War of Nutrition / John Beresford

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Thriller

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: YES  Paper: NO

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

John Beresford is “a writer who also works full-time as a computer systems architect.” His bio makes it clear that he views himself primarily as a writer, with the day job as a necessary evil to finance his writing life. He’s written songs, short stories, plays, and had a steady gig for a few years as a TV reviewer. This is his first novel.

For more, visit Beresford’s website.

Description:

“John Beresford's first eco-thriller is a timely and edgy story of how one driven industrialist's well-intended vision to feed the world entirely by GM [genetically modified] food becomes a nightmare when the ‘magic ingredient’ that he creates turns out to be a killer.”

Appraisal:

War of Nutrition has a solid thriller plot. Like many thrillers, the people and events are bigger than life, yet not so much that fans of the genre will have difficulty suspending disbelief. The main conflict, genetically modified food that is causing deaths, is timely, with this topic being a hot subject of discussion  right now. An IRC chat group, which figures prominently in the plot, dates the story, but also translates well if the reader imagines this as the same as a more current internet gathering place.

War on Nutrition surpasses the typical thriller in characterization. Not only the protagonist, but many of the minor characters are fleshed out well beyond the norm, which gives rise to many sub-threads or stories, including a budding romance between the protagonist and a woman from the internet who lives across the Atlantic from him, a therapist fighting his own demons, and a scientist trying to redeem himself.

FYI:

Some adult language.

Uses UK spelling conventions and word usage.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four stars