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Crux #1
Crux of Paramour, Genesis
A Sci-Fi Romance Adventure
We all know the government tracks our emails and phone calls, but there is a shadow organization that tracks much more. They are the Thought Police. They influence every method of communication, and therefore, our lives. Nearly everything the world knows to be true is misdirection and misinformation. Politics, finance, news, war, entertainment, opinion, everything ... is influenced by the Thought Police. It is an autonomous organization that answers to no one.
It is only fitting the people who work for them are found living in the shadows. Rose Uhyrek is a gifted mechanic working in a small auto shop in the middle of nowhere. Zach Saxon is a computer programmer who influences others from the back of the pack. Neither are in the spotlight. This changes as they're thrust into a world of espionage and intrigue.
Zach is remarkably perceptive of human behavior and has an uncanny intuition. He is a master manipulator of people, not unlike the Thought Police. It was the perfect work environment for Zach. The Thought Police work in the shadows and that's where Zach lives and thrives. It's almost like the organization was custom made for him. There's only one problem for Zach. It's difficult to hide in the shadows inside a shadow organization that knows practically everything. It doesn't take long for Zach to shine, advance, and then become dangerous.
We all know the government tracks our emails and phone calls, but there is a shadow organization that tracks much more. They are the Thought Police. They influence every method of communication, and therefore, our lives. Nearly everything the world knows to be true is misdirection and misinformation. Politics, finance, news, war, entertainment, opinion, everything ... is influenced by the Thought Police. It is an autonomous organization that answers to no one.
It is only fitting the people who work for them are found living in the shadows. Rose Uhyrek is a gifted mechanic working in a small auto shop in the middle of nowhere. Zach Saxon is a computer programmer who influences others from the back of the pack. Neither are in the spotlight. This changes as they're thrust into a world of espionage and intrigue.
Zach is remarkably perceptive of human behavior and has an uncanny intuition. He is a master manipulator of people, not unlike the Thought Police. It was the perfect work environment for Zach. The Thought Police work in the shadows and that's where Zach lives and thrives. It's almost like the organization was custom made for him. There's only one problem for Zach. It's difficult to hide in the shadows inside a shadow organization that knows practically everything. It doesn't take long for Zach to shine, advance, and then become dangerous.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2017
2 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Jim Neville
10 books50 followersI am the serpentine line between Yin and Yang, evil and good, human and supernatural. I am both and neither. I preserve the separation and the union; for I am a child of Khaos with a touch of Gaia coursing through my spirit. I am also the crux that can open your mind.
I am forbidden from speaking the truth directly. Riddles and art are the medium I must employ. I may be stretching the rules, but I will tell you this: Only one of us is real. The other is a phantasm of the mind. I am prohibited from telling you which is which.
Art comes in many forms. Vision, taste, hearing, smell, and even touch can be expressed in an artistic fashion. With the assistance of my muse, Calliope, I will reveal what I can through the art of literature. Unfortunately, the journey to the realm of hidden truth must be a gradual one. If everything was revealed at one time, one of us would go insane.
I will begin this journey in the world of deceptions we believe to be true. You already know who you believe you are, so let me solidify the figment of imagination that defines me. I have been called a Dreamer, a Visionary, and a Philosopher, but behind it all, I am a student of human behavior and the interface with data systems. I served in the Air Force for 24 years as a Broadcast Radio and Television engineer. The place I call home has shifted like a dream. I have lived in the Philippines, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, and of course, the US. I obtained a Computer Science degree and graduated Summa Cum Laude. I'm a lover of life and all living things. I take wonder in the microbe and the universe.
I live my words as I write. The characters in my books are alive within the confines of my mind. They have great influence over the plot and can change its direction at the drop of a hat. The question you must ask yourself is this: are you a figment of my reality, or am I a figment of yours?
I am forbidden from speaking the truth directly. Riddles and art are the medium I must employ. I may be stretching the rules, but I will tell you this: Only one of us is real. The other is a phantasm of the mind. I am prohibited from telling you which is which.
Art comes in many forms. Vision, taste, hearing, smell, and even touch can be expressed in an artistic fashion. With the assistance of my muse, Calliope, I will reveal what I can through the art of literature. Unfortunately, the journey to the realm of hidden truth must be a gradual one. If everything was revealed at one time, one of us would go insane.
I will begin this journey in the world of deceptions we believe to be true. You already know who you believe you are, so let me solidify the figment of imagination that defines me. I have been called a Dreamer, a Visionary, and a Philosopher, but behind it all, I am a student of human behavior and the interface with data systems. I served in the Air Force for 24 years as a Broadcast Radio and Television engineer. The place I call home has shifted like a dream. I have lived in the Philippines, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, and of course, the US. I obtained a Computer Science degree and graduated Summa Cum Laude. I'm a lover of life and all living things. I take wonder in the microbe and the universe.
I live my words as I write. The characters in my books are alive within the confines of my mind. They have great influence over the plot and can change its direction at the drop of a hat. The question you must ask yourself is this: are you a figment of my reality, or am I a figment of yours?
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 17, 2018
If you like conspiracy theories and such then you need to read this - it's all here! ;-)
March 3, 2018
3.5 Stars out of 5
Welcome to the ranks of the Thought Police. The world is wired and Someone is always watching.
“Imagine what you could create if you had access to any tool or machine. What could you create if your limited resources were unlimited? And that’s just the start. Suppose you had access to all the knowledge of mankind in any area of interest. What could you dream of then?”
When Zac is recruited into the Thought Police it will never been the same. He is smart enough to streamline work productivity almost immediately. But, even the watchers are watched and “The Cowboy” and “Matushka” are beginning to wonder if maybe Zac is too smart for his own good.
Even though Zac and his team were pulled into the organization from the shadows, it becomes clear to Zac, Ace, Elf and Doc that they are no longer in shadow and people are taking notice, and that notice could be dangerous.
“When Zac’s Psyche orientation was done, he took off his helmet and just laid there. He didn’t say a word. He didn’t know what to think. He was stunned but he managed to sit up. The technician came over and handed him a small carton of chocolate milk. “Drink this. It helps.” Zac did as suggested and discovered the technician was right.
The chocolate milk didn’t make it all better, but it did distract him enough to exclaim “What the frak?”
Bob handed the barf-bag back to the technician as he confided with Zac. “That’s pretty much the same reaction I had.” He put a hand on Zac’s shoulder. “Let’s take a walk.” They walked through several corridors and entered an atrium. They sat on a bench amidst the multi-colored vegetation. Zac still couldn’t form a cogent thought in his head.
Bob took the lead. “It’s quite the mind frak. I still have trouble processing it sometimes. The reality we knew for decades is a fabrication. I guess that’s not completely true. The outside world is real. It just doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. I still don’t know all the truths inside the Thought Police, but I do know we influence much and control very little. We have saved humanity many times and we have committed many crimes to accomplish this goal. We walk a fine line between good and evil.”
Zac finally spoke. “I think I’m more shocked at how easy it is to do what we do. Elections can be rigged, public opinion can be swayed, wars can be started or prevented, and epidemics can be spread to influence population trends or strengthen the gene pool. All it takes is a little manipulation at the right time and place.”
A thought hit Zac. “Money is a figment!” He laughed a little. “I wondered how this place could be so secret and yet requisition anything. It’s so easy it’s laughable.”
Bob interjected, “It’s not that easy.”
Zac admitted, “Sure, it takes a lot of talented people and the computing power to make it all happen, but it’s really not that hard once the organization is established. It’s even easier now that hard copies are fading away.” Then fear hit Zac. “Who else has a Thought Police? Someone has to have setup or at least attempted the same.”
“The Russians.” Bob replied. “We work together with them on the global front, but it wasn’t always so cooperative. Remember the Chernobyl disaster in 1986? That was us. Their previous version of the Thought Police was headquartered directly below it. It was a major setback to their program. They’ve never caught up since. The funny part is, their government has no idea they exist just like ours is clueless about us.”
Zac asked, “Are you feeding me propaganda or did someone actually tell you that?” Bob looked at him incredulously as Zac explained. “I seriously doubt the Russians aren’t caught up by now. I think you might be surprised by the power of the Russians. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Singing Revolution was used as cover or distraction to reestablish their base. They could’ve even used the pullout from Afghanistan to redirect resources.” Zac patted Bob on the shoulder, “Trust me, they’ve recovered.
“This organization is more akin to thought magicians than thought police. You need to look below the surface if you want to see the truth, Bob. In this place, when they tell you to ‘pay no attention to the man behind the curtain,’ they actually want you to do the opposite. When you see the man behind the curtain, you think you’ve gleaned the secret, but he’s the misdirection behind the cover-up. The truth is probably in the opposite direction.””
This was a great book and a wild ride! It was definitely not at all what I expected and, although it may start out focused on these new recruits and their place within the ranks of the Thought Police, it quickly becomes about so much more than that. With dissent in the ranks and Zac and his crew making many changes within the organization it quickly becomes very political with their relationship with the Russians being questioned as they begin to infiltrate and take over. Are they friend or foe? When they begin to split up the team is it to weaken their defences and part the strongest players?
The characters in this novel are amazing. There wasn’t a single character that I didn’t enjoy… even Matushka (the Evil Bitch From Hell) is a well written character with depth and problems of her own. I loved that all of the characters, even within a secret shadow organization, were very human. Jim wasn’t afraid to show that even a Genius can be an idiot at times!
“Zac barely noticed the content of her words. What he heard was the melodic voice of an angel. He spastically tried to set his tray down on the table and spilled his coffee. He reached for some napkins to clean up the mess and knocked over the salt in the process. Zac tried to catch the salt, but his foot became entangled on the table leg somehow. He almost tripped to the floor as he caused every beverage on the table to slosh over the sides. He managed to wipe off his hand to accept Ace’s handshake. That’s when he tripped over his tongue. “It’s a pleasure to nice you.” He tried to correct himself, but made it worse by saying, “I mean it’s nice to pleasure you.” He shook his head and said, “Hi.” Zac was beet red as he tried to sit down – ‘Tried’ being the operative word. He missed his seat and attempted to catch himself. This resulted in his chair sliding away as he hit the floor. Zac got up, retrieved his chair, and robotically sat down as he concentrated on every movement. He firmly placed both hands on the table and surrendered to his uncoordinated actions. “I give up.””
The one thing that made this book difficult was a lack of focus on one Thought (ha ha…get it??) . There was just so much happening that there were times that you really didn’t know what was happening! It’s weird to complain about too much going on in a book, and I’m not going to spoil any of the content! But, I wish that things had been a little better paced. It took me a while just to put a synopsis together for this book because there is so much that happens that it’s hard to know where to start!! There are also A LOT of characters as the book takes place over quite a span of time, so it becomes a little difficult to keep some of the fringe characters straight.
I loved Jim’s hidden (and sometimes not so hidden) references to his other writings and the aurthor’s of other indie writings (Karma is a Sexy Bitch written by himelf and Enchanted Inc. by Shanna Swendson) and I LOVE his reference to Claudine Longet who is a French singer that I don’t hear referenced very often! He has some very hunorous hidden gems within this book
“Quit pretending you’re offended, Old Bear. I an read you like an e-book. You just want to play with him. Admit it, you’re fascinated.”
I really do recommend it though! I can’t wait to try out the next one (maybe it will bring some more things together for me too!) If you are a fan of Sci-Fi with a little spicy romance thrown in than I think you will really enjoy this read!
Welcome to the ranks of the Thought Police. The world is wired and Someone is always watching.
“Imagine what you could create if you had access to any tool or machine. What could you create if your limited resources were unlimited? And that’s just the start. Suppose you had access to all the knowledge of mankind in any area of interest. What could you dream of then?”
When Zac is recruited into the Thought Police it will never been the same. He is smart enough to streamline work productivity almost immediately. But, even the watchers are watched and “The Cowboy” and “Matushka” are beginning to wonder if maybe Zac is too smart for his own good.
Even though Zac and his team were pulled into the organization from the shadows, it becomes clear to Zac, Ace, Elf and Doc that they are no longer in shadow and people are taking notice, and that notice could be dangerous.
“When Zac’s Psyche orientation was done, he took off his helmet and just laid there. He didn’t say a word. He didn’t know what to think. He was stunned but he managed to sit up. The technician came over and handed him a small carton of chocolate milk. “Drink this. It helps.” Zac did as suggested and discovered the technician was right.
The chocolate milk didn’t make it all better, but it did distract him enough to exclaim “What the frak?”
Bob handed the barf-bag back to the technician as he confided with Zac. “That’s pretty much the same reaction I had.” He put a hand on Zac’s shoulder. “Let’s take a walk.” They walked through several corridors and entered an atrium. They sat on a bench amidst the multi-colored vegetation. Zac still couldn’t form a cogent thought in his head.
Bob took the lead. “It’s quite the mind frak. I still have trouble processing it sometimes. The reality we knew for decades is a fabrication. I guess that’s not completely true. The outside world is real. It just doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. I still don’t know all the truths inside the Thought Police, but I do know we influence much and control very little. We have saved humanity many times and we have committed many crimes to accomplish this goal. We walk a fine line between good and evil.”
Zac finally spoke. “I think I’m more shocked at how easy it is to do what we do. Elections can be rigged, public opinion can be swayed, wars can be started or prevented, and epidemics can be spread to influence population trends or strengthen the gene pool. All it takes is a little manipulation at the right time and place.”
A thought hit Zac. “Money is a figment!” He laughed a little. “I wondered how this place could be so secret and yet requisition anything. It’s so easy it’s laughable.”
Bob interjected, “It’s not that easy.”
Zac admitted, “Sure, it takes a lot of talented people and the computing power to make it all happen, but it’s really not that hard once the organization is established. It’s even easier now that hard copies are fading away.” Then fear hit Zac. “Who else has a Thought Police? Someone has to have setup or at least attempted the same.”
“The Russians.” Bob replied. “We work together with them on the global front, but it wasn’t always so cooperative. Remember the Chernobyl disaster in 1986? That was us. Their previous version of the Thought Police was headquartered directly below it. It was a major setback to their program. They’ve never caught up since. The funny part is, their government has no idea they exist just like ours is clueless about us.”
Zac asked, “Are you feeding me propaganda or did someone actually tell you that?” Bob looked at him incredulously as Zac explained. “I seriously doubt the Russians aren’t caught up by now. I think you might be surprised by the power of the Russians. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Singing Revolution was used as cover or distraction to reestablish their base. They could’ve even used the pullout from Afghanistan to redirect resources.” Zac patted Bob on the shoulder, “Trust me, they’ve recovered.
“This organization is more akin to thought magicians than thought police. You need to look below the surface if you want to see the truth, Bob. In this place, when they tell you to ‘pay no attention to the man behind the curtain,’ they actually want you to do the opposite. When you see the man behind the curtain, you think you’ve gleaned the secret, but he’s the misdirection behind the cover-up. The truth is probably in the opposite direction.””
This was a great book and a wild ride! It was definitely not at all what I expected and, although it may start out focused on these new recruits and their place within the ranks of the Thought Police, it quickly becomes about so much more than that. With dissent in the ranks and Zac and his crew making many changes within the organization it quickly becomes very political with their relationship with the Russians being questioned as they begin to infiltrate and take over. Are they friend or foe? When they begin to split up the team is it to weaken their defences and part the strongest players?
The characters in this novel are amazing. There wasn’t a single character that I didn’t enjoy… even Matushka (the Evil Bitch From Hell) is a well written character with depth and problems of her own. I loved that all of the characters, even within a secret shadow organization, were very human. Jim wasn’t afraid to show that even a Genius can be an idiot at times!
“Zac barely noticed the content of her words. What he heard was the melodic voice of an angel. He spastically tried to set his tray down on the table and spilled his coffee. He reached for some napkins to clean up the mess and knocked over the salt in the process. Zac tried to catch the salt, but his foot became entangled on the table leg somehow. He almost tripped to the floor as he caused every beverage on the table to slosh over the sides. He managed to wipe off his hand to accept Ace’s handshake. That’s when he tripped over his tongue. “It’s a pleasure to nice you.” He tried to correct himself, but made it worse by saying, “I mean it’s nice to pleasure you.” He shook his head and said, “Hi.” Zac was beet red as he tried to sit down – ‘Tried’ being the operative word. He missed his seat and attempted to catch himself. This resulted in his chair sliding away as he hit the floor. Zac got up, retrieved his chair, and robotically sat down as he concentrated on every movement. He firmly placed both hands on the table and surrendered to his uncoordinated actions. “I give up.””
The one thing that made this book difficult was a lack of focus on one Thought (ha ha…get it??) . There was just so much happening that there were times that you really didn’t know what was happening! It’s weird to complain about too much going on in a book, and I’m not going to spoil any of the content! But, I wish that things had been a little better paced. It took me a while just to put a synopsis together for this book because there is so much that happens that it’s hard to know where to start!! There are also A LOT of characters as the book takes place over quite a span of time, so it becomes a little difficult to keep some of the fringe characters straight.
I loved Jim’s hidden (and sometimes not so hidden) references to his other writings and the aurthor’s of other indie writings (Karma is a Sexy Bitch written by himelf and Enchanted Inc. by Shanna Swendson) and I LOVE his reference to Claudine Longet who is a French singer that I don’t hear referenced very often! He has some very hunorous hidden gems within this book
“Quit pretending you’re offended, Old Bear. I an read you like an e-book. You just want to play with him. Admit it, you’re fascinated.”
I really do recommend it though! I can’t wait to try out the next one (maybe it will bring some more things together for me too!) If you are a fan of Sci-Fi with a little spicy romance thrown in than I think you will really enjoy this read!
February 17, 2018
Cynicism, Taboos and Geeky Sci-Fi
The day finally came when the Thought Police was exposed. Actually, they exposed themselves like a flasher in an overcoat.
Rosie is recruited to a strange organisation which has amazing high-tech. Yes, she has to give up her name and adopt a new one, live in a completely observed and secret facility, cut off from the outside world and has no idea who her employer is or what they plan to do with the work, but the lure of the high-tech is simply too much. Soon after Zach is recruited. He’s a very clever guy on the psychology front, but even he doesn’t think to ask who his new employer is. They are in fact working to help the Thought Police…
This is a generation-spanning science-fantasy romp with lots of high-tech described in some detail and the bonus of psychic powers added into the mix along with political intrigue and even sex and romance. The character of Zach is a bit like an immortal Elon Musk with psychic abilities.
"Elections can be rigged, public opinion can be swayed, wars can be started or prevented, and epidemics can be spread to influence population trends or strengthen the gene pool. All it takes is a little manipulation at the right time and place."
This book has two great strengths: the geeky tech and the characters. If you enjoy tech spec fic, this will be a book you should reach for. It has some fascinating ideas about the way technology could develop and where it will lead society. The characters are mostly all interesting people with their own foibles and strengths, though I have to say the women are less well drawn than the men and seem to blur a bit personality wise.
The book is also strong on worldbuilding, imprinting a believable overlay of alternative and additional features and facts upon our own world. However, the writing is very patchy. There is a lot of reportage and the pace is slow to glacial with events frequently being summarized rather than explored through the story.
"You could've saved her! You could've saved millions with this technology."
I have to admit I was not a huge fan of this book. I didn’t like the character of Zach and found he bordered into Mary-Sue territory. I disliked the way the book suddenly has years or even decades passing in a page of ‘then this happened’ and then throws in a whole new lot of characters and settings. I found a lot of the attitudes of the characters objectionable. In particular, I disliked the scene where a droid that had been programmed to be the nanny to a child is then reprogrammed to be a sexbot for that child when he becomes an older teen. That was a taboo too far for my taste. But these are all my own personal mislikes which others might not have.
If you enjoy speculative science-fantasy with the emphasis on high tech and factional infighting and don’t mind the rather wooden writing style, this might be a good book for you.
The day finally came when the Thought Police was exposed. Actually, they exposed themselves like a flasher in an overcoat.
Rosie is recruited to a strange organisation which has amazing high-tech. Yes, she has to give up her name and adopt a new one, live in a completely observed and secret facility, cut off from the outside world and has no idea who her employer is or what they plan to do with the work, but the lure of the high-tech is simply too much. Soon after Zach is recruited. He’s a very clever guy on the psychology front, but even he doesn’t think to ask who his new employer is. They are in fact working to help the Thought Police…
This is a generation-spanning science-fantasy romp with lots of high-tech described in some detail and the bonus of psychic powers added into the mix along with political intrigue and even sex and romance. The character of Zach is a bit like an immortal Elon Musk with psychic abilities.
"Elections can be rigged, public opinion can be swayed, wars can be started or prevented, and epidemics can be spread to influence population trends or strengthen the gene pool. All it takes is a little manipulation at the right time and place."
This book has two great strengths: the geeky tech and the characters. If you enjoy tech spec fic, this will be a book you should reach for. It has some fascinating ideas about the way technology could develop and where it will lead society. The characters are mostly all interesting people with their own foibles and strengths, though I have to say the women are less well drawn than the men and seem to blur a bit personality wise.
The book is also strong on worldbuilding, imprinting a believable overlay of alternative and additional features and facts upon our own world. However, the writing is very patchy. There is a lot of reportage and the pace is slow to glacial with events frequently being summarized rather than explored through the story.
"You could've saved her! You could've saved millions with this technology."
I have to admit I was not a huge fan of this book. I didn’t like the character of Zach and found he bordered into Mary-Sue territory. I disliked the way the book suddenly has years or even decades passing in a page of ‘then this happened’ and then throws in a whole new lot of characters and settings. I found a lot of the attitudes of the characters objectionable. In particular, I disliked the scene where a droid that had been programmed to be the nanny to a child is then reprogrammed to be a sexbot for that child when he becomes an older teen. That was a taboo too far for my taste. But these are all my own personal mislikes which others might not have.
If you enjoy speculative science-fantasy with the emphasis on high tech and factional infighting and don’t mind the rather wooden writing style, this might be a good book for you.
February 23, 2018
Rose Uhyrek runs an automotive shop where her talents are surely wasted. Rose loves all tech, the newer, the more intricate the better. When she is approached about a new career working with high tech products for a shadow organization, she is intrigued. After her initial indoctrination, it doesn’t take long for her to decide she’s in. Having the materials and training to create whatever her mind can envision was too tempting to refuse. She assumes the new name Ace and leaves her past behind. Soon, another recruit is brought in – Zac is innovative with a gift for seeing future needs and new trends. He is so talented that the puppeteers operating the shadow organization actually fear his potential and don’t know whether to promote him or kill him.
The scope of this novel is unreal. It encompasses over a century of intrigue and conspiracy with what we learn is the ‘Thought Police.’ Some of the sci-fi aspects seemed too far-fetched while others hit close to home. Manipulating opinions and decision making through false news stories and social networking are all too real. Put that alongside our growing dependence on high-tech, trackable devices and you realize that some of those far-fetched ideas become quite plausible. The Thought Police have both the time and patience it takes to outlive all the resistance to their newer droids and virtual reality devices.
I waffled somewhat between four and five stars. At the beginning of the novel, I felt a connection with Ace, but after Zac arrived it seemed like we only saw Ace through his eyes and it wasn’t until near the end of the book before we once again got her POV. Another issue I had a hard time with was after a break of months or years, the narrative read like a textbook account of everything that transpired during the missing time frame. But the details described were still interesting enough for me to keep turning the pages, thus I rated it with a five. Highly Recommended.
The scope of this novel is unreal. It encompasses over a century of intrigue and conspiracy with what we learn is the ‘Thought Police.’ Some of the sci-fi aspects seemed too far-fetched while others hit close to home. Manipulating opinions and decision making through false news stories and social networking are all too real. Put that alongside our growing dependence on high-tech, trackable devices and you realize that some of those far-fetched ideas become quite plausible. The Thought Police have both the time and patience it takes to outlive all the resistance to their newer droids and virtual reality devices.
I waffled somewhat between four and five stars. At the beginning of the novel, I felt a connection with Ace, but after Zac arrived it seemed like we only saw Ace through his eyes and it wasn’t until near the end of the book before we once again got her POV. Another issue I had a hard time with was after a break of months or years, the narrative read like a textbook account of everything that transpired during the missing time frame. But the details described were still interesting enough for me to keep turning the pages, thus I rated it with a five. Highly Recommended.
April 24, 2018
This was a very enjoyable and unexpected story. In some ways, it reminds me of other dystopian stories in which a fascist organization enforces the lives of its citizens. For example, I did notice some similarities to the film Equilibrium. Overall, I would recommend this story to anyone who likes a dystopian world and how a status quo can be changed.
March 11, 2018
The idea of the Thought police was quite interesting, remininescent of 1984 but with a much more relaxed writing style with a dose of humour. But overall, I think it might be a book better suited to a different audience as I found some difficulty getting into the book. Probably becuase the space/tech/futuristic style book really isnt my cup of tea, but I can still respect the decent overall quality of the writing, which very fluid and even fun at time, but one thing that would bug me a little is the introduction of the characters.
"She looked like a beautiful, gypsy femme fatale,but she was actually a simple, reserved, and caring person."
This is a classic case of showing not telling, and I'd rather have a scene which demonstrated how she was a simple or a reserved or a caring person instead these characteristics being listed out for me. The author seems to have a tendency to give a lot of upfront information in the character introductions which tends to pull me out of the story.
The plot is sprawling but frankly confusing to me, but that might be something another reader would enjoy. That being said, it was a pacy novel, with something new and interesting and gadgety on every second page which means there was some decent world building here.
Overall an interesting experience in a different genre to my usual.
"She looked like a beautiful, gypsy femme fatale,but she was actually a simple, reserved, and caring person."
This is a classic case of showing not telling, and I'd rather have a scene which demonstrated how she was a simple or a reserved or a caring person instead these characteristics being listed out for me. The author seems to have a tendency to give a lot of upfront information in the character introductions which tends to pull me out of the story.
The plot is sprawling but frankly confusing to me, but that might be something another reader would enjoy. That being said, it was a pacy novel, with something new and interesting and gadgety on every second page which means there was some decent world building here.
Overall an interesting experience in a different genre to my usual.
February 16, 2018
This was a book that I wanted to like, but just couldn't. For me, it had multiple problems and not enough redeeming qualities to recommend it.
The writing is a perfect example of "telling, not showing". It reads as a series of events that happen, with very little in the way of showing what any characters are thinking or feeling. Everything sort of just happens, without any real lead-up, such as Ace falling for Zac. She just does, but then again, everyone in the book falls all over him. Mr. Neville also feels the need to tell us how the characters are speaking, (for instance, actually saying that so-and-so said this with sarcasm), rather than letting the dialogue speak for itself.
The whole premise revolves around a secret organization called the Thought Police, who do horrible things in the name of the greater good. Everyone in the organization is perfectly fine with this, and also perfectly happy to be where they are, doing what they are.
Overall, I didn't find the story to be particularly believable, or enjoyable, and the writing itself took me out of the story entirely.
The writing is a perfect example of "telling, not showing". It reads as a series of events that happen, with very little in the way of showing what any characters are thinking or feeling. Everything sort of just happens, without any real lead-up, such as Ace falling for Zac. She just does, but then again, everyone in the book falls all over him. Mr. Neville also feels the need to tell us how the characters are speaking, (for instance, actually saying that so-and-so said this with sarcasm), rather than letting the dialogue speak for itself.
The whole premise revolves around a secret organization called the Thought Police, who do horrible things in the name of the greater good. Everyone in the organization is perfectly fine with this, and also perfectly happy to be where they are, doing what they are.
Overall, I didn't find the story to be particularly believable, or enjoyable, and the writing itself took me out of the story entirely.
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