Welcome,
New User!
New User!
Machinations
By: J. S. BrevingeBook Publisher: AuthorSolutions
Imprint: iUniverse.com
Format: Adobe Encrypted (DRM)
Earn $0.50 - Write a Review »
Our Price
$9.67
Reward Money:
$0.33
Reader Review: I could not stop thinking about this book for at least a week after reading it. It's a wonder that I came across this novel in the first place because I assumed it was pure science fiction, which is generally not my cup of tea. But I wanted to give it a shot after I found out that the author is a psychiatrist. (I am a physician myself who is not a psychiatrist but interested in psychology). This book also has themes that I enjoy in a book(loyalty, romance, family and interpersonal relationships, sacrifice, betrayal, unexpected twists, unpredictable ending, true to life characters). J.S. Breving did an amazing job capturing all these themes to the fullest. It has all the elements of a best seller, but whether it happens or not depends upon marketing I suppose. First, the writing is incredibly natural and flows so smoothly. The author writes in the first person and gets you in the mind, heart, and soul of the characters. The dialogue - sharp, witty, and humorous. If you're into a "Pulp Fiction" type of pace and interweaving stories/time lines with unexpected twists - then this is your book. The book begins with Varik Vermillion. We learn that he is a burned out child prodigy tired of his assigned station in life and looking for something more. This esteemed physicist(Varik) self-destructs professionally and personally, and is eventually booted to Mars. Despite Varik's outward narcissism, arrogance and ego, I can't help but root for him. At the same time, the author also lets us know that at Varik's core, he is loyal to the ones he love, sincere, and genuinely wants what is best for people and society. He is misunderstood and has been delivered bad blows in his life. Then he meets Marion and his life changes. It's interesting to witness his transformation. He does not need the help of "creative pharmacology" to maintain himself. Then life presents some interesting changes once again(without giving away too much - an impending alien attack in which he finds himself going back to Earth to literally help save the world, and other surprising twists). Again, I don't want to reveal too much without spoiling the twists. A completely different storyline also develops with Drew and Anjali, childhood best friends trapped in a society with too many secrets and no one willing to give them the answers. Drew and Anjali are young children who complement each other well; both are inquisitive and precocious but Anjali(the more feisty of the two) gives Drew the courage to plan an escape with her in order to find the answers. The escape goes horribly wrong, and the aftermath is stunning and heartbreaking. I could not put this book down. I needed to know how Varik, Drew, and Anjali were connected. There were plenty of tense moments and twists, and it all comes together at the end. The author creatively answers a lot of questions but he skillfully leaves some things unresolved. There has to be a sequel. I am an avid reader and this falls into the category of one of the best novels I've read in a long time. It's unique and intelligent, and it will hook you.
Drew is an impressionable and ill-at-ease youth who grows up in the quirky, rural town of Eastern. With the help of his best friend Anjali, he struggles to find the real truth hidden just beneath the surface of this seemingly idyllic community.
A thousand years in the future: Varik Vermillion, born and raised a child prodigy, becomes the youngest (17) tenured professor in the astrophysics department at the esteemed San Francisco Academy. Disgruntled and now in his mid-20's, he impulsively takes a plunge forsaking his "chosen" profession to enter the world of politics. Soon Varik realizes he has merely traded in one set of shackles for another, but in the political arena darker influences are at work. After a few missteps and mischances, his life takes a series of stark and unforeseen turns.
In a shocking twist, these ostensibly disparate worlds become intertwined on multiple levels-and now, the survival of both worlds may depend on the success (or failure) of both Drew and Varik.
See more like this in our Science Fiction eBooks section
Share your thoughts on the Machinations Science Fiction eBook with others!
| Title of Science Fiction eBook: Machinations | |
| Release Date: 05-24-2011 | |
| Publisher: iUniverse.com |
This eBook download is available in the following formats:
| Parent title | Machinations |
|---|---|
| Encrypted (DRM) | Yes |
| SKU | 9781462007752 |
| File size | 3965 |
| Security | n/a |
| Printing | Not allowed |
| Copying | Not allowed |
| Read aloud | No Sys requirements Download reader |
| Devices | Samsung Tablet, Apple Ipad & Iphone, Barnes & Noble Nook, Kobo eReader, Aluratek Libre, Iliad, Nokia, Blackberry, Hanlin |
| Note | Excellent navigation features are available via Adobe such as bookmarks and a quick access table of contents. Text search is easily accessible. An Adobe DRM-protected file is different than a pdf file in that it uses Adobe DRM (Digital Rights Management) technology, which authors and publishers use to protect their content from illegal online distribution and to set certain privileges such as restrictions on copying and printing. |
Machinations
Chapter One
The Renaissance Man: Dead and Buried
"I sprung from the womb a child prodigy."
Even I cannot utter such words without so much as a smirk. Yet it is true and had little to do with me, but all began when my parents first met: at least that's what my court-ordered therapist alleges. Nonetheless, if I am brutally honest, I guess I'd have to admit that this line of thinking absolves me of culpability. It would have been convenient to blame my parents. My therapist so badly wanted them to shoulder the blame, dangling the bait; I nibbled but thankfully didn't indulge. It's okay to revisit the past, once armed with the realization that blame is useless in the here and now, nor does it have utility the day after.
But to say my early environs were mere window dressing would be equally premature. Most children aren't reared in preschool on Newton's laws of gravity and Einstein's theory of general relativity. By nine, I had moved onto the grand unification theories, the weight of the world squarely planted on narrow shoulders, with expectations that never relent. I mean, why would a child want to publish research papers in astronomy? Sure, I had an interest and was obviously bright, but kids, left to their own devices, don't have that kind of drive. Conversely, that kind of drive is imposed, and once it's hardwired, all plasticity fades. If there's one thing I've learned in my years, it's that change is not a normal human operation. It's never invited graciously but compelled, and we rarely go gently. In fact, change usually only follows the pounding of fist and gnashing of teeth, endured
...Title: Machinations July 31, 2011 I could not stop thinking about this book for at least a week after reading it. It's a wonder that I came across this novel in the first place because I assumed it was pure science fiction, which is generally not my cup of tea. But I wanted to give it a shot after I found out that the author is a psychiatrist. (I am a physician myself who is not a psychiatrist but interested in psychology). This book also has themes that I enjoy in a book(loyalty, romance, family and interpersonal relationships, sacrifice, betrayal, unexpected twists, unpredictable ending, true to life characters). J.S. Breving did an amazing job capturing all these themes to the fullest. It has all the elements of a best seller, but whether it happens or not depends upon marketing I suppose.
Average Customer Review:
Number of Comments: 2 Rating(s) 1 Review(s)
Must Read Book by an Indie Author
Reviewer: A reader from Brooklyn, NY USA
First, the writing is incredibly natural and flows so smoothly. The author writes in the first person and gets you in the mind, heart, and soul of the characters. The dialogue - sharp, witty, and humorous. If you're into a "Pulp Fiction" type of pace and interweaving stories/time lines with unexpected twists - then this is your book.
The book begins with Varik Vermillion. We learn that he is a burned out child prodigy tired of his assigned station in life and looking for something more. This esteemed physicist(Varik) self-destructs professionally and personally, and is eventually booted to Mars. Despite Varik's outward narcissism, arrogance and ego, I can't help but root for him. At the same time, the author also lets us know that at Varik's core, he is loyal to the ones he love, sincere, and genuinely wants what is best for people and society. He is misunderstood and has been delivered bad blows in his life. Then he meets Marion and his life changes. It's interesting to witness his transformation. He does not need the help of "creative pharmacology" to maintain himself. Then life presents some interesting changes once again(without giving away too much - an impending alien attack in which he finds himself going back to Earth to literally help save the world, and other surprising twists). Again, I don't want to reveal too much without spoiling the twists.
A completely different storyline also develops with Drew and Anjali, childhood best friends trapped in a society with too many secrets and no one willing to give them the answers. Drew and Anjali are young children who complement each other well; both are inquisitive and precocious but Anjali(the more feisty of the two) gives Drew the courage to plan an escape with her in order to find the answers. The escape goes horribly wrong, and the aftermath is stunning and heartbreaking.
I could not put this book down. I needed to know how Varik, Drew, and Anjali were connected. There were plenty of tense moments and twists, and it all comes together at the end. The author creatively answers a lot of questions but he skillfully leaves some things unresolved. There has to be a sequel. I am an avid reader and this falls into the category of one of the best novels I've read in a long time. It's unique and intelligent, and it will hook you.
1-1 of 1
Write a review »
Earn rewards points!
