Marcus Sakey

If it hadn't been for the fact that this book was free and mentioned "gifted" people in it I never would have chosen it as something to read for review--it's not the normal genre I read--and I would have missed out on an excellent, powerful story. And it appears that even though the book won't be released for months yet (as of this writing), the movie is already in development, which I don't find surprising at all. I'd finished the book before discovering that info; this after thinking it show more would make a great movie. I don't give out 5 star reviews very often, but wow, this story blew me away.

Back in the 80s, about one percent of the population--abnorms-- started being born with gifts. Not necessarily anything flashy or superhero-like, but it gives them an edge over norms. An abnorm abused his gift for personal gain by making billions on the stock market before the market was shut down totally, ruining the financial lives of others, so of course now all abnorms are a threat and those with stronger gifts must be controlled by the government. Some abnorms, not liking the limits put on their lives--heck, they're Americans too--are making waves and a war is about to begin.

Nick Cooper is an abnorm, born before children with a strong gift were tested and sent to academies to be brainwashed while being trained how to control their gifts so they could eventually work for the government. He's got a strong sense of patriotism and works for the Department of Analysis and Response (DAR), leading his team with seemingly endless resources to bring in or take out the gifted who pose a threat. And right now the biggest threat is John Smith, an abnorm who is declaring war and it doesn't matter how many civilians he takes out to make his point.

Cooper's ability is to read patterns, including those in people, making it easy for him to know the next move they're going to make, both with physical movement as well as their plans, making him an asset to DAR. Cooper ends up going deep undercover to take out the terrorist and make the world a safer place for his kids. Only along the way he starts to wonder if he really is one of the good guys as he meets and sees how other abnorms live and are being affected by the rules.

Wow, I don't know how much to say without giving much more away. Even though this is fiction, I could easily see the same types of response in today's world if some people were born this way. It'll definitely make you think, especially as we see more than one side of the situation. The story grabbed me right away and is told from Cooper's point of view. It's first and foremost a thriller/crime novel set in a futuristic world, with the science fiction taking a backseat to the hunt.

The plot, the characters, the details, action and emotions make this one of the best books I've read this year. I will definitely be looking at other books by this author.

Read as an ARC for review for Amazon Vine Voice show less

In Afterlife Marcus Sakey delivers an unusual novel that pretty much defies genre placement. Elements of a mystery, some thriller and suspense aspects, certainly paranormal and science fiction is represented, yet no single genre easily encompasses the entire book. For some, I think this may be a problem, readers who read a single genre heavily come to expect certain genre tropes and are disappointed when their expectations are not met. For those readers who tend to read many different genres show more regularly, this novel will likely be far less problematic in this regard.

I found the book to be a fun read and did not mind the mash-up of genre tropes. Much of the premise is based on an idea of what the afterlife might be like, so to claim it is unrealistic is a pointless complaint. It is Sakey's creation and the things that take place in the "regular" world are all realistic enough (again, there is an aspect of the afterlife influencing the "real" world and/or the paranormal possibility, so questionable events fall under those guidelines). In other words, you may or may not like the actions or the story but the so-called concern of it being realistic or not is just a cover up for whatever else might bother a reader.

If descriptions of sex, brief ones at that, bother you this may also not suit you. I certainly read and recognized those few scenes but it wasn't until I saw that some readers were calling it pornographic that I went back to look. It is far from pornographic but is described in semi-detail. So are fights, deaths, and various other events in the book. If sex is pornographic to a reader while detailed violence is not, then that says more about the reader than this book. If some detail in a sex scene makes you uneasy, you can easily skim those few scenes and still enjoy the book. If a sex scene given realistic detail is pornographic to you, well, there is always Dr Seuss.

I thought the idea of what the afterlife might be, as presented here, was very interesting. I probably got as much enjoyment out of debating with myself about how it might or might not be possible. As for the story itself I really did find the presentation of what people choose to do when presented with limited options (speaking of those in the afterlife) quite telling and applicable to situations in real life.

I would recommend this to readers who are not too devoted to any particular genre but fluent across genres. For those who cannot step outside their own worldview, whether it be secular or religious, when reading a work of fiction, I have some reservations about your ability to appreciate this. For open-minded readers I think you will find plenty to like and probably some things you might think could be done better. I've yet to read the perfect novel so certainly can't condemn this one for not being perfect.

Reviewed from a copy made available through Goodreads First Reads. show less

There are many reasons why what could have been just a good story turns into a great one, but it almost always requires a piece of the author's soul to stick to the story and flavor it with an unmistakable true-life ingredient. When an author writes stories with a dramatic edge without going through some gut twisting, the result is plastic, regardless of how professional his prose may be; but if he reads what he has written and it evokes long-forgotten sensations, whether pleasant or show more disagreeable, the potential for a great story is there.

The Days When You Were Anything Else, the opening story in Marcus Sakey's "Scar Tissue" collection, is a great story. I liked all seven short stories in the collection, but after reflecting on The Days When You Were Anything Else it seems almost inappropriate to get into details about the others. It is a crime story and the setup is sort of commonplace – an old ex-convict, now in reduced conditions, works as a bartender in a sordid joint. His daughter, who ran away while he was in jail and presumably developed psychological disorders as a result, hates him and only calls him once in a while to hurt him. He doesn't want to go back to his old life and become a criminal again, but circumstances are compelling. Nothing new here. You've read a hundred stories and seen a bunch of movies like that, right?

Wrong!

The storyline is really not important here; it is only a vehicle for the author to drag you into the protagonist's shoes and make you shudder and twitch in them, feeling exactly what he must be feeling. The author paints a vivid picture of a father's torment at seeing his child hurt, and he does so by throwing scattered images at you, which together push the right buttons. And the ending, whether you've seen it coming or not, leaves you fully satisfied.

I learned about this collection from Joe Konrath's blog, which also tells the whole story of the worthy cause which it benefits, and I highly recommend that you go and read it too. I, for one, look forward to reading more from this author. show less

I was puzzled to find a quote from Lee Child, who writes the Jack Reacher books, on the cover of this science fiction novel. After I finished “Brilliance” I was clear on why Child was on the cover, Brilliance is much closer to a Jack Reacher story than a typical science fiction novel. Given that Lee Child described “Brilliance” as “the kind of story you’ve never read before.” I can only assume he rarely reads science fiction and never goes near graphic novels.

“Brilliance” show more is set in an alternative modern-day USA, in a reality where, since the 1980’s, one percent of the population have been born “gifted” with genius level abilities that leave normal people in the dust. The alternative USA is much like our USA, so naturally the reaction of the government to the “gifted” is to co-opt the ones they can use and declare the rest to be security threats that are targeted for execution.

The main twist in “Brilliance” is that our hero, one of the gifted, is working for the government, tracking down and killing his own kind. This behaviour is not unusual in fiction or in real life but I found the reason for it difficult to credit – patriotism.

Our hero is brilliant at reading body language and recognising patterns. He’s married. He has two children. He seems rational. Yet he spends his time following orders and killing people. At the start of the book, he’s a sort of mutant Jack Bauer, unquestioningly loyal and willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his mission. Perhaps this doesn’t seem implausible in America, but to me, this kind of behaviour suggests either mental illness or a self-serving refusal to take accountability for his actions. I spend much of the first half of the book hoping the hero would be put out of my misery.

Of course, in the end, our hero realises that he has been used by evil men to do evil things (Well, DUH! Like that’s a surprise when you’re working for one of the US intelligence services) and has to dig himself out of the hole he’s in.

I still didn’t like him but I was intrigued to know how he was going to defeat the all-powerful bad guys (just like in the Jack Reacher novels).

I enjoyed the novel as a thriller. The pace was good, the action scenes worked and the plot took the right number of twists. As science fiction it added nothing new but it held its own. I thought the Academy system used to control the gifted children was clever, plausible and truly evil. I also liked the way our hero was forced to rethink his position (or perhaps think honestly for the first time) as he is brought into contact with the people he has been hunting.

The dialogue is sometimes a little flat and the novel reads a little too much like a movie script, but it was a fun read that kept my attention. show less