Splinter Review

Mr. Roberts continues to impress readers and reviewers with his dazzling novel Splinter.

The survivor of a global catastrophe has to come to terms with a very different outlook on life… A major part of the story is about his growing up, and realising that the world does not revolve around him – even the smaller splinter of the planet on which he finds himself when some terrible event splits Earth into numerous planetoids which miraculously manage to maintain an atmosphere. Roberts very effectively takes you inside Sevradac’s head, complete with its Freudian slips, loosely remembered pieces of jingles and nursery rhymes and total self-absorption...

It’s also an examination of the benefits of being part of a community rather than standing out as an individual, and the trauma when you realise that you have become the ‘adult’ part of a family relationship. We only see the others around Sevradac through his eyes, but can sense their desire to include him until he pushes them away once too often - only eventually to find something that will accept him no matter what... Stylistically Splinter is an unusual novel, with its three sections written in past, present and future tenses respectively, and it's one that stays with you long after you’ve finished it.

Read the full review at Dreamwatch Total Sci Fi.