Pandora’s Succession / Russell Brooks

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Thriller/Suspense

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words

Availability
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Author:

A former track and field athlete, sprinter Russell Brooks lives in Montreal, Canada. For more, visit his website.

Description:

CIA operative Ridley Fox uncovers plans to unleash “Pandora,” a deadly microbe, in the worst act of bioterrorism the world has ever seen. Will he succeed in stopping those behind this?

Appraisal:

The thriller genre is one where the characters, both heroes and villains, tend to be larger than life, with plots that are over-the-top, at least when compared with the real world. Yet readers are trained to suspend their disbelief and are rewarded with a few hours of vicarious adventure and an escape from the real world. Pandora’s Succession fits this formula well, with a clever, complex plot and ever-increasing tension. The character of Ridley Fox is a larger than life hero, yet has enough human foibles and emotions for us to like and identify with him.

Unfortunately, Pandora’s Succession also suffers from the too common problem of insufficient copyediting. There are too many instances of typos, incorrect or missing words, and occasional clunky sentences. The big picture is good, but lack of attention to the nitty details dilutes the impact. Thriller fans with a high tolerance for mentally tripping over sentences should give Pandora’s Succession a try.

FYI:

Uses Canadian spelling conventions.

Format/Typo Issues:

A large number of typos and proofing errors.

Rating: *** Three stars