The Twelfth of Never by T. Richard Williams

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Megawatts
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The Twelfth of Never by T. Richard Williams

Post by Megawatts »

I love this type of story: The castaway, the lone survivor of a nuclear attack, or lost in space alone on an alien world with little hope of returning.

The story might be event driven, but I view it more towards literature than just entertainment fiction.

As with most stories, other readers can draw their conclusions according to their experiences, likes, education levels and dislikes. Good science fiction like this one falls more into literature then light reading.

One interpretation that I view somewhat is the creative thinker, the scientist the individual who has just realized that now the world is his enemy because of his unique perspectives or thoughts or discoveries in his chosen field. Get the picture?

All through the story events could be symbols: The asteroid, the dogs, Joey and the helicopter even. And the use of God at the end.

Now to get to the mechanics of the story.

The story held my interest. The intro didn’t grab me, but it worked out Okay. And the science behind the story was just enough, and at no time did I experience ‘info dump’ that sometime is present.

The basement seemed real enough and the use of oxygen bottles also real. And with the smell of human waste present in the basement, also added to realism. Sensory input.

The writing was paced nice, with good sentence lengths and not wordy. Good use of words, since no word choice left me hanging.

The ending is fitting for a story like this one. Did Theo really hear a helicopter? I believe he did and within a few days he will be rescued with Joey.

A well crafted story that lets us enter into the mind of a marooned individual, to share his thoughts and feelings, hopes, fears and anticipations about the unknown.

Very nice job!!!
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kailhofer
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Re: The Twelfth of Never by T. Richard Williams

Post by kailhofer »

I liked this one as well. I mean, I don't for a moment believe in the house burning off above him while he's letting off puffs of pure oxygen in the basement without anything catching. Houses aren't airtight. Plus, wasn't anyone screaming outside? No one running about, frantic, being devoured by the firestorm? And if helicopters were flying overhead, I doubt if there'd be no radio at all on any band he could get. Maybe he should light a signal fire? There's always something left that can burn.

However, these were minor. It was entertaining. I liked the hero. (I used my English degree to become a printer, which is a very blue collar environment. It was easy to sympathize with a truck driver.) I wanted him to survive, with the nice dog.

All in all, a pretty good read.

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