- Paperback: 208 pages
- Publisher: Ace Books (May 1983)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0441798462
- ISBN-13: 978-0441798469
- Product Dimensions: 17.3 x 10.4 x 1.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 113 g
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
First rate sci-fi thriller, scary and did i mention, scary?, Jun 2 1996
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Tartarus Incident (Paperback)
This book, though never hugely popular, is one of my
absolute personal favorites...I read it in one sitting, and
was afraid of the dark for about a week after. Gripping
story-line, plenty of humor and too much adrenaline...read
this book!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Science, horror and human error, April 30 2010
By M-I-K-E 2theD "2theD" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Tartarus Incident (Paperback)
From the front cover: `Trapped in the catacombs of a decaying planet, five desperate space travelers are stalked by the only thing in the universe hungrier than Man.'
The above is a very enticing mini-synopsis but mostly describes the plot condition in the last half of the novel; the horror part of this science fiction/horror novel. The first half of the novel is an original and well-written piece of science fiction. If it were to have a similar mini-synopsis, it would read, `Stranded in the desert of a searing planet, five auditors are coping with the only thing in the universe more dreadful than Taxes.' That dreadful thing is the long running basis of the plot: the accumulation of human error.
The style of writing is nondescript but lends itself to be easy on the brain, where it can easily be read in the span of 3-4 hours or within two days of on and off reading. The first half of the short book is the inventive science fiction bit. Greenleaf has the sense to create a novel propulsion unit for the ship, which inevitably goes haywire and strands the crew on the arid planet. This half is full of tense scenarios and tricky problem solving. Intermixed, irritating and interrupting the easy flow of reading are random childhood memories of some of the crew. These insights don't cast a new light on any of the fairly generic crew of five auditors. The second half is the horror section of this book, which takes place in an underground labyrinth. The maze of passageways is detailed but still lacks a defining characteristic: it's dark, it's full of creepy crawlies and it's dilapidated.
The resulting tectonic shift of the plot is rather annoying as Greenleaf had an excellent, classic sci-fi novel on his hands as the plot itself was problem-solution based. Sporadic science-based are included in the second horror half, easing up on the intensity involved down below in the arid catacombs of a scorched planet. All in all, it's not such a bad novel as it's a quick and easy read but the story still sticks in your mind due its trying circumstances, terror filled darkness and the realization that sometimes situations are out of our hands because of accumulated human negligence.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved the very human characters, Nov 28 2002
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Tartarus Incident (Paperback)
I enjoyed the book not so much for the SF (although that was good, also), but for the interaction and character development. It was very believable. Greenleaf must have worked for the same bureaucracy that I had worked for! Also, it's rare for me to sit and read a book in one night. I get tired and bored easily, but this one held my attention. Good job, Greenleaf!
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