I first heard about this book when "Gabe" from
Penny-Arcade gave it a quick review on their site. I've been reading PA for about a decade. Even though their site isn't dedicated to
books, those guys have a lot of the same nerdy sensibilities I do - it's why I
like their work so much - so I gave the book a shot. Plus, it was like three bucks for the Kindle
version.
Totally worth it.
If you're looking for novels you can discuss over cigars and
brandy and that'll look great shelved next to a bunch of other boring-as-crap
classics, then this probably isn't for you.
If you read because you love a good story, then pick up/download this bad
boy. From start to finish, Michael
Siemsen keeps up a quick pace in this story, moving us from one scene to the
next in an almost cinematic way; a style that has become very popular in our movie-going
age.
Matthew, our main character immediately comes across as
likeable, but, somewhat damaged, which creates an automatic connection with the
reader and gives him some depth right off the bat. We follow him along a trek from North
Carolina to Kenya, where he has been contracted to use his psychokinetic
abilities to investigate a mysterious artifact uncovered at an archeological
dig site.
The central characters are certainly fleshed out well enough
for me to believe them, and to get me firmly in their corner throughout the
story (no spoilers here). Siemsen walks
a fine line with the illustration of his central antagonist, making sure that
while we have no doubt who the bad guy is, that he doesn't turn into a
mustache-twirling caricature, which can be the Achilles heel of many fast-paced
stories.
Gabe made a comparison between The Dig and some of Michael
Chrichton's work. I can't verify that as
I haven't read much of Chrichton's stuff, but he meant it as a complement. If you read Chrichton, that comparison may make sense to you.
On the other hand, in the review section on Amazon, I saw some accusations about the story being derivative of The
Dead Zone (due to the psychokinetic thing).
I can guarantee you that's not the case at all. Many stories share similar elements - it's
unavoidable. What matters is the
storytelling, and Seimsen's work stands on its own.
In conclusion: Good
stuff. Seimsen has most definitely set
us up for a series here, and I'd like to see where he takes this.
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