Well, this is somewhat unusual. Amish Protagonist. Space/Time Travel.Implanted internet devices.Sociopolitical and economic theories.Explosions.Well, I liked it. The general outline is: The world is near-future earth. The apparently global government is the Transport Authority, except in the "Amish Zones" which are self-governing. This government is a bit paranoid and oppressive of speech and travel. Virtually everyone has an implanted internet device that allows them to be online at all times. The discovery of a fuel source called "okcillium" has led to the availability of interstellar travel. Tech otherwise appears near present day. Our Amish hero, Jed, is emigrating to another planet, New Pennsylvania, due to a land crunch on Earth. Upon his departure, stuff happens which may spoil the plot were I to relate them. The plot has plenty of threads, unresolved, and slow-to-resolve mysteries that it at times reminds me of Frank Herbert. Unfortunately, Bunker isn't quite up to the task of weaving all these threads into a pure narrative, leading to some forced exposition from key characters. This is what bring the book down to 3 stars from 4, because pretty much everything else is freaking awesome. The characters are archetypical and behave consistently based on the context. The world is well defined where it needs to be, but not unnecessarily detailed. I cared about the outcomes, and by the last few chapters I found it difficult to put down.The book moves along quickly. This is not a long read, despite a fairly dense plot, which I will warn you is not all resolved by the ending, indicating at least one sequel. All in all, a fun read that still engaged my mind with issues of technology, political, and faith. If the whole idea of Amish SciFi doesn't scare you off, it will be well worth the $5 you'll spend on it. I enjoyed reading this short story. It is interesting enough for me to buy and read the Omnibus. It starts off kind of slow to set the stage and reads like a history lesson sometimes, but not enough to distract from the overall plot. I liked the cliffhanger ending, and characters are written with enough depth to be interesting and have readers become invested in continuing the journey with them. Lots of little things planted here and there to make readers wonder where the story is heading. I've heard good things about this author, and I'm not disappointed in this work.
What do You think about Pennsylvania (2013)?
The single best piece of Amish Science Fiction I've read this year, or any other.
—Isaac
Kindle Freebie - and how could I resist the idea of Amish sci-fi?
—GlitterShanty
Really unique! I enjoyed it and got the second one.
—Nicole
