Forever Man

by Brian W Matthews

[layawaydragon]

I received a copy through Library Thing Early Reviewers program in order to give an honest review.

3 Stars : Average. Some issues for characters, pushes suspension of disbelief (especially in action scenes) with writing/editing problems as well. However, nothing enough to make me put the book down. I'm sure this will improve in time and I don't think most people will notice.

The comparison to Koontz and King is obvious so let's get that out of the way.

Liked it but didn't love it. Recommend for fans of the genre, fans of Koontz and King.

Forever Man is a fast paced supernatural thriller with horrific...things and terrifying moments. There are a few of those WTF scenes that really stand out as the high points and the hallmark of this genre. Mostly, it's a time race and I’m not talking about the NASCAR kind either. Characters are decently crafted (though they aren't all decent people). Izzy is really my kind of woman and I enjoyed the journey with her. As solid as the characters appear there were times when they wavered and I questioned their decisions/actions/reactions. The environment and setting were fine, no real complaints yet nothing really stand out. The action is done movie style and I distinctly remember thinking momentary remarks of pffft, yeah right during some of them. I really didn’t see the ending coming. In fact, I didn’t actually predict anything in this book, which is awesome. Looking back, there’s things I clearly should have remembered and seen coming but I didn’t notice while reading. There’s still a lot of questions unanswered when Forever Man is over. With those loose ends, it’s hard to comment on the world building, logic or follow through on the basic premise of this book.

...Actually, there’s one thing I’m going to tease out. One character leading one side of the fight first says, “but it’s only me! I do things alone.” then goes on to talk about a network of people that help them. Ummm...so clearly they aren’t doing it alone yet no one seems to point this out.

I am curious to see where the series goes from here in an off-handed kind of way. Continuing reading though will depend on if the next book hooks me. It's not a must-read, need it now. Just another book on list that doesn't really jump out. While reading it's enjoyable and I recommend it. It just doesn't have staying power for me. Once I was done, I was done. Motivating me to continue is easier for the second book but it's not a instant buy.