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Book Review: Mind Fuck by Manna Francis
Feb. 4th, 2013 12:38 pmTitle: Mind Fuck (The Administration Book 1)
Author: Manna Francis
Published: Casperian Books, 2007
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 249
Total Page Count: 127,563
Text Number: 371
Read Because: mentioned by Loederkoningin, free to read on the author's website
Review: Val Toreth works for Investigation and Interrogation, a department of the Administration known for their political cases and violent methods, and his new case is an unusual one: a pair of apparently causeless deaths that may be tied to a cutting-edge virtual reality machine under development of one Keir Warrick. Mind Fuck is the beginning of the Administration series, and self-/indie-published—and surprisingly good. It's not as edgy as it expects to be: there's a surprisingly lack of sexual content (despite a few explicit scenes and an overuse of the word "fuck") and its inclinations towards BDSM are muted; however, the relationship revolves around Toreth's sociopathy and in that respect has an engaging ambiguity. And it's a book entire, with an unexpectedly robust plot; Francis has an eye for the details of the world and Toreth's investigation which brings the book to life, less as a compelling murder mystery and more as a complex vehicle for character interaction and dystopic/futuristic worldbuilding. Characterization is strong, although the characters themselves are unremarkable; the writing is tight and polished; the ending is too neat, but it's also refreshingly unexpected. All told, there's nothing embarrassing or amateur about this book, and more than better than expected it's a solid and fulfilling read. I recommend it, and plan to continue with the series.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
Author: Manna Francis
Published: Casperian Books, 2007
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 249
Total Page Count: 127,563
Text Number: 371
Read Because: mentioned by Loederkoningin, free to read on the author's website
Review: Val Toreth works for Investigation and Interrogation, a department of the Administration known for their political cases and violent methods, and his new case is an unusual one: a pair of apparently causeless deaths that may be tied to a cutting-edge virtual reality machine under development of one Keir Warrick. Mind Fuck is the beginning of the Administration series, and self-/indie-published—and surprisingly good. It's not as edgy as it expects to be: there's a surprisingly lack of sexual content (despite a few explicit scenes and an overuse of the word "fuck") and its inclinations towards BDSM are muted; however, the relationship revolves around Toreth's sociopathy and in that respect has an engaging ambiguity. And it's a book entire, with an unexpectedly robust plot; Francis has an eye for the details of the world and Toreth's investigation which brings the book to life, less as a compelling murder mystery and more as a complex vehicle for character interaction and dystopic/futuristic worldbuilding. Characterization is strong, although the characters themselves are unremarkable; the writing is tight and polished; the ending is too neat, but it's also refreshingly unexpected. All told, there's nothing embarrassing or amateur about this book, and more than better than expected it's a solid and fulfilling read. I recommend it, and plan to continue with the series.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
