Drew Chapman

Disclosure: I received this book as an ARC copy from the publisher.

I usually don’t stray much from the SF and Fantasy genres but decided to try this after getting selected to try an ARC copy of Drew Chapman’s new novel, The Ascendant. It is a suspense novel detailing conflict between the US and China using technology as weapons. The author does an excellent job in keeping a good pace and excellent story characters and I was engaged throughout the novel.
The main character, Garrett Reilly, show more divulges from what you would normally expect from a protagonist in an adventure novel to be but the characterization worked for me. He is an offbeat, in your face gamer with a significant financial talent and ability to recognize patterns within the financial numbers (and other areas as it turns out). Watching the growth of his character throughout the novel was one of the things I really enjoyed. The author also uses the current world political balance between the US and China as a plot point that he builds to an entertaining conclusion.
If you enjoy tense political thrillers, you should pick up a copy if this book. 4.5 stars for a really entertaining read. show less

Not a bad thriller. But nothing special in the end. My interest level waned towards the end after a strong start. Book had a degree of wit and a good plot, but it was unpolished, like a first draft, and there was a rather prosaic feel to it overall. Character development was not terrible, the author tried, but characters were broad stereotypes. For example, our hero is a brash, arrogant genius who develops a degree of humility and maturity. Been done a thousand times. Book is clearly show more intended as a series opener. I'll probably pass on future installments although I wouldn't rule them out, this is a debut novel after all, and really not a bad one. show less

This is an exciting book from beginning to end. The writing style is some how quirky, the story line somewhat convoluted. However, he has some nice phraseology which add to the charm and interest of the story. Reads very much like a Robert Harris novel, which is a huge compliment. I look forward to reading more of his books.
Recommend.

Garrett Reilly is a Wall Street hot-shot. He notices a huge sell-off of US Treasury's by the Chinese and realizes that this is the start of a cyber war by China against the US.

He informs his boss about this and soon people in Washington realize that he knew of this before them and they call him to Washington and ask him to lead a team to strike back against the Chinese.

We also become aware of a young rebel in China, Hu Mei also known as The Tiger. She has a growing following.

There is good show more character development as we learn more about Garrett and Hu Mei and the people Garrett finds to be part of his team in setting up the retaliation to the Chinese.

I enjoyed the book but find that the reader should suspend their sense of logic as some of the story seems far fetched, such as Garrett meeting with the President soon after being called to Washington. He's only a bond trader in his mid-twenties. show less