Book Review: The Bridge

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

The Bridge     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Janine Ellen Young
Class/Genre:   Science Fiction   Thriller   First Contact
Aspect, Sep 2000, $6.50, 368 pp.

When the pandemic virus struck the earth, no one knew its origin. All everyone understood was death and mutation. The extraterrestrial Kasaran had sent their friendly hello in a microscopic genetic package throughout the universe in search of intelligent life. When the probe reached earth, it took a wicked twist that its creators could not have envisioned: it had murdered billions without rhyme or reason.

When the plague finally ended its devastating run, two humanoid geneses contend for planetary superiority. One group consisted of those former home sapiens that the virus transformed into an alien populace clamoring for contact with the mother species. The other group is the surviving members of Homo Sapiens who somehow contained a natural immunity to the virus and remain human. After the debacle of the first contact, they prefer nothing to with the Kasaran killing machine.

THE BRIDGE is an excellent science fiction thriller that centers on complex actions and reactions. The story line is crisp, fast-paced, and thought provoking as the reader realizes that even in the innocence of knowledge-seeking and friendships, death even holocausts, can occur. Anyone who enjoys classic Star Trek will fully relish Janine Ellen Young’s awesome first contact tale and seek her debut novel, CINDERBLOCK.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner