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A review by saidboobily
A Hard Rain by Dean Wesley Smith
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
If you’ve ever heard or read any of Dean Wesley Smith’s writing advice, you probably know that he advises against revision and editing. His adherence to such advice shows in this book, because it’s obviously a first draft.
On pages 17 and 20, you’ll find nearly identical similes made for blood splatter at murder scenes. On pages 21 and 32, you’ll find a blatant contradiction in which a previously jettisoned warp core is inexplicably back in place but merely offline.
The resolution of the mystery is ridiculous. Picard uncharacteristically contemplates casual violence against an unnamed character for driving erratically. Most annoyingly—and I’m not one to whine about representation or sexual objectification—Dr. Beverly Crusher is almost constantly referred to in narration as “the Luscious Bev.” Toward the end of the book, for what I think is the only time, a character even refers to her as such as if it’s her actual name. To top that off, there’s an uncharacteristic sexual tension between Picard and Crusher throughout that feels as though Smith was told by his editor to tone it down. It’s there, but it feels like Smith is trying to hide it in plain sight until the last few chapters when it becomes more obvious.
Terrible book. No wonder Smith’s most notable works are Star Trek novels and the novelization of the X-Men movie.
One last thing: Smith claims in his lectures that he’s such a good mimic that he regularly does ghostwriting for major bestselling authors who’ve failed to meet a deadline. There are passages in this book where he’s clearly trying to ape Raymond Chandler. It’s like watching Michael J. Fox try to impersonate Michael Jackson.
On pages 17 and 20, you’ll find nearly identical similes made for blood splatter at murder scenes. On pages 21 and 32, you’ll find a blatant contradiction in which a previously jettisoned warp core is inexplicably back in place but merely offline.
The resolution of the mystery is ridiculous. Picard uncharacteristically contemplates casual violence against an unnamed character for driving erratically. Most annoyingly—and I’m not one to whine about representation or sexual objectification—Dr. Beverly Crusher is almost constantly referred to in narration as “the Luscious Bev.” Toward the end of the book, for what I think is the only time, a character even refers to her as such as if it’s her actual name. To top that off, there’s an uncharacteristic sexual tension between Picard and Crusher throughout that feels as though Smith was told by his editor to tone it down. It’s there, but it feels like Smith is trying to hide it in plain sight until the last few chapters when it becomes more obvious.
Terrible book. No wonder Smith’s most notable works are Star Trek novels and the novelization of the X-Men movie.
One last thing: Smith claims in his lectures that he’s such a good mimic that he regularly does ghostwriting for major bestselling authors who’ve failed to meet a deadline. There are passages in this book where he’s clearly trying to ape Raymond Chandler. It’s like watching Michael J. Fox try to impersonate Michael Jackson.