And the reviews are electrifying!
This is the third in a series of posts featuring advance reviews for Minute Men: Execute & Run, the new science fiction novel from Caezik SF & Fantasy.
The book releases on October 14!
You can find some previous reviews here and here.
Today’s Review
In this post, we hear from poet, short story writer, editor, and lecturer Timons Esaias, author of the Nebula-nominated short story “Sadness” (Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy, 2015 edition) and the award-winning poetry collection Why Elephants No Longer Communicate in Greek. He is the winner of the Isaac Asimov Science Fiction Magazine Reader’s Poll (for both short fiction and poetry).
His most recent short story, “Grotesque,” is a clever piece of flash detective fiction. You can find it in the September 15 instalment of Literary Garage.
Here’s what Timons has to say about Minute Men: Execute & Run:
“… reminds me of the best-known Michael Crichton novels.”
Minute Men: Execute & Run kept me stuck in my chair for several hours. The pages turn easily on this mixture of special-ops thriller, corporate malfeasance investigation, and a next-gen medical technology experiment gone way out of bounds. These are all great elements for a techno-thrilleresque volcanic eruption.
The question of who can be trusted–which seems to obsess audiences these days–is the constant concern for our characters; hinting at bad outcomes around every corner and down the road from any success they may have.
What makes the best thrillers stand out, what makes them satisfying, is if you also care about some of the characters. Which requires characterization, which is hard to do in the crisp driving sentences that move a thriller along. But Larry’s got that skill down. He adds character to the driving sentences, a bit here, a bit there, rather than stopping for a “character scene.” And this is quite an imaginatively varied group of key characters, with unexpected backstories and spirit-breaking wounds. Despite the tight writing, the book is filled with startling details and odd turns that make the fictional world unexpectedly convincing.
Elements of this story skate on the edge of science fiction, but what’s scary is that the story convinces you that some important folks are undoubtedly trying to twist the world in just this way, right now.
The thriller-verging-on-SF landscape reminds me of the best-known Michael Crichton novels, and that’s good territory to be working in.
Oh, yeah, and this must have a sequel.
Want to Know More?
Yesterday’s post concluded with an animated interview with one of the characters in Minute Men: Execute & Run. If you missed it, here’s a link to the video.
Today, let’s check out a scene from the book that’s been brought to life with original artwork by comic artist Jeffrey D. Harris.
Although the artwork in the video does not appear in the novel, we hope that the book does well enough for a publisher to green-light a fully illustrated graphic adaptation. Naturally, you can help the cause by pre-ordering Minute Men: Execute & Run today.
Here’s the video. The action depicted is from an early scene in the novel:
Pre-Order Minute Men: Execute & Run Today!
As you can see, Christopher and I have big plans for the Minute Men, and you can help bring those plans to fruition by pre-ordering a copy of Minute Men: Execute & Run today.
Here are a few links to get you started:
Later this week, when you’ve read the book, please consider posting a review at one of the major booksellers and/or on social media. And when you do, let me know about it by posting a comment below or by sending an email to the21stCenturyScop (at) gmail (dot) com.
Get the book. Join the adventure. I’ll meet you there!
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