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Smith
The past has a way of coming back to live in the present . . .
Jake’s Father is an archeologist who is in Israel to complete a dig on King Solomon’s Temple. As an eighteen-year-old American, Jake is unwelcome by the people in the territory. Defending himself against the townspeople is a constant torment.
Through a map Jake finds on his Father’s desk, he and his friend Avner decide to explore a newly discovered chamber. At the end of a dark and deserted tunnel, Jake uncovers the treasure of King Solomon’s Power ring. He puts it on his finger and feels his life changing.
Jake passes off the ring as a replica, but he starts to hear a voice that belongs to Smith. Smith provides him guidance on how to deal with his newfound powers. Jake wants to learn all he can about his new secret ring. Smith encourages him to sharpen his fighting skills by joining the Army.
Is Smith leading Jake to a newfound life where he can become a hero? Or will the decision to join the military endanger his life? Will Jake find out the ring he wears is good or will it be of evil intent? And who keeps trying to steal the ring?
Jake’s Father is an archeologist who is in Israel to complete a dig on King Solomon’s Temple. As an eighteen-year-old American, Jake is unwelcome by the people in the territory. Defending himself against the townspeople is a constant torment.
Through a map Jake finds on his Father’s desk, he and his friend Avner decide to explore a newly discovered chamber. At the end of a dark and deserted tunnel, Jake uncovers the treasure of King Solomon’s Power ring. He puts it on his finger and feels his life changing.
Jake passes off the ring as a replica, but he starts to hear a voice that belongs to Smith. Smith provides him guidance on how to deal with his newfound powers. Jake wants to learn all he can about his new secret ring. Smith encourages him to sharpen his fighting skills by joining the Army.
Is Smith leading Jake to a newfound life where he can become a hero? Or will the decision to join the military endanger his life? Will Jake find out the ring he wears is good or will it be of evil intent? And who keeps trying to steal the ring?
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Published July 6, 2018
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About the author
Sam B. Miller II
7 books20 followersSam B. Miller II holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance, and a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance, from the University of Tennessee. He has five children and lives with his wife, Susan, and their many dogs, in Northeast Tennessee. After writing a successful Science Fiction 3-book series, Miller turned his attention upon the mystery of the supernatural. Smith was his fourth novel. He has now returned to his favorite genre, Science Fiction, for his fifth novel, U-10.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
April 22, 2018
I was given a review copy by the author in exchange for an honest review.
For an American living in Israel, life isn’t easy for Jake Goddard. Between the street gangs that eye him as easy prey or his archeologist father who can barely look at him, Jake just tries to get through the days by kicking it back by the fire with his friend, Avner, or playing video games. When Avner wants to explore some nearby archeological sites in search for treasure, Jake tags along for something to do. But when Jake discovers a ring in a leather pouch, his whole life flips upside down. As soon as he puts it on, a commanding voice named Smith appears in his head with a single mission: to make Jake as great as King Soloman, the original owner of the ring. Jake’s path to world domination seems straightforward: join the army, get the girl, rule the world. Unfortunately, commanding a magical ring that gives Jake control over demons, the weather, and animals is not easy to hide, and before long people are lining up to take it from him. When Smith starts to see everything as a threat, Jake has to decide for himself: is being ruler really what he wants? And who’s really the one in control?
Let’s start with the characters. There’s a relatively small cast of characters in the book, primarily because when a character is introduced, they’re almost immediately killed off. Jake and Nava are the main characters, and though they have more page time, they were arguably no more developed than background characters. They were very underdeveloped in the sense that they had no motivations, wants, or desires (I still don’t know what Jake actually wanted out of this whole experience), there’s no real personality that I can definitely attribute to the characters, and there was not a lot of consistency (Avner wanted to search for treasure and Jake tags along, but later in the scene it’s Jake who’s really motivated by treasure.) More so, as a main character, Jake was really underwhelming. Throughout the entire book, he makes only a handful of his own decisions. All his other actions throughout the book are him following orders, whether from Smith or other authority figures. Even the decision to go to the dig at the beginning of the book is Avner’s. Jake does not shape the story; he is shaped by it, which makes him a very boring main character. Even at the climax, after he’s been taught how to control the powers of the ring, Jake chooses not to, and lets Smith take over, simply because he’s “better at it.” The lack of agency makes it really difficult to cheer for Jake. He never makes any hard decisions, so he never has to take responsibility for his actions.
As for the female characters, every single one was a misogynistic caricature. The first female characters to actually make it onto the page, which didn’t occur until 30% in, were a bunch of nameless pregnant women who are saved from a burning building by Jake. They do little more than faun over Jake in the process. The next female to appear is Sauerbrum, a female colonel who is rude to an exaggerated extent that doesn’t make sense for her character or her position. Then we see her continually shut down by the other males in the scene and eventually dismissed for insulting the main character. Not that there aren’t awful women out there, but Sauerbrum’s character was stretched to an extreme, where it didn’t feel natural in the scene. Finally, we are introduced to Nava, who is supposed to be a “strong female character,” because she’s a solider, knows how to handle a weapon, and is apparently higher up and well-respected. Despite all of this being told to the reader, we are never shown any of this. In every fight, Nava plays the role of a damsel in distress and never shows us that she’s a capable fighter. As further proof that Nava is little more than a sex object in a soldier’s uniform, the scene where Nava and Jake first meet ends with: “Smith remained silent as Jake watched [Nava] walk away. “I wonder what she would look like in high heels instead of the regulation flats.” Smothering a grin, he returned to inspecting handbags.” Nava as a sex object is further reinforced when her only major plot influence can be summed up as her saving Jake with her love. At another point, she tries to run away from Jake after seeing him literally murder people in front of her, and Smith uses his powers to physically stop her, which had such heavy rape tones that it made me uncomfortable. As well, Smith is constantly sexualizing women all around him, reducing them to possible “concubines” or “queens,” and then belittles Jake for not going along with it by assuming he must be gay (and let’s not even go into unpacking that homophobic comment). I understand that was intended to be part of his character, as others tended to admonish him at times, but it was so overdone that by the end of the book the comments just became annoyingly repetitive.
As for the plot events, much of the story felt forced and really unrealistic. There was no organic flow to the story, and much of the events actually didn’t make sense. For example, the Prime Minister has Jake come with him to New York as part of his security detail, where they are attacked by assassins. After the assassination attempt, the PM decides that Jake should have time off to “see the sights.” I can’t fathom any situation in which after an assassination attempt, a prime minister would reduce their security. The book is full of questionable content like this. Characters made unrealistic or unexplainable decisions that served to push the plot forward, but made no sense in the context of the scene. It’s like all the characters were on train tracks that moved them to where they needed to be. On top of that, many events just couldn’t happen without some sort of explanation-- a man is electrocuted but the dog biting him is fine, PM is shot and dying then a minute later is up and running like nothing is wrong, one minute they’re in New York and then they’re in Israel with no explanation, during a ceremony a man runs away and dies screaming for no reason with no explanation of what happened. I could go on. My favorite inaccuracy was a scene where Nava is shot in the arm with an AR15, and though it’s described as a little gunshot wound that’s quickly bandaged up and never mentioned again, an actual hit from an AR15 would have probably taken her whole arm off, and at the very least it would have required reconstructive surgery. These unrealistic incidents are unfortunately not easy to overlook, as they are everywhere and embedded deep into the plot, and I found myself continually pulled out of the story by things that didn’t make sense or weren’t properly explained.
The nail in the proverbial coffin had to be the over-the-top violence that didn’t actually have consequences. Smith, as the ‘interface’ of the ring, has incredible powers which included reality-bending magic. Smith can turn gunpowder into sand, break through walls-- there’s no defined limit on Smith’s powers, which makes his murdering sprees all the more frustrating. Smith decides that all ‘threats’ need to be handled through violence, so faceless henchmen are killed like it’s going out of style. In most cases, Smith ‘explodes’ the threat by popping them like a bloody, fleshy water balloon. Admittedly, I thought that imagery was cool at first, but it quickly loses its power. Moreso, the killing in this book is indiscriminate. Anyone who appears to be a slight threat risks just exploding. More so, Smith kills innocent people too-- like the cops who happen to notice Smith murdering someone in an alleyway-- and Jake doesn’t express any disgust or horror-- or any kind of revulsion. Instead he’s completely complacent with the killings until near the end of the book, where Smith is just massacring people left, right, and centre. Only then does Jake start to protest, though those protests don’t go much further than telling him to stop, nor does he express any sort of emotions or thoughts about it. Jake just changes his mind, probably because by this point in the book the violence is so outlandish that the reader can’t even support it anymore, but by then it’s too late. At about 60% in, I began rooting for the villains because I felt so bad for them. Ultimately, Smith can bend reality, which means he could stop these people in a million different ways, and still chooses to kill them. Even when Jake takes control of the powers, he still chooses methods to stop the bad guys that will kill them, i.e., their guns appear inside their own bodies, or he makes their bones disappear, etc. These methods are even more horrifying than Smith’s, because Jake is literally torturing these henchmen to death in the worst possible way, and yet it’s portrayed as somehow him doing the “right” thing. More so, all these deaths come without consequence. Jake can kill people and nothing really happens to him or the plot.
When it comes to the writing itself, the book was at times hard to understand, and I found myself re-reading several passages because they didn’t make sense. There’s an obvious lack of editing to the book, which shows through passages such as, “A fellow soldier, Dave Fischel, fell out of an upper bunk screaming epitaphs,” and: “The woman with a name tag ‘A. Sauerbrum’, a winced expression and wearing the insignia of Colonel was first to speak.” There are a lot of punctuation errors that caused confusion at times, as well as little to no description which made it hard to get a sense of setting. There were no stakes, aside from some hastily thrown in stakes at the climax, and no real tension or mystery to keep the reader engaged, other than the confusion of random assassination attempts coming every other page. There is switching of point of view character mid-scene, and the villains and their motives are not explained well, which leads to a lot of confusion. There was even an instance where a character’s name was spelled wrong, which showed a complete lack of care for the book as a whole.
All in all, I would have recommended this book to guys who enjoy self-insert violence fantasies, but because of the difficulty I had reading it, I don’t see that many could stick with the book long enough to get invested.
1/5 stars. Three words: misogynistic gore porn.
For an American living in Israel, life isn’t easy for Jake Goddard. Between the street gangs that eye him as easy prey or his archeologist father who can barely look at him, Jake just tries to get through the days by kicking it back by the fire with his friend, Avner, or playing video games. When Avner wants to explore some nearby archeological sites in search for treasure, Jake tags along for something to do. But when Jake discovers a ring in a leather pouch, his whole life flips upside down. As soon as he puts it on, a commanding voice named Smith appears in his head with a single mission: to make Jake as great as King Soloman, the original owner of the ring. Jake’s path to world domination seems straightforward: join the army, get the girl, rule the world. Unfortunately, commanding a magical ring that gives Jake control over demons, the weather, and animals is not easy to hide, and before long people are lining up to take it from him. When Smith starts to see everything as a threat, Jake has to decide for himself: is being ruler really what he wants? And who’s really the one in control?
Let’s start with the characters. There’s a relatively small cast of characters in the book, primarily because when a character is introduced, they’re almost immediately killed off. Jake and Nava are the main characters, and though they have more page time, they were arguably no more developed than background characters. They were very underdeveloped in the sense that they had no motivations, wants, or desires (I still don’t know what Jake actually wanted out of this whole experience), there’s no real personality that I can definitely attribute to the characters, and there was not a lot of consistency (Avner wanted to search for treasure and Jake tags along, but later in the scene it’s Jake who’s really motivated by treasure.) More so, as a main character, Jake was really underwhelming. Throughout the entire book, he makes only a handful of his own decisions. All his other actions throughout the book are him following orders, whether from Smith or other authority figures. Even the decision to go to the dig at the beginning of the book is Avner’s. Jake does not shape the story; he is shaped by it, which makes him a very boring main character. Even at the climax, after he’s been taught how to control the powers of the ring, Jake chooses not to, and lets Smith take over, simply because he’s “better at it.” The lack of agency makes it really difficult to cheer for Jake. He never makes any hard decisions, so he never has to take responsibility for his actions.
As for the female characters, every single one was a misogynistic caricature. The first female characters to actually make it onto the page, which didn’t occur until 30% in, were a bunch of nameless pregnant women who are saved from a burning building by Jake. They do little more than faun over Jake in the process. The next female to appear is Sauerbrum, a female colonel who is rude to an exaggerated extent that doesn’t make sense for her character or her position. Then we see her continually shut down by the other males in the scene and eventually dismissed for insulting the main character. Not that there aren’t awful women out there, but Sauerbrum’s character was stretched to an extreme, where it didn’t feel natural in the scene. Finally, we are introduced to Nava, who is supposed to be a “strong female character,” because she’s a solider, knows how to handle a weapon, and is apparently higher up and well-respected. Despite all of this being told to the reader, we are never shown any of this. In every fight, Nava plays the role of a damsel in distress and never shows us that she’s a capable fighter. As further proof that Nava is little more than a sex object in a soldier’s uniform, the scene where Nava and Jake first meet ends with: “Smith remained silent as Jake watched [Nava] walk away. “I wonder what she would look like in high heels instead of the regulation flats.” Smothering a grin, he returned to inspecting handbags.” Nava as a sex object is further reinforced when her only major plot influence can be summed up as her saving Jake with her love. At another point, she tries to run away from Jake after seeing him literally murder people in front of her, and Smith uses his powers to physically stop her, which had such heavy rape tones that it made me uncomfortable. As well, Smith is constantly sexualizing women all around him, reducing them to possible “concubines” or “queens,” and then belittles Jake for not going along with it by assuming he must be gay (and let’s not even go into unpacking that homophobic comment). I understand that was intended to be part of his character, as others tended to admonish him at times, but it was so overdone that by the end of the book the comments just became annoyingly repetitive.
As for the plot events, much of the story felt forced and really unrealistic. There was no organic flow to the story, and much of the events actually didn’t make sense. For example, the Prime Minister has Jake come with him to New York as part of his security detail, where they are attacked by assassins. After the assassination attempt, the PM decides that Jake should have time off to “see the sights.” I can’t fathom any situation in which after an assassination attempt, a prime minister would reduce their security. The book is full of questionable content like this. Characters made unrealistic or unexplainable decisions that served to push the plot forward, but made no sense in the context of the scene. It’s like all the characters were on train tracks that moved them to where they needed to be. On top of that, many events just couldn’t happen without some sort of explanation-- a man is electrocuted but the dog biting him is fine, PM is shot and dying then a minute later is up and running like nothing is wrong, one minute they’re in New York and then they’re in Israel with no explanation, during a ceremony a man runs away and dies screaming for no reason with no explanation of what happened. I could go on. My favorite inaccuracy was a scene where Nava is shot in the arm with an AR15, and though it’s described as a little gunshot wound that’s quickly bandaged up and never mentioned again, an actual hit from an AR15 would have probably taken her whole arm off, and at the very least it would have required reconstructive surgery. These unrealistic incidents are unfortunately not easy to overlook, as they are everywhere and embedded deep into the plot, and I found myself continually pulled out of the story by things that didn’t make sense or weren’t properly explained.
The nail in the proverbial coffin had to be the over-the-top violence that didn’t actually have consequences. Smith, as the ‘interface’ of the ring, has incredible powers which included reality-bending magic. Smith can turn gunpowder into sand, break through walls-- there’s no defined limit on Smith’s powers, which makes his murdering sprees all the more frustrating. Smith decides that all ‘threats’ need to be handled through violence, so faceless henchmen are killed like it’s going out of style. In most cases, Smith ‘explodes’ the threat by popping them like a bloody, fleshy water balloon. Admittedly, I thought that imagery was cool at first, but it quickly loses its power. Moreso, the killing in this book is indiscriminate. Anyone who appears to be a slight threat risks just exploding. More so, Smith kills innocent people too-- like the cops who happen to notice Smith murdering someone in an alleyway-- and Jake doesn’t express any disgust or horror-- or any kind of revulsion. Instead he’s completely complacent with the killings until near the end of the book, where Smith is just massacring people left, right, and centre. Only then does Jake start to protest, though those protests don’t go much further than telling him to stop, nor does he express any sort of emotions or thoughts about it. Jake just changes his mind, probably because by this point in the book the violence is so outlandish that the reader can’t even support it anymore, but by then it’s too late. At about 60% in, I began rooting for the villains because I felt so bad for them. Ultimately, Smith can bend reality, which means he could stop these people in a million different ways, and still chooses to kill them. Even when Jake takes control of the powers, he still chooses methods to stop the bad guys that will kill them, i.e., their guns appear inside their own bodies, or he makes their bones disappear, etc. These methods are even more horrifying than Smith’s, because Jake is literally torturing these henchmen to death in the worst possible way, and yet it’s portrayed as somehow him doing the “right” thing. More so, all these deaths come without consequence. Jake can kill people and nothing really happens to him or the plot.
When it comes to the writing itself, the book was at times hard to understand, and I found myself re-reading several passages because they didn’t make sense. There’s an obvious lack of editing to the book, which shows through passages such as, “A fellow soldier, Dave Fischel, fell out of an upper bunk screaming epitaphs,” and: “The woman with a name tag ‘A. Sauerbrum’, a winced expression and wearing the insignia of Colonel was first to speak.” There are a lot of punctuation errors that caused confusion at times, as well as little to no description which made it hard to get a sense of setting. There were no stakes, aside from some hastily thrown in stakes at the climax, and no real tension or mystery to keep the reader engaged, other than the confusion of random assassination attempts coming every other page. There is switching of point of view character mid-scene, and the villains and their motives are not explained well, which leads to a lot of confusion. There was even an instance where a character’s name was spelled wrong, which showed a complete lack of care for the book as a whole.
All in all, I would have recommended this book to guys who enjoy self-insert violence fantasies, but because of the difficulty I had reading it, I don’t see that many could stick with the book long enough to get invested.
1/5 stars. Three words: misogynistic gore porn.
February 23, 2018
This is a fast-paced and action-filled thriller written in casual and conversational tone making it an easy read. This book just kept my mind going, and I was extremely impressed with the astounding way it was written, and the logic behind everything. I couldn’t put it down, because I wanted to know what was going to happen next.
The strongest point in this novel is the amazing writing though. Everything is structured well to create an atmosphere that will make you feel like you’re in the story.
I think Smith will appeal to readers of all genres. 5-stars!
The strongest point in this novel is the amazing writing though. Everything is structured well to create an atmosphere that will make you feel like you’re in the story.
I think Smith will appeal to readers of all genres. 5-stars!
January 31, 2018
The cover of this book is truly eye catching. It made me think of the art work with the two angels whose finger tips touch. I have heard of that called the prophecy, but I don’t know if it is true or not. I know what I’m talking about, however I am most likely out of my gourd. But honestly, that is what the cover reminds me of, the creation. Just remember, it is my opinion.
Now let us get started with the review of the book by Mr. Miller, shall we?
Rob Goddard was an Archeologist and a father of six children and Jake was one of them. Currently Mr. Goddard is trying to complete a dig in King Solomon’s temple in Israel. The people of Israel do not want these American’s here destroying and removing evidence from their land. They consider the land sacred and feel it should be left as it is, undisturbed.
Jake has come along with his father, to hopefully learn from him, and maybe even have a little fun.
Eighteen-year old’s are sometimes bored and looking for things to do, something out of the ordinary. Apparently, this may have been the case. Because, this time, Jake and his friend find a map on his father desk, and decide to do a little exploring, to see where the map will lead.
While following the directions of the map, they travel and discover a dark and deserted tunnel. While there, they decide to do a little looking around, and low and behold, Jake finds the treasure of King Solomon’s Power ring. Excitingly, and unbeknownst to him of the fact that anything could or would happen, he decides to put it onto his own finger.
Go ahead, roll your eyes in disbelief. We all know how the stories go with the Egyptians, and old things, and curses and things, right? You know you’re thinking it too, don’t even lie.
Jake passes the ring off as a replica, but the thing is, he is starting to hear things. Someone is telling him that the ring has powers and explaining to him how to go about using them. Curiosity gets the best of Jake, and he wants to learn all he can about the ring.
The ring has him convinced that the person talking to him is: ‘Smith’ thus the title of the book. And it has plans for the wearer of the ring. However, as you are reading, you are trying to determine, is this ‘Smith’ ring character thing, good or bad?
Smith wants Jake to sharpen his fighting skills and join the Army. This is where you tend to wonder and worry. Because learning skills is all fine and good, but does Smith want Jake to be a hero or the enemy?
And then, low and behold someone else wants the ring. But who knows about it? Or is it in Jakes head, I started to wonder….
This book just kept my mind going, and I was extremely impressed with the astounding way it was written, and the logic behind everything. I couldn’t put it down, because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. And I am the weirdo that feels if you put the book down, the characters lie there in wait, waiting on you, so I have to finish it. And I was just too involved and curious myself.
This is a definite five-star read, I promise you this. I have always been drawn to archaeology style books, and this one is truly entertaining to say the least. It has the mystery, the style, and the uniqueness that it needs to keep the reader reading and wanting more! I loved every minute of this book, and I think you will too!
Now let us get started with the review of the book by Mr. Miller, shall we?
Rob Goddard was an Archeologist and a father of six children and Jake was one of them. Currently Mr. Goddard is trying to complete a dig in King Solomon’s temple in Israel. The people of Israel do not want these American’s here destroying and removing evidence from their land. They consider the land sacred and feel it should be left as it is, undisturbed.
Jake has come along with his father, to hopefully learn from him, and maybe even have a little fun.
Eighteen-year old’s are sometimes bored and looking for things to do, something out of the ordinary. Apparently, this may have been the case. Because, this time, Jake and his friend find a map on his father desk, and decide to do a little exploring, to see where the map will lead.
While following the directions of the map, they travel and discover a dark and deserted tunnel. While there, they decide to do a little looking around, and low and behold, Jake finds the treasure of King Solomon’s Power ring. Excitingly, and unbeknownst to him of the fact that anything could or would happen, he decides to put it onto his own finger.
Go ahead, roll your eyes in disbelief. We all know how the stories go with the Egyptians, and old things, and curses and things, right? You know you’re thinking it too, don’t even lie.
Jake passes the ring off as a replica, but the thing is, he is starting to hear things. Someone is telling him that the ring has powers and explaining to him how to go about using them. Curiosity gets the best of Jake, and he wants to learn all he can about the ring.
The ring has him convinced that the person talking to him is: ‘Smith’ thus the title of the book. And it has plans for the wearer of the ring. However, as you are reading, you are trying to determine, is this ‘Smith’ ring character thing, good or bad?
Smith wants Jake to sharpen his fighting skills and join the Army. This is where you tend to wonder and worry. Because learning skills is all fine and good, but does Smith want Jake to be a hero or the enemy?
And then, low and behold someone else wants the ring. But who knows about it? Or is it in Jakes head, I started to wonder….
This book just kept my mind going, and I was extremely impressed with the astounding way it was written, and the logic behind everything. I couldn’t put it down, because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. And I am the weirdo that feels if you put the book down, the characters lie there in wait, waiting on you, so I have to finish it. And I was just too involved and curious myself.
This is a definite five-star read, I promise you this. I have always been drawn to archaeology style books, and this one is truly entertaining to say the least. It has the mystery, the style, and the uniqueness that it needs to keep the reader reading and wanting more! I loved every minute of this book, and I think you will too!
May 11, 2018
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I was really curious about this book, because it seemed like a hell of a concept. I'm somewhat familiar with King Solomon, enough to get through a book like this anyway, and I liked the idea of how that story would play into the scenario that Miller has dreamed up.
And the concept and idea behind the story was executed well, and on that front, I definitely was not disappointed. I had some issues with the rest of the book though, because they just don't live up to the standard that the concept laid out.
The Good Points of Smith:
I loved the idea of the ring, and of the connection with Solomon, and Smith as a general. There are so many great things that happened with this, and it took so many great twists and turns, and it was brilliantly done.
The writing is great. The book is easy to read and you fly through the whole thing quickly. It doesn't bog down the story, but it good enough that you're not distracted by it.
The Downsides of Smith:
The characters is this were under developed all around. I honestly had to just go look up what the main character's name was, because he was so irrelevant that I barely remembered that he was more than a body Smith worked through. Half the characters we are introduced to were killed a few minutes later, and the ones that didn't seemed to not fit the type of person they were described as. You could have swapped any of them out and it wouldn't have affected the story at all.
The whole plot line of this book is ridiculous to the point where it was distracting. I had to stop a few times because it was honestly so insane and out there that I had to question if I'd missed something.
I didn't like how the female characters throughout this book were presented. They seemed to either be treated like damsels or presented as bitches, even when it didn't make sense for their position. Nava was treated as a sex object throughout the story, and not once did anyone stand up for her! The whole thing felt misogynistic. I can't believe I have to say this in this day and age, but can we please treat our female characters better?
This book was very violent, to the point where it got boring when people blew up. You just read about it so much that it stopped being exciting or even interesting. It was just a 'here we go again'. I read a review for this book that described it as 'gore porn' and I feel that fit very well.
All in all, great concept for a story, but there are a lot of issues to it. It's misogynistic and overly violent, and it's very much a self-insert fantasy for people who like that sort of thing. If you like violent stories, cool concepts, and stories that involve voices in your head, you should check out Smith!
I was really curious about this book, because it seemed like a hell of a concept. I'm somewhat familiar with King Solomon, enough to get through a book like this anyway, and I liked the idea of how that story would play into the scenario that Miller has dreamed up.
And the concept and idea behind the story was executed well, and on that front, I definitely was not disappointed. I had some issues with the rest of the book though, because they just don't live up to the standard that the concept laid out.
The Good Points of Smith:
I loved the idea of the ring, and of the connection with Solomon, and Smith as a general. There are so many great things that happened with this, and it took so many great twists and turns, and it was brilliantly done.
The writing is great. The book is easy to read and you fly through the whole thing quickly. It doesn't bog down the story, but it good enough that you're not distracted by it.
The Downsides of Smith:
The characters is this were under developed all around. I honestly had to just go look up what the main character's name was, because he was so irrelevant that I barely remembered that he was more than a body Smith worked through. Half the characters we are introduced to were killed a few minutes later, and the ones that didn't seemed to not fit the type of person they were described as. You could have swapped any of them out and it wouldn't have affected the story at all.
The whole plot line of this book is ridiculous to the point where it was distracting. I had to stop a few times because it was honestly so insane and out there that I had to question if I'd missed something.
I didn't like how the female characters throughout this book were presented. They seemed to either be treated like damsels or presented as bitches, even when it didn't make sense for their position. Nava was treated as a sex object throughout the story, and not once did anyone stand up for her! The whole thing felt misogynistic. I can't believe I have to say this in this day and age, but can we please treat our female characters better?
This book was very violent, to the point where it got boring when people blew up. You just read about it so much that it stopped being exciting or even interesting. It was just a 'here we go again'. I read a review for this book that described it as 'gore porn' and I feel that fit very well.
All in all, great concept for a story, but there are a lot of issues to it. It's misogynistic and overly violent, and it's very much a self-insert fantasy for people who like that sort of thing. If you like violent stories, cool concepts, and stories that involve voices in your head, you should check out Smith!
April 11, 2018
A Rambunctious, Crafty Adventure Tale
Every once and a while the voice that’s in an out of our hero’s head assures, “Fear not, for I am with you.” That voice is what will be called Smith, a voice from ancient and potent times. That voice – at once droll, clever, mercurial, and deliciously brutal – is one of the many highlights of Sam B. Miller’s lively adventure novel, Smith.
When Jake, an 18-year-old American, discovers the long lost (say 3000 years) ring of power of King Solomon, Smith (an interface of the ring) comes with it. Smith gives Jake great power, but with it comes a tremendous amount of trouble. Plus, Smith is a constantly demanding (and at time commanding) voice in Jake’s head. Their interactions are part of the fun in this novel, especially given Smith’s Old Testament attitudes towards women, social protocol, and absolute power. Since Jake is constantly being attacked – the all-powerful ring being quite a magnet for villains – he must carry out internal monologues and external debates as he confronts continual crises and battles.
In those battles, Smith delivers all modes of creative ways to defeat their (I say their, since Jake and Smith seem like two more often than one) opponents from turning gunpowder into sand to twisting bodies into creative positions. The incredibly skilled and often quite hostile security agent Nava gives the novel an additional layer of spice as Jake’s partner and budding love interest. In fact, Nava’s strong personality serves as a fine foil to Smith’s as she (even more so than Jake) understands the costs of all the mayhem and death that Smith cavalierly dismisses as collateral damage toward a greater goal.
Smith is filled with many nifty twists and turns, including numerous surprises that fill the novel as much as the ubiquitous smell of sulfur. Miller continues to deliver right to the novel’s conclusion as the seer Koffka imbues the earlier action with both wit and wisdom. In fact, the last scene of Smith is extremely satisfying, worthy of this rambunctious, crafty adventure tale.
Every once and a while the voice that’s in an out of our hero’s head assures, “Fear not, for I am with you.” That voice is what will be called Smith, a voice from ancient and potent times. That voice – at once droll, clever, mercurial, and deliciously brutal – is one of the many highlights of Sam B. Miller’s lively adventure novel, Smith.
When Jake, an 18-year-old American, discovers the long lost (say 3000 years) ring of power of King Solomon, Smith (an interface of the ring) comes with it. Smith gives Jake great power, but with it comes a tremendous amount of trouble. Plus, Smith is a constantly demanding (and at time commanding) voice in Jake’s head. Their interactions are part of the fun in this novel, especially given Smith’s Old Testament attitudes towards women, social protocol, and absolute power. Since Jake is constantly being attacked – the all-powerful ring being quite a magnet for villains – he must carry out internal monologues and external debates as he confronts continual crises and battles.
In those battles, Smith delivers all modes of creative ways to defeat their (I say their, since Jake and Smith seem like two more often than one) opponents from turning gunpowder into sand to twisting bodies into creative positions. The incredibly skilled and often quite hostile security agent Nava gives the novel an additional layer of spice as Jake’s partner and budding love interest. In fact, Nava’s strong personality serves as a fine foil to Smith’s as she (even more so than Jake) understands the costs of all the mayhem and death that Smith cavalierly dismisses as collateral damage toward a greater goal.
Smith is filled with many nifty twists and turns, including numerous surprises that fill the novel as much as the ubiquitous smell of sulfur. Miller continues to deliver right to the novel’s conclusion as the seer Koffka imbues the earlier action with both wit and wisdom. In fact, the last scene of Smith is extremely satisfying, worthy of this rambunctious, crafty adventure tale.
March 27, 2018
As with the his debut novel, “Origin of F.O.R.C.E.”, here Miller showcases well his ability to write non-human characters and the culture clash fun than can arise from such when among humans.
Perhaps most noticeable thing about this for me was precisely that; the fact that the non-human stole the show (in this case, “Smith", the non-corporeal being associated with the ring, and self-appointed interface), and again, the generally clunky dialogue between human characters was a weak link—ironically so, given that many moments in the book depend on the idea of Smith being a terrible interface and decidedly out-of-step with modern human interactions (having been stuck alone in a cave for three thousand years).
It’s interesting to see that so many reviewers spent their time wondering whether Smith was good or evil; to me it seemed clear throughout—from start to finish—that Smith was neither, instead being “beyond good and evil”, as Nieztsche would put it.
I’m reminded of a theme that recurs occasionally in sci-fi, and often in actual AI research; what happens when an AI’s useful primary function and sensible operating parameters turn out to have some quirk that puts them at odds with otherwise valued things like “the continued existence of humanity”. Clumsily tell a powerful robot to make paperclips, and it won’t stop until the universe is all paperclips; that kind of thing.
Smith is similar in this book: a very powerful tool to make its wearer King of the world—and to Hell with anything else. Human lives, its wearer’s own wishes and preferences, all secondary to “make the wearer King of the world”. For a mostly rather light-hearted book, there were some more sombre moments here and there where it was underlined the extent to which the wearer of this ring was also enslaved by it.
All in all, while there are things I’d criticise (for example the human dialogue, not helped by Jake’s general inability to shut up resulting in a few too many intentionally cringeworthy “no, I wasn’t talking to you” scenes for my taste), the book was a fun ride, and at least as good as Miller’s earlier work, if not better.
It definitely gives more room for thought!
Perhaps most noticeable thing about this for me was precisely that; the fact that the non-human stole the show (in this case, “Smith", the non-corporeal being associated with the ring, and self-appointed interface), and again, the generally clunky dialogue between human characters was a weak link—ironically so, given that many moments in the book depend on the idea of Smith being a terrible interface and decidedly out-of-step with modern human interactions (having been stuck alone in a cave for three thousand years).
It’s interesting to see that so many reviewers spent their time wondering whether Smith was good or evil; to me it seemed clear throughout—from start to finish—that Smith was neither, instead being “beyond good and evil”, as Nieztsche would put it.
I’m reminded of a theme that recurs occasionally in sci-fi, and often in actual AI research; what happens when an AI’s useful primary function and sensible operating parameters turn out to have some quirk that puts them at odds with otherwise valued things like “the continued existence of humanity”. Clumsily tell a powerful robot to make paperclips, and it won’t stop until the universe is all paperclips; that kind of thing.
Smith is similar in this book: a very powerful tool to make its wearer King of the world—and to Hell with anything else. Human lives, its wearer’s own wishes and preferences, all secondary to “make the wearer King of the world”. For a mostly rather light-hearted book, there were some more sombre moments here and there where it was underlined the extent to which the wearer of this ring was also enslaved by it.
All in all, while there are things I’d criticise (for example the human dialogue, not helped by Jake’s general inability to shut up resulting in a few too many intentionally cringeworthy “no, I wasn’t talking to you” scenes for my taste), the book was a fun ride, and at least as good as Miller’s earlier work, if not better.
It definitely gives more room for thought!
January 8, 2018
So this one, I started almost immediately because of it’s intriguing cover. Though the starting few pages did not provide much to go on but I was glad I continued the book. Soon as the pace grew and things got serious I was completely engrossed in the story. I will have to say I liked the second half of the book much more than the first. There were quite a few things that hooked me. The quirky personality of Smith, then there was Nava, Jake and their adventurous encounters with death and how they dealt with them, it was all the recipe of something delicious. And delicious it was. Once the ring came into existence it was a whirlwind ride. It reminded me a bit of the movie series ‘The Lord of the Rings’. The conflict between Smith’s ancient belief and Jake’s thoughts were hilarious. Their retorts were funny and quirky. I also liked how the author cleverly incorporated the unstable relationship between Jake and his father. Even the ending was all flush, surprising and oozing with suspense. It is one of such books that you wish you could also watch it in form of movies.
If you are looking for some good read with suspense, a good dose of magic and a sprinkle of funny comebacks and feisty characters it is the book for you.
If you are looking for some good read with suspense, a good dose of magic and a sprinkle of funny comebacks and feisty characters it is the book for you.
September 12, 2018
An expedition into Israel and an unexpected find in King Solomon's Tomb springs a surprise and untold danger to our hero. Different parties seeking to gain the power to improve their own wealth and status, not just in there community but to become a global power. As our hero wears the treasure he starts to hear orders from an ancient spirit Smith but is he guiding him to safety or danger?
The writing style and breaks between paragraphs make it an enjoyable read giving the reader chance to digest what is happening and follow the story line. The research and historic events is first rate. The excellent character traits bring the story to life.
What is it about archaeology and the things we find that intrigue modern man? Is it because we cannot understand the rituals and artifacts and have to create our own stories to satisfy our minds?
A very easy to read book with intrigue and a twist to the plot, which will have appeal to all age groups because of the interest everyone holds over tombs, ancient rulers and the beliefs they held.
An excellent story about the mystique of ancient times and the power that these treasures hold over us and in the pursuit of those treasures the conflict caused between good and evil. I will be sure to look out for the authors other books.
The writing style and breaks between paragraphs make it an enjoyable read giving the reader chance to digest what is happening and follow the story line. The research and historic events is first rate. The excellent character traits bring the story to life.
What is it about archaeology and the things we find that intrigue modern man? Is it because we cannot understand the rituals and artifacts and have to create our own stories to satisfy our minds?
A very easy to read book with intrigue and a twist to the plot, which will have appeal to all age groups because of the interest everyone holds over tombs, ancient rulers and the beliefs they held.
An excellent story about the mystique of ancient times and the power that these treasures hold over us and in the pursuit of those treasures the conflict caused between good and evil. I will be sure to look out for the authors other books.
May 15, 2018
Smith written by Sam B Miller II is a story with a unique plot. The author’s idea and presentation was incredibly captivating. This is not a story for the faint of heart as there is a lot of violent action, something that really brings the reader into an awareness of King Solomon’s time. The lead character, Jake, finds a ring, while treasure hunting, which used to belong tol King Solomon. When Jake puts the ring on he immediately hears the voice of Smith, the ring’s AI companion. Jake is given great power by Smith, but with this power comes trouble beyond Jake’s wildest dreams. Along with an action packed adventure there is a love story throughout which I really enjoyed. The reason I gave this book only 4 out of 5 stars, is that I found that the characters could have used a little more depth and development to really pull the reader into the lives of the characters. Overall this book was well written and was an entertaining read, especially since the plot was something I had never come across before. I highly recommend this to those readers who don’t mind violence and who want something unique to read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 18, 2018
The author did a fantastic job on this book, the writing was of a high literary quality which is one of the reasons I really enjoyed reading this book, right from the first page the pace of the book was steadily built and the pace and tempo increased as it went on, it got to a point I was so hooked I couldn't stop till I finished reading it. An all round complete and interesting book filled with lots of lessons to be learnt which I strongly recommend and I'll proudly give four out of five stars.
About the book -Jakes discovers a 3,000 year old ring with the power to control demons as well as the weather and all animals. Jake starts to hear a voice that belongs to Smith, the computer-like interface who gives him guidance on how to deal with his newfound powers. Smith’s single goal is to insure Jake is King of Earth with an appropriate Queen chosen by Smith. Both a rogue government and a secret society want the ring and its powers for their own wicked scheme. Smith’s methods for protecting Jake are prone to violence. Jakes teams with Nava, a no-holds barred woman with unique training. Smith doesn’t like her hair. The government and the secret society have just met their match.
About the book -Jakes discovers a 3,000 year old ring with the power to control demons as well as the weather and all animals. Jake starts to hear a voice that belongs to Smith, the computer-like interface who gives him guidance on how to deal with his newfound powers. Smith’s single goal is to insure Jake is King of Earth with an appropriate Queen chosen by Smith. Both a rogue government and a secret society want the ring and its powers for their own wicked scheme. Smith’s methods for protecting Jake are prone to violence. Jakes teams with Nava, a no-holds barred woman with unique training. Smith doesn’t like her hair. The government and the secret society have just met their match.
May 15, 2018
Jakes father is a world-renowned architect, his mother died when he was little. This dynamic sets Jake up for a fraught and emotional relationship with his father, but he has little choices or say in where they live or go. When his father is sent to Jerusalem to the Unearthing of King Solomon’s Temple, Jake is dragged along and rebels by taking a friend to the dig and snooping around. After witnessing a murder and finding (stealing) a ring from the site, Jake sets events into motion he won’t understand for some time. The ring turns out to be Solomon’s ring of power and with it comes a voice that seeks to guide Jake to its own purposes.
A wild adventure, full of mysteries, attempts of kidnapping and even more murder, Jake ahs to try and stay one step ahead of his pursuers. He gets unexpected help from a girl named Nava and together they try to figure out just who is trying so hard to find Jake and why. Entertaining and fast paced, the action moves from one moment to another.
A wild adventure, full of mysteries, attempts of kidnapping and even more murder, Jake ahs to try and stay one step ahead of his pursuers. He gets unexpected help from a girl named Nava and together they try to figure out just who is trying so hard to find Jake and why. Entertaining and fast paced, the action moves from one moment to another.
February 7, 2018
Jake is 18 and bored while his father is on a archaeological dig on King Solomon's Temple. Jake is also unwelcome by the local people so life really is unpleasant for him. Then Jake and friend Avner explore a new chamber and he finds King Solomon's Power Ring. Jake might pass it off as a replica but since finding it his life changes as he hears a voice he names Smith who encourages him to find out how to defend himself so he joins the Israeli Army. Will Jake become a hero or will he be in danger?
This is a very clever story that seamlessly weaves together elements of a story that features the paranormal, drama, danger and even a bit of romance. It was well written and very clear and easy to understand and feel. I enjoyed the way to story developed and built up towards the ending and I liked the slight twist at the end too.
This is a very clever story that seamlessly weaves together elements of a story that features the paranormal, drama, danger and even a bit of romance. It was well written and very clear and easy to understand and feel. I enjoyed the way to story developed and built up towards the ending and I liked the slight twist at the end too.
May 10, 2018
Smith by Sam B. Miller II is a unique and fun story. Featuring Jake, an 18 year old who discovers the lost ring of King Solomon, well his life takes a completely different turn. This ring however is different, with its own voice and begins to take over Jake's life. The voice of the ring is called "Smith", and that is where the fun starts. This character is over the top old fashioned, with antiquated views on women, power and society. Jake has a constant battle in his head, arguing with Smith, and running away from being chased. A good mix of Indiana Jones and action-thriller, this is a fun ride for all who enjoy lighthearted yet fast paced plots. The archeological dig in Jerusalem that takes place sets the stage as Jake must find his way through conflict, turmoil, and his struggling relationship with his father. Highly recommend for an educational, fun, and interesting read.
July 11, 2018
A book that can have it all doesn’t need a pretentious style of writing or a whole world-build explanation or anything close to it; this is the prime example of that.
A teenager who finds a ring which holds the voice of an ancient being named Solomon. The instant contrast between these two is noticeable from the very start and it’s also the highlight of the story for me, there are two different perspective in motion along with us and it’s so refreshing to see this turn of events happening all the time, the characters are well written as well, there is romance, drama, all you can think can fill this story and so much more, seriously this was a pleasant surprise for me, there is so much to love here, but the rest is up for you to find it, I’m just writing a little piece of a great experience waiting for you.
A teenager who finds a ring which holds the voice of an ancient being named Solomon. The instant contrast between these two is noticeable from the very start and it’s also the highlight of the story for me, there are two different perspective in motion along with us and it’s so refreshing to see this turn of events happening all the time, the characters are well written as well, there is romance, drama, all you can think can fill this story and so much more, seriously this was a pleasant surprise for me, there is so much to love here, but the rest is up for you to find it, I’m just writing a little piece of a great experience waiting for you.
September 11, 2018
I loved the premise of this book. Smith is a novel by Sam B. Miller about a man named Jake who discovers a 3,000-year-old ring with great powers such as controlling demons. Things get more complicated when he begins to hear the voice of Smith, the guide to using the ring with a single-minded goal of making Jake king of the world with a queen to sit beside him. Naturally, this shakes Jake's life up completely sending him on a chaotic and grand adventure filled with secret societies, governments, and violence. This is a quick paced and exciting story that constantly throws in new twists and turns. I had a lot of fun reading this book. The setting in Isreal was interesting and the fact that Jakes dad was an archaeologist was fun for me as that is what my own father does and I find the subject fascinating. Any time stories deal with ancient cultures or artifacts I get excited, even fictional ones. This is a great read if you are looking for a thrilling adventure.
Read
January 30, 2018Jake is your typical teenager, boredom will lead to trouble. In a foreign land, butting heads with locals and knowledge of a secret passage way; what could go wrong? Jake ventures into a newly found secret tunnel and finds King Solomon’s Power ring.
King Solomon’s ring could reign massive terror or bring about a new hero. Can this voice “Smith” be trusted? This is one adventure Jake never could have imagined. Smith is the voice Jake has been hearing since he placed the ring on his finger, guiding him what action to take next…
Any history buff will enjoy the description of this dig site in Israel, with the addition of a mysterious “power” ring it will catch the attention of any sci-fi junkie as well. A MUST READ!!
King Solomon’s ring could reign massive terror or bring about a new hero. Can this voice “Smith” be trusted? This is one adventure Jake never could have imagined. Smith is the voice Jake has been hearing since he placed the ring on his finger, guiding him what action to take next…
Any history buff will enjoy the description of this dig site in Israel, with the addition of a mysterious “power” ring it will catch the attention of any sci-fi junkie as well. A MUST READ!!
May 25, 2021
This book was really easy to get into. The setup is good and the premise is intriguing. It was easy for me to fly through the pages. There was never a point where I felt like the story was dragging, and I enjoyed the dialogue between characters, even laughing aloud at some of the exchanges. The only thing I wish I could have seen more of was more introspection from the main character, Jake. A lot happens in this book, and oftentimes his reactions or thoughts on the situations are very minimal, so it leaves me lacking any real grasp of him as a person. I will also caution anyone wanting to read this that there is a great deal of blood and violence, so probably not a book for the faint of heart. But nonetheless, an enjoyable read!
May 20, 2022
A genie with unlimited wishes and a mind of his own.
Solomon's ring of power has chosen a new bearer—Jake, an eighteen-year-old with a lot on the line. The story starts fast and never slows down. As soon as Jake finds the ring, things get complicated quickly as different factions seek to snatch it while the entity embedded in the ring imposes its own agenda. I enjoyed the fun concept and the surprising choice Jake makes at the end. I love the adventure and old relics as magic systems.
Solomon's ring of power has chosen a new bearer—Jake, an eighteen-year-old with a lot on the line. The story starts fast and never slows down. As soon as Jake finds the ring, things get complicated quickly as different factions seek to snatch it while the entity embedded in the ring imposes its own agenda. I enjoyed the fun concept and the surprising choice Jake makes at the end. I love the adventure and old relics as magic systems.
May 20, 2018
DNF'd at 47%
Not my cup of tea at all, so I stopped reading.
Full review on my blog
Not my cup of tea at all, so I stopped reading.
Full review on my blog
January 12, 2018
"American pig! You are not welcome. You come near our homes again and . . ."
Tennessee author Sam B. Miller II made his literary debut with his book, THE ORIGIN OF F.O.R.C.E. followed by the equally impressive second book in this series, DAWN OF CHRYSALIS. Sam received his education firm the University of Tennessee - Bachelor of Science degree in Finance, and a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance. There is no evidence form his biographical data that he has published articles or short stories on the genre he has chosen for his books of science fiction, but it is evident that he has a keen interest in fantasy and how fantasy can prophecy possible reality.
Science Fiction tales, being fantasy, are enhanced when the author makes the decision to include ancient history and the supernaturalto the mix. And that is precisely what Sam does with SMITH. Yes, he continues to use his practiced supernatural atmosphere but in this novel he combines these elements with archeological themes as the story is placed in King Solomon’s Temple. Not only is the story fascinating to read but also the location and extensions of the themes are particularly timely at this point in our world history.
Early on we are introduced to the characters and place of the story simultaneously: ‘Rob Goddard was an archeologist first and a father sixth. Or maybe even tenth. The Harvard Department of Archeological Projects had needed him to represent the university during the investigation into the latest claimed discovery of King Solomon's Temple. The trouble was the dig was located around the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Jake had no choice about being dragged along for the journey. His mother had died from cancer when he was three, and he had no close relatives. Besides, living in the Middle East was a once in a lifetime opportunity according to his father. "I guess I'm just a natural-born troublemaker. Every Palestinian gang with a chip on its shoulder wants a piece of me. You should send me back to Boston."
Sam offers a tidy synopsis for this story: ` The past has a way of coming back to live in the present . . .Jake’s Father is an archeologist who is in Israel to complete a dig on King Solomon’s Temple. As an eighteen-year-old American, Jake is unwelcome by the people in the territory. Defending himself against the townspeople is a constant torment. Through a map Jake finds on his Father’s desk, he and his friend Avner decide to explore a newly discovered chamber. At the end of a dark and deserted tunnel, Jake uncovers the treasure of King Solomon’s Power ring. He puts it on his finger and feels his life changing. Jake passes off the ring as a replica, but he starts to hear a voice that belongs to Smith. Smith provides him guidance on how to deal with his newfound powers. Jake wants to learn all he can about his new secret ring. Smith encourages him to sharpen his fighting skills by joining the Army. Is Smith leading Jake to a newfound life where he can become a hero? Or will the decision to join the military endanger his life? Will Jake find out the ring he wears is good or will it be of evil intent? And who keeps trying to steal the ring?’
This is an especially fine new direction for Sam B. Miller II, blending fact, possible fact, humor, mystery, fantasy and human interest into one very successful novel.
Tennessee author Sam B. Miller II made his literary debut with his book, THE ORIGIN OF F.O.R.C.E. followed by the equally impressive second book in this series, DAWN OF CHRYSALIS. Sam received his education firm the University of Tennessee - Bachelor of Science degree in Finance, and a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance. There is no evidence form his biographical data that he has published articles or short stories on the genre he has chosen for his books of science fiction, but it is evident that he has a keen interest in fantasy and how fantasy can prophecy possible reality.
Science Fiction tales, being fantasy, are enhanced when the author makes the decision to include ancient history and the supernaturalto the mix. And that is precisely what Sam does with SMITH. Yes, he continues to use his practiced supernatural atmosphere but in this novel he combines these elements with archeological themes as the story is placed in King Solomon’s Temple. Not only is the story fascinating to read but also the location and extensions of the themes are particularly timely at this point in our world history.
Early on we are introduced to the characters and place of the story simultaneously: ‘Rob Goddard was an archeologist first and a father sixth. Or maybe even tenth. The Harvard Department of Archeological Projects had needed him to represent the university during the investigation into the latest claimed discovery of King Solomon's Temple. The trouble was the dig was located around the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Jake had no choice about being dragged along for the journey. His mother had died from cancer when he was three, and he had no close relatives. Besides, living in the Middle East was a once in a lifetime opportunity according to his father. "I guess I'm just a natural-born troublemaker. Every Palestinian gang with a chip on its shoulder wants a piece of me. You should send me back to Boston."
Sam offers a tidy synopsis for this story: ` The past has a way of coming back to live in the present . . .Jake’s Father is an archeologist who is in Israel to complete a dig on King Solomon’s Temple. As an eighteen-year-old American, Jake is unwelcome by the people in the territory. Defending himself against the townspeople is a constant torment. Through a map Jake finds on his Father’s desk, he and his friend Avner decide to explore a newly discovered chamber. At the end of a dark and deserted tunnel, Jake uncovers the treasure of King Solomon’s Power ring. He puts it on his finger and feels his life changing. Jake passes off the ring as a replica, but he starts to hear a voice that belongs to Smith. Smith provides him guidance on how to deal with his newfound powers. Jake wants to learn all he can about his new secret ring. Smith encourages him to sharpen his fighting skills by joining the Army. Is Smith leading Jake to a newfound life where he can become a hero? Or will the decision to join the military endanger his life? Will Jake find out the ring he wears is good or will it be of evil intent? And who keeps trying to steal the ring?’
This is an especially fine new direction for Sam B. Miller II, blending fact, possible fact, humor, mystery, fantasy and human interest into one very successful novel.
February 6, 2018
Rob Goddard represents the Harvard Department of Archeological Projects in the investigation of the latest claimed discovery of King Solomon’s Temple in Israel. With him is his eighteen year-old son Jake. Being an American in Israel is not easy for young Jake who spends most of his time defending himself from the townspeople who want him out of their land.
Bored from lack of anything to do besides playing video games, Jake, together with his friend Avner, follows a handwritten map he found on his father’s desk and sneaks to the new digging site. Running away from a possibly fatal encounter, Jake drops into a hole and unearths an aged leather pouch that contains a heavy gold colored ring with strange markings, King Solomon’s Ring of Power.
Shortly after putting the ring on his finger, Jake hears the voice of Smith, the interface whose essence is imbued into the ring. He, then, finds himself in possession of an object of immense power.
This is a fast-paced and action-filled thriller written in casual and conversational tone making it an easy read. The suspense is kept in high level right from the first up to the last page. Moreover, the plot is written in a way that even the readers find it difficult to decide whom to believe and trust. Furthermore, the author created two well developed characters that while Jake proves himself to be more than just an ordinary and naïve teenager, Smith who sounds like a funny, fun-loving and lighthearted disembodied voice proves himself to be capable of something else. My favorite character, however, is Inspector Nava Kilman. She is smart and brave, and she shows strength of character despite her youth, a real queen material. In addition, though the twist is, somehow, predictable, it is still a twist and it adds to the excitement of the already exciting story. Finally, the ending is exactly how I want it.
I enjoyed this book immensely and I recommend it to readers who enjoy suspense and thriller novels with a touch of paranormal. Gory and violent scenes, however, may not be suitable for young readers.
Bored from lack of anything to do besides playing video games, Jake, together with his friend Avner, follows a handwritten map he found on his father’s desk and sneaks to the new digging site. Running away from a possibly fatal encounter, Jake drops into a hole and unearths an aged leather pouch that contains a heavy gold colored ring with strange markings, King Solomon’s Ring of Power.
Shortly after putting the ring on his finger, Jake hears the voice of Smith, the interface whose essence is imbued into the ring. He, then, finds himself in possession of an object of immense power.
This is a fast-paced and action-filled thriller written in casual and conversational tone making it an easy read. The suspense is kept in high level right from the first up to the last page. Moreover, the plot is written in a way that even the readers find it difficult to decide whom to believe and trust. Furthermore, the author created two well developed characters that while Jake proves himself to be more than just an ordinary and naïve teenager, Smith who sounds like a funny, fun-loving and lighthearted disembodied voice proves himself to be capable of something else. My favorite character, however, is Inspector Nava Kilman. She is smart and brave, and she shows strength of character despite her youth, a real queen material. In addition, though the twist is, somehow, predictable, it is still a twist and it adds to the excitement of the already exciting story. Finally, the ending is exactly how I want it.
I enjoyed this book immensely and I recommend it to readers who enjoy suspense and thriller novels with a touch of paranormal. Gory and violent scenes, however, may not be suitable for young readers.
February 23, 2018
Smith is a fantastic read filled with adventure! I loved every page of this book and couldn’t put it down until I was done. The author combines real stories with his own to create a story that will have you on the edge of your seat. The main character, Jake, has a lot to learn in the beginning of the story, which makes it a treat to see him develop under the power of a ring that doesn’t have his best intentions in mind.
Overall, this is a solid book with a good (if slightly gruesome) payoff for the reader. Highly recommend!
Overall, this is a solid book with a good (if slightly gruesome) payoff for the reader. Highly recommend!
January 15, 2018
If you can’t get enough of supernatural elements, then this is definitely a book for you. The author combines real stories with his own to create a story that will have you on the edge of your seat. The main character, Jake, has a lot to learn in the beginning of the story, which makes it a treat to see him develop under the power of a ring that doesn’t have his best intentions in mind. You won’t be able to put this story down though as there is so much adventure in every page that you will feel like you’re missing out.
The strongest point in this novel is the amazing writing though. Everything is structured well to create an atmosphere that will make you feel like you’re in the story. There is even humor strung throughout the story to add a final touch that makes this book a must read. I’d recommend it to fantasy and sci-fi fans as well as those that love history.
The strongest point in this novel is the amazing writing though. Everything is structured well to create an atmosphere that will make you feel like you’re in the story. There is even humor strung throughout the story to add a final touch that makes this book a must read. I’d recommend it to fantasy and sci-fi fans as well as those that love history.
January 11, 2018
Smith is an adventure thriller with dozes of supernatural elements. The story revolves around a ring that finds its owner in a little helpless boy who travels along with his father to the middle east only to be rebuked and hated by the local people. The only adventures in Jake's life happens to be the video games brought to him by his solitary friend. Yet, the ring changes all that. There are loads of adventure, romance, problems and meetings with dignitaries. However, Jake is not satisfied. Not only does the ring has a mind of its own and unwilling to follow the orders of its owners, but it also lands him into lots of troubles which often involve killing of people.
The book is highly entertaining as it mixes supernatural and historical elements into an adventure story.
The book is highly entertaining as it mixes supernatural and historical elements into an adventure story.
July 17, 2018
Quite a different direction from his previous audiobooks, “The Origin of F.O.R.C.E.” and “Dawn of Chrysalis”, which I have previously reviewed, Mr. Miller instead takes us on an Earthly adventure to the regions of Israel. Our main character (Jake) is growing up in this part of the world because his father is an archeologist and researcher. The book “SMITH” is a rather short contemporary science fiction coming of age story about a boy who finds a mysterious ring granting him near super hero powers. The audiobook edition is exceptionally well narrated by John Pirhalla who has also narrated the author’s other books. There is action, there is adventure, and there is even a bit of romance all packed into this novelette. Even though it is not the space-based science fiction I have grown to like from author, it is a well written tale consisting of both mystery, action, suspense, and deceit. In just under four hours of audio, the author takes the listener on a path watching Jake grow from a boy into a man. If you like well written mysterious adventures, I recommend you give “Smith” by Sam B. Miller II a listen.
Although the book at times opened like your standard coming of age story, there were times where the author surprised me with the direction he went with the story. You have a boy who has some major relationship issues with his workaholic father. His mother died when he was younger, so he only has himself to trust; apart from a close friend. Because his is an outsider in this country, he is often bullied and considered the one people stay away from talking with. This often forces our main character to go out and discover the world, mostly on his own, and here is where is finds a surprising treasure. The author does a good job of building a level of tension between Jake and his father where one wonders if it will ever be resolved. For the most part, the main characters felt like they had depth and complexity, and each person seemed to stay consistent to their defined character. A few of the minor characters felt less defined meaning that I found myself not connecting with them as deeply.
As some may not be aware from the book’s title, I wanted listeners to know there is quite a bit of material dealing with religious overtones around the ring, along with its location near the conflict between Palestine and Israel. The book is in no way preachy, but it does use references from Biblical and non-biblical sources and weaves them into the story quite a bit. As with Dan Brown’s “Da Vinci Code”, I would not take the author’s theological stance as truth, it is clear that it is a piece of fiction. If you are aware of this from the start, you can better understand why the author uses such in his book. Even Jake’s father talks about his ability to separate, yet struggles as times, between both science and his religion.
Even though the book is rather serious most of the time, there are bits of pieces of humor thrown in helping to reduce some of the built-up tension. The ring is often humorous when it speaks with the main character as it has not been privy to our world and language over the past few thousand years. One of my favorite humorous parts is when the main character realizes that it is never a good idea to argue with an armed woman who also knows krav maga; Israel’s defense forces fighting style. She is the same one who is his romantic interest. There are also times where the author blends in some more conventional conversations between characters making the book feel more realistic. In some cases, I would have like to have had a few more periods of backstory or downtime chatter because much of the book moved from one action sequence to the next without giving me time to come up for a breath of air. As condensed as the book is, the author could have added some more to the story without greatly expending on its overall size. The book does a good job of also adding aspects of mystery and suspense to the story. Often the listener is left wondering who the good guys are and who are the bad ones.
Let me turn my attention to the audiobook’s narration. I have enjoyed the other works I have listened to performed by John Pirhalla. He has a rich, deep, and engaging voice that worked quite well for this story. He does a really good job of voicing the many different characters, and even those who had some difficult accents. I liked his use of inflection and each of the characters felt individual and unique. The book did not contain any audio artifacts or background noises. The only thing I will say is my finding of one missed edit near the end of the book where a word was repeated twice. Most will not even notice it, but I have to include it as many listeners like their audiobooks to be near perfect; and this one us is. I do not mind an issue here or there, but as a whole the piece is executed quite professionally.
For parents and younger readers, I can say that the author does not use any vulgar language in the book that I can recall. The elements containing romance are light and not a primary focus of the story. However, I will say the book does contain a fair amount of rather graphic and violent scenes of death. Smith is a killing machine and often the deaths occur so quickly that one begins to forget just how big the number of people die. Because of this, I would only recommend the book to older or more mature listeners that do not mind this level of violence.
In summary, if you liked “The Mummy”, “The Da Vinci Code”, or you like coming of age stories with a snarky talking ring, I would recommend you give “SMITH” a try. Mr. Miller weaves a tale that is mysterious, suspenseful, and feels a bit like a super hero story. Although it is shorter, the book does not feel incomplete. Could there have been some added pieces giving the story more depth, sure but I was glad to know this is a self-contained stand-alone audiobook that at this time I do not think there are plans for the sequel. I guess we will have to wait and see. Any comments Mr. SMITH?
Although the book at times opened like your standard coming of age story, there were times where the author surprised me with the direction he went with the story. You have a boy who has some major relationship issues with his workaholic father. His mother died when he was younger, so he only has himself to trust; apart from a close friend. Because his is an outsider in this country, he is often bullied and considered the one people stay away from talking with. This often forces our main character to go out and discover the world, mostly on his own, and here is where is finds a surprising treasure. The author does a good job of building a level of tension between Jake and his father where one wonders if it will ever be resolved. For the most part, the main characters felt like they had depth and complexity, and each person seemed to stay consistent to their defined character. A few of the minor characters felt less defined meaning that I found myself not connecting with them as deeply.
As some may not be aware from the book’s title, I wanted listeners to know there is quite a bit of material dealing with religious overtones around the ring, along with its location near the conflict between Palestine and Israel. The book is in no way preachy, but it does use references from Biblical and non-biblical sources and weaves them into the story quite a bit. As with Dan Brown’s “Da Vinci Code”, I would not take the author’s theological stance as truth, it is clear that it is a piece of fiction. If you are aware of this from the start, you can better understand why the author uses such in his book. Even Jake’s father talks about his ability to separate, yet struggles as times, between both science and his religion.
Even though the book is rather serious most of the time, there are bits of pieces of humor thrown in helping to reduce some of the built-up tension. The ring is often humorous when it speaks with the main character as it has not been privy to our world and language over the past few thousand years. One of my favorite humorous parts is when the main character realizes that it is never a good idea to argue with an armed woman who also knows krav maga; Israel’s defense forces fighting style. She is the same one who is his romantic interest. There are also times where the author blends in some more conventional conversations between characters making the book feel more realistic. In some cases, I would have like to have had a few more periods of backstory or downtime chatter because much of the book moved from one action sequence to the next without giving me time to come up for a breath of air. As condensed as the book is, the author could have added some more to the story without greatly expending on its overall size. The book does a good job of also adding aspects of mystery and suspense to the story. Often the listener is left wondering who the good guys are and who are the bad ones.
Let me turn my attention to the audiobook’s narration. I have enjoyed the other works I have listened to performed by John Pirhalla. He has a rich, deep, and engaging voice that worked quite well for this story. He does a really good job of voicing the many different characters, and even those who had some difficult accents. I liked his use of inflection and each of the characters felt individual and unique. The book did not contain any audio artifacts or background noises. The only thing I will say is my finding of one missed edit near the end of the book where a word was repeated twice. Most will not even notice it, but I have to include it as many listeners like their audiobooks to be near perfect; and this one us is. I do not mind an issue here or there, but as a whole the piece is executed quite professionally.
For parents and younger readers, I can say that the author does not use any vulgar language in the book that I can recall. The elements containing romance are light and not a primary focus of the story. However, I will say the book does contain a fair amount of rather graphic and violent scenes of death. Smith is a killing machine and often the deaths occur so quickly that one begins to forget just how big the number of people die. Because of this, I would only recommend the book to older or more mature listeners that do not mind this level of violence.
In summary, if you liked “The Mummy”, “The Da Vinci Code”, or you like coming of age stories with a snarky talking ring, I would recommend you give “SMITH” a try. Mr. Miller weaves a tale that is mysterious, suspenseful, and feels a bit like a super hero story. Although it is shorter, the book does not feel incomplete. Could there have been some added pieces giving the story more depth, sure but I was glad to know this is a self-contained stand-alone audiobook that at this time I do not think there are plans for the sequel. I guess we will have to wait and see. Any comments Mr. SMITH?
January 5, 2018
Fast read. A real whirlwind of activity. Nava Kilman is a strong female who takes no prisoners. Smith is something else.
October 1, 2018
Smith by Sam B Miller II is a fantasy fiction that can further be categorised under horror and humour.
Jake Goddard, an eighteen years old American boy, is forced to live miserably in Israel with his father while the latter passionately continues his archaeological expeditions. His everyday activities include getting beaten up by local boys for his nationality and playing video games with his friend, Avner. One evening, Jake and Avner, while stealthily exploring an archaeological site, stumble upon a 3000-year-old ancient ring, that gives the wearer power over nature and its elements. The computer-like interface, called Smith, guides Jake in controlling the ring’s power, and towards the objective of making Jake an absolute ruler of the World. But Smith is not at all as it seems; or as it wants Jake to naively believe. There are secret societies and local government agencies persistently pursuing this ring of extraordinary power and upon learning that Jake is the wearer of Solomon’s Ring, will stop at nothing to acquire it. What promptly follows is a perilous chase and escape featuring guns, sadistic violence, excessive brutality and exploding bodies. Will Jake, an ordinary boy, become the supreme ruler on Earth? Will Nava inevitably become his Queen as the interface predicts? Will the trail of destruction and chaos be worth it to achieve the goal of wealth, power and glory?
I love fantasy fiction, but this was not my cup of tea. The whole narrative was tedious. Any minor character, apart from a few chief protagonists, dies as soon as they get introduced. Every chaotic scene is packed with needless violence and no-one bats an eye. All Jake repeatedly does when confronted with exploding bodies is wipe the goo off his face and move on to the next supposedly dangerous experience. The attempted humour is pathetic and cringe-worthy. I struggled mightily to wrap up the book even though it merely has 241 pages. Every word and sentence wearied me to death. The writing technique is not in the least intriguing; the characters are unrealistic; and the structure of plot is uncoordinated. The scenes change around the shallow characters at an excessively high rate, leaving the reader with a fuzzy recollection of bygone fights in gardens, buildings or dark alleys with similar shooting and torturing techniques.
I did not like the book, so I will not recommend this to anybody. I rate this book 1 out of 5 stars.
Jake Goddard, an eighteen years old American boy, is forced to live miserably in Israel with his father while the latter passionately continues his archaeological expeditions. His everyday activities include getting beaten up by local boys for his nationality and playing video games with his friend, Avner. One evening, Jake and Avner, while stealthily exploring an archaeological site, stumble upon a 3000-year-old ancient ring, that gives the wearer power over nature and its elements. The computer-like interface, called Smith, guides Jake in controlling the ring’s power, and towards the objective of making Jake an absolute ruler of the World. But Smith is not at all as it seems; or as it wants Jake to naively believe. There are secret societies and local government agencies persistently pursuing this ring of extraordinary power and upon learning that Jake is the wearer of Solomon’s Ring, will stop at nothing to acquire it. What promptly follows is a perilous chase and escape featuring guns, sadistic violence, excessive brutality and exploding bodies. Will Jake, an ordinary boy, become the supreme ruler on Earth? Will Nava inevitably become his Queen as the interface predicts? Will the trail of destruction and chaos be worth it to achieve the goal of wealth, power and glory?
I love fantasy fiction, but this was not my cup of tea. The whole narrative was tedious. Any minor character, apart from a few chief protagonists, dies as soon as they get introduced. Every chaotic scene is packed with needless violence and no-one bats an eye. All Jake repeatedly does when confronted with exploding bodies is wipe the goo off his face and move on to the next supposedly dangerous experience. The attempted humour is pathetic and cringe-worthy. I struggled mightily to wrap up the book even though it merely has 241 pages. Every word and sentence wearied me to death. The writing technique is not in the least intriguing; the characters are unrealistic; and the structure of plot is uncoordinated. The scenes change around the shallow characters at an excessively high rate, leaving the reader with a fuzzy recollection of bygone fights in gardens, buildings or dark alleys with similar shooting and torturing techniques.
I did not like the book, so I will not recommend this to anybody. I rate this book 1 out of 5 stars.
September 8, 2018
( Format : Audiobook )
"Why is it always a van?"
Smith, the book, is a hard one to quantify. It starts out well, the usual format of bored 18 years old Jake and his friend exploring the local archeological dig which had so engaged his father's attention. It is dark, they hear voices, see a man killed, and hide; and, in so doing, find a small pouch containing an ancient looking gold ring. Jake puts it on.
What follows is, firstly, comedy, turning to a strange sort of adventure which the dissolves into a miasma of murder and exploding bodies. The humour gets stale, the death toll ridiculously catastrophic, the ending predictable. Apart from an initial teenage angst, there is little attempt at any characterisation, even for Jake, let alone the other protagonists. The whole is a cartoon, two dimensional gore fest which could have been fun had the book been shorter by a couple of hours. Too much for too long. The narration is excellent, the voice of Smith being performed in a pseudo upper class English accent, other voices clearly distinct and separate. The text is also well performed, the well modulated tones of John Pirhalla pleasant to hear and in tune with the action.
My thanks to the author, Sam B.Miller, by whom I was freely gifted a complimentary copy of the book, at my request. I had read and enjoyed a couple of his previous works and admit to being surprised by this one. Much of it was fun but the humour became stale and died away - like most of those making brief entry into the story. But it might well appeal to younger members of the games playing blow them up generaton.
"Why is it always a van?"
Smith, the book, is a hard one to quantify. It starts out well, the usual format of bored 18 years old Jake and his friend exploring the local archeological dig which had so engaged his father's attention. It is dark, they hear voices, see a man killed, and hide; and, in so doing, find a small pouch containing an ancient looking gold ring. Jake puts it on.
What follows is, firstly, comedy, turning to a strange sort of adventure which the dissolves into a miasma of murder and exploding bodies. The humour gets stale, the death toll ridiculously catastrophic, the ending predictable. Apart from an initial teenage angst, there is little attempt at any characterisation, even for Jake, let alone the other protagonists. The whole is a cartoon, two dimensional gore fest which could have been fun had the book been shorter by a couple of hours. Too much for too long. The narration is excellent, the voice of Smith being performed in a pseudo upper class English accent, other voices clearly distinct and separate. The text is also well performed, the well modulated tones of John Pirhalla pleasant to hear and in tune with the action.
My thanks to the author, Sam B.Miller, by whom I was freely gifted a complimentary copy of the book, at my request. I had read and enjoyed a couple of his previous works and admit to being surprised by this one. Much of it was fun but the humour became stale and died away - like most of those making brief entry into the story. But it might well appeal to younger members of the games playing blow them up generaton.
July 31, 2018
** Review of Audio Format **
Ring of Power with Attitude
Jake is a lonely boy fending mostly for himself in the streets of the middle east. HIs mother died and his archaeologist father alternately doesn't have time for his son or willfully refuses to understand the dangers he faces. Jake does have one friend and, together, they begin exploring the forbidden tunnels of his father's recent dig. Jake soon finds a ring and puts it on his finger. The ring will not come off...for any reason. Then it starts talking to him...soon Jake is in much more danger than anything he has ever known.
This was an entertaining listen. Smith is smart, sassy and brutal to the point insanity. When he can't convince Jake, he cajoles him and when he can't push Jake into doing what he wants he resorts to threats. Jake soon meets Nava, the woman of his dreams, and once he does, he has to battle everyone he knows and more to keep her safe. Will Jake learn the nature of Smith before it's too late? Will Nava ever see him as anything other than an eighteen year old boy and competition for her job?
I would have like for it to be a little longer with more background and more fleshed out characters. Jake's learning of the ways of the ring could have been more developed as well. The story could have easily been seven to ten hours which is a decent length for an audiobook and often worth the credit.
I received this audiobook for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Ring of Power with Attitude
Jake is a lonely boy fending mostly for himself in the streets of the middle east. HIs mother died and his archaeologist father alternately doesn't have time for his son or willfully refuses to understand the dangers he faces. Jake does have one friend and, together, they begin exploring the forbidden tunnels of his father's recent dig. Jake soon finds a ring and puts it on his finger. The ring will not come off...for any reason. Then it starts talking to him...soon Jake is in much more danger than anything he has ever known.
This was an entertaining listen. Smith is smart, sassy and brutal to the point insanity. When he can't convince Jake, he cajoles him and when he can't push Jake into doing what he wants he resorts to threats. Jake soon meets Nava, the woman of his dreams, and once he does, he has to battle everyone he knows and more to keep her safe. Will Jake learn the nature of Smith before it's too late? Will Nava ever see him as anything other than an eighteen year old boy and competition for her job?
I would have like for it to be a little longer with more background and more fleshed out characters. Jake's learning of the ways of the ring could have been more developed as well. The story could have easily been seven to ten hours which is a decent length for an audiobook and often worth the credit.
I received this audiobook for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
April 12, 2018
Smith by Sam Miller explores the coveted ring Solomon wore while he reined Israel thousands of years ago. Solomon hid the ring knowing what a curse it could be to anyone who wore it after him. Jake, an American teenager, finds the ring and trusts what it tells him. The ring prefers to be called Smith, as it takes on a possessive personality. Jake is constantly being targeted and he can only trust a few people, Nava being one of these. All of this comes to a head when the only choice given is for Jake’s finger to be cut off to retrieve the ring for the Master mind behind his assaults.
Personally, I found this book fun to read and unique in content. Sam Miller brought the Ring’s attitude out as the story progressed. The bickering back and forth between Smith and Jake was humorous at times, especially when it involved Nava. The best thing the ring did was bring Nava and Jake together.
Personally, I found this book fun to read and unique in content. Sam Miller brought the Ring’s attitude out as the story progressed. The bickering back and forth between Smith and Jake was humorous at times, especially when it involved Nava. The best thing the ring did was bring Nava and Jake together.
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