Review: Gritty, gripping - a brilliant debut novel
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 20, 2012
The Chronicles of M is this author's debut novel and it's a very convincing, accomplished one. It's a multi-genre story, touching sci-fi, fantasy, horror (light), mystery and paranormal. And I love it. Yes, I edited it, but I don't feel motivated to write 5-star reviews for everything I work on.Our somewhat unlikely hero is 50-year-old, recently retired publicity agent Samuel Horn. He's looking forward to a quiet life but events conspire against that, starting with him caught in a bank raid, a dangerous situation that he defuses. Then the mysterious Thomas contacts him and offers him the job of working for M, who strikes Samuel as an obnoxious, anti-social psychopath. But there's more than meets the eye and as he gets drawn into M's world, Samuel gradually understands what's gone on in his life. He bumps into zombies on the way and learns about the existence of demons and other supernaturals and generally has his eyes opened very wide.It's a gritty, gripping, very unique story. We get to see events from several viewpoints, and this is something Nicholas Forristal handles really well. There is nothing predictable in this novel and once you've started it, it's hard to stop, not only because of the pace, but also because you begin to form your own suspicions of what's going on and want to see if you're right or not.If you like something fresh and slightly challenging, in that this isn't a smooth, cozy mystery, for your reading material, then this is one for you.