ISBN: 0-06-105426-7 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com
Reviewed by David on August 28, 2005
Genre: Science Fiction (Politics)
Synopsis: Tom Lasker, a farmer in North Dakota, has a problem: there is a fin sticking out of the ground in the middle of his field. Digging it out proves more difficult than he expected; eventually, an intact, stylish yacht is extracted from the ground. Tom asked a friend of his, Max Collingwood, to investigate the puzzle of the buried yacht. The more Max looks into the local curiosity, the more excited he becomes. Particularly when the test show that its building material was not manufactured on earth. Could the nearly indestructable leisure craft be left over from 10,000 years ago, when the farmland was in the middle of a huge lake?
Full Review: The novel's premise is intriguing, as are the characters. Tom, Max, and others involved in the puzzle of the yacht are all very human, with weaknesses and strengths, dreams and fears. The initial investigation is both natural and exciting. However, the conclusion seems weak, with convential politics and a handful of stereotypes thrown in to create predictable complications.
Overall: 6; Plot: 5; Characters: 6; Style: 5.5; World-building: 5; Originality: 6;
Copyright date 1996, HarperCollins (Eos), August 2000, Mass market paperback, 372 pages
ISBN: 0-06-105426-7 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com