Robert G. Williscroft

Operation Ivy Bells is about submarine warfare and espionage during the Cold War...a novel that cloaks quite a lot of history. Of course, there's some embellishment of the history; including a giant squid attack, but at other times, one cannot even begin to tell what is truth and what is fiction. it reads more like a memoir, makes one wonder? Perhaps, the author overstates the political consequences of a mistake--just for the sake of drama? While this was a great book, I'm not inclined to suspend belief and continue with the "Mac McDowell" series.… (mais)

Slingshot: Building the Largest Machine in Human History is a hard science fiction novel based on a design concept developed by Keith Lofstrom in the 1980s. The story is about the construction and first trial of a launch loop, a machine designed to launch spacecraft at a much lower cost than the rockets in use today. The idea is fascinating and the description in this book is thorough and highly technical. Here's a sample:

As Slingshot continued to bootstrap itself skyward, teams on Baker and Jarvis performed virtually identical actions. Initially, they loosely passed the skytower cable through the anchoring loops in the sockets. As the rail moved up, they fed cable from a huge reel located on a barge in the harbor, keeping it loose, without tension. Simultaneously, they attached the lift-cable suspensor to the skytower cable every five hundred meters with aramid-based polymer rings. Both the lift and boost cable passed through meter-long tubes connected to each ring that were lined with neodymium magnets. These tubes restrained the cables without friction...

Although the technical descriptions in Slingshot are intricate, the relationships between the characters do not have that level of careful detail, lots of physical intimacy, but little emotional intimacy. There is one “relationship” that is explored in depth, but it's not between two living characters. It is between Margo, the chief engineer, and her mental image of Amelia Earhart, whose plane had gone missing in the same part of the world where the Slingshot project was taking place. Her feelings for her hero are intense.

Another issue I had with the story was the opposition to the launch loop. Any project of this magnitude is going to have problems. The pros and cons should be explored equally. In his novel, Williscroft created Green Force, an extremist group of naïve people who conduct violent opposition to the project and are easily dissuaded from their goals. As the story goes on, the reason for this weak opposition is revealed, but the book is left without any science based explanation of the cons.

Slingshot introduced me to an idea that could have a major impact on the future of space exploration. I loved reading about it and enjoyed the concept enough to check out the Wikipedia page for the launch loop ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Launch_... ). Slingshot is a perfect book for people who like reading about new technical ideas. I believe fans of shows such as National Geographic's Mars will enjoy this read.

Steve Lindahl – author of Motherless Soul, White Horse Regressions, Hopatcong Vision Quest, and Under a Warped Cross… (mais)

My original Slingshot audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

What if space travel was made affordable for every single person on the planet? What if space travel could be proven to be eco-friendly and safe? Would you go?

Slingshot: The Starchild Series written by Robert Williscroft is a multi-faceted book. It will appeal to science fiction, romance, adventure and conspiracy enthusiasts alike.

This is a story about one man’s dream to build a launch loop that can send anyone and everyone to outer space affordably and eco-friendly. The building of the launch loop is amazingly detailed and the building of the sky tower is an action packed adventure. Each step of the book from the idea to the design to the building is realistic and made more so by Williscroft’s detailed descriptions.

Furthermore, Williscroft brings in all the people involved – the divers, the Mohawk high iron workers, the misguided environmentalists, machinists, dolphins, construction workers, hi-financers and more. He shows you small slices of their lives – what they do, how they love, where they come from and that they all share a common dream. The story talks about the doers and the behind the scene people who make everything happen but who are nothing more than mere shadows. Williscroft allows these people to shine in this book – they are the heroes.

Williscroft brought this idea to life through his attention to detail, his descriptive and precise wordsmithing. His story flows smoothly albeit very detailed. He develops his characters with great care and a fullness that leaves the listener connected to the story line and characters. Williscroft immerses his listener fully into the story and keeps them there throughout.

Several twists at the end will leave the reader gasping and stunned; it is a story that should not be missed by anyone who enjoys science fiction and space travel!

Williscroft’s attention to detail, at times, became a bit overwhelming but I would say it was necessary to make it realistic. This is an epic audiobook of 13 hours but I found myself having a hard time shutting it off. My attention was being focused and held firmly enabling me to visualize the launch loop and experience the adventure and the emotional toil the ending takes.

The narrator, Trenton Benton performs the audiobook very well. He is talented in the different characters he portrays. I found his performance enjoyable and pleasant. My only dislike was a good portion of his female voices which were too high-pitched making them sound unprofessional and too young. However, I thought he did a great job.

There were no issues with the audio production of this audiobook. Everything was clear and concise.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author.… (mais)