Starship One
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Editorial Reviews
Product Description
When Daryl, Tyler and Robyn, entered through the gates of Avalon Park on a frigid December morning, they chanced to discover a hidden corner of the park where an unusual attraction lay remote and isolated. Daunting and foreboding, this Starship One seemed to let only the boldest enter within. Daryl and his friends knew that Starship One promised a rare and spectacular voyage into the infinite unknown, but they were also warned of uncertain dangers. No dream is so easily undertaken. Although the revolutionary Starship One can achieve wonders beyond comprehending, its capabilities turn out to be vastly untested, and a cosmic nightmare lying in the farthest corners of the known universe poses a threat to the starship and all who dare strap themselves in for the journey...
Customer Reviews
Craig Pauley Said: Starship One ( May. 26th 2009 )
"Starship One" was originally meant to be a short story, but inflated into a novella. And what an entertaining novella, as "SS1" is the best story contained within the pages of this book. The plot is about three teenagers who head to an amusement park for a day of fun. They encounter an accquaintance who tells them of a mysterious ride unlike anything they have ever experienced. The odd thing is, the ride is not on the map. The three friends manage to find the ride. The ride is not a simulation at all, but rather a revolutionary spacecraft known as "StarShip One" transporting them into the reaches of space and into the realm of Presley's imagination. The joy of sailing through real space shatters when their craft crashes on a spacerock. The friends must find a way to get back to Earth. The novella is a fun ride that never stops until the last page.
Presley has included three lesser stories to extend the length of time the reader spends in Presley's active imagination. "Captive Wings" may get flak from fans of James Patterson's popular "Maximum Ride" series, because it involves two girls who have been given wings through illegal genetic experimentation, exactly the same setup as the Patterson novels. When I mentioned this to Presley, he told me that he had never heard of Patterson or "Maximum Ride", so in the end, the story is still somewhat original.
"The Heart of Lucy", the shortest of the stories,is Presley's retelling of the Frankenstein story, and it is set in 1900's England. Though Presley is skilled when it comes to creating fantastical or modern settings, he has trouble with historical settings. The only indication of any sort that this story is set in the past is the date "March 23, 1900". I did not feel transported, and as a result this ends up being the weakest story of the four.
The best of the "Other Stories" is "Sky Watching". This unique narrative is set far into the future after aleins have saved mankind from nuclear destruction. Every year, on the first of June, the aliens may or may not come back to put on a display filled with sound, color, and light, to celebrate the occasion. Presley writes from the perspective of an old man looking back on one such First of June. I found the story to be very original.