Stephen Tremp's "BREAKTHROUGH": A Review

           When I first started blogging in September of 2009, one of the earliest blogs I came across and began following was that of Stephen Tremp, the author of Breakthrough.  Stephen often referred to his novel in his blog posts and discussed some of the technology that appears in the novel.  I was intrigued by the subject matter that Stephen discussed on his blog and about the concept of the story presented in Breakthrough.  And besides that, Stephen Tremp came across as one heck of a nice guy.

           Stephen has been valiantly promoting Breakthrough on mostly his own efforts, which takes some creative ingenuity and a strong positive attitude.  He has not only shown both, but took a rather incredible one step further when earlier this year he took the original version of Breakthrough off the market and released an improved revised version of the book.  This shows some real dedication to his craft and to his audience and he should be admired for that.

             In August I was one of the fortunate winners of a book give-away that Stephen held on his blog.  With the new version of Breakthrough in hand, I was now able to read this book that I had been reading so much about.  I will be honest.  I had no idea what to expect and my expectations were rather low.  Boy! was I ever wrong, and in this review I'll tell you why.

             In a nutshell, the story concerns quantum physics professor/adventurer Chase Manhattan who becomes involved in a quest to recover and destroy stolen technology that is to be used for nefarious purposes by a treacherous enemy group and to clear the technology's innovator, an MIT professor and researcher, who has been charged with a murder.  In a fast-paced story the action rapidly shifts back and forth between Boston, which is in the grip of a major snowstorm, and sunny Southern California. 

            A well drawn cast of characters drew me into the story.  Chase and his friends are likeable, with intelligence and humor.  They are not superheroes by any means and are flawed by weaknesses and bad judgment.  They are characters who seemed very real.  Likewise, the bad guys are villainous, but we see their very human qualities as well.

            The story is very well researched.   The settings are so well drawn that I felt like I was right there in the middle of the story.  The action scenes are so vividly written that I felt like I was watching instead of reading.  Cinematic is the best way I can describe Stephen's writing--the reading experience was almost like watching a movie.

            One good thing about this novel is that it is more of an amalgam of genres then strictly one specific genre.   Breakthrough would primarily fit in the action adventure category, but it also has elements of science fiction, suspense thriller, and romance.  Science fiction fans will enjoy the theoretical concepts of travelling through worm holes, but those who don't care for sci-fi will be pleased that the book does not become bogged down with complex technologies and theories.   The story takes place in today's world with ideas that have actually been studied by scientists.  

           There is enough action and romance to keep fans of those genres pleased.  Stephen also adds enough humor to keep the reader entertained.  In fact, the pacing of the novel is something that made the book such a pleasurable reading experience.  The chapters are short and the writing is succinct.  The reader is fueled with exciting doses of action, and then brought down for a breather that leads to the next action packed sequence.  The book has good writing by an author who demonstrates that he knows the formula for producing best-seller caliber writing.

           Breakthrough is a book that will please just about any audience.  There is very little profanity in the book and what does appear seems appropriate and not gratuitous.  Likewise with sex scenes, there is nothing graphic, but only very tastefully written sequences that are integral to the story.  There was nothing in the book that I can recall being offensive in any way.  I could recommend this book to anyone.

            Allowing that the book is part of a trilogy, I can accept the somewhat abrupt ending as the lead-in to the next novel, Opening, which I hope is not too long in coming--I am anxious to see where this story is going next.  Stephen gives us a preview of Opening at the end of Breakthrough.    Reading this sample filled me with anticipation about book number two.  It sounds like there are some very intriguing concepts still to come.

           My recommendation is buy this book!   It would also make a great gift for the book-lovers on your Christmas and birthday lists.  

Available from:

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

Visit Stephen Tremp's blog for additional information about electronic editions of the book and other details about the author and his work.

Stephen Tremp will be my guest on Tossing It Out on Tuesday November 9, 2010.

Tomorrow I will be starting my focus for the remainder of the week on Marvin (The Old Silly) Wilson and his new book Beware the Devil's Hug.  On Wednesday Marvin will join me on his tour for an interview.  On Thursday I will offer my review of his book.

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