Review: A Fresh Look at a Classic Conflict
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 21, 2014
The first thing that attracted me to this book is that the "hero" is a teacher…not a war vet, an ex-cop, or a mysterious tortured soul with inhuman fighting skills, but a teacher! The main character actually uses his wits and education to survive in a post-apocalyptic world rather than brute force and high caliber weapons.The second thing that attracted me to this book (and the thing that kept me reading) was the amazing quality of the writing. Today’s Indie publications are a double-edged sword. On one side, it gives deserving new authors a chance to publish their work when shrinking traditional publishers turn great writing away on a daily basis. On the other side, Indie publishing also saturates the market with pure crap. It is often a challenge to separate the wheat from the chaff.In Argosy, Jason Brandon quickly separates himself from the pack with a deft pen and an engaging plot with a unique protagonist. Argosy restores my faith in Indie publishing and makes sifting through all the other superfluous drivel worth it. This is like Michael Crichton without all the technical jargon and WITH rich character development; this is like Cormac McCarthy without all the short, terse sentences; this rivals the craft and polish of Richard Matheson.I do not hand out five-star reviews like candy, but I’d happily give Argosy an extra star if it were allowed. This is, quite simply, the best book I’ve read in this genre since Robert McCammon’s Swan Song. I look forward to this author’s future efforts, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he eventually gets picked up by a major publisher.