Official Review: Chrome Mountain by Ben Schneider

[jokermtb]

I just finished listening to Chrome Mountain, by Ben Schneider, as an audiobook. I really enjoyed this book - it was a fun experience. The characters were different, quirky, and interesting. It reminded me a lot about the characters one would find in a Tom Dorsey "Serge Storms" - his marvelous series about two 'characters' adventure mayhem stories centered in Florida. The slightly absurdist take on the terrorist group (the chromes), in retrospect doesn't seem like much of a stretch when one reflects on stories you'll hear nightly in the news. I didn't find any of the language derogatory (unlike the original reviewer) - I'm not as sensitive to that as some people apparently are, and it did lend a realism to the story (I do have a bit of a jew-fro, so there). The narrative where the original poster commented were overly expository, come across much better via an audiobook, where one hears the thoughts rolling around in the mind, which is a more natural situation than reading the same on the page. Perhaps try the audiobook version first, since the narration really makes the story boogie along like an action movie from the 90's. Lastly, in no way is this a "christian" conversion book. Jesus is never mentioned, but only a non-specific 'god'. People are assuming they're talking about one specific brand of religion - it's left to the reader to decide just what they're up to. I too found this plot twist a bit unusual (never encountered this in a story before), but I didn't mind it and it eventually became an important guidepost for the characters, albeit a vague one. I'm hardly a religious person, and this was not a distraction at all, nor should it be. Try this book, you'll enjoy it if you leave your own personal hangups at the door.

[Kaitlyn Wadsworth]

Because I take a story at face value and get involved in a story if I feel that the author has naturally appealed to the theatre of a readers mind, and this has happened to me while reading Chrome Mountain, I will enjoy it and suspend criticism. Trey came across as a hero and I know what you meant about not coming completely clean. However as far as I am concerned, no one is perfect and people in life do inexplicable things. I forgave Trey for this while reading. It is not realistic that characters who on the whole are upright and honest will tell all and trust all those in authority. Also a writer will often seize on an object (The briefcase full of money) and weave it's presence throughout a story just for the purpose of doing this. No criticism of a character warranted.

There are rather crude baddies portrayed who cast slurs on some in society and said vulgar things to women. What was said by them in the book is in line with their characters. I do not blame an author for not whipping these characters into shape. A great majority of those in society have occasion to blast out even more shocking slurs and foul language in the same circumstances as the author portrayed in the story. I'm refreshed to see the author curbed those foulmouthed characters into not offending the majority of readers.

I wished the book had page numbers but I did not see you mentioned this in your review. I would have liked to have seen a few examples of the grammatical errors you mentioned. No doubt you did this on another page. I confess, I overlooked them while reading. The lack of page numbers being one reason. The details I did fill out were the ones I felt most relevant on the page about profanity etc. Though I did not rate this book as profane in any way. Even disparaging remarks against women for example have only been noted as a caution for readers who may not want to read such a book. I did find the characters saying such things offensive and crude. But people do say such things, I'm afraid.

As for the instant conversion to having faith in God by Sonya I'd like to note that there are no atheists in the trenches. Why such an instant conversion? We all want to live. Desperate times call for desperate measures. God does not turn his back on those who feign belief for selfish reasons. I don't care how true it is that God directed Sonya or not. It doesn't take much for some to have instant belief in desperate situations. Especially where a childhood has the experience of religion in some form that isn't harmful. And the survival throughout the story of Trey and Sonya is miraculous to say the least.

How did yours get to be an official review?

[Kaitlyn Wadsworth]

Because I did a review of Chrome Mountain and never had a reply to what I should do with it, wasn't allowed to resubmit it after the work I did, and the few corrections which I made, even though I had initially been told I could resubmit, I am posting it in a reply. This seemed the best way when all other avenues have not met with success. I am not an author.

‘Chrome Mountain’, by Ben Schneider, is a gripping, high-stakes, sci-fi Action/Adventure story with two main characters, Trey and Sonya. It is full of top-speed chases in various airborne and land vehicles, as well as on-the-ground pursuit, all choreographed with the knowledge and detail of an expert. Hard to believe this novel is the Author’s debut.

Sonya has the criminal gang, the Screamin’ Demons, after her. Trey is a Scientist whose knowledge and ingenuity are sought after by the evil Chromes. Eventually, they meet, and it is obvious that with this brawn and brains combo, they may be able to escape, but not for long. Trey is accused of being part of the Chromes and can’t turn to anyone for help. Now he has to fight for his life and prove his innocence.

As the Chromes have mastered their secret weapons via advanced technology and use them with a rule-or-ruin mentality, the bodies pile up as their prey are pursued and cornered repeatedly. Neither of them wants the collateral damage which ensues. In ways akin to the movies with the ‘I’ll be back” character, the pursuers take the law into their own hands and will stop at nothing to close in on Trey.

During the story, facts about Trey’s and Sonya’s pasts come out, adding to this valiant pair’s characters. Both of them have criminal exes who want them dead. Both of them grow up and become more than they believed they could be capable of, and the stakes ramp up as they turn from saving their skins to saving each other’s. Sonya is expendable to the Chromes. She has the task of keeping Trey alive from enemies who want him alive. They can’t kill her without risking his life. For a while, she is the only one he can trust and rely on. The Chromes want him alive to help with a nefarious project, the ability of which will endanger all humanity. And if they fail, they want him dead as well.

Trey and Sonya have a few quiet days here and there during the story to evaluate each other and get close. This fact will please lovers of romance. The dialogue is funny and witty at times.

The message is one of justice prevailing in the end. Also, Trey is a likable hero who cares deeply about people over riches. His invention could have made him a famous millionaire, but he wisely chose to be a silent protector of humankind. If only all people thought this way. But then the trouble begins...

The language isn’t vulgar or profane, except there is vulgarity in a few places where it is in line with the characters. It is mostly easy to understand, and any novel words used (only one I couldn’t find in a dictionary) are easy to comprehend from the context. I would rate this book 4 out of 4 on entertainment value alone. It is a very well-rounded, well-written story, with all loose ends brought to a happy resolution at the end. I recommend it to readers who love non-stop action, sci-fi (not in outer space), wonderfully choreographed speed chases, and brilliant characters – even the evil ones.

I liked the place names with each new chapter better than any chapter titles for this story. Details about the food they ate made this story realistic. Other descriptions made the story easy to visualize. Page numbers will help readers who have to put the book down frequently, or enable them to refer back to things read. I recommend this.