4 out of 4 stars
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In Smith, by Sam B Miller II, the action starts on page 1 with 18 year old Jake Goddard getting hit by a thrown rock. It is explained that it is dangerous for him to be in Israel due to his American heritage and his young age. Jacob’s dad, Rob Goddard, is an archaeologist with The Harvard Department of Archaeological Projects and is currently working on a claimed discovery of King Solomon’s Temple in Israel.
Jake and his friend Avner follow a hand-written map of the dig area and find a ring. Jake learns that the ring is actually "Solomon’s Ring of Power". Legend goes that it was made by Angels or Aliens. Since Jake is the wearer of the ring he finds himself with the powers of this legend. The ring has four powers over: wind, birds and beasts, earth and water, and demons.
Jake hears a voice shortly after he puts the ring on his finger. The voice states his name is Smannanelcannic and he is the essence which is embedded in the ring. Jake has trouble pronouncing this name, so the essence in the ring said for Jake to call it Smith. Smith explains that it has been dormant for 2948 years with no human interaction.
In addition to danger from just being an 18 year old in Israel, there are people after Jake that want the ring. When Jake uses Smith’s talents in numerous fights, it allows him to have almost super-human strength. Although it is Smith’s job to protect the wearer of the ring, if someone annoys Smith his first reaction is to just kill the person. Jake arguing with Smith when these occurrences happened were funny interactions in the book.
There were many reasons that I enjoyed this book. The book was an enjoyable read because the plot was so original. I’ve never read anything even remotely similar to this book. But the humor that is portrayed between Jake and Smith were my favorite parts of the book by far. Just imagine a person from over 2948 years ago speaking to a teenager of today, and the mix-ups with the slang, or understanding concepts like eBay. The author's imagination with these conversations between Smith and Jake were so funny because of this extremely large generation gap. I also enjoyed when Jake spoke out loud to Smith, which at times led to misunderstandings and hurt feelings when others mistakenly thought Jake was talking to them or with others thinking he is crazy.
If a reader enjoys science fiction and fantasy genres I strongly recommend reading the book. The book was professionally edited with no distracting errors to make it a difficult read. I can’t guarantee it of course, but I honestly feel that even if a reader doesn’t normally enjoy books in the science fiction or fantasy genres, that they still may enjoy this book. If a reader likes to read steamy sex scenes, they will be disappointed because although there is a growing love interest, this book is appropriate for all ages.
The only thing I didn’t like about the book was the fact that Smith didn’t say exactly what he is other than the essence in the ring. Like I mentioned previously, there were legends stating that the ring had power from an angel or an alien, but I would have personally liked this subject explained in a little more detail.
It was an easy decision for me to give Smith a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. Since I enjoyed the book so much from page 1, I could not rate it 3 stars. The character development, the plot, and the twist and turns kept me eagerly waiting what would happen next. I look forward to reading other books from this author in the future.
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Smith
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when I get a little money I buy books; and if I have any left l buy food and clothes
