As part of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (ABNA) Quarter Finals, each entrant has their entire manuscript reviewed by Publishers Weekly. The PW review of THE MENGELE EFFECT came in today, and...well, I don't think I'll be making the Semi Finals this year! [UPDATE: I was wrong!]
If you haven't read THE MENGELE EFFECT yet, SPOILER ALERT! Here's what the PW reviewer had to say:
"This
fast-moving apocalyptic story provides edge-of-seat tension and raises
far-reaching moral questions as U.S. President Andrew Smith orders the
last-resort use of nuclear weapons on American soil. Chance natural
events cause the abandoned remains of a laboratory experiment to produce
huge ‘super-rats’ that unite to attack people. Their victims mutate to
join their rapidly reproducing ranks. Millions of Americans are killed
as military units and cities are quickly overrun, the plague spreads to
birds, and conventional and chemical weapons prove inadequate defenses.
As ace researcher Carolyn Ridenour and foe-turned-friend Col. Garrett
Hoffman race to discover a solution, Jessie Hruska, national security
advisor, uses her sexual enchantment over the president to promote the
goals of a secret worldwide cult. Revelations that the outbreak stems
from research by Nazi doctor Josef Mengele, built on by both sides
during the Cold War, lead Ridenour to a possible remedy, but suspicions
at the increasingly erratic decisions of Smith lead to a showdown
between Hruska and Vice President Allison Perez amid the remains of
America. [AND HERE COMES THE GUT PUNCH>>>] Although the writer’s intrusive moralizing and overly short
chapters provide a steady onslaught of unsubtle, punchy blows, and the
unnecessarily premature disclosures of Hruska’s duplicity diminishes the
possible build-up, the reader is guaranteed tense moments in this
well-executed horror-thriller."
Hmmm. "Intrusive moralizing"? Wow. I actually try hard NOT to do that! Although, I believe it's difficult for any writer not to have at least some of their personal beliefs seep into their characters...for example, if you read Koontz, you know it's probably a safe bet Mr. Koontz doesn't have a photo scrapbook from the 2012 Democratic National Convention on his coffee table. Also, if you've ready any of Stephen King's recent stuff--say, 11/22/63 for example--you may find he's become pretty blatant about having his characters spout a liberal point of view. Sometimes, it's so obvious and out of place it's hard to read without a chuckle or two. Okay, Stephen, it's Bush's fault, I get it...now can we please get on with the story? (I thoroughly enjoyed 11/22/63, by the way.)
Hmmm. "overly short chapters provide a steady onslaught of unsubtle, punchy blows" Exactly. I happen to REALLY enjoy reading James Patterson, because he (or whoever writes his books these days) employs very short chapters. For me, it quickens the pace & keeps me interested...there's nothing I hate more than slogging through a 20-30 page chapter, wondering when the heck it's going to end so I can get to sleep!
Hmmm. "unnecessarily premature disclosures of Hruska's duplicity" I felt I brought her "secret" forward at about the right time...guess not, for this reviewer anyway. ;)
So...am I disappointed with the review? A little, but not too much. Compared to the off-the-top-rope-crush-my-spleen PW review I received for THE COMING back in the 2011 ABNA contest (you can go back to 2011 in this blog and read it), this one was positively GLOWING!
"This fast moving apocalyptic story provides edge-of-seat tension and raises far-reaching moral questions..." Yeah...I'll take that!
Well, like Wile E. Coyote, Suuuuper Genius, liked to say, "Back to the old [electronic] drawing board..."
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