My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ I really liked it
"After 27 years as a newspaper man, Peter Anderson’s career is slipping away, at least it was, until he stumbled upon the story of a lifetime.
Sent to do a fluff piece about lights in the night sky over Arizona, he discovers far more than he ever expected when he comes upon a mysterious young woman held prisoner in a basement. After helping her to escape, she disappears before he can learn the truth about who she is or where she came from. His search for her leads him back to the lights in the sky and leaves him with more questions than answers.
The only thing he knows for certain . . . the only thing he can count on are the two words offered repeatedly by his friend and guide . . . “IS BELT.”
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The first time I heard it, I thought nothing of it at all... nothing. I've been in the newspaper game for more than twenty-seven years and that kind of experience gave a guy an edge but even that didn't prepare me.
I'd been beaten, shot at, even stabbed a couple of times over the years but I always got the story... always. But this one... this one was big... too big perhaps... Maybe we were ready, maybe not. Either way, it wasn't my call.
None of which filled me with the fear, the trepidation... the anguish of five little words that still haunted me today...
"Is okay. I have cousin.""
"Bob" is the first work I have read by author Tegon Maus. It is a stand-alone soft sci-fi novel, presented from the first person point of view of Peter Anderson, a journalist, using a linear timeline.
If you like complex science fiction, full of mind boggling concepts and terms, as well as long convoluted explanations and descriptions, be warned this is not that type of book.
The storyline is simple and complex at the same time; the science fiction concepts are there in force but they are not overbearing. Tegon Maus has the ability to present it all in a manner that is very easy to deal with, and with a good dose of humour which permeates the entire adventure. And this is most definitely an adventure - right from the very beginning it is pretty much non-stop action, with twists, turns and a plethora of zany, very vivid and individual characters. Of course the star player is Dimitri Rurik Petrova, a.k.a. Bob. He is truly something special -- but you will have to read the book and find out for yourselves!
At 168 pages, Bob is a quick read; the most surprising part for me was just how much it entertained me and made me smile! I cannot think of a single reason why someone may not enjoy this story.
I suppose the one comment I might have is that you can pretty much play a drinking game based on the word "dully", and at times I felt that the term "duly" would have been more appropriate.
I also think that the author knows more than he is letting on about Bob and some of the other characters (Emma and Tobias in particular) and that a sequel should be in order (please, Mr Maus...), as by the end of this novel we are still none the wiser about who they really are, and I certainly would like to discover more!
[ARC received via Reading Addiction Virtual Book Tours]
About the Author
I was raised pretty much the same as everyone else... devoted mother, strict father and all the imaginary friends I could conjure. Not that I wasn't friendly, I just wasn't "people orientated". Maybe I lived in my head way more than I should have, maybe not. I liked machines more than people, at least I did until I met my wife.The first thing I can remember writing was for her. For the life of me I can't remember what it was about... something about dust bunnies under the bed and monsters in my closet. It must have been pretty good because she married me shortly after that. I spent a good number of years after inventing games and prototypes for a variety of ideas before I got back to writing.
It wasn't a deliberate conscious thought, it was more of a stepping stone. My wife and I had joined a dream interpret group and we were encouraged to write down our dreams as they occurred. "Be as detailed as you can," we were told.
I was thrilled. If there is one thing I enjoy it's making people believe me and I like to exaggerate. Not a big exaggeration or an outright lie mind you, just a little step out of sync, just enough so you couldn't be sure if it were true or not. When I write, I always write with the effort of "it could happen" very much in mind and nothing, I guarantee you, nothing, makes me happier.
My wife of forty two plus years and I live in Cherry Valley, a little town of 8,200 in Southern California. In that time, I've built a successful remodeling /contracting business. But that's just my day job... everyone that writes... everyone who tells you how to write, all say the same thing.... write about what you know... and what I know... is me.
Well, at least the me I see when I write... an... alter ego of myself that gets frequently wedged between a rock and a hard place but manages to work things out at the last minute after all. Like most of us when pushed into a corner it only brings out the best in us and we become the unstoppable force of a reluctant hero... at least on paper, making the day to day a little more tolerable. If I have a signature style for creating a character then this is it.
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Thank you for hosting my book ! Not to mention the review
ReplyDeleteI was tired when I wrote it and forgot to mention the truly hilarious sketches and mannerisms. See, I am still smiling now!!
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