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Debatable Space by Philip Palmer (view source)
Revision as of 10:32, 11 August 2020
, 10:32, 11 August 2020no edit summary
{{infoboxinfobox1
|title=Debatable Space
|author=Philip Palmer
|date=August 2008
|isbn=978-1841496207
|amazonukcover=<amazonuk>1841496200</amazonuk>|amazonusaznuk=1841496200|aznus=<amazonus>0316018929</amazonus>
}}
After years of writing for television and radio, Philip Palmer has switched to novel writing and has landed himself in the science fiction genre for his debut release, ''Debatable Space''. Being such a popular genre, it's difficult to find anything new to say, so to stand out any new writer has to have something different. Palmer has managed that, but only in part.
Firstly, he manages to surprise by making a hero out of a space pirate. This isn't a unique idea, as it's something that Ben Bova has done and the central character in Piers Anthony's [[''Bio of a Space Tyrant]] '' series started off as a space pirate. But whereas Anthony's pirate turned to politics, Palmer's remains a pirate throughout.
It's a fun idea, following Flanagan as he prepares to kidnap Lena, the daughter of the Cheo, who just happens to be the ruler of the galaxy. His plan is to ransom her for lots of money, using the secrets he knows about Lena to persuade the Cheo to pay. Unfortunately, the Cheo has other plans and so we follow Lena, Flanagan and his crew as they try to come up with and pull off a Plan B.
Palmer is a decent writer and parts of the book, particularly when the pirates are in action, are an enjoyable read and keep moving along pretty quickly. Flanagan has a devious mind, which allows for some fiendish plans and twists that I didn't see coming, but which I thoroughly enjoyed. Sadly, the back story is unable to keep up the same pace, which does make ''Debatable Space'' a slightly patchy experience.
This really is the essence of the novel; when Palmer is good he can be very good, with some wonderful ideas taking their place in a well -plotted and exciting adventure story. But when he's not writing that, he seems to have too many ideas falling over each other and getting in the way of the story until they are all on the page. Had Palmer concentrated on the action, this would have been a much shorter, but much more entertaining book. As it is, there is room for improvement, but the basics are certainly there and make Philip Palmer a writer worth watching out for.
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy of the book to The Bookbag.
We've also enjoyed [[Artemis by Philip Palmer]].
{{amazontext|amazon=1841496200}}