Official Review: The Touch by Robert E Flynn III

[Kelebogile Mbangi]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Touch" by Robert E Flynn III.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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We live in a world full of hardship and pain. Men in power oppress those who have no means to defend themselves. We wish we had the means to change things. Robert E. Flynn III is the author of The Touch, and his strong sense of justice shines through in this book. The book is a work of fantasy. It explores the theme of evil.

Gabriel Nunez is an orphan who has been diagnosed with autism. He has an odd aura about him which unsettles people. As a result, people stay clear of him, including most of the children in the orphanage he calls home. Little do they know that Gabriel is faced with an inner struggle. Gabriel has always heard a voice within him. A voice no one else can hear. He knows he must obey this voice. He cannot help but wonder what the true nature of this voice is. Is it good, or is it sinister? Most of all, what is its purpose for him?

The plot of this story spoke to my sense of justice and to my compassion. The author presents his readers with the atrocities that people face in the world. The plot is centred around changing bad world conditions in a meaningful and lasting way. The source of this change was unexpected. This pleasantly surprised me, because it offered an unforeseeable plot twist.

I understand that presenting the hardships and evils people face was vital to the background of the book. I feel, however, that it was overdone. In many scenes, the author paints a bleak picture for his readers. It became draining to read after a while.

The characters are poorly developed. Yes, we are given their backgrounds, and we even see their inner conflicts. Unfortunately, the way it was presented did not allow me to connect with the characters. The author does a lot of narrating. I wish he showed us their personalities more through actions than words. The credibility of the characters needs improvement. For example, in one scene, one of the supporting characters analyses his sister’s behaviour. The insight he shows in this analysis is way too advanced for a five-year-old.

I appreciated the author's simple writing style. It helped to keep the pace moving. The pace of the book was slowed down towards the middle of the book where we are moved from event to event. In my opinion, some of the events or scenes were unnecessary and only contributed slightly to the development of the book. I wish these scenes were cut out or shortened.

Despite all this, I enjoyed discovering who or what was behind the voice that Gabriel hears. I also enjoyed the unexpected plot twist. Therefore, I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to those with a big imagination and a love for fantasy.

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The Touch
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Like Kelebogile Mbangi's review? Post a comment saying so!

[MarisaRose]

The concept of this one sounds unique, but I'm definitely put off by the poor character development and bleak overtones. I think I'll pass on this one; thanks for the review!

[kandscreeley]

I'm sorry that this one didn't meet your expectations. If there are too many bleak situations without any point, it does tend to get on your nerves. That and then the characters not being developed well will make me skip this one. Thanks!

[geoffrey ngoima]

I read another review of this and I've gotten it more deeply now, sounds like an awesome book.
Great review.

[MrsCatInTheHat]

I love the idea of this story. It's too bad that the character development is lacking.

[Emie Cuevas]

I find myself curious as too who, or what the voice is myself. Despite this, from your description of poor characters and very bleak scenes I'm going to give this one a miss. Thanks for the great review.

[juliusotinyo]

Besides the aura, what's the touch all about? Can Gabriel extend it to touch others or something?

[kimmyschemy06]

That was a very honest review. The premise sounds very promising and the protagonist seems admirable and endearing. Too bad, though, about the overall execution especially the poorly developed characters. Good job on the review.

[KlareAllison]

The protagonist, Gabriel Nunez, as an orphan who has to live with autism, is quite a heavy baggage for a child to carry. The fact that, generally, people are not favourably disposed towards him, for me, is too much. Good review, though!

[Kelebogile Mbangi]

Besides the aura, what's the touch all about? Can Gabriel extend it to touch others or something?

Lol I don't want to give out spoilers.

[juliusotinyo]

Besides the aura, what's the touch all about? Can Gabriel extend it to touch others or something?

Lol I don't want to give out spoilers.

[Kelebogile Mbangi]

Besides the aura, what's the touch all about? Can Gabriel extend it to touch others or something?

Lol I don't want to give out spoilers.

Lol sorry.

[Abayomi2060]

Nice review. I would skip this one then.

[DeboraSilva]

Even with the lack of character development, it sounds like an interesting plot. Thank you for the nice review.

[Kelebogile Mbangi]

Even with the lack of character development, it sounds like an interesting plot. Thank you for the nice review.

I agree the plot was very interesting!