Official Review: The Symbiot Awakening by William Axtell
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Official Review: The Symbiot Awakening by William Axtell
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Symbiot Awakening" by William Axtell.]
William Axtell’s The Symbiot Awakening is a fast-paced sci-fi novel filled with unpredictable twists and turns guaranteed to keep the reader on their toes. The story centers around Angela Wright, a scientist who finds herself imbued with supernatural abilities when she becomes infected by a “Meteor Bug”. She is forced to quickly gain control of these powers in order to join the country’s fight for freedom against the powerful Vladimir Sharapov and his team.
Overall, Axtell found a great balance between being descriptive and keeping the storyline moving swiftly. The book’s element of mystery and interesting characters had me hooked right from the beginning, and the following chapters were packed with action, making it difficult to put down. I was very impressed by the author's careful portrayal of the novel’s characters. Each was well thought out, and described in such a way that really came to life as believable, three-dimensional human beings. Even the less moral characters had some sort of justification for their actions, a detail I often see overlooked in character development.
Though I appreciate Axtell’s ability to paint a clear image for the reader, sometimes he doesn’t give his readers enough credit. For example, we don’t need to be told that the French lady spoke in a French accent, or that Angela urgently threw open the door; some sentences became so detailed that they felt lengthy and choppy. Furthermore, some of the action bits also tended to get a bit wordy and it was easy to get lost in the specifics. Some sections of the book could stand to be reworked to read more smoothly, but in general, these minor issues in the writing did not become too much of a distraction.
Axtell did an excellent job of incorporating the concept of the “Symbiots”, people who have been infected by small creatures that traveled to earth inside meteors. These Symbiots gain very powerful abilities as a result of this infection, and the exact powers they gain are determined by the type of creature that infected them. This concept was very well thought out, and brought book’s action to a whole new level. I must add, however, that another big idea was introduced in the book that was less appealing to me: futuristic technology. Suddenly introduced well into the book, it seemed a little bit far-fetched. It was a bit vague in explanation, felt rushed and unnecessary, and seemed like it could have been part of a separate story entirely.
I would recommend The Symbiot Awakening to anyone who loves sci-fi and action. I give this book a 3 out of 4 stars for its unique ideas and characters, and a fast-paced plot that makes it difficult to put down!
***
Buy "The Symbiot Awakening" on Amazon
William Axtell’s The Symbiot Awakening is a fast-paced sci-fi novel filled with unpredictable twists and turns guaranteed to keep the reader on their toes. The story centers around Angela Wright, a scientist who finds herself imbued with supernatural abilities when she becomes infected by a “Meteor Bug”. She is forced to quickly gain control of these powers in order to join the country’s fight for freedom against the powerful Vladimir Sharapov and his team.
Overall, Axtell found a great balance between being descriptive and keeping the storyline moving swiftly. The book’s element of mystery and interesting characters had me hooked right from the beginning, and the following chapters were packed with action, making it difficult to put down. I was very impressed by the author's careful portrayal of the novel’s characters. Each was well thought out, and described in such a way that really came to life as believable, three-dimensional human beings. Even the less moral characters had some sort of justification for their actions, a detail I often see overlooked in character development.
Though I appreciate Axtell’s ability to paint a clear image for the reader, sometimes he doesn’t give his readers enough credit. For example, we don’t need to be told that the French lady spoke in a French accent, or that Angela urgently threw open the door; some sentences became so detailed that they felt lengthy and choppy. Furthermore, some of the action bits also tended to get a bit wordy and it was easy to get lost in the specifics. Some sections of the book could stand to be reworked to read more smoothly, but in general, these minor issues in the writing did not become too much of a distraction.
Axtell did an excellent job of incorporating the concept of the “Symbiots”, people who have been infected by small creatures that traveled to earth inside meteors. These Symbiots gain very powerful abilities as a result of this infection, and the exact powers they gain are determined by the type of creature that infected them. This concept was very well thought out, and brought book’s action to a whole new level. I must add, however, that another big idea was introduced in the book that was less appealing to me: futuristic technology. Suddenly introduced well into the book, it seemed a little bit far-fetched. It was a bit vague in explanation, felt rushed and unnecessary, and seemed like it could have been part of a separate story entirely.
I would recommend The Symbiot Awakening to anyone who loves sci-fi and action. I give this book a 3 out of 4 stars for its unique ideas and characters, and a fast-paced plot that makes it difficult to put down!
***
Buy "The Symbiot Awakening" on Amazon
Latest Review: "Tireless" by Graham Spaid
