Review by cogitononsum -- Final Diagnosis by J. T. Madicus

[cogitononsum]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Final Diagnosis" by J. T. Madicus.]

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1 out of 4 stars

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When I had begun to read the book Final Diagnosis, by J.T. Madicus, it had sparked up my interest. The premise, the characters, as well as the setting all seemed engaging, with the promise of it being both exciting and informative. I was drastically let down, however, as I delved deeper into the book.

The main character in this book, Dr. Tseng, is kidnapped in the beginning of the book, along with 3 other people who behave somewhat like doctors, although they are not technically doctors. They are forced to diagnose patients who have rare conditions, and the way that they diagnose it is actually quite interesting. While the book has set up for Dr. Tseng to always be right, and it says that in the book itself, it is a fascinating process, and it is these parts that are effortless in terms of visualising, forming a vivid picture in one’s head.

This plot line is something that had potential, and is recurring throughout the book. However, what happens is that although this was advertised as the main part of the book, particularly in the beginning, it almost becomes an afterthought by the end of the book. The other characters in the book are all people who want to escape from their former lives, and while they are given a heavy amount of importance in the book, they’re rather bland, two dimensional characters who have no growth nor any interesting character traits. There is not chemistry between any of them, and the side characters actually seem much more interesting than these 4 more characters.

What happens in the book is that Dr. Tseng eventually finds out who took him, and it is someone from his former life. We are also given the backstories to all the 4 main characters, and it can be seen that they all come from vastly different backgrounds, although they all are unsatisfied with their current life, and would actually be in grave danger if they remained in those lives. We also are given glimpses of other characters, and there is a sense of a buildup that happens subtly throughout the book, although the ending falls abruptly.

This book is a story with a plenitude of twists and turns, which are either predictable, or completely non sequitur, which do not play a role in the main plot. However, it is still the first book, so it has the possibility of coming into play later, although it did not capture my attention enough for me to care too much about it. It is a book that has tried to insert as many plot lines as it could, and if it had focused on one particular plot line, I believe it would’ve been much better. There were also traces of homophobia in this book, with the mention of AIDS accompanied with homosexuality, as well as extreme casual sexism, where all the women in the book were into the main character. This book would not pass the Bechdel test. The book is also littered with grammatical mistakes, as well as a style of writing which had the constant use of present tense throughout the book, which was very disconcerting. There was extensive use of profanity and sexual situations were abundant as well.

There weren’t many features that I liked about this book, and although the way they explored the medical aspect of the book was intriguing, it was something that was more of a motif in the book than playing a central role.

I award Final Diagnosis 1 out of 4 stars. One star was deducted due to the amount of errors, and the second and third were deducted due to the lack of characterisation, as well as the flat plot. This book might be enjoyed by people who are in the medical profession, people who enjoy Mary Sue characters, and those who are fond of quick reads.

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Final Diagnosis
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[Alheotuci]

I appreciate your honesty in this review.
Thanks for a detailed review.

[maggi3]

Oof, the "every woman is into the main character" trope is disappointing and a huge issue for me. That plus the homophobia and grammatical errors would make this book practically unreadable. Thanks for your honest review!

[MsH2k]

In sampling the book, I thought the plot had potential too. Sounds like it didn’t measure up. Thank you for your honest take on this one.

[khaulah]

I read the book too and I agree with your rating. The characters and the plot just fell flat for me.

[markodim721]

It is a pity that the book was not written more creatively, because I believe that it has potential. Thanks for the objective review.