Alex Austin's Blog - Posts Tagged "phobias"
Midwest Book Review
The widely distributed Midwest Book Review will post the following review of my novel End Man in its September 22 issue.
Dromophobia is the fear of crossing streets. In an urban environment, this condition dictates that work and daily life take place in a carefully-manipulated and close environment where no streets need to be navigated.
Fortunately, 26-year-old dromophobic Raphael Lennon has carved out just such a niche for his life. Unfortunately, this is about to change.
End Man is a study of not just fear, but in self-imposed prisons and attempts to hide from death. Ironically, Raphael's job is to ferret out those hiders who "play possum" and fake their deaths. Death may be a good place to hide, for nefarious reasons. But it's not a good place to conduct business.
Readers who pursue End Man will find its special blend of mystery and sci-fi create compelling scenarios and opportunities for higher-level thinking as moral and ethical quandaries mix with philosophical life inspections: "They’re dead, but not less valuable. That’s our business."
Raphael may have carved out a life for himself, in control of his world, but as events force him out of his comfort zone, readers follow his progression into chaos: "Why is this happening, he thought to himself ... Because of the limitations of his world (and his apartment was the center of his world), he knew its mechanisms well."
If End Man were simply a story of dromophobia, this rare exploration would be enough of a draw to gain an audience. But its real value lies in the pursuit of Raphael's expanding world and the dilemmas it introduces as his carefully organized existence undergoes a sea change.
Alex Austin is a master at building tension, psychological inquiry, and intrigue that tests his protagonist in unexpected ways.
The sci-fi elements introduce a futuristic setting with revised moral and ethical boundaries that offer particularly notable, compelling dilemmas throughout its action-packed scenes.
Austin takes the time to build character, setting, and personal and corporate thinking processes. This lends both a sense of realistic fatalism to the story and creates fine tension replete with unpredictable twists and turns.
The result is a tale of not just a mystery that engulfs the unwitting Raphael, but one that shifts from personal to corporate responsibility and values as events unfold.
Readers and libraries seeking exceptional sci-fi mystery settings and quandaries worthy of book club discussion will find all this and more in droves in a story packed with intrigue, growth, and a wry dash of humor for added impact. –Diane Donovan, Senior Reviewer
https://www.amazon.com/End-Man-Alex-A... risahsbookreviews@gmail.com x=end+man+alex+austin%2Caps%2C139&sr=8-1
Dromophobia is the fear of crossing streets. In an urban environment, this condition dictates that work and daily life take place in a carefully-manipulated and close environment where no streets need to be navigated.
Fortunately, 26-year-old dromophobic Raphael Lennon has carved out just such a niche for his life. Unfortunately, this is about to change.
End Man is a study of not just fear, but in self-imposed prisons and attempts to hide from death. Ironically, Raphael's job is to ferret out those hiders who "play possum" and fake their deaths. Death may be a good place to hide, for nefarious reasons. But it's not a good place to conduct business.
Readers who pursue End Man will find its special blend of mystery and sci-fi create compelling scenarios and opportunities for higher-level thinking as moral and ethical quandaries mix with philosophical life inspections: "They’re dead, but not less valuable. That’s our business."
Raphael may have carved out a life for himself, in control of his world, but as events force him out of his comfort zone, readers follow his progression into chaos: "Why is this happening, he thought to himself ... Because of the limitations of his world (and his apartment was the center of his world), he knew its mechanisms well."
If End Man were simply a story of dromophobia, this rare exploration would be enough of a draw to gain an audience. But its real value lies in the pursuit of Raphael's expanding world and the dilemmas it introduces as his carefully organized existence undergoes a sea change.
Alex Austin is a master at building tension, psychological inquiry, and intrigue that tests his protagonist in unexpected ways.
The sci-fi elements introduce a futuristic setting with revised moral and ethical boundaries that offer particularly notable, compelling dilemmas throughout its action-packed scenes.
Austin takes the time to build character, setting, and personal and corporate thinking processes. This lends both a sense of realistic fatalism to the story and creates fine tension replete with unpredictable twists and turns.
The result is a tale of not just a mystery that engulfs the unwitting Raphael, but one that shifts from personal to corporate responsibility and values as events unfold.
Readers and libraries seeking exceptional sci-fi mystery settings and quandaries worthy of book club discussion will find all this and more in droves in a story packed with intrigue, growth, and a wry dash of humor for added impact. –Diane Donovan, Senior Reviewer
https://www.amazon.com/End-Man-Alex-A... risahsbookreviews@gmail.com x=end+man+alex+austin%2Caps%2C139&sr=8-1
Deep Dive Into End Man
Please check out this review of my new novel End Man on Bookish Beyond, a well-respected British blog.
https://bookishbeyond.com/index.php/2...
Thanks,
Alex
https://bookishbeyond.com/index.php/2...
Thanks,
Alex
