Changer

KESTREL #1

by Matt Gemmell

DESTINY CAN BE CHANGED.

Jutland, Denmark: a billionaire industrialist seizes control of a top-secret project that the European Defence Agency calls Destiny, manipulating it for his own ends.

Edinburgh, Scotland: physicist Neil Aldridge’s life is saved by an elite EU special forces team, codenamed KESTREL, drawing him into a race against time to prevent a disaster that will claim millions of lives.

As the chase leads to London, Amsterdam and beyond, Aldridge and his allies must battle a ruthless adversary: a trained killer with an unnatural ability, who seeks to hasten the cataclysm.

With time running out, Aldridge discovers that he and his enemy share an astonishing secret, which may be the key to salvation — or cause death on an unprecedented scale…

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Ebooks

474 pages, Paperback

First published June 20, 2016

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a picky, fussy reader who lays unforgivingly into minor plot holes and unexplained miracles. I've given more than one action or sci-fi novel a bad review for not convincing me. Fortunately, Changer kept me reading until well into the night (early morning, actually).

What I like about author Matt Gemmell's writing on his website is what I like about this book: he likes people, and he seems a lot like a good person. That's important when it comes time to write characters that are likable in addition to whatever other jobs they have in the book. I'm glad there were plenty of hateful people here as well, but I hate books that I come away from realizing there was no one in them I really cared what happened to.

Another big problem with a lot of first novels that I've read lately is tortured writing and overwrought use of language, as though each sentence was created to house a noticeable section of thesaurus. Mr. Gemmell doesn't subscribe to that school of writing; his style is descriptive and detailed, but he stays out of the way and lets the story unfold. His clear writing never calls attention to itself, but does properly engage the reader in the story. Well done there. He's clearly practiced the craft of descriptive, creative writing, and it shows.

I do have some questions about anti-tachyons and force-duels on chapel rooftops, but in the case of Changers, I'm ok with that. Sometimes hand-wavy insistences that I not think too hard are annoying to me, but I didn't feel that way here. I'm not sure I 100% buy it, but at the same time, the story was solid enough that it didn't bother me much.

What I do know for certain is that I want to read more books in this series, and from this author in general. Congratulations on the first novel, Matt. I hope we see the next one soon!

[Davy Buntinx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fresh take on a genre of suspenseful novels. Helped in a great way by staging in Europe instead of the usual US sites. Looking forward to a follow up!

[Kristof Claes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved every bit of Matt Gemmell's first novel CHANGER. The premise is very intriguing and I'm still thinking about it a few days after finishing the book.

The story is built up and the the action scenes are written in such a way that made it hard for me to put the book down. I mostly read in the evenings and I constantly had this feeling of "just one more chapter and then I'm going to sleep, I promise".

Another strong point are the characters. A lot of books are dominated by strong male characters and you often have the feeling that the female characters are just there to support the men, to allow the men to shine. Not so in CHANGER. The women here drive the story forward in their own way, they aren't just an afterthought.

I can absolutely recommend this book and I'm already looking forward to the next one in the KESTREL series!

[Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matt Gemmell’s first novel is, I think, quite likely the best fictionalized interpretation of the famous Schrödinger paradox (you know, the one featuring the cat that’s either dead or alive). But lest one think this book will appeal only to physics geeks, belay that thought: this adventure-thriller is a legitimate page-turner, and will delight anyone who appreciates a well-crafted story. Matt has an uncanny ability to draw characters who instantly leap off the page and into one’s imagination — and stay there, well beyond the last pages of this first volume in what promises to be a terrific series.

[William R. J. Ribeiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great start! This is a fast paced book with a lot of action and violence, great for people that enjoy thrillers. The story is fictional but also straight forward. The author doesn't try to explain too much of the odd phenomenons, or hold back the mysteries for too long and there's no forced plot twists.
But the end is totally epic! I hope to meet the novel's characters rather soon than later.
Cheers!

[Christopher Everest · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book. I know, I was surprised too. It has many of the ingredients that amuse my inner child. Hints of a superpower ? Time Travel measured in milliseconds ? Good baddies who threaten the world ? There is clearly a team being formed for a series (so I can expect further fleshing of characterisation to occur in later episodes). There are guns and storms and technology and sciencey stuff. My willing suspension of disbelief was hardly challenged which suggests to me that it is/was well written and that I will buy the next book to appear. I do actually think this might make a marvellous TV series or a graphic novel - its descriptive power is definitely very visual - so hopefully there is a producer out there with a chequebook aiming at Matt Gemmell.

(...and finally Dear Author....Any relation to David and Stella ? - only hopeful: of Druss appearing in the middle of the next book, of Rigante and Bane in Modern day Europe ....Ah if only.....)

[Lee Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matt Gemmell's debut novel "Changer" is a gripping techno-thriller that will keep you reading until the early hours of the morning. When a billionaire industrialist seizes control of a top-secret project to manipulate it for his own ends, his plans unravel when his own team betrays him. The ensuing disaster threatens to claim millions of lives. The protagonists trying to stop the catastrophe are an elite EU special forces team codenamed KESTREL, joined by an unlikely ally — a Scottish physicist named Neil Aldridge.

Aldridge is a classic "unlikely hero," forced into the adventure against his will, with much fear to overcome. As he rises to the occasion, he becomes someone you want to cheer for.

"Changer" is written with considerable skill. For a thriller to be believable, the reader must trust the timeline and believe in the settings where the scenes take place. "Changer" doesn't disappoint. Its continuity is meticulously constructed, its locations (refreshingly set in Europe for a techno-thriller) are convincingly realized, and its characters possess flaws and complexity. I became invested in the people as well as the plot, which made the book difficult to put down.

[Alfred Baudisch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Refreshing

Couldn’t stopped reading until I finished it. At least for me it is refreshing to read something like this, since I was looking for a Change in reading habits. Can’t wait for part 2.

[Brett Reimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great first book. Very fast paced. Never a dull moment.
Looking forward to the next one!

[Andrew Canion · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable page turner. Suspend your belief and go along for the ride.

[Lange-Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well done

Very well done. Excellent first book. Kept me engages through tge entire book. Looking forward to the next one and any other books tgis anther writes

[Hugh W Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow burner

The first third of this book I found rather boring. Anyway I came back to it and the last third was was really good with a very exciting climax.

[Phillip Guillory · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a long-time fan of Matt Gemmell's writing on the internet and watched from afar as he wrote this book. I was excited when it was published, though waited a bit before taking the plunge. I went in with no expectations, and found myself delighted. The bad guys are as interesting as the good guys, and it's packed with mystery that unravels without feeling rushed and leaving just enough to the imagination. I thoroughly enjoyed the read and look forward to reading more.

Second review, February 2019: I wanted to reread this before diving into TOLL, the next book in the series, and my review still stands exceptionally well. Despite remembering some of the bigger plot points, it was just as fun to read, and in completely different ways. It's great to see some character nuances I didn't pick up on before, and my perception of the story felt different, and almost more powerful, this time around. Still keeps a thumbs up and a happy recommendation to read.

[Ness · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. The writing is excellent, nothing superfluous, yet everything vividly depicted. The final section really came to life in my mind. Generally when I read a book, I just read the words, but in this one I could really see events unfold in my mind - very cinematic. I don't like books with unnecessary pages of description and that isn't the case here; the writing hits exactly the right balance.
I felt the sense of unease early in the book, as the situation developed, until about a third of the way through, when I really did stop in my tracks. It's rare that a novel can produce such an OMG moment for me. This book really drew me in and kept me reading. I look forward to subsequent Kestrel adventures.

[Jerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good first novel. He's written better (far better) long form on his blog; he's written posts with more tension and emotion than this whole book put together. But this is a great exploration of a fun sci-fi premise, and I love that the continuity is based on a team, not a story per se.

Gemmell's little details are delights whenever they appear, and make the book vivid. The twist is completely predictable by the time you learn a few mechanics, but it's exciting nonetheless.

It's a bit weird that Gemmell's such a feminist, yet nearly all his characters are male (and I think the book actually fails the Bechdel test). It doesn't bother me, but it seems like it ought to bother him.

[Sean Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting, well-paced story with only a small number of proofing errors (the second "identify" should've been an "identity" and "be began" should've been a "he"). Other than that I found myself very much enjoying it, although we could perhaps do with a little more backstory about this thing than a slipped-in allusion to genetic predisposition. I also found the ending a little unsatisfying, but I hope that's because there'll be more to come!

[Jim Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great first novel. Gemmell creates a fast-paced suspenseful story that's hard to put down. He has a fresh take on mysterious phenomena that would be fairly abstract and difficult to explain, but he does a great job of clearly explaining the concept without killing the pace of the story. Setting the locations in Europe instead of, say, New York, also helps provide some new perspectives to the novel.

[Des Paroz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first fiction book by Matt Gemmell (@mattgemmell) was an excellent read - a page turner that had me working through the book quickly.

I will certainly be looking forward to more of Mr Gemmell's fiction writing, and to the ongoing adventures of Neil Aldridge, CAPT Greenwood and the KESTREL team.

Highly enjoyed, and thoroughly recommended.

[Ali · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was written well and like a well paced thriller but the basic premise of the plot just didn't work for me. I wanted to like this book but there are so many holes in the plot that I'd settle for the two stars.

[Martin van-Eerde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping read

Highly recommended has a good pace and keeps you gripped till the end. Can't wait for the next book from this author.

[Loïc Chesne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, I read it avidly