Published Date: July 2008
ISBN: 9780505527554
Futuristic Action Romance
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Lil
Readers who have been looking for something decidedly different will undoubtedly want to explore the Shomi line. COUNTDOWN has been my introductory read to Dorchestor’s recent venture.
Set in a future where the world population is much reduced and poverty is prevalent, those who can, leave for the new colony. It is a paradise known as “Offworld.”
Kira Jordan has been on her own and doing what she needed in order to survive since she was fifteen years old, after her family was senselessly slain. Fast forward seven years and she is now a petty thief; one with some psi ability.
She wakes to a nightmare of being incarcerated with a convicted rapist and serial killer. Even worse, she and this man, Rogan Ellis are going to have to trust each other and work together in a twisted version of a technologically advanced reality game show. Success in each and every level within each respective time limit will mean attaining the commonly held dream. Failure will mean disqualification, a euphemism in this game for “Death.”
The story had me in its grip from the first page. If you love an action packed read that veers into the unexpected, this is a great find. One will notice the similarity to the movie The Running Man from years past. All the same, the sensation of familiarity gives way to an adrenaline rush as we follow the hero and heroine as they make their way through the different levels of the game.
Neither main character is traditional hero or heroine material. Both have made decisions that were less than admirable in their past. But the author is able to give a good pace and some believability to their progression from battling for their lives to battling for the greater good and for each other.
The story had areas that were less satisfying. There are some coincidences which seem mildly outrageous and therefore jostles us out of the tale. Likewise, the finale was drawn out and after all of the thrills of their competing and outsmarting of the villains, the end when it came felt anti-climactic.
One thing is for certain, Michelle Maddox can certainly deliver an entertaining and exciting story. If COUNTDOWN is any indication of the author’s talent, this reader will be all eyes for her next book. And when a date is set she will cheerfully be crossing off the days.
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