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Start Right Here
Lou runs a bar in Chicago 1980 and is being shot at whilst naked on a rooftop, Wendy is in despair over the population crisis combined with the animal-catastrophe in London 2055, and cat-loving Antonio is ripping off beach tourists in Barcelona 2024 with no recollection of his past. Lou, Wendy, Antonio; they’re all related and their lives intertwine for the benefit of humankind, but how, when, and why? Start Right Here is a rollercoaster ride across time; a delectable cocktail of humour and time-travel, with a dash of romance, a dog, a monkey, and a whole lot of gin.
260 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 21, 2016
14 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 27, 2016
On a scale of one to world peace, Martin Skate’s Start Right Here ranks somewhere between calorie-free chocolate cake and never looking older than thirty. Those of us who love Sci-Fi know it often comes with an inescapable darkness, a grim view of reality wrapped in ominous prophecy. That being said, laughter is always a welcome reprieve from the doom and gloom of the genre, but few writers can pull this off. (Yes, yes, I know, Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. But can you name six more? Exactly.) Well Martin Skate can now be counted among them. His quirky, far left (nope, a little farther) brand of humor and boundless delight in absurdity is the perfect vehicle to deliver this hilarious Sci-Fi tale.
It is 2055 and the world has become an immensely overcrowded, passionless bureaucracy. The simplest activities, like taking the bus to work or going to dinner, now require a “bapplication” (insert LOLs here). This doesn’t guarantee you a spot, but awards you the opportunity to wait in line. The sheeple are consumed with skims (a future version of a mobile phone) and shopping, because there isn’t much else to do without spending years on a waiting list. Yes, years. But this is merely a symptom of a bigger problem. You see, mankind is stuck-- stalled on the outskirts of progression and content to mire in the mediocrity. Society could use a wakeup call, and boy is it coming. When wild animals begin materializing on the streets of London, the gruesome carnage turns the packed city upside down. Who or what is responsible for this mayhem? And where, dear God, is Mr Splishy,(the world’s first ever time traveling goldfish)? Ok, so something screwy is definitely going down, but what? Now, it is up to several strangers from different time lines to come together and alter the course of history. Strangers. From different time lines. And it only gets crazier.
Sometimes a classically trained ballerina just wants to twerk, and honestly, everyone loves a rebel. As an accomplished author, Skate knows the “rules” of novel writing, but they didn’t suit his artistic vision this time, so he tossed them. Start Right Here’s nonlinear composition is instantly intriguing, while the combination of a first and third person narrative works brilliantly to help the reader follow the bizarre series of events. I adore the way Skate’s unconventional use of punctuation and grammar enhance the tone and characterization of the story. The dialogue is written precisely the way the characters speak--rambling, contractions, hiccups, etc. - which truly brings them to life. I swear I felt like Lou was sitting in my living room. And do not be surprised when each of these very distinct personalities breaks the fourth wall to interact with you. It’s a riot. Just don’t tell them they aren’t real. They’ve got enough to contend with.
Start Right Here is a fantastic read—hysterical, clever and fast-paced, with more twists and turns than a box of snakes on a carousel. Skate knows how to entertain, and his avant garde style has found a soul mate in Science Fiction. Five Stars! And a bonus star (can I give bonus stars?) for Cody’s diary, and the heartbreaking sandwich scene. Ohmagod, soooo funny.
It is 2055 and the world has become an immensely overcrowded, passionless bureaucracy. The simplest activities, like taking the bus to work or going to dinner, now require a “bapplication” (insert LOLs here). This doesn’t guarantee you a spot, but awards you the opportunity to wait in line. The sheeple are consumed with skims (a future version of a mobile phone) and shopping, because there isn’t much else to do without spending years on a waiting list. Yes, years. But this is merely a symptom of a bigger problem. You see, mankind is stuck-- stalled on the outskirts of progression and content to mire in the mediocrity. Society could use a wakeup call, and boy is it coming. When wild animals begin materializing on the streets of London, the gruesome carnage turns the packed city upside down. Who or what is responsible for this mayhem? And where, dear God, is Mr Splishy,(the world’s first ever time traveling goldfish)? Ok, so something screwy is definitely going down, but what? Now, it is up to several strangers from different time lines to come together and alter the course of history. Strangers. From different time lines. And it only gets crazier.
Sometimes a classically trained ballerina just wants to twerk, and honestly, everyone loves a rebel. As an accomplished author, Skate knows the “rules” of novel writing, but they didn’t suit his artistic vision this time, so he tossed them. Start Right Here’s nonlinear composition is instantly intriguing, while the combination of a first and third person narrative works brilliantly to help the reader follow the bizarre series of events. I adore the way Skate’s unconventional use of punctuation and grammar enhance the tone and characterization of the story. The dialogue is written precisely the way the characters speak--rambling, contractions, hiccups, etc. - which truly brings them to life. I swear I felt like Lou was sitting in my living room. And do not be surprised when each of these very distinct personalities breaks the fourth wall to interact with you. It’s a riot. Just don’t tell them they aren’t real. They’ve got enough to contend with.
Start Right Here is a fantastic read—hysterical, clever and fast-paced, with more twists and turns than a box of snakes on a carousel. Skate knows how to entertain, and his avant garde style has found a soul mate in Science Fiction. Five Stars! And a bonus star (can I give bonus stars?) for Cody’s diary, and the heartbreaking sandwich scene. Ohmagod, soooo funny.
September 17, 2017
I randomly took a chance on this book after seeing it on Twitter. I had no idea what a wild ride it would be. I'm not usually a science-fiction fan except the occasional Asimov, but this one was truly awesome. I don't want to give the plot away because it's strange and out there, but it somehow works. What really drew me in are the characters. They speak to the reader, breaking the forth wall and again, it somehow works. The author has a unique style and a strong voice. I will read his other works as this is a book I will not soon forget. Complete organized chaos at its finest, entertaining and very, very fun read.
October 27, 2016
A WONDERFUL, FUNNY AND MAD VISION
The world has become or will become overpopulated and a bureaucratic nightmare in Martin Skate's multi-stranded time travel romance novel. Lou, Wendy, Spencer, Antonio, Travis and Cody/Kai's lives have all been changed and their destinies entwined from the possibility of time travel and the prospect of a nightmare world - 2055 - where overcrowding is beyond manageable, where experiments have seriously messed with the animals.
The heart of the book is Lou - a bar owner who loves to help people - and his relationship with Wendy, resulting in a touching love story (on first meeting she orders him to have sex with her - they are destined to be together). I love Lou, and his narration is so much funs (he adds S's to many of his words); he's a genuine character - funny, sometimes confused, but with a good heart.
The other characters are great too, and I had fun following the often amusing conflict between Travis and Spencer, or the love affair between Antonio and Belen. I'm totally taken by Cody/Kai, who is such a great and original character, and I sympathised with everything he was going through, and how his story played out kept my eyes to the page and a smile on my face.
The characters, plot, and themes are all sound and work together to create a wonderful novel. The vision of a future London is convincing - detailed but not overwhelmingly so - and it is crazy, funny and absurd. It makes sense. Yeah, I can see the world run by electronic bapps and skimms, with the weirdest cycling lanes imaginable.
Apart from Lou and Cody/Kai, what I loved most about the novel was the writing style and voice of the author, both of which shine through. I read a lot of books by Indies, and although many of them have convincing stories, good characters, and are well-written (Start Right Here has all that, of course) what they often lack is an original or unique authorial voice. Martin Skate has this; you will enjoy his witty, mad sentences, the random asides, his brilliant word play and sheer love of the written word. Start Right Here is a joy to read, a fun adventure, a time travelling love story to get lost in.
The world has become or will become overpopulated and a bureaucratic nightmare in Martin Skate's multi-stranded time travel romance novel. Lou, Wendy, Spencer, Antonio, Travis and Cody/Kai's lives have all been changed and their destinies entwined from the possibility of time travel and the prospect of a nightmare world - 2055 - where overcrowding is beyond manageable, where experiments have seriously messed with the animals.
The heart of the book is Lou - a bar owner who loves to help people - and his relationship with Wendy, resulting in a touching love story (on first meeting she orders him to have sex with her - they are destined to be together). I love Lou, and his narration is so much funs (he adds S's to many of his words); he's a genuine character - funny, sometimes confused, but with a good heart.
The other characters are great too, and I had fun following the often amusing conflict between Travis and Spencer, or the love affair between Antonio and Belen. I'm totally taken by Cody/Kai, who is such a great and original character, and I sympathised with everything he was going through, and how his story played out kept my eyes to the page and a smile on my face.
The characters, plot, and themes are all sound and work together to create a wonderful novel. The vision of a future London is convincing - detailed but not overwhelmingly so - and it is crazy, funny and absurd. It makes sense. Yeah, I can see the world run by electronic bapps and skimms, with the weirdest cycling lanes imaginable.
Apart from Lou and Cody/Kai, what I loved most about the novel was the writing style and voice of the author, both of which shine through. I read a lot of books by Indies, and although many of them have convincing stories, good characters, and are well-written (Start Right Here has all that, of course) what they often lack is an original or unique authorial voice. Martin Skate has this; you will enjoy his witty, mad sentences, the random asides, his brilliant word play and sheer love of the written word. Start Right Here is a joy to read, a fun adventure, a time travelling love story to get lost in.
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May 8, 2017I'm giving up on this one; it's just too difficult to read. There's too much repetitive word/phrase usage and overly-cutesy fourth-wall breaking. The grammar, sentence structure, and plot flow is a hyperactive, nonsensical disaster. Start Right Here should have been revised and polished a LOT more before being released.
I'm sorry if this is an overly harsh review. I'm just giving my honest opinion as a sci-fi reader and writer. I've said my piece, so I won't trash the book's rating by assigning a low star value.
I bought an actual print copy, so I'll put it in one of those "little free libraries" so it hopefully finds its intended audience. This will resonate with someone, but it's just not my thing.
I'm sorry if this is an overly harsh review. I'm just giving my honest opinion as a sci-fi reader and writer. I've said my piece, so I won't trash the book's rating by assigning a low star value.
I bought an actual print copy, so I'll put it in one of those "little free libraries" so it hopefully finds its intended audience. This will resonate with someone, but it's just not my thing.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews