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Ch05En: Episode 1
Read the story that kicked off an expanded universe of books, novellas, and graphic novels with over 50,000 downloads… Frank’s Ch05En gene is not active, meaning he’s destined for greatness of an…undetermined variety. He might save someone’s life. He might get superpowers. His dad doesn’t care about fate, and wants Frank to take over the family pizzeria. But his mother is the world’s most famous supervillain. She wants to activate Frank’s gene so he can join her. When an old friend makes her way back to town, he’ll see first hand the power of a latent Ch05En gene, and just how well-deserved his mother’s fame truly is. Kick off your exploration of the world of Ch05En, a dystopian world of superheroes, androids, and shadowy government cabals—where one simple gene can mean the difference between life and death. William Dickstein writes dystopian superhero stories and comics featuring elements of genetic engineering, mostly CRISPR technology. Fans of X-Men, 1984, and The Matrix may also enjoy Ch05En. The Anthologies Are Complete – Grab a Copy of A Tale of Gems, Origins, and Factions Today! Don't miss the DEBUT NOVEL in the Ch05En Universe - Ivy. Get it
- GenresScience Fiction
41 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 21, 2013
20 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 28, 2022
Think "Sky High", but the opposite.
March 15, 2019
🌟 Copy received in exchange for an honest review. 🌟
Ch05En: Episode 1 is the first 3 chapters of the Ch05En journey, following Frankie as he's being raised in the pizza business by his father, and pushed/almost killed by his evil (she's got the gene) mother as she tries to push the gene to activiate.
In the 3 chapters we meet that characters, get a little bit of insight of his life and at the end I believe the gene actually does activate and luckily his isn't evil like his mothers.
Normally, not my genre.
But it was interesting. The book was well written, but I do think it's was missing something that made that characters real... other than the science-y stuff and superhero qualities.
The only one that seemed to have 'life' was Brass Man? I think that's his name or Scott.
I don't think I'll continue the series but if it's something that's in your genre, deffinately give it a shot!
Ch05En: Episode 1 is the first 3 chapters of the Ch05En journey, following Frankie as he's being raised in the pizza business by his father, and pushed/almost killed by his evil (she's got the gene) mother as she tries to push the gene to activiate.
In the 3 chapters we meet that characters, get a little bit of insight of his life and at the end I believe the gene actually does activate and luckily his isn't evil like his mothers.
Normally, not my genre.
But it was interesting. The book was well written, but I do think it's was missing something that made that characters real... other than the science-y stuff and superhero qualities.
The only one that seemed to have 'life' was Brass Man? I think that's his name or Scott.
I don't think I'll continue the series but if it's something that's in your genre, deffinately give it a shot!
August 8, 2020
This is my first Episode rating. In the near future a gene is discovered that gives you a super power. This leads some to heroism, and others to be super-villains. The catch is that you don’t know when/if it gets activated. You also don’t know what your power will be. In Episode 1 you get to know Frankie. His father owns the local pizzeria, and his mother is a super-villain. They are always trying to activate his gene against his wishes. This is his story.
This is an amusing read and I enjoyed it. The storyline is fun and I look forward to reading more in this series.
This is an amusing read and I enjoyed it. The storyline is fun and I look forward to reading more in this series.
August 14, 2014
Ch05En is Part 1 of an Episodic novel. Frankie Gabriotti is a young man living in the near future when they have discovered that people had genes that predisposed them to
greatness - often feats beyond human ability. There was no telling when this gene would manifest itself. Frankie's mother had one and she became a super-villain. Frankie's friend had the gene and became a super hero until his mother killed him. And Frankie lived to deliver pizza.
In this episode, we learn when and how Frankie's Chosen gene finally kicks in. I found it surprising the number of ways his mother tried to hurry it along. In some ways it was rather amusing. After all, who would really do those things to their son?
Frankie is a likeable character even though he did nothing to help save his friend from his mother, but in a twisted kind of way I can kind of see his logic. Family comes before friends, though perhaps trumping that should be right comes before wrong.
I think this episodic novel will prove to be an amusing and Interesting ride for readers who love indulge in superhero/super villain stories. This novel would probably also be good material for a graphic novel.
I'm looking forward to finding out more about how Frankie uses the ability that the gene raised in him, and whether he chose to use it for good or evil. I'm on the lookout for episode 2. I rated Ch05En 4 stars out of 5.
Thank you to the author for providing a copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.
This review was published on my blog Shelf Full of Books http://kathrynsshelffullofbooks.blogs...
greatness - often feats beyond human ability. There was no telling when this gene would manifest itself. Frankie's mother had one and she became a super-villain. Frankie's friend had the gene and became a super hero until his mother killed him. And Frankie lived to deliver pizza.
In this episode, we learn when and how Frankie's Chosen gene finally kicks in. I found it surprising the number of ways his mother tried to hurry it along. In some ways it was rather amusing. After all, who would really do those things to their son?
Frankie is a likeable character even though he did nothing to help save his friend from his mother, but in a twisted kind of way I can kind of see his logic. Family comes before friends, though perhaps trumping that should be right comes before wrong.
I think this episodic novel will prove to be an amusing and Interesting ride for readers who love indulge in superhero/super villain stories. This novel would probably also be good material for a graphic novel.
I'm looking forward to finding out more about how Frankie uses the ability that the gene raised in him, and whether he chose to use it for good or evil. I'm on the lookout for episode 2. I rated Ch05En 4 stars out of 5.
Thank you to the author for providing a copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.
This review was published on my blog Shelf Full of Books http://kathrynsshelffullofbooks.blogs...
May 17, 2014
“Ch05En: Episode 1” by William Dickstein is a short story about Frankie, a young man who delivers pizzas while his parents have bigger plans for him. The story takes place in the near future. In the year 2025 (the past in the story), a new gene, called Ch05En was discovered by a scientist. This gene had the ability to give “super powers” to certain people and is commonplace during the time the story takes place. Frankie’s parents both have the gene and so does Frankie, except his gene is latent. While his parents try to find new, unique ways to activate Frank’s gene, Frankie is trying to do everything he can to live a normal life delivering pizzas.
The story is told from the first-person point of view of Frankie, who is pretty blunt with what he has to say. This gives the story a witty yet wistful feel which I very much enjoyed. I liked Frankie, and I think he will be very relatable to most readers. There is a lot of cleverness in the story that makes it a fun read.
The story is 29 pages short, and is set up in episodes. Whereas normally this wouldn’t work for the length of the story, since it is of a superhero nature, I didn’t mind the extreme shortness of the episode. It felt more like reading a comic without the art. Overall, a very enjoyable start to a great new series.
The story is told from the first-person point of view of Frankie, who is pretty blunt with what he has to say. This gives the story a witty yet wistful feel which I very much enjoyed. I liked Frankie, and I think he will be very relatable to most readers. There is a lot of cleverness in the story that makes it a fun read.
The story is 29 pages short, and is set up in episodes. Whereas normally this wouldn’t work for the length of the story, since it is of a superhero nature, I didn’t mind the extreme shortness of the episode. It felt more like reading a comic without the art. Overall, a very enjoyable start to a great new series.
October 28, 2015
The book starts out a little rocky but improves as it goes. For instance, early on there’s a lecture about gravity having been disproved inserted into the middle of something else going on. It’s jarring, especially within that scene. Since the book starts out feeling more serious than it turns out to be overall, there are a couple of quips early on that feel out of place. The humor takes a little time to come together, which makes the ‘fate gene’ also feel a bit out of place at first. It makes perfect sense in the humorous story this turns out to be.
This is a short novella, so naturally some of the side characters seem a bit thin. Frank is a pretty interesting character, though, and I enjoy his parents and his unusual interactions with them.
I don’t want to give away the ending obviously, so I’ll just say I found it a little abrupt and confusing.
Ch05en is ultimately an interesting and fun little read.
For a longer review including premise, visit my site: http://www.errantdreams.com/2015/10/r...
This is a short novella, so naturally some of the side characters seem a bit thin. Frank is a pretty interesting character, though, and I enjoy his parents and his unusual interactions with them.
I don’t want to give away the ending obviously, so I’ll just say I found it a little abrupt and confusing.
Ch05en is ultimately an interesting and fun little read.
For a longer review including premise, visit my site: http://www.errantdreams.com/2015/10/r...
September 3, 2016
Add the Story to Your Ch05en Pile
In 2025, a scientist identified a gene and labeled it Ch05en. A person with the gene has the DNA to be great.
Franklin Mercutio Gabriotti, Frankie to everyone in spite of his wish to be called Frank, works in his father's pizzeria. Frankie has the gene, but it's still latent. His superpower at the moment: sometimes predicting what people want on their pizza.
Frankie's dad doesn't have the Ch05en gene. Unfortunately, his mother possesses the gene. And she's a super villain.
William Dickstein's Ch05en: Episode 1 is an excellent short work. It's a wonderfully creative superhero story. The plot is engaging and the characters are memorable. The story would make an excellent movie. Angus Turner (Jake on Two and a Half Men) could play Frankie, if he's over his mad. Jim Parsons could play Frankie's dad, if he's aged a bit. For Sabrina, Dakota Fanning may fit the part if her hair is enhanced for greater shine.
In 2025, a scientist identified a gene and labeled it Ch05en. A person with the gene has the DNA to be great.
Franklin Mercutio Gabriotti, Frankie to everyone in spite of his wish to be called Frank, works in his father's pizzeria. Frankie has the gene, but it's still latent. His superpower at the moment: sometimes predicting what people want on their pizza.
Frankie's dad doesn't have the Ch05en gene. Unfortunately, his mother possesses the gene. And she's a super villain.
William Dickstein's Ch05en: Episode 1 is an excellent short work. It's a wonderfully creative superhero story. The plot is engaging and the characters are memorable. The story would make an excellent movie. Angus Turner (Jake on Two and a Half Men) could play Frankie, if he's over his mad. Jim Parsons could play Frankie's dad, if he's aged a bit. For Sabrina, Dakota Fanning may fit the part if her hair is enhanced for greater shine.
December 24, 2015
Interesting take on the superhero genre. I'd be interested in continuing to read about this world in a full-length novel at some point.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews