David R. Palmer

I don't usually write reviews but this was such a confusing book that I needed to explain, if only to myself, how I arrived at 3 1/2 stars. The book was such a mixture of bad things, (the impossible earthquake in California and the utterly yucky relationship of Candy and Rollo and a good many more) and good things (the joyful madness that is Terry Dactyl Foster, the very clever way he makes us believe in both the genius and childish limitations of Candidia and a good many more). By the way, I don't think Palmer was making fun of Robert A. Heinlein in the character of Rollo but giving a serious, plausible interpretation of his public and authorial persona and what might lie behind it. Anyway for the bad parts, 2 stars and for the good parts, 5 stars. Average them and you get 3 1/2.

Am I aware that this barely makes any sense? Yes, yes I am.

After I wrote the above, I read the other reviews and thought that I would note that it is back in print through Eric Flint's Ring of Fire Press. I bought it through Amazon (and the type is very readable).… (altro)

An eleven year old girl survives nuclear war in a fallout shelter. Candy writes her story for posterity, in shorthand in a series of journals. Extraneous words like pronouns and conjunctions are mostly left out. I had no issues with the style, because that is pretty much how I read anyway, and it perfectly matches Candy's personality. There is just the right amount of humour, and the plot gains momentum until I found myself reading at 1:30am, squinting as the letters got blurrier and blurrier. Despite Candy's age, the book is aimed at an adult audience. There were a couple of plot points that I had issues with, but enjoyed the rest of the book immensely. I'll buy a copy if it ever comes out for Kindle, but I won't buy a 1984 paperback version because the font is too hard on my eyes.… (altro)