Synchronicity Trilogy (Omnibus) by Michael McCloskey

Synchronicity Trilogy Omnibus by Michael McCloskey
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DESCRIPTION: The same story told three times from three radically different points of view: characters in the Western world, the Chinese bloc... and the mysterious Spinners. The tale doesn't read the same each time, and there's plenty of new discoveries along the way to keep it interesting for the second and third points of view.

The setting: circa 2077, several giant corporations have moved into space to avoid oppressive governments owned by the competition. The Western world is in loose alliance, led by the United States, Brazil, and the European Union. Opposing them for world domination is the Chinese bloc, with a sphere of influence that spans the Eastern world, including what was once Japan. If you don't work for a big company or government, then you're one of billions living at subsistence level with little hope for a better future. But the resources to support an aging Earth will come from the rest of the solar system, where governments and companies are reaching out to seize the new frontier and control the new world order.

REVIEW: When I picked up the Synchronicity Trilogy Omnibus, I determined to read at least the first book. Then, if it merited a fair to middling grade, I would begin the second book with hopes of finding improvements.

My reading of the first book, Insidious, started off poorly, my having been tripped up by the odd use of a word in the very first sentence. Not a good way to begin! Things proceeded choppily thereafter.

I felt confused more often than not, and the confusion had nothing to do with the mystery at the heart of the novel and everything to do with the initially poor writing. The writing did improve, however, and my confusion began to ease.

Then about 40 percent through the book, the answer to the mystery at the heart of the plot was sprung suddenly without the usual building tension. In other words, the pacing felt all wrong. That was so off-putting that I had to put the book aside for awhile and began reading something else.

On returning to Insidious, I found myself checking to see how many chapters remained before the end. (Another bad sign.)

One of the female characters, Cinmei, was so badly fleshed out as to be comical. The reader learns that she's a spy for the Chinese government. Yet this spy is subsequently overtaken and duped, in the space of a minute or two, by a corporate executive. McCloskey gives Cinmei no more substance than a paper doll.

I persevered and finished Book One. The end was OK, but rather abrupt and left too much unexplained. Still, I thought, perhaps Book Two would answer the unexplained. More important, given Ingenious relates the same events from the Chinese perspective, perhaps the paper doll Cinmei would become a credible character.

It didn't get any better. I read about one third of the second book. Cinmei (now 'Xinmei') was apparently recruited by the Chinese government while she was still in high school and TRAINED to be a spy. Yet she thinks thoughts like these, we are supposed to believe, and all too frequently:

"If only Feng [the boyfriend] were here, he'd smash this awful man to a pulp for me. But he isn't. So I will have to do it myself."

and again…

"She wished Feng could be there to fend the man off, but of course he was so very far away."

Oh… my... hero…

GAG.

I won't be reading the rest of the trilogy.

McCloskey does best when describing military strategy and engagements. He does poorly creating believable, fully fleshed out characters - especially strong female characters - and believable associations, dialogues and relations among the characters.

View all my reviews