The Bridge: A Science Fiction Survival Story

I enjoyed this book. The setting in particular is quite fascinating: a pre-industrial society aboard a spaceship. Yet as much as I enjoyed the story, there was a distinct lack of cohesion and tightness that a professional editing process imbues. Beyond that, I felt most of the characters were a little flat and didn't have the requisite complexity or depth for me to truly enjoy them. If I were able, I'd actually rate this 3.5 stars. However, the ending and plot hook for the sequel makes me round up rather than down. Ultimately, while I would recommend this book it would be more so for the promise of the author rather than the quality of the prose.

This book intends to show the triumph of knowledge and wisdom over ignorance. The inhabitants of a damaged generation colony ship not only have lost their knowledge and culture, but they don't seem to value it anymore. Unfortunately, too many inconsistencies make this story less enjoyable.

The main issue is that the extent of the ignorance of the antagonists and most other characters is unsustainable. They consistently act against their self-interests and chances of survival. In a completely automated ship that took care of their every need, this kind of attitude could be expected. But not among groups of farmers that ensured their own survival for generations. We are expected to believe it's due to tradition, but even the stauncher traditionalists seem to accept knowledge and learn just fine whenever it's inconvenient for the protagonist and self-destructive.

The situation improves slightly from the second part forward, as the initial protagonist is no longer the sole working mind trying to save the people, but we are introduced to another set of antagonists so savage and self-destructive, it's to wonder how could such a group persist. Their glee for violence and disregard for their own well-being makes them seem more like a zombie horde than a group of people. The antagonists do not seem like characters in their own right, but one-dimensional embodiments of the flaws of the society the protagonists must fight against.

Ultimately, the story has an interesting premise but weak characters and a contrived opposition make it fall short.

Found the book via Reddit.

The writing is decent, the story is bland, and the characters are mostly forgettable.
Lacks exposition on a number of things. I found myself wanting it to end fairly quickly.

For $3 it's not the worst thing I've read but I wouldn't recommend it.

NOTE: The author graciously gave me a copy of this book and asked me to write a review.

Lengthy interplanetary colonization voyages seem to be a trending topic in science fiction these days, but most of the time, the would-be colonists get through the decades or centuries of travel by simply sleeping their way through it. In Leonard Petracci’s imaginative tale, “The Bridge,” however, there are no temporal shortcuts; instead generations of colonists live and die as the ship makes its way to the descendants’ eventual new home. And because the ship represents the perfect example of a closed ecosystem, the author engages in some fascinating literary experimentation with the system he created with some startling results.

As in most science fiction novels, things don’t go smoothly for the passengers of this massive vessel that carries thousands of passengers. Centuries earlier, an asteroid hit the ship and split it nearly in two, with the two sections connected only by a single passageway. This nearly complete bisection of the ship results in two separate mini-civilizations springing up, each eventually with only the vaguest memories through reference books and passed-down folklore of the other. Eventually, however, the twain do meet, as the ship suddenly begins repairing itself, and the two halves rejoin with a distinct culture shock. Further, this reunion occurs at a time when the ship has nearly exhausted its supplies of food and fuel, meaning that those who few onboard who still have better knowledge of operation of the ship have to take action quickly to save the lives of those on board.

I haven’t gone much into the details of the story here because I don’t want to detract from the highly intricate and fascinating speculations that the author engages in. When reading this book, I felt like the naturalists arriving on the Galapagos Islands and seeing the odd varieties of animal life that had evolved. Let’s just say that the twin societies that develop in “The Bridge” exhibit many of the flaws that plagued mankind here on earth. Aggression, nepotism, bureaucracy, blind belief in tradition vs. science, and a whole host of other flaws have shaped the societies on this ship and threaten the future of everyone on board.

In addition to being an interesting exercise in speculative science fiction, “The Bridge” is also an action adventure. There’s a lot of combat and fighting here, shaped by the unique contours of a space ship and the limited weaponry that most of the passengers possess. Due to the narrow corridors, a few trained fighters can and do hold off larger forces that don’t have long-range weapons. The author isn’t quite as good at describing the ins and outs of the combat as some readers might like, but the set-up makes perfect sense here.

Similarly, some of the characterizations are a bit stereotyped. The villains are rather stock characters, and at one point, the author resorts to having one fairly important character, a strong but rather simple man, engage in “Me Tarzan, you Jane” type of conversation. However, the two main characters, who emerge as de facto leaders of the two sides of the ship, are very well developed, as the author follows them from childhood on, revealing their education and gradual transformation into the exact types that the ship needs.

Overall, I was very impressed by the thought and detail that went into the writing of “The Bridge.” The author efficiently describes two separate societies over the first half of the book, then resolves the eventual crises they face. Fans of both adventure-style science fiction and the more speculative variety will both find this book enjoyable. In addition, although the book is self-contained, the author sets up a sequel quite nicely, even including a teaser at the end to pique reader interest. Readers will definitely want to get onboard this ship and admire the view from its bridge.

After Waiting for this book to come out after months of waiting i bought this book and was not disappointed at all. The pace is fast but easy to follow, the plot is near impossible to predict, and the characters are realistic and personable. I cant wait to see what Leonard Petracci will come up with in the next book.

This was a great read. Found that the characters were easy to care about, with a plot that was interesting and well thought out. Book left me with a good ending but also wanted me having more which is great.