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Alpha
A noble goal, and a stupid risk, but will it pay off?
The world of the future is starkly divided. Those with the money to afford it can become Alphas, people with superhuman IQ. The rest? Mundanes, unable to get a job beyond being a mechanic or working in food service, if they can get work at all.
But Nick, a mundane, disagrees with the system, and so does his dangerous friend Riki. Their dream is to build their own machine to raise IQ and give people the equal opportunity they deserve. The penalty for this, however, is death, and it must be done in secret.
Unfortunately, Nick is new to crime, and he meets a handsome man in a bar after a hard day at work. When he finds out Julian is an Alpha, he’s nervous, but continues with the flirtation, resulting in a hot couple of nights. When he finds out that Julian is an investigator, he realizes he has put his dream at risk.
A noble goal, and a stupid risk, but will it pay off?
The world of the future is starkly divided. Those with the money to afford it can become Alphas, people with superhuman IQ. The rest? Mundanes, unable to get a job beyond being a mechanic or working in food service, if they can get work at all.
But Nick, a mundane, disagrees with the system, and so does his dangerous friend Riki. Their dream is to build their own machine to raise IQ and give people the equal opportunity they deserve. The penalty for this, however, is death, and it must be done in secret.
Unfortunately, Nick is new to crime, and he meets a handsome man in a bar after a hard day at work. When he finds out Julian is an Alpha, he’s nervous, but continues with the flirtation, resulting in a hot couple of nights. When he finds out that Julian is an investigator, he realizes he has put his dream at risk.
A noble goal, and a stupid risk, but will it pay off?
126 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 15, 2011
1 person is currently reading
76 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 23, 2011
I really liked this story. I would have given it five stars but it was too short. I would have liked more development with Julian's character and would have liked more relationship development between the two main characters.
It ended too soon, they just get stuff set up and it is over you have no idea if it worked or what happens now that Julian knows everything... I really hope there is a sequel because it was a great story just too short. It has a HFN IMHO but if you are more optimistic than me you'd probably call it a HEA
It ended too soon, they just get stuff set up and it is over you have no idea if it worked or what happens now that Julian knows everything... I really hope there is a sequel because it was a great story just too short. It has a HFN IMHO but if you are more optimistic than me you'd probably call it a HEA
June 27, 2013
This wasn't bad. The ending seemed kind of too easy/like a cop-out.
Still, it wasn't bad.
The implications of the machine thing are somewhat thought-provoking and I can forgive that it wans't completely expounded upon fully since this is primarily romance and not sci-fi.
Actually, I think this is the problem with some of the books I read. I don't read them as romances. I read them as whatever and get annoyed if it only focuses on romance. Or sex.
But...if it only focuses on sex, then it becomes erotica, doesn't it?
*shrug
Incoherent sleep-deprivation-induced rambling...
No biggie...
Still, it wasn't bad.
The implications of the machine thing are somewhat thought-provoking and I can forgive that it wans't completely expounded upon fully since this is primarily romance and not sci-fi.
Actually, I think this is the problem with some of the books I read. I don't read them as romances. I read them as whatever and get annoyed if it only focuses on romance. Or sex.
But...if it only focuses on sex, then it becomes erotica, doesn't it?
*shrug
Incoherent sleep-deprivation-induced rambling...
No biggie...
February 3, 2015
[LONG review here, sorry.]
Wow, this book could have been really good. The plot idea is very interesting and the world the author created there seems full of potential. Seriously, it's the type of sci-fi story that could easily become successful.
Unfortunately, the plot wasn't developed to its full awesomeness at all. In fact, I found the author barely scraped the surface of it.
I finished reading the book and I'm left gnawing on a s**tload of questions!
How did Nick manage to involve Riki in his project? Who is Julian really? And all the other characters, what's their story? What brought these particular folks together in the first place? And come on! I want to know more about how Nick's project evolves and overcomes or not the current social situation.
This story gives a peek at a rebellion or revolution in the making without giving its beginning or its end!
Talk about frustrating...
I also wanted LOTS of details about how people in this fictional society really live. We got bits and pieces here and there but it would have been so much better if we got a clearer idea of what's making the characters feel what they feel, be it fear or hope or despair. I wanted to understand these characters completely and instead I'm still not sure I even liked any of them.
About the writing, some sentences here and there didn't make much sense to me, I found them weird or incoherent or such. An example I remember is when . Maybe I'm wrong but I didn't think Nick and Riki were ever friendly enough for anxious-Nick to talk about love and heartbreaks to scary-Riki. So maybe some of you will think I'm nitpicking or something, but the fact is that when I read that, it sounded false to me. And when what I read sounds false to me, I'm immediately brought back to earth and away from the imaginary world offered by the book. Now what sort of reader enjoys that?
[BEWARE: my PERSONAL opinion on a general subject mixing with my critic of this particular book coming up]
Anyway, this book was evidently written with a focus on the romance part of the plot but I think that if an author chooses to set a romance in a fantasy or sci-fi world, the plot has to go further than simply showing the MCs being in love. Because in these genres the worlds described are pretty far from what we are used to, I think it's very important that the fictional bits be thoroughly built and polished so that the readers can believe in it all. If the readers can't immerse themselves in the story setting/plotline, then even the romance part of it (or any other highlighted part for that matter), no matter how thought through, will come off as unconvincing and wobbly.
A book that makes sense AS A WHOLE usually won't see its readers stop mid-read to frown or roll their eyes and wonder what the hell kind of weird writing/plot twist pulled them away from the magic.
Wow, this book could have been really good. The plot idea is very interesting and the world the author created there seems full of potential. Seriously, it's the type of sci-fi story that could easily become successful.
Unfortunately, the plot wasn't developed to its full awesomeness at all. In fact, I found the author barely scraped the surface of it.
I finished reading the book and I'm left gnawing on a s**tload of questions!
How did Nick manage to involve Riki in his project? Who is Julian really? And all the other characters, what's their story? What brought these particular folks together in the first place? And come on! I want to know more about how Nick's project evolves and overcomes or not the current social situation.
This story gives a peek at a rebellion or revolution in the making without giving its beginning or its end!
Talk about frustrating...
I also wanted LOTS of details about how people in this fictional society really live. We got bits and pieces here and there but it would have been so much better if we got a clearer idea of what's making the characters feel what they feel, be it fear or hope or despair. I wanted to understand these characters completely and instead I'm still not sure I even liked any of them.
About the writing, some sentences here and there didn't make much sense to me, I found them weird or incoherent or such. An example I remember is when . Maybe I'm wrong but I didn't think Nick and Riki were ever friendly enough for anxious-Nick to talk about love and heartbreaks to scary-Riki. So maybe some of you will think I'm nitpicking or something, but the fact is that when I read that, it sounded false to me. And when what I read sounds false to me, I'm immediately brought back to earth and away from the imaginary world offered by the book. Now what sort of reader enjoys that?
[BEWARE: my PERSONAL opinion on a general subject mixing with my critic of this particular book coming up]
Anyway, this book was evidently written with a focus on the romance part of the plot but I think that if an author chooses to set a romance in a fantasy or sci-fi world, the plot has to go further than simply showing the MCs being in love. Because in these genres the worlds described are pretty far from what we are used to, I think it's very important that the fictional bits be thoroughly built and polished so that the readers can believe in it all. If the readers can't immerse themselves in the story setting/plotline, then even the romance part of it (or any other highlighted part for that matter), no matter how thought through, will come off as unconvincing and wobbly.
A book that makes sense AS A WHOLE usually won't see its readers stop mid-read to frown or roll their eyes and wonder what the hell kind of weird writing/plot twist pulled them away from the magic.
December 1, 2011
This was a good story with an interesting plot line. Set in the future, mankind is divided into two classes, alphas and mundanes. A family with money can have their children hyper educated through the aid of a machine to become the alphas. The mundanes are the normal people of average intelligence who scrape by as best they can. The alphas have it all from good jobs to upscale housing until a handful of mundanes decide to level the playing field. This could have been a 5 star book had the author taken the time to do a better job of world building and fleshing out the alpha/mundane distrust. I am in the minority because I liked the way the book ended with Nick and Julian together and confident that everything would work out. I enjoyed the two men and their relationship. The book is worth reading but leaves you wanting more information.
March 15, 2012
3,5
It was interesting,a little short.
I liked the characters and the world created. It would have been better if it had another 15-30 pages. I'd like to read more about characters. The ending was a little abrupt.
It was interesting,a little short.
I liked the characters and the world created. It would have been better if it had another 15-30 pages. I'd like to read more about characters. The ending was a little abrupt.
September 16, 2011
Not bad plot Ravon Silvius created in his book. Both main characters are interesting and you want to end and see what will happen. What I didn't like is the way writer pulls you to the end to quickly like he was in a hurry to end the book. Whole plot could me more creative.
October 17, 2011
was a nice read.
June 14, 2012
Very good read. Plot was great and with every swipe of my nook, I wanted to keep reading. I hope to read more from Ravon Silvius soon.
August 6, 2013
3.5 rounded up
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews