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Element
John Marshall is a dreamer. Undeniably gifted, he graduates a year early from college. His future might not be set in stone, but it is hardly uncertain. But somewhere in his subconscious, his soul searches for something meaningful; something to exhilarate him. Stressors in his life and a defiant spirit fuel a drive to escape and so he sets in motion a plan that is characteristically daring. Unbeknownst to his parents who think he’s doing an internship out west, he empties his bank account and flies to Europe by himself.
Surprisingly, the plan goes off without a hitch. But even a meticulous planner like John Marshall can’t anticipate what awaits him when he reaches France.
For it is there that he meets Katie and her rag-tag posse of like-minded youth. Radicalized by grave environmental injustices they observe in the world, they see the need for global change, and resolve to be the catalyst for that change. It sounds naïve. But these are no ordinary college kids. Their resources are enormous, their network of contacts spans the continent, their methods are sophisticated and anonymous, and their skills are terrifying.
Before long, John is drawn into Katie’s noble crusade to rid the world of corruption. Together, they embark on an adventure as outlandish as it is vital… and come face to face with a malevolence John could never have imagined.
Original Cover Edition ASIN: B00W61VLBI
New Cover Edition
Surprisingly, the plan goes off without a hitch. But even a meticulous planner like John Marshall can’t anticipate what awaits him when he reaches France.
For it is there that he meets Katie and her rag-tag posse of like-minded youth. Radicalized by grave environmental injustices they observe in the world, they see the need for global change, and resolve to be the catalyst for that change. It sounds naïve. But these are no ordinary college kids. Their resources are enormous, their network of contacts spans the continent, their methods are sophisticated and anonymous, and their skills are terrifying.
Before long, John is drawn into Katie’s noble crusade to rid the world of corruption. Together, they embark on an adventure as outlandish as it is vital… and come face to face with a malevolence John could never have imagined.
Original Cover Edition ASIN: B00W61VLBI
New Cover Edition
347 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 14, 2015
5 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 28, 2020
John is lost, adrift, looking to find a purpose for himself. He sees little opportunity in his current life, much less a path for his future. Life has not brought him happiness or satisfaction. His is the curse of existential angst that so many young people have faced in every generation. It’s the desire for meaning that builds revolutions, that leads youth to overthrow the entrenched, stagnant old world and build a new culture upon its ruins- though whether for good or bad is not always clear.
John feels trapped, so he flees from his comfortable but boring life and his family and, under the guise of attending an internship in Arizona, disappears to Europe. Not forever, of course. Just long enough to gather his thoughts and re-center his life. He doesn’t know exactly what he’s going to do, but maybe a change of setting will give him some purpose.
And so it does. While staying at a hostel, John encounters Katie and her group of young eco-activists, risking their freedom and their lives to expose the powers that are destroying the environment. John falls in with Katie and her group casually at first. He joins for the thrill and the thought of doing some good. But things soon get real when the team uncovers a plot that will catastrophically wreck the global climate. John and his comrades end up on the radar of some very powerful and dangerous people.
There is much in Element that is relevant to our current world, from cyber-attacks; to environmental disaster; to government corruption. Katie’s fight is one that will resonate with many readers just as much as John’s ennui.
There is a palpable fondness for technology and gadgets throughout the book that borders on Tom Clancy-levels of tech-worship. This can bog the narrative down sometimes, as can the overabundant descriptions of people, rooms, and mundane activities. I occasionally found myself skipping sections of description to get to the action again. Technophiles will find the details enjoyable. It’s clear that Wyche has done his research.
When the book does gets going, it really revs up the action. There are scenes straight out of a spy thriller with John, Katie, and their group dodging enemy agents by a hairsbreadth to gather vital and incriminating evidence. Things get especially tight when the team realizes how deep they’ve gotten themselves. There are narrow escapes, split-second decisions, shoot-outs, and more. And then, of course, there’s the fallout when John’s family discovers that he’s not in Arizona on a simple internship.
Element is a detailed thriller good for those who love techno-talk.
John feels trapped, so he flees from his comfortable but boring life and his family and, under the guise of attending an internship in Arizona, disappears to Europe. Not forever, of course. Just long enough to gather his thoughts and re-center his life. He doesn’t know exactly what he’s going to do, but maybe a change of setting will give him some purpose.
And so it does. While staying at a hostel, John encounters Katie and her group of young eco-activists, risking their freedom and their lives to expose the powers that are destroying the environment. John falls in with Katie and her group casually at first. He joins for the thrill and the thought of doing some good. But things soon get real when the team uncovers a plot that will catastrophically wreck the global climate. John and his comrades end up on the radar of some very powerful and dangerous people.
There is much in Element that is relevant to our current world, from cyber-attacks; to environmental disaster; to government corruption. Katie’s fight is one that will resonate with many readers just as much as John’s ennui.
There is a palpable fondness for technology and gadgets throughout the book that borders on Tom Clancy-levels of tech-worship. This can bog the narrative down sometimes, as can the overabundant descriptions of people, rooms, and mundane activities. I occasionally found myself skipping sections of description to get to the action again. Technophiles will find the details enjoyable. It’s clear that Wyche has done his research.
When the book does gets going, it really revs up the action. There are scenes straight out of a spy thriller with John, Katie, and their group dodging enemy agents by a hairsbreadth to gather vital and incriminating evidence. Things get especially tight when the team realizes how deep they’ve gotten themselves. There are narrow escapes, split-second decisions, shoot-outs, and more. And then, of course, there’s the fallout when John’s family discovers that he’s not in Arizona on a simple internship.
Element is a detailed thriller good for those who love techno-talk.
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