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Robert Curry #1
Renaissance
Please note, this book has been renamed Apocalypse Disrupted
In this political thriller, Robert Curry is unexpectedly put in a position to save the world from imminent nuclear destruction. Given the task of returning to the past and rewriting history, he must first gain enough financial and political power to be able to prevent the series of accidents and manipulations that led to the apocalypse. But he isn’t the only power trying to affect the outcome. In an epic battle, competing energies of cosmic strengths collide in a complex and electrifying weave of plot twists and turns. This wild ride finally explodes in a climax you will not see coming.
In this political thriller, Robert Curry is unexpectedly put in a position to save the world from imminent nuclear destruction. Given the task of returning to the past and rewriting history, he must first gain enough financial and political power to be able to prevent the series of accidents and manipulations that led to the apocalypse. But he isn’t the only power trying to affect the outcome. In an epic battle, competing energies of cosmic strengths collide in a complex and electrifying weave of plot twists and turns. This wild ride finally explodes in a climax you will not see coming.
417 pages, Paperback
First published August 23, 2015
6 people are currently reading
196 people want to read
About the author
Timothy Freriks
25 books35 followersMr. Freriks is a career entrepreneur and inventor. He is the author of fourteen fast-paced and intrigue-packed novels in the crime and political thriller genres as well as future dystopia and historical fiction. Then there's World Number 2, which belongs in a genre all it's own. Intrigue? Existential Exploration? God? Nature? Onmiversal Truth? (let me know if you figure it out!)
All these books can be found here.
All these books can be found here.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 28, 2015
I never read sci fi/time travel. I mean never. It's just not my cup of tea. But a friend recommended Renaissance. The Prologue was intriguing. The first chapter had me hooked. Unbearable suspense. A fast fun exciting read. I enjoyed it from beginning to end.
November 15, 2021
I read about 100 pages of this book and never really got into it. I won this book from a goodreads giveaway.
February 5, 2016
From The Musings of a Starving Author:
One of the high points of my work for Starving Reviews LLC is that I always get a new variety of meals out of the pantry. While I’ve dined at the table of political thrillers in the past, this one adds a swirl of alternate histories and time travel to spice the mix up. Of course, we all know that adding new spices to any recipe is there’s always a chance that the new ingredients screw up the meal. Is Apocalypse Disrupted an example of that or does it pull off the blending to make a better whole?
Before we answer that question, let’s review the Starving Review rules:
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
Overall, yes, I’d say so. There is an interesting core premise to the supernatural/science fiction elements mixed in with the main thriller course, something that binds the whole meal together into a harmonious meal. An interesting point that makes this repast different from many other alternate history books is that there is never a starting history that is identical to our own. At first, this seemed a bit unusual, but it, like most other plot threads, comes together in the end.
There is a lot of meat to enjoy here. The core political mysteries and the power games played form the largest part of the plot and conflict, and they are all handled with a great deal of care and research. History buffs, such as myself, might be slightly thrown at first, but once your tastebuds acclimate to that important fact above (the starting history isn’t exactly our own), things fall into place and the rest of the ride is quite smooth.
The finale, as well, is well-cooked and blends the hanging threads together into a nice chocolate pudding, leaving just enough left-overs to tease a possible sequel. Along with a properly staged plot and excellent researched ingredients, the chef works in a solid, clean style, something important to keeping all the plot threads and character viewpoints clean in the third-person alternating style Mr. Freriks employs here.
There is only one real flaw, at least in my eyes, and that’s in the characters. While there are no cardboard cutouts on display, at least along the major cast, there is a certain element of stereotypes mixed liberally in, especially with the antagonists. There is an attempt to turn away from stereotypical villaindom, as well as several steps to try to put the morality of the situation on its head, but they ultimately ring hollow. Add to that a few head-scratching moments of odd decision making by the protagonist (which I can’t really explain without SPOILERS) and a strange lack of representation among the cast and the characterization and cast feel a bit off. It’s not a deal-breaker but it still worms its way into my consciousness.
To sum things up, Apocalypse Disrupted is a tasty treat of alternate history mixed with political thriller that only sours a tad on the character front! If you love political thrillers or enjoy alternate history tales, you would do well with picking this one up, especially with the strong chance of a sequel. If these aren’t your genres of choice, you may still want to give this a look, but check out the previews first before committing. All in all, a solid read.
FINAL VERDICT: **** (A tasty treat of alternate history mixed with political thriller that only sours a tad on the character front!)
One of the high points of my work for Starving Reviews LLC is that I always get a new variety of meals out of the pantry. While I’ve dined at the table of political thrillers in the past, this one adds a swirl of alternate histories and time travel to spice the mix up. Of course, we all know that adding new spices to any recipe is there’s always a chance that the new ingredients screw up the meal. Is Apocalypse Disrupted an example of that or does it pull off the blending to make a better whole?
Before we answer that question, let’s review the Starving Review rules:
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
Overall, yes, I’d say so. There is an interesting core premise to the supernatural/science fiction elements mixed in with the main thriller course, something that binds the whole meal together into a harmonious meal. An interesting point that makes this repast different from many other alternate history books is that there is never a starting history that is identical to our own. At first, this seemed a bit unusual, but it, like most other plot threads, comes together in the end.
There is a lot of meat to enjoy here. The core political mysteries and the power games played form the largest part of the plot and conflict, and they are all handled with a great deal of care and research. History buffs, such as myself, might be slightly thrown at first, but once your tastebuds acclimate to that important fact above (the starting history isn’t exactly our own), things fall into place and the rest of the ride is quite smooth.
The finale, as well, is well-cooked and blends the hanging threads together into a nice chocolate pudding, leaving just enough left-overs to tease a possible sequel. Along with a properly staged plot and excellent researched ingredients, the chef works in a solid, clean style, something important to keeping all the plot threads and character viewpoints clean in the third-person alternating style Mr. Freriks employs here.
There is only one real flaw, at least in my eyes, and that’s in the characters. While there are no cardboard cutouts on display, at least along the major cast, there is a certain element of stereotypes mixed liberally in, especially with the antagonists. There is an attempt to turn away from stereotypical villaindom, as well as several steps to try to put the morality of the situation on its head, but they ultimately ring hollow. Add to that a few head-scratching moments of odd decision making by the protagonist (which I can’t really explain without SPOILERS) and a strange lack of representation among the cast and the characterization and cast feel a bit off. It’s not a deal-breaker but it still worms its way into my consciousness.
To sum things up, Apocalypse Disrupted is a tasty treat of alternate history mixed with political thriller that only sours a tad on the character front! If you love political thrillers or enjoy alternate history tales, you would do well with picking this one up, especially with the strong chance of a sequel. If these aren’t your genres of choice, you may still want to give this a look, but check out the previews first before committing. All in all, a solid read.
FINAL VERDICT: **** (A tasty treat of alternate history mixed with political thriller that only sours a tad on the character front!)
October 30, 2015
From The Musings of a Starving Author:
One of the high points of my work for Starving Reviews LLC is that I always get a new variety of meals out of the pantry. While I’ve dined at the table of political thrillers in the past, this one adds a swirl of alternate histories and time travel to spice the mix up. Of course, we all know that adding new spices to any recipe is there’s always a chance that the new ingredients screw up the meal. Is Renaissance an example of that or does it pull off the blending to make a better whole?
Before we answer that question, let’s review the Starving Review rules:
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
Overall, yes, I’d say so. There is an interesting core premise to the supernatural/science fiction elements mixed in with the main thriller course, something that binds the whole meal together into a harmonious meal. An interesting point that makes this repast different from many other alternate history books is that there is never a starting history that is identical to our own. At first, this seemed a bit unusual, but it, like most other plot threads, comes together in the end.
There is a lot of meat to enjoy here. The core political mysteries and the power games played form the largest part of the plot and conflict, and they are all handled with a great deal of care and research. History buffs, such as myself, might be slightly thrown at first, but once your tastebuds acclimate to that important fact above (the starting history isn’t exactly our own), things fall into place and the rest of the ride is quite smooth.
The finale, as well, is well-cooked and blends the hanging threads together into a nice chocolate pudding, leaving just enough left-overs to tease a possible sequel. Along with a properly staged plot and excellent researched ingredients, the chef works in a solid, clean style, something important to keeping all the plot threads and character viewpoints clean in the third-person alternating style Mr. Freriks employs here.
There is only one real flaw, at least in my eyes, and that’s in the characters. While there are no cardboard cutouts on display, at least along the major cast, there is a certain element of stereotypes mixed liberally in, especially with the antagonists. There is an attempt to turn away from stereotypical villaindom, as well as several steps to try to put the morality of the situation on its head, but they ultimately ring hollow. Add to that a few head-scratching moments of odd decision making by the protagonist (which I can’t really explain without SPOILERS) and a strange lack of representation among the cast and the characterization and cast feel a bit off. It’s not a deal-breaker but it still worms its way into my consciousness.
To sum things up, Renaissance is a tasty treat of alternate history mixed with political thriller that only sours a tad on the character front! If you love political thrillers or enjoy alternate history tales, you would do well with picking this one up, especially with the strong chance of a sequel. If these aren’t your genres of choice, you may still want to give this a look, but check out the previews first before committing. All in all, a solid read.
FINAL VERDICT: **** (A tasty treat of alternate history mixed with political thriller that only sours a tad on the character front!)
One of the high points of my work for Starving Reviews LLC is that I always get a new variety of meals out of the pantry. While I’ve dined at the table of political thrillers in the past, this one adds a swirl of alternate histories and time travel to spice the mix up. Of course, we all know that adding new spices to any recipe is there’s always a chance that the new ingredients screw up the meal. Is Renaissance an example of that or does it pull off the blending to make a better whole?
Before we answer that question, let’s review the Starving Review rules:
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
Overall, yes, I’d say so. There is an interesting core premise to the supernatural/science fiction elements mixed in with the main thriller course, something that binds the whole meal together into a harmonious meal. An interesting point that makes this repast different from many other alternate history books is that there is never a starting history that is identical to our own. At first, this seemed a bit unusual, but it, like most other plot threads, comes together in the end.
There is a lot of meat to enjoy here. The core political mysteries and the power games played form the largest part of the plot and conflict, and they are all handled with a great deal of care and research. History buffs, such as myself, might be slightly thrown at first, but once your tastebuds acclimate to that important fact above (the starting history isn’t exactly our own), things fall into place and the rest of the ride is quite smooth.
The finale, as well, is well-cooked and blends the hanging threads together into a nice chocolate pudding, leaving just enough left-overs to tease a possible sequel. Along with a properly staged plot and excellent researched ingredients, the chef works in a solid, clean style, something important to keeping all the plot threads and character viewpoints clean in the third-person alternating style Mr. Freriks employs here.
There is only one real flaw, at least in my eyes, and that’s in the characters. While there are no cardboard cutouts on display, at least along the major cast, there is a certain element of stereotypes mixed liberally in, especially with the antagonists. There is an attempt to turn away from stereotypical villaindom, as well as several steps to try to put the morality of the situation on its head, but they ultimately ring hollow. Add to that a few head-scratching moments of odd decision making by the protagonist (which I can’t really explain without SPOILERS) and a strange lack of representation among the cast and the characterization and cast feel a bit off. It’s not a deal-breaker but it still worms its way into my consciousness.
To sum things up, Renaissance is a tasty treat of alternate history mixed with political thriller that only sours a tad on the character front! If you love political thrillers or enjoy alternate history tales, you would do well with picking this one up, especially with the strong chance of a sequel. If these aren’t your genres of choice, you may still want to give this a look, but check out the previews first before committing. All in all, a solid read.
FINAL VERDICT: **** (A tasty treat of alternate history mixed with political thriller that only sours a tad on the character front!)
September 23, 2016
I recieved this book free from goodreads in exchange for a review. It is not very often that I read a book in a couple of days but RENAISSANCE BY TIMOTHY FRERIKS is not a book you want to put down
This book is like a rollercoaster,starts out slow and climbs, plunges,twists turns and turns you upside down. What bothered me the most is that the plot of Russia/Turkey and WWIII could not be far out of the scope of reality. I kept telling myself to go to bed but I just had to find out what happens!
Time travel/sci fi mix is not my best forte but I took a chance on RENAISSANCE and found that this was a WOW book. This one's a definite keeper/re-read book in my view.
This book is like a rollercoaster,starts out slow and climbs, plunges,twists turns and turns you upside down. What bothered me the most is that the plot of Russia/Turkey and WWIII could not be far out of the scope of reality. I kept telling myself to go to bed but I just had to find out what happens!
Time travel/sci fi mix is not my best forte but I took a chance on RENAISSANCE and found that this was a WOW book. This one's a definite keeper/re-read book in my view.
August 2, 2016
Okay, I couldn't put this book down. I'm normally not into science fiction/time travel, but this novel treated these genres in a very unique way - and believable! Scary believable - considering all the political, religious, and power issues facing the world today. I loved the author's style of writing and how he built and intertwined his characters. The main protagonist, Robert Curry, reminded me of Jack Ryan in the Clancey series. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel to Apocalypse Distruped!
October 16, 2015
Renaissance grabbed me right from the start and kept me glued. Hard to put down. The ending blew my mind! Great read.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews