The Creative Fire

Reading much like a Young Adult story set in C.J. Cherryh's "Alliance-Union" universe, one follows the story of how protagonist Ruby Martin uses her talent as a singer to help foment a political uprising on a failing generation ship where the social order has turned corrupt. I have to admit that the story didn't exactly engage me and the author's admission that she cribbed much of her theme from the story of Evita Peron (no hero of mine) was an actual turn-off. That said, tensions are set up in the climax of this novel that might take the plot in interesting directions when the ship returns to its home world.

Nothing can match the power of a single voice...
Ruby Martin expects to spend her days repairing robots while avoiding the dangerous peacekeeping forces that roam the corridors of the generation ship The Creative Fire. The social structure of the ship is rigidly divided, with Ruby and her friends on the bottom. Then a ship-wide accident gives Ruby a chance to fight for the freedom she craves. Her enemies are numerous, well armed, and knowledgeable. Her weapons are a fabulous voice, a quick mind, and a deep stubbornness. Complicating it all-an unreliable A.I. and an enigmatic man she met - and kissed - exactly once-who may hold the key to her success. If Ruby can't transform from a rebellious teen to the leader of a revolution, she and show more all her friends will lose all say in their future.
Like the historical Evita Perón, Ruby rises from the dregs of society to hold incredible popularity and power. Her story is about love and lust and need and a thirst for knowledge and influence so deep that it burns.

My Thoughts:
This book was very disappointing. From the blurb I expected it to be about an inspiring heroine who does things to help her people similar to Eva Peron whom it is claimed that Ruby is modeled upon. I was very wrong. The characterization of Ruby and her friends falls flat in a world that encompasses a spaceship on its way "home" from a long multi-generational mission. Society on the ship is deeply segregated and people are bound by the colors of the clothing they wear. Ruby, being a grey, is only allowed on the lowest levels of the ship but aspires to be more than just a grey. Some of the relationships between Ruby and other characters fall flat as the story progresses. I enjoyed the sociological themes of the book but the delivery was less than perfect.

If you are looking for the details of inter-generational space flight this is not the novel for you. It is more about the relationships that develop in this small microcosm of a society stuck on a ship. It wasn't what I expected and I had a hard time finishing it. I will not be reading it's sequel. show less

Set on a generation ship, Brenda Cooper's novel The Creative Fire centers around Ruby Martin, a lowly bot tech who aspires to be more than her bottom-run gray status. When there is a serious accident on the ship, she uses it as an opportunity for advancement, falling in love with someone who has a higher status, since his uniform is blue. Inspired by the life of Eva Peron, Cooper creates a tense world inside the Creative Fire generation ship. A dystopian situation set inside the generation ship's pressure cooker environment forces Ruby to make some tough decisions. It also gives her an opportunity to advance because of her magnificent voice and the edifying songs she writers. Unfortunately, Cooper's prose is bland and flat. Reading this show more novel brought back memories of Robert Heinlein's much-beloved tale of interplanetary revolution, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. My reaction was much the same. "Wow, cool ideas! Why is the writing so horrible?" My other reaction to reading The Creative Fire was that I'm exactly not the right demographic for this. Teenage girls who enjoy the romance and political struggle of The Hunger Games might find this novel entertaining. Still, even if one writes for the tween audience, there's no excuse for writing this inert.

Out of 10/5.9, higher for fans of The Hunger Games and speculative fiction series with plucky female protagonists.

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A frustrating read. Ruby is a wonderful central character with a good supporting cast. The plot just doesn't work well enough and often isn't plausible.

"like the historic Evita Peron, Ruby rises from the dregs of society to achieve incredible popularity and power. Her story is about love, lust, need, and a thirst for knowledge and influence that is so deep it burns"

That their has been a power struggle on a multi generational ship and the way that it is supposed to work has been ammended by those in charge in thier favour is not a surprise. That their is a plucky young person who is going to shake this up is a common thread in many books I have read. The outcome and much of the action that takes place is familure to me in this book. However this book managed to keep me engaged. The character of Ruby managed to feel real, perhaps the link to the Evita story kept it real while the author show more was writing this.
This is a new author to me and I will be looking out of more show less