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Xperiment
Monsters aren't born... they're engineered.
For nineteen-year-old, socially awkward Geoff Markham, the promise of a miracle pill to make him into the person he’d always wanted to be was everything he could have hoped for.
At first, the experiment delivered on that promise. Geoff began to change, becoming more confident, stronger, even fearless. People began to admire him and find him attractive.
As with every new drug, there came side effects: the agitation, sleeplessness, the bad temper. When the strange dreams began, the ones that couldn't possibly be his own, he realized something else was happening to him. As he continued to change, he was becoming something much more than what had been promised... something far less human. Something unimaginable, unrecognizable.
Increasingly strange and violent things begin to happen around him. Is he the hunted or the hunter?
For nineteen-year-old, socially awkward Geoff Markham, the promise of a miracle pill to make him into the person he’d always wanted to be was everything he could have hoped for.
At first, the experiment delivered on that promise. Geoff began to change, becoming more confident, stronger, even fearless. People began to admire him and find him attractive.
As with every new drug, there came side effects: the agitation, sleeplessness, the bad temper. When the strange dreams began, the ones that couldn't possibly be his own, he realized something else was happening to him. As he continued to change, he was becoming something much more than what had been promised... something far less human. Something unimaginable, unrecognizable.
Increasingly strange and violent things begin to happen around him. Is he the hunted or the hunter?
686 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2016
14 people are currently reading
579 people want to read
About the author
Dan Skinner
20 books428 followersDan Skinner is a new author who hates writing bios. He lives in St. Louis, Missouri, and has been a book cover artist for seven years.
Visit Dan's deviantart profile for more works of art.
Visit Dan's deviantart profile for more works of art.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
January 10, 2016
Wow, this is a massive book full of ideas and thoughts and questions. The stuff of morality, ethics, humanity and deity, and also some romance and lurve. Once upon a time I used to read a lot of sci-fi, and in a way this book reminded me a lot of those books.
But yet, it doesn't really fit any one genre, which is refreshing. Wild is good :d It kept on surprising me, sometimes I laughed at the twists but mostly I just admired the free spirit at work here.
Quite a difficult book to describe, but it seemed to me it is like opening Pandora's box and what pours out evolves and grows like colourful planets just beginning.
I MUST ADMIT one of my favourite ideas in the book is the club for monsters with appetites. Not a club for dancing and talking about the news, you understand :D
So, yes. Yes!! A fanbulous book which will certainly blow your mind.
But yet, it doesn't really fit any one genre, which is refreshing. Wild is good :d It kept on surprising me, sometimes I laughed at the twists but mostly I just admired the free spirit at work here.
Quite a difficult book to describe, but it seemed to me it is like opening Pandora's box and what pours out evolves and grows like colourful planets just beginning.
I MUST ADMIT one of my favourite ideas in the book is the club for monsters with appetites. Not a club for dancing and talking about the news, you understand :D
So, yes. Yes!! A fanbulous book which will certainly blow your mind.
January 16, 2016
Okay. I just finished Dan Skinner's incredible book and I don't feel like I merely read a book, I feel like I attended an event. Or maybe experienced an honest-to-God adventure. Or took a class. Or, haha, climbed a mountain. There is so much in this book, it's a little hard to describe. Skinner takes to task so many of the things I find abhorrent in society -- hatred, prejudice, cruelty, greed, crooked politics, religious zealotry -- that I found myself agreeing with him at every step, reading along, nodding my head like one of those bobblehead dolls in the back of a car window.
The book is almost 700 pages, and as far as I'm concerned it was 700 pages of pure adrenaline. I don't know how he kept the pace up all the way through as he was writing it. But he did. And he did it effortlessly, or at least it reads that way. I hate to say it, but in this genre (science fiction) I'm not truly knocked off my feet very often. But in this case, for this book and this author, I think a milestone has been reached. To put it more simply than it should be put, this is a terrific read. Like I said, it's really almost an event. I hope a lot of people pick up this book, and I hope a lot of people love it as much as I did. This is more than a story, it's an achievement. It deserves to be loved.
The book is almost 700 pages, and as far as I'm concerned it was 700 pages of pure adrenaline. I don't know how he kept the pace up all the way through as he was writing it. But he did. And he did it effortlessly, or at least it reads that way. I hate to say it, but in this genre (science fiction) I'm not truly knocked off my feet very often. But in this case, for this book and this author, I think a milestone has been reached. To put it more simply than it should be put, this is a terrific read. Like I said, it's really almost an event. I hope a lot of people pick up this book, and I hope a lot of people love it as much as I did. This is more than a story, it's an achievement. It deserves to be loved.
March 8, 2017
5 STARS*** Just finished a re-read 1 year later and it's still an amazing book
This book turned into absolutely NOTHING I was expecting from it. It's very smart, funny, sad and gives an eye opening insight to good and bad, love and hate and every single thing in-between, that earth has become. It's actually too hard for me to review Xperment properly to do it justice. Dan Skinner has written one excellent novel.
After such a long novel, I must admit that I didn't enjoy the very abrupt ending, yes it wound everything up nicely but I would have liked to see more of what happened afterwards. I also LOVE extremely long novel's and I think the possibility of one kick ass, and even more mind bending, clusterfuck of a sequel would be greatly received.
The main MC is portrayed perfectly, a loner who was bullied his entire life that had a heart of gold. He encounters multiple people during the course of this book but there's one very special person he meets along the way that's a huge game changer. The writing is excellent, the storyline and sub-plot are seamless and coalesce to make for a monumental finale.
This book absolutely does your head in at times, it's constantly flipping what you think is happening 180º and back again constantly, keeping you completely riveted to your seat. You do not for a second feel like you're tackling a behemoth of a book, if anything it flies by far too quickly. It's a great read if you're a lover of freaky, on the brink of post apocalyptic, sci-fi driven novels.
NOTE: I'm changing my score because I can't concentrate on another book for the life of me after reading Xperiment. Another thing I don't understand is people complaining about word count of a novel, 8 out of 10 of my favourite novels are all over 500K words. This is worth the time if you like the gerne's.
This book turned into absolutely NOTHING I was expecting from it. It's very smart, funny, sad and gives an eye opening insight to good and bad, love and hate and every single thing in-between, that earth has become. It's actually too hard for me to review Xperment properly to do it justice. Dan Skinner has written one excellent novel.
After such a long novel, I must admit that I didn't enjoy the very abrupt ending, yes it wound everything up nicely but I would have liked to see more of what happened afterwards. I also LOVE extremely long novel's and I think the possibility of one kick ass, and even more mind bending, clusterfuck of a sequel would be greatly received.
The main MC is portrayed perfectly, a loner who was bullied his entire life that had a heart of gold. He encounters multiple people during the course of this book but there's one very special person he meets along the way that's a huge game changer. The writing is excellent, the storyline and sub-plot are seamless and coalesce to make for a monumental finale.
This book absolutely does your head in at times, it's constantly flipping what you think is happening 180º and back again constantly, keeping you completely riveted to your seat. You do not for a second feel like you're tackling a behemoth of a book, if anything it flies by far too quickly. It's a great read if you're a lover of freaky, on the brink of post apocalyptic, sci-fi driven novels.
NOTE: I'm changing my score because I can't concentrate on another book for the life of me after reading Xperiment. Another thing I don't understand is people complaining about word count of a novel, 8 out of 10 of my favourite novels are all over 500K words. This is worth the time if you like the gerne's.
January 22, 2016
Does this book have flows? Yep, absolutely. But it also has parts that are so good that made me cry and stay glued to the pages. I read on my breaks, at parking lots, during the long waits at the local Starbucks drive thru... This book definitely could use another look by a mean, pushy, overachieving, preferably very hairy editor /especially the last 30% when things get a bit over dramatic and kind of black and white/, but it still has greatness to it and any book store should be proud to have it on its sci-fi shelves.
*****
“Folks, it's time to evolve. That's why we're troubled. You know why our institutions are failing us, the church, the state, everything's failing? It's because, um – they're no longer relevant. We're supposed to keep evolving. Evolution did not end with us growing opposable thumbs. You do know that, right?”
― Bill Hicks
January 28, 2016
Xperiment was an outstanding written (after all it's Dan Skinner!!!) and emotional read. The world building was exceptional!
Look foward to reading the next book of the series, it's either Chris or DiMarco's story.
---
Can you get addicted to a book? A thought provoking and boundaries pushing book? A fast paced, amazing, suspenseful book that first seems to be 300 pages too long but in the middle of reading it’s suddenly not long enough?
Can you fall in love with a guy like Geoff, lonely and socially awkward? And what if he starts doing things you can’t even imagine doing in your wildest dreams? Can you still root for him?
Yes, I am convinced you can… if you have an open mind and if you are the kind of reader who is able to sit down a bit longer and enjoy a truly amazing page turning book.
This was superb, Dan. Period.
January 16, 2016
BR with the lovely Marcie and Els. Thanks ladies, for letting me rant.
2.5 stars
This was quite a ride. And I have the most utter respect for Dan Skinner and his ability to write.
But this was not a book for me.
Geoff is skinny, unattractive, depressed and the world is out to get him. That all changes when he is taking part in a ‘vitamin’ experiment. He begins to change physically, and strange things are starting to happen to him. He gets bigger, more muscular, more attractive and develops abilities beyond his wildest dreams.
He feels drawn to bad people, so he sets out to kill them at night. He is becoming the perfect hunter…
There was one thing that really really bothered me. I am one to really believe in the good of my MC. And Geoff was such an innocent, shy person. But this book totally glosses over the fact that he is indeed killing people. And if it was portrayed that he only killed REALLY REALLY bad people, I could kind of understand it, but he gouges the eyes out of a street punk harassing his friend. Why on earth would that be okay? He never even thinks about it afterwards.
Geoff never questions the things he does, nor does anyone else in this book. He also doesn’t question what he is turning into, he just thinks it is all awesome.
I just wanted someone to have a conscience in this story. I am all for going after the bad people, but this was ridiculous. Killing was A okay in this one.
I would have at least expected someone to stand up and say, hey, you are actually killing people here. And why was no one questioning the person who was building this army of beings without telling them? But no, the man behind all of this was the hero. Euh.... no, not for me.
And no one should read this book for the romance. There is a tiny romance going on and it is a sweet one, that's true. But it's not the center of the story. There is also no sex on page. I was quite disappointed in this. I mean, hello, 663 pages here! At least give me a sex scene. But no…
This is a book for people looking for a science fiction, thriller kind of story, not really for the hardcore romance lovers (like me).
2.5 stars
This was quite a ride. And I have the most utter respect for Dan Skinner and his ability to write.
But this was not a book for me.
Geoff is skinny, unattractive, depressed and the world is out to get him. That all changes when he is taking part in a ‘vitamin’ experiment. He begins to change physically, and strange things are starting to happen to him. He gets bigger, more muscular, more attractive and develops abilities beyond his wildest dreams.
He feels drawn to bad people, so he sets out to kill them at night. He is becoming the perfect hunter…
There was one thing that really really bothered me. I am one to really believe in the good of my MC. And Geoff was such an innocent, shy person. But this book totally glosses over the fact that he is indeed killing people. And if it was portrayed that he only killed REALLY REALLY bad people, I could kind of understand it, but he gouges the eyes out of a street punk harassing his friend. Why on earth would that be okay? He never even thinks about it afterwards.
Geoff never questions the things he does, nor does anyone else in this book. He also doesn’t question what he is turning into, he just thinks it is all awesome.
I just wanted someone to have a conscience in this story. I am all for going after the bad people, but this was ridiculous. Killing was A okay in this one.
I would have at least expected someone to stand up and say, hey, you are actually killing people here. And why was no one questioning the person who was building this army of beings without telling them? But no, the man behind all of this was the hero. Euh.... no, not for me.
And no one should read this book for the romance. There is a tiny romance going on and it is a sweet one, that's true. But it's not the center of the story. There is also no sex on page. I was quite disappointed in this. I mean, hello, 663 pages here! At least give me a sex scene. But no…
This is a book for people looking for a science fiction, thriller kind of story, not really for the hardcore romance lovers (like me).
January 20, 2016
****4.5 never underestimate the power of wishing Stars
Within the 686 pages not once did I feel its length. I was captivated, invested in the story being told. It was thrilling, suspenseful, and the tomboy in me thought it was sooo cool. But it was also lovely and most definitely thought provoking. And whether one ends up agreeing with them or not, there's no denying that Mr.Skinner is one hell of an amazing story teller. So have a seat, buckle-up, and be prepared for a ride.
BR with Susan & Elsbeth!
Within the 686 pages not once did I feel its length. I was captivated, invested in the story being told. It was thrilling, suspenseful, and the tomboy in me thought it was sooo cool. But it was also lovely and most definitely thought provoking. And whether one ends up agreeing with them or not, there's no denying that Mr.Skinner is one hell of an amazing story teller. So have a seat, buckle-up, and be prepared for a ride.
BR with Susan & Elsbeth!
January 16, 2016
Addictive, and an extremely thought provoking read...I just couldn’t stop reading it, and I say that as someone who has read everything that Dan has written, including the brilliant Memorizing You. I think this could be his Magnum Opus, although I would say that it was a tad too long, sometimes a little repetitive and too wordy at times, but very well written (and loved the dedication to MJ). 5 stars for this literary version of Jake 2.0.
Best read in bite size chunks, certainly much too long for concerted reading as there’s so much detail, loads of information and so many things going on for you to take it all in at once. Basically we have a puny guy Geoff, who’s been picked on all of his life. He grows up feeling unwanted, and the feelings don’t improve when he leaves home and finally manages to get a job, pandering to a jobsworth who belittles anyone he thinks he can bully. One day, he reads about a scientific trial where the company, RLS Pharmaceuticals, are offering payment to those who are willing to try the drug that they offer… ‘Tired of feeling weak, shy and timid? Want to feel stronger, be the person you were meant to be?’ Needless to say, he wants to feel better AND he needs the money….and this is where the life of Geoff 2.0 begins, and things that he can’t explain happen. Glad to hear Dan plans sequels, this story deserves them…especially a HEA for DiMarco??
One thing I must take exception to though was the quality of the editing, which was poor. Typos, spelling mistakes, and semicolons where semicolons have no right to be. You cannot just throw punctuation at a sentence, and then sit back and hope for the best. Semicolons have a specific use, as do colons – if you have no idea when to use what…or how, please look it up!!
Want to read
December 28, 2015Experiments?! I'm down.
Nearly 700 pages? I'm unsure if I'll even read it. We'll see. *squints*
This is a reminder for myself in case I get happy by the blurb in the future again.
Nearly 700 pages? I'm unsure if I'll even read it. We'll see. *squints*
This is a reminder for myself in case I get happy by the blurb in the future again.
January 21, 2016
This fantastic story hit so many bull's-eyes with me. Seriously, it has so much in it: coming of age, sex clubs, conspiracies, strange medical experiments, transgenic post-humans, explosions, hot cop, manties, fundamentalist 'phobes getting what's coming to them, light shows, music, really REALLY hot sex scenes, mysterious billionaire geniuses, parallel world theory, geek talk, sweet moments, science fiction, post apocalyptic imagery, gorgeous description... plus much much more.
Yeah, I'm happy.
My only gripe? The editing is off, at least in my copy. A bunch of punctuation was wrong, spaces sometimes missing between words, weird black blotches between paragraphs, odd or wrong word choices at times (like gaff [a spar or hooked rod] instead of gaffe [a mistake]), and the occasional tense shift that felt jarring.
However, none of it was enough to take away from my enjoyment of the book. The story was a hell of a lot of fun.
Yeah, I'm happy.
My only gripe? The editing is off, at least in my copy. A bunch of punctuation was wrong, spaces sometimes missing between words, weird black blotches between paragraphs, odd or wrong word choices at times (like gaff [a spar or hooked rod] instead of gaffe [a mistake]), and the occasional tense shift that felt jarring.
However, none of it was enough to take away from my enjoyment of the book. The story was a hell of a lot of fun.
May 26, 2017
I have VERY conflicted feelings about this book. It had such a strong, beautiful, brilliant start. I was sure I would love it beyond words and it would be one of the best reads of 2017 for me. The theme of a misfit, oppressed and abused by everyone, suddenly changing and becoming something different and better, triumphing over their enemies - is one of my favorites. And it was so wonderful to watch Geoff's transformation. He was in such a bad place in the beginning of the book and yet such a sympathetic character, I was rooting for him like mad.
The nature of his changes was fascinating, too, and the side-effects, and oh, the possibilities they carried for the development of the book! I was looking at how long the book was - and looking forward to it becoming deeper, richer, more intellectually stimulating. So many questions to be asked and answered!
What is the price of becoming someone stronger, better, more capable than an average human? How does it affect the one changed? How does the possibility of doing virtually anything without fear of punishment affect a person? Can Seuthers be trusted? His speeches are pretty and sound right but any - ANY - ideas can be wrapped into beautiful and seemingly inarguable words to enlist new recruits for a cause. And how about experimenting on people without warning them about the result, basically lying to them and using them blindly?
Oops. It was not the direction the book took. Instead it turned into something that really, really bothered me. I'm not a nice, all-forgiving, turn-the-other-cheek person. 'I spit on your grave' are my favorites movies. I totally rejoice when the evil is punished. But - the evil really must be that: evil. It needs to DESERVE its punishment.
And this is where I feel that my understanding of right and wrong is vastly different from the author's. I don't feel a bit of problem reading about pedophiles, child rapists and bombers killed by the "good" guys. They deserve it. But does a person deserve to be killed for voicing his opinion in a private conversation, no matter how ugly this opinion is? Is it all right to kill the sitting protesters because they have some hostile things written on their streamers? I just can't accept the answer the book gives.
If you think it is all right to kill a person for having different political views - you yourself are no better than those you call evil. As I was reading this book, with its endless preaching how the bad guys are full of hate to those who are different and spread their hate around, I wanted to yell: but it's exactly what this book is doing! It is so full of hate to those who think differently, it keeps repeating over and over that they don't deserve to live, they can't be redeemed, they don't deserve compassion, they don't have personalities, they are just evil, evil and should be killed. It was very disturbing.
I was really struggling with the last third of the book. I was disgusted and lost all the connection with the characters but I wanted to finish it because I hoped... maybe it somehow would turn all right in the end. Maybe all this hatred and murders and the characters' self-righteousness are exactly the question: is there any difference between the so-called "evil" the main characters fight - and them themselves? Aren't they just as evil, cruel, brainwashed and used by someone who just chose prettier words to convince them? Nope, really. That's all was at face value. Seuthers is a genius, he is fighting for saving the Earth, and the main characters are really bringing "love" to this world by killing hordes of people.
Actually, there was one thing I loved about this book unquestioningly - it was Geoff and Chris's romance. It was so beautiful in so many ways. Chris was beautiful beyond words. From the beginning there was this fragile, outworldly, incredibly appealing quality about him. He was not just easy to like - you were falling into him straight away and hopelessly. And his relationship with Geoff, their first love, every moment they spent together was precious to read about. In the beginning, when I was meeting a sex scene in the book (like Shane masturbating, or watching 110 in the club) I was always wondering why it was there because it was giving nothing to the book. Well, it made sense later when the love between Geoff and Chris was described in the way that didn't need erotic scenes, so chaste and tender and strong.
And Chris's transformation made sense so much, and even the way he was dealing with "the evil"... right, avenging angels don't discriminate between more guilty and less guilty.
But people do. And being stronger, faster, more capable to blend, etc. doesn't free you from human morality. If anything, it puts on you more responsibility.
And I'm afraid the book carries exactly the opposite message.
I would have given the first half of the book five shining stars, and everything Chris - too. But I feel the message this book sends is so wrong and disturbing that I can barely rate it as "it was okay". That's why the rating.
The nature of his changes was fascinating, too, and the side-effects, and oh, the possibilities they carried for the development of the book! I was looking at how long the book was - and looking forward to it becoming deeper, richer, more intellectually stimulating. So many questions to be asked and answered!
What is the price of becoming someone stronger, better, more capable than an average human? How does it affect the one changed? How does the possibility of doing virtually anything without fear of punishment affect a person? Can Seuthers be trusted? His speeches are pretty and sound right but any - ANY - ideas can be wrapped into beautiful and seemingly inarguable words to enlist new recruits for a cause. And how about experimenting on people without warning them about the result, basically lying to them and using them blindly?
Oops. It was not the direction the book took. Instead it turned into something that really, really bothered me. I'm not a nice, all-forgiving, turn-the-other-cheek person. 'I spit on your grave' are my favorites movies. I totally rejoice when the evil is punished. But - the evil really must be that: evil. It needs to DESERVE its punishment.
And this is where I feel that my understanding of right and wrong is vastly different from the author's. I don't feel a bit of problem reading about pedophiles, child rapists and bombers killed by the "good" guys. They deserve it. But does a person deserve to be killed for voicing his opinion in a private conversation, no matter how ugly this opinion is? Is it all right to kill the sitting protesters because they have some hostile things written on their streamers? I just can't accept the answer the book gives.
If you think it is all right to kill a person for having different political views - you yourself are no better than those you call evil. As I was reading this book, with its endless preaching how the bad guys are full of hate to those who are different and spread their hate around, I wanted to yell: but it's exactly what this book is doing! It is so full of hate to those who think differently, it keeps repeating over and over that they don't deserve to live, they can't be redeemed, they don't deserve compassion, they don't have personalities, they are just evil, evil and should be killed. It was very disturbing.
I was really struggling with the last third of the book. I was disgusted and lost all the connection with the characters but I wanted to finish it because I hoped... maybe it somehow would turn all right in the end. Maybe all this hatred and murders and the characters' self-righteousness are exactly the question: is there any difference between the so-called "evil" the main characters fight - and them themselves? Aren't they just as evil, cruel, brainwashed and used by someone who just chose prettier words to convince them? Nope, really. That's all was at face value. Seuthers is a genius, he is fighting for saving the Earth, and the main characters are really bringing "love" to this world by killing hordes of people.
Actually, there was one thing I loved about this book unquestioningly - it was Geoff and Chris's romance. It was so beautiful in so many ways. Chris was beautiful beyond words. From the beginning there was this fragile, outworldly, incredibly appealing quality about him. He was not just easy to like - you were falling into him straight away and hopelessly. And his relationship with Geoff, their first love, every moment they spent together was precious to read about. In the beginning, when I was meeting a sex scene in the book (like Shane masturbating, or watching 110 in the club) I was always wondering why it was there because it was giving nothing to the book. Well, it made sense later when the love between Geoff and Chris was described in the way that didn't need erotic scenes, so chaste and tender and strong.
And Chris's transformation made sense so much, and even the way he was dealing with "the evil"... right, avenging angels don't discriminate between more guilty and less guilty.
But people do. And being stronger, faster, more capable to blend, etc. doesn't free you from human morality. If anything, it puts on you more responsibility.
And I'm afraid the book carries exactly the opposite message.
I would have given the first half of the book five shining stars, and everything Chris - too. But I feel the message this book sends is so wrong and disturbing that I can barely rate it as "it was okay". That's why the rating.
July 18, 2025
This is a big book for me....I'm usually loving my short reads.....100 pages or less...this is set at 686 pages and wow is it a page turner....I can't really say too much without giving anything away....and believe me you don't want to know any spoilers....It's a fairly easy read......considering it's totally different to what you'll ever read....Dan Skinner is a new author for me...I contemplated reading his Memorizing You for months (still not read it...it scares me...but i will read it now)....This one however tapped into my love of Stephen King and we all know how weird his books can be....This one however is not weird it's strangely believable.......What happens in it I could actually see happening....The characters in it are loveable and I do have my favourite.....Geoff the first we meet totally and utterly down on his luck....A hatred man of a boss....a hateful stepfather which thankfully is not fully focused on....a bitch of a mother who all mistreated and abuse him in some way.....Life leads us to where we should be.....His lead him to RLS Pharmaceuticals.....which changes his life in totally different way.....He meets finally friends along the way Danny and eventually Chris....The blind musician...Oh i loved Chris with his little quips...and puns...He was amazing....the detective DiMarco who keeps popping up.....but not saying anymore...you have to read this...If your a Dan Skinner regular you'll love it...If like me your a Dan Skinner virgin...you'll love it....It took me about 4 days to read inbetween working so it doesn't take that long to read......It's made me realise what other long great books i'm missing......So sit down and enjoy because this is truly an amazing page turning book x
February 6, 2017
My initial assumptions about the direction this novel would take turned out to be almost completely wrong, and I'm okay with that. I was ready for a "dubious pseudoscience experiment gone horribly awry" story, but I rather enjoyed having my expectations largely subverted.
Now, if you adamantly don't like science fiction or paranormal elements in your stories, this is probably not the book for you. It leans heavily on these themes and also has a lot of action, violence, and gore, so a typical MM story this is not. While you know from the beginning that our protagonist identifies as gay, we spend most of the introduction learning how shitty his life is, not watching him get his romance on. That being said, I did enjoy the romance and absolutely loved how it came together.
It's difficult to discuss details without excessive spoiler tags since a lot of the fun is reading for yourself and trying to figure out what's going on. I will say that I found the book to have a very strong message about humanity and current events, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but some anvils were definitely dropped, and the whole thing ran strongly on protagonist-centered morality that was handwaved somewhat by science-fantasy explanations.
Speaking of science-fantasy, this is very much that. The author doesn't try to pretend that it's hard science, and he keeps explanations suitably vague while alluding to theoretical science, but a heads up for readers who want their sci-fi a bit more hardboiled.
In the end I kind of loved this book. It was different from anything I'd read lately and successfully combined many of my favorite elements into a single work. Sci-fi/paranormal, romance, mystery, horror, action...there's a lot going on! I won't soon forget this one.
Now, if you adamantly don't like science fiction or paranormal elements in your stories, this is probably not the book for you. It leans heavily on these themes and also has a lot of action, violence, and gore, so a typical MM story this is not. While you know from the beginning that our protagonist identifies as gay, we spend most of the introduction learning how shitty his life is, not watching him get his romance on. That being said, I did enjoy the romance and absolutely loved how it came together.
It's difficult to discuss details without excessive spoiler tags since a lot of the fun is reading for yourself and trying to figure out what's going on. I will say that I found the book to have a very strong message about humanity and current events, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but some anvils were definitely dropped, and the whole thing ran strongly on protagonist-centered morality that was handwaved somewhat by science-fantasy explanations.
Speaking of science-fantasy, this is very much that. The author doesn't try to pretend that it's hard science, and he keeps explanations suitably vague while alluding to theoretical science, but a heads up for readers who want their sci-fi a bit more hardboiled.
In the end I kind of loved this book. It was different from anything I'd read lately and successfully combined many of my favorite elements into a single work. Sci-fi/paranormal, romance, mystery, horror, action...there's a lot going on! I won't soon forget this one.
Want to read
December 29, 2015700 pages?! But Dan Skinner! We shall see....
February 10, 2016
5+++ "See? I told you. Never underestimate the power of wishing"
Classify: sublime
Exceptional read, gripping story
Mesmerizing
Flabbergasted by the development
Geoff and Chris two beautiful creatures.
Really ingenious, sometimes in one sentence a whole part of the story is including
Thát is what i call writing, deep bow.
I just can't explain the story. Its hard not to give the story away
The story was absolutely not predictable and it was an above average story
What began as a soft wind ended as an atombomb and flow back into a wind.
I flow with the waves of this story. Sometimes i was racing through the pages, anticipation was killing me. It took me more than a week to finished this book.
It was an experience
And Love is the most important energy
Classify: sublime
Exceptional read, gripping story
Mesmerizing
Flabbergasted by the development
Geoff and Chris two beautiful creatures.
Really ingenious, sometimes in one sentence a whole part of the story is including
Thát is what i call writing, deep bow.
I just can't explain the story. Its hard not to give the story away
The story was absolutely not predictable and it was an above average story
What began as a soft wind ended as an atombomb and flow back into a wind.
I flow with the waves of this story. Sometimes i was racing through the pages, anticipation was killing me. It took me more than a week to finished this book.
It was an experience
And Love is the most important energy
January 6, 2016
4.5 stars
Some might argue it was overly ambitious. Too verbose. That the author had a bone to pick. It might all be true, and I docked a half star accordingly.
But overall? A supremely engaging, imaginative tale combining two of my favorite genres, urban fantasy and sci-fi. Great world building, well developed characters, solid prose, and a beautiful love story.
At times I wondered if I was going to get through this book. I did my fair share of skimming. In the end, though, it was a heck of a ride. Highly recommended to fans of these genres.
Some might argue it was overly ambitious. Too verbose. That the author had a bone to pick. It might all be true, and I docked a half star accordingly.
But overall? A supremely engaging, imaginative tale combining two of my favorite genres, urban fantasy and sci-fi. Great world building, well developed characters, solid prose, and a beautiful love story.
At times I wondered if I was going to get through this book. I did my fair share of skimming. In the end, though, it was a heck of a ride. Highly recommended to fans of these genres.
Read
May 21, 2022dnf for now. might try again later though, because this does seem interesting.🧐
March 6, 2017
Wow, what a ride! This is probably the best book I have read in a long time. The story has pace, the writing is superb drawing you into the story and holds your attention by grabbing you by the "short and curlies" and not letting you go. I find science fiction can be quite dry and difficult to read but this is a shining example of how it should be tackled. Yes it is a long book but honestly after reading the last page I wanted more.
The story can be regarded as allegorical in the turbulent political times with both brexit and trump being elected president as to how hate can bring undesireable people to power by playing on peoples fears. Many a sentence made me think about both the above two disasters where people have been manipulated by various wealthy factions claiming to represent the ordinary person in the street but really it's a facade for their real hidden agendas. Yes I know time will tell but personally I am bracing for a large drop in living standards in the UK but at least the US population is not taking it lying down.
Salient quotes:-
"They wanted to build their world of more on the bones of those who had less."
"They feed ‘em shit and convince ‘em it’s sugar."
"The reasonable intellects were soon replaced by those who despised reason."
"Something had happened in the twenty-first century that no one had anticipated. Mankind had stepped backward in time."
Sorry for the political rant but so much of the book rang true about todays problems.
Excellent book, a 5 star read - it should really warrent more!
The story can be regarded as allegorical in the turbulent political times with both brexit and trump being elected president as to how hate can bring undesireable people to power by playing on peoples fears. Many a sentence made me think about both the above two disasters where people have been manipulated by various wealthy factions claiming to represent the ordinary person in the street but really it's a facade for their real hidden agendas. Yes I know time will tell but personally I am bracing for a large drop in living standards in the UK but at least the US population is not taking it lying down.
Salient quotes:-
"They wanted to build their world of more on the bones of those who had less."
"They feed ‘em shit and convince ‘em it’s sugar."
"The reasonable intellects were soon replaced by those who despised reason."
"Something had happened in the twenty-first century that no one had anticipated. Mankind had stepped backward in time."
Sorry for the political rant but so much of the book rang true about todays problems.
Excellent book, a 5 star read - it should really warrent more!
Currently reading
December 30, 2015I'm not sure why I am seeing reviews that say something about "700 pages" and then "I might read it". What do you mean? Do you think that is too long and you won't read it? HAVE YOU EVER READ A DAN SKINNER BOOK BEFORE??????? I love his books so much that when I see a higher page count I get excited. I never want his books to end. I have a list of my top 5 authors and he is one of them. This book is going to be different than his usual books which excites me even more. He has put his heart and soul into this book for the last year. I can't wait! So if you are one of those people that says this is too long to even start - well I dare you to read it. If you want proof of how good his writing is then read "Memorizing You" first and I promise you will pre-order everyone one of his books from now on.
January 31, 2016
Wow! This story was so good. I loved Geoff, Chris and DeMarco! I'm a big Science Fiction fan and I really loved the evolution part of this story, as much as the romance part. I read there will be a sequel in the future and DeMarco is supposed to tell his own story. I look forward to that, I think he is a very interesting character.
July 10, 2016
And I cried like a baby. I just wish we could have seen more of the reactions of those idiots when karma came along to bite them is the ass. This reminds me of Robert Heinlein's Number of the Beast, where all hell broke loose in one dimension and our heroes had to find their way safely to a land were people weren't
idiots
who wanted things done their way or not at all. With what's going on in our world today, we really need the good guys in Dan Skinner's book.
As a final note, just let me say again how much I enjoyed how karma got back on those smug, vile, nasty so-and-sos.
As a final note, just let me say again how much I enjoyed how karma got back on those smug, vile, nasty so-and-sos.
January 21, 2016
(Originally reviewed for Love Bytes Same Sex Book Reviews with a copy provided by the author for an honest review. My rating is 6.0 out of 5.0 stars. I know it doesn't exist...but it should for this one!)
Holy F-ing WOW, did I love this book!!! Yes, that is the correct page count. No, I’m not exaggerating! And yes, this is probably one of the best Self-Published books that I’ve ever read! I was a little nervous starting a book with 686 pages. I shouldn’t have been. This book read like a book half its length. I couldn’t put it down, although I had to a couple times because it was too long for one sitting.
When you meet Geoff Markham and hear his story in the beginning of the book, I dare you to not be moved by the crap this kid has gone through in his past. If you have ever been marginalized for anything, I think you will instantly feel for this character. Spending my whole school life being the last kid picked during team picks on the playground, I think I was Geoff. When he answered the ad for the miracle pill that was going to butch him up, I was reminded of the old Charles Atlas ads and how many skinny little geeks like me sent for their info! (Really. Blushes.) What we all wouldn’t have given for a pill like this one! Heck, I’d take it now! One minor warning, there is some past history of sexual abuse, which might be a trigger for some, but it is off screen and in the past, so shouldn’t be an issue for most.
Mr. Skinner has done a superb job with this book. It is probably science fiction, or speculative fiction, or something, but it also reads like today’s headlines. There is a huge amount of social commentary in this book, which is very pertinent to our current political climate; to gun control; to race relations; to homophobia; to homelessness; to those “churches” that persecute; in fact to just about any social problem you can think of in the United States today. I found myself feeling like I was reading a book about something that might actually be taking place right now. It was very up to date and pertinent, and as I read further it really made me think about how many of the things in this book could very easily take place in our near distant future.
I don’t want to give any storyline or character spoilers, so I’m not going to talk more about those aspects other than to say that the characters, the storyline and the execution of it all blew me away. This will go instantly onto my Best of 2016 list without a doubt. My only problem, what do I read next? Anything else is going to pale by comparison!
I extremely highly recommend you read this book. I loved it. I’m a sci-fi/fantasy/spec fic fan, but I don’t think you have to be to read this one. Take my advice, one click it now. Again I want to stress that this is one of the best Self-Published books I ever remember reading. It reminded me of books like The Stand by Stephen King because of its complexity and level of writing. I can’t rate the book higher than 5.0, but I would if I could.
Holy F-ing WOW, did I love this book!!! Yes, that is the correct page count. No, I’m not exaggerating! And yes, this is probably one of the best Self-Published books that I’ve ever read! I was a little nervous starting a book with 686 pages. I shouldn’t have been. This book read like a book half its length. I couldn’t put it down, although I had to a couple times because it was too long for one sitting.
When you meet Geoff Markham and hear his story in the beginning of the book, I dare you to not be moved by the crap this kid has gone through in his past. If you have ever been marginalized for anything, I think you will instantly feel for this character. Spending my whole school life being the last kid picked during team picks on the playground, I think I was Geoff. When he answered the ad for the miracle pill that was going to butch him up, I was reminded of the old Charles Atlas ads and how many skinny little geeks like me sent for their info! (Really. Blushes.) What we all wouldn’t have given for a pill like this one! Heck, I’d take it now! One minor warning, there is some past history of sexual abuse, which might be a trigger for some, but it is off screen and in the past, so shouldn’t be an issue for most.
Mr. Skinner has done a superb job with this book. It is probably science fiction, or speculative fiction, or something, but it also reads like today’s headlines. There is a huge amount of social commentary in this book, which is very pertinent to our current political climate; to gun control; to race relations; to homophobia; to homelessness; to those “churches” that persecute; in fact to just about any social problem you can think of in the United States today. I found myself feeling like I was reading a book about something that might actually be taking place right now. It was very up to date and pertinent, and as I read further it really made me think about how many of the things in this book could very easily take place in our near distant future.
I don’t want to give any storyline or character spoilers, so I’m not going to talk more about those aspects other than to say that the characters, the storyline and the execution of it all blew me away. This will go instantly onto my Best of 2016 list without a doubt. My only problem, what do I read next? Anything else is going to pale by comparison!
I extremely highly recommend you read this book. I loved it. I’m a sci-fi/fantasy/spec fic fan, but I don’t think you have to be to read this one. Take my advice, one click it now. Again I want to stress that this is one of the best Self-Published books I ever remember reading. It reminded me of books like The Stand by Stephen King because of its complexity and level of writing. I can’t rate the book higher than 5.0, but I would if I could.
January 31, 2016
OMG OMG OMG This is ridiculously moving. My heart was in my throat most of the way through. I frowned; I walked away (a number of times b/c I was so upset!); I screamed at the injustice; and I reveled in the beauty of the words - the images, the views, the statements; - the sheer poetry of how the written word can convey EVERY SINGLE EMOTION.
Dan, you have excelled yourself! Geoff Markham is a superb MC: from his abusive background, to his tedious, unrelenting current life; where no-one is concerned, and everyone just goes about their day-to-day business without thought for any other person.
What happens to Geoff is perhaps what many people would in truth like to happen to them. We all hero-worship the "SuperHeroes" and what they do to preserve the Good, and get rid of the Bad. I know I would relish the opportunities Geoff had.
His relationship with Chris is pure goodness (which is why I refuse to allocate a MMRomance label to this book). It's not a Romance per se, but it IS a Romance of the Heart: and I loved it.
Some people might regret the length; some, the 'horror' of the events; others may find it just a religious/political tirade against what is currently happening in the States; but OMG, it IS a statement of belief of what could TRULY happen.
Kudos to Dan for a fantastic story. Stupendous!
Dan, you have excelled yourself! Geoff Markham is a superb MC: from his abusive background, to his tedious, unrelenting current life; where no-one is concerned, and everyone just goes about their day-to-day business without thought for any other person.
What happens to Geoff is perhaps what many people would in truth like to happen to them. We all hero-worship the "SuperHeroes" and what they do to preserve the Good, and get rid of the Bad. I know I would relish the opportunities Geoff had.
His relationship with Chris is pure goodness (which is why I refuse to allocate a MMRomance label to this book). It's not a Romance per se, but it IS a Romance of the Heart: and I loved it.
Some people might regret the length; some, the 'horror' of the events; others may find it just a religious/political tirade against what is currently happening in the States; but OMG, it IS a statement of belief of what could TRULY happen.
Kudos to Dan for a fantastic story. Stupendous!
January 19, 2016
Ok, first let me start by saying that it took me 4 days to read this book but with good reason.....
Imagine you're given a bottle of very expensive wine, or the finest chocolate known to man. You wouldn't rush through them to finish, you'd savour each morsel, make sure you tasted every flavour.
That is how this book should be treated when read, you need to take your time and savour each word otherwise you could possibly miss something vital to the story. I'd even go as far as saying that, were Stephen King and H.G Wells to have ever written together i'm pretty sure it'd be similar in comparison to this story.
The way Dan has written this is absolutely phenomenal and blew me away !! The way he describes the changes which happen to Geoff, the way it makes Geoff feel really was that fantastic ! I loved that it even had me questioning the "what if's......? "
Such a fantastic read which i thoroughly enjoyed !!
Imagine you're given a bottle of very expensive wine, or the finest chocolate known to man. You wouldn't rush through them to finish, you'd savour each morsel, make sure you tasted every flavour.
That is how this book should be treated when read, you need to take your time and savour each word otherwise you could possibly miss something vital to the story. I'd even go as far as saying that, were Stephen King and H.G Wells to have ever written together i'm pretty sure it'd be similar in comparison to this story.
The way Dan has written this is absolutely phenomenal and blew me away !! The way he describes the changes which happen to Geoff, the way it makes Geoff feel really was that fantastic ! I loved that it even had me questioning the "what if's......? "
Such a fantastic read which i thoroughly enjoyed !!
September 3, 2016
This is the third book written by Dan Skinner I had read. Compared to the two others, it's not only a very intense and dramatic lovestory of two wonderful and charming characters, it is also a scientifically well funded science fiction story.
About love between humans and love of mankind to each other and to our environmet.
About hate. The hate of "unprivileged people" and religious fanatics toward others. People who live different, love different and have different phiosophies and ideologies. Hate of small-minded people against all that will not follow their believe and meaning.
About tolerance and intolerance. And about moral and double moral standards.
In in this scenery of hate and mayhem a small group of special humans (I will call them in this way), our two loving main characters are a part of them, fight against the evil that wants to conquer the whole USA.
Their special abilities they achieved as members of an experiment help them in the fight against bad.
But it seems that both sides, the good and the bad have their own ethic standards. And both sides are fighting fire with fire. The bad boys kill the innocent, the good boys kill the bad.
So everyone has its own aspect of what is good and bad, what is tolerance and intolerance, of what is ethical.
So the good also become guilty in their inquisitorial fight against the evil.
The book is very current with its topic. In the USA, the election campaings for the presidential elections in November, the same theme here in Germany. Our very conservative parties against homosexuals or immigrants from Syria or Afghanistan.
I rate it five of five stars, because it is exciting and well investigated. And: Geoff and Chris are the perfect lovers!
About love between humans and love of mankind to each other and to our environmet.
About hate. The hate of "unprivileged people" and religious fanatics toward others. People who live different, love different and have different phiosophies and ideologies. Hate of small-minded people against all that will not follow their believe and meaning.
About tolerance and intolerance. And about moral and double moral standards.
In in this scenery of hate and mayhem a small group of special humans (I will call them in this way), our two loving main characters are a part of them, fight against the evil that wants to conquer the whole USA.
Their special abilities they achieved as members of an experiment help them in the fight against bad.
But it seems that both sides, the good and the bad have their own ethic standards. And both sides are fighting fire with fire. The bad boys kill the innocent, the good boys kill the bad.
So everyone has its own aspect of what is good and bad, what is tolerance and intolerance, of what is ethical.
So the good also become guilty in their inquisitorial fight against the evil.
The book is very current with its topic. In the USA, the election campaings for the presidential elections in November, the same theme here in Germany. Our very conservative parties against homosexuals or immigrants from Syria or Afghanistan.
I rate it five of five stars, because it is exciting and well investigated. And: Geoff and Chris are the perfect lovers!
July 13, 2016
Fireworks for the senses and the imagination!
Xperiment is a very complex book, which takes you on a wild ride.
I laughed, I cried and I held my breath.
I got to see, feel and hear a lot of the beauty of our nature. The drops of rain, the wind, the rustle of leaves, the chirping of birds, the music of everything.
I also got to see, feel and smell a lot of ugly, bad and sad things, all created by mankind.
And I had to slow down my imagination when it became too violent.
There was one aspect of the book, which I didn't like: There was a lot of murder during the story and it had such a black and white feeling to me because there were the good ones, and there were the bad ones. But I missed all the nuances in between, all the shades of gray. And the good ones seemed to murder without any remorse, and that ultimately made them killers!
Now I have to ask myself whether there can be a good killer?
But anyway, the really important thing is that the author pointed in this book to a lot of problems and sad truths of our time and society!
Things like prejudice and hatred,
selfishness and greed,
abuse of political and economic power,
religious fanaticism,
pollution,
gun control,
a lot of topics which we all need to deal with, topics, that no one should ignore.
So if it were possible, I would give this book more than five stars!
Xperiment is a very complex book, which takes you on a wild ride.
I laughed, I cried and I held my breath.
I got to see, feel and hear a lot of the beauty of our nature. The drops of rain, the wind, the rustle of leaves, the chirping of birds, the music of everything.
I also got to see, feel and smell a lot of ugly, bad and sad things, all created by mankind.
And I had to slow down my imagination when it became too violent.
There was one aspect of the book, which I didn't like: There was a lot of murder during the story and it had such a black and white feeling to me because there were the good ones, and there were the bad ones. But I missed all the nuances in between, all the shades of gray. And the good ones seemed to murder without any remorse, and that ultimately made them killers!
Now I have to ask myself whether there can be a good killer?
But anyway, the really important thing is that the author pointed in this book to a lot of problems and sad truths of our time and society!
Things like prejudice and hatred,
selfishness and greed,
abuse of political and economic power,
religious fanaticism,
pollution,
gun control,
a lot of topics which we all need to deal with, topics, that no one should ignore.
So if it were possible, I would give this book more than five stars!
July 30, 2019
I could go on a 6 hour rant about this thing, but it’s honestly not worth it so I’ll keep it short.
As I’ve (sadly) said before, there are few things that I hate more than reading a book and feeling like I’m being preached to. This hardly qualifies as a novel, it’s a ridiculously long political pamphlet. And to make it just a little more irritating, it happens to preach for one of the most nauseating and hypocritical set of ideas.
The characters, of course, as is to be expected from a writer with this kind of extremist believes, are completely manichean, everyone is either pure good or pure evil, while, ironically , being all rulled by the same principles and values, the same sense of justice, the same lack of conscience or empathy, the same boundless hatred for anyone that doesn’t think like them, the same selfrighterousness and bloodthirst. In fact, I would argue that the heroes are way more vicious and sadistic than the villains would ever have the imagination to be.
I’m not even going to comment on that sad excuse of a plot because I don’t care, I’ve wasted enough of my life as it is.
As I’ve (sadly) said before, there are few things that I hate more than reading a book and feeling like I’m being preached to. This hardly qualifies as a novel, it’s a ridiculously long political pamphlet. And to make it just a little more irritating, it happens to preach for one of the most nauseating and hypocritical set of ideas.
The characters, of course, as is to be expected from a writer with this kind of extremist believes, are completely manichean, everyone is either pure good or pure evil, while, ironically , being all rulled by the same principles and values, the same sense of justice, the same lack of conscience or empathy, the same boundless hatred for anyone that doesn’t think like them, the same selfrighterousness and bloodthirst. In fact, I would argue that the heroes are way more vicious and sadistic than the villains would ever have the imagination to be.
I’m not even going to comment on that sad excuse of a plot because I don’t care, I’ve wasted enough of my life as it is.
November 15, 2016
Beyond my expectations. This book is a necessary read for EVERYONE. Do not let spoilers deter you from reading it. If i had to sum it up in one word it would be EDEN!
Want to read
January 20, 2016BR, January 9th with Marcie and Susan
January 19, 2018
“They were everywhere, flaunting their newfound freedom to hate. It was as if all of the years of progress since the successful battle for Civil Rights had been erased. Racism was rampant. Human ugliness had become vogue once again”
This book deals with homophobia, racism, sexism, and abuse. It was weird at how applicable it is to life in America under the current administration. The quote above stuck out to me the most. It was eerie to read because some of the racism seemed to be taken right out of reality’s headlines. I kept thinking, could this actually happen? Obviously there will be no genetic engineered monsters, but monsters of a different kind. On a lighter note, I adored both main characters so much. I thought they were both so well developed and I got such a sense of who they are. Few complaints with this book. there is so much meandering. Several pages will go by with nothing happening and it made me not want to keep reading. But the action, once it finally happened had me hooked. Also the ending. Abrupt much? Super lackluster & I was a bit disappointed with it after having read 500+ pages to get there.
This book deals with homophobia, racism, sexism, and abuse. It was weird at how applicable it is to life in America under the current administration. The quote above stuck out to me the most. It was eerie to read because some of the racism seemed to be taken right out of reality’s headlines. I kept thinking, could this actually happen? Obviously there will be no genetic engineered monsters, but monsters of a different kind. On a lighter note, I adored both main characters so much. I thought they were both so well developed and I got such a sense of who they are. Few complaints with this book. there is so much meandering. Several pages will go by with nothing happening and it made me not want to keep reading. But the action, once it finally happened had me hooked. Also the ending. Abrupt much? Super lackluster & I was a bit disappointed with it after having read 500+ pages to get there.
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