Books4Tomorrow: REVIEW: "SICK" (Project EDEN, Book 1)

“SICK”

(Project EDEN, Book 1)

by Brett Battles

REVIEWED BY: Books4Tomorrow

OVERVIEW

Daniel Ash wakes after midnight to the cry of his daughter. Just a bad dream, he thinks. She's had them before. Yet he can't help but worry when she cries out again as he pads down the hallway. Stepping through her doorway, he expects to find her sitting up in bed, frightened by a nightmare.

But the nightmare is his. It's real. And it's just beginning...

Something is burning Ash's daughter alive. Something horrible that is spreading beyond the walls of their home, and taking no prisoners.

Thirty seconds later, Ash will discover his daughter isn't the only one in his family infected, and as his world spins, coming apart at the seams, a team of armed men in biohazard suits bursts into his house.

But these aren't the good guys.

They haven't come to save Ash's family. They've come to separate them, to finish what they started.

The problem is Ash refuses to disappear. He wants only one thing: to find those responsible.

Because humanity is on the brink of execution.

And man is pulling the trigger.

REVIEW

One of the positive points of this book for me is the fact that there is zero romance in it. No-one falling in or out of love, no love triangles, and no whining damsel in distress. That doesn’t mean that this isn’t a great read. I’m saying that this book was a terrific read without the author reverting to the customary romance angle to give the story a backbone. I loved that the author created a tale starting as a parent’s worst nightmare and built it up from there to an explosive ending, instead of weighing a lackluster plot down with touchy-feely clichés and passing it off as a thriller, as some authors do.

What I didn’t enjoy about this book however, hence the four-star rating, is the main character. For some reason I just couldn’t connect with him. I also felt that too little attention was given to the children’s story line, but the author did an outstanding job with the secondary characters and their story lines. In many ways I enjoyed the secondary characters’ stories more than the main plot. I sometimes felt like skimming through the chapters about Ash, and just focusing my attention on the more fluffed out characters. But I didn’t want to miss out on any necessary details – and there are many in this story - so I stuck it out till the end, and am happy I did because I would’ve missed out on lots of important information essential to the development of the plot.

Overall I enjoyed and appreciated the author’s creativity, the interesting concept, and the adrenaline-pumping action. The idea of a secret organization wanting to wipe out most of the world’s population by way of a deadly virus is a horrifying concept and a theme the author pulled off with ease. Although I didn’t like the main character very much, I did enjoy the story even if it dragged along at times. I’m curious to see what happens to Ash and the other characters in the next two books in this series.

Brett Battles undeniably has a unique talent when it comes to constructing a novel of bone-chilling suspense and keeping the reader speculating while racing along to an electrifying conclusion. I’m definitely looking forward to reading more of his books!