Amazing, realistic, and possible
345862
The entire series was well written. Immediately taken to an enlightened world of enjoyment. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts that have turned into a well deserved and award winning success.
849219
Mr. Kern has managed to write a very believable future for humanity. The best and most believable aspect of which is how he managed not to fall into creating a black and white picture casting his characters into the role of either hero or villain. His resistance to that trap has created characters with an amazing resemblance to actual, real human beings! Bravo!

I am enthusiastically awaiting more from this author.
2697585
A provocatively realistic glimpse of our possible future told in a strong manner with excellent character development.  The plot line is simple and yet terrifying possible.  The ruination of our nation because of the ignorance and excesses of politicians - if you don't believe it's possible take a look around you and then read some of the non-fiction material by David Walker, the former comptroller general of the United States.  We are quickly heading down the path described in this book and a second great depression looms as a real possibility.

The downside to this book?  There is a sequel and it isn't published yet!!!  This is another very good indie author with a well edited book who we can only hope gets the follow-up out quickly (hint:  QUICKLY).  Too many really good independent authors write one book and either because it doesn't sell as well as they hoped, or they only had one good story in them, and another book never gets written.  Please don't let that happen here!
3694953
What really sets this book apart is the believability of it.  Once you get past the odd premise of the dead rising to consume the living, it seems like a perfectly plausible history.  Brooks captures how the modern world would respond to the catastrophe.  The stories range from wrenching tales of refugees trying to survive in desperate conditions to the military, and governments, to the soldiers on the front lines.  The book follows a loose chronology starting with the first outbreak, to the initial panic to the final turning of the tide.  Some of the stories are a bit weak, but over all it's a very compelling and addictive read.  Of course he has a lot of great material to borrow from in the Romero zombie movies, but he really takes it to a new and amazing level.  And in the tradition of Romero, Brooks uses the zombie motiff to take jabs at modern society, especially  the immobility of our corrupt political system, and the press.  Anyone who is a fan of zombie movies, horror, or science fiction should read it.
1285150
This book,written by author and neuroscientist Lisa Genova, is so realistic that it is hard to believe it is a work of fiction. From the start, I was immersed in Sarah Nickerson's life as an ambitious, stressed, and very over-scheduled wife, mother, and hard-working "super woman."

Even though the edges are fraying and Sarah is becoming overwhelmed, she continues to drive herself relentlessly. Even though she has crying spells (in secret) at work, she tries to believe she is living a charmed life. Then a crisis forces her to not only slow down but adjust to a whole new way of life.

The title is a play on the term, Left Neglect, a type of brain damage that affects patients differently. In Sarah's case, it is as though everything on the left side of her body - and her vision - has simply disappeared.

It was riveting to read about how Sarah coped with this and the information about Left Neglect is woven seamlessly into the tale of a woman whose husband and children also need to cope with this new wife and mother.

Then there is Sarah's mother, a woman who suffered her own trauma, and wasn't always there for Sarah. Both mother and daughter need to find a new way of connecting - for reasons that go back to Sarah's childhood.

This one could have been a dry chronicle of a neurological syndrome and a one-dimensional woman. But Lisa Genova works magic and builds a suspenseful tale of a family faced with a major challenge as well as the usual stresses and strains of daily life and career(s).

Ironically, I read this while caring for a relative in a hospital. Instead of depressing me, it inspired me and bolstered my spirits. This should appeal to a wide readership and deservedly so.
933857
I loved this book.  Then I loaned it to a friend,  and he never returned  it.  It's so worth re-reading, I'm desperately trying to find a used copy.  If you've ever wondered what a computer fantasy theme park could be, this  book covers the possibilities.  It's so much more than the robotic  Westworld, that it really opens up an interactive alter-reality. I'd  recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good story, along with tempting techie  tricks.
4445358
The very believability of this book makes it scary as all get-out. It will really get the reader thinking about our current state of technology.

The writing is engaging, detailed without being boring, and quite readable. Flows beautifully. Characters are believable and one becomes attached to them.

Well done!
3847273
I usually only review on my blog but felt this deserved an actual review here on Amazon so people thinking of buying this would see it.

Right off the bat, first impression, what I really want to say is - wow. I loved it.  I had heard it is a cross between the game Red Faction and the Hunger Games series, and I can see some similarities there, but I don't think that detracts from it at all.  This is a storyline that has been explored for decades: a dystopian society where harsh segregation is the norm, life is exceedingly cruel for the 99%, and death could come after any breath for the underdogs.  I think it is wonderful whenever someone can explore this concept in a new and exciting way.  The emotions were raw, the thought patterns of the main character were realistic given his situation, and the events were believable because the characters were believable.  The language was different but quick to get used to and immersive, and when something went wrong I felt that hollow in my stomach, that 'Oh my god' moment.  The world-building that must have gone into this is phenomenal, and it really shows in the depth of interactions within the society.  It only took one chapter to get used to the flow and rhythm of the writing, and it added to that feeling of immersion.

Pierce Brown, this story is incredible, this universe is immersive, I love your characters (and viscerally hate some of them) and I can't wait to read more from you.
4206444
I loved this book. I thought it outlined a real possible scenario for the future, all be it a scary one. Loved the inclusion of the religious fanaticism, as it really shows how crazy things could get.
3235214
Nice imagination to reality transition, great stuff
2885372
The character development is realistic and believable, even though the circumstances are unusual. Each turn of events is plausible, allowing the author to surprise you, time and again. How we read people and interpret their actions is tricky for all of us, not just those who may be wired a bit differently- so you can relate to this  book through all of the characters. A book worth reading. Enjoy.
1879719
Before You Were a Prophet is so surreal that it feels completely believable. The world is a freakish place, and people do wierd things, but when strangeness is distilled into novel form it somehow seems quite reasonable.

Heldt is generous with his irony, humor and intelligence: I would say "this book can be read at multiple levels," except that would sound like the sort of cliche found in highschool English essays.  But I can read this when I want to look into human reactions, or when I want to ponder the workings of the world, or when I just want to be amused.  And it works well for all those purposes.
2696317
If you give thought to resisting tyranny or the occupation of your country, this constitutes a textbook, in the tradition of John Ross' UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES.  The nautical scenes are completely realistic, for Bracken is writing from experience.  If you find some of it unbelievable, and it is, well, hey, it's fiction!  The plot is compelling, and the good guys seem to have a hard time missing, while the bad guys seem to have a hard time hitting, at least in the case of the heroes.

All the same, there's a lot of education here, in terms of the growth of Big Brother, and the obligatory sex scenes fade nicely into darkness, are not too explicit, unlike the next volume, DOMESTIC ENEMIES, which is unnecessarily explicit.

I'll be giving this as a gift to several whom I think will appreciate it.
193870
Fascinating and amazing, apparently true story.  This deceased brother's ability to communicate clearly to his sister would be difficult to believe, except that the author presents it in a realistic way that is convincing and persuasive - saying how each incident of communication occurred and what her reaction to it was. Billy's personality came through as still being her brother, through every contact - even in his disembodied state. The nature of the afterlife journey and development/changing of Billy is so far outside almost anyone's imaginings, it's one for the metaphysical experts and strains the credibility, unless you are familiar with these concepts and religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism. I found this to be one of the most unusual true stories about the afterlife that must exist.  However, I don't think that this is what occurs to everyone who passes - to blend into the "allness of all."  In my experience, each being takes his/her own journey, and many return to the physical universe game for many subsequent lifetimes.
3966400
Terribly realistic! Couldn't get it out of my mind for days after reading it. Paints a VERY realistic picture of what could be.
541005
One of the problems with most science fiction is that it's so fantastic it isn't realistic. Star Wars, Star Trek, The Twilight Zone, and 99% of all sf novels over the years may have been great stuff, but totally unbelievable. In other words, no matter how incredible and imaginative such stories are, they are so unrealistic they almost classify as fantasy. They could never really happen.

Terminal Connection is different. This is a tale that, at some point in our future, could actually become reality (sure, the internet stuff is a little ways out there, but look where we've come in just 20 years; the rest is so genuinely possible that it terrifies me). The first time I read Terminal Connection, when it was still a manuscript, I was so gripped by it that I thought of nothing else for days (and I write this stuff, too). I even told my 16 year-old son about it and he was equally intrigued.

Dan Needles writes with an authority that can only come from someone close to current events; his knowledge of government agencies and projects lends a credibility to the story that few novelists can achieve. If Tom Clancy had been a science fiction writer, Terminal Connection could as easily have been written by him. Its that good.

Read this book. Not only will you love it, youll never forget it.

I promise.
3897079
You can read this book as the future but it is the reality we have now. The only difference might be in the degree of the problems. Or so you think. But each aspect of the book exists somewhere on earth right now. Over crowded populations, world wide extinctions, desertification, civil order breakdown, food degredation, political ineffectiveness, water scarcity and death by hunger are realities. But, you say, it could never happen to the whole world. It could never get as bad as the book portrays. Ever hear of cascade events? Ever hear of tipping points? Be afraid! Be afraid! But not because of all the above mentioned realities. Be afraid because the truest reality of the book is this---apathetic people.