Review by Michael Smith
THE POWER PLAY TO END THE CAR
by B. B. Bunting
E-book
127 pages letter size
The book is concerned with issues such as pollution, climate change, and especially the use of the motorcar using fossil fuel and advocates another system, of an electric car, the system of which I have not completely understood for, for some reason, the author's description of it leaves me baffled.
While the system of the Amcars, even though I have not completely understood it from what I have managed to read of the book (I lost interest when historical and geographical data went haywire), seems quite interesting it is not, except for towns and cities, and will not, be able to replace the car.
However, that does not mean that the car has to be powered by the infernal combustion engine, or at least by one running petroleum or biofuels of the manufactured sort, for they could use methane, that is to say sewage gas, for which some were initially invented, such as the Ford Model T. It can be electric and for most cars this will work nicely.
He author of the book does try to get away from the rubber tire as the dust from those are a dangerous pollutant and this is a point well made. I am for instance someone who has a permanent case of sinusitis due to such road dust – so the doctor told me many years back.
The author tends to switch, so at least it does appear to me as a reader, from third person to first person at times and also the book, such as it is, is in urgent need of and editor and proof reading. It does rather have a number of errors and also seems to not been properly edited. Good work but still needs tidying up.
Throughout the book the author also tends to use at times uppercase letter where it is not required and also not appropriate such as in “Great uncle”, for instance, and this is, as indicated, a reoccurring event.
Furthermore it would have been good to have done some more research on the periods in questions, such as the First World War and also of England, as Shrewsbury is NOT in Wales but in England and has always been thus.
The description of the air battle and the use of Fokker WWI aircraft supposedly shot down over England, while making for a nice story, just is not a feasibility. Research, research and yet more research when writing even a fiction novel.
This is when other parts of the story that are supposed to be real and of value come to be disbelieved.
The concept of this wheel-less car sounds rather interesting and especially as it is powered by electricity and it would indeed be great if such a concept could become reality. However, while I am no technician and while I am well aware to what lengths the petroleum lobby is prepared to go to stop anything that could diminish their profits, with all the other things in this book I am a little dubious as to how genuine this all may be.
I finally gave up when the historical and geographical “facts” were a complete mess.
Sorry, but... the way the book is at the present moment the reader will soon lose interest, at least when the story becomes muddles as regards to time scale and such and this will make the book just a waste of time.
Nice try... but... to make it into a believable novel fiction novel even things need cleaning up, research must be conducted properly, and the storyline must be firm and the narration must be either first, second or third person and not a switching from one to the other, with the exception where this is the right way to go.
As said, the ideas presented, once cleaned up, are interesting and with the right storyline will make great reading, the book as it stands is not one that people will read easily, and especially not those that like data and facts of history and geography to be correct. Research is very important for a novel of any kind. Any author who neglects proper and accurate research does so at his or her own peril.
It would not have taken much to check on some of the stuff, such as the location of the town of Shrewsbury. The Internet especially can provide the correct answer here. So, once again, research.
I can but suggest that the author takes the book in hand once again, gets hold of a good editor and a proof reader or two and especially sorts out some of the research stuff. We may then be able to talk about this again.
On the other hand, maybe, just maybe, the concept of the Amcars should not have been attempted to be presented as a fiction novel but as a more or less treatise of sorts, though one that could have been written in such as way as to make it fun to read.
© M Smith (Veshengro), 2009
<>
The power play to end the car – Book Review
