4 out of 4 stars
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"I had a dream myself... Yes. The chopper flew past a mountain. Then the peak was hit by some kind of light beam from the sky. I don’t know if it was the power of God, but it drilled all the way through the mountain,” Sonya narrated. Chrome Mountain by Ben Schneider is a story about the struggle between good and evil, one man’s decision to be upright and stand for what he believes, even if it meant putting his own life on the line.
The story captures the lives of two individuals. Sonya McCall, a tough piece of eye-candy atop her Harley, and Trey Radisson, a brilliant scientist and the inventor of a unique device, the VV1 (Veiler, Version 1), a cloaking device that could render anything it was attached to entirely undetectable to every eyeball on the planet. Two persons from totally different backgrounds with almost nothing in common. How would their paths meet? What would become of this biker woman and the nerdy genius?
The only thing both characters had in common was simply the fact that they were both on the run. Running because they were being chased. Sonya, by her past with the Screamon Demons, a very notorious biker gang that she was once a member of. Trey, by a future with the Chrome Falcon, a terrorist organisation with ambitions of becoming an empire, led by ‘General’ Casprite, a modern day Hitler. Just what do the Chrome Falcon want with Trey? Can Sonya really escape her past? How far away can they run? Who can protect them? Most importantly, what has a mountain got to do with anything?
An incredibly well-knit story, Chrome Mountain by Ben Schneider is a fast-paced action-packed thriller that is sure to keep the reader wondering and guessing. Considering the unique characters and the writer’s adept description of scenes, it was not difficult to like this book. One amazing quality it also had, is the unique sense of humour it was spiced with. The writer deserves commendation for his ability to draw up some humour in dreadfully terrifying situations. I had lots of rib-cracking bouts of laughter, even in situations that should have had me feeling pensive and overly anxious.
Apart from being a thriller, the book was also packed with a number of thought-provoking themes. It touched subjects such as romance, forgiveness, redemption, revenge, friendship, the supernatural and so on. The author’s language was simple enough (considering the plot) and very easy to understand. Being able to read what the characters were actually thinking also made it easier to interpret the goings-on.
Overall, I only found a few spelling and punctuation errors. The book obviously has seen the hands of an editor. The protagonists were relatable and truly wonderful, it was very difficult not to like them. I was impressed by the way the characters developed and evolved as the story progressed. Romance in the story blossomed beautifully and was without a huge emphasis on sex.
It is very difficult to find any aspect of this book I didn’t like. I did wonder, though, why the Chrome Falcon didn’t just abduct Trey’s parents. After all, they were a merciless and powerful organisation. Taking Trey’s parents hostage would have forced him to surrender, thus ending the whole pursuit. It seemed really obvious to me, but the author didn't exhaust that option, he rather chose the longer way around.
Chrome Mountain was well-written and incredibly organized. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Hence, I wholeheartedly rate this book as 4 out of 4 stars. My expectations were surpassed by a long shot. The balance of humour and action, the character development, suspense build-up and superb story-telling, all culminated into one really amazing book.
I would recommend this book to lovers of fast-paced, action-packed thrillers in the Sci-fi genre. If you are not one to grasp ideas such as cloaking and teleportation, or if you favour slower paced books, then this might not be the right book for you.
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Chrome Mountain
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