Outland: Quantum Earth, Book 1

Unfortunately this re-written version of Outland is, in my opinion at least, inferior to the original.If I hadn't read the first version I would have more than satisfied with the update but in comparison a large part of the charm has been removed, to some unknown end.The character interactions have been largely sanitised and are colourless as a result.The subplot of the Wildman family, one of my favorites in the original, has been deleted and the tone of the story is the poorer for it.

Fun characters. I would have liked a little more development of them. Delving a little more deeply into at least a few of the main four/five. I think perhaps Monica was the most well rounded out (no pun initially intended), which is maybe a bit surprising since she's the last of the major players to appear.Interesting concept. A little handwaving as to how parallel realities are created/how many exist, and how to access them (obviously), but it's tied to quantum mechanics (which obviously no one really understands anyway - at least the "why" or the "how it ties to everything else") manifesting on a macro scale.Interesting treatment of alternate Earth timelines if certain things had gone differently. Overall, I liked it a lot and definitely recommend it for science fiction fans who like humor. Or just for readers who like humor and a good story.

Outland is the story of four college students who collaborate on a physics project and end up creating a doorway into a parallel earth. One in which mankind does not exist, but is occupied by Mammoths, Bison, dire Wolves and Sabertoothed cats.All this happens prior to the eruption of the Yellowstone Supervolcano. The students try to rescue as many people as they can by taking them to Outland, the unspoiled parallel Earth.Setting up a small community, they all work to make their existance better by sending scouting parties back 'Earthside', in order to scavange needed supplies and coffee.The character development isn't what it could have been, and a lot of pages were wasted on the hoodlums in the story. They didn't contribute to the story at all and were rather buffoonish. More time could have been devoted to exploration of Outland and descriptions of the fauna found there.The premise for this story has been done once before, that I'm aware of in a book by S.M Stirling, called 'Conquistador'. While very different, the protagonists in that book, go to California and mine the 49er goldfields to become rich. It's a great book but the stories diverge completely from one another from that point on. Stirling's is better, but not by too much.I really enjoyed Outland from beginning to end. I will be awaiting the next book in this series, Earthside, from this author.

I really looked forward to this rewrite, but was very disappointed. While it still is basically the same story, the changes the author made added almost nothing to it. The main characters were turned into two dimensional cardboard cutouts, and even the three criminals were, if anything, less of a threat. Monica was the biggest disappointment as she came out less of a "character" and almost an after thought.I really had high hopes for this book and felt it could easily become the first of a series, but after this rewrite I can only hope the author just leaves it alone. I am glad I have both versions of it since from now on when I reread it, I'll only reread the first version.

A very enjoyable read of a dystopian end of the world tale set in Nebraska on a college campus. Great characters who are very real, very plausible and motivated both by empathy and by scientific curiosity. Quite enjoyed the tough as nails gal pal Monica. Bill and Richard were also fine characters. This is one of the more plausible parallel universe/worldline stories that I have read in 50 years of reading scifi. Very nicely done and I look forward to the sequel. Oh, I quite enjoyed the scifi theme references here and in Taylor's other novel of We Are Legion. The references make his characters feel very 'here and now'. Plus his writing style is 'full speed ahead', which really draws you into the story. Highly recommended.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Did find the writing at times almost simplistic in style but it fit the characters. The Technical details get a little hard to follow at times and seem to be achieved too fast, but that is how it can happen. Good cast of characters, believable and likeable. It is apocalyptic without being excessively depressing. It ends on an upbeat note and left me wanting more, especially since the Yellowstone supervolcano is all too real and potentially an e function level event. Bring on the sequel.

the foreward of this tells you that its one of his first books and that it was rewritten and edited. You can tell, its a lot less well refined than his other books that ive read. It more or less reads like a sci-fy channel original movie with better dialog. That makes it sound like I diddnt like it but that is not the case. With one exception all the caracters were rounded out enough to keep you from rolling your eyes at the stereotypes and the main characters were not the "great at everything they try" thing that is prevelent in science fiction.

This story brought back memories of Heinlein's "Tunnel in the Sky" even though the plot is really not the same. This is a nice sci-fi story with an alternate Earth aspect that I quickly read in just over a the weekend. I agree with some of the other reviewers that the antagonists were pretty weak in their presentation but look forward to improvements with villains in book #2. If you like time travel-ish/parallel Earth story lines then I give this book a big recommendation. Even as book #1 in the series it stands very strong as a complete novel at this point, so do not be scared of the multi-book premise. I've already signed up to be alerted by Amazon when Dennis releases the next book.I rate this book an 8.5 out of 10 on my personal rating scale.

An enjoyable read. It reminds me of Steven Goulds Wild Side (in itself a good thing as I enjoyed that book very much), so if you read and enjoyed that you will like this one. Similar group of characters, same sort of alternate earth, even the same idea for financing things, but goes off in a very different direction and that works well. A bit more action driven and faster than Wild Side. Would like to see more of this type of story, from either author or others.

I've enjoyed all of Dennis E Taylor's books. His characters are enjoyable and the story is well crafted. The main reason I like this author is because his stories have that element of believability. Look forward to reading more of his work in future.

This had the feel of a first in the series. There was so much to do at the end that I felt exhausted for the people involved. It was okay but left one feeling unsatisfied. I would return for a future book on their progress

Loved the Bob books but this is like an essay he wrote when he was 14. Just glad it was so short

Outland is an enjoyable casual read. It's not going to challenge you mentally, there's no heavy science or politics, it's just a pleasant Sunday afternoon novel that's easy to digest and hard to put down.