Reviewed:
Colt45 is a very fine writer. Many people have enjoyed his "Mayhem" series, as have I, but for my money, my favorite is "Synergy".
In this story, a young man with a Talent has just enough talent that he is forced to work for the government for 20 years - much like an indentured servant. And this is not something where he can decline the "honor". Unfortunately, by dallying with a girl he has angered her father who is a very important man, so his agency has sent him to the farthest away point in the Empire as punishment - the town of Pigsford.
Marlin is a very clever young man whose cleverness is only exceeded by his laziness and his droll sense of humor. His assignment (i.e., his Talent) is to identify people for conscription who have a level of Talent that exceeds the minimum level set by the government and are in the age range of 18 -45.
As you might imagine, many people don't wish to have their Talent discovered and forced to work for the government. They sometimes use harsh methods to deal with Talent scouts because non-Talent people think of Talent folks as witches, with all the harsh connotation that entails.
Anyway, Marlin is now in Pigsford, and that is where his adventures really take off. I won't reveal anything more, but I will say that if you like good writing, droll humor, and interesting dialog, I expect you will love this story as I do. I'm not at all ashamed to admit that at least once, every year, when I'm feeling bored, I turn to this story and find myself laughing and smiling as I read it yet again.
There are a few typos, so I lowered the "Technical" rating to 9, but if I could, I'd give "Plot" and "Appeal" ratings a 12 on a scale of 10!
Reviewed:
Even though it isn't said, this must be from a world far, far away, where ESP is known as Talent. And we are introduced to a young man with Talent who is employed by the Imperium as a Talent Scout. Now the only problem being that he was found in flagrante delecto, fucking the sixteen year old daughter of a Bigwig, and sent to the back of beyond called Pigshit, or something like that, where his true talents are unmasked, and he lives happy ever after ... with all of his wives one of whom is the sister/wives mother!
The plot is excellently conceived and written in a subtle manner which makes me think that colt45 had his tongue firmly implanted in both cheeks.
This is not a stroke story; but I didn't miss it for the characterisations and the sense of reality I got whilst reading the story.
Two small thoughts: first, talking about Shires, the 'policeman' was the Shire Reeve, from whence comes Sherriff. And what happened to him in the end?
Reviewed:
This was a great book from Colt45. Marlin, a government worker is sent to a far off land as an Imperial Scout. What makes this story so good compared to other story is Marlin's personality. He is not a typical protagonist but very unique in not only his ability, but his demeanour. Colt45 maintains his demeanour throughout the book and it was truly entertaining seeing his wit and intelligence in action.
Colt45 challenges his readers to think of many elements of society. The story incorporates deep ideas of racism as people are afraid of the unknown. It also involves the aspect of power in terms of how people wield their power. The many aspects of our society involved into this universe was refreshing as it was tweaked, but one could still see how many ideas are the same.
The sex in the story was tempered and many actions were alluded to rather than explicitly written. I enjoyed this very much as it allowed the plot to move forward without taking long periods of time away from plot development.