[NOTE:–I tried to post the following review to Amazon and it was rejected. I’m not entirely sure why, but I suspect the first paragraph was verboten, which figures, right? I edited it down significantly and they posted it, but here are my original comments.]

This story stands out as a chilling cautionary tale. While it’s set in 2034, don’t think it’s not already happening. Our reverence for life is seriously compromised as demonstrated by the ongoing abortion issue. At what point does human life begin? Conception? Or with that first breath at birth? What about those laws that have legitimized infanticide? Promote euthanasia? Where is society headed? We are being dehumanized, starting with the most vulnerable members.

It’s difficult to write a review of this story without spoilers. If you’re really paying attention through the first few chapters, it’s possible to figure out what’s going on as people disappear. The story slowly and methodically reveals the horrific truth through the viewpoints of the three main characters.

The premise reminds me of medical thrillers I read years ago by Robin Cook. Suspense author Mary Higgins Clark was another one who worked with such themes. This book lacked that kind of nail-biting suspense. It was written in a very journalistic style that failed to render emotional reactions in the reader. At least that was the case for me. I could tell where it was going, especially after the blatant revelation provided by the android, Daisy, in the middle of the story. If you haven’t figured it out by then, there it is.

This thought-provoking book deserves a lot of attention for its potential to wake people up, if nothing else. Being directed at Christians is somewhat ironic since they aren’t the ones who need to be jolted awake to the evils in the world around them. It would definitely be in the “medical thriller” category if the emotional impact and suspense were ramped up a bit.

Actually, if written to its full emotional potential, this book would be in the horror genre. Since this is the author’s debut novel, I assume she has not yet acquired the writing skills to render an emotional reaction in her readers. (This is normal except for incredibly gifted writers. I didn’t figure it out until around the time I was writing my 6th novel.) This is not a criticism since in this case, it’s a good thing. As it’s written, more people will choose to read it and make it through the book. Rest assured that it does have what can be considered a happy ending, plus incentive to read the sequel.

For what it’s worth, if a book makes me cry and laugh, I’m more impressed. There are a lot of good premises and stories out there that fall short on their emotional impact, which is the element that tends to hook readers and convince me the author knows how to write.

On the editorial side, I think the scriptural quotes were a bit overdone. Not that I don’t agree with them and I understand the underlying Christian message. However, I don’t think their inclusion will convert anyone to Christianity, while conversely, such excessive use could feel “preachy” and be a turnoff for the very people who need to read it. The fellow Christians I’ve been around usually don’t quote the book, chapter and verse, just the content.

The book is beautifully formatted and the cover is great. The editing is well-done regarding misspellings, grammar, typos, etc. Only one thing jumped out that her editor missed: Near the bottom of page 249 of the paperback it says, “There’s no way I’m not going to let that happen.”

Huh?

The way I read it, the double negative conflicted with the statement’s intent. There were a few other things but I may be the only person in a thousand who would notice, so I won’t even mention them all, but if I’d been a beta reader I definitely would have. I guess the biggest one I wondered about as a science fiction author is that I suspect by the year 2034 we won’t be using much paper, but who knows?

I gave this book 4-stars. For a debut novel, she did a pretty good job. It’s worth a read for its very important message of where we might be heading. Heaven help us if it turns out to be prophetic.

You can get a copy on Amazon here.