The Primus Labyrinth

by Scott Overton

In a coercion plot against the U.S. president, a VIP’s bloodstream has been mined with germ-sized bombs. The only hope is a prototype virus-sized submersible, but the man most qualified to pilot it, Curran Hunter, is traumatized by a near-fatal underwater accident. The sub is piloted by virtual reality—there should be no danger—but when VR becomes full telepresence, Hunter’s very sanity is on the brink. The bombs could be detonated at any moment. Mercenaries are mobilizing to kill the team of scientists working with Hunter. And he’s fallen in love with the victim.

But to save her life will require the deepest violation of all.

Genres: Science Fiction

462 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 10, 2020

About the author

With a long career as a radio morning show host, Scott’s always had a way with words. But his lifelong devotion to science fiction was destined to lead to a second career as a writer. Although his first novel, the mystery/thriller Dead Air was set in the radio world (and shortlisted for a Northern Lit Award in Ontario, Canada) all of his writing since has taken the reader to even stranger places, including the human bloodstream in his SF novel debut The Primus Labyrinth, a science fiction thriller that readers compare to Michael Crichton and Dan Brown. His most recent novel Naïda chronicles a reluctant hero with an alien being living inside him. Scott strongly believes that science fiction should involve compelling themes and important issues, along with memorable characters.
His short fiction has been published in magazines such as On Spec, AEscifi, Neo-opsis, Penumbra and anthologies including Future Visions 3, Casserole Diplomacy: The On Spec 25th Anniversary Anthology, Canadian Tales of the Fantastic, In Poe’s Shadow, and Tesseracts Sixteen: Parnassus Unbound. Fifteen of his SF/fantasy short stories have been gathered in the collection BEYOND: Stories Beyond Time, Technology, and the Stars. Many more SF novels are on the way. Scott’s distractions from writing include scuba diving, music, and collector cars. He lives with his wife on a private island in Northern Ontario.

Reviews

[Jim C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this thru a Goodreads giveaway. I would like to thank the author and the publishing company for their generosity.

Actual rating is 2.5 stars.

This book is about a person who is connected to the president of the United States has been infected with nano technological bombs. The only way to fight this dilemma is by an experimental procedure which is sending a shrunken submersible that is injected into the bloodstream and disable each bomb.

Yes it does borrow from Fantastic Voyage but it does quickly differentiate itself from that classic. Immediately I was invested in this book as it seemed to be something written by Michael Crichton. I liked the science of the mission as it was technical but not too technical that the reader gets bored. The mission was explained on the fly as the team learned with each success as well as each failure. During the first half of this book I was giving it a four star rating. Then the second half lost my interest. The mission seemed to drag on for quite sometime. This was done to build up a relationship. The problem is that I didn't totally buy this build up as this book seemed to switch from a sci-fi genre into a bit paranormal. I didn't care for this switch. Also, the author introduced a couple of sub plots that was suppose to add purpose to why this antagonistic act was done but for me it didn't feel earned. Even the shock twist at the end fell flat.

This book was really entertaining at the beginning but lost its steam. I believe if it just stuck with the sci-fi genre and trimmed down a bit this would have been a better offering.

[Dave Wickenden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mind-bending!

Submersible pilot, Curran Hunter, who suffers PTSD from a near fatal accident, is called upon to pilot a microscopic craft that can travel through the human body through virtual reality. The victim does not know it, but nano-sized bombs have been placed throughout her body to force the President of the United States to bend to the terrorist’s demands.

Although this sounds like the famous 1966 Fantastic Voyage starring Stephen Boyd and Raquel Welch, that’s where the similarities end. The story uses tomorrow’s technology to tell a fast-paced, suspenseful tale of hope and betrayal. There are mysteries within mysteries which keeps the pace and the pages flying.

Fans of Michael Crichton will rejoice, because Mr. Overton has filled the void.

[Clay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ending was rushed and not as complete as I would have liked. The reasons for the attempt on the President's daughter were too vague and not sufficiently fleshed out. Otherwise, the book was engaging with a very interesting story line.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating read, kept me turning the pages, and included some intriguing plot twists and unexpected character relationships and developments that I didn't see coming. Well done!

[Read Ng · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a GoodReads giveaway of a Kindle ebook. I won it a long time ago, but lost track of it. Finally rediscovered it when I had to replace my old Kindle.

A mostly hard science fiction tale with a bit of the supernatural. This is a retelling of Asimov's Fantastic Voyage done in fine fashion. One must assume a huge leap in nanotechnology. But the whole concept of exploring the human body in such a manner is intriguing. I enjoyed the logically way it was put together.

I was not very happy with the disposal of the final set of "bombs". That was a bit too supernatural for me and felt to be a quick resolution to finish the conflict. It was too much of a letdown from events just prior to the climax. And the revel of the lead bad guy's identity did not have sufficient early clues to bring me to guess who he might really be.

This was a GoodReads.

[Michael Gibson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Real rating is 3.5 stars.

My wife bought me this book from a local author and got him to sign it for me which was really nice.

I have read books by some local authors before, and and been underwhelmed. Happy to say this book far exceeded my expectations. The topic of the story is not new (he even pays homage to one of the original examples in the novel - nice touch), but it is certainly updated based on newer information available. The book is well written and builds a good level of suspense throughout like books from more well known writers of this genre. I would definitely recommend giving it a read!! I will even be taking a look at some of Scott Overton’s other books to find some other hidden gems possibly.

If you read this review Scott…I definitely enjoyed the ride!!

[Diane Griffiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book as a Goodreads giveaway

So in a plot against the President, the bloodstream of someone has been infected with mini sized bombs. The only hope is a prototype virus-sized submersible. The man most qualified to pilot it, Curran Hunter, is traumatized and suffers PTSD from a near-fatal underwater accident. The sub can travel by virtual reality.

Kinda interesting and freaky at the same time.

[Kelly Knapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast Paced

This is a fast paced story, a cross between Star Treks nano-technology and Inner-space. A pilot, who fears he is losing his mind, is tapped to drive a micro-cellular submarine into a body full of nano sized bomb. Not everyone wants him to succeed.

[Matthew Del Papa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun and smart book from start to finish. The novel reads like classic Golden Age sci-fi but with modern technology and sensibilities. Asimov would have approved this homage to Fantastic Voyage.

[Louis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an awesome book. The end was a little rushed but overall very good.