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write your own review of the Cynthia Wall, KA7ITT novels.
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N0ODK
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 6, 2006 20:01
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Very good books
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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These books are very good and a break from reading tech books about Ham radio but still reading about Ham radio. Very good for all ages.
Firewatch is out of print and Night Signals is said to be soon out of print. I have all but Firewatch
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N0XAS
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 11, 2005 05:59
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Keep in mind the target audience
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have bought all but one of Cynthia's books for my kids. I read the first couple, and found them to be about on the level of Hardy Boys, Three Investigators or similar books. These are clearly written for adolescent and pre-adolescent kids, and they're pretty much on target. I honestly cannot share the previous reviewer's feelings on the lack of rough language and violence; both are totally unneccessary and undesirable in books so clearly intended for this age range.
No, these are probably not Pultizer candidates. I don't think they need to be. We're talking about appealing to the 10 and 12 year old crowd, and they are right on target. My kids loved them. I was lucky enough to get signed copies of the first three or four, and they were especially impressed that they had copies that were actually signed by the author.
If you have kids (or grandkids) of reading age but under, say, 15 or 16, give them these. They'll probably read them and like them.
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N8DXR
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Rating: 4/5
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Oct 10, 2005 09:20
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Keep in mind the previous reviewers in this section...
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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because they give some very important tips on perspective to keep in mind...being a newspaper reporter for 15 years, I'm coming from a writer's point of view, so hold off on the knives while you let me have a shot at this set.
I checked out the entire series from my local library starting in August (something VERY serious got in the way, though; ended up giving the rotten bookmavens 30 bucks in fines, but we can let that go) and targeted a night to sit down and read these works. I'll take then one at a time, in the order of their appearance...
* Night Signals...did a quick check of the listed Zulu times and, unless my mental calculator is off a bit, Cyn is one hour short. The explanations of amateur related terms in parentheses are annoying; footnotes would have been far better and not has distracting. I had a hard time finding anything in the book (or in any of the sequels) that would give the reader a bare minimum description of the characters (hair/eye color, height, etc); that's a weakness there! You should at least be familiar with what they look like so you can refer back to characteristics to pick them out of crowds and situations, for example...
All in all, however, a great start to the series; plot is very believeable (more on that handicap as we go along here) and you can guess the happy ending outcome aforehand (hey, you gotta have reason for more books, right?). Nits keep it from a 5 score, but at very least give this one 4.8
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* Hostage In The Woods...more of a sanitized book; if this were more toward real life, you can probably guess what else would have happened to the female lead...one knockdown, and you can work me over on this but I speak as a writer: In a situation like this, NO SWEARING??? Come ON, folks, real life is anyting but sanitary...and I'll address this point at the end. Cover art is a little flaky, in my view, but still a somewhat good tale. I'll be charitable and give it a 4.9 but if allowed to I'd take another three-tenths off.
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* Firewatch (sadly, out of print...and there had better be a damn good reason WHY!!!)...need to give a little spoiler alert: The two weed growers do not add too much to the book (good grief, four of the six novels center around a criminal activity; there's more the life than that for conflict, folks -- try making finding a rent payment interesting) and the ending involving dropping the load of water/retardant near the lead characters' Jeep is, to say the least, a stretch of reality. Give this one a 4, although the scenes on fire patrols are well described. Awful cover art; a photograph would have been much better...
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* Easy Target...at least conflict between the two main characters is introduced, which makes for a more realistic opening; wouldn't call this story pedestrian but would not call it Pulitzer Prize material, either...still, in terms of the overall pace of plot and scene, perhaps the best of the six. Very well done cover art....rate this 4.9
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* Disappearing Act...again, another partly farfetched plot and some questionable scenes, but good writing on a second read (got this book two years ago and did not have much positive to say about it then; a little time, plus getting all of the books at once, gave me cause to change my mind). Decent cover art...how about a 4.8 for this work
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* A Spark To The Past...by a wide margin, the outright worst of the bunch. Forget the time travel theme and how things connect; this one is so laughable Rod Serling would have sent a form rejection letter. Still, a well written story that does leave some avenues open...but the plot is too ludicrous and farfetched to give this one any level of respect with the others. At worst, a 2.5; let me practice charity and give it a 3.
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So...would I recommend these works?
Answer: Yes to the *target* audience (juvenile fiction readers) but not fully to the more stereotypical amateur type (35 and up). Although they are decently written books, the biggest drawbacks they have are in the *plots*, as noted above. What is missing is the unexpurgation of reality, the reader's belief that these people could actually be in your lives at some point. You think I kid? Take any Pulitzer Prize winning novel and give it a readover...and yes, the books don't have to be written like "Catcher in the Rye" or such, but you DO as a writer have to ask yourselves how realistic you want your characters to be and behave!
You will notice I have not said a proofreader with Amateur Radio background would have been a good idea; I won't go that far because it would not surprise me if there was one involved, and on that point I will offer benefit of a doubt. But still, finding that simple a mistake in the first book (the time factor) does leave one unsettled...
The truly great Amateur Radio novel has NOT YET been authored...a work that takes into effect such matters as prejudices and failings, real life on an adult level that may not be successful, at least along the lines of a daytime soap opera (should be dope opera because you have to be out and out stupid to think that crap is real), and the like. These are a good introduction to our hobby for readers, but are they truly realistic? That's for YOU to decide, but from this end I have to use the spirit of Rod Newkirk's review of the old JST-145 xceiver: In a word, no, I cannot recommend them fully. Just to the point of what they were written to achieve, but not as high quality general fiction. And more is the pity on that end because Kim and Marc (the lead characters in this series) are two solid people that just need to be fleshed out deeper; as the possibilities are very intriguing!
OK, Cynthia, the pen's on your blotter and the paper is fresh and blank...your turn...
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N5VWN
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 31, 2003 05:57
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Enjoyed every one
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Admittedly, these seemed to be targeted towards the teenage and under group. But at 44 years old, I have enjoyed all six of her books on amateur radio and will buy anything she puts out on the subject. This hobby is sorley devoid of ham radio fiction. Thanks be to Cynthia for helping to fill the gap.
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N1OG
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 9, 2002 10:29
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My wife is a Ham, thanks to Cynthia Wall
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I couldn't get my wife interested in Ham radio until she read Cynthia Wall's book, "Hostage in the Woods". The book gave her a feminine perspective of what being a Ham is all about, plus it is an exciting story. All her books have character with interesting problems solved by Ham-related ingenuity. I highly recommend them to persons of any age wanting a good read with a radio twist, especially XYL's who might have an interest in Hamming.
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N9BOR
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 23, 2001 18:45
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Exciting!
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I read all of them to my son at bedtime when he was a little fellow. We both looked forward to them every night. I donated several to local school and public libraries. You can read a related story about the Cynthia Wall novels at:
http://www.arrl.org/members-only/extra/features/2000/09/13/1/
in ARRL Web Extra. Now my son is KB9YPC!
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N8IK
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 23, 2001 16:05
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kids love them
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Time owned: months
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Your harmonics will love these books. Exciting reading for 10-15 year olds. Kind of like the Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys stuff we read as kids.
73 de N8IK
Ian
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