Dylan Jones (2)

This book mugged me; I'm not even sure what happened. I think I found it for free as a link on Hacker News or something? I don't even know how to describe it. Maybe a time-traveling Western/Sci-Fi thriller? With nanobots and the devil? It was a roller coaster of a ride, partly because I'm not sure I understood everything that was happening.

One minute you're in the middle of the crazy fight in the old West. The next minute, the President of the United States is fighting on a space space station and crunching on time travel fluid. It's kind of a mess of a book, but a glorious mess. This edition just sort of stops in the middle of the story with a ton of unresolved plot points and unexplained events.

The beginning of the book is the strongest; give that a preview and see what you think. I finished it. It's got a lot of rough edges, but also a lot of energy.… (mehr)

The Black Book
Author: Dylan Jones
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Date: 2013
Pgs: 103

REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Summary:
The Black Book is a ledger of supreme importance. It is so important that a soldier is sent back through time to the Old West to find it and protect it. Others from the future believe that the mission has failed and have sent an assassin to kill the soldier. And...and the Devil is loose in the mix as well.

Genre:
Adventure
Apocalypse
Fiction
Science fiction
Time travel
War
Western

Why this book:
Time travel...the Old West...the Devil...c’mon, how could I not.

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Favorite Character:
Jack is a great character. Time traveling soldier and all that.

The President is too.

The old man and the boy riding the paradox loop together.

Character I Most Identified With:
We’re supposed to identify with Jack. It works.

The Feel:
You get Old West and time travel...and space with a shattered Earth in the future. Great stuff. Post-apocalypse and Old West.

Favorite Scene:
The strung up pig at Uncle Ned’s farm trying to lap its blood back inside as it drains out of its slit throat.

The scenes when the Ox’s time travel pod accelerates toward Earth and you get your first “look” at what the Earth is like in the future.

The gunfight in Roger’s apartment and the aftermath.

Pacing:
Great pace. Real page turner.

Hmm Moments:
The reveal that we weren’t at an Area 51 secret base was pretty awesome.

The juxtaposition of the earlier appearing character with their own launch point was nicely done. ...unless this one is a clone of the one who appeared earlier. Either way, nicely done.

Casting call:
Keanu Reeves as Jack.

Denzel Washington as President Benjamin Freeman.
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Last Page Sound:
I love the book. But I wish the ending had either been more of a cliffhanger or finished in such a way that this was a complete story unto itself whether the reader reads the next book or not. This is a major shortcoming in too many duology, trilogy, and series novels.

Author Assessment:
I really liked it and, despite my problems with the ending, I will definitely read more by Dylan Jones.

Editorial Assessment:
It’s well edited.

Knee Jerk Reaction:
really good book

Disposition of Book:
e-Book

Would recommend to:
genre fans… (mehr)