Dining Out Around the Solar System Book 1 by Clare O'Beara Review
Introduction: There are four books in this series and I enjoyed them so much I read them all in quick succession. The topics include prejudice, climate change, relocating for employment, problems getting work after college, women's rights, immigration, and poverty. They are set in the future with people from other planets in our solar system now living on Earth. Many of the modern problems of society are interwoven in the texts. There are two protagonists who are book nerds — one is from Ireland (and hypersensitive) and one is multiracial. They are modest heroes. Clare O'Beara has also written many mysteries. The books are somewhat informational, and I would say they are multi-genre nonfiction and science fiction.Dining Out Around The Solar System Part One
Clare
O'Beara
Kindle Edition
Book 1
- ASIN: B00E4N30XS
This book has it all as far as I
am concerned! I like science and science fiction.
Please see also the reviews for book 2, book 3, and book 4.
Please see also the reviews for book 2, book 3, and book 4.
The protagonists, Donal and
Myron, are modest observant heroes who live in London and write reviews for the
zine news and later London’s Eye. Donal is Irish, hypersensitive,
and a food critic. Myron, with Jamaican grandparents, reviews adult
entertainment which is referenced mostly in passing throughout the books. What
they wear and what they notice about fashion is mentioned throughout the
story. How they take care to protect their reputations as reporters and
personal identity is explained. They have new editors and other reporters to
deal with, as well as sci-fi computers built into glass desks. The office
building has an antigrav lift. The cutting-edge electronics are well described.
Many of the restaurants Donal reviews are run by people from elsewhere in our solar system, such as Mercury
or Venus. Each review enlightens us a little more about life and culture in London in this future setting. "Food of Love,” for instance, is a review about a Venusian
place with all the tables set for couples. The restaurant has trouble arranging
seating a few more people for a small office party.
I like the descriptions such as
these few lines from this particular review:
“The staff keep hovering gently
in the background here, but never intruding, allowing one to focus on one’s
company. Pricey location for an office party, but the bright young things at
the other tables certainly appeared to find it romantic.”
Another food review is of
"Pluto’s Mr. Frosty Van." Donal realizes the Plutonians didn’t know
about ice-cream when they landed but have now mastered the art. Ice cream
becomes important in a later book for people from a different planet.
Workers who take six-month jobs
in space may arrive home with shuttle flu, which is also contagious to those living
on earth. The workers also have physical ailments from living in space that last about six months. Weil’s disease is new and colds are not usually mild
anymore. Futuristic illnesses impact the lives of the characters.
Donal figures out a way to earn
college credits which gives him more credibility as a reporter. That he figures
out a clever way to do this without having much money shows he is ingenious.
I love it that all through all
four books, Donal and Myron are “book nerds” and refer to other books by title,
fitting the situations at hand. They make humorous statements which are enjoyable. They solve parts of mysteries with hacking but only for good
intentions, always carefully covering their tracks.
Clare
blogs and answers questions on her Goodreads page.
I will be writing reviews of the
other three books in this series this summer.
Thank you for reading,
Carolyn Wilhelm
