Robin Parrish

(Note: For a chance to win a copy of this intriguing science fiction novel, leave a comment at the bottom of this blog. I’ll draw a winner on Weds., Aug. 26.)

Although I really liked this book, I did find a few minor inconsistencies, such as people not being where they were supposed to be at the end of the book.

(SPOILER ALERT. If you don’t want to read the spoiler, skip this paragraph. If the people were returned to the place they disappeared from, there’s no way Owens’ family would have been at Rice University to greet him. Also, in retrospect, I think the ending was in some ways predictable. The story ended in the only place it could have in order to be tied up in a nice neat bow. But at least I didn’t have to worry about any loose ends that way. For some readers I know this is a critical ingredient to a good book, so they would be quite happy with the ending.)

Other themes in Offworld: There is definitely a theme in Offworld that focuses on the light–a blindingly bright beacon that beckons our heroes forward. They know somehow that it is only at the source of this light that the truth will be discovered. And so they struggle on toward the light in order to find the truth. The link was not made overtly, but it reminds me of our world where Christ is the Light. If we will race toward the Light, we will certainly find the truth there.

One other theme that I found particularly heartening centered on a reassurance that we are never alone. Throughout the book the characters find strength in each other again and again.

(BIG SPOILER HERE. If you don’t want to read the spoiler, skip this paragraph. In the end, Mae, the girl who never had a family, chooses to sacrifice herself for her friends, and finds as she crosses the border into eternity that she truly is not alone either.)

Overall, I found Offworld to be a mostly enjoyable read and I would not hesitate to read other books by Parrish. I like the pacing and easy flow of his writing style and his ability to keep the story moving forward rapidly without leaving me behind.

Who is Robin Parrish?

As a journalist, Robin Parrish covered pop culture and entertainment for 14 years. In addition, he has previously authored the recently published Dominion Trilogy (Relentless in 2006, Fearless in 2007, and Merciless in 2008). Parrish is a full-time writer residing in North Carolina with his wife and son. He reportedly is no stranger to pain–both emotional and chronic physical pain–experiences which bleed over into his writing in themes of the transitory nature of human existence. He professes to have been influenced by various speculative and SciFi television shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Babylon 5, Lost, Battlestar Galactica, The X-Files, comic books like Spider-Man, Avengers, and Runaways, and movies and movie makers like Star Wars, Pixar Animation Studios, M. Night Shyamalan, Christopher Nolan, Bond, Bourne and others. Parrish is now working on two additional novels, scheduled to be published in the summers of 2010 and 2011.

(To see Part 1 of my review, click here. Part 2 is here.)

ADDENDUM: I would like to correct an error I made above in the first spoiler alert paragraph regarding Owens’ family. Please see Robin’s note in the comments below. I apologize for the misstatement.

To see what others have to say here are links to their blogs:
Brandon Barr, Jim Black, Justin Boyer, Keanan Brand, Gina Burgess, Canadianladybug, Melissa Carswell, Valerie Comer, Karri Compton, Amy Cruson, CSFF Blog Tour, Stacey Dale, D. G. D. Davidson, Jeff Draper, April Erwin, Karina Fabian, Linda Gilmore, Beth Goddard, Todd Michael Greene, Katie Hart, Ryan Heart, Becky Jesse, Cris Jesse, Jason Joyner, Julie, Carol Keen, Krystine Kercher, Dawn King, Melissa Meeks, Rebecca LuElla Miller, Mirtika, Eve Nielsen (posting later in the week), Nissa, John W. Otte, Lyn Perry, Steve Rice, Chawna Schroeder, James Somers, Speculative Faith, Stephanie, Rachel Starr Thomson, Steve Trower, Fred Warren, Elizabeth Williams

For more information on Offworld, see: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764206060

Robin Parrish’s Web site - http://www.robinparrish.com/

Robin Parrish’s Twitter blog - http://twitter.com/robinparrish

Disclosure of Material Connection: At times, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book artwork courtesy of Bethany House Publishers. Photo Credit: Ashley Morgan.

After a steroid-charged Chapter One, the story slows down just a tad as we get to know the characters a bit more and as they try to figure out what is going on and where everyone has gone.

In Chapter Two to the end of the book, the Offworld story line extends over a seven-day period and is filled with enough crashes, collapsing buildings, near misses and explosions to keep most people turning one page after another. In spite of the short time frame, the story moves along at a rapid pace as the reader is taken from one disaster to another.

But the story involves more than just action. It would have been easy for the author to reveal the characters’ flaws and secrets early on, but he does not, preferring to keep the reader guessing, in some instances, clear to the end of the book. On one hand, I found this almost infuriating, but on the other hand, the mystery was intriguing.The author takes us into the minds of the characters and shows us their hurts, which (being good astronauts with phenomenal abilities to compartmentalize their emotions) they mostly try to hide from each other, sometimes successfully and sometimes not. As the reader, we get to see inside their heads, a point of view that allowed Parrish the opportunity to explore themes of strength in spite of physical disability, disappointment, grief, and uncertainty.

Published by the mostly evangelical Bethany House, I found it a bit surprising that Offworld did not contain more overt references to the Christian faith. Granted the book did not espouse views contrary to Christian faith, but I think some readers might be disappointed, thinking they have purchased a suspense novel with strong Christian themes, only to find out the book is more like what one would find in the general market.

Let me go on the record as saying that I don’t have any objections to that, but I do find it interesting in that it reflects a trend among some faith-based publishers to include more books into their book lists that are not written solely for a Christian audience.

(Side note: If the publishers are interested in changing gears a bit, maybe we could talk them into including more science fiction and fantasy in their book lists? How cool would that be! I think Offworld is definitely a step in the right direction.)

As a writer myself, the topic comes up in my circles how writers need to assume their readers are intelligent and to write accordingly. I thought Parrish accomplished this goal well, as best evidenced by his willingness to tease the reader and not spell everything out in the beginning. This definitely made the book more enjoyable for me.

Tomorrow I’ll talk a bit about a couple of issues I had with the book as well as a couple of themes running through the book.

(To see Part 1 of my review, click here.)

To see what others have to say here are links to their blogs:
Brandon Barr, Jim Black, Justin Boyer, Keanan Brand, Gina Burgess, Canadianladybug, Melissa Carswell, Valerie Comer, Karri Compton, Amy Cruson, CSFF Blog Tour, Stacey Dale, D. G. D. Davidson, Jeff Draper, April Erwin, Karina Fabian, Linda Gilmore, Beth Goddard, Todd Michael Greene, Katie Hart, Ryan Heart, Becky Jesse, Cris Jesse, Jason Joyner, Julie, Carol Keen, Krystine Kercher, Dawn King, Melissa Meeks, Rebecca LuElla Miller, Mirtika, Eve Nielsen (posting later in the week), Nissa, John W. Otte, Lyn Perry, Steve Rice, Chawna Schroeder, James Somers, Speculative Faith, Stephanie, Rachel Starr Thomson, Steve Trower, Fred Warren, Elizabeth Williams

Disclosure of Material Connection: At times, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Bethany House published Offworld as “Suspense Fiction” and I suppose that is perhaps the best commercial classification for the book, but to me, it had a certain wonderful quality that went beyond suspense. If any book could be called speculative fiction, Offworld certainly qualifies.

The novel opens in 2032 with U.S. astronaut Christopher Burke lost in a Mars sandstorm. With oxygen running low and consciousness fading, Burke’s immediate future holds little promise. However, he mysteriously makes it back to base and his three companions long after his oxygen should have run out. Unfortunately, he doesn’t remember how he got there. This puzzle continues to haunt Burke throughout the course of the book as flashbacks frequently catch him unaware (usually at the worst possible times). However, with each flashback, he remembers a bit more of what happened that day.

Speeding forward to eight months later, the four-person team of astronauts are en route back to Earth when all connection with NASA is severed. The astronauts nervously assume the problem is a communications glitch and continue with their flight as planned. Then, in their approach to Earth, all the ship’s systems shut down. Somehow their fiery ball of a ship makes it back to Kennedy Space Center, where it plows a nasty furrow in the runway. The astronauts stumble out of the ruined ship only to find no one is there to greet them. Thus ends Chapter One.

Come back tomorrow for Part 2 of my review of Offworld.

Here’s the official book trailer:

To see what others have to say here are links to their blogs:
Brandon Barr, Jim Black, Justin Boyer, Keanan Brand, Gina Burgess, Canadianladybug, Melissa Carswell, Valerie Comer, Karri Compton, Amy Cruson, CSFF Blog Tour, Stacey Dale, D. G. D. Davidson, Jeff Draper, April Erwin, Karina Fabian, Linda Gilmore, Beth Goddard, Todd Michael Greene, Katie Hart, Ryan Heart, Becky Jesse, Cris Jesse, Jason Joyner, Julie, Carol Keen, Krystine Kercher, Dawn King, Melissa Meeks, Rebecca LuElla Miller, Mirtika, Eve Nielsen (posting later in the week), Nissa, John W. Otte, Lyn Perry, Steve Rice, Chawna Schroeder, James Somers, Speculative Faith, Stephanie, Rachel Starr Thomson, Steve Trower, Fred Warren, Elizabeth Williams

Disclosure of Material Connection: At times, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”