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Loading... Faith (edition 2012)by John Love
Work InformationFaith by John Love
   None No current Talk conversations about this book.  patrickgarson | Aug 2, 2013 |   The good news: two very interesting alien species and excellent writing. I'm not sorry I read this, but I will read reviews before investing in Love's second novel. (  ) nmele | Apr 6, 2013 | The general premise is that there is a ship, or something that appears to be a ship, that visits interstellar civilizations and destroys portions of their militaries. It never attacks non-threatening targets. Then it leaves. After it leaves, the civilizations inevitably go into social, cultural, and technological decline, eventually losing the capacity for space flight. They "turn away from each other" and become less together than they are alone. Humanity has encountered the remnants of other civilizations that have encountered this ship, which is nicknamed Faith, and has made some preparation for its own inevitable encounter. These preparations take the form of ships crewed by high-functioning sociopaths. By allowing no others to come in close contact with Faith, humanity hopes to buffer itself against the aftereffects which destroyed other cultures that encountered Her. It's a good read, and highly recommended. Somewhat disturbing, of course, since it is largely told from the point of view of sociopaths. (  ) eviljosh | Mar 31, 2013 | ) david.ww1 | Jun 25, 2012 | no reviews | add a review
Moby Dick meets Duel in John Love's debut novel of Space Opera and Military Science Fiction! Faith is the name humanity has given to the unknown, seemingly invincible alien ship that has begun to harass the newly emergent Commonwealth. 300 years earlier, the same ship destroyed the Sakhran Empire, allowing the Commonwealth to expand its sphere of influence. But now Faith has returned! The ship is as devastating as before, and its attacks leave some Commonwealth solar systems in chaos. Eventually it reaches Sakhra, now an important Commonwealth possession, and it seems like history is about to repeat itself. But this time, something is waiting: an Outsider, one of the Commonwealth's ultimate warships. Slender silver ships, full of functionality and crewed by people of unusual abilities, often sociopaths or psychopaths, Outsiders were conceived in back alleys, built and launched in secret, and commissioned without ceremony. One system away from earth, the Outsider ship Charles Manson makes a stand. Commander Foord waits with his crew of miscreants and sociopath, hoping to accomplish what no other human has been able to do -- to destroy Faith! Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors. No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.92Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 2000-LC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.16)
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Wikipedia in English
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No one knows where the spaceship Faith comes from, or what it wants, simply that the last time it came through the galaxy it ended an empire. But this empire has the Outsiders, ships with cutting edge technology and iconoclastic crews. But will this outsider be able to outsmart something so alien?
Much of the book takes the form of a duel and pursuit, as seen from the bridge of the Charles Manson - the most dangerous Outsider ship of all. The author manages to ratchet up the tension quite effectively. The claustrophobic confines of the bridge aid in this, as do the unusual - if not sociopathic - crew. Underlying everything is the central question of what Faith is, and what it wants.
Unfortunately, the answer when it comes, is weak if not outright cliche. This is compounded by the fact that Love gives no real clues or development that could lead a reader to this answer. Thus, it feels like a deus ex machina when Faith's purpose is revealed, and a poor, deflating one at that.
Nonetheless, I found much of the book interesting and original, and I'm interested to see what Love can produce next. (