The blurb for Splinter:Splinter is a thought-provoking science fiction novel about faith, disaster and alien intelligence by one of the new masters of the genre.
When Hector discovers his father has channelled the family fortune into a bizarre cult who await the imminent destruction of the Earth, he is wracked by feelings of betrayal and doubt. Things change, however, the night an asteroid plummets from space and shatters the planet, leaving Hector and the remnants of the human race struggling for survival on a splinter of the earth. Astonishing SF from the new master of the genre.
Splinter is one of those novels that I suppose you'll either get straight away and enjoy or not. I've never read the original Jules Verne story on which this is based (and after reading this I have no desire to), but even in its own right the story doesn't live up to the blurb.
There really doesn't feel like there is any urgency or desperation to the situation, just the resigned acceptance by the cult that Hector Senior is right. Hector Junior simply will not believe that the Earth is destroyed - and who is to blame him? The relationship between father and son is strained and the cult living on the ranch doesn't do anything to help. This could be a prime plot device to give plenty of exploration and depth to the characters, but it feels secondary and brushed aside rather than looked into thoroughly. There are a few times when it looks like it is going somewhere, but this changes to focus on other, less interesting aspects of the plot.
Unfortunately Splinter was not for me and it has left me thoroughly underwhelmed, which is a shame as I was hoping for so much more from it.
Visit Adam Roberts' website here and that of publisher Solaris here.
Buy from: Amazon.co.uk, Play.com, The Book Depository
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