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7th Son #1
7th Son: Descent
As America reels from the bizarre presidential assassination committed by a child, seven men are abducted from their normal lives and delivered to a secret government facility. Each man has his own career, his own specialty. All are identical in appearance. The seven strangers were grown--- unwitting human clones---as part of a project called 7th Son . The government now wants something from these “John Michael Smiths.” They share the flesh as well as the implanted memories of the psychopath responsible for the president's murder. The killer has bigger plans, and only these seven have the unique qualifications to track and stop him. But when their progenitor makes the battle personal, it becomes clear he may know the seven better than they know themselves.
356 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
30 people are currently reading
1377 people want to read
About the author
J.C. Hutchins
25 books218 followersFrom the About J.C. page of jchutchins.net:
J.C. Hutchins crafts transmedia narratives, screenplays and novels for such entertainment companies as A&E, Cinemax, Discovery, St. Martin’s Press, Smith & Tinker and Leviathan Games.
J.C.’s recent work includes Lead Writer & Experience Design roles on campaigns for the Cinemax espionage series Hunted, Stephen King’s Bag of Bones (a cable miniseries based on King’s bestselling novel) and The Colony, an intense survival reality series. He also recently created an educational transmedia experience based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe.
J.C. began his career has a “new media novelist,” using emerging storytelling strategies such as podcasting, social media and crowdsourcing to create and distribute his thriller novels.
His 2009 novel Personal Effects: Dark Art (co-written with web storytelling pioneer Jordan Weisman) featured online and physical transmedia elements that blurred the reader’s role from passive consumer to active participant. The Personal Effects IP is presently in development as a Starz TV series, with Gore Verbinski executive producing.
J.C. also also helps entertainment companies reach new markets by creating canonical tie-in content, and offering best practices for worldbuilding, revenue generation and cross-platform storytelling.
J.C. has been profiled by The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR’s Weekend Edition, ABC Radio and the BBC. He lives in Denver with fellow novelist Eleanor Brown, and their cat, Chester.
J.C. Hutchins crafts transmedia narratives, screenplays and novels for such entertainment companies as A&E, Cinemax, Discovery, St. Martin’s Press, Smith & Tinker and Leviathan Games.
J.C.’s recent work includes Lead Writer & Experience Design roles on campaigns for the Cinemax espionage series Hunted, Stephen King’s Bag of Bones (a cable miniseries based on King’s bestselling novel) and The Colony, an intense survival reality series. He also recently created an educational transmedia experience based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe.
J.C. began his career has a “new media novelist,” using emerging storytelling strategies such as podcasting, social media and crowdsourcing to create and distribute his thriller novels.
His 2009 novel Personal Effects: Dark Art (co-written with web storytelling pioneer Jordan Weisman) featured online and physical transmedia elements that blurred the reader’s role from passive consumer to active participant. The Personal Effects IP is presently in development as a Starz TV series, with Gore Verbinski executive producing.
J.C. also also helps entertainment companies reach new markets by creating canonical tie-in content, and offering best practices for worldbuilding, revenue generation and cross-platform storytelling.
J.C. has been profiled by The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR’s Weekend Edition, ABC Radio and the BBC. He lives in Denver with fellow novelist Eleanor Brown, and their cat, Chester.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 137 reviews
March 25, 2010
Way back in 2005 J. C. Hutchins tried to sell his book. Nobody wanted it. There were good reasons nobody wanted it. It was almost unmarketable. The book was 1200 pages and had seven protagonists. It also didn't fit into an easy genre label. It was quite definitely science fiction, the protagonists were clones, but it was also a political thriller, and maybe a little bit of a horror novel.
Then he heard about podiobooks, a service that allows people to post audio versions of their books as podcasts. The service was free so he broke his behemoth manuscript into three chunks and started recording. Despite the unfortunate negative stigma that come with being self published his book, 7th Son, became an almost instant success. He won podcasting awards for it and attracted thousands of listeners. Enough that a major publishing house contacted J. C. Hutchins and offered to publish his books.
I first heard of 7th Son a year after it came out when Nathan Fillion, the star of Firefly, filled in as a guest reader on the podcast. After looking at the website I dismissed it as self published, unprofessional and not worth my time. (I know that not actually reading it isn't giving it a fair chance but that's how I roll.) When I heard that it was being published on actual paper I decided to give it a try, after all it was the most popular serialized audio podcast novel release of all time. (I suspect there isn't a whole lot of competition for that moniker.)
The first book of 7th Son, Descent, starts with seven people being kidnapped. They are taken to a government facility and told that they are all clones. A young man, John Michael Smith, was raised under supervision by the 7th Son project until he was 14. Then his memories, consciousness, and thoughts were downloaded into a huge computer array and then uploaded into the minds of seven clones.
Now, fifteen years later, the clones are being brought back together because their genetic forebear, John Alpha, has turned into a terrorist and is threatening the entire world. The clones are expected to find a way to bring him down.
This book has many layers that get deeper as the story progresses. At first it sounds like a weigh in on the 'Nature versus Nurture' debates, coming in heavily on the side of Nurture. The seven clones all live completely different lives. John is a musician/bartender, Jonathon is a UN politician, Dr. Mike is a psychological profiler, Jack is a geneticist for a university, Michael is a Marine, Father Thomas is a Catholic priest and Kilroy 2.0 is a paranoid conspiracy theorist hacker.
It also explores the different reactions that each of the clones has toward the discovery of their origins. Father Thomas is devastated, after all he has no soul. He cannot be saved, he is an abomination. Kilroy 2.0 just feels vindicated, he's suspected this all along. Jack is appalled at the complete lack of ethics. Michael just accepts it as another part of life, just move on.
The story is very well written with generous foreshadowing that isn't usually noticeable until afterward. Dialogue feel natural and sounds different depending on which character is speaking. The technology in the story is much more advanced than what we have today – even though it takes place in modern day – but that is usually explained because 7th Son is so super secret. For most of the book this worked for me and I didn't really think about it much. Later on when there were things like invisibility suits and unbreakable security software developed by 12 year old girls my suspension of disbelief started to waver.
At its heart this story is a thriller, though. Every paragraph, page and chapter is designed to make you feel eerie.
I enjoyed this book for the gripping way the story was told. I liked that the clones were not all just carbon copies of each other. I liked that the reaction of all the characters, even minor ones, were real and different from each other.
J. C. Hutchins likes to use mataphors and similes, especially when this are starting to get a little traumatic. Some of these are really clever, a lot of them are a little bit forced. I think this is one sign of a new writer who didn't have the luxury of a professional editor. Some of his technology went a little beyond my suspension of disbelief, as I mentioned earlier but the stength of the characters and the intensity of their situations was enough for me to get over it and just pretend like invisibility suits were possible.
I felt like this book was very well done for a first novel and it was both exciting and engaging. The characters were real and interesting, some of them more than others. J. C. Hutchins tells an engaging tale and he's not afraid to kill some of his characters when it will make a better story.
(7/10)
Then he heard about podiobooks, a service that allows people to post audio versions of their books as podcasts. The service was free so he broke his behemoth manuscript into three chunks and started recording. Despite the unfortunate negative stigma that come with being self published his book, 7th Son, became an almost instant success. He won podcasting awards for it and attracted thousands of listeners. Enough that a major publishing house contacted J. C. Hutchins and offered to publish his books.
I first heard of 7th Son a year after it came out when Nathan Fillion, the star of Firefly, filled in as a guest reader on the podcast. After looking at the website I dismissed it as self published, unprofessional and not worth my time. (I know that not actually reading it isn't giving it a fair chance but that's how I roll.) When I heard that it was being published on actual paper I decided to give it a try, after all it was the most popular serialized audio podcast novel release of all time. (I suspect there isn't a whole lot of competition for that moniker.)
The first book of 7th Son, Descent, starts with seven people being kidnapped. They are taken to a government facility and told that they are all clones. A young man, John Michael Smith, was raised under supervision by the 7th Son project until he was 14. Then his memories, consciousness, and thoughts were downloaded into a huge computer array and then uploaded into the minds of seven clones.
Now, fifteen years later, the clones are being brought back together because their genetic forebear, John Alpha, has turned into a terrorist and is threatening the entire world. The clones are expected to find a way to bring him down.
This book has many layers that get deeper as the story progresses. At first it sounds like a weigh in on the 'Nature versus Nurture' debates, coming in heavily on the side of Nurture. The seven clones all live completely different lives. John is a musician/bartender, Jonathon is a UN politician, Dr. Mike is a psychological profiler, Jack is a geneticist for a university, Michael is a Marine, Father Thomas is a Catholic priest and Kilroy 2.0 is a paranoid conspiracy theorist hacker.
It also explores the different reactions that each of the clones has toward the discovery of their origins. Father Thomas is devastated, after all he has no soul. He cannot be saved, he is an abomination. Kilroy 2.0 just feels vindicated, he's suspected this all along. Jack is appalled at the complete lack of ethics. Michael just accepts it as another part of life, just move on.
The story is very well written with generous foreshadowing that isn't usually noticeable until afterward. Dialogue feel natural and sounds different depending on which character is speaking. The technology in the story is much more advanced than what we have today – even though it takes place in modern day – but that is usually explained because 7th Son is so super secret. For most of the book this worked for me and I didn't really think about it much. Later on when there were things like invisibility suits and unbreakable security software developed by 12 year old girls my suspension of disbelief started to waver.
At its heart this story is a thriller, though. Every paragraph, page and chapter is designed to make you feel eerie.
I enjoyed this book for the gripping way the story was told. I liked that the clones were not all just carbon copies of each other. I liked that the reaction of all the characters, even minor ones, were real and different from each other.
J. C. Hutchins likes to use mataphors and similes, especially when this are starting to get a little traumatic. Some of these are really clever, a lot of them are a little bit forced. I think this is one sign of a new writer who didn't have the luxury of a professional editor. Some of his technology went a little beyond my suspension of disbelief, as I mentioned earlier but the stength of the characters and the intensity of their situations was enough for me to get over it and just pretend like invisibility suits were possible.
I felt like this book was very well done for a first novel and it was both exciting and engaging. The characters were real and interesting, some of them more than others. J. C. Hutchins tells an engaging tale and he's not afraid to kill some of his characters when it will make a better story.
(7/10)
January 11, 2011
Just a quick reminder: I don't give 5 stars (well maybe once or twice a decade). I'm stingy. I'm mean.
So, on with the review.
7th Son: Descent by J. C. Hutchins
Now, I haven't read all of this book. I've only read the first 33 pages. So I can make no comments about the book's overall structure, or character arcs, or sub-plots.
What I can comment about is the quality of the writing.
It is superb.
From a real kick-ass opening, unexpected metaphors and unusual word formations flow with assurance. Characters are introduced with almost dizzying rapidity, yet each establishes his individuality, his own personality, rapidly and with great economy of prose.
The dialogue is believable, snappy; the internal thought processes consistent with the character thinking them. Vignettes of their various normal lives are pointed enough to let us get an idea of what they were like before something happens to them.
Something unexpected. Something horrifying.
The action sequences - and yes, there is plenty of action, from the prologue on - are well executed and realistic.
The basic premise of the book is excellent.
All I can say is that I'm going to order a copy this week - the print version comes out on the 27th - and if the rest is as good as the start, I'll write another review, this one going up, perhaps to that fabled 5 star realm where only the literary giants dwell.
OK, hyperbole, but this book is really very, very good.
So, Mr. Hutchins, or Chris if you prefer, excellent beginning. I was hooked from the first page.
I'm happy to give it 4 stars.
PS - I bear no relationship or affiliation with the author, and have not been offered any inducement of any nature to write this review, apart from a simple request that I do so. I don't know if it's a requirement to make that statement yet, but I thought I'd make it clear anyway.
Previews and the first episode of the book can be seen at
http://jchutchins.net/site/about-7th-...
The book details are: ISBN 978- 0- 312- 38437- 1
and it is available to order online from:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Borders
Books-A-Million
Powell’s
Macmillan
Indiebound
So, on with the review.
7th Son: Descent by J. C. Hutchins
Now, I haven't read all of this book. I've only read the first 33 pages. So I can make no comments about the book's overall structure, or character arcs, or sub-plots.
What I can comment about is the quality of the writing.
It is superb.
From a real kick-ass opening, unexpected metaphors and unusual word formations flow with assurance. Characters are introduced with almost dizzying rapidity, yet each establishes his individuality, his own personality, rapidly and with great economy of prose.
The dialogue is believable, snappy; the internal thought processes consistent with the character thinking them. Vignettes of their various normal lives are pointed enough to let us get an idea of what they were like before something happens to them.
Something unexpected. Something horrifying.
The action sequences - and yes, there is plenty of action, from the prologue on - are well executed and realistic.
The basic premise of the book is excellent.
All I can say is that I'm going to order a copy this week - the print version comes out on the 27th - and if the rest is as good as the start, I'll write another review, this one going up, perhaps to that fabled 5 star realm where only the literary giants dwell.
OK, hyperbole, but this book is really very, very good.
So, Mr. Hutchins, or Chris if you prefer, excellent beginning. I was hooked from the first page.
I'm happy to give it 4 stars.
PS - I bear no relationship or affiliation with the author, and have not been offered any inducement of any nature to write this review, apart from a simple request that I do so. I don't know if it's a requirement to make that statement yet, but I thought I'd make it clear anyway.
Previews and the first episode of the book can be seen at
http://jchutchins.net/site/about-7th-...
The book details are: ISBN 978- 0- 312- 38437- 1
and it is available to order online from:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Borders
Books-A-Million
Powell’s
Macmillan
Indiebound
July 1, 2010
Interesting idea (seven clones of a 14-year-old old alpha who grow up not knowing they're clones) but clumsy Dan-Brown-esque execution of the plot.
Also: so the clones are drawn together and they compare the differences in their lives after age 14 and one of them is gay. Originally I was like, "Oh, huh, that's cool," but as the book progressed, I found it more and more irritating and eventually offensive. Because if the clones are genetically identical and only one of them is gay, you're essentially taking the "nurture" side of the nature v. nurture argument re: homosexuality, which is deeply problematic.
But here's the thing: the book never even addresses what it was about his post-cloning nurture that made him gay. Like, seriously, if you're going to pull that shit, at least tell me about how gay clone's father left his mother and his mother was overbearing and that made him gay or his priest molested him or some other stupid offensive shit, don't just leave me hanging!
Also: so the clones are drawn together and they compare the differences in their lives after age 14 and one of them is gay. Originally I was like, "Oh, huh, that's cool," but as the book progressed, I found it more and more irritating and eventually offensive. Because if the clones are genetically identical and only one of them is gay, you're essentially taking the "nurture" side of the nature v. nurture argument re: homosexuality, which is deeply problematic.
But here's the thing: the book never even addresses what it was about his post-cloning nurture that made him gay. Like, seriously, if you're going to pull that shit, at least tell me about how gay clone's father left his mother and his mother was overbearing and that made him gay or his priest molested him or some other stupid offensive shit, don't just leave me hanging!
February 4, 2010
This was one of the first podiobooks I ever listened to and JC's work inspired me to give it a try myself. Very nicely produced. I liked the writing style a lot and I thought the trilogy worked very well. I'm looking forward to whatever he writes next
[transparency disclaimer: JC and I are both podiobooks authors. Neither podiobooks nor JC asked me to review this work.]
[transparency disclaimer: JC and I are both podiobooks authors. Neither podiobooks nor JC asked me to review this work.]
December 25, 2010
It’s actually quite difficult to review a book you absolutely love.
Pithy one liners are much easier to come up with when you want to bring out the knives. I’ve been sitting here for the last twenty minutes trying to think of a good one liner to describe 7th Son Descent, but I liked it so much I’ve got nothing pithy for you.
So instead let me tell you that 7th Son: Descent is well worth your time, money and evangelical support.
J C Hutchins brings the characters to bear on the story quickly, and from the moment you start reading to the last page7th Son: Descent will kick your backside every step of the way. The main reason for this is that no one character is safe. You get attached to the clones (yes there are clones, trust me, it works) and their individual personalities, but every chapter Hutchins makes sure you know that they’re at risk from the main bad guy, John Alpha.
Incidentally, John Alpha could be anyone. Your high school gym teacher, your Grandma, anyone. Hutchins took an interesting route away from making John Alpha a demi god of a serial killer and instead gives readers a genuinely smart, dangerous antagonist with real motivations and issues. If you’re a writer you could do a lot worse than looking at John Alpha as an example of a well rounded antagonist. Yeah, he’s eeeevil but you can really understand why, and you have to wonder if you wouldn’t choose the same path if you were subjected to the same influences.
Speaking of which, 7th Son: Descent jumps ahead of the pack of well written sci-fi thrillers by becoming a very in depth study on the idea of nature vs nurture. If you take seven men, literally identical clones, and subject them to different lives, so they turn out the same, or will their lives dictate who they are?
I know this review is a little vague, and it has to be because I don’t want to spoil any surprises for you, but rest assured 7th Son: Descent by J C Hutchins is one of the best books of the year. You can check out JC Hutchin’s website here where you can try the books free as a podcast, get extra 7th Son: Descent goodies for free and look at JC’s other work.
Pithy one liners are much easier to come up with when you want to bring out the knives. I’ve been sitting here for the last twenty minutes trying to think of a good one liner to describe 7th Son Descent, but I liked it so much I’ve got nothing pithy for you.
So instead let me tell you that 7th Son: Descent is well worth your time, money and evangelical support.
J C Hutchins brings the characters to bear on the story quickly, and from the moment you start reading to the last page7th Son: Descent will kick your backside every step of the way. The main reason for this is that no one character is safe. You get attached to the clones (yes there are clones, trust me, it works) and their individual personalities, but every chapter Hutchins makes sure you know that they’re at risk from the main bad guy, John Alpha.
Incidentally, John Alpha could be anyone. Your high school gym teacher, your Grandma, anyone. Hutchins took an interesting route away from making John Alpha a demi god of a serial killer and instead gives readers a genuinely smart, dangerous antagonist with real motivations and issues. If you’re a writer you could do a lot worse than looking at John Alpha as an example of a well rounded antagonist. Yeah, he’s eeeevil but you can really understand why, and you have to wonder if you wouldn’t choose the same path if you were subjected to the same influences.
Speaking of which, 7th Son: Descent jumps ahead of the pack of well written sci-fi thrillers by becoming a very in depth study on the idea of nature vs nurture. If you take seven men, literally identical clones, and subject them to different lives, so they turn out the same, or will their lives dictate who they are?
I know this review is a little vague, and it has to be because I don’t want to spoil any surprises for you, but rest assured 7th Son: Descent by J C Hutchins is one of the best books of the year. You can check out JC Hutchin’s website here where you can try the books free as a podcast, get extra 7th Son: Descent goodies for free and look at JC’s other work.
April 22, 2010
This is a fairly exciting story that does, however, strain credibility a bit too far.
A secret government program spent what I can only imagine were billions of dollars to construct a giant underground headquarters and staff that headquarters for three decades. They have access to technology no one else has. They have access to science no one else has. They have something called "phantom level" security which even the president isn't allowed to know about. After all this their greatest accomplishment has been to make seven clones of some guy and send them out into the world to live ordinary, pedestrian lives.
Of course, the apparent ordinary-ness of their lives up to the start of the novel make it all the more dramatic when the seven are rounded up. They are formed into a team that is supposed to take on the guy they were all cloned from. He has some sort of evil plan, the full extent of which is not revealed even at the end of this novel.
That's another thing: doesn't anybody write self-contained novels in the sci-fi genre anymore? It's always "Book One of the Exciting New Trilogy!!" I can understand that when you go to the trouble to create a whole world that you want to get as much use out of that as you can, but can we at least put a complete story arc between two covers?
A secret government program spent what I can only imagine were billions of dollars to construct a giant underground headquarters and staff that headquarters for three decades. They have access to technology no one else has. They have access to science no one else has. They have something called "phantom level" security which even the president isn't allowed to know about. After all this their greatest accomplishment has been to make seven clones of some guy and send them out into the world to live ordinary, pedestrian lives.
Of course, the apparent ordinary-ness of their lives up to the start of the novel make it all the more dramatic when the seven are rounded up. They are formed into a team that is supposed to take on the guy they were all cloned from. He has some sort of evil plan, the full extent of which is not revealed even at the end of this novel.
That's another thing: doesn't anybody write self-contained novels in the sci-fi genre anymore? It's always "Book One of the Exciting New Trilogy!!" I can understand that when you go to the trouble to create a whole world that you want to get as much use out of that as you can, but can we at least put a complete story arc between two covers?
August 26, 2008
This is a fun little scifi story about seven different guys who are drawn into a massive conspiracy. They all share the same memories through their teenage years. Turns out after a manufactured accident the seven were cloned from the original, named John Alpha, and were implanted with his memories. They were each raised in different environments, each unaware of his clones. When John Alpha goes rogue the organization that created the seven clones coerces them into helping them stop John Alpha. The first book sets up the story and starts the conflict.
As a scifi book I thought it was pretty decent. But as one of the first really popular scifi podio books it's a classic. I also really enjoyed listening to the author. His enthusiasm makes me want to listen to lots of other podio books in addition to his. I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested in SciFi and wants to get into podio books. I am about to listen to Book 2 and I'm looking forward to it!
As a scifi book I thought it was pretty decent. But as one of the first really popular scifi podio books it's a classic. I also really enjoyed listening to the author. His enthusiasm makes me want to listen to lots of other podio books in addition to his. I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested in SciFi and wants to get into podio books. I am about to listen to Book 2 and I'm looking forward to it!
April 27, 2010
I've mixed feelings about this book. I came across it via a PDF that someone produced that contained the first few chapters of several books. After having read the first three chapters, I decided that it sounded good enough to buy.
Now that I've read it, I can't decide exactly how I feel. Parts of it were what I was expecting, an action-thriller, not too complex, but interesting enough to be worth the time. Other parts, though, I found quite annoying. In many ways, this book reads as if the author knew up front that he was going to write multiple books in the series, and therefore didn't work too hard on character development. This makes the main characters feel flat and the book read more like a very, very long trailer for the rest of the series than a self-contained novel.
At this point, I don't regret having read it, but I'm not particularly interested in picking up anything else in the series.
Now that I've read it, I can't decide exactly how I feel. Parts of it were what I was expecting, an action-thriller, not too complex, but interesting enough to be worth the time. Other parts, though, I found quite annoying. In many ways, this book reads as if the author knew up front that he was going to write multiple books in the series, and therefore didn't work too hard on character development. This makes the main characters feel flat and the book read more like a very, very long trailer for the rest of the series than a self-contained novel.
At this point, I don't regret having read it, but I'm not particularly interested in picking up anything else in the series.
December 10, 2009
J.C. Hutchin's "7th Son" starts with one hell of a hook and then never lets go.
When a four-year-old boy assisgnates the President of the United States, seven men are drawn together to try and help find the master mind. The twist--they are all clones of the original mastermind, called John Alpha. The seven John Smiths (each are named differently and have led radically different lives since being downloaded with Alpha's memories at age 14) must work together to stop Alpha before he can put the next step of his plan into action.
Part sci-fi novel, part page-turning thriller, "7th Son: Descent" is the first in a trilogy of stories from Hutchins. Hutchins has updated and reworked some of the story from his original podcast presentation and the first novel is a stronger story because of it. It's a fascinating premise and a great story with some compelling characters.
When a four-year-old boy assisgnates the President of the United States, seven men are drawn together to try and help find the master mind. The twist--they are all clones of the original mastermind, called John Alpha. The seven John Smiths (each are named differently and have led radically different lives since being downloaded with Alpha's memories at age 14) must work together to stop Alpha before he can put the next step of his plan into action.
Part sci-fi novel, part page-turning thriller, "7th Son: Descent" is the first in a trilogy of stories from Hutchins. Hutchins has updated and reworked some of the story from his original podcast presentation and the first novel is a stronger story because of it. It's a fascinating premise and a great story with some compelling characters.
February 3, 2010
7th Son: Descent, the novel by J.C. Hutchins, has a whole backstory and life of its own, most of which I won't try to document for you. Go to jchutchins.net, ask around the Podiobooks scene, see what his fans are saying, and you'll get a better version of it than I can give. Basically, as I recall it (ie: without going back and re-reading stories I've heard dozens of times in the last couple years), he wrote a book that was too long and which he couldn't find a publisher for (both are common problems, and not necessarily a measure of quality), and decided to join the few people (at the time) who were podcasting audio versions of their books for free, breaking his book into a trilogy and putting it online. J.C. Hutchins is excellent at marketing and self-promotion and, over several years, built a very large following and used that platform to get a publishing deal with St. Martin's Press, which has so far put out two of his books, this one and Personal Effects: Dark Art.
In 2008 I tried listening to 7th Son, as read by J.C. Hutchins for Podiobooks.com, and couldn't even finish the first episode. This was partially because I was trying, for the first time, to listen to podcasts while working at home - when working at my last day job, I could listen literally all day without trouble; I found in 2008 that my current work mostly doesn't allow for it. (I've recently been changing my working conditions somewhat, and have listened to a podcast audiobook or two while painting, so maybe I'll get back to all the podcasts & audiobooks I paused in March, 2008.) It was partially because J.C. Hutchins' voice is difficult for me to listen to. It was partially because the hook (4-year-old psychopath assassinates the president & uses swears!) didn't hook me (actually, it was almost silly enough I quit in the first few minutes). It was partially because of the writing quality & tone of the next 25 minutes of the first episode. Anyway, I didn't finish it and never managed to go back to it.
When Personal Effects: Dark Art was about to come out, in summer 2009, buying into the hype and all the rave reviews from the army of adoring fans that J.C. Hutchins was a good writer, not to mention that I've been following ARGs since I was a Cloudmaker from day 1 of The Beast, I pre-ordered a copy of PE:DA. I listened to the episodes of the Personal Effects: Sword of Blood prequel podcast story which were available at the time of PE:DA's release with my wife, then read PE:DA aloud to her and went through the materials and websites with her, then asked J.C. Hutchins whether he would prefer me to avoid writing a 2-star review, since I didn't want to hurt the sales of a fellow podcast author (or damage my standing in the very clique-ish podcasting community). Then I didn't write a review.
Based on my experience with PE:DA, I decided not to pay for 7th Son: Descent until/unless I'd read and/or listened to it. So I requested that my library buy a copy, and I checked it out. And I let it sit on my shelf for a couple of months, renewing it without picking it up until someone else in town placed a request for it & I couldn't renew it any more. It's due back tomorrow, so, today I read the whole book. As I read it, I updated my progress on Goodreads. (warning: spoilers) Here are my updates:
As I stated, aside from the Prologue, Chapter 1, and Chapter 18, the writing of 7th Son: Descent was -overall- better than my entire PE:DA experience. There were still the annoying italicized asides/thoughts/sounds, the J.C. Hutchins-coined slang, and a couple of characters that just reminded me of the ones that most annoyed me in PE:DA (and of Hutchins' cloying voice, to boot). Oh, and have I mentioned I don't particularly like thrillers? So the fact that the 7th Son trilogy is a thriller doesn't thrill me. Last year, as part of my research before writing Cheating, Death, I ended up reading quite a few thrillers (& other commercial fiction), and I believe that J.C. Hutchins' writing is on par with writers like Brad Meltzer and Jonathan Maberry, and is a better writer than the "Richard Castle" we were given in print.
Structurally I had some trouble with 7th Son: Descent, but I have a feeling that this is related to the entire trilogy having been intended to be a single story. This book doesn't have a whole story. The majority of the 7th Son: Descent is setup, background, and exposition. What Maberry has over Hutchins is structure; the climactic showdown battle in 7th Son: Descent would have been early in a Maberry thriller, and would have been followed up by at least a couple of bigger, more thrilling, and higher-stakes situations. Oh, and then Maberry would give a resolution to the story, even if he were intending to follow it up with a sequel/series. 7th Son simply stopped, just as things were beginning to build momentum. Yes, thrillers are very formulaic, and yes, 7th Son: Descent follows the formula... as far as it goes; it just doesn't make it all the way to the end.
And while most of what I don't like about Hutchins' books is in the characterizations and trying-too-hard-to-be-hip dialogue, it wasn't as bad as what I've seen in other thrillers. Also, something Hutchins has over writers like Meltzer & Dan Brown (at least in 7th Son: Descent -- PE:DA fell into this trap) is an avoidance of having characters (who are presented as smart) who, despite their best efforts, couldn't solve their way out of a wet sack, only to have them save the day accidentally, by coincidence, and/or by failing altogether to act. So that's a plus.
My family is making fun of me for writing book reviews over 1k words (I'm already over 1160), so I'm going to try to wrap up some of my other thoughts quickly: I'm not a fan of Kilroy. Period. I think putting a Nazi in the book was like terrible icing on a cake built from layer after layer of preposterous premises. I'm generally pretty ready to suspend disbelief, but that sort of thing makes it difficult. Chapter 1 is the weakest chapter in the entire book, and is a big part of why it took me 2+ years to get into 7th Son. It feels almost as though two totally different writers worked on this; one who wrote PE:DA, PE:SoB, and 7th Son: Descent's Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 18, and an occasional line of thought/dialogue, and a second writer who wrote the rest of 7th Son: Descent. I found myself semi-frequently groaning at the writing, and (sitting alone in my room) verbally describing the book as "terrible" as I worked through it.
Have I mentioned I don't like thrillers, or most mainstream commercial fiction? By the standards of thrillers and commercial fiction I've read, this book is reasonably-well-written, and represents a good Volume I of a three-volume book. If/when I hear the rest of the book won't be making it to print, I may someday listen to the whole thing in audio form, but right now the story is not compelling enough and (to my ear) J.C. Hutchins' voice is grating enough that I do not expect to experience the rest of this story soon. Just my preferences. (To be fair, I get a fair amount of complaints about my voice(s) on my podiobooks, myself. Different people's ears experience narration differently, just as different people like different genres.) If you like thrillers and/or commercial fiction, and/or if you don't mind J.C. Hutchins' voice, you may be in for a treat. A lot of people like it, and you can always try it for free.
In 2008 I tried listening to 7th Son, as read by J.C. Hutchins for Podiobooks.com, and couldn't even finish the first episode. This was partially because I was trying, for the first time, to listen to podcasts while working at home - when working at my last day job, I could listen literally all day without trouble; I found in 2008 that my current work mostly doesn't allow for it. (I've recently been changing my working conditions somewhat, and have listened to a podcast audiobook or two while painting, so maybe I'll get back to all the podcasts & audiobooks I paused in March, 2008.) It was partially because J.C. Hutchins' voice is difficult for me to listen to. It was partially because the hook (4-year-old psychopath assassinates the president & uses swears!) didn't hook me (actually, it was almost silly enough I quit in the first few minutes). It was partially because of the writing quality & tone of the next 25 minutes of the first episode. Anyway, I didn't finish it and never managed to go back to it.
When Personal Effects: Dark Art was about to come out, in summer 2009, buying into the hype and all the rave reviews from the army of adoring fans that J.C. Hutchins was a good writer, not to mention that I've been following ARGs since I was a Cloudmaker from day 1 of The Beast, I pre-ordered a copy of PE:DA. I listened to the episodes of the Personal Effects: Sword of Blood prequel podcast story which were available at the time of PE:DA's release with my wife, then read PE:DA aloud to her and went through the materials and websites with her, then asked J.C. Hutchins whether he would prefer me to avoid writing a 2-star review, since I didn't want to hurt the sales of a fellow podcast author (or damage my standing in the very clique-ish podcasting community). Then I didn't write a review.
Based on my experience with PE:DA, I decided not to pay for 7th Son: Descent until/unless I'd read and/or listened to it. So I requested that my library buy a copy, and I checked it out. And I let it sit on my shelf for a couple of months, renewing it without picking it up until someone else in town placed a request for it & I couldn't renew it any more. It's due back tomorrow, so, today I read the whole book. As I read it, I updated my progress on Goodreads. (warning: spoilers) Here are my updates:
@ page 1/356: Trying to keep my expectations super-low, to avoid nigh-inevitable disappointment & frustration
@ page 62/356: Time to stop for breakfast.
(on twitter, probably on page 62): Have I mentioned I don't like thrillers?
@ page 106/356: As a fan of Dollhouse, it's hard to like this, even knowing it came first.(on twitter, page 184/356): @rkalajian Note: It is distracting to see names of people I know, like yours, peppering the book.@ page 216/356: Lunch break.
@ page 261/356: I feel like I've finally gotten past the prologue & into Act 1. Or into Act 2 of a 5-Act, if you like. Yet almost finished... :(
@ page 279/356: Literally *just* got the stakes, ie: so far we didn't know more than "villain is probably planning something." This is ridiculous.
@ page 319/356: Really? A Nazi? Sigh.
@ page 356/356: Well, that was something. Most of the writing was better than expected & better than PE:DA, but I'm glad I didn't pay for it.
As I stated, aside from the Prologue, Chapter 1, and Chapter 18, the writing of 7th Son: Descent was -overall- better than my entire PE:DA experience. There were still the annoying italicized asides/thoughts/sounds, the J.C. Hutchins-coined slang, and a couple of characters that just reminded me of the ones that most annoyed me in PE:DA (and of Hutchins' cloying voice, to boot). Oh, and have I mentioned I don't particularly like thrillers? So the fact that the 7th Son trilogy is a thriller doesn't thrill me. Last year, as part of my research before writing Cheating, Death, I ended up reading quite a few thrillers (& other commercial fiction), and I believe that J.C. Hutchins' writing is on par with writers like Brad Meltzer and Jonathan Maberry, and is a better writer than the "Richard Castle" we were given in print.
Structurally I had some trouble with 7th Son: Descent, but I have a feeling that this is related to the entire trilogy having been intended to be a single story. This book doesn't have a whole story. The majority of the 7th Son: Descent is setup, background, and exposition. What Maberry has over Hutchins is structure; the climactic showdown battle in 7th Son: Descent would have been early in a Maberry thriller, and would have been followed up by at least a couple of bigger, more thrilling, and higher-stakes situations. Oh, and then Maberry would give a resolution to the story, even if he were intending to follow it up with a sequel/series. 7th Son simply stopped, just as things were beginning to build momentum. Yes, thrillers are very formulaic, and yes, 7th Son: Descent follows the formula... as far as it goes; it just doesn't make it all the way to the end.
And while most of what I don't like about Hutchins' books is in the characterizations and trying-too-hard-to-be-hip dialogue, it wasn't as bad as what I've seen in other thrillers. Also, something Hutchins has over writers like Meltzer & Dan Brown (at least in 7th Son: Descent -- PE:DA fell into this trap) is an avoidance of having characters (who are presented as smart) who, despite their best efforts, couldn't solve their way out of a wet sack, only to have them save the day accidentally, by coincidence, and/or by failing altogether to act. So that's a plus.
My family is making fun of me for writing book reviews over 1k words (I'm already over 1160), so I'm going to try to wrap up some of my other thoughts quickly: I'm not a fan of Kilroy. Period. I think putting a Nazi in the book was like terrible icing on a cake built from layer after layer of preposterous premises. I'm generally pretty ready to suspend disbelief, but that sort of thing makes it difficult. Chapter 1 is the weakest chapter in the entire book, and is a big part of why it took me 2+ years to get into 7th Son. It feels almost as though two totally different writers worked on this; one who wrote PE:DA, PE:SoB, and 7th Son: Descent's Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 18, and an occasional line of thought/dialogue, and a second writer who wrote the rest of 7th Son: Descent. I found myself semi-frequently groaning at the writing, and (sitting alone in my room) verbally describing the book as "terrible" as I worked through it.
Have I mentioned I don't like thrillers, or most mainstream commercial fiction? By the standards of thrillers and commercial fiction I've read, this book is reasonably-well-written, and represents a good Volume I of a three-volume book. If/when I hear the rest of the book won't be making it to print, I may someday listen to the whole thing in audio form, but right now the story is not compelling enough and (to my ear) J.C. Hutchins' voice is grating enough that I do not expect to experience the rest of this story soon. Just my preferences. (To be fair, I get a fair amount of complaints about my voice(s) on my podiobooks, myself. Different people's ears experience narration differently, just as different people like different genres.) If you like thrillers and/or commercial fiction, and/or if you don't mind J.C. Hutchins' voice, you may be in for a treat. A lot of people like it, and you can always try it for free.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 28, 2009
(This review pertains to the written edition of 7th Son, not the original podcast. I've heard some serious editing and changes were made for publication.)
I was so excited by the first half-dozen or so chapters of 7th son. There was so much mystery and intrigue; why are these different men being abducted, who's the torturing maniac, what's up with the clones? It's a really excellent sci-fi/thriller set-up.
Unfortunately around the half-way point I got really tired of all the grandiose pronouncements. Yes, those involved with the 7th Son project would believe that it is THE most earth-shattering, paradigm changing, dangerous event ever to happen to mankind. After a while, I felt like it's Hutchins making these proclamations about his own story and book. Get over yourself already.
The story fizzles - it's like another reviewer said, it's amazing that the book is as long as it is when really not that much happens. What does happen is exciting, but could happen faster.
I can only assume that the story was much more exciting in episodic podcast format read by the author. Maybe if you waited a week between installments it would have been a less repetitious, more engaging story?
I was so excited by the first half-dozen or so chapters of 7th son. There was so much mystery and intrigue; why are these different men being abducted, who's the torturing maniac, what's up with the clones? It's a really excellent sci-fi/thriller set-up.
Unfortunately around the half-way point I got really tired of all the grandiose pronouncements. Yes, those involved with the 7th Son project would believe that it is THE most earth-shattering, paradigm changing, dangerous event ever to happen to mankind. After a while, I felt like it's Hutchins making these proclamations about his own story and book. Get over yourself already.
The story fizzles - it's like another reviewer said, it's amazing that the book is as long as it is when really not that much happens. What does happen is exciting, but could happen faster.
I can only assume that the story was much more exciting in episodic podcast format read by the author. Maybe if you waited a week between installments it would have been a less repetitious, more engaging story?
February 25, 2010
WOW!! This is going to be one of those series that I can't read here and there - its definitely a read-through-to-the-end kind of series, lots of suspense, thrill, mystery, and action. I am certainly glad that I don't have to wait for the next installment. I basically listened to the second half of the book without stopping, listened at work as much as I could, in the car, and even sitting on the couch at home!!
Its definitely a conspiracy theory novel, but the author did an excellent job of keeping it well within the realm of "possible," if not "plausible" in many aspects. Who doesn't wonder from time to time, (let's keep it real here, we don't consume ourselves with it) what's really going on behind the closed doors of government, medical research, big business, and other well-funded organizations? The story is complex, with many twists and turns, and the information is doled out in small bits, enough to keep you guessing right to the last sentence. And if its not already in the works, I could easily see this becoming a movie.
I truly enjoyed this book, and cannot wait to find out how the story continues to develop, twist inward on itself, and finally conclude.
Its definitely a conspiracy theory novel, but the author did an excellent job of keeping it well within the realm of "possible," if not "plausible" in many aspects. Who doesn't wonder from time to time, (let's keep it real here, we don't consume ourselves with it) what's really going on behind the closed doors of government, medical research, big business, and other well-funded organizations? The story is complex, with many twists and turns, and the information is doled out in small bits, enough to keep you guessing right to the last sentence. And if its not already in the works, I could easily see this becoming a movie.
I truly enjoyed this book, and cannot wait to find out how the story continues to develop, twist inward on itself, and finally conclude.
February 25, 2022
This is a great book and I've given it as gifts. Fun thriller with some weak spots. The loving detail paid to Kilroy's computer fetish is a little overdone for any reader who actually knows how to use one, and I'm surprised all the other characters require so much explanation in that area.
It only gets four stars because I prefer the podcast version; some of the edits for print don't agree with me. I'm not sure why two characters in the finale were swapped so casually between the podcast and the book; a lot of dialogue lost context and it diminished the previously apparent individuality of the characters.
It only gets four stars because I prefer the podcast version; some of the edits for print don't agree with me. I'm not sure why two characters in the finale were swapped so casually between the podcast and the book; a lot of dialogue lost context and it diminished the previously apparent individuality of the characters.
February 10, 2009
This book I got off of Podiobooks and it was terrific. I can't wait to get myself into the next one in this serie.
The book starts with the President of the U.S being murdered by a 4 year old boy. The suspense builds when 7 men from different areas are kidnapped and held captive...where they find that the kidnapping is only one of the many things that they have in common. Together, these seven men must stop one man from this evil plan.
The book starts with the President of the U.S being murdered by a 4 year old boy. The suspense builds when 7 men from different areas are kidnapped and held captive...where they find that the kidnapping is only one of the many things that they have in common. Together, these seven men must stop one man from this evil plan.
November 22, 2009
I have followed J.C. Hutchins's journey to getting this book published since early 2007. Very well written, keeps your attention, and hard to put down. I highly recommend this book. For an additional treat, check out the podiobook version as well as a large amount of additional material at www.jchutchins.net.
May 25, 2017
I managed to find this book on a table full of free books at a convention some time ago and tucked it away in my “to read” pile. Now that I’ve finished most of the Goodreads giveaways I have received, I decided to give it a read. With nothing other than the title (which doesn’t tell me much) and the cover (which gives a little more information), I really didn’t know what to expect from this book. Since it was on a table of free books, I didn’t have much expectation for it, but boy did it ever deliver!
With a fantastically engaging idea and a blisteringly fast execution, 7th Son: Descent pulled me in from the get go and wouldn’t let go. Action! Espionage! Science! Without ever becoming too mired in the details (but providing enough to have the plot make sense), this book successfully made a story about cloning that wasn’t trite or cliché. The ideas and characters contained within were definitely too big for this book, since many of the sub-plots were introduced, but never concluded. Still, there was enough of a conclusion to this book to leave me satisfied without it being too much of a cliffhanger.
My one qualm with 7th Son: Descent, other than the brief, horrifying moment of implied violence involving a pneumatic socket wrench, was that there were almost too many characters. I understand that there needed to be a well-rounded group of clones, but I honestly couldn’t tell you anything significant or memorable about at least two of them. I mean, you have the free-spirited musician, the conspiracy-nut hacker, the gay marine, the priest, and the egomaniac criminal psychologist, but I guess the U.N. employee and the other guy (I can’t even remember what he did) didn’t stand out to me. Maybe they play a bigger role in the later books, but they seemed undeveloped in this one.
An excellent, action-packed science fiction book that left me wanting more, I give 7th Son: Descent 4.5 stars out of 5.
For more reviews of books and movies like this, please visit www.benjamin-m-weilert.com
With a fantastically engaging idea and a blisteringly fast execution, 7th Son: Descent pulled me in from the get go and wouldn’t let go. Action! Espionage! Science! Without ever becoming too mired in the details (but providing enough to have the plot make sense), this book successfully made a story about cloning that wasn’t trite or cliché. The ideas and characters contained within were definitely too big for this book, since many of the sub-plots were introduced, but never concluded. Still, there was enough of a conclusion to this book to leave me satisfied without it being too much of a cliffhanger.
My one qualm with 7th Son: Descent, other than the brief, horrifying moment of implied violence involving a pneumatic socket wrench, was that there were almost too many characters. I understand that there needed to be a well-rounded group of clones, but I honestly couldn’t tell you anything significant or memorable about at least two of them. I mean, you have the free-spirited musician, the conspiracy-nut hacker, the gay marine, the priest, and the egomaniac criminal psychologist, but I guess the U.N. employee and the other guy (I can’t even remember what he did) didn’t stand out to me. Maybe they play a bigger role in the later books, but they seemed undeveloped in this one.
An excellent, action-packed science fiction book that left me wanting more, I give 7th Son: Descent 4.5 stars out of 5.
For more reviews of books and movies like this, please visit www.benjamin-m-weilert.com
March 9, 2018
I really enjoyed the first book (in what I understand to be a trilogy, I have found the 2nd book...not the 3rd). This book was originally self published and read by the author. I found a digital copy on IBooks and sat down to read. What a concept! Well before it's time, 7th son Descent, leads readers down a rabbit hole of suspense and technology that's definitely worthy of Sci-Fi Tech, Horror, and top- notch suspense!
The premise is that 7 men have been living lies for the first 30 years of their lives. A marine, a priest, a nomadic jack of all trades, a PhD in Criminal Psychology about to launch a new book on Larry King, a geneticist, a UN Investigator, and a computer hacker who goes by Kilroy 2.0, all share the same set of characteristics. They all have the same features, (albeit different 'looks' and body types), they all have the same childhood memories up until they turn 15, the same set of parents, and the same Aunt & Uncle they went to live with after their parents died. After that, their paths diverge.
Come to find out, they were part of a secret project called the 7th son. After that the shocking revelations of their origins, their childhood memories, just become worse.
Well worth a read.
The premise is that 7 men have been living lies for the first 30 years of their lives. A marine, a priest, a nomadic jack of all trades, a PhD in Criminal Psychology about to launch a new book on Larry King, a geneticist, a UN Investigator, and a computer hacker who goes by Kilroy 2.0, all share the same set of characteristics. They all have the same features, (albeit different 'looks' and body types), they all have the same childhood memories up until they turn 15, the same set of parents, and the same Aunt & Uncle they went to live with after their parents died. After that, their paths diverge.
Come to find out, they were part of a secret project called the 7th son. After that the shocking revelations of their origins, their childhood memories, just become worse.
Well worth a read.
November 9, 2017
Compelling but cliche-ridden book version of a B-grade action adventure movie. The sort where you wish they had sacrificed one special effect for a writer. Gaping plot holes and plot leaps that make it impossible for the listener to suspend disbelief. And I'm not referring to the premise of the seven clones and alpha who goes rogue, but the way the clones violently ripped from their normal lives quickly fall in with their abductors plans to work together to capture the alpha, and the way they are able and allowed to lead a team of elite soldiers on a high risk mission. Plus the hacking bs.
October 30, 2017
I haven't actually read the print version of this book. But back in the day, when J.C. Hutchins was breaking new ground by serializing this novel in podcast form, I became hooked from the first episode. This highly original sci-fi tale about clones and conspiracies kept me enraptured on my daily work commute, and when I saw that it's out in paperback, I immediately marked it as Want to Read. I can't wait to revisit this highly entertaining story in book form.
September 4, 2019
This wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. And I had to vent to my friend about how schizophrenia worked while reading this. I really wanted to like it. I kept giving it chances, trying to have an open mind. I just couldn't enjoy it. Maybe it's someone else's cup of tea. But it's really not mine. I don't want to give one star, because I don't know that it was bad. It just wasn't for me.
October 3, 2023
7th son still after all these years still amazes me. JC Hutchins storytelling keeps me glued to the pages. I am always recommending his work. I seek out all his works available to read. It is my wish to hope one day see 7th son on the big screen.
April 1, 2024
This was okay, the clones all having similar names made it hard to keep track of it. I also felt like the mission was rushed into and not explained too much why it was so important, the dots needed connecting a bit better.
November 12, 2017
Crazy premise that doesn’t seem too far off in the future.
December 25, 2020
Found the story hard to follow by audio - don't know how many times he said "said"- will try the written word.
August 2, 2021
Great listen - "read" it on the original podcast feed from 2007 again. Kept me as engaged as the first time, only I didn't have to wait for the next episode this time.
December 8, 2021
A solid, not too sci-fi sci-fi novel, interesting premise. The author reads it well!
June 24, 2022
Overall the story has good premise and storyline however I found it really started to drag on and I skim read the last half. Definitely not in a rush to read the 2nd and 3rd novels
November 25, 2023
Listened to the podcast series as read by the author. Good voice acting. Interesting premise and story. Not keen on getting into a whole series but I'll probably at least try book 2.
May 27, 2015
What has caught me is the mental intrigue. It was like a psychological battlefield for these men! What they learn and have to twist to keep people safe by finding John Alpha. The mystery and history behind the 7th Son project. The conspiracy grows, widening, and the feel that we've not even come to the point of knowing all that happens here or why. There are bread crumbs dropped and I'm working at putting the puzzle together. I like this. It's a story to think as I'm listening, digest, and think as it goes.
I have already downloaded book 2: Deceit and will be listening to it as soon as tomorrow. I have to know how deep this and the conspiracy goes!
****FULL REVIEW****
Seven men are approached and not given a choose about going with the abrupt men who are sent to retrieve them. These men will learn they were put on this Earth with a reason in mind. An experiment. They are part of a secret project, 7th Son. When they are told the pieces they need to know of their creation they will have to come to terms with the fact that half of their lives are not their own. And the memories they share, which belong to another called John Alpha, is what will help them bond together and use their individual expert fields of professions to find the man that the facility feels is responsible for the presidents death. The knowledge John Alpha contains, of them and of the project, will be a challenge for them as they work together to find and collect him, before more die.
Wow. The start! The visual holds you on every word. To start with such an event as the President's death... and how it was done along with WHO! I was hooked to learn what was going on.
We get the story through the seven clones. It was rather easy to keep up with who was who as I went. When we meet each man we saw they each have a distinct personality, and each are completely different from the others in life, job, personality, and even in their abduction. Even as early as chapter 2, I knew each man as he was talking. I was amazed (early on and through out the book) with how easily I caught on to the clones so early. If I happened to start to blend the men J.C. Hutchins seemed to know that. The author would drop a distinct characteristic that told me who was talking or being talked to. J.C. has done an amazing job of making each character their own and memorable as he's moved the story on, and the plot deepened.
We spend time with the seven men as they came to grips with what they learn of themselves, the parents they remember, and the aunt and uncle that raised them. Then there was this whole facility and the psychotic John Alpha. In this form we learn of the men and the science project they are. But, we all know not all the details are shared... and the clones come to grips with who they are in order to solve the riddles John Alpha has left them, and try to stop his crazy rampage.
Oh, this story could soooo be a tv series. To watch and never knowing where Alpha was, or who he would be... Yes, could be a show to catch our attention and keep us guessing. I even thought Dollhouse fans might enjoy this book.
This story has a few action moments, but what has caught me is the mental intrigue. It was like a psychological battlefield for these men! What they learn and have to twist to keep people safe by finding John Alpha. The mystery and history behind the 7th Son project. The conspiracy grows, widening, and the feel that we've not even come to the point of knowing all that happens here or why. There are bread crumbs dropped and I'm working at putting the puzzle together. I like this. It's a story to think as I'm listening, digest, and think as it goes.
I have already downloaded book 2: Deceit and will be listening to it as soon as tomorrow. I have to know how deep this and the conspiracy goes!
I have already downloaded book 2: Deceit and will be listening to it as soon as tomorrow. I have to know how deep this and the conspiracy goes!
****FULL REVIEW****
Seven men are approached and not given a choose about going with the abrupt men who are sent to retrieve them. These men will learn they were put on this Earth with a reason in mind. An experiment. They are part of a secret project, 7th Son. When they are told the pieces they need to know of their creation they will have to come to terms with the fact that half of their lives are not their own. And the memories they share, which belong to another called John Alpha, is what will help them bond together and use their individual expert fields of professions to find the man that the facility feels is responsible for the presidents death. The knowledge John Alpha contains, of them and of the project, will be a challenge for them as they work together to find and collect him, before more die.
Wow. The start! The visual holds you on every word. To start with such an event as the President's death... and how it was done along with WHO! I was hooked to learn what was going on.
We get the story through the seven clones. It was rather easy to keep up with who was who as I went. When we meet each man we saw they each have a distinct personality, and each are completely different from the others in life, job, personality, and even in their abduction. Even as early as chapter 2, I knew each man as he was talking. I was amazed (early on and through out the book) with how easily I caught on to the clones so early. If I happened to start to blend the men J.C. Hutchins seemed to know that. The author would drop a distinct characteristic that told me who was talking or being talked to. J.C. has done an amazing job of making each character their own and memorable as he's moved the story on, and the plot deepened.
We spend time with the seven men as they came to grips with what they learn of themselves, the parents they remember, and the aunt and uncle that raised them. Then there was this whole facility and the psychotic John Alpha. In this form we learn of the men and the science project they are. But, we all know not all the details are shared... and the clones come to grips with who they are in order to solve the riddles John Alpha has left them, and try to stop his crazy rampage.
Oh, this story could soooo be a tv series. To watch and never knowing where Alpha was, or who he would be... Yes, could be a show to catch our attention and keep us guessing. I even thought Dollhouse fans might enjoy this book.
This story has a few action moments, but what has caught me is the mental intrigue. It was like a psychological battlefield for these men! What they learn and have to twist to keep people safe by finding John Alpha. The mystery and history behind the 7th Son project. The conspiracy grows, widening, and the feel that we've not even come to the point of knowing all that happens here or why. There are bread crumbs dropped and I'm working at putting the puzzle together. I like this. It's a story to think as I'm listening, digest, and think as it goes.
I have already downloaded book 2: Deceit and will be listening to it as soon as tomorrow. I have to know how deep this and the conspiracy goes!
April 23, 2010
I've had quite a bit of fun lately listening to SF audiobooks on my iPhone, and 7th Son is one of the most notable things I've listened to lately. Audio is the form I mostly dealt with it in, although it's critical to mention as well that Book 1 of this story is available in print and ebook form. Once I got far enough into this story that I realized I did in fact want to own a copy, I snatched up the ebook. If you like SF-flavored thrillers, it's definitely worth your time.
The story starts off with a literal bang: the shot of the gun that takes out the President of the United States. What shocks the nation even more than the assassination is the assailant: a four year old boy who mysteriously dies days later. And in the aftermath of this, seven men leading seemingly disparate and unrelated lives are abruptly snatched up by a top-secret government agency, brought together, and set to the task of finding the mastermind who brought about the President's demise.
This would have been shock enough to the seven men, but far greater a shock is their discovery that they resemble one another enough to be identical brothers, modulo external physical differences. They soon learn that this is because they haven't led natural lives at all--they are clones, and moreover, they're the clones of the man they've been brought together to seek.
I say all this because it's not really spoilery. Much of the initial stretch of the story has to do with the seven clones all reacting to the shock of this discovery. Because there are many viewpoint characters here, and because each of the seven men gets the story of their abduction told, the real action does take a bit to get underway. Especially if you're listening to the audio version. Have patience, though; things continue to get quite intriguing, and as you get periodic glimpses of what mastermind John Alpha is up to, there's a lovely sense of impending dread as all of his machinations go on while the clones are still trying to figure each other out.
In the audio version, author J.C Hutchins does an excellent job reading each chapter. Things are spiced up as well with guest narrators coming in on many of the later chapters to summarize previous action for you, and there are nicely spaced musical hits in between major scenes to maintain the mood. The audio is definitely worth listening to. But on the other hand, don't discount buying a print or ebook version, either. The official released book is just different enough from the older audio version that it's intriguing to wonder what led to the decision to shift certain things around. Without getting too spoilery, I'll simply note that you might be on the lookout for two of the major characters swapping roles as to who does what in the final third of the story.
Overall this was a gripping little narrative, sometimes with slower pacing than most modern thriller fans might like. But it helps to keep in mind as well that this is only Book 1 of a true trilogy, and that Books 2 and 3 eventually continue and conclude the overall adventure. Unfortunately Book 1 is the only installment of the trilogy that's in print, and the only one expected to be released--but if you like the audio version at all, support J.C. Hutchins by buying the print or ebook version! Four stars.
The story starts off with a literal bang: the shot of the gun that takes out the President of the United States. What shocks the nation even more than the assassination is the assailant: a four year old boy who mysteriously dies days later. And in the aftermath of this, seven men leading seemingly disparate and unrelated lives are abruptly snatched up by a top-secret government agency, brought together, and set to the task of finding the mastermind who brought about the President's demise.
This would have been shock enough to the seven men, but far greater a shock is their discovery that they resemble one another enough to be identical brothers, modulo external physical differences. They soon learn that this is because they haven't led natural lives at all--they are clones, and moreover, they're the clones of the man they've been brought together to seek.
I say all this because it's not really spoilery. Much of the initial stretch of the story has to do with the seven clones all reacting to the shock of this discovery. Because there are many viewpoint characters here, and because each of the seven men gets the story of their abduction told, the real action does take a bit to get underway. Especially if you're listening to the audio version. Have patience, though; things continue to get quite intriguing, and as you get periodic glimpses of what mastermind John Alpha is up to, there's a lovely sense of impending dread as all of his machinations go on while the clones are still trying to figure each other out.
In the audio version, author J.C Hutchins does an excellent job reading each chapter. Things are spiced up as well with guest narrators coming in on many of the later chapters to summarize previous action for you, and there are nicely spaced musical hits in between major scenes to maintain the mood. The audio is definitely worth listening to. But on the other hand, don't discount buying a print or ebook version, either. The official released book is just different enough from the older audio version that it's intriguing to wonder what led to the decision to shift certain things around. Without getting too spoilery, I'll simply note that you might be on the lookout for two of the major characters swapping roles as to who does what in the final third of the story.
Overall this was a gripping little narrative, sometimes with slower pacing than most modern thriller fans might like. But it helps to keep in mind as well that this is only Book 1 of a true trilogy, and that Books 2 and 3 eventually continue and conclude the overall adventure. Unfortunately Book 1 is the only installment of the trilogy that's in print, and the only one expected to be released--but if you like the audio version at all, support J.C. Hutchins by buying the print or ebook version! Four stars.
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