My Digital Soul by Michael McGinty - God Will See You Now! Sci-Fi With A Twist!

My Digital Soul by Michael McGinty

I received a copy of this book for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.

What would you talk to God about if you could meet Him in person? How would that even be possible?

For the characters in My Digital Soul, a new hard science fiction thriller mixed with mythological horror by Michael McGinty, that will give one pause to think about those questions.

I enjoyed this character-driven tale that moved at breakneck speed. There was never a dull moment, and every page contained twists and turns that enhanced the thrill ride to amazing heights.

I'm including the book's blurb from the author:

What awaits in the afterlife beyond the code is not always God’s divine mercy.

Brilliant software engineer Dr. Susan Parker is about to create God in the Machine. Bankrolled by property mogul Brice Woodlands, she has only two years to devise the ingenious technology to digitize human souls and submit them to her virtual God for assessment inside the cyber-sphere.

Five troubled strangers—a high-class escort and prodigal daughter, a war refugee burdened by terrible guilt, a reckless eco-warrior, a financial guru who believes he might be God, and Brice’s brother, Bryan—all desperate to meet God, volunteer to upload their souls to the prototype. But the expected paradise descends into chaos when a malevolent construct exposes their darkest failings and casts them into twisted versions of binary Hell.

Battling their inner demons and tormented by devils forged from legend, their quest for absolution becomes a fight for survival. Friendships form, sacrifices are made, and unlikely heroes emerge. But can they overcome the malefic force born from source code and haunted by divine ambition?

Blending speculative technology, mythological horror, and spiritual reckoning, My Digital Soul is a harrowing, genre-bending tale of sin, remorse, and the search for forgiveness in a simulated world where the deepest secrets of your soul are laid bare.

While the entire story is great, I found getting to know the characters in the beginning of the book the most enjoyable for me. The five people driving the plot are all interesting, and are all flawed and/or scarred in some way.

Susan is a brilliant software engineer who is given the task of creating God in the machine. She, and her assistant work to make the code behave according to the instructions of the person who hired her and is paying a premium for her services.

An upper-class escort call girl named Roxy pursues a man from her past. The meeting does not end well.

Ahmad is desperate to save his family when the government in his home country falls. What he does to escape will haunt him for the rest of his natural life.

Rebecca cares about the environment and is willing to go to dangerous lengths to force change.

Thomas is an investment banker who makes himself and his friends rich at great expense to others.

And finally, Bryan, an old man with a terminal medical condition, who wants to know what awaits him in the afterlife.

These people have their own reasons for getting involved in the enormous project that takes a heavy toll on Susan.

My favorite plot point in My Digital Soul is character development. The characters mentioned above are all well developed, and the way they were written made me feel bad for them. I didn't see them as evil people, but rather as people who made some reprehensible mistakes in their lives. They will be forced to look at what they did and evaluate themselves.

But then, there are also the characters I did not mention. There is a virus-like being in the machine, as well as mythological characters who look to take advantage of the people entering the machine to meet God. These mythological characters add a spice to the story, taking it over the top, in a good way.

As I read through the story, I couldn't help but think of it as a modern-day, artificial intelligence adult version of The Wizard of Oz. The more I read, the more the theme of being on a quest of self-discovery surfaced. Now, please don't misunderstand; the tale does not parallel the old story by Frank Baum; it is definitely not a rewrite. This is just one aspect that stood out to me. Your mileage, of course, may vary.

My takeaway from My Digital Soul comes from Plato's account of Socrates’ trial for impiety and corruption. The quote is: "An unexamined life is not worth living."

I think what the philosopher was telling us is that each of us should spend time in introspection of our lives. The question to ponder is, am I living the kind of life I want people to remember?

But that's just me.

My Digital Soul is an entertaining, character-driven story I could not stop reading. I loved the character development and how the tapestry of the tale was woven around them. The science is accessible to the average reader, and the mythology has an interesting modern twist. This is one of the best artificial intelligence stories I have read to date, and I look forward to future projects by this author from Down Under. I recommend My Digital Soul to anyone who likes a well-written, fun story full of action and unexpected plot twists.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Born and raised in Kalgoorlie, in the goldfields of Western Australia, I moved to Perth in the late 70s to study for a Bachelor of Engineering Degree (in Electronics) at Curtin University (or WAIT in the olden ☹ days).

With a good science fiction novel in hand and a lifelong passion for technology and innovation, I have always imagined a future for humanity built around technologies that might seem impossible today, yet possible when we imagine tomorrow.

When not writing, I run a software development company (https://www.cyinnovations.com), love 70s heavy rock music, and cheer on my beloved West Coast Eagles AFL team. And I often go fishing in the Australian never-never.

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A Scarred Drifter by Sotto Voce - Great Post-Apocalyptic Story Telling

A Scarred Drifter by Sotto Voce

Some scars are on the surface; some are on the inside. A Scarred Drifter is about a young man who has scars both inside and out trying to make his way in a world where circumstances have gone even beyond a simple subsistence existence to a real fight to stay alive. What makes this story unique is that the author spins the story in a way that reflects his pen name of Sotto Voce. Those of us who are musicians know the Italian term, sotto voce, to mean "in a subtle or quiet voice." While the writing style for this tale’s narrative is in a subtle voice, the events in this tale are anything but understated. This is one of those not to be missed stories written in a deep, sensitive way. The world-building is incredible, the characters feel real, and there are twists and turns galore that explore the human condition under dire circumstances. There isn't anything about this book I didn't like.

This tale follows the life of Cole Patterson from the age of 8 to 27. As a youngster, he spends his days playing around and near the sea where he learns to swim well and learns to navigate a boat. He is a good fisherman and helps to feed his family from the bounty of the sea, and he learns how to build at the elbow of his dad. For the most part, life is pretty good as he plays along the beach with his friends. That is, until one day when the realities of adult life force his family to relocate. Between climate change and artificial intelligence, the economy crashes, and people are thrown out of work. Nearly everyone is trying to carve a living out of nothing.

Then, disaster strikes, and the social structure disintegrates, giving way to chaos, and the only way to survive is at the expense of others.

Cole is forced to strike out on his own to find a new place to make a life. There are overwhelming challenges at every turn, and it's going to take an abundance of fortitude and wit just to live.

As the tale unfolds, we follow Cole during his adventures as a boy and into the difficult teen years, and finally into adulthood. He is a good kid, but he is also a tough kid. Cole has a lot of compassion, but when threatened, he can be a vicious opponent. He is well liked by most people that know him, but some fear him with good reason. Cole doesn't set out to hurt anyone who hasn't hurt him. He is not a coward, but prefers to avoid conflict if he can, but unfortunately, there are those who back him into a corner and that is when his anger issues emerge, and there is no half-way when he retaliates against those that attack him, or those he cares about.

Cole's character is well developed and will draw the reader in from the first page and keep one hanging all the way to the end. There are triumphs to make the reader applaud, defeats to get down about, and sadness to make one shed tears.

My favorite point of plot is how the story unfolds in four parts. It opens with a peek into the recent past, then goes into the more distant past and brings the story up to the present. This arrangement allows the reader to become familiar with the character, then reveals what events and people shape him as he encounters others on his journeys. The way it is presented was the hook that drove me forward for the rest of the book.

The principal theme that stood out for me was the main character searching for a place he could belong. There are a number of different social arrangements shown in the book, so Cole had to find what worked for him. The reader goes on this journey with the character as though we are looking over his shoulder and able to hear what goes on in his mind. His search also led him to make several choices, and like any good solid story, the hero is flawed and doesn't always make good choices. As a result, this story is believable, and maybe even a little prophetic.

My takeaway from A Scarred Drifter is a reminder that life is full of choices, and choices have consequences.

A Scarred Drifter is a post-apocalyptic story set beginning in the very near future. The world-building is amazing, the characters feel like real people, and the story is told so well, anyone who is a fan of this type of storytelling will enjoy it. If you are not careful, and pay attention, you also might learn from this tale. It is full of surprises, not all of which are pleasant. There are some descriptions of violence that may be disconcerting to some, but I think it helps advance the story and is not gratuitous.

Highest Recommendations!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hi, I am Sotto.

It is my shadow in my profile picture, taken fourteen years ago. I was around 3000 meters high (approx. 10000 feet) on a mountain called Rinjani. It was near dawn, and I was about to miss the sunrise on the peak as it was still a distance (vertical!) away. The terrain was difficult; I wasn't in tip-top condition since I hadn't been climbing for a long time. Nearing the peak, I slid down two steps for every three steps I took. It was exhausting; I considered quitting and kept questioning my existence and objective.

I didn't quit and reached there in an embarrassing amount of time. I missed the sunrise but, thankfully, also the sunrise crowd and had the peak all to myself. It was awesome. The mountain has a beautiful turquoise-colored lake in the crater with an active volcano at that time. I've climbed many peaks before, but this one was special, as this was the only peak I had reached alone for the journey and the finale. My climbing buddy had given up. Sitting on the mountain ridge in the darkness, I had my prolonged favorite moment, looking at the stars, embracing the peace and silence.

I love nature; going up the mountains, scaling the cliffs, exploring the deep, and chasing the currents. I haven't had chances for those now for many reasons, but I find an equal, if not more, amount of happiness strolling the beach with my loved ones and my dog, baking, and writing.

Writing is therapeutic, personal, and intimate. Climbing Rinjani is the reflection of my writing journey. It's challenging, and I am not in sync with the current, continuously questioning my existence and objective. I change the 'standard' professional author profile to a ramble. It's not easy for me to be out there, but I aspire to make my writing known and take small baby steps each time to come out of my shell. I can't really change. I don't have a bubbly personality to engage with everyone facetiously and prefer to establish genuine bonds instead. Even though it will take forever and is not ideal, I like to be myself.

English is not my first language, but it's the one that I can comfortably use to express myself the most. Sotto Voce is my pen name, and I love the meaning. It suits me the most.

If you are reading this or reading my works, thank you.

To learn more about Sotto Voce's Work, follow this link: https://www.sottovoceinora.com/

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Grave Chronicles Series By Shannon Knight - Epic Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Grave Chronicles Series by Shannon Knight

Just a short post here to spread the word about a great series by my friend, and extraordinary author, Shannon Knight. I've received copies of all three books for free and am writing this review voluntarily.

The Grave Chronicles series is a sci-fi/ fantasy series set in the future. 

It is important to note that these books are not standalone stories. I urge readers to read the series in order to get the full effect of the story.

The first book of the series is Grave Cold. In it, the reader is introduced to some characters appearing throughout the series. The blurb on the back of the book will give one a sense of what to expect...

Something strange is happening in the District of Portland (DP). As a result, a biting cold is spreading out from the city, expanding into the far wilderness, acting as a beacon for ravens. Most people don’t know that when someone dies, they remain trapped within their bodies until a raven, a long-lived person with a duty to the dead, releases them. For some reason, the cold call of death has expanded so far as to reach Nyle, a raven who hasn’t stepped foot into a city for centuries.

Cait, a beautician in DP with a mysterious problem of her own, has been unable to sleep due to the dead invading her dreams. She decides to camp outside the city walls and meets Nyle, who recognizes her as a necromancer and convinces her to smuggle him in. Together, they discover that the dead of DP are being used as an energy source. They must protect the dead and stop the technology from spreading before the abuse of the dead becomes a worldwide menace and they themselves end up on a laboratory table or trapped in a machine.

In the second book, we are introduced to more characters, and ones we already know are greatly developed. For me, the main theme in Death Rights is fighting for justice in a society stripped of the rights of the living and the dead.

In the final book of the series, Memento Mori Station, the reader moves a thousand years into the future. The raven, Nile, still lives and learns there is a place where he must go to help his friend, and correct a mistake he made. It will take a twenty-year space voyage to complete the tasks, but then, what's two decades for someone who has lived for as long as he has? This one is a space opera the likes of which I found to be marvelous!

Shannon's storytelling defies being placed into a single category and should appeal to a wide range of readers. The Grave Chronicles are loaded with allegory, speaking to moral, ethical, and political issues of the past and present, and hopefully, will speak to the future.

Series Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Shannon Knight lives in the Pacific Northwest with her faithful feline, the best cat on this planet. Their adventurous lives include coffee, reading, ribbon games, and K-dramas.

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Black Void: Nowhere To Run By Paul Yantus - Sci-Fi Action And High Adventure On A Global Scale

Black Void: Nowhere to Run by Paul Yantus

It has been quite a few years since I've read a book like this one. Many years ago, I took a deep-dive into the stories of Dirk Pitt as written by author Clive Cussler. I read everything from Cussler I could get my hands on and loved every one of them. Black Void is a story in that tradition, with high adventure on a global scale in the modern era.

It is a fast-paced story with almost no downtime. The science occurs mostly at the beginning of the story, and the rest is characters doing their best to survive as they are chased all around Europe, and into the United States.

I was entertained while reading and didn't want to stop reading.

If you enjoy a tale of high adventure, readers should find this a thrill-ride that is satisfying. Black Void is part of a planned series of books, but this one will standalone, having a definite end point. But the ending blatantly hints at a sequel that I will watch for.

A group of scientists, mathematicians, and computer experts gather at the CERN Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland to test the theories of a Dr. Greene. The project is headed by a brilliant physicist, Dr. Andrea Coster, who believes what Greene has suggested can be done. The object is to prove that the team can create and control a micro black hole in the laboratory. The way it is first envisioned is not working for various reasons, but the team soon comes up with an alternative idea.

Success!

Well, sort of. The team comes up with a method that works, but it is a tad bit bigger than they had hoped it would be. Their discovery does exactly what a black hole is supposed to do, annihilates all the matter in a radius around it. That includes living matter too. Gone without a trace.

There are those who learn about this discovery and have nefarious reasons for wanting it. Andrea wants to make sure the knowledge never falls into the hands of those who want to use it as a weapon. With the help of an ex-soldier, she has to go on the run to protect the world from getting its hands on something very dangerous.

It isn't easy playing keep-away from a large, very wealthy and ambitious group of people who have eyes and ears everywhere. But for the sake of humankind, she and her companion must find a way.

Andrea Coster is a brilliant scientist who has both a professional and a personal stake in seeing the black hole project is a success. She is good at managing the project and is excellent at managing people, unlike her egotistical boss, Dr. Greene. She is relentless in her pursuit of achieving her goals and has skills beyond being a scientist.

Jack Agnew is an ex-soldier who has seen too much and suffers from PTSD. His skills are beyond those of a common grunt. He has had enough of his former life and just wants a job that doesn't require a lot of death and destruction. His story isn't revealed all immediately, but by bits and pieces through the story. He starts out as the team's liaison officer, but becomes a key character in evading his and Andrea's destruction.

Petra Neumann is a wiz with technology who becomes a guardian angel to Andrea and Jack. She starts as a reclusive person, but Andrea befriends her and she opens up. She is also my favorite character in this story.

Petra is not only my favorite character, but her storyline is my favorite plot point. She is so cool and competent, and she knows her stuff. I hope she is back for the sequel!

My takeaway from Black Void is always to be aware of those who bring you gifts, especially ones that are of great benefit. Usually, the things they are doing for you aren't actually for you; they are more to advance their own agendas, and will eventually come with a very high price tag.

This applies to an unfortunate character who appears in the story's opening. 'Nuff said on that.

As I moved through the story, I wondered how much of the science involved actual fact and what was made up. That is when I went to the author's webpage and started doing some exploring (webpage address below). I found that much of what Yantus writes about is based in fact and was impressed by the amount of research he must have done to bring this story to life. As a matter of fact, there is quite a bit of information on the author's page that one will find interesting and informative, but it also might be a little spoilery, so I might suggest one reads the book before exploring the web page.

While I enjoyed this book, I also found a few plot holes and some things that I wasn't clear about. I will not go into detail about my thoughts on this because I do not want to be misunderstood. As I said, I liked this story, and I think a wide range of sci-fi fans and those who like adventure stories will also enjoy it.

I thought the backdrops provided were described well, and I could picture what was going on in my mind as I read.

This is Paul Yantus's first novel, and it is a good one! I cannot wait to see his growth as a storyteller as he continues to develop his craft. To him I say, keep writing; you did great!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Paul Yantus was born and raised in Detroit. He’s been married for over 30 years and has four children and two dogs.

Paul earned degrees in technology and business. After a successful career as a technology entrepreneur, he has channeled his voracious appetite for technology and science into writing science fiction.

Find more information about Paul and about Black Void on his website: https://paulyantus.com/

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The Photo Jumper (Photo Jumper Series Book 1) by Tony Bible - Low-Tech Sci-fi With A Huge 'Wow' Factor!

The Photo Jumper (Photo Jumper Series Book 1) by Tony Bible

I received a copy of this book for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.

At the outset, I have only one word to describe this book - WOW!

The Photo Jumper is an amazing tale of a man with a special ability allowing him to visit the past by jumping into photographs. This is a character-driven tale of Allister, who has an ability even he doesn't completely understand. It is extremely well written with characters that a reader can care about, descriptions of the settings that come alive, and it is emotionally charged, running a full gamut of the emotional spectrum. I was absorbed in this story from the moment I started reading all the way to the end. This is one of the best books I have read this year so far. Not to be missed.

Allister McClamroch is, more or less, an ordinary guy with an extraordinary ability; he can jump into and out of photographs at will. He can interact with others in those images, and he can even take inanimate objects into and out of photos. While he cannot bring people with him, he can relive old moments and enjoy new experiences that enrich him. There are rules he cannot break. He cannot go into a photo and stay there forever.

But not all is fun and games for him. There are consequences for actions, both good and bad. 

In the real world, he has his share of problems. He is a lonely person, and at times seems like a tragic character. He has a sense of responsibility and works hard to take care of those obligations, sometimes falling short. One thing he is dealing with is an obsession over the death of a high school friend. Allister is determined to see his friend and his friend's family receive the justice that is their due.

But there is also so much more to this tale.

Grayson is a cop. He is also Allister's friend and confidant. The two work to solve cold cases while Allister works to become a private investigator. Then there's Mila. A woman Allister meets completely by chance who becomes someone special in Allister's life.

All the characters in this book are believable as people one might meet anywhere, and they come alive as the reader gets deeper into this tale.

My favorite plot point in Photo Jumper involves character transformation. Every photo Allister jumps into becomes a real place for him, but when he jumps out, everything is reset to what it was before he jumped in. Not only is this a great plot device, but it affords the principal character an opportunity to reflect on his decisions and even make things right for himself. It is difficult to explain without spoiling important aspects of the story, so I'll just leave this right here.

The primary theme of the book, and my takeaway, is while one can be obsessed by past situations, there is always hope for a better future if one can focus on the things in life that are important. The author sums it up in a quote from Buddha: "In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you."

Or perhaps another quote that applies is from Star Trek. Mr. Spock observes in the episode entitled Amok Time...

"After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true."

The Photo Jumper is a well written, highly entertaining sci-fi adventure. I was mesmerized from the start and was never bored, nor did I run into anything that took me out of the story. It unfolds much like a movie would in the reader's mind. The tale is loaded with twists and turns, and I didn't find anything predictable. There are some disturbing moments of violence, but those were not gratuitous and helped to move the story along. The science fiction is on the lighter side, so there are no long-winded explanations of how things work, and there isn't a lot of jargon to bog down the flow of the story. It is one fine story I can recommend for any reader; it has everything one can want from an engaging reading experience. Highest Recommendations!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"Writing stories like no other."

Tony's passion is writing science fiction and fantasy with an emotional punch. Raised with humble beginnings in Georgia, his early childhood limited travel. The only way to experience other places was with voracious reading and imagination. He draws inspiration from fantasy/fiction genres, dreams, comics, the supernatural, and roleplaying games. He applies his degree in world history to deliver relatable but unpredictable storytelling that readers demand.

Tony is never not writing, but breaks away to burn new recipes in the kitchen, neglect chores to obsess over football, and play with his dog. He is based in San Antonio, Texas, happily married, raising two children, and works in the financial industry.

Tony has a lot of future work in progress. Check out his web page at https://tonybible.com/ for more information.

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The Shackleton Signal by Joshua T. Calvert - Fast-Paced Sci-Fi Including High Adventure And Intrigue!

The Shackleton Signal by Joshua T. Calvert

One day, not long ago, I ran across a recommendation for this book on one of the Sci-Fi Facebook groups I follow. The first thing that attracted my attention was the cover. Next was the book's back-cover description. I knew this was one I had to read.

Overall, I enjoyed this book immensely. It opens with action and continues at a high-speed pace all the way to the ending. There was never a spot where it was dull. The 415 pages (Kindle edition) flowed by so smoothly, I lost track of time reading. The characters are all believable, and I found myself caring about several of them as the story unfolded. I especially enjoyed the science presented in the book and how the author embellished it with his own plausible license to bring it all together.

There are two main plots in Shackleton Signal, and they are both exciting and follow different themes that come together at the end.

An alien signal is received by an orbiting lunar satellite, and the race is on!

As the NASA satellite, Sentinel 1, passes over the Shackleton Crater at the moon's south pole, it receives a signal that scientists on earth can only assume is from an alien civilization. It is presumed the signal is coming from an object deep in the crater that has often been thought of as a possible landing site for future Lunar missions because of the possible resources lying at the cold, dark bottom of the crater.

The US is determined to be the first to uncover the secrets of this monumental discovery, but so is the Chinese space agency. There are sacrifices to me made and what is discovered may have some consequences for humankind itself if the missions are not handled correctly.

There are a lot of great characters, but the tale focuses on two appearing in their own plot lines.

Astronaut Charlie Reid is a compassionate former soldier who is chosen as a member of the American crew to investigate the origin of the signal from Shackleton. He is well trained and competent, as well as quite resourceful. All his skills come into play as his mission to the moon develops, and there is no certainty of his survival at the end of it all.

On Earth, it falls to Major Rebecca Hinrichs, an intelligence officer from the Pentagon, to root out several irregularities surrounding the discovery of the Shackleton signal. As she uncovers layer upon layer, her mission becomes more dangerous. Her survival also comes into question as the story unfolds.

These two characters are joined by several others with differing personalities and personal opinions. Calvert did a great job in creating people that drive the story forward and make the book an entertaining read. 

My favorite point of the plot in The Shackleton Signal is also my takeaway from the story.

As we stand on the shores of the cosmic ocean, there are endless discoveries to be made. There is no single person, or even a single nation, that can make those discoveries. In order for humans to make those discoveries, we must resolve ourselves to setting aside our inherent nationalism and learn to work together.

Thanks to Carl Sagan for the shores of the cosmic ocean metaphor.

To say anymore here would be to reveal major spoilers, so I'll just leave it here.

As mentioned before, I found this to be a great read. There is high tension as events unfold. There is tragedy and triumph. And there are elements of the story that will hopefully make one think about the future of human exploration of space. I think The Shackleton Signal would be a thrilling read for any Sci-Fi fan, or it might even be a story any reader of any genre might enjoy. The technical aspects are quite accessible to anyone.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Joshua T. Calvert is an award-winning author whose books have sold more than one million copies. He has traveled the world—on foot, by Jeep, by bicycle, by motorcycle, and lots of other ways besides. As you might imagine, he’s seen many things most people never see – including an Iranian prison cell, from the inside! In Kyrgyzstan, he fared slightly better, narrowly avoiding being kidnapped for ransom. Skydiver, scuba diver, martial artist, adventurer – his goal is to experience everything possible and then make it real to you in his books. And he’s made a good run of it so far: in the Philippines, he did police training on multiple types of firearms (despite being no fan of guns himself); dove in Asian waters among sharks and shipwrecks; and patrolled with Sumatran jungle rangers.

That’s what defines Calvert’s approach to method writing: pushing himself beyond his own limits, to experience first-hand what his characters experience, to make your immersion in his stories as deep as it can be.

For Ganymede Rises, after a slight detour with some smugglers in the deserts of Uzbekistan and the steppes of Mongolia, he traveled by dogsled and snowshoe to the Arctic Circle to experience first-hand what it’s like to be utterly isolated in the coldest place on Earth. For his book The Fossil, he sat with professional pilots in flight simulators for Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft to learn what it’s like to fly a passenger jet. His latest adventure: a parabolic flight with European Space Agency astronauts, to experience zero-gravity. All so he can describe it to you, in his own words.

You can see Joshua's other books and sign up for his newsletter at https://www.joshuatcalvert.com/

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The Scientist: A Monster's Resentment By Scott F. Jarvie - Fast-Paced Story Loaded With Ultra-Violence

The Scientist: A Monster's Resentment by Scott F. Jarvie

I learned about this book when the author mentioned it in a social media post. I was curious and looked it up to see what it was about. The next thing that attracted my attention was the opening of the book's description, "Duncan is your typical high school science teacher." So, with that, I knew I had to read this one, but I wasn't expecting the story I got.

The term "rollercoaster ride" is one I seen and used to describe books before, and it applies to this tale. It starts out slowly, like the cars of a coaster climbing to the top of the first big drop in the ride and transitions into a never-ending series of twists, turns, and surprises barely giving the reader time to breathe with scene after scene of breathtaking discovery.

The characters are named mostly by their roles in the crew and how they behave, with the Scientist (aka Phillip Duncan) leading the group. The adventures in this story are quite violent for the most part. Some are absolutely heinous. I would advise the reader to pay attention to the warnings included below.

One thing missing, at least for me, was the reason for the character's abhorrent behaviors. The book ends with a cliffhanger that leads to the second book in the series, which I intend to read at some point in the future. Scientist gives the who, what, where, and how, but I guess that the why will become clear in the next installment. Or, at least I hope so.

I am finding this book difficult to discuss without spoiling too much. So, I will leave the blurb for this one here...

"Duncan is your typical high school science teacher. His classes are large. His school is underfunded. His students are unacademic. And his war crimes are horrific."

"When his hiding place on Earth is discovered, Duncan reemerges as ‘the Scientist’ and teams up with the galaxy’s most wanted to right his past mistakes."

"Pushing through his panic attacks, he leads an interstellar expedition to prove that he isn’t the worst tyrant in the galaxy … even if he is."

Added to that, the author includes a few trigger warnings...

"Contains: Child Death, Death, Graphic Violence, PTSD, Misogyny, Murder, Torture, War."

Philip Duncan is an individual hiding from justice and posing as a high school science teacher. The story opens with him teaching a class about sublimation using dry ice. His class is filled with disrespectful, out-of-control students. My thought right off the bat is that Philip must have skipped the classroom management parts of his teacher training.

When a student gets ahold of some of the dry ice and makes a bomb with it and a plastic bottle, Duncan steps in and prevents the student from becoming injured, as any teacher would do. However, he is accused of abusing the student and summarily fired by his neurotic principal.

He goes home and there are a series of bizarre incidents leading to his leaving Earth and resuming his role as the Scientist. A mass murdering gang leader who commits, or causes others to commit, one deplorable act after another.

But Duncan and most of his henchpersons don't seem to be as intrinsically as evil as they appear. They have feelings, even some regret at times.

They are a very confusing lot.

One strength in Scientist is the character development the author presents. I understand the characters, but only up to a point.

My favorite point of the plot, outside the opening scenes depicting Duncan as a ne're-do-well teacher, is the dialog between him and his collection of criminals. The banter between characters helps to lighten the otherwise dark mood this book could have been presented in. Without the humor, I don't think I could have gotten through the story, at least not as quickly as I did.

As far as humor is concerned, I really enjoyed the observations of the character called Philosopher. 'nuff said.

I would recommend this book to readers who will heed the warnings from the author about the content and are prepared to read the second book in the series.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Scott is an award-winning filmmaker and writer specializing in Science Fiction and Fantasy stories that focus on neurodiversity and humanity.

Well, there it is...

Qapla!