Official Review: The Promise by Maxx Powr
Posted: 10 Mar 2019, 22:06
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Promise" by Maxx Powr.]
3 out of 4 stars
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The Promise is a sci-fi thriller by Maxx Powr, Book 1 of a series called The Piecer Chronicles. The year is 2173. Scientists have created Piecers - humans made from genetically superior DNA - to fight the alien armies of the Klix. The 523s (from Batch 19523) are extraordinary Piecers with greater size and extra abilities. Gage 523 heals quickly. Hector 523 smells as well as a dog. Tripp 523 has extraordinary vision, day and night. And Chase 523, their leader, is an all-rounder, boasting these abilities plus incredible running speed. The war with the Klix has been over for some time, a truce negotiated. Then, while the Piecers are at their graduation ceremony on Earth, the Klix attack again...
The Promise is an easy-to-read, action-packed adventure. There is plenty to keep up the reader's interest in the abilities of the 523s and the actions of the ruthless Klix. Each Piecer soldier has their own distinct personality which helps keep them separate for the reader. The characters are flawed and likeable, such as the chauvinistic Tripp, who misbehaves around women but is ultimately soft-hearted. The soldiers' dialogue seems authentic, with plenty of swearing during tense situations.
The Earth-bound parts of the story, set in future America, feature places such as New Vegas and New Palm Springs, giving readers a decent frame of reference. The book also includes bawdy humour from the Piecer soldiers and some hilarious moments from Sheen, an android created as a sex robot but freed from this slavery by Chase. Her regular tactless comments about the state of arousal of her human friends - or whether a woman has "serviced" a man - cause her crewmates much embarrassment. She also learns some new human phrases throughout the story and uses them in an amusing robotic way.
The Promise features a romantic subplot between two characters which appropriately remains secondary to the action. Overall, I found it very entertaining, with an ending which left me wanting to read the next book in the series. However, there are minor typographical errors throughout the book, mainly missing punctuation such as an apostrophe, comma or quotation mark. I found ten such errors by 20% of the way through the book.
I rate The Promise by Maxx Powr 3 out of 4 stars. If not for the minor errors in the text, it would be a 4-star book, action-packed and entertaining with a great sense of humour. It feels similar in tone to the movie Starship Troopers. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys fun, action-packed sci-fi, as long as you aren't discouraged by swearing and sexual humour.
******
The Promise
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
3 out of 4 stars
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The Promise is a sci-fi thriller by Maxx Powr, Book 1 of a series called The Piecer Chronicles. The year is 2173. Scientists have created Piecers - humans made from genetically superior DNA - to fight the alien armies of the Klix. The 523s (from Batch 19523) are extraordinary Piecers with greater size and extra abilities. Gage 523 heals quickly. Hector 523 smells as well as a dog. Tripp 523 has extraordinary vision, day and night. And Chase 523, their leader, is an all-rounder, boasting these abilities plus incredible running speed. The war with the Klix has been over for some time, a truce negotiated. Then, while the Piecers are at their graduation ceremony on Earth, the Klix attack again...
The Promise is an easy-to-read, action-packed adventure. There is plenty to keep up the reader's interest in the abilities of the 523s and the actions of the ruthless Klix. Each Piecer soldier has their own distinct personality which helps keep them separate for the reader. The characters are flawed and likeable, such as the chauvinistic Tripp, who misbehaves around women but is ultimately soft-hearted. The soldiers' dialogue seems authentic, with plenty of swearing during tense situations.
The Earth-bound parts of the story, set in future America, feature places such as New Vegas and New Palm Springs, giving readers a decent frame of reference. The book also includes bawdy humour from the Piecer soldiers and some hilarious moments from Sheen, an android created as a sex robot but freed from this slavery by Chase. Her regular tactless comments about the state of arousal of her human friends - or whether a woman has "serviced" a man - cause her crewmates much embarrassment. She also learns some new human phrases throughout the story and uses them in an amusing robotic way.
The Promise features a romantic subplot between two characters which appropriately remains secondary to the action. Overall, I found it very entertaining, with an ending which left me wanting to read the next book in the series. However, there are minor typographical errors throughout the book, mainly missing punctuation such as an apostrophe, comma or quotation mark. I found ten such errors by 20% of the way through the book.
I rate The Promise by Maxx Powr 3 out of 4 stars. If not for the minor errors in the text, it would be a 4-star book, action-packed and entertaining with a great sense of humour. It feels similar in tone to the movie Starship Troopers. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys fun, action-packed sci-fi, as long as you aren't discouraged by swearing and sexual humour.
******
The Promise
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
