Reprise Review: Shadowline Drift by Alexes Razevich

Genre: Pete Barber

Description:

Jake Kendrick is a brilliant negotiator, even though—or maybe because—he's only three and a half feet tall. When a substance is discovered which holds the promise to end world hunger, Jake seems the perfect person to secure the rights from the diminutive Amazonian chief who claims to hold the only supply.

Author:

Alexes Razevich was born in New York and grew up in Orange County, California. She attended California State University San Francisco where she earned a degree in Creative Writing. After a successful career on the fringe of the electronics industry, including stints as Director of Marketing for a major trade show management company and as an editor for Electronic Engineering Times, she returned to her first love--fiction. She lives in Southern California with her husband. When she isn't writing, she enjoys playing hockey and travel.

She would love to have you join her on Twitter and get to know you on Facebook.

Appraisal:

This is the most unusual novel I’ve read this year. A story within which anything is possible and little is as it seems. The author kept me unbalanced and on edge throughout, and I enjoyed the ride.

A minimalistic plot gives the main character an overriding purpose to keep moving forward through seemingly insurmountable odds, and this frees the author to delve into a world of the real and the imaginary. For me, the reading pleasure came through the fascinating metaphysical backdrop that draped every character and event—eerily believable and richly detailed. Try this for a descriptive sentence: “Purple orchids burst through the fat green leaves like tethered birds aching to take flight,” or this for mood setting: “Drizzle fell, as soft as kisses on his skin.” I highlighted quite a few more.

A few loose ends remained untied at the conclusion, but I didn’t feel cheated. This story was about the journey not the plot. A bit like an acid trip, there’s little to be gained by explaining what went on, you have to experience it for yourself. I’d strongly recommend reading the Amazon sample. If you enjoy how the story starts, I don’t think you’ll regret reading through to the end.  

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No Significant Issues

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: Pete Barber

Approximate word count: 50-55-000 words