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The Converted
"...a deep story set in an intricately described world with a broad spectrum of unique characters..." - FantasyBookReview.co.uk
"Well-developed characters, strong relationship ties, adventure and the perfect amount of detail." - Doubleshot Reviews
With his patients dead and his genetic research in tatters, Dr. Anton Springmann fled his homeland as a fugitive, taking a one-way diesel ship to New Alania. But within hours of his arrival, screams ring through the night. Hordes of gray, humanoid creatures--devils, to the townspeople--attack Anton's new home. Among the dead, Anton finds a single a young girl, Elisa Pierce. Her skin grows cracked and she begins to mutate. She's becoming a devil. Anton's seen it before.
Tormented by past sins, Anton struggles to save Elisa before the change takes her completely. But old enemies have pursued him across the seas, and now Anton is being hunted by more than just devils.
Redemption doesn't come cheap in New Alania.
Set in a land where six-guns are sacred and personal genetic modifications are the mark of nobility, THE CONVERTED is a fantasy novel with a hint of steampunk that's not afraid to delve into the darkness.
"I could see myself amid the chaos." - The Bornean Bookworm
"Well-developed characters, strong relationship ties, adventure and the perfect amount of detail." - Doubleshot Reviews
With his patients dead and his genetic research in tatters, Dr. Anton Springmann fled his homeland as a fugitive, taking a one-way diesel ship to New Alania. But within hours of his arrival, screams ring through the night. Hordes of gray, humanoid creatures--devils, to the townspeople--attack Anton's new home. Among the dead, Anton finds a single a young girl, Elisa Pierce. Her skin grows cracked and she begins to mutate. She's becoming a devil. Anton's seen it before.
Tormented by past sins, Anton struggles to save Elisa before the change takes her completely. But old enemies have pursued him across the seas, and now Anton is being hunted by more than just devils.
Redemption doesn't come cheap in New Alania.
Set in a land where six-guns are sacred and personal genetic modifications are the mark of nobility, THE CONVERTED is a fantasy novel with a hint of steampunk that's not afraid to delve into the darkness.
"I could see myself amid the chaos." - The Bornean Bookworm
- GenresScience FictionFantasy
314 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 12, 2011
22 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 23, 2011
The Converted is definitely one of the most unique books I've ever read. A fantasy set in a wild west-like world with technology beyond what we have today. It's a story about a man fleeing his past where, through his work, he committed many crimes against humanity. He's fleeing the law and his own conscience. When he finds people in his new home town who need help, he volunteers, knowing it could cost him his life. If he can help them, perhaps he can appease his feelings of guilt.
I enjoyed the western setting combined with futuristic technology. It made for some very interesting mental pictures. The story starts out well, getting into action quickly to keep interest. I felt it started dragging in the middle and found myself wishing for the end to come more quickly. Things did pick up and the ending was as action-packed as I could hope for, yet not quite the typical western ending of the hero riding off into the sunset. It's definitely worth a read if you enjoy fantasy.
*Disclaimer: I received this book from the author for free. I was not required to write a positive review.
I enjoyed the western setting combined with futuristic technology. It made for some very interesting mental pictures. The story starts out well, getting into action quickly to keep interest. I felt it started dragging in the middle and found myself wishing for the end to come more quickly. Things did pick up and the ending was as action-packed as I could hope for, yet not quite the typical western ending of the hero riding off into the sunset. It's definitely worth a read if you enjoy fantasy.
*Disclaimer: I received this book from the author for free. I was not required to write a positive review.
October 10, 2011
I'm not much of a sci-fi fan and I think I've said it before, however this book was wonderful and kept me glued from the beginning. It takes place on another planet and is set in a futuristic plane. The author really knows how to write in such a way that keeps you right there and doesn't let you go. You begin to feel this place is real and you're right there with the characters. I would definitely recommend this to anyone that is a huge fan of sci-fi I know without a doubt you will enjoy this book immensely.
Kitty Bullard / Great Minds Think Aloud / http://www.greatmindsliterarycommunit...
Kitty Bullard / Great Minds Think Aloud / http://www.greatmindsliterarycommunit...
April 8, 2012
I’m a big fan of people who go out on a limb and try the self-publishing game. As a married man with a time consuming job and lots of hobbies, I am envious of those who manage to find the time to write stories, the only way for me would be to make writing my full time job. I think about what it would be like to leave my job and become a writer, but my own thoughts always get the better of me. “What if people don’t like my stuff?”, “What if its just bad writing?”, and “What if I lose everything?”. Someone who is taking his chance at the self-publishing game is author of The Converted, Chris Hindmarsh. If Hindmarsh can keep producing stories that are equal to or better than The Converted, then I have no doubt he will be successful in his endeavours to become a mover and shaker in the self-publishing industry.
The Converted is set in the world of New Alania, a world that is very reminiscent of Bas-Lag from the New Crobuzon novels by China Mieville. This is an industrial world, a world full of factories, experiments with electricity, and experiments with genetics, all of which has resulted in a culture of genetic modification. There are religions that mirror our own, and there is the idea of gun worship, an idea that really defines how different societies operate in New Alania. Without going into more detail and providing spoilers, it is obvious that Hindmarsh has put a lot of thought into his world building, creating a place that I would happily visit again and again.
While I loved the culture, I cannot say that I loved the characters and their relationships. With the exception of Ben and Sa, I found it very hard to relate or even like to any of the characters in this book. Their moods can be inconsistent, their goals are never really well defined, and they often react to situations in ways contradictory to how I thought they should be reacting. The relationships that form between the different characters can also seem a little odd at times, especially the romantic one between two of the main characters. An unlikely relationship between two very different characters can often work, but it usually comes as a reward for the two characters after chapters and chapters of emotional and sexual tension. In this case, the romantic relationship was formed based on opportunity and spontaneity, two characteristics that hardly belong to the two characters in question, and while I actually grew to appreciate the romance in the long run, it was a romance that should have blossomed much later in the book or not at all.
The plot is a real strength in this book, and it had to be so that it could carry some of the weaker characters. While I found it hard to invest in the main character Anton because I just couldn’t relate to him, I found it very easy to invest in his story because of his mysterious background, especially as these background mysteries start unravelling and big connections start being made to current plot points. The action sequences are very well written and are integral scenes that really drive the plot rather than being superfluous scenes added for the sake of having action. Intrigue and suspense is used to great effect, the mysteries are hard to decipher and are unravelled at appropriate times, and all the loose threads are dealt with in an appropriate and timely fashion. There are a few issues with prose towards the start of the book, sentences are far too short and the viewpoints can waver from paragraph to paragraph creating a somewhat staccato reading experience. After around 100 pages, these issues just seem to disappear almost instantaneously as Hindmarsh really gets into a good rhythm with solid sentence structure and well defined viewpoints pushing this book along at a more appropriate pace.
The Converted has all the hallmarks I have come to expect from a debut novel. It has a deep story set in an intricately described world with a broad spectrum of unique characters, but it just seems to be missing something, that little bit of polish that turns a good story into a fantastically immersive story. This is a story that starts out a little slow and rocky but gets much better the further you get into it. Similar to what I said in my review of The Passage, I implore you to keep reading The Converted because there is a complex story in there with a bunch of different threads and a pay-off that is well worth it.
The Converted is set in the world of New Alania, a world that is very reminiscent of Bas-Lag from the New Crobuzon novels by China Mieville. This is an industrial world, a world full of factories, experiments with electricity, and experiments with genetics, all of which has resulted in a culture of genetic modification. There are religions that mirror our own, and there is the idea of gun worship, an idea that really defines how different societies operate in New Alania. Without going into more detail and providing spoilers, it is obvious that Hindmarsh has put a lot of thought into his world building, creating a place that I would happily visit again and again.
While I loved the culture, I cannot say that I loved the characters and their relationships. With the exception of Ben and Sa, I found it very hard to relate or even like to any of the characters in this book. Their moods can be inconsistent, their goals are never really well defined, and they often react to situations in ways contradictory to how I thought they should be reacting. The relationships that form between the different characters can also seem a little odd at times, especially the romantic one between two of the main characters. An unlikely relationship between two very different characters can often work, but it usually comes as a reward for the two characters after chapters and chapters of emotional and sexual tension. In this case, the romantic relationship was formed based on opportunity and spontaneity, two characteristics that hardly belong to the two characters in question, and while I actually grew to appreciate the romance in the long run, it was a romance that should have blossomed much later in the book or not at all.
The plot is a real strength in this book, and it had to be so that it could carry some of the weaker characters. While I found it hard to invest in the main character Anton because I just couldn’t relate to him, I found it very easy to invest in his story because of his mysterious background, especially as these background mysteries start unravelling and big connections start being made to current plot points. The action sequences are very well written and are integral scenes that really drive the plot rather than being superfluous scenes added for the sake of having action. Intrigue and suspense is used to great effect, the mysteries are hard to decipher and are unravelled at appropriate times, and all the loose threads are dealt with in an appropriate and timely fashion. There are a few issues with prose towards the start of the book, sentences are far too short and the viewpoints can waver from paragraph to paragraph creating a somewhat staccato reading experience. After around 100 pages, these issues just seem to disappear almost instantaneously as Hindmarsh really gets into a good rhythm with solid sentence structure and well defined viewpoints pushing this book along at a more appropriate pace.
The Converted has all the hallmarks I have come to expect from a debut novel. It has a deep story set in an intricately described world with a broad spectrum of unique characters, but it just seems to be missing something, that little bit of polish that turns a good story into a fantastically immersive story. This is a story that starts out a little slow and rocky but gets much better the further you get into it. Similar to what I said in my review of The Passage, I implore you to keep reading The Converted because there is a complex story in there with a bunch of different threads and a pay-off that is well worth it.
May 15, 2012
A man with a dark past escapes to a new land hoping for a new life and atonement for past sins. Welcome to one of the great Western tropes. Many careers have been made on this basic plot, and I'm thinking C. R. Hindmarsh, author of The Converted, might be one of them as well.
Hindmarsh adds some new twists to the tale; it's not precisely a Western, in that it appears to be set in a fantasy world. But it's a fantasy world with trains, guns, a mostly 1880s tech level, wilderness, Indians (Skia), and a powerful elite. There's even the local mayor who stands up to the rampaging savages, soldiers who don't really know what's going on where they are, and a stand off at a public hanging.
So, all in all, everything everyone loves about Westerns are in this book. If it takes place in New Alania instead of Wyoming, well, who really cares?
The twist, instead of a dark past of Civil War crimes (or heroics) our Dark Hero was a failed geneticist, whose experiments killed a slew of children.
It's a good twist. Everything other than the genetics looks pretty well set for the 1880s, but the rich and powerful have figured out how to vert (convert) genes and are walking around with different colors, different skin types (scales for example). It's not so much that the powerful have more money, they're practically a different species by the time this story gets going.
But of course, there's a dark secret involving the verts and the rich and powerful. And it's the job of the hero to get to the bottom of it and seek redemption along the way.
The cast of characters is wide enough to cover almost all of the basic Western roles. There was no whore with a heart of gold, but I think that was the only one who was missing. They are competently drawn, interesting, and worth following.
This is a tidy and solid western. (Even if it looks a little different.) If the drifter, one step ahead of the law, rides into town, finds things aren't the way they should be, grows a spine and a conscience, and then, with the aid of a few new friends, goes in and saves the day, overthrowing the corrupting influence is your idea of a good time, go read The Converted, you will enjoy it.
Hindmarsh adds some new twists to the tale; it's not precisely a Western, in that it appears to be set in a fantasy world. But it's a fantasy world with trains, guns, a mostly 1880s tech level, wilderness, Indians (Skia), and a powerful elite. There's even the local mayor who stands up to the rampaging savages, soldiers who don't really know what's going on where they are, and a stand off at a public hanging.
So, all in all, everything everyone loves about Westerns are in this book. If it takes place in New Alania instead of Wyoming, well, who really cares?
The twist, instead of a dark past of Civil War crimes (or heroics) our Dark Hero was a failed geneticist, whose experiments killed a slew of children.
It's a good twist. Everything other than the genetics looks pretty well set for the 1880s, but the rich and powerful have figured out how to vert (convert) genes and are walking around with different colors, different skin types (scales for example). It's not so much that the powerful have more money, they're practically a different species by the time this story gets going.
But of course, there's a dark secret involving the verts and the rich and powerful. And it's the job of the hero to get to the bottom of it and seek redemption along the way.
The cast of characters is wide enough to cover almost all of the basic Western roles. There was no whore with a heart of gold, but I think that was the only one who was missing. They are competently drawn, interesting, and worth following.
This is a tidy and solid western. (Even if it looks a little different.) If the drifter, one step ahead of the law, rides into town, finds things aren't the way they should be, grows a spine and a conscience, and then, with the aid of a few new friends, goes in and saves the day, overthrowing the corrupting influence is your idea of a good time, go read The Converted, you will enjoy it.
September 24, 2011
I am a big fan of the Firefly television series, and this seemed to have similar elements so that drew me to it. But this didn't have quite as much of the science fiction aspects as I was expecting. The science fiction aspects- the genetic research, mutations, etc.... are important to the climax of the story, but it reads more like a western novel. The setting and characters are ones that could come from any western movie or novel. The novel has a good pace, and the author teases out the history of what brings Dr. Springmann to New Alania in the first half of the novel, so just learn a little bit of it at a time. The author does use the F-bomb several times through out the novel. A few times, if it suits the genre, I can take that, but there was one scene where it was used about as many times as it was in the whole rest of the book, and that just seemed excessive.
July 25, 2011
The story progresses nicely, from discovery to unfolding secret, each building on the next to help create the story. It's a wonderful example of a good way to build a world through a story, as it takes what is familiar for granted, and reveeals the new or different slowly, providing details as they're needed by the story, without any interrupting info dumps. This is true of all of the story, as not even the perspective changes are jarring, since they help tell the complete story.
See the entire review at Sift: http://www.siftreviews.com/2011/06/co...
Review by: John of Sift Book Reviews
Sift Book Reviews received a free copy for review from the author. This has, in no way, affected the reviewer's opinion.
See the entire review at Sift: http://www.siftreviews.com/2011/06/co...
Review by: John of Sift Book Reviews
Sift Book Reviews received a free copy for review from the author. This has, in no way, affected the reviewer's opinion.
May 31, 2011
The Converted is a really interesting book about a society that values the ability of "verting" things, including people. Verting is altering the physical make up of a being, like changing skin colour. The book explores what happens good/bad when you do this. It is much more than that though. The book looks at how society discriminates against people of different races and also how the church can be used to influence people. I really enjoyed the book very much. There were times when I could not put the book down. It is a fast paced action book. Some of the characters in the book are a bit simplistic, but that did not take away from my enjoyment of the book. I'll read more by Hindmarsh in the future.
November 3, 2011
Review of Member giveaway eBook.
This was an unusual book. It combines science fiction, steampunk and western elements.
Anton a doctor on the run from his past arrives at a small town that is almost immediately attacked by ‘devils’. A young girl is injured and starts to show mutations. From there a journey to the Capital to seek help leads to various adventures. All while being chased by a character called Wulf who wants to take him back for trial.
This was an entertaining, light read. If you ignore the incongruity of genetic manipulation occurring in a society that uses horse power and go with the flow it should fill a quiet afternoon.
This was an unusual book. It combines science fiction, steampunk and western elements.
Anton a doctor on the run from his past arrives at a small town that is almost immediately attacked by ‘devils’. A young girl is injured and starts to show mutations. From there a journey to the Capital to seek help leads to various adventures. All while being chased by a character called Wulf who wants to take him back for trial.
This was an entertaining, light read. If you ignore the incongruity of genetic manipulation occurring in a society that uses horse power and go with the flow it should fill a quiet afternoon.
March 15, 2012
Here’s a new twist on an old genre. The Converted is a Western, no two ways about it. But it’s set on a second world (a world a lot like ours, but not ours–like Gotham or Hogwarts).
A variety of strange peoples, including gray, barbarous mountain men, mix it up in a story that is Western at heart. People have decorated their faces with tats and their horses with genetic alterations, but they still carry six shooters and shotguns.
Overall, it’s an intriguing book, but the execution gets a little shaky in spots. If you like Westerns and enjoy a little deviation from the norm (like I do), then Read it! Review it! and Share it!
A variety of strange peoples, including gray, barbarous mountain men, mix it up in a story that is Western at heart. People have decorated their faces with tats and their horses with genetic alterations, but they still carry six shooters and shotguns.
Overall, it’s an intriguing book, but the execution gets a little shaky in spots. If you like Westerns and enjoy a little deviation from the norm (like I do), then Read it! Review it! and Share it!
June 10, 2011
C R Hindmarsh’s The Converted did what I always want a story to do: it sucked me in and held me down until I finished reading it! The future setting on another planet with a frontier setting is very well realised and while it reminded me a little of the TV show Firefly (in a good way), Hindmarsh definitely has a sense of the place he’s created and understands all the details which make it real to the reader - and helps suspend disbelief. The characters are well thought out and pretty believable, all in all. I’d heartily recommend it, and am looking forward to his next book!
September 20, 2014
I'm really not sure what to say about this book without giving away the "punch line". I liked it, but then again I didn't like it. The world, situation and characters were interesting, but I didn't like a lot of what happened.
It was a very fast read, I read it in one evening. Has a lot of action. It packs a months worth of action into a few days.
It was a very fast read, I read it in one evening. Has a lot of action. It packs a months worth of action into a few days.
June 13, 2011
Great read, well written, unique storyline and setting!
Want to read
November 6, 2011Love, love, love the summary of this book!!!
March 4, 2018
Part western, part sci fi thriller, C. R. Hindmarsh's novel The Converted gives a glimpse into a society where technology pairs with unbridled greed creating not just physical monsters, but figurative ones as well.
In the novel, Dr. Anton Springmann journies into the frontier country of New Alania hoping to escape his past and start his life over with a clean page. But it doesn't take long for him to realize that he's left a bad situation only to enter a worse one. When he arrives in New Alania, he finds that monstrous creatures are threatening the human population there. And when one of his patients, a young girl, is attacked, Dr. Springmann is determined to rescue the child no matter what, and in the process, redeem himself for his past crimes.
Hindmarsh is a solid writer. His plot moves swiftly, and his characters are interesting. He brings the tragedies in the story to life, making the reader care about what happens. From the very beginning of the story, Hindmarsh draws his readers into his world and keeps them there until the final page.
But not everything in this books works. The story contains elements of steampunk and science fiction and even fantasy, but unfortunately, these diverse things do not blend well. Instead of complimenting each other, the genres clash.
For example, it stretches credibility to think that a society could produce complex genetic mutations while, at the same time, having no technology beyond diesel engines and steam locomotives. The genetic research in the book was as out of place as a nuclear reactor in the middle of the "Little House on the Prairie" series.
An additional concern was that the only point of the genetic research in the story was to alter people's appearances. Since New Alania was an agrarian society, it would have made more sense for the gene technology to be used to create drought-resistant crops or heal injuries, and have the cosmetics spring up as a by-product of that technology.
Although C. R. Hindmarsh is a gifted writer, the plot for this book didn't work as well as it could have. Hopefully, his next book will work out some of these kinks.
In the novel, Dr. Anton Springmann journies into the frontier country of New Alania hoping to escape his past and start his life over with a clean page. But it doesn't take long for him to realize that he's left a bad situation only to enter a worse one. When he arrives in New Alania, he finds that monstrous creatures are threatening the human population there. And when one of his patients, a young girl, is attacked, Dr. Springmann is determined to rescue the child no matter what, and in the process, redeem himself for his past crimes.
Hindmarsh is a solid writer. His plot moves swiftly, and his characters are interesting. He brings the tragedies in the story to life, making the reader care about what happens. From the very beginning of the story, Hindmarsh draws his readers into his world and keeps them there until the final page.
But not everything in this books works. The story contains elements of steampunk and science fiction and even fantasy, but unfortunately, these diverse things do not blend well. Instead of complimenting each other, the genres clash.
For example, it stretches credibility to think that a society could produce complex genetic mutations while, at the same time, having no technology beyond diesel engines and steam locomotives. The genetic research in the book was as out of place as a nuclear reactor in the middle of the "Little House on the Prairie" series.
An additional concern was that the only point of the genetic research in the story was to alter people's appearances. Since New Alania was an agrarian society, it would have made more sense for the gene technology to be used to create drought-resistant crops or heal injuries, and have the cosmetics spring up as a by-product of that technology.
Although C. R. Hindmarsh is a gifted writer, the plot for this book didn't work as well as it could have. Hopefully, his next book will work out some of these kinks.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews