Power Trip

by Jeff Thomason

René thinks he’s hit the jackpot! After six months of no luck following college, he finds the perfect job with excellent benefits at The Power Company doing what he graduated in. But a newly hired manager has a mysterious agenda. Employees disappear with no warning, and René is caught in a massive explosion that leaves the city of 8 million without power during a record-breaking heat wave. Riots rage and fires burn as the city plunges into chaos, and René finds himself framed for sabotage. Only the intervention of a silent wanderer can save him and the rest of the city from a deadly power trip.

Genres: Science Fiction, Gemstones

234 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2011

About the author

Jeff Thomason is the creator of the Cully Koala comic strip and the Wandering Koala tales. He has published two novels, illustrated two children's books, provided covers for over a dozen titles, and written and drawn numerous comic books.

Jeff's dream has always been to be a rock star. Unfortunately, he can't sing, he can't dance, and he doesn't look good in tight leather pants. So he decided to pursue his second dream and become a writer and artist.

When he isn't working on his own creations, he also provides graphic design and web development for companies all over the country including Community Care; Southwest Specialty Foods, Inc.; World Prayer Room; Le Ritz Hotel & Suites; Big H Products, Inc; Galaxy Southwest; Mega Corporation; Members' Auto Center; The Arizona Group; Jefferson School District 251; Double Your Decompression; the American Back Pain Association; the American Academy of Pediatrics; Playground Hound, LLC; the Idaho Perinatal Project; Arizona Pain & Wellness Centers; and many others.

You can see more of his work at JeffThomason.com.

Reviews

[Jennifer Hampton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeff Thomason has created an enigma in the character of The Wandering Koala. He has seemingly unlimited power to do what he wishes. He has the skills of a ninja, incredible intelligence, and he goes around saving people. Is he human or alien? Unfortunately, he won’t ever say as he is mute. With his side kick, Brent, they rescue the hapless Rene and restore power to a city caught in panic.
This story starts with one of the clearest explanations of a market monopoly that I have ever seen. After this academic beginning, we meet Rene-a recently graduated new employee of The Power Company. He is willing to do anything to keep his marketing job. Most of the characters and constructs in this story seem to be philosophical in nature. There is the big evil monopoly, grasping politicians, callous company CEOs and clueless, petty middle managers. It sounds pretty much like any larger business today. The central theme is not good versus evil, but individualism and creativity versus Corporatism gone wild.
Do the good guys win? Sort of. Do the bad guys pay for their crimes? Not really. Similar to reality, there are wins and losses on both sides and the Wandering Koala goes off in search of his next adventure.
This is an enjoyable read for those looking for something that is multilayered. Many of the situations will sound familiar to anyone that has worked in a large business. On the surface, it is a very simple story, but it will make you think.

http://hampton-networks.com/book-revi...

[L.E.Olteano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fluttering Thoughts:

World Building: It's sort of contemporary, with the whole finishing school and not quite getting a job things and such. The charm of "you can never have enough layers of management" wasn't lost on me :D , that's the note in which this world is built.
Characters: Fun, though not quite deeply explored. They felt more like novella/short fiction fit then for a novel, to be honest.
Plot: The idea of the story is interesting and fun to follow, but I felt it was perhaps a bit dragged on a bit, I feel it would have been a smoother delivery in a shorter format.
Writing: Fun, engaging, accessible. Had nice humor to it, sort of tongue-in-cheek style without going too far off with it.
Curb Appeal: The cover would get me interested, though maybe not sold. If I'd seen a physical copy of it and flipped through the pages to make up my mind if I'd buy it or not, the illustrations would have sealed the deal, for instance. Some of them are genius, like the imp ones. Freaking brilliant.

So, this was fun. I'm putting up as pulp fiction because that's what it made me think of, really.

[A Book Vacation · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel is a social commentary on big business and politics, focusing mainly on the “little” guy in the midst of it all. Much of this novel centers around situations that those in the work force will recognize as true to life; though the exact events may not take place, the concepts surrounding them are everyday occurrences with which many readers will be able to connect. Rene’s character represents the working class, he’s easily likeable, has been searching for a job in a terrible economy, and is extremely relieved to finally obtain a good job. Of course, he’ll do anything to keep it, even if it’s giving up some of his free time and working on projects he’s not certified to do—having been out of a job so long, he can’t quit or he may never get another job again. I really liked how similar the story was to so many people working in corporate America in today’s society, and the satiric nature of the story really made it a great read.

However, while this novel has a very interesting concept, and the synopsis makes it sounds like a real life drama, it actually lends itself to fantasy in that a mysterious superhero is in the mix. In retrospect, the title portion of the novel, A Wandering Koala Tale, might give readers a heads up that this story isn’t exactly a real life drama, but I was surprised nonetheless and a bit confused by the sudden appearance of a superhero. The Wandering Koala did show up in the very beginning of the story, creating a background for his character, but once the main story took over, I forgot all about the fantastical superhero and became completely focused on the main story at hand. While I did like the mute Wandering Koala with ninja assassin like skills, and he did add some spice to the story, I wasn’t expecting the novel to take on a fantasy-like feel. It’s a good read regardless, and Thomason is a great writer, but just be forewarned, there is a superhero within the pages.

To see my full review upon release (2/28/12):

http://wp.me/p1jhaj-1Oj

[Jenny T. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a free book from the Goodreads First Reads giveaways.
This was an "anime" type of novel featuring a mysterious do-gooder, The Wandering Koala. Although I found the plot a bit boring, I did enjoy the sarcasm about business politics/management.

[Chrislin · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book and the characters remind me of a supperhero novel this book is for people who are around there 20s I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads