Equinox (Children of Occam)

I really loved Containment, so I was thrilled to hear that a sequel was coming. I had a little more trouble getting into this installment, mainly because while it was obviously written in the same universe, it took a really long time to actually connect in any way with Containment. It is, like Containment, what I'd call a "techie" book, in that the technology and science of the world is explained in a lot of detail and really brought to life. Much like Containment, the male protagonist of the story is very well developed and well written. The important female characters, much like Cadie in the original story, seem far less well developed and two dimensional. I wasn't left feeling like I really knew them or had any insight into the motivations behind their actions. There were also some threads that just seemed to be dropped from the narrative without ceremony, leaving me wondering about the fate of some of the characters, I was left with the feeling the author just tired of them and didn't want to bother wrapping up their stories.

I have read sixty-two percent of this novel and just can not make myself reopen it to ready any more. The authors short story, “Containment” which this story builds on was really an excellent read so I was doubly disappointed in his longer effort. The novel is full of techno-babble. For example pages and pages are devoted to the advantage of using hexagon shapes for this and that on the the big mining ship. This contributed nothing to the story. Rather it detracted from the story. The other issue is lack of depth and richness to the story in particular the characters. The characters are flat and uninteresting. I could not care less what happens to any of them. If the author had spent as much effort on building the characters as he did on the techno-babble the novel might possibly be a decent read. I most definitely do not recommend this novel.
A suggestion to the author would be to read some better written popular novels to learn how to write a better novel himself. Although not science fiction I would recommend reading some of the Donna Leon police mystery novels for the richness of the stories and the depth of her characters.

Ignore the genre restrictions most place on sci-fi writers. Cantrell is one hell of a writer. He sets the reader up well, develops each character carefully and with close attention to detail. Around page 100, you might find that you can't put the book down, because Cantrell has slowly created a sense of commitment to each one of his characters and story line - to the point that you, the reader, are equally committed. It simply is one of the best books I've read.

After reading so much pseudo sci-fi for many years this is extremely refreshing. If you get easily bored with real chemistry and physics, maybe you shouldn't attempt this book; but you might just learn something. Asimov and Clarke would be proud. This is full of rich characters and new ideas. Highly recommended to lovers of authentic sci-fi.