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Sundoom by Tony Hollett
01/02/2004 . Source: Katie McGivern 
pub: Vanguard Press. 257 page enlarged paperback. Price: £ 7.99(UK). ISBN: 1-843860-10-4. Buy from Amazon US - Buy from Amazon UK
nb: US titles may only be available from Amazon US, and UK titles from Amazon UK. check out website: www.pegasuspublishers.com and www.sundoom.htmlplanet.com
In Sundoom, the story is split into two time zones, pre and post-nuclear holocaust. The post-nuclear holocaust people can time travel and in a desperate race to change history before the Sun overwhelms the Earth.
The pre-holocaust people are living unaware that they soon will be destroyed all except one man, Daniel, who escapes into the future. He and an android called Commander One have to race to save the future and prove that Daniel isn't a boring old fart after all (the reason why his ex-wife left him).
Daniel is the typical dopey Science Fiction hero, unwillingly thrust into this adventure and very reactive. He only acts when faced with danger or bullied by the other characters.
I couldn't tell if this was supposed to be an accurate portrayal of modern man or a sly dig at mid-life crisis men. This had the overall effect of not caring about the main character in the novel. Commander One is a beautiful, brave, intelligent and resourceful android - who is so perfect that there is no flaws on which to snag my attention.
This book's main failing is that it is the wrong size. If it had been longer, Hollett could have examined the issues raised about time travel, shaping history and expanded the characters, both main and secondary, creating a thought-provoking intelligent read.
If it had been shorter, it could have been a tightly knit, well-crafted adventure story. As it is, it flounders between these two camps unable to decide what exactly it is.
This makes it a deeply unsatisfying read.
Katie McGivern
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