Eduardo Santiago
Manipulative as hell. Moore relies heavily on teasers: not really cliffhangers--although she throws in some of those--more like throwaway sentences referencing something important that pique the reader's interest and then aren't followed up on for another three or four chapters. Fun the first half-dozen times, formulaic the next fifty. Then the villains: not quite mustachio twirlers, but definitely permanent-sneer types, vile, odious, horrid from the get-go. The good characters did have the decency to be a bit complex, less than perfect, but only just so. Finally, it's pretty contrived: improbable interpersonal dynamics, overreliance on red herrings and serendipitous timing.
I really liked it anyway. The narrative jumps all over the place, lots of characters and timelines, and that was effective in maintaining my interest and engagement. It was atavistically fun to loathe the villains, and emotionally tense to worry about the sheroes. I was pleasantly surprised by Moore's accurate depiction of wilderness survival and search strategies; then delighted to see that she cites Lost Person Behavior, the canonical but obscure SAR reference, in her Acknowledgments. Moore did her homework, and I admire that.
Manipulative as hell. Moore relies heavily on teasers: not really cliffhangers--although she throws in some of those--more like throwaway sentences referencing something important that pique the reader's interest and then aren't followed up on for another three or four chapters. Fun the first half-dozen times, formulaic the next fifty. Then the villains: not quite mustachio twirlers, but definitely permanent-sneer types, vile, odious, horrid from the get-go. The good characters did have the decency to be a bit complex, less than perfect, but only just so. Finally, it's pretty contrived: improbable interpersonal dynamics, overreliance on red herrings and serendipitous timing.
I really liked it anyway. The narrative jumps all over the place, lots of characters and timelines, and that was effective in maintaining my interest and engagement. It was atavistically fun to loathe the villains, and emotionally tense to worry about the sheroes. I was pleasantly surprised by Moore's accurate depiction of wilderness survival and search strategies; then delighted to see that she cites Lost Person Behavior, the canonical but obscure SAR reference, in her Acknowledgments. Moore did her homework, and I admire that.