The Chimera Vector by Nathan Farrugia, Book Review

 

 

Goodreads Blurb

The Fifth Column: the world’s most powerful and secretive organization. They run our militaries. They run our governments. They run our terrorist cells.
Recruited as a child, Sophia is a deniable operative for the Fifth Column. Like all operatives, Sophia’s DNA has been altered to augment her senses and her mind is splintered into programmed subsets.
On a routine mission in Iran something goes catastrophically wrong. Bugs are beginning to appear in Sophia’s programming and the mission spins out of control.

High-speed chases, gun fights, helicopter battles, immortal psychopaths, super soldiers and mutant abilities are all in the mix in this edge-of-your-seat action-packed techno-thriller. Perfect for fans of Matthew Reilly, THE CHIMERA VECTOR melds sci-fi with sizzling espionage action.

 

My Review

Rating: 3.5*

I was requested by the author of the Chimera Vector to read and review this book. This has not influenced my review of this work.

I must confess that this book was a pleasant surprise to me. It’s well written, with real intrigue and suspense. The reason I say it was a pleasant surprise is because many indie published books are let down somewhat by the poor punctuation and grammar, but I’m pleased to say this was not much of an issue with The Chimera Vector. Mr Farrugia has really taken time to present this work in its best possible light, and for that I thank him for his attention to detail.

Mr Farrugia has a very complex imagination and a vast knowledge of his subject matter. However, I found some of the descriptive passages in the story to be a bit too fact dense for me to fully understand. My lack of scientific expertise didn’t interfere with my overall enjoyment of the story, which leads me to conclude that some of the techno-speak could be omitted or simplified for the benefit of the average layperson such as myself. 

My favourite character was Sophia and I admired the fact that Nathan made the main character in an action book female. I enjoyed how he revealed her back-story throughout the book, and finding out how she, Jay and Damien came to be involved in the 5th Column.

My main criticism of this book was that it lacked a certain finesse, that extra added layer in the writing, that really gives the reader an emotional connection to the story and the characters. You know when you read certain passages in a book and you feel what the author was feeling, it draws you in and you really care for the characters and what they’re going through; you can’t stop turning pages and thinking about the characters even when you’re not reading it. In places, he almost got there, but it felt like he bailed just before he arrived. Perhaps it needs a little less “tell” and a little more “show” to fully engage the reader. Without it the story is a little disjointed. With smoother transitions it would be an easier, more satisfying read.

My criticisms of this book are really not negatives. They are simply my observations that, as a reader, would really improve the overall quality of writing in what is essentially a good book. However, this is certainly one of the best self-published books that I’ve read in a while, and I see genuine potential in Nathan as a writer. There is much to admire and I will be interested to see how Mr Farrugia’s writing develops.

All told, readers of action-packed adventure books will love this read. The action is non-stop, relentless, from beginning to end. I would love to have been able to give this book a higher rating than 3.5*, but for that to happen it needs a bit less head and a little more heart. C’mon, Nathan, I know you’ve got it in you!