.png)
I've submitted my novel to Reader's Favorite for review and today they came back to me with the following 5-star review:
The need for a rapid response to global threats leads to the development of the STRATOS team, an elite unit of combat-ready operatives prepared to take on and eliminate hostile targets at short notice. Keen to maintain the upper hand in a changing world, the country's top brass took it upon themselves to include an artificial intelligence project to assist in STRATOS operations. David Friedman is the mind behind EVE, the artificial intelligence program. With the personnel yet to get fully behind this new initiative, David takes it upon himself to perfect his creation, which leads to unforeseen consequences in the manifestation of an entity named HAVAH.
Keng Tiong's science fiction novel focuses on the battle for human supremacy over machines. He establishes the story's context well, explaining the need for an extra edge in the rapidly evolving fight to protect the country from international and domestic terrorism. The character creation is balanced and well thought out, as each STRATOS team member has a unique origin story and motivation for participating in the project. One of the main character in particular, Captain Wolfson, whose reaction to being forced to work with EVE reflected some people's distrust of artificial intelligence.
With each unfolding chapter, the anticipation grows as David's clandestine upgrades to EVE take shape. While some of the story focuses on how the AI entity affects the STRATOS team’s outcome, the author weaves the action with a subplot that follows the unusual developing romantic triangle between David, Amanda, and a rapidly evolving EVE. Keng Tiong's storytelling style encourages the reader to think about the effects of the increased use of AI in our daily lives. HAVAH is a scintillating debut novel that science fiction genre purists will enjoy reading.
Below are the ratings of a mini critic by Reader's Favorite on the various aspects of the novel:
1. Appearance - 5
2. Plot - 5
3. Development - 5
4. Formatting - 4
5. Marketability - 5
6. Overall Opinion - 5
I couldn't be more happy that my modest first attempt would elicit such a good review and ratings from a highly acclaimed book review and award site. Hopefully the novel will garner enough reader attention and interest to warrant a sequel and perhaps even a trilogy!
.png)
.png)
