Review – Drayling

Title: Drayling

Author: Terry J. Newman

Genre: Science Fiction

Publisher: Indepenpress Publishing

Publish Date: March 2011 (first edition)

ISBN-10: 1907499911

Available at: Amazon – Barnes and Noble

From Amazon:

Twenty-fifth century Drayling, and Britain as a whole, has benefited greatly from advances in technology and medical science, and life in the Graves’ household, and in those of their friends and colleagues, is secure, clear and very content. The desire and need for clarity, truth and order has motivated communities to live in harmony, abandoning any potentially controversial aspects or ways of life, including all religions, in favour of a modern civilised society that upholds order, simplicity, honesty, love and honour as its ideals.

Review:

We find ourselves peeking into the lives of Uri, the Local Historian, and his son Marius. They rebel against changes their government institute against their community, Drayling. Specifically, a name change. They find that the motives behind the name changes shake the basic values they have for the society they hold dear.

While we hear a lot about the society of Drayling and their country, the BFF I didn’t get any sense or picture of the community or culture.  While there are word usages such as “thence” and “whilst”, high technology is in place giving you a sense of confusion over the lack of detail for the rest of the overall feel for the culture. I also wondered why in the twenty-fifth century, why the women were relegated as homemakers and as secondary decision makers.  Was this part of their culture? Did women’s rights regress back to the nineteen-fifties? If it did. then why were they so adamant about joining the cricket’s team as equals? And then why did the men include them in some discussions and not others for fear of “worrying them”?

There was no visualization of what kind of world they actually lived in. I couldn’t envision the setting in which they dwelled in. There was little to no imagery of this self-sufficient village, if it was a village, that they were living in and fighting for. Sometimes I got the impression of a rural village. Sometimes I got the impression of a high-tech industrial complex. This vaguery left me confused.  Was this a hybrid Amish/Factory complex?

This is a very slow-moving book that’s very concerned with the minutiae of details when it came to specifics. For example, the technology they did use was described in detail. Each step of their insurgence was plotted out to a nicety. On one hand it was nice to know the author had such thoroughness. On the other hand, I became a little impatient with the book and I wished for a quicker pace.

I did like the way the book came to an end.  It was very satisfying and it almost made up for the books many flaws.

I would recommend this book to the patient reader who truly loves science fiction. The plot is well thought out. It could be a rewarding book in the end.

 

 

*I received a free copy of this book for an honest review.

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