Sunday, August 28, 2016

End Point

End Point by Peter Breakspear
Troubador: 8/28/16
eBook review copy; 212 pages
ISBN-13: 2940158391538

End Point by Peter Breakspear is a so-so sci-fi thriller.

End Point opens with a mysterious object that fell to Earth in Wales being investigated by a special forces team lead by Tom. It seems that several of these objects have recently been sent to or launched at Earth. Even more startling is the fact that these objects have been on Earth for many years, and can also be found on Mars, and Venus. What are they, Are we being watched by some mysterious beings, and are they manipulating the environment?

While the start is intriguing in this competition winning novel, intriguing enough to keep me reading, the action falls apart into a formulaic recounting of what happens that bleeds all the excitement and intrigue out of discovering the purpose of the objects. There is a lot of laundry-list-action: they go hear, this is said, that is said, Tom thinks this. Breakspear had some good ideas; it's just the execution that needs work. He needs to make us care about the characters, good or bad, and develop their characters, while describing the setting and place us there, in the action. As a reader, I want to connect with these people and feel the desperation behind their search for the answers before the world ends. That didn't happen. The failure is in the writing, which could improve with more experience. This novel can be considered a YA novel.

Disclosure: My advanced reading copy was courtesy of the publisher for review purposes.

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