Review: Not like anything I've read before
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 14, 2014
I don't know about you but as soon as I learned the concept for this book I was intrigued. I feel like the whole idea could have only been a hit or a miss. Having now read it, I can tell you first-hand that this rule-breaking nothing-like-you've-read-before, risk-taking first novel by a new author... totally works! Who would have guessed?And I really mean it's not like anything I've read before. Some of the most interesting parts of the book are when Bernie is working on his universe or trying to work out what tampering could have caused some of the natural disasters he discovers. It's actually surprisingly educational to see what different factors, such as increasing the rotational speed of a planet or increasing the temperature can cause to happen. I'm going to be straight up with you: I'm not a very scientific or mathematical person. This book, despite all the information about space and physics, doesn't require you to be. It's easy to follow and doesn't get boring whatsoever.Another great thing about the book is the main character Bernie. In fact, don't tell anyone but I think I may have a bit of a crush on him. He's a big time underdog but it's not forced down our throats. Do you know what I mean? I read a lot of books that constantly tell me that a character is an underdog but with no real evidence to support it. Bernie doesn't insist on being an underdog, he simply is one. He's not a genius, he's not the most confident, he's not the most financially stable and he has his own flaws and quirks. But at the same time, he has strong morals and beliefs and he is determined and works hard. At no point does he become an annoying whiney character, which is one of my pet peeves in books. He's awesome to read about and I was cheering him on the entire time which made me care about his story a lot more.Also, I think that his morals are very relateable to someone like myself who feels strongly about animal welfare and protection. This might seem out of nowhere and maybe even like I'm stretching a bit, but the way Bernie is a misfit in his love for his creations reminds me of how I feel sometimes when I see people disregard animals. I'm not sure whether LeBel planned for this connection or if he'd be surprised but I couldn't help but see the similarities. I think that if I were on Bernie's planet, I'd be wearing hippy shirts and fighting for life forms too.Finally, this self-published work is extremely well written and edited. Look at how nice the cover is. You can just tell that this author really cares about his work. That's why I want to recommend this book, because I believe Steve LeBel genuinely deserves to do well. He's only released one book as of yet but I'm already a fan. I recommend this book to fans of sci fi and fans of fantasy. The digital copy is cheap and well worth the money.