So when I decided to read David S. Goyer and Michael Cassutt's "Heaven's Shadow", the first in a trilogy (which seems to be a theme with me of late - trilogies, that is), I'll admit that the pedigree is what attracted me at first. I mean, for all my complaints about his movies, Goyer is a talented screenwriter (for the most part) and the prospect of reading an original work by him was intriguing. So how did the book stand up? Well, the book was... actually, not bad.The story revolves around two groups of astronauts heading to a Near-Earth Object (a N.E.O.) called "Keanu" (get it?) to explore. The massive object, at first thought to be a planetoid or other space matter, turns out to be something else entirely. I know I usually give a far more in depth synopsis of the plot, but everything else would ruin the story, which is itself full of twists and turns and... well, not really surprises really, but definitely intriguing developments.The story of "Heaven's Shadow" is pretty good. A lot of people have made comparisons to Arthur C. Clarke's "Rendezvous with Rama" and that is entirely appropriate, given that both have similar set-ups. But whereas "Rendezvous with Rama" tends toward the philosophical and the speculative, "Heaven's Shadow" is much more grounded and far more action-oriented. There are quite a few important characters, but unlike the last two books that I reviewed, Goyer and Cassutt actually do a really good job of balancing the story between them. With the exception of, to make a movie credit analogy, characters who could just as easily be called "Random NASA Computer Guy #675" (and even these are used sparingly throughout the book in favor of giving more time to the important characters), everyone in the book has personality, motivations, and their own difficulties to overcome.My only two criticisms of this book are the ending and some of the tones. As to the ending, it isn't necessarily that it is a bad ending; it's that it is abrupt. And when I say, "Abrupt," I mean Desolation of Smaug and the Sopranos abrupt. I'm not going to give away what happens at the end, but the book literally just stops at the end of a paragraph and says to be continued. It isn't even a cliff-hanger; it just stops. Now I realize that this is the first in a trilogy and that the subsequent two books will finish the story. But come on! How about the literary equivalent of a fade to black? Or if you do want to end abruptly, how about a real cliffhanger?My other criticism goes back to the comparison to Clarke's classic "Rendezvous with Rama". Now generally "Heaven's Shadow" does try to be its own creature. But even Goyer and Cassutt seem to recognize that to a large degree, they are doing an updated "summer blockbuster" version of the "Rama". To that end, there are times that it seems as though, especially in the last third of the book, they are trying to capture some of that metaphysical and speculative tone that so permeates Arthur C. Clarke's work. The problem though is that neither really want to commit to it. They kind of wade into the water, then run back out to go sit by the pool. What this leaves the reader with is some very short, very poorly realized scenes where one character starts dealing with the heady issues that are raised by the big reveal halfway through "Heaven's Shadow", only to have another character say, basically, "Enough of that $hit. Here comes Mongo!"So is "Heaven's Shadow" worth a read. Yeah, it is. The story is good, the characters are well-developed, and the action is fun. But as I said earlier, bear in mind that this is definitely a summer blockbuster sort of book. Not that it is trash or throwaway, but definitely not the sort of thing that is either revolutionary or likely to be anyone's favorite book years down the road. The blurb on the back of this book sounds great. I think that might be the plot of book two.Heaven's Shadow has several good ideas in it, those ideas just don't come together as a strong narrative. If you're looking for a fiction about how NASA and similar space programs work, this is a great book. If you're looking for a solid character study, the first few chapters will satisfy you. If you're after something that seems like a space epic, this isn't what you're looking for.Goyer and Cassutt kept too much information to themselves. This would be a fine movie, or part one of a miniseries. As a book, it comes off weak. On a screen, I'm sure it would be spectacular.
What do You think about Heaven's Shadow (2011)?
It took a few chapters, but then I didn't want to stop reading. I think I'll go get the next one.
—abbyec123
Really slow start, but gets better about half-way through the book.
—china
