The Explorer - Review

The Explorer
by James Smythe © 2013
HarperCollins
ISBN 9780062229519

I borrowed this Kindle ebook from my Public Library online Overdrive system.

Three parts. First person. Speculative fiction.

The official book blurb:
When journalist Cormac Easton is selected to document the first manned mission into deep space, he dreams of securing his place in history as one of humanity's great explorers.
But in space, nothing goes according to plan.
The crew wake from hypersleep to discover their captain dead in his allegedly fail-proof safety pod. They mourn, and Cormac sends a beautifully written eulogy back to Earth. The word from ground control is unequivocal: no matter what happens, the mission must continue.
But as the body count begins to rise, Cormac finds himself alone and spiraling toward his own inevitable death...unless he can do something to stop it.

I was drawn to James Smythe's The Explorer, by the intriguing cover design. I found the writing good and the emotions of protagonist of Cormac Easton believable. I didn't like or dislike him--was merely curious to see where the events led. The psychological elements of crew interaction are interesting, but hinge greatly on information that is given in dibs and dabs throughout the book; perspective of them keeps changing. Some of the science elements seems sketchy, but since the story is from Cormac's POV (and he's a science Luddite) maybe that doesn't matter.

I felt the story strung out a bit too long, especially the flashbacks to Cormac's life and dissolving marriage to Elena. Cormac-on-the-ground is boring. I found myself skimming much of Part 2 and 3 because it seemed repetitive with just slightly different slants from before. I realize this repetition is some of the essence of the story and meant to build tension; I wasn't tense. Toward the end, I studied what I read more closely to understand the denouement of the story. This prompted me to return to earlier parts of the book, because a few things didn't jibe. Even on re-reading, certain major factors didn't work.

I don't want to tell too much because I hate giving spoilers. Best I can do is to say The Explorer is something each reader has to experience without forewarning. The review responses on Goodreads run the gamut from 5-star to 1-star. Whatever, it's a good mental exercise to see if you can figure out what's happening.