Savant

by Chris W. Martinez

Tim Grayson, a temperamental, socially awkward young genius, would rather not be famous-but it's too late now. A documentary chronicling his freakish brilliance in math and music has just won an Oscar, and random strangers now recognize him on the streets of Manhattan.

Tim takes refuge from the world by playing intimate duets with his violinist friend, Rachel. But the tranquil bliss of their music is shattered one evening when Tim suddenly sees a dark silhouette of a man standing behind her and panics.

His visions of a man only worsen with time, haunting him everywhere he goes and warning of impending doom. Meanwhile, another shadowy presence stalks him-the corrupt CEO of a private security firm has sent a remorseless covert agent to monitor Tim's activities, searching for a way to exploit his fertile mind. But that mind unravels by the day, with Tim's visions increasingly blurring the line between horrific madness and an even more unspeakable reality.

This is the first book of the Savant series.

250 pages, Paperback

First published January 17, 2014

About the author

I mainly write science fiction, but occasionally I'll dabble in horror and suspense/thrillers. The authors who have had the biggest impact on me, not only as a writer but as a human being, are William Gibson and Cormac McCarthy. My copy of Blood Meridian has more dog-eared pages than I can count.

If you have read any of my work, first of all, thank you. I know just how much fiction is out there competing for your attention, and I cherish every reader I get. I hope you'll take the time to leave a review and perhaps tell others about my stories.

This truly is a labor of love for me. Thanks so much for sharing in it.

chriswmartinez.wordpress.com

Reviews

[Lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what I would be getting into when I received this, especially when the jacket blurb mentions it will be the first of a series, but I'm glad I entered the first-reads giveaway now that I've finished.

The story took a while to gather steam and I willingly took breaks from reading, which I rarely do for anything under 500 pages, once the pace picked up I devoured it in under two hours.

The author jumps his narrations between all the stories major players which I appreciated. The different view points gave some clarity to what could have been extremely confusing/surreal events. I do wish there had been some date reference besides a sudden and reoccuring mention to 4/29 or some official statement of how much time passed before the final chapter.

Savant does well as a stand alone and I more than appreciated that. Too many writers leave excruciating cliff hangers when they even consider doing sequels and I wish that would stop. In this case I set the book down more than satisfied with what had been revealed or left unsaid.

My only issues were with the characterizations of Tim's roommates. Both felt like little more than convenient plot devices and left me wanting to know why they behaved the way they did. A good deal of the time I wasn't sure if Jonah was supposed to dislike Tim because of who he was or because he had a thing for Rachael or if he didn't have any real concern over Tim at all besides living with him. Rachael on the other hand seemed there only to facilitate the progression of events. The romantic angle seemed off, like she was more of a maternal figure for him than a potential girlfriend.

Overall I feel four stars is about right for my rating as I found the overall story, narration, writing, and surprises pleasing. I look forward to what the Savant series brings next.

[Edward Wolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am truly surprised to find that Chris W. Martinez is not a best-selling indie, and in fact, apparently has not been scooped up by a big publisher.

The first thing I noticed when I first read Martinez was that I was in the hands of a professional; someone who really knows his craft. His short story "Lottery" was the first thing I read by him, and you just feel it right away - this is a guy who's going places with his writing. He has the voice of a total pro.

I first heard of Martinez when he guest blogged for Joe Konrath. I thought as I read his well-written blog entry, "What a lucky guy, to have a boost from Joe Konrath." Then I read "Lottery" and thought, "And he actually deserves it too. This isn't just Joe pimping a friend, or something."

Then I read "Wanted" and as with "Lottery" I didn't love the ending, but I liked the writing enough to want more, and then I found that he'd written a full novel - something I could really sink my teeth into. And man, what a delight it was to read. From the beginning, I felt like I was riding in the back of a Rolls or a Bentley. Some of the prose at the beginning of the book actually made me pause for a few seconds and admire the quality of the writing. I wish I could give you an example, but I got the book on my Kindle Unlimited subscription and have already turned it in for another story by the same author. In fact, I acquired everything else by him that he's written that I haven't read yet.

If you like reading indie authors and want something of professional caliber (perhaps for a change,) check out Chris W. Martinez. I can't imagine that you won't be glad you did.

[Stephen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I receieved this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway so like found money that must be spent immediately, I pushed it ahead of the numerous books in my to read pile(s). I wish I could say it deserved the consideration but despite the germs of several good ideas, Savant never really coheres into an enjoyable reading experience. This was disappointing as there are numerous potential ideas and characters that had they been better written and more extensively fleshed out would have fully supportted a higher rating. Instead we have a unengaging main character with unique powers, an underwritten love interest and a villainous private security firm whose efforts to apprehend the main character are puzzling. Throughout the entire book I never could determine what a private security firm would want with someone who is a mathematical genius in the first place even if he does hold the key to cold fusion. Its not like private security is rocket science! All that being said, the character of Tim Grayson could have been fascinating to see grow and change and his connection to the Physicist is the stuff of entire novels. Lots of promise here and worth reading on that basis, especially as it is a very quickly paced and readable book, but ultimately the ideas are not well executed enough to make it a good read.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Took me awhile to get through this as very slow start. Actually put aside to decide whether to finish or not but the concept behind the book intrigued me so I read it through. It was an okay read for me but it never felt fully cohesive. There were too many missed opportunities to develop the relationships or the characters in depth and some parts seemed a bit cloudy to me. I think it had the potential to be a great book if it were tightened up in some areas (ex: private security chasing scientific genuis for what plausible reason) & expand on the budding relationship between Rachel and Tim. Goes from looking like they will be an item to instantly, it's over. In the end, it just didn't come together for me.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rated this 4.5 and I found Savant to interesting since I'm into the math and technologies. "Lexi" and 'Edward Wolfe" both said it as well or better than I could. I would recommend SAVANT as it is an interesting read. I won this great book on GoodReads.com. Like I do with most my wins I will be paying it forward by giving my win either to a friend or library to enjoy.

[Austin Nash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty Good

If you're into math, science, or psychology, I recommend this novel. The action really picks up as the story progresses.