Quite a good book. Not one of David Brin's best but still good. ( )

David Brin has made his name writing hard science fiction, but this earlier work (1984) is one of his softer pieces.

The premise of a new world which has slightly different physical laws from Earth, and how those laws affect everyday life, is fascinating. However, the reader should not expect any great depth of insight from this novel, since is it written in the manner of a nonstop action adventure. It is highly readable in the manner of pulp fiction like Burroughs' A Princess of Mars, and science fiction is mixed with traditional fantasy elements such as castles, dungeons, an imprisoned princess who needs rescuing, and an calculating baron who wants to take over the world.

The storytelling is engaging, but the characters could perhaps have been developed more fully and the central concept explored in more depth. But on the other hand, it is evident that Brin was not aiming for any great profoundness of meaning when he wrote this work, since a light-hearted humour permeates the whole book.

Although it is an action adventure, it reads more like science fiction than fantasy, and Brin provides a scientific explanation (albeit not a very convincing one) for everything at the end of the novel.

For me it was a light but thoroughly enjoyable read.

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Language: not subtle
Characters: flat
Plot: ludicrous, Isamoor wrote "old school", very pulp
if you want "cheap" undemanding entertainment it's ok -
if you are 14 it's ok
if you want more food for thought . drop it
i managed to read 50 pages.... ( )

i thought this book was very clever. The basis for how things work on this particular world is based on practice and repetition - what if you could really 'practice up' and get better at things, or make tools better by using them or sharpening them over and over? Someone who discovers this and masters it can use it to great effect.... ( )

Sep09: Old school science fiction. I mean that in a kind way.

Characters: Yea, they were likable, but flat as shit. It wasn't about the characters.
Plot: Well, it was a wild romp. Nothing really made much sense; cause and effect were out the window. Exploring the 'practice effect' was pretty much the whole point.
Style: Totally old school sci-fi. Felt just like 'Flash Gordon'. Sometimes that is what you want. And if so, this is a pretty good version of it. ( )

This book reads like an odd combination of a trite young adult fantasy and a science fiction novel of planetary exploration hung on a truly intriguing concept. A physics experiment gone wrong leaves our protagonist stranded on an earth like planet inhabited by human like people where one important law of physics works quite differently: things that are used don’t wear down, they instead improve towards perfection (i.e., as they get “practice”).

The Practice Effect is a decent yarn, but not really in the same league with Startide Rising or The Uplift War. I found the feudal politics and economics of the world to be superficial, and none of the characters to be particularly compelling (the love-interest princess and the evil villain both felt particularly thin). The strategy and tactics of the climactic battle are unconvincing, and completely ignore the profound implications of the planet's reverse entropy physics to boot.

Not a great novel, but I found it moderately satisfying in a guilty pleasure kind of way. ( )

This is absolutely one of my favorite Brin novels - and I have every one he has written to date. The premise is so unique that I (still) think it would make an outstanding movie! Anyone a screen writer out there??? ( )

http://www.lincolnlibraries.org/depts/bookguide/srec/staffrec04-03.htm ( )

http://www.leftfield.org/~rawdon/books/sf/brin_david/#the.practice.effect ( )

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http://www.davidbrin.com/practiceeffectsample1.html
David Brin's Official Web Site: The Practice Effect (sample chapters) ( )