writing has that weird undercurrent attention to detail, one that could easily forgo plot and describe simply, exactly and satirically, a place readers would be content to keep exploring.
And as one explores, threads of plot spin from myriad directions horror, romance, scifi genres abound and hint at a narrative direction, so as hints drop, the weight of the world becomes greater and Jack protagonist, speaking initially entirely as someone disconnected from any meaning in this new world of his which ultimately does become his, reconnects with something human: the capacity to care.
This was an interesting read that kept me moderately entertained, although it wasnt the rollicking good time I was initially expecting,
The book jumps right in to Jack as already a rock star on Heaven the alien planet and tells of his arrival and how he became famous through a series of flashbacks.
This nonlinear storytelling works well with the plot, Starting with semifamiliar rock star territory, the book slowly reveals what is different about this planet, as well as about Jack,
It is evident that this was originally a three part series, as the plot consists of three distinct parts that, while connected, keep the book from having an overarching gradual buildup of suspense.
Jack has three distinct episodes of action, and that lends the book and up and down quality that feels a bit odd in one novel.
I actually think I might have enjoyed the book more if it was kept as a trilogy with each parts plot fleshed out a bit and the overarching conflict made more evident.
An overarching conflict does exist, but it is so subtle that the opportunity to build suspense is mostly missed,
Personally, Jack didnt work for me as a main character, While I dont mind viewing the world through a bad guys eyes, I usually enjoy that most when I get a lot of depth and insight into who that person is.
Jack holds everyone, including the reader, at arms length, so I both saw the world through his objectifying eyes and couldnt really get to know him at all.
That said, I can definitely see some readers enjoying Jack and his viewpoint, He lends the unique ability to let people see the world both through a rock eyes and through an astronauts, A reader who is into both famous peoples biographies/autobiographies and scifi would probably really enjoy him,
Similarly, the humor in the book just didnt strike my funny bone, I could recognize when its supposed to be humorous, but I wasnt actually amused, I know other people would find it funny, though, Readers expecting a Douglas Adams style humor would be disappointed, Those who enjoy something like Knocked Up would most likely appreciate and enjoy the humor,
There are certain passages that sometimes struck me as a sour note among the rest of the writing, Perhaps these are passages that would be humorous to other readers, but to me just felt odd and out of place in the rest of the writing.
Most of the writing at the sentence level worked for me, It was just the right tone for the story it was telling, But periodically there are passages that made me gnash my teeth, Again, perhaps this is humor that just didnt work for me, Im not certain. If you like the concept of the rest of the book, there are only a few of these passages that are easy to pass over.
If you enjoy them and find them humorous, then you will most likely enjoy the book as a whole as well,
Overall, this is a piece of scifi with the interesting idea of turning an Earth astronaut into a rock star on another parallel planet.
Potential readers should be aware that the book was originally told in three parts, and that is evident in the book, They should also be aware that the main character is both a selfcentered rock star and a selfcentered astronaut, while this viewpoint may work for some, it will not work for others.
Recommended to those who enjoy both celebrity autobiographies/biographies and scifi who can overlook some bizarro coincidences,
Check out my sitelinkfull review, featuring quotes!
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I did completely enjoy this book, I like the concept and the execution but the idea wasn't big enough for this kind a story Jack is the most famous rock star in the world.
. . he's just not from this planet,
Before joining NASA's space programme, Jack had dreams of a career as a professional musician, When a deep space mission goes awry, he crashes on an alien planet, Jack discovers that his new world is inhabited by a race of humans that have evolved in parallel to those on Earth, He picks up a guitar and performs the most wondrous rock songs of his home planet, Neil Young. Leonard Cohen. Bob Dylan. Superstardom beckons as audiences around the globe revere Jack and his apparent songwriting abilities, He basks in the boundless glow of a hedonistic dream world, But Jack soon learns that his lie will have sinister consequences,
This remarkable debut novel by renowned Australian entertainment journalist Nick Milligan, is a thrilling ride through a nightmarish, darkly comical and highly original tale that combines elements of horror, science fiction, music industry satire and erotica.
Some of you know that I love music, I grew up in a house filed with music of all genres, but especially classic rock, So, for me, reading Enormity was a wonderful experience, Science fiction, a little bit of erotica and a huge dousing of mystique make for the most unique novel I've read in a while!
Mr.
Milligan was a music journalist, which gives this book the authenticity it needed, because he knew the, experienced the stories and has an appreciation for great music! No one else could have written this book or a story like it as well as he did.
The characters run from typical to "what the fuck", and each of them plays a critical role in the novel,
As the story unfolds, the readers are brought into a strange new world of sex, drugs and rock and roll!
/great work! What a great premise! Too bad it was so disappointing in its execution.
Also, its treatment and description of women is pretty unenlightened, And that's putting it mildly, Did I mention this was insultingly awful and I want my money back, It lured me in with a great premise, . . I hope someone steals this idea and writes a better book about it, Read this because the author has apparently started legal action due to plot similarities to the movie "Yesterday",
I found the concept so interesting, but the story felt like ridiculous wish fulfilment for the author a music journalist who it looks like has spent a lot of time fantasising about the rock star lifestyle.
Absolutely irresistible to women, getting himself into all sorts of cringe inducing sex scenes and a steady diet of all kinds of drugs,
The story takes some very silly turns and the ending gets even sillier and for some reason he can talk to/control giant spiders.
Yes really.
Probably best to skip this one if you're considering it, The premise was intriguing. A young astronaut crash lands on a planet that seems to have evolved in an almost identical way to our own, with a few significant differences.
One of these is that the rock music they listen to is a whole other catalogue, so Dylan, the Beatles, Zeppelin and the rest are unknown.
Luckily our hero Jack, in addition to being an astronaut is also an avid music fan and talented singer and guitarist, so what could be easier than to "introduce" these songs to a whole new audience and become a megastar in the process.
I confess I nearly gave up on this one afterpages or so which basically read like a compendium of Penthouse Readers' Letters.
I've nothing against a bit of graphic sex but reading one teenage boy wankfest after another for page after page got a trifle tedious.
It's a shame because Milligan is a decent writer aside from a tendency to write "I" instead of "me" which results in howlers like "He pointed at Britney and I", which a halfdecent editor should have redpencilled.
It does get a bit better when we get to Jack's backstory and a plot involving disappearing fans but it's still a bit of a wasted opportunity.
Neat idea, poor execution.
What would you do if you landed on an alien planet to discover a race of humans who have evolved in parallel to our world.
Back home, he was a music fan and so when he sings some of the songs he grew up with Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, and more, he's revered as a musical genius.
He becomes a rock star along with all of the stereotypical negatives and positives that come along with it: sex, drugs, and fame.
I enjoyed the book from the first page, but I admit that the first few chapters were less than inspiring, I wasn't a huge fan of Jack, He spent a lot of the time high, coming down from being high, or working on getting high, It was clear he didn't have a lot of respect for the women he screwed and there were a good number of women, But don't let the shockingly bad behavior turn you away from this book, Before too long, you realize there's a lot more to this story than sex, drugs, and rock and roll,
Elements of science fiction, thriller, and a decent amount of steamy sex mean there's something for a wide variety of readers here.
I enjoyed Jack's personalityall aspects of it, He starts out this shallow piece of, . . well something not great, but as the story progresses, we learn a lot more about him and some of the reasons for his decisions and his actions.
The book is very well edited with snappy dialog and good descriptions, I found it easy to picture the action as it unfolded, Be warned that this is a very long book: overpages, But after about the firstpages, it's very hard to put down, Despite the length, it's a relatively quick read because it draws you in and holds you, I wish I could say more about the story without giving the plot away, but there's simply too much detail, too many twists, and too many surprises to enumerate.
Well worth the time. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did,
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