4 out of 4 stars
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I do like reading sci-fi books and when I was a teenager, I read Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and BBC Radio’s The Two Towers. Therefore I was much delighted to come across Van Fleisher’s Final Notice and so I had to read it and write down its review. Since my childhood days, I have always known that the role of watches is to tell date and time but in the book, Final Notice, Van Fleisher has expanded my mind by revealing an exceptional function of a watch.
This story is propped up by the idea to identify when a person is going to pass away. This is the cornerstone of this particular story. Now one man, Vijay Patel who is young and endowed with brains, has just come up with a special watch. This watch is able to accurately study a person’s blood chemistry and tell when the person is going to pass on. The maximum time that can remain before a person dies, according to this special watch, is 30 days. Once it has found the number of days a person has to live, it sends out signals to the person. These signals are indeed the final notices that enable an individual to put his legal affairs in order before joining the world of the dead.
Now, people who happen to use this unique watch, react differently after reception of the signal. Others go crazy to an extent of causing tragedy upon themselves or other people. A recipient of a final notice can grab a gun to end his or her life. At times, final notices have passive recipients. These are people who suffer tragedy brought upon them by the active recipients of the final notice. Some are even shot by the active recipients. Whereas some people go crazy upon reception of a final notice, others just feel it is okay to associate with people around them such as family member and lovers.
Van Fleisher narrates stories of different characters, who are the recipients of the final notice, and blends them to come up with one story, Final Notice. In one of the stories, seventy-year-old Vince and his spouse Trudi are against the ready gun accessibility. The victims of final notice are drawn from various walks of life and each victim responds differently upon reception of a final notice. The victims include a senator, a widow and even a professional scientist. The author uses their stories to come up with the full story.
In my own opinion, this is a sci-fi book and a political thriller that suits the current situation in the USA. The prevailing prejudice against the immigrants, the divided opinions towards the aging segment of the society and the divided opinion about gun ownership are well elaborated in the story. Van Fleisher is keen enough to develop the main characters well and he has also not failed to give the story such a well- established plot that any reader will find useful. Final Notice is, therefore, a well-written page-turner that cannot fail to hook and captivate its readers. The author adds taste to the story by creating protagonists and by use of mockery humor. The book is for the present time and thus is very crucial as it shows the numerous blemishes that are dotting the American society today.
I would recommend this book to people who are opposed to the idea of gun ownership in America or people who feel that something ought to be done before the situation can get out of hand. I am sure you will kindle love this book. The book is not only appropriate to Americans but it is prescribed to everyone living on this planet. This is because the issue of gun ownership is a global affair and so should not only be confined to the USA.
Since this book is well written and has met the highest standards, I awarded it 4 out of 4 stars. It truly deserves this. The book is very perfect to be called a page turner.
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Final Notice
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