On the Risingshadow.net website, Seregil of Rhiminee has written a very flattering and detailed review of An Android Awakes by Mike French and Karl Brown.
Cover Design: Craig Nash
He starts by describing the book as “a beautiful and extraordinary package filled with entertainment, style and originality”, adding that it’s one of the most original speculative fiction novels he’s read this year due to the fact that it’s “full of novel ideas that are handled masterfully”. When you open the book and start reading, Seregil says, “you’ll immediately notice that you’re about to read something extraordinary”. As you keep reading the feeling intensifies, and when you reach the end you’ll “most likely be stunned by what you have just read, because this novel grabs hold of the reader’s imagination”. He observes that the main story “unfolds fantastically towards the end” and that journey to the end is “entertaining and rewarding. The story reads almost like an exotic blend of Blade Runner and Sin City that has been coated with Rhys Hughes-like inventiveness.”
Seregil goes on to discuss the characters in some of the stories written by Android Writer PD121928, some of which are “amazing” and the stories are “fascinating”, as well as how grim and bleak the existence of an android writer is in the future that Mike has created. He adds that including details of the rejection letters that were sent to the android writer “added a bit of harsh realism to the story”. The stories and artwork “deliver readers a feast of unique sights” that are “awesome in their inventiveness”, says Seregil who then says that it’s been a while since he’s read “anything as inventive as this novel.”
He commends Mike’s writing as “excellent” and says that the story is “a veritable page-turner, because you want to find out what happens to the android writer”, with the tension growing nicely towards the end as time is running out. Seregil says that the stories demonstrate how good a writer Mike is, and show the “same kind of imagination and fascinating surrealism that can be found in Mike French’s The Dandelion Trilogy”; he says Mike is a talented author who “dares to use his imagination in a creative way”. He writes stories and novels that are “intriguingly different and highly entertaining … full of subtle beauty and different kinds of wonders”.
Karl’s “beautiful pictures”, Seregil says, fit this novel perfectly complementing the story to “make it an interesting reading experience”. Karl has “an eye for small and important details, because he captures elements from the stories and represents them in detailed black-and-white pictures that stimulate the reader’s imagination. I look forward to seeing more of his artwork.”
Seregil concludes by saying that An Android Awakes “manages to do what most novels fail to do” – it challenges the reader’s view of what novels can be like and makes the reader think about what happens in the story. He says, “It offers escapism, intelligent entertainment, visionary storytelling and beautiful art in an amazing all-in-one package. It’s truly something to behold, because it’s a unique achievement in storytelling.” His final thoughts are that it is “deliciously irresistible”, and “so amazing and cool that you can’t put it down until you’ve reached the end”. Highly recommended! Don’t miss it, says Seregil.
This has been a (long) short summary of Seregil’s review (and I hope he won’t mind that I’ve included lots of quotes from it!). You should definitely read the full review on the Risingshadow.net website here.