Geoffrey Germann

The author was kind enough to offer me a copy of the book even though I didn't win the give-away. I can't claim to have read this all in one sitting, but I certainly wanted to. The book was engaging, fast-paced, surprising, and altogether a fantastic read.

Recently I read some old-fashioned sort of superhero comics - Batman comics, to be specific, and was a little disillusioned with them. It turns out that those were a perfect warm-up to this superhero novel. Darren Kiel is a bit of a mix between Batman and Iron Man, a self-made genius who can't quite claim the title of a vigilante but still fits the mold. He follows his own brand of justice, trying to stop crimes before they commit, but doesn't actively permanently damage anyone in the process. Is he operating outside of the law? Yes. But the complexities of how he operates lend themselves to a more sympathetic interpretation.

The book treads the ground between morality and madness and the author explains both sides of the argument well. The book isn't wanting for explosions and punch 'em up scenes, but at the same time tends to keep them to a level that doesn't make the book come across as gratuitous or some odd brand of original fanfiction.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would place it on a tier above, say, The Avengers film. It doesn't quite reach the level of Nolan inspired Batman, but in some ways I like it better for that because it didn't drag out the shoot-em-up scenes in a way that Nolan did. So, all in all a great book and I look forward to the sequel!… (más)

Darren Kiel is on a mission to make sure justice is served. With his incredible technological savy he helps develop a suit which allows him to step in where the police have failed - to protect the Orchid. He risks his life to protect those who cannot protect themselves and to make up for the sins of his father.

He creates a break in the crime to allow the good citizens of an area to start taking hold of their city.

The story has an exciting plot and is action packed. The characters are well developed and original. This book is a must-read!

Disclosure: I received a free copy of the novel from the author.… (más)

Like many readers I received this book directly from the author after I failed to win a drawing for a free copy. Mr. Germann was nice enough to contact me directly and send me a copy at his own expense. Despite his generosity, I set out to read his book with a candid and critical eye.

Overall the book seems reasonably professional despite a few foibles of typography. The author's style though seems split between the preparatory phases of his novel and the more climactic ones. For the first half of the book the style is solid though undistinguished. He paints a cohesive, though at times overly brief picture of his characters that leaves the reader with a good conceptual and sympathetic image. It is during this phase too that we see the author's tendency towards paired similes; no sooner is one found then it can be guaranteed that another will soon follow. In many cases the comparisons seem forced and inappropriate but a few border on brilliance.

When the climax of the novel begins Germann's tone shifts substantially and he provides a much more skillful and less tentative product. The author's portrayal of action sequences is immaculate and at times breathtaking. While the first pages stumble a bit the last half of the text veritably flies past.

The story itself is cut from the cloth of the "man become superman" motif via innovation in technology. Generally speaking such ideas are nothing new but Germann does provide us with a fresh take on the idea and does present us with a deeper question of just what the word justice means and how that differs from society's enforcement of it. 'Prepare' is entertaining, at least mildly-thought provoking and well worth the few hours it takes to read it. I look forward to Germann's future contributions to the genre.

Going beyond the inner contents I would be remiss if I didn't at least mention the book's packaging. Germann's novel is a dozen times better than its external appearance and since the cover is such a decided driver of sales I think it would be a shame if his work suffered in popularity for such a trite reason. The title too completely fails to inspire and puts one more in the mindset of a Christian rapture novel than hard-boiled crime noir. It is my hope that readers will be able to look past these two significant shortcomings and give the book a chance.… (más)