Chapter By Chapter> TekWar chapters 16 & 17

Chapter By Chapter features me reading one chapter of the selected book at a time and reviewing it as if I were 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.

In the previous chapter Jake finally met with Danenberg and we learned the Kittridges may not be the nice people we hoped they were. I can’t say I’m surprised because we aren’t allowed to have heroes anymore. What is their real plan for their anti-Tek device? Maybe this chapter we’ll learn a little more. Probably not everything, given that we aren’t even half-way through the book (though may be if not this week then next week), but hopefully it will be more story and less The Future!!!!!! in our future.

This is going to be a short chapter, about five pages in my copy plus another blank page between chapters. I’ve been theorizing this is where breaks in the story happen that would have been different parts of the book, or set up like the division between episodes but in book form. I kind of need a shorter chapter and it’s still long enough to follow my rules as to whether or not I group chapters for review purposes. I’m just saying there may not be much to say, but hopefully enough for a full article. WIth that, read the chapter and come back to this window or monitor so we can discuss it.

Actually, I wrote those two paragraphs before I started reading. It adds some authenticity to the intro if I actually don’t know what’s coming in case someone is reading along with me. (If you are, let me know.) As it ended up, disproving my blank page theory, chapter 16 flows into 17 as 17 starts with a comment that would have come at the end of 16. So I ended up reading both chapters. So let’s go over both chapters.

You know, if the gag with the aircar engine wasn’t here these could have been one chapter. It would have been a bit long but not by much. It’s also roughly five pages and not even full pages so cutting out the unnecessary aircar part it would have been maybe seven pages total. I couldn’t understand what was going on anyway. If you pull an engine to replace it…isn’t the flying car in the middle of falling? The scene seems way too calm for that, with Jake’s friend’s cousin putting the spare engine and the food in the wrong hatches. Are they trying to connect the flying car to changing a spare tire? Also, it’s not much of a “car” if Jake can actually walk around in the thing, more like a van or an RV. So we really didn’t need this scene.

Meanwhile they do a better job describing the jungle area where Kittiridge’s old base, and the base itself, look like I was able to get some kind of picture of the area in my head. Then Jake comes upon the naked Beth…android…and it goes into him trying to activate her, though the Bethdroid had to help in her own repair. It’s a much better scene and while Jake still doesn’t know where he’s seen Beth before he does learn the Kittridges were paying attention to him as a lawman involved in the whole Tek situation.

Chapter 16 ends with the naked body on the table, remarking “It was Beth Kittridge”, but when I go into chapter 17 to put in the book mark it starts “But it wasn’t Beth Kittridge”, which is a flow that made me continue through the chapter. Let’s call her “Bethdroid” to tell them apart. I may end up calling her just Beth for convenience sake starting next chapter or interchange between Beth and Bethdroid because I don’t want to confuse the real Beth with her android decoy if we get to the point of discussing both characters or the differences between the two. She’s fully aware of what she is but still refers to the doctor as her father, which makes sense. Not only did he build her but she has all or at least enough of Beth’s memories to pass for her, which is her function. She’ll be Jake’s partner for much of this story if memory serves so I’m curious to see the dynamic between the pair.

We’ll see how this turns out next time. Will we need two chapters again or can we make it with just one? What does Bethdroid know about Beth and the doctor’s goals? They were off to meet Bennett Sands so maybe we’ll be meeting him soon as well? We’ll see what happens next time.