Book Review: Genesis by Matt K Turner

Media Type: Ebook
Title: Genesis
Author: Matt K Turner
Publisher: Synchrony Publishing
Pages: Kindle; 322
Release Date: May 4, 2016
Source: Author
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Genre: Science Fiction / Thriller

HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart

Recommended to: Readers who enjoy action packed stories that aren’t too dense, and feature vividly written characters.

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Tech icon Aiden Markusson has it all—the lake house, the luxury car, the fastest growing company in Seattle, and the love of his life wearing his engagement ring. But his perfect life comes apart at the seams when he begins to experience blinding headaches and strange bursts of physical ability. Suspicion and paranoia lead him down a rabbit hole of corporate conspiracy where he finds out he’s not losing him mind, it’s much worse than that. 

Genesis is a mind-bending thrill ride through a near future where Aiden must face the possibility that he is a bio-fabricated being created by a ruthless multinational corporation. The closer Aiden gets to the truth, the more he becomes something unprecedented, a being more powerful than anyone thought possible. If he can learn to harness his newfound abilities in time, Aiden might find a way to save the woman he loves, his species, and possibly… the future of the human race. 

Film and television writer Matt K. Turner comes storming out of the gates with his debut sci-fi action thriller. Blending a surprisingly smart mixture of heart pounding action, heady reflections on the nature of humanity, and witty comedic flare, Genesis is a new brand of sci-fi for enthusiasts and newcomers alike.

With good looks, charisma, and plenty of wealth to spare, Aiden Markusson definitely seems to be leading a charmed existence. When he’s first introduced to the reader, there’s no doubt that Aiden is just an abnormally lucky guy. That is, until the “complications” begin. Terrible headaches are normal, but headaches accompanied by sensory distortion and freakish strength? Maybe not so normal. So begins Aiden’s descent into a world filled with mercenaries, bio-mechanical beings, and more danger than he ever thought possible.

Massive kudos to Turner for setting Aiden up as such a richly drawn human being at the beginning of this story. His kindness, doubts, and deep love for his fiance wove together a man who that was impossible to ignore and easy to like. I enjoyed the fact that Aiden was more than just a rich mogul. He had a heart, and soul. Which made it that much more emotional to watch him slowly discover his true nature. It would have been easy to skim right over that, but Turner didn’t settle.

Honestly, that’s true of the majority of this book. Every chance to skim over something key, Turner ignored. Aiden’s insanely accurate assessment of situations meant that most scenes that were described in crisp detail. For the most part this was absolutely wonderful. Especially when it came to epic fight scenes! The downside was that our darling Aiden also got a bit introspective quite often. Being in his head wasn’t easy, and when he mulled over the same problem for a few paragraphs, it got to be a little much at times.

I can, however, attest to the fact that Genesis is a beautifully accessible Science Fiction book. The drawn out descriptions are one of the reasons why that’s so true. There were no dense scientific explanations. Instead, the reader was treated to a front row seat as Aiden discovered how his body worked. The whole book takes an action based approach to all explanations. I supposed you’d describe as learning, but with high stakes involved. That, in my opinion, was exactly what made this book such a compulsive read.

About half way through is when this book really starts to shine. The twists come one after another, each one perfectly placed and hitting like a punch to the gut. After being so hooked on Aiden as a character, and invested in his survival, this was where I found myself reading breathlessly. The latter half of this book reads much like an action movie, except without the terrible dialogue. Every move that Aiden made, each one of his adversaries introduced, every motivation described, all of it was lush and well-written. Turner does an excellent job of creating realistic characters, while still staying firmly in the world of bio-mechanical madness that he’s created. It’s a thing of beauty.

So, final verdict? If you’re a fan of Science Fiction, particularly with an action fueled twist, this will be a book that you’ll greatly enjoy. Despite any small qualms I may have had, overall this was a wonderful read. I’d definitely give this a space on your reading list!

FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion.