OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "RKU: Not to Be Seen or Heard by the Rest of the World" by Mark Simo.]

RKU is Mark Simo's debut science fiction novel. He started the project in 2009, and plans to continue it into a seven part series called “The World We Kept a Secret.” While he lives in Liverpool (UK) it is safe to say his mind resides in a whole other world.

The story is set in the capitol city of Ico. We begin there, amongst great turmoil, as the robot equality movement is coming to a head. The integration with humans is unavoidable. The date announcement has been made, but then we are shocked by the Grand Minister's murder. The suspect? The Hooded Monk, and so “The long night begins.”

M. Batistuta is assigned the case. He is a part of RKU Enterprises (Ico's guards). They are also the last institution to withstand integration. It is a stronghold that is meeting its long-winded end. While we are enveloped within a world of futuristic vehicles, weaponry, and an overall aw inspiring setting, the real points are made in struggles of prejudice.

I really loved the concepts and overall theme behind this book. It stood out to me because of its base in such controversial issues, that we all face within our daily lives, and I was looking forward to seeing how the author handled it. For the most part I was underwhelmed. The idea is great, but ultimately I felt it could have been showcased better. I felt a lot of things could have been showcased better.

Then there is a dizzying amount of dialogue, and not nearly enough description. Instead of painting pictures with words the author decided to touch upon concepts by having his characters mention them in idle conversation. It is not a terrible idea, but I felt it was lacking in implementation. This is a world I have never been to, and after reading RKU I still don't feel like I've been there.

Another issue I had was possible poor spelling and grammar. There were messages on phones, moments in dialogue, etc. where there was either some kind of shorthand/slang used or it was a mistake of the author. Honestly, it wasn't done in a distinct enough manner for me to write it off completely as intentional. Regardless, it was distracting.

I give RKU a rating of 2 out of 4. I would suggest it to anyone who loves futuristic concepts. It was OK, and definitely passed the time. Perhaps, the next books will have some redeeming factors within them. Who knows? It might turn out to be a great series, and is just taking off to a bumpy start.

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Great, honest review. The "dizzying amount of dialogue" is something I see in books more often than I'd like. I lose track of who is talking, with all the back and forth. Still, the book does look interesting.

Thank you for the lovely and honest review. Its premise sounds intriguing.

Thanks! And it is definitely still interesting... lots of potential.

Thanks for the review! I am not a big fan of science fiction of this type, but you still made it sound interesting with the summary! Nice job!

Yeah I find the concepts within the book very interesting. And I'm not writing it off completely.... I will probably check out the sequel to see how his work progresses.