First up, this book wins an accolade that no subsequent work can ever take away from it, (cue drumroll):
Immortal, by Dean Crawford is the first digital book I've finished.
There you go. Now onto the review.
As a writer of thrillers, I feel the need to see what's being picked up by publishers out there (and, in this case, being given away free at Starbucks).
And this was OK. Three stars.
Biggest plus points: the quality of the writing, the smooth flow, the varied vocab, the attention to detail.
On the downside, I wasn't really feeling every blow with the lead characters (Ethan and Lopez). I got that Lopez was sexy, sassy, a bit of a loose cannon, and that Ethan was carrying some baggage concerning his missing girlfriend. But it wasn't until Ethan got in touch with his father at the end that he started to become a fully-rounded character.
I also found there was way too much exposition delivered in rambling character monologues that were overflowing with technical details.
But, the concept was strong, the start beguiling, and the whole story a little far-fetched for some tastes maybe, though not mine. I also think the author captured the tone of voice and vocab of the civil war vets brilliantly, somewhat pouring scorn on my belief that not all characters in literature speak with a different voice.
Biggest surprise? That the author is English and lives in Surrey (the story is totally set in the USA, and the author knows plenty of details about the landscapes there).
Since my screenwriting days, I've always known that for the best chance of anything getting picked up by Hollywood, it's best to set some or all of your story in the US, or at least to have a key character who's American. It's a lesson Mr Crawford has certainly learnt.
Billed as the Michael Crichton for the next generation, he's got a lot to live up to.
Immortal, by Dean Crawford is the first digital book I've finished.
There you go. Now onto the review.
As a writer of thrillers, I feel the need to see what's being picked up by publishers out there (and, in this case, being given away free at Starbucks).
And this was OK. Three stars.
Biggest plus points: the quality of the writing, the smooth flow, the varied vocab, the attention to detail.
On the downside, I wasn't really feeling every blow with the lead characters (Ethan and Lopez). I got that Lopez was sexy, sassy, a bit of a loose cannon, and that Ethan was carrying some baggage concerning his missing girlfriend. But it wasn't until Ethan got in touch with his father at the end that he started to become a fully-rounded character.
I also found there was way too much exposition delivered in rambling character monologues that were overflowing with technical details.
But, the concept was strong, the start beguiling, and the whole story a little far-fetched for some tastes maybe, though not mine. I also think the author captured the tone of voice and vocab of the civil war vets brilliantly, somewhat pouring scorn on my belief that not all characters in literature speak with a different voice.
Biggest surprise? That the author is English and lives in Surrey (the story is totally set in the USA, and the author knows plenty of details about the landscapes there).
Since my screenwriting days, I've always known that for the best chance of anything getting picked up by Hollywood, it's best to set some or all of your story in the US, or at least to have a key character who's American. It's a lesson Mr Crawford has certainly learnt.
Billed as the Michael Crichton for the next generation, he's got a lot to live up to.
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