The Anderson/Beason team is at it again after "Assemblers of Infinity" with a mix of futuristic technology applied to surviving the nuclear holocaust that took place on earth as the former superpowers slugged it out with their arsenals of A-bombs. Stranded in space, several nations struggle to come to terms as to how to survive in their isolated stations under these dire circumstances without any hope of ever making it back home.
Aside from the tired "old cliché" and frankly boring "déjà vu" that seeps from the old cold war remnants, the ever effective "Anderson/Beason" template spins out its story with the usual plots, twists and turns and serves a delicious mayonnaise of suspense, horror, murder, manipulation and sheer stupidity, masterfully blended into a huge salad of inventiveness, brilliance, open mindedness and credibility. There is not a shred of doubt that these subjects were researched well beyond professional standards, these two authors take their subject well over the highest peaks of passion.
In short, more than only good value for money, "Lifeline" is as tall a story as they come; engrossing entertainment for anyone who claims belonging to the club of science fiction aficionados. In this far fetched scenario someone puts a gun to my head and asks me to choose between "Lifeline" and "Assemblers of Infinity" and I answer: "If I cant have both, you might as well pull that trigger."
