, but those that were in the book were fully developed and not stereotypical.
This is a great adventure with interesting and well-developed characters. The main character has some unusual characteristics, rather than your standard strong he-man. I liked that he didn’t spend time drowning his sorrows in booze, and there were several spots where the character stopped–and noticed the waves on the beach or the strange beauty of unusual woodwork.
For non-sci/fi readers, this book is a lot like Frederick Forsyth’s Avenger. Fans of Forsyth that haven’t ventured into sci/fi would do well to start here. Some excellent reconnaissance setups and “infiltration.”
Full review over at Bookspot.
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I like the sounds of this one (especially the bit about animal characters.) Haven’t read Scalzi yet, although he gets good reviews & comments over at FBS. I’ll keep on eye out for the full review.
Comment by Trina — September 6, 2008 @ 9:09 am
Scalzi’s work felt more “standard” sci/fi than this one did (which isn’t a bad thing, but I found the creativity in Van Name’s to be top-notch). I think you’d probably like both though. The character development is quite good.
Don’t get me wrong, animals aren’t a main part of the story–it’s a fairly subtle use…but their talents are unusual and for me added a dimension that I really liked.
Comment by Maria — September 6, 2008 @ 9:21 am
Sure, re: the animals, it’s not like I’m looking for a Wookie sidekick or anything. Like you said, just adds another fun dimension to the story.
Have you read “Lost & Found” by Alan Dean Foster? He used critters (both alien & domestic) as main characters in addition to the human protag, and it definitely added a fun aspect for me.
Comment by Trina — September 8, 2008 @ 7:35 am
I don’t think I’ve read that one. I’ve only read one Alan Dean and off the top of my head don’t stand a chance of remembering the title. Wookie sidekick–you’re funny!
Comment by Maria — September 8, 2008 @ 8:25 am