Review by Falala5 -- Final Notice by Van Fleisher
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Falala5
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Review by Falala5 -- Final Notice by Van Fleisher
[Following is a volunteer review of "Final Notice" by Van Fleisher.]
4 out of 4 stars
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The author Van Fleisher founds the premise of Final Notice on the idea of a personal doomsday; the characters in the story can choose to be notified when they are going to die. The notification comes from a watch worn by the user, which analyzes their blood and other vitals for signs of demise. The science behind this concept is fleshed out just enough to make the story believable. But I would say that the main focus is the way the characters react to the knowledge of their impending doom.
The author wants to draw attention to the way that seniors are treated in the United States, and he uses the issue of gun violence as a focal point. He succeeds up to a point; most of the characters are senior citizens, and they all have access to guns. That is where the similarities end, for me. When the story picks up, after the obligatory character building, the characters take their lives in their hands in such a way, that I forgot they were old people.
As I said earlier, the story becomes less about how old people are treated and more about how people act when they know that they are going to die. The author does a pretty good job of representing different personalities; most of the characters are firmly on one side of the thin line. By that, I mean that most of them know whether or not they can pull the trigger when the time comes. The author doesn’t explicitly put the characters into “good” and “bad” boxes, but some of them are so one-dimensional. The two main characters, Vince and Trudi Fuller, have the most dynamic personalities; they represent the whole spectrum. But even they are placed into the “good” box; a lot of “end justifies the means” reasoning is needed to explain their actions. The story is described as being full of twists and turns, but the reader will be able to tell how the story is going to end for most of the characters.
However, the premise is undone by the ending. For the Final Notice to be of any use, it needs to be accurate. And for most of the characters, it is. Except for the main characters, Vince and Trudi. They receive their final notices and prepare to die, but the author decides to give the story a happy ending in which they overcome their obstacles and live to tell the story. So the Final Notice becomes less of a final notice, and more of a warning.
This book was professionally edited; I found no errors. The writing style was engaging, even though I don’t know anyone who talks that way in real life. I would recommend this book for lovers of fiction, and anyone who likes reading material from which relevant questions can arise. The author was good enough to provide a number of questions at the end of the book, all of which can be the start of a very lively conversation. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars.
******
Final Notice
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4 out of 4 stars
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The author Van Fleisher founds the premise of Final Notice on the idea of a personal doomsday; the characters in the story can choose to be notified when they are going to die. The notification comes from a watch worn by the user, which analyzes their blood and other vitals for signs of demise. The science behind this concept is fleshed out just enough to make the story believable. But I would say that the main focus is the way the characters react to the knowledge of their impending doom.
The author wants to draw attention to the way that seniors are treated in the United States, and he uses the issue of gun violence as a focal point. He succeeds up to a point; most of the characters are senior citizens, and they all have access to guns. That is where the similarities end, for me. When the story picks up, after the obligatory character building, the characters take their lives in their hands in such a way, that I forgot they were old people.
As I said earlier, the story becomes less about how old people are treated and more about how people act when they know that they are going to die. The author does a pretty good job of representing different personalities; most of the characters are firmly on one side of the thin line. By that, I mean that most of them know whether or not they can pull the trigger when the time comes. The author doesn’t explicitly put the characters into “good” and “bad” boxes, but some of them are so one-dimensional. The two main characters, Vince and Trudi Fuller, have the most dynamic personalities; they represent the whole spectrum. But even they are placed into the “good” box; a lot of “end justifies the means” reasoning is needed to explain their actions. The story is described as being full of twists and turns, but the reader will be able to tell how the story is going to end for most of the characters.
However, the premise is undone by the ending. For the Final Notice to be of any use, it needs to be accurate. And for most of the characters, it is. Except for the main characters, Vince and Trudi. They receive their final notices and prepare to die, but the author decides to give the story a happy ending in which they overcome their obstacles and live to tell the story. So the Final Notice becomes less of a final notice, and more of a warning.
This book was professionally edited; I found no errors. The writing style was engaging, even though I don’t know anyone who talks that way in real life. I would recommend this book for lovers of fiction, and anyone who likes reading material from which relevant questions can arise. The author was good enough to provide a number of questions at the end of the book, all of which can be the start of a very lively conversation. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars.
******
Final Notice
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Like Falala5's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: Gringo by Dan "Tito" Davis
