Chapter by Chapter features me reading one chapter of the selected book at the time and reviewing it as if I were a reviewing an episode of a TV show or an issue of a comic. There will be spoilers if you haven’t read to the point I have, and if you’ve read further I ask that you don’t spoil anything further into the book. Think of it as read-along book club.
Only two chapters left to go and I really want to get to the next book. It’s going to be a long one. Everybody is now racing towards the alien machine, and only one person knows what it does. That person is Douglas Quaid, who hasn’t been himself in a very long time. Now Cohaagen is ready to destroy what could be humanity’s last chance to survive. Yes, it’s a bit more important than the movie, but that’s what makes the adaptation so interesting.
Chapter 25: Reactor
The story starts with exposition as Quaid tells Melina about the machine, the No’ui, and Hauser’s plan to hide things from Cohaagen after Melina and the No’ui activated his conscience. And without typing the whole thing out I can’t begin to explain how weird and a bit silly it all sounds summarized like that. Personally I would have used a narration shortcut (“Doug told Melina about the machine, Hauser’s plan, and how the combination of his awoken love for her and the responsibility given him by the No’ui changed him.”) , but maybe Anthony thought showing Melina respond to Doug’s story was a good moment.
Then there’s a callback I didn’t see coming. Way back in the beginning of the book, and I don’t remember if I brought it up in summaries, there was talk on the news of novas that scientists couldn’t understand. For some reason, while Melina is searching for military frequencies she comes upon a news story in which they’re talking about another nova, which Quaid realizes were other test planets going boom because the locals screwed up and the No’ui are a literal-minded species who don’t believe in second chances. This kind of makes me think this WAS something cut from the final script or I just don’t remember the Novas’ part in the story.
Then it’s the mole fight between our heroes and Benny. Anthony does a good job describing events, but I don’t recall being able to see inside the cab of the moles in the movies so Quaid couldn’t be able to see Benny’s face before he died.
One more chapter to go. The future of mankind is on the line and how will Piers Anthony attempt to match the ambiguous end…and can he?
Next time: Decision
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