3 out of 4 stars
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I was thrilled when I got to pick Smith for review as I was intrigued by it when I first read the sample of the book a while back. It is a Sci-Fi/Fantasy novel written by Sam B Miller II.
The main character, Jake Goddard, is an American teen living in Israel. He is the son of Rob Goddard who is an archaeologist working under the Harvard Department of Archaeological Projects. They don’t always see eye to eye as Jake never appreciated that his father always takes him wherever his work is or that his father controls his life. One night, thirsting for some adventure and an idea of some trinket he may find in the archaeological dig site, Jake and his friend accidentally found a gold ring. Unbeknownst to him, the ring he found belongs to King Solomon and is inhabited by an ancient entity named Smannanelcannic or Smith as he introduced himself to Jake. Little did he know that as soon as he puts the ring on, he would witness power beyond his imagination and an adventure that would forever alter his life.
There’s a lot to like in the book and I commend the author for creating a story with interesting characters, plenty of action that doesn’t let up, and a good amount of humor thrown in for good measure. The interactions between Smith, Jake and later on with Nava were golden. Smith is the ancient and powerful being with an attitude. Jake, on the other hand, is the stubborn young man eager to prove himself and is a perfect foil to Smith. While Nava is a great complement to Jake with her no-nonsense persona. Smith speaking like a modern person and not like someone from a very distant past was a good decision on the writer’s part as well.
As fun as it is to read, Smith isn’t without some issues. The book is far too short that the last few chapters felt a little rushed. And because Jake and Nava have been dodging death throughout the book and with the number of Smith’s kill count already high, the climactic ending wasn’t all that spectacular anymore. This book has a lot of people meeting their violent and gruesome deaths but I, kind of, already knew that from the manner of Smith’s very first kill so it didn’t bother me that much later on. There were some grammatical and spelling errors but it really won’t detract you from enjoying it.
Smith isn’t for everyone but I can definitely say that I had a blast reading it. I recommend it to anyone who doesn’t mind some violence in their books. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.
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Smith
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