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Vanishing Point
Years after an inexplicable incident during which ninety percent of the human population disappeared without a trace, the survivors make peace with each other, defending themselves against roving fanatics and investigating the Vanishing. Reprint.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
About the author
Michaela Roessner
13 books21 followersMichaela-Marie Roessner-Hermann is an American science-fiction writer publishing under the name Michaela Roessner.
Born in San Francisco, Michaela Roessner was raised in (successively) California, New York, Pennsylvania, Thailand, and Oregon. Trained as a visual artist, she holds a BFA in Ceramics from the California College of Arts and Crafts and an MFA in Painting from Lone Mountain College, and exhibits under the name M. M. Roessner-Herman. In 1989, she won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.
Her first novel, Walkabout Woman, was a 1989 nominee for the Mythopoeic Award, and won the Crawford Award. She has also published the science fiction novel Vanishing Point and number of short stories, published in Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, SciFiction, Omni Online, Strange Plasma, Fantasy & Science Fiction, and elsewhere. She is also the author of two historical novels, The Stars Dispose (1997) and The Stars Compel (1999), about Catherine de Medici. She lives in southern California.
She has taught at the Clarion Workshop at Michigan State University and the Gotham Writers' Workshop.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
July 20, 2016
I've read this book numerous times and it's still just as engrossing to me as it was the first time. I love how the Winchester Mystery House feels like it's another character. I finally had the chance to visit the house last week which prompted me to pick this book up again to reread once more. I'm not sure which aspects I enjoy the most; the Post-Apocalyptic storyline, the sci-fi element, the science of the story, the characters, or the house itself. Loved it all!
I just found out that this book was just released as an ebook in 2016 for the first time. It was originally published in the 90's. So happy to add to my ebook collection! Finally! My hardcopy is a bit worn out. ;)
I just found out that this book was just released as an ebook in 2016 for the first time. It was originally published in the 90's. So happy to add to my ebook collection! Finally! My hardcopy is a bit worn out. ;)
August 29, 2008
A very absorbing, thoughtful story set 30 years after the mysterious vanishing of 90% of the population. Centered around two main characters, Nesta is the scientist looking for the cause of the Vanishing and Renzie, fearless and confident leader, cope with loss, loneliness and survival in an uncertain world. Recommended.
August 11, 2017
First of all, that book cover is terrible. It screams, "1993!" The novel itself holds up pretty well more than 20 years after publication. Although references to saving everything on disks are dated, overall Roessner doesn't get into too much technology that dates her. (Although possibly if I was more tech-skilled, I would feel differently.)
The book opens 29 years after The Vanishing -- a morning when 10 percent of the global population woke up to find the other 90 percent had simply disappeared without a trace. In those nearly three decades, the survivors have mostly grouped up into communes, cults, and gangs, with a few older people still maintaining their homes and desperately waiting for their vanished loved ones to return.
The novel focuses on a commune of sorts living in the Wincester Mystery House, where they've continued to build in the same haphazard fashion. While they try to solve the mystery of how and why the Vanishing occured, the "Housers" also have to deal with a cult that believes those left behind lacked faith and if the non-faithful are eliminated, the newly faithful will join the vanished.
Sci-Fi isn't a genre that I read often, especially not written for an adult audience. Some of the sciency-stuff and battle-planning made my eyes blur a bit (which just reflects on me as a reader, not the book), but the prose and the characters, which it seems like often suffer in this genre, are excellent. While there's an understandably large cast, the main characters are all fleshed out and believable. The differences between those who survived the Vanishing, the first generation (now young adults), and the second generation (strikingly independent children), are fascinating.
The book opens 29 years after The Vanishing -- a morning when 10 percent of the global population woke up to find the other 90 percent had simply disappeared without a trace. In those nearly three decades, the survivors have mostly grouped up into communes, cults, and gangs, with a few older people still maintaining their homes and desperately waiting for their vanished loved ones to return.
The novel focuses on a commune of sorts living in the Wincester Mystery House, where they've continued to build in the same haphazard fashion. While they try to solve the mystery of how and why the Vanishing occured, the "Housers" also have to deal with a cult that believes those left behind lacked faith and if the non-faithful are eliminated, the newly faithful will join the vanished.
Sci-Fi isn't a genre that I read often, especially not written for an adult audience. Some of the sciency-stuff and battle-planning made my eyes blur a bit (which just reflects on me as a reader, not the book), but the prose and the characters, which it seems like often suffer in this genre, are excellent. While there's an understandably large cast, the main characters are all fleshed out and believable. The differences between those who survived the Vanishing, the first generation (now young adults), and the second generation (strikingly independent children), are fascinating.
June 14, 2011
This book kept me up late reading and I was sorry to see it end, I would like to read a sequel to see what becomes of the characters. It is a rarity in the science fiction world: a novel with well-developed characters with believable motives and a realistic look at love and relationships.
Thirty years after most of the world’s population disappeared, a band of survivors inhabiting the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California try to find the cause of the catastrophe and rebuild a society despite the depredations of kamikaze cult members out to destroy them. The author makes you feel as if you are as much a part of the house as the characters who live there, I definitely have added a visit to my “bucket list”. The ending of the book brought to mind Darwin’s Radio by Greg Bear.
Thirty years after most of the world’s population disappeared, a band of survivors inhabiting the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California try to find the cause of the catastrophe and rebuild a society despite the depredations of kamikaze cult members out to destroy them. The author makes you feel as if you are as much a part of the house as the characters who live there, I definitely have added a visit to my “bucket list”. The ending of the book brought to mind Darwin’s Radio by Greg Bear.
November 16, 2015
one of my favourite quirky SF novels, reviewed in full here http://wp.me/s1eNUC-292
February 16, 2016
Not a terrible novel. An interesting premise set in a part of the country (the Bay Area in Northern California) that I have visited many times. The Winchester House (a great place to visit if you ever get the chance) plays a key role in the novel. However ,while it was intriguing, it was weighed down a bit much by the New Age/Hippie ethos and that hurt the story. After a while the story lost me. The author tried to hard to make other dimensions real and how can you make something beyond our comprehension real? I found my attention wavering and I finally thumbed through the last few chapters. Nevertheless it's a good effort and it did hold my interest for most of the story. Three stars is a fair grade.
May 5, 2016
I received a copy of the from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book took me by surprise. I wanted to read it because the idea of it taking place 30 years after 90% of the population disappeared sounded extremely interesting. But it didn't prepare me for one of the most real most apocalyptic worlds I've read. The characters were real and well developed, the society and the different groups that have developed were logical and believable. The story is, on the whole, simple with some concepts that might be too scientific for some. It feels natural and well developed, it isn't overly exciting but is interesting. I truly loved this book.
The story takes place 30 years after a world shaking event, one day people woke up and 90% of the population was just gone. In those 30 years the world broke down, slowly divided into factions and cults and religions. In the early day there were raiders and other negative groups but, for the most part, those died out and the remaining humans have banded together to help live. The three primary groups we follow are the Homers, people who are dedicated to up keeping there homes int he hope that one day the vanished people will return, the Housers, a large community that has taken up living in the Winchester house and around it, and the Heaven Bounders, one of the only negative groups left, one that believes the vanished have been taken to heaven and those remaining must repent (all of the them, or no one can go) and they physically get rid of those who won't convert. The story jumps between perspectives but primarily follows Renzie, a girl who was born shortly after the vanishing, she and the others of the first generation after the vanishing are able to see an aurora in the sky no one else can see. We also follow Nesta, an older woman who survived the vanishing and has traveled from Pennsylvania to join the resources already established in San Jose researching what caused the vanishing. However, she's not interested in what caused the vanishment, she's more interested in what is happening after the vanishment. She's interested in how the first generation can see this aurora, and how the second seems the see even more. She's interested in anomalies that have popped up, times when colors change, or there is a patch of daylight in the night. She hopes this will help show them with their future, and maybe, help them understand the vanishing itself.
It isn't an exciting book, if anything it read to me like a mystery. Following Nesta's research and watching in unfold was thoroughly intriquing and captured by attention. I wanted to know what was happening, I wanted to understand it, I felt like a character in the book looking over Nesta's shoulder with as much anticipation of anyone in the room at what was being discovered. The rest was more of a character study. We followed the characters day to day in the House, we followed the thought processes behind different groups, over how each person was handling or damaged by the Vanishing. It was a very real experience, no-one was difficult for the sake of progressing the story, everyone was logical. While this makes for a less exciting story, it made it one I connected to and I felt a part of. When twists happened they took me off guard and surprised me. It was very well written.
The characters were beyond believable, they felt real. They were rational, they were archetypal to the smallest extent. They were developed just enough, without too many bells and whistles, and every time I returned to the book it felt like starting a new episode of a show I had become attached to. I was returning somewhere familiar, I wanted to know what my characters were doing, what they've been up to. I wanted to know. The interactions, the love, the anger, the emotions in general were well placed and accurate. I loved learning the backstories of the characters and watching their lives develop. I worried for them. Even the house, and the way the characters interacted with the house made the House itself a character.
The primary concern I've read in reviews and the downfall of this book for many, is in the nature of the story. 90% of the population vanished, and we're trying to figure out why. So of course there is science. But for me it wasn't too much, it was a few paragraphs here or there where I reread to make sure I understood the theory they were discussing, but I never had to look anything up, it was pretty simple stuff. Many say it was textbook like, but man do I wish I had textbooks that were that simple and short. More times than not there was character dialogue that simplified the overly complex parts. But I don't know, for me it was so interesting I loved it. I almost wanted more of it. But I can see how this might not be to everyone's tastes.
I don't know how to put it. This was a great book, it was simple and complex, it was intriguing and real. It felt familiar and believable. The author managed to take a big idea, a daunting, broad idea for an apocalypse, and created such a real and believable aftermath. One I haven't seen since I read Alas, Babylon. There is something refreshing about a character based story, not much drama, romance, or action, but instead a natural human desire for why. I was a mystery and it wasn't. I don't know quite what it was. But I loved it.
This book took me by surprise. I wanted to read it because the idea of it taking place 30 years after 90% of the population disappeared sounded extremely interesting. But it didn't prepare me for one of the most real most apocalyptic worlds I've read. The characters were real and well developed, the society and the different groups that have developed were logical and believable. The story is, on the whole, simple with some concepts that might be too scientific for some. It feels natural and well developed, it isn't overly exciting but is interesting. I truly loved this book.
The story takes place 30 years after a world shaking event, one day people woke up and 90% of the population was just gone. In those 30 years the world broke down, slowly divided into factions and cults and religions. In the early day there were raiders and other negative groups but, for the most part, those died out and the remaining humans have banded together to help live. The three primary groups we follow are the Homers, people who are dedicated to up keeping there homes int he hope that one day the vanished people will return, the Housers, a large community that has taken up living in the Winchester house and around it, and the Heaven Bounders, one of the only negative groups left, one that believes the vanished have been taken to heaven and those remaining must repent (all of the them, or no one can go) and they physically get rid of those who won't convert. The story jumps between perspectives but primarily follows Renzie, a girl who was born shortly after the vanishing, she and the others of the first generation after the vanishing are able to see an aurora in the sky no one else can see. We also follow Nesta, an older woman who survived the vanishing and has traveled from Pennsylvania to join the resources already established in San Jose researching what caused the vanishing. However, she's not interested in what caused the vanishment, she's more interested in what is happening after the vanishment. She's interested in how the first generation can see this aurora, and how the second seems the see even more. She's interested in anomalies that have popped up, times when colors change, or there is a patch of daylight in the night. She hopes this will help show them with their future, and maybe, help them understand the vanishing itself.
It isn't an exciting book, if anything it read to me like a mystery. Following Nesta's research and watching in unfold was thoroughly intriquing and captured by attention. I wanted to know what was happening, I wanted to understand it, I felt like a character in the book looking over Nesta's shoulder with as much anticipation of anyone in the room at what was being discovered. The rest was more of a character study. We followed the characters day to day in the House, we followed the thought processes behind different groups, over how each person was handling or damaged by the Vanishing. It was a very real experience, no-one was difficult for the sake of progressing the story, everyone was logical. While this makes for a less exciting story, it made it one I connected to and I felt a part of. When twists happened they took me off guard and surprised me. It was very well written.
The characters were beyond believable, they felt real. They were rational, they were archetypal to the smallest extent. They were developed just enough, without too many bells and whistles, and every time I returned to the book it felt like starting a new episode of a show I had become attached to. I was returning somewhere familiar, I wanted to know what my characters were doing, what they've been up to. I wanted to know. The interactions, the love, the anger, the emotions in general were well placed and accurate. I loved learning the backstories of the characters and watching their lives develop. I worried for them. Even the house, and the way the characters interacted with the house made the House itself a character.
The primary concern I've read in reviews and the downfall of this book for many, is in the nature of the story. 90% of the population vanished, and we're trying to figure out why. So of course there is science. But for me it wasn't too much, it was a few paragraphs here or there where I reread to make sure I understood the theory they were discussing, but I never had to look anything up, it was pretty simple stuff. Many say it was textbook like, but man do I wish I had textbooks that were that simple and short. More times than not there was character dialogue that simplified the overly complex parts. But I don't know, for me it was so interesting I loved it. I almost wanted more of it. But I can see how this might not be to everyone's tastes.
I don't know how to put it. This was a great book, it was simple and complex, it was intriguing and real. It felt familiar and believable. The author managed to take a big idea, a daunting, broad idea for an apocalypse, and created such a real and believable aftermath. One I haven't seen since I read Alas, Babylon. There is something refreshing about a character based story, not much drama, romance, or action, but instead a natural human desire for why. I was a mystery and it wasn't. I don't know quite what it was. But I loved it.
" Can you really show me a single person, including yourself, including me, who, since the Vanishing, can't be said to belong to a cult? Even if it's a cult of one?"
January 22, 2021
Vanishing Point is best described as a "post-post-apocalyptic" novel. Most post-apocalyptic fiction depicts the first period after the cataclysm—scavengers scrabbling around in the dust, that sort of thing. Vanishing Point, however, takes place firmly after this period, presenting a compelling collection of rebuilt communities and (more importantly) the people who live within them.
The novel has two great strengths, and one small weakness.
Vanishing Point's first strength is the setting. The story takes place in and around San Jose, California, and centers around a community called the Housers, who have taken up residence inside the Winchester Mansion, simply called "the House." Some devotees have taken it upon themselves to continue its construction, but to most residents it's a home like any other. (Its population is never really discussed, but there seem to be more than a hundred, fewer than a thousand residents).
Although the Housers are the group we spend the most time with, there are four other communities that are explored in some detail, and around ten that appear briefly or are at least mentioned as being close by. These groups and their relations with one another are rendered with believability and detail, despite the novel's brevity—they meet, trade, intermix, quarrel, cooperate, and persist. Some are formed along ideological or religious lines; some are occupation-oriented; and some form organically, like the Housers. Roessner does not catalogue and merely describe these groups, however; all that we ever learn about them is from the characters' interactions with them. In that way, this is a very ground-level book, despite the thoroughness with which Roessner has planned her world.
Which brings me to Vanishing Point's second strength, and main focus: the characters and their relationships. Although the setting was what initially drew me into the novel, what really makes it shine is its ground-level focus on these characters' lives. The Housers garden, they bake, they read, they ride bicycles around, they have parties, they fall in and out of love. They tell stories to one another: sad stories, wistful stories, frightening stories, hopeful stories. (Hake's story, about the zoo, is probably the most affecting story told by a character in a novel that I've ever read).
The novel has plenty of action as well, particularly in its final quarter, but it's never gleeful: only sadly necessary. Things like gardens deserve to be protected, after all.
(The small weakness is its science. Personally, I think it would have worked slightly better with less time spent trying to explain its sometimes dreamy, sometimes deadly "abberations." Not much time is spent on the science in the first place however, and evidently it wasn't enough to knock my opinion of it as a five-star book. Also, all of the scientist characters are still amazing, and Nesta is my new favorite fictional badass old-timer)
Vanishing Point is, ultimately, rather hopeful in a way that post-apocalyptic fiction rarely is. Although plenty don't seem to think so, I think I agree with Roessner that people would eventually get tired of scrabbling around in the dust.
The novel has two great strengths, and one small weakness.
Vanishing Point's first strength is the setting. The story takes place in and around San Jose, California, and centers around a community called the Housers, who have taken up residence inside the Winchester Mansion, simply called "the House." Some devotees have taken it upon themselves to continue its construction, but to most residents it's a home like any other. (Its population is never really discussed, but there seem to be more than a hundred, fewer than a thousand residents).
Although the Housers are the group we spend the most time with, there are four other communities that are explored in some detail, and around ten that appear briefly or are at least mentioned as being close by. These groups and their relations with one another are rendered with believability and detail, despite the novel's brevity—they meet, trade, intermix, quarrel, cooperate, and persist. Some are formed along ideological or religious lines; some are occupation-oriented; and some form organically, like the Housers. Roessner does not catalogue and merely describe these groups, however; all that we ever learn about them is from the characters' interactions with them. In that way, this is a very ground-level book, despite the thoroughness with which Roessner has planned her world.
Which brings me to Vanishing Point's second strength, and main focus: the characters and their relationships. Although the setting was what initially drew me into the novel, what really makes it shine is its ground-level focus on these characters' lives. The Housers garden, they bake, they read, they ride bicycles around, they have parties, they fall in and out of love. They tell stories to one another: sad stories, wistful stories, frightening stories, hopeful stories. (Hake's story, about the zoo, is probably the most affecting story told by a character in a novel that I've ever read).
The novel has plenty of action as well, particularly in its final quarter, but it's never gleeful: only sadly necessary. Things like gardens deserve to be protected, after all.
(The small weakness is its science. Personally, I think it would have worked slightly better with less time spent trying to explain its sometimes dreamy, sometimes deadly "abberations." Not much time is spent on the science in the first place however, and evidently it wasn't enough to knock my opinion of it as a five-star book. Also, all of the scientist characters are still amazing, and Nesta is my new favorite fictional badass old-timer)
Vanishing Point is, ultimately, rather hopeful in a way that post-apocalyptic fiction rarely is. Although plenty don't seem to think so, I think I agree with Roessner that people would eventually get tired of scrabbling around in the dust.
February 3, 2023
I haven't read a good sci-fi book in ages, and I happened to pick this one up randomly. I'm glad that I did.
Set 30 years after what the West Coast folk call "The Vanishing," an apocalyptic event where 90% of the population disappeared overnight, what's left of humanity is trying to move forward the best that they can. There are people who are still alive who had their loved ones and friends Vanish, with a capital V, and then the next two generations of kids. The first generation share a trait of shiny, incandescent hair, while the next generation seems strangely absent of any genetic hiccups. Adults, and the first generation alike, spend most of their days trying to fend off roaming cults who are dangerous, specifically the riotous Heaven Bounders.
The setting is the California landscape, specifically the infamous Winchester House, again with a capital H, where the tradition of continually building Sarah's mystical, witchy home continues to house the local populace. A whole new culture, free of traditional monetary commerce, has sprung up and everyone pulls their weight, learns about survival early, and live communally. Those that still choose to live in their traditional Homes surrounding the House are considered odd since they cling to past lives that no longer exist thanks to the sudden population decrease.
We zoom in on two characters: Renzie, a first generation, tough-as-nails, young woman and an elderly scientist, named Nesta, who comes to the House to help figure out what made the Vanishing happen, if it will occur again, and maybe how to prevent it.
The story develops into a fast paced, believable scenario of post-apocalyptic America. Thankfully, you don't need to be a scientist to read this, but some of the research scenes can be a bit overwhelming--don't let them. Just pick up what you can and keep going. Ultimately, it's explained through the plot.
My only gripe with this book is that the writing often doesn't invoke too much emotional connection with the characters or their situations. Without it, although it was a great story, the culmination of the story wasn't as moving as I wished it had been.
Set 30 years after what the West Coast folk call "The Vanishing," an apocalyptic event where 90% of the population disappeared overnight, what's left of humanity is trying to move forward the best that they can. There are people who are still alive who had their loved ones and friends Vanish, with a capital V, and then the next two generations of kids. The first generation share a trait of shiny, incandescent hair, while the next generation seems strangely absent of any genetic hiccups. Adults, and the first generation alike, spend most of their days trying to fend off roaming cults who are dangerous, specifically the riotous Heaven Bounders.
The setting is the California landscape, specifically the infamous Winchester House, again with a capital H, where the tradition of continually building Sarah's mystical, witchy home continues to house the local populace. A whole new culture, free of traditional monetary commerce, has sprung up and everyone pulls their weight, learns about survival early, and live communally. Those that still choose to live in their traditional Homes surrounding the House are considered odd since they cling to past lives that no longer exist thanks to the sudden population decrease.
We zoom in on two characters: Renzie, a first generation, tough-as-nails, young woman and an elderly scientist, named Nesta, who comes to the House to help figure out what made the Vanishing happen, if it will occur again, and maybe how to prevent it.
The story develops into a fast paced, believable scenario of post-apocalyptic America. Thankfully, you don't need to be a scientist to read this, but some of the research scenes can be a bit overwhelming--don't let them. Just pick up what you can and keep going. Ultimately, it's explained through the plot.
My only gripe with this book is that the writing often doesn't invoke too much emotional connection with the characters or their situations. Without it, although it was a great story, the culmination of the story wasn't as moving as I wished it had been.
July 31, 2013
What would life be like in a world where 90 percent of the human race disappears overnight? Now what would that world be like 30 years later, when, just as a new generation had asserted itself, aberations and anomalies make that world unstable again? And that's just the beginning of this fine read.
Roessner is a fine word-crafter and an excellent storyteller. The "post-Vanishment" world is well-conceived and believable, and her characters well-developed.
I'd just previously read Susan Randall's Warped Passages, a lay explanation of current multidimensional physics, and Roessner's imaginative book incorporates and plays with such notions, still standing up next to current refinements in Superstring Theory and M-Theory over a decade later. Her story arcs and characters come together in unexpected, somewhat unsettling, but ultimately very satisfying conclusions. Very nicely done. And a highly recommended read.
Roessner is a fine word-crafter and an excellent storyteller. The "post-Vanishment" world is well-conceived and believable, and her characters well-developed.
I'd just previously read Susan Randall's Warped Passages, a lay explanation of current multidimensional physics, and Roessner's imaginative book incorporates and plays with such notions, still standing up next to current refinements in Superstring Theory and M-Theory over a decade later. Her story arcs and characters come together in unexpected, somewhat unsettling, but ultimately very satisfying conclusions. Very nicely done. And a highly recommended read.
April 13, 2016
Vanishing Point was originally published in 1993. This new publication comes at a time when dystopian novels have become the rage.
It’s been 30 years since a huge percentage of the population just Vanished. No trace was left behind. The Vanished took nothing with them and there were no bodies. Those who were alive back then lost many loved ones, and trying to rebuild their lives has not been easy. A lot of them live their lives in fear; not knowing if it will happen again, wondering if their loved ones will ever return to them.
The population has split into many cult-type communities. The Homers refuse to leave the home they lived in at the time of the Vanishing, thinking their loved ones may come back in The Return. The Watchers spend their time taking shifts to watch over each other in case another Vanishing takes place. The Hackers spend all of their time researching the source of the Vanishing, looking for anomalies that might reveal the early warning signs of another such happening. The Penitents are busy making amends so they aren’t left behind if it happens again. These are just some of the cult-like groups that have formed.
The main focus is on a group who has taken up residence a house which was a well-known tourist mansion in San Jose, California. Those who live there call it The Home. Legend has it that the old woman who owned The Home was visited by spirits, who told her to keep building on to the house. It is thought that these spirits may have been preparing the way for those who live there now, giving them a safe haven in which to rebuild their future.
The Home now includes a couple of generations born after the Vanishing. The first generation, those approaching 30 years old, were all born with a metallic sheen to their hair. They can see an aurora in the skies that the older generation can’t see. They have been raised without modern conveniences and taught strong survival skills. Although their children were not born with metallic hair and better vision, they are somehow different too. These children speak in a strange slang, they seem more intuitive and they call the Homers “ghosts.”
As in any world, the peaceful societies are threatened by those who have a different agenda. In this case, the threat comes from those known as the ‘Bounders, or the Heaven Bound. The ‘Bounders believe that everyone who Vanished has ascended to Heaven, and that anyone who got left behind must have done or not done something, that excluded them. They also believe that no one person will be allowed to ascend to Heaven, until all have faith and live their lives accordingly. It’s everybody or nobody, and they disapprove of those planning for an earthly future.
When the ‘Bounders become more dangerous with threats of war upon those who stand in the way of their salvation, the other groups must band together to fight back and save what they have built.
Vanishing Point is not fresh material in the heyday of dystopian books, but it probably was at the time it was written, making it somewhat of a classic read. I liked the characters. The main character Renzie, is a tough, independent woman with a bit of hidden loneliness. Nesta is a middle-aged researcher who lived through the Vanishing, and works with the hackers to figure out what caused it. Of course, a lot of the research includes physics, but not too much and nothing that you can’t follow along with or learn from. Interesting premises abound, everything from theories you might have heard about on “Aliens Among Us”, to a time warp, the Left Behind theory…….
No, I won’t give away what it really was! I recommend that you read and find out for yourself:) This is a tightly woven story in which the author paints a broad picture and ties up all the loose ends, leaving us with no unanswered questions.
By the way, "the Home" is based on a real place in San Jose! Go to http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/ to read more.
I want to thank the publisher (Endeavor Press) for providing me with the ARC through Netgalley for an honest review.
It’s been 30 years since a huge percentage of the population just Vanished. No trace was left behind. The Vanished took nothing with them and there were no bodies. Those who were alive back then lost many loved ones, and trying to rebuild their lives has not been easy. A lot of them live their lives in fear; not knowing if it will happen again, wondering if their loved ones will ever return to them.
The population has split into many cult-type communities. The Homers refuse to leave the home they lived in at the time of the Vanishing, thinking their loved ones may come back in The Return. The Watchers spend their time taking shifts to watch over each other in case another Vanishing takes place. The Hackers spend all of their time researching the source of the Vanishing, looking for anomalies that might reveal the early warning signs of another such happening. The Penitents are busy making amends so they aren’t left behind if it happens again. These are just some of the cult-like groups that have formed.
The main focus is on a group who has taken up residence a house which was a well-known tourist mansion in San Jose, California. Those who live there call it The Home. Legend has it that the old woman who owned The Home was visited by spirits, who told her to keep building on to the house. It is thought that these spirits may have been preparing the way for those who live there now, giving them a safe haven in which to rebuild their future.
The Home now includes a couple of generations born after the Vanishing. The first generation, those approaching 30 years old, were all born with a metallic sheen to their hair. They can see an aurora in the skies that the older generation can’t see. They have been raised without modern conveniences and taught strong survival skills. Although their children were not born with metallic hair and better vision, they are somehow different too. These children speak in a strange slang, they seem more intuitive and they call the Homers “ghosts.”
As in any world, the peaceful societies are threatened by those who have a different agenda. In this case, the threat comes from those known as the ‘Bounders, or the Heaven Bound. The ‘Bounders believe that everyone who Vanished has ascended to Heaven, and that anyone who got left behind must have done or not done something, that excluded them. They also believe that no one person will be allowed to ascend to Heaven, until all have faith and live their lives accordingly. It’s everybody or nobody, and they disapprove of those planning for an earthly future.
When the ‘Bounders become more dangerous with threats of war upon those who stand in the way of their salvation, the other groups must band together to fight back and save what they have built.
Vanishing Point is not fresh material in the heyday of dystopian books, but it probably was at the time it was written, making it somewhat of a classic read. I liked the characters. The main character Renzie, is a tough, independent woman with a bit of hidden loneliness. Nesta is a middle-aged researcher who lived through the Vanishing, and works with the hackers to figure out what caused it. Of course, a lot of the research includes physics, but not too much and nothing that you can’t follow along with or learn from. Interesting premises abound, everything from theories you might have heard about on “Aliens Among Us”, to a time warp, the Left Behind theory…….
No, I won’t give away what it really was! I recommend that you read and find out for yourself:) This is a tightly woven story in which the author paints a broad picture and ties up all the loose ends, leaving us with no unanswered questions.
By the way, "the Home" is based on a real place in San Jose! Go to http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/ to read more.
I want to thank the publisher (Endeavor Press) for providing me with the ARC through Netgalley for an honest review.
December 16, 2021
Wow, this was a good book. I have had this book for a number of years, it was published in 1993 and I have probably had it since the late 1990s and just now in late 2021 I read it. I should have read it years ago and this book deserves to be more widely known.
The setting is the San Francisco Bay Area, with the specific location most often used in the story the famed Winchester Mansion, also known as the Winchester Mystery House, a house famous for having been under continual, unending construction for thirty-eight years with haphazard additions continually being added without reference to any (non-existent) overall plan, a sprawling house with odd stairways to nowhere, stained glass windows in the interior of the house (and not exposed to any source of outside light), a house that newcomers can very easily get lost in and new rooms, even floors, are continually being added.
It is in this house, the House, that a significant portion of humanity left in California decided to move into. Thirty years ago, 90% of the human race Vanished in the Vanishing (or Disappearance, though Vanishing is the term most often used in the book). People woke up and their lovers that were in bed with them were simply not there, or children vanished from their cribs, or kids woke up and their parents had ceased to exist, or homeowners would find out that they were the only person left on their entire street. Ninety percent of humanity vanished without a trace, no bodies, no blood, no screams, no piles of clothes, they just simply weren’t there anymore.
Civilization fell and the survivors at first faced a tough time with finding food, water, shelter, dealing with marauders, but in the book’s present the tough times were mostly past and what was left of humanity (in that part of the world at least) have coalesced into various “special interest groups,” a series of societies, some organized along ethnic lines, some along ideological lines, others religious (including a number of new religions or religious offshoots that popped up), while others are more political or pragmatic in their origin, with the special interest groups running the gamut from grounded and level-headed cooperatives to basically cults. Groups include the Hackers (computer programmers and engineers originally), the Koanites (“they believe that the Vanishing represents a Great Koan”), Neo-Christians, Homers (who think that the Vanished will return and are doing all they can to maintain the homes the Vanished once lived in; Homers are people who are living in the homes they lived in prior to the Vanishing and are pining for lost loved ones), there is a Vietnamese group, at least one Latino group (I think several), a group that is basically a cooperative of vineyard owners and wine producers (their products now used also to fuel the few vehicles still in use), many groups that are just named dropped.
Aside from groups attached to the House like the Hackers (and a few other neighboring groups that work closely with those living in the House), two main groups important to the story are religious in nature. One group is the Pentinents, who believed humanity vanished due to people being whisked away and being judged by God and those left behind were neither good or bad enough to go to heaven or hell and those left behind need to demonstrate to God that they are good and unattached to life here. They are big on individual deliverance and while can be standoffish (as in not getting involved in projects designed to enable some form of civilization to go on) they aren’t a threat to anyone.
The other group though is a threat. The Heaven Bounders (or Bounders) share the overall idea of the Pentinents – Judgement Day happened – but the solution is not good deeds and striving for individual salvation, but rather that as long as anyone is alive and not striving to get to heaven, no one goes in any Second Ascendance. It is the Bounders that are the chief Big Bads in the book, who attack anyone, whether individuals or organizations, that are trying to make a go of it in a post-Vanishment world. We all have to go (i.e. die) for the rest of humanity to be judged, and towards this end Bounders resort to tactics like murder, arson, and invasion with organized groups.
It might sound that the book is primarily religious in focus and it isn’t, as religion merely provides a source of motivation for the primary antagonists. This is science fiction, and that is at the core of the book. Many groups attached to the House such as the Hackers are still trying to find out what happened in the Vanishing, partially to see if it will happen again, partially to see if they can retrieve those who disappeared, and partially out of scientific curiosity. Bouncing around all sorts of ideas about such things as virtual-particle interactions, electromagnetic polar switches, and dimensional shifts, they have various groups (often with competing theories) trying to understand it all.
Into this comes Dr. Nesta Christiana Easterman from Carnegie-Mellon. A physicist who made the long trek from Pennsylvania to the House to work with colleagues there, she has ideas about the Vanishing that she knows will be wildly controversial and does her best to keep them close to the vest while she tries to test her theories, theories that if true will radically change life for everyone.
Unlike everyone else researching the Vanishing, Nesta is looking at the big picture both pre and post Vanishing, going down avenues of research that no one else is looking at (or dismissed early on). One of the things she is looking at for instance is that the first generation of children post-Vanishment have odd hair, described as having a “prismatic-metallic effect,” looking copper or some other metal colored. But only the first generation, not the second generation.
Nesta is also looking at anomalies that occurred both before and after the Vanishing, strange sights, sounds, odd occurrences, things that she thinks might be related to the Vanishing that no other researcher seems to agree are relevant (if they are even real). Strangely, though the pre-Vanishing generation is highly skeptical, the younger (and especially the second post-Vanishment) generation aren’t skeptical of at all (not that the adults listen).
In addition to the threats posed by the Bounders, Nesta’s research into the causes and consequences of the Vanishing (more than just the removal of 90% of humanity), and that something is unusual about the post-Vanishment generations, there are other plot lines followed, notably that someone else, not a Bounder, is very carefully burning houses in the area, houses he believes have unusual properties and just aren’t right. No one knows who this individual is, what his or her motivations or, or if they are a threat to the House. Another thread is the tumultuous life of a young woman named Renzie, a woman who lives in the House and is involved in all the major plot threads in the book as well as her own problems with friends and lovers.
The book takes about a hundred pages to really get to where things are humming along as far as the main plot threads but it never lost my interest. The setting is richly detailed but never detailed in what I would call info dumps and there is good character development, most notably with Renzie and Nesta but also several others. There are plot threads that are foreshadowed in the earlier sections that seem obvious now but not at the time and I think that good writing. The last third of the book was quite exciting as not only was there a lot of action with the Bounders but things come to a head with the science fiction mysteries at the heart of the book, of what caused the Vanishing, what the anomalies are, and how and why the younger generations post-Vanishment are different.
As far as post-apocalyptic books this is quite different from anything I have read before. It isn’t a Biblical Armageddon or the return of Lovecraftian eldritch horrors or zombies or vampires or nuclear war or disease or aliens. It’s something else entirely. I liked the richly detailed setting and while acknowledging there would most definitely be bad actors, a great many people would be cooperative and constructive. Also the book had a good sense of place with its California setting and I liked that.
The setting is the San Francisco Bay Area, with the specific location most often used in the story the famed Winchester Mansion, also known as the Winchester Mystery House, a house famous for having been under continual, unending construction for thirty-eight years with haphazard additions continually being added without reference to any (non-existent) overall plan, a sprawling house with odd stairways to nowhere, stained glass windows in the interior of the house (and not exposed to any source of outside light), a house that newcomers can very easily get lost in and new rooms, even floors, are continually being added.
It is in this house, the House, that a significant portion of humanity left in California decided to move into. Thirty years ago, 90% of the human race Vanished in the Vanishing (or Disappearance, though Vanishing is the term most often used in the book). People woke up and their lovers that were in bed with them were simply not there, or children vanished from their cribs, or kids woke up and their parents had ceased to exist, or homeowners would find out that they were the only person left on their entire street. Ninety percent of humanity vanished without a trace, no bodies, no blood, no screams, no piles of clothes, they just simply weren’t there anymore.
Civilization fell and the survivors at first faced a tough time with finding food, water, shelter, dealing with marauders, but in the book’s present the tough times were mostly past and what was left of humanity (in that part of the world at least) have coalesced into various “special interest groups,” a series of societies, some organized along ethnic lines, some along ideological lines, others religious (including a number of new religions or religious offshoots that popped up), while others are more political or pragmatic in their origin, with the special interest groups running the gamut from grounded and level-headed cooperatives to basically cults. Groups include the Hackers (computer programmers and engineers originally), the Koanites (“they believe that the Vanishing represents a Great Koan”), Neo-Christians, Homers (who think that the Vanished will return and are doing all they can to maintain the homes the Vanished once lived in; Homers are people who are living in the homes they lived in prior to the Vanishing and are pining for lost loved ones), there is a Vietnamese group, at least one Latino group (I think several), a group that is basically a cooperative of vineyard owners and wine producers (their products now used also to fuel the few vehicles still in use), many groups that are just named dropped.
Aside from groups attached to the House like the Hackers (and a few other neighboring groups that work closely with those living in the House), two main groups important to the story are religious in nature. One group is the Pentinents, who believed humanity vanished due to people being whisked away and being judged by God and those left behind were neither good or bad enough to go to heaven or hell and those left behind need to demonstrate to God that they are good and unattached to life here. They are big on individual deliverance and while can be standoffish (as in not getting involved in projects designed to enable some form of civilization to go on) they aren’t a threat to anyone.
The other group though is a threat. The Heaven Bounders (or Bounders) share the overall idea of the Pentinents – Judgement Day happened – but the solution is not good deeds and striving for individual salvation, but rather that as long as anyone is alive and not striving to get to heaven, no one goes in any Second Ascendance. It is the Bounders that are the chief Big Bads in the book, who attack anyone, whether individuals or organizations, that are trying to make a go of it in a post-Vanishment world. We all have to go (i.e. die) for the rest of humanity to be judged, and towards this end Bounders resort to tactics like murder, arson, and invasion with organized groups.
It might sound that the book is primarily religious in focus and it isn’t, as religion merely provides a source of motivation for the primary antagonists. This is science fiction, and that is at the core of the book. Many groups attached to the House such as the Hackers are still trying to find out what happened in the Vanishing, partially to see if it will happen again, partially to see if they can retrieve those who disappeared, and partially out of scientific curiosity. Bouncing around all sorts of ideas about such things as virtual-particle interactions, electromagnetic polar switches, and dimensional shifts, they have various groups (often with competing theories) trying to understand it all.
Into this comes Dr. Nesta Christiana Easterman from Carnegie-Mellon. A physicist who made the long trek from Pennsylvania to the House to work with colleagues there, she has ideas about the Vanishing that she knows will be wildly controversial and does her best to keep them close to the vest while she tries to test her theories, theories that if true will radically change life for everyone.
Unlike everyone else researching the Vanishing, Nesta is looking at the big picture both pre and post Vanishing, going down avenues of research that no one else is looking at (or dismissed early on). One of the things she is looking at for instance is that the first generation of children post-Vanishment have odd hair, described as having a “prismatic-metallic effect,” looking copper or some other metal colored. But only the first generation, not the second generation.
Nesta is also looking at anomalies that occurred both before and after the Vanishing, strange sights, sounds, odd occurrences, things that she thinks might be related to the Vanishing that no other researcher seems to agree are relevant (if they are even real). Strangely, though the pre-Vanishing generation is highly skeptical, the younger (and especially the second post-Vanishment) generation aren’t skeptical of at all (not that the adults listen).
In addition to the threats posed by the Bounders, Nesta’s research into the causes and consequences of the Vanishing (more than just the removal of 90% of humanity), and that something is unusual about the post-Vanishment generations, there are other plot lines followed, notably that someone else, not a Bounder, is very carefully burning houses in the area, houses he believes have unusual properties and just aren’t right. No one knows who this individual is, what his or her motivations or, or if they are a threat to the House. Another thread is the tumultuous life of a young woman named Renzie, a woman who lives in the House and is involved in all the major plot threads in the book as well as her own problems with friends and lovers.
The book takes about a hundred pages to really get to where things are humming along as far as the main plot threads but it never lost my interest. The setting is richly detailed but never detailed in what I would call info dumps and there is good character development, most notably with Renzie and Nesta but also several others. There are plot threads that are foreshadowed in the earlier sections that seem obvious now but not at the time and I think that good writing. The last third of the book was quite exciting as not only was there a lot of action with the Bounders but things come to a head with the science fiction mysteries at the heart of the book, of what caused the Vanishing, what the anomalies are, and how and why the younger generations post-Vanishment are different.
As far as post-apocalyptic books this is quite different from anything I have read before. It isn’t a Biblical Armageddon or the return of Lovecraftian eldritch horrors or zombies or vampires or nuclear war or disease or aliens. It’s something else entirely. I liked the richly detailed setting and while acknowledging there would most definitely be bad actors, a great many people would be cooperative and constructive. Also the book had a good sense of place with its California setting and I liked that.
March 29, 2020
I've become pretty jaded about post-apocalyptic fiction thanks to current trends in YA fiction, simply because the ideas in a lot of it are not particularly striking. But I do love this particularly story when its told well, and Vanishing Point is a great example of that. It's set in my old stomping grounds of Silicon Valley (seriously, about a mile up the street from where I used to live) in the Winchester Mystery House and its environs. I love how it's a multiple generational story, that has action, thinky science, family drama, and a bit of romance. And any novel that dares to include graphs gets a thumbs up from me! It's a good thing I still remember smidgins of my IB Physics.
I really wish Michaela Roessner was still publishing novels, as I've enjoyed all of her work that I've read. Anyone know if she's just working under a different name now?
I really wish Michaela Roessner was still publishing novels, as I've enjoyed all of her work that I've read. Anyone know if she's just working under a different name now?
December 22, 2014
Ahh I had seen this book on our family bookshelf for so so many years and the cover (I know, I know) drove me away. Then, when I move away, my mother sent me off with a bag of books she was ready to get rid of and I resolved to read them all. This was in there and I'm glad it was so I was finally forced to look beyond the cover. The plot was engaging and realistic enough to suck you in. The end was just way fun and incredibly satisfying. I could have done without the physics, but other than that, I would recommend this book for sure!
June 3, 2013
Good up til the physics came in.
August 6, 2017
Good book. Damned good book. One of the best ones I've read in awhile. The way the author builds the post apocalyptic world makes you feel like you're there with the main character.
I love the way she described the world developing after the Vanishing ,and how people pulled together in different groups; some to help each other, and some hellbent on destroying the others.
The only reason I didn't give the book 5 stars is the predictability. Within the first 3 chapters you can pretty much see what's going to happen with a lot of the characters.
The ending isn't predictable, so that came as a complete surprise. I also love the fact that if the author chooses to do so, she can continue stories in this world by picking up side characters, or even going on with the main characters who can have future adventures. If you're into post apocalyptic stories that don't focus on a Dystopian future, pick up this book. Read it, then read it again to see the stuff you missed the first time through.
I love the way she described the world developing after the Vanishing ,and how people pulled together in different groups; some to help each other, and some hellbent on destroying the others.
The only reason I didn't give the book 5 stars is the predictability. Within the first 3 chapters you can pretty much see what's going to happen with a lot of the characters.
The ending isn't predictable, so that came as a complete surprise. I also love the fact that if the author chooses to do so, she can continue stories in this world by picking up side characters, or even going on with the main characters who can have future adventures. If you're into post apocalyptic stories that don't focus on a Dystopian future, pick up this book. Read it, then read it again to see the stuff you missed the first time through.
May 20, 2017
It was dull. The characters were not that interesting, and while I wanted to see what a world would be like if 90% of the population suddenly vanished (an interesting number because that is quite a lot more survivors than most apocalyptic fiction has), it did not answer enough. Roessner seems to explore mostly the psychological effects on the survivors than the physical effects on the world: while she did a good job examining an often overlooked aspect of the apocalypse, it did not exactly make for edge-of-your-seat storytelling. There is very little plot. The characters did not have much distinction beyond their age and sex. Overall the book was basically unsatisfying.
September 19, 2018
A delightful read of speculative sci-fi, imagination and wonderful character development in a plausible post-apocalyptic world where 90% of the world's population vanished 30 years before. Written in 1993, its an original on what is now I see as a worn-out trope of post-apocalyptic sci-fi. The Escherite imagery of the landscapes for a start, will stay with me for a long time. With the characters, I could so relate to the madness, the semi-madness, of the psychological damage, also Escherite, in the diverse cast of survivors and the alien nature of the children born after the Vanishing.
August 28, 2017
There's so much science in this book my head spun with all the science techy talk. If it weren't for some of the story about the adventures and finding out if they can find the Vanishing the story got boring in between. The slits and the continuums and what not were all that kept me interested in the people and they're different tribulations. But nonetheless it was a very thorough and well written book!
December 16, 2018
Meh. It's a neat concept, but the characters are so under-developed that I cared little as to what happened to them. Roessner has multiple character relationships going on, but the characters are one-dimensional so one never really knows them. Also, the dialogue felt very unrealistic. People just don't talk like this.
July 16, 2020
One of the few sf novels I have read which is as good a novel as it is science fiction. I love stories about intimidatingly huge buildings, especially houses, and I love the setting, so maybe my judgement is impaired: caveat lector. The backstory of the characters feels authentic. Worth seeking out, though I see it is finally available as an ebook. Delay not!
May 17, 2017
I could not finish this book, it jumped around, felt like hard work and I couldn't get a drop of pleasure from it.
October 7, 2019
Not easy to comprehend, but an interesting take on multidimensional travel
November 8, 2020
Excellent character development, very interesting ideas. I was particularly impressed with the various types of cults that cropped up to explain the mass disappearance of most of humanity.
August 19, 2016
I might actually rate this as 4.5 stars, but I love this book. It is satisfying on a lot of levels. It is one of the few sci fi books that I have read that use children as a major portion of the story without making them too cute. It is primarily sociological (but really, what good science fiction isn't in some way?). It takes an unique view of alternate realities and explores that view.
The author takes an interesting viewpoint: What would happen if most of the people in the world disappeared overnight and works it into a worthwhile read. While some of the social conflict in it, is a bit black and white, it is told from a viewpoint that allows this. The main part of the storyline deals with why the people disappeared and what comes next. Most of the tension within the story comes from how different groups of people react differently to the disappearance. I feel that how these reactions are described accurately represents some of the very "crazy" ways in which people deal with unexplained loss and grief.
Another interesting point is that although the reason for the disappearance is important, the author chose not to focus on the immediate aftermath of the event. Unlike most dystopian books written now, the book takes place 30 years later when various cultures have evolved and become established. Also in contrast to other dystopian stories, the book doesn't have one protagonist fighting an evil establishment (although some social groups are definitely portrayed as being destructive). Rather than just focusing on the disappearance, the author chooses to focus on how the society that now exists deals with being being left behind. In fact, a main part of the story line deals with one of the main protagonists decision not to explore the cause of the disappearance but with the continuing physical and biological effects that ensue from the original event. This scientific "squabble" over funding is accurate and representative of similar types of "squabbles" that occur in the scientific world.
I notice that some of the previous reviews state that they didn't like the physics in this book (one stated that it was written like a textbook). I'm sorry for that, but disagree. Although I like a good space opera or social sci fi, one of the reasons that I love this book is that it doesn't back down on the science (too often done these days in Sci Fi). It is also interesting to me that the same reviews don't comment on the detailed biology that is also presented in the story (in fact the biology is just as "difficult" as the physics and as detailed in addition to being just as speculative). Frankly I get frustrated with many Sci Fi authors who seem to assume that I don't want scientific details. Unlike those reviewers, however, I feel that the science in this book, despite being detailed does take back seat to the social implications of what is going on and is only used to add verisimilitude to the story, with the social elements being followed to their conclusions and nicely wrapped up. This is what makes the book a good science fiction novel rather than fantasy or future "historical" fiction.
The author takes an interesting viewpoint: What would happen if most of the people in the world disappeared overnight and works it into a worthwhile read. While some of the social conflict in it, is a bit black and white, it is told from a viewpoint that allows this. The main part of the storyline deals with why the people disappeared and what comes next. Most of the tension within the story comes from how different groups of people react differently to the disappearance. I feel that how these reactions are described accurately represents some of the very "crazy" ways in which people deal with unexplained loss and grief.
Another interesting point is that although the reason for the disappearance is important, the author chose not to focus on the immediate aftermath of the event. Unlike most dystopian books written now, the book takes place 30 years later when various cultures have evolved and become established. Also in contrast to other dystopian stories, the book doesn't have one protagonist fighting an evil establishment (although some social groups are definitely portrayed as being destructive). Rather than just focusing on the disappearance, the author chooses to focus on how the society that now exists deals with being being left behind. In fact, a main part of the story line deals with one of the main protagonists decision not to explore the cause of the disappearance but with the continuing physical and biological effects that ensue from the original event. This scientific "squabble" over funding is accurate and representative of similar types of "squabbles" that occur in the scientific world.
I notice that some of the previous reviews state that they didn't like the physics in this book (one stated that it was written like a textbook). I'm sorry for that, but disagree. Although I like a good space opera or social sci fi, one of the reasons that I love this book is that it doesn't back down on the science (too often done these days in Sci Fi). It is also interesting to me that the same reviews don't comment on the detailed biology that is also presented in the story (in fact the biology is just as "difficult" as the physics and as detailed in addition to being just as speculative). Frankly I get frustrated with many Sci Fi authors who seem to assume that I don't want scientific details. Unlike those reviewers, however, I feel that the science in this book, despite being detailed does take back seat to the social implications of what is going on and is only used to add verisimilitude to the story, with the social elements being followed to their conclusions and nicely wrapped up. This is what makes the book a good science fiction novel rather than fantasy or future "historical" fiction.
May 26, 2019
The premise for Vanishing Point sounded really interesting. One night 90% of the human race just vanishes with no indication of how or why. They were just gone. Civilization as we know it was devastated. No one knows if the vanished will ever return, or if there will be another vanishing. It sounded like a great premise for a story.
Unfortunately, the book did not live up to my hopes. Aside from a few interesting chapters and ideas, the story and the characters were pretty forgettable. At a couple of points there is some exploration into the vanishing on the scientific side, and it really did not work for me. Many interesting things could have been done with this premise, but the result here was largely just a disappointment.
Unfortunately, the book did not live up to my hopes. Aside from a few interesting chapters and ideas, the story and the characters were pretty forgettable. At a couple of points there is some exploration into the vanishing on the scientific side, and it really did not work for me. Many interesting things could have been done with this premise, but the result here was largely just a disappointment.
March 26, 2016
Particularly these days, a post-apocalyptic future that isn't dystopian is unusual, and Vanishing Point is nothing if not unusual. Thirty years after 90% of the human race simply disappeared, people are still struggling as much with "what happened?" as "why?" and each community finds different answers. Vanishing Point is set in the remains of San Jose, California, in and around the Winchester Mystery House (which is a real thing).
Some people refuse to leave their crumbling homes, convinced the Vanished will return, and others start life anew, still others find answers (if not solace) in spirituality. The novel would have been satisfying enough is Roessner had created an adventure story about this new world, but then she subtly introduces more mysterious elements and changes, along with physics that, frankly, flew right over my head.
Her characters are fascinating and well-drawn, but I found it impossible to linger much with them as the WTF? factor accelerated and I could only take brief breaks from the book. I finished a lot more quickly than I intended, but I'm sure I'll revisit, especially the really baffling bits.
Admission: I know Ms Roessner but honestly would not have written this review if it wasn't as terrific as it is. I believe Vanishing Point has recently been released as an e-book.
Some people refuse to leave their crumbling homes, convinced the Vanished will return, and others start life anew, still others find answers (if not solace) in spirituality. The novel would have been satisfying enough is Roessner had created an adventure story about this new world, but then she subtly introduces more mysterious elements and changes, along with physics that, frankly, flew right over my head.
Her characters are fascinating and well-drawn, but I found it impossible to linger much with them as the WTF? factor accelerated and I could only take brief breaks from the book. I finished a lot more quickly than I intended, but I'm sure I'll revisit, especially the really baffling bits.
Admission: I know Ms Roessner but honestly would not have written this review if it wasn't as terrific as it is. I believe Vanishing Point has recently been released as an e-book.
August 5, 2016
This is an odd book that scatters some crumbs of a really creepy scenario that ultimately doesn't live up to its possibilities. It's 30 years after most of the population has vanished - and I commend the author for a realistic view of what it would be like for the survivors. For once we have thinking characters that figure out how to function.
Underlying this post apocalyptic story are bizarre incidents that suggest the world (or the universe) is fundamentally changing somehow and some of the survivors don't even recognize it. Did the names of paint colors change? Alebard? Is that a color? Funny, though they don't seem to realize it - many of the character's names are strange too: Renzie, Hake, Nesta... The first generation born after the vanishing have metallic colored hair and can practically see in the dark. The second generation seems to talk in a different language and know things the older one don't. This seemed the basis of a startling novel that defied genre. Yet unfortunately the book got bogged down in too oft-requited romances and side tales of cults and personalities - and even office politics if you can believe that, which I didn't think added to the story. I wanted to know more about the changes and what was happening and a lot less of who was sleeping with whom.
So it's an interesting enough book but I felt it could have been so much more.
Underlying this post apocalyptic story are bizarre incidents that suggest the world (or the universe) is fundamentally changing somehow and some of the survivors don't even recognize it. Did the names of paint colors change? Alebard? Is that a color? Funny, though they don't seem to realize it - many of the character's names are strange too: Renzie, Hake, Nesta... The first generation born after the vanishing have metallic colored hair and can practically see in the dark. The second generation seems to talk in a different language and know things the older one don't. This seemed the basis of a startling novel that defied genre. Yet unfortunately the book got bogged down in too oft-requited romances and side tales of cults and personalities - and even office politics if you can believe that, which I didn't think added to the story. I wanted to know more about the changes and what was happening and a lot less of who was sleeping with whom.
So it's an interesting enough book but I felt it could have been so much more.
July 31, 2016
there are a lot of interesting pieces in this book. I love dystopian and post-apocalyptic books and it is always fun to discover a new angle, a new world, fresh characters. This book was actually published in 1994 and the place is California - mostly in the Winchester mansion which legend has it, was haunted and the owner had constant construction going on until her death. Construction continues in the story and and a community has grown up in the house. There are other groups of survivors of a mysterious vanishing in which random people just suddenly disappeared. Everyone deals with a event in different ways and communities are built around the varied belief systems. One group believes that the vanishing was judgement day and those who not only survive, but thrive, are actually holding everyone back from salvation when they would be able to join the people they lost in heaven. In the middle of this is a small group trying to understand what happened and answer the question that frightens everyone - will it happen again? It reads a bit like a YA novel but the writing is solid, the characters well fleshed out and the plot kept my interest.
It reads a bit like
It reads a bit like
September 24, 2015
I know it's cliche but I do sometimes pick out books by their cover. When going thru racks at a book fair I often pick up what catches my eye visually, read the description and maybe first page and then decide to buy or not buy. This cover is awesome. Unfortunately the book is not. It started off ok and I was intrigued by some of the characters and future/sci-fi elements. However, as it progressed the details of the science were explained in great detail and took up pages at a time, distracting from the story-line and character stories. Some of it literally read like a text book, which perhaps some people would appreciate, but I am not one of them. By the last one hundred pages I was out, but felt compelled to finish to see if any of those original elements that had intrigued me would show back up. What is most upsetting is that they go into great detail on scientific elements, but then when describing fantasy elements they don't bother really explaining it as much, it just happens, or its just something they do. It's still a really awesome cover though.
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