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Infringement #1
Infringement
Still grappling with his loss of faith and anger towards God following the death of his father while a young boy, second-generation FBI Agent Declan Parker is called to investigate a simple complaint. Quickly discovering a dark undercurrent, Declan is unexpectedly drawn into the world of David Stanton, a man in the final stages of planning the bloodiest mass shooting in history. The lines between “the good guys and the bad guys” become irreconcilably blurred when, during the course of his investigation, Declan stumbles into the midst of a broad, sinister agenda, the aftermath of which will forever change not only his own life, but the lives of all Americans.
312 pages, Paperback
First published November 28, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 18, 2015
From The Musings of a Starving Author:
Another Friday has come, so it’s time to crack open the pantry and see what we find. This week’s review is actually something of a difficulty for me, but not for the traditional reasons. You see, foodies, Infringement is a religious thriller, one that deals strongly with matters not just of faith, but a very specific real-world religion. These sorts of meals tend not to sit well in my stomach with their tendency for overspiced arguments and heavily-indulgent themes, alongside a narrow-focus of flavors focusing on that one religious theme. Still, there are religious meals out there that have beaten out those problems, so let’s see if this souffle will rise without collapsing!
Before we do, let’s unfurl the scroll to proclaim the Starving Review Creed:
I attempt to rate every book from the perspective of a fan of the genre
I attempt to make every review as spoiler-free as possible
As with any meal, I have to approach this from both quantitative and qualitative measures. Let’s start with the factual end of things, looking at our usual measures of plot, characterization, and style. Style and wordcraft are the best elements of this meal. Well-baked with an easy-to-digest style, Infringement is never an overly-wordy slog or has a thick crust to break through. Likewise, exposition is well-handled and the overall pace is fairly well-balanced, except for the climax.
It’s that climax where the pacing and core plot feel off-kilter. Everything seems to be going well, with a good balance of rising action and falling action, but then the climax comes and it just fails to fulfill the dramatic expectations at that point. The attempt at the cliff-hanger ending feels a bit forced and the whole thing ends with an abrupt note. I sat there a moment, hoping for another course that didn’t come. This is a flaw I’ve found in many works meant to be in a series, where the plot of one meal is left hanging to set-up the metaplot of the entire series’ servings, and this is not only unnecessary, but it really hurts each individual meal. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it does leave a sour note on the entire dinner.
Characterization is handled well, if with a bit of a light touch outside of the protagonist. I did like the bait-and-switch for the antagonist, yet I was also a bit put off as there was a lot of build-up and characterization that wound up being for naught. That unfortunately left the remaining antagonist as a real one-note-wonder, which probably didn’t help the sour flavors of the climax. The other thing that was a smidge off was the romance sub-plot, mainly in that there really wasn’t one. There was a romance, yes, between the protagonist and his ex-fiancee, but it basically immediately resolved into undying love with nary a mention as to why their romance hadn’t worked out the first time, thus no real resolution of that first problem. Again, this isn’t a deal-breaker, as one could assume that the long-distance romance aspect was what hadn’t worked and that is resolved in short-order, but it feels like a thread that could have been expounded on to flesh out the characters, especially the fiancee.
So overall, things are looking pretty good, right? Solid writing with a few flaws, flaws that any author can make from time to time. The real issue I have with Infringement, despite all my efforts to emulate the tastes of a religious thriller fan, the thing that chokes in my throat, is its single-minded focus on one specific world religion. There is a strong undercurrent that only grows as the book progresses of Christian apocalyptic theology, with hints that the Rapture and the full run of the Book of Revelations is coming, and, as such things usually go, there is no nod, no thought, no consideration for any form of faith outside the purely Christian, with a few minor thoughts to Judaism.
My point is that it always chokes in my throat when a book that wants to explore faith instead explores religion. Faith is personal, faith is something people of many religions and philosophies can experience, it’s a universal human concept, not something purely confined to one religion. There is so far not even an attempt to tie in the billions of other people with faiths that differ from the Christian viewpoint into the narrative of faith, or how those people, no matter their morality, will be treated by this impending apocalypse (though one dream sequence hints it will be the tried-and-true ‘morality doesn’t matter, only Jesus’ route).
What this leads to is one of those curious cases of two ratings. For the general audience, Infringement is a religious thriller souffle that, while baked better than its kin, still falls flat with its narrow-minded spices. For what is probably the intended audience, those who already are fans of such Christian apocalyptic thrillers, Infringement will be a real treat, baked with an attention to the craft that makes it rise above the rest. Basically, if you’re a die-hard Christian, especially if you’re interested in Rapture literature, you’ll love this. If you’re not, you might be able to admire the wordcraft, but the actual subject of the plot will not thrill you.
FINAL VERDICT (for general diners): **
FINAL VERDICT (for Christian religious thriller fans): *****
AVERAGE RATING (cause places don’t let me be expressive to have multiple ratings): ***
Another Friday has come, so it’s time to crack open the pantry and see what we find. This week’s review is actually something of a difficulty for me, but not for the traditional reasons. You see, foodies, Infringement is a religious thriller, one that deals strongly with matters not just of faith, but a very specific real-world religion. These sorts of meals tend not to sit well in my stomach with their tendency for overspiced arguments and heavily-indulgent themes, alongside a narrow-focus of flavors focusing on that one religious theme. Still, there are religious meals out there that have beaten out those problems, so let’s see if this souffle will rise without collapsing!
Before we do, let’s unfurl the scroll to proclaim the Starving Review Creed:
I attempt to rate every book from the perspective of a fan of the genre
I attempt to make every review as spoiler-free as possible
As with any meal, I have to approach this from both quantitative and qualitative measures. Let’s start with the factual end of things, looking at our usual measures of plot, characterization, and style. Style and wordcraft are the best elements of this meal. Well-baked with an easy-to-digest style, Infringement is never an overly-wordy slog or has a thick crust to break through. Likewise, exposition is well-handled and the overall pace is fairly well-balanced, except for the climax.
It’s that climax where the pacing and core plot feel off-kilter. Everything seems to be going well, with a good balance of rising action and falling action, but then the climax comes and it just fails to fulfill the dramatic expectations at that point. The attempt at the cliff-hanger ending feels a bit forced and the whole thing ends with an abrupt note. I sat there a moment, hoping for another course that didn’t come. This is a flaw I’ve found in many works meant to be in a series, where the plot of one meal is left hanging to set-up the metaplot of the entire series’ servings, and this is not only unnecessary, but it really hurts each individual meal. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it does leave a sour note on the entire dinner.
Characterization is handled well, if with a bit of a light touch outside of the protagonist. I did like the bait-and-switch for the antagonist, yet I was also a bit put off as there was a lot of build-up and characterization that wound up being for naught. That unfortunately left the remaining antagonist as a real one-note-wonder, which probably didn’t help the sour flavors of the climax. The other thing that was a smidge off was the romance sub-plot, mainly in that there really wasn’t one. There was a romance, yes, between the protagonist and his ex-fiancee, but it basically immediately resolved into undying love with nary a mention as to why their romance hadn’t worked out the first time, thus no real resolution of that first problem. Again, this isn’t a deal-breaker, as one could assume that the long-distance romance aspect was what hadn’t worked and that is resolved in short-order, but it feels like a thread that could have been expounded on to flesh out the characters, especially the fiancee.
So overall, things are looking pretty good, right? Solid writing with a few flaws, flaws that any author can make from time to time. The real issue I have with Infringement, despite all my efforts to emulate the tastes of a religious thriller fan, the thing that chokes in my throat, is its single-minded focus on one specific world religion. There is a strong undercurrent that only grows as the book progresses of Christian apocalyptic theology, with hints that the Rapture and the full run of the Book of Revelations is coming, and, as such things usually go, there is no nod, no thought, no consideration for any form of faith outside the purely Christian, with a few minor thoughts to Judaism.
My point is that it always chokes in my throat when a book that wants to explore faith instead explores religion. Faith is personal, faith is something people of many religions and philosophies can experience, it’s a universal human concept, not something purely confined to one religion. There is so far not even an attempt to tie in the billions of other people with faiths that differ from the Christian viewpoint into the narrative of faith, or how those people, no matter their morality, will be treated by this impending apocalypse (though one dream sequence hints it will be the tried-and-true ‘morality doesn’t matter, only Jesus’ route).
What this leads to is one of those curious cases of two ratings. For the general audience, Infringement is a religious thriller souffle that, while baked better than its kin, still falls flat with its narrow-minded spices. For what is probably the intended audience, those who already are fans of such Christian apocalyptic thrillers, Infringement will be a real treat, baked with an attention to the craft that makes it rise above the rest. Basically, if you’re a die-hard Christian, especially if you’re interested in Rapture literature, you’ll love this. If you’re not, you might be able to admire the wordcraft, but the actual subject of the plot will not thrill you.
FINAL VERDICT (for general diners): **
FINAL VERDICT (for Christian religious thriller fans): *****
AVERAGE RATING (cause places don’t let me be expressive to have multiple ratings): ***
August 6, 2015
Great read! It has a slow start and I wasn't sure if I liked it at first, but then the story really picked up.
This was a bit of a thriller with some violence (about as much as I could take which isn't much), but the scenes were quick and not overbearing. There is an overarching Biblical/ End times message. I sometimes stay away from these types of stories because they can get cheesy and awkward. Infringement, however, was very well done and I didn't get the cheesy vibe at all.
I'm looking forward to more of the Parker family's story.
This was a bit of a thriller with some violence (about as much as I could take which isn't much), but the scenes were quick and not overbearing. There is an overarching Biblical/ End times message. I sometimes stay away from these types of stories because they can get cheesy and awkward. Infringement, however, was very well done and I didn't get the cheesy vibe at all.
I'm looking forward to more of the Parker family's story.
June 22, 2016
Infringement by Benjamin Westbrook follows Declan, a special agent who finds himself in the midst of corruption and a divine plan designed at the foundation of the universe.
This isn't the first time I've read a novel depicting the end times, or the beginning of the end as this seems to be. What was different (for me at least, although I'm sure other novels have this as well) was that it played off the fears of most Americans now. The fear of "big brother" and how that will lead into the end times. How the government is corrupt and bringing in the Antichrist. It felt more like reading a conspiracy theory than a novel giving its take on the end times. I admit that I likely am not the right audience for this plot, but I'm nervous that there is an audience who actually believes that the ends times begins this way. "Oh no, our debit and credit cards have a chip! It's the mark of the beast!" I've literally heard that multiple times at my church. They refuse to use those cards.
The novel also felt quite dragged out. It could have been condensed quite a bit, especially as this is the beginning of a series. I'm hoping that all of the extra scenes and back stories will be important, but unfortunately reading this novel didn't compel me to complete the series.
The characters were okay. I found the relationship between Declan and Megan forced and rushed. I get that they had a history just before the book began, but it seemed too forced, as though the author needed a romantic thread and threw that together. I did like the way Declan came to Christ, however. I felt that it was very relatable, and is usually the story of most people: grew up being taught about God, something bad happens so they fall away, but then are re-introduced to Scripture and make their way back to Him. It's not a bad story at all, while predictable it's comfortable and as I said, many people have gone through that or are in some stage of it.
Overall, the novel plays into current events which can make it relatable to most readers. Even the God aspects of it weren't pushy and I think even non-Christians may enjoy it. But if they read it I'm afraid they'll think, from Evan and his mom's example, that all Christians subscribe to conspiracy theories. It's a hard thing to do, walking that line of prophecy and conspiracy, but I have to commend Westbrook on his attempt.
This isn't the first time I've read a novel depicting the end times, or the beginning of the end as this seems to be. What was different (for me at least, although I'm sure other novels have this as well) was that it played off the fears of most Americans now. The fear of "big brother" and how that will lead into the end times. How the government is corrupt and bringing in the Antichrist. It felt more like reading a conspiracy theory than a novel giving its take on the end times. I admit that I likely am not the right audience for this plot, but I'm nervous that there is an audience who actually believes that the ends times begins this way. "Oh no, our debit and credit cards have a chip! It's the mark of the beast!" I've literally heard that multiple times at my church. They refuse to use those cards.
The novel also felt quite dragged out. It could have been condensed quite a bit, especially as this is the beginning of a series. I'm hoping that all of the extra scenes and back stories will be important, but unfortunately reading this novel didn't compel me to complete the series.
The characters were okay. I found the relationship between Declan and Megan forced and rushed. I get that they had a history just before the book began, but it seemed too forced, as though the author needed a romantic thread and threw that together. I did like the way Declan came to Christ, however. I felt that it was very relatable, and is usually the story of most people: grew up being taught about God, something bad happens so they fall away, but then are re-introduced to Scripture and make their way back to Him. It's not a bad story at all, while predictable it's comfortable and as I said, many people have gone through that or are in some stage of it.
Overall, the novel plays into current events which can make it relatable to most readers. Even the God aspects of it weren't pushy and I think even non-Christians may enjoy it. But if they read it I'm afraid they'll think, from Evan and his mom's example, that all Christians subscribe to conspiracy theories. It's a hard thing to do, walking that line of prophecy and conspiracy, but I have to commend Westbrook on his attempt.
March 27, 2016
Excellent !
Well written, suspenseful, lots of action. Could not put it down ! Clear message of End Times and these families dealing with evil, then trying to get out of the government bad guys. Highly recommended !
Well written, suspenseful, lots of action. Could not put it down ! Clear message of End Times and these families dealing with evil, then trying to get out of the government bad guys. Highly recommended !
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews