Michael Meyers-Jouan

Smashwords book reviews by Michael Meyers-Jouan

  • Encrypted on June 12, 2014

    There's enough straight science to balance the fantasy (artificers of magic, telepathy, telekinetics, etc.), a good plot, and excellent characters. Particularly the characters - they're interesting, believable, entertaining, and you want to follow their stories.
  • Forbidden the Stars (The Interstellar Age Book 1) on Nov. 02, 2014

    I wish I could give this book a better rating. Valmore Daniels has put together some interesting concepts. Unfortunately, he has also written some extremely bad science. That’s not to say that ALL his science is bad. His physical statistics of asteroids are well done. But... * He confuses speed with acceleration * He specifies a travel speed from Pluto to Earth that would only work with infinite acceleration at both planets, but then describes “turnover” and deceleration for half the flight * He describes a space tug as exerting 6 TRILLION Newtons of force * He describes Pluto as “the beginning of interstellar space” – a role normally assigned to a point well beyond the Oort cloud where the solar wind no longer increases the density of matter above interstellar levels * He describes trips from Earth to Pluto that just happen to pass close to Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune, which would require an alignment that’s unlikely to happen in this millennium * He describes an “artificial gravity” (apparently based on some kind of magnetic force), * He describes an “Electronic Pulse Signal” that is apparently faster than light, * The TAHU uses a “gravity convection magneto” to magnify the asteroid’s gravity by a factor of 85.91, “enough to simulate near-Earth gravity”. Given that the asteroid’s unmodified gravity is 0.0000002373 G, that factor would ACTUALLY provide a “gravity” of 0.000020386443 G: a 50 Kilogram human would experience a weight of 1 gram. * The Dis Pater is described as having “at least thirty-five neutrons”. That’s NOT a super-element. For all known elements, the neutron–proton ratio is 1.5 or less; this would be an element of roughly atomic number 35: such as Bromine. * The “faces” of the Dis Pater that have glyphs are described as 35 meters by 35 meters. Assuming that each face is one quarter the circumference of the sphere on which it is marked, the spheres are about 44 meters in diameter. The entire structure (including the electron cloud) is described as 168.27 meters in diameter, with a height of 75.91 meters. I’d be hard pressed to fit even thirty-five spheres of that size into that volume. * He describes the user of lead-lined vests to counteract the lower gravity on the moon. This would only provide exercise for the legs, which would leave the subject with atrophied muscles in most of the body, and skeletal deterioration in the arms, neck and head. * Despite the availability of “thought-link patches” to interface to computer systems, he has attendees at meetings taking notes with pencil and paper In addition, I found some of the editing faux pas painful. It SEEMS as though Mr. Daniels had the benefit of some spell checking and grammar checking, but he occasionally creates new words (contemptual for contemptuous), and frequently chooses the wrong homonym (“phase” for “faze”), and occasionally misspells his own neologisms (Kinematic for Kinemetic). I’m now reading a different author’s novel that is equally complex and innovative. The writing is far clearer; the story line is far easier to follow; the science more reasonable; and the characters have more variety. I wish I could be more positive about this book – but I can’t.
  • The After Cilmeri Series Duo: Footsteps in Time & Prince of Time on Jan. 25, 2015

    These novels deserve more than a 5. We're talking well thought out science, detailed and accurate history and culture, believable and attractive characters, and rocking good adventure (without the "Perils of Pauline" effect).