A Review of "Mind Virus"

Introduction

I am very pleased to announce that I have finished the exciting award-winning thriller Mind Virus by author Charles Kowalski. I stumbled across this book on a forum that listed favored books for ninety-nine cents on Kindle. Upon searching for the novel, I discovered that I was too late for the sale, and the price was increased to $5.99 (whether by the author or by some other means, I don't know). However, after reading the preview, I decided that I simply had to invest in it. And what a good decision that was!


My Rating: ★★★★

Synopsis: "Robin Fox, peace-loving professor of world religions, wants only to leave his dark past as a military interrogator behind him. But when an unknown suspect tries to disperse a deadly virus in downtown Washington, Fox is unwillingly drawn back into the shadowy world of intelligence.

The FBI and CIA automatically suspect Islamic terrorists, but Fox digs deeper to discover the far more frightening truth: a global conspiracy to eradicate all religion from the face of the earth.
From Washington to Jerusalem, from Rome to London, Fox must use all his skills to stop devastating attacks on the world's holiest sites on their holiest days." (via Goodreads)

Thoughts and Comments

Pros

• This was the first book in quite a long while that I could not put down. I picked it up on the morning of the 24th and I finished it the night of the 25th. The story was captivating, engaging, and easy to follow. I would definitely recommend it to someone who enjoys a quick read.
• The main character is very amiable and well-developed. There is a clear growth in thoughts and personality in him as the novel progresses.
• The author definitely did his homework. The novel makes references to an abundance of different religions and ideologies, and Kowalski proves time and time again to know what he's talking about, especially in Middle Eastern applications.
• Throughout the novel, there are several thought-provoking questions that any reader identifying with a religion (or lack thereof) would be interested in considering. It provides arguments that stimulate the beliefs of both those who believe in a higher power and those who do not.
• The writing was clear and concise. Aside from religious terminology, there was no jargon or slang that the average reader would have to look up in order to understand. The language was simple and inviting--again, good for a quick read.

Cons

• It was slightly difficult to understand where the bias lies within the author, especially towards the beginning. There are some lines in the narrative (and not in, say, the dialogue of any of the characters) that could possibly raise a few Christian eyebrows. On the other hand, the antagonistic group in the novel solely consists of radical antitheists, so ultimately, it's up in the air. However, I wouldn't let this small warning prevent anyone from reading the novel, as the lines that could possibly offend someone are few and far between.
• I found a few grammatical issues that could have been easily caught by further professional editing. Of course, no novel should be expected to be absolutely perfect in that area, but there are a few things that just seemed sloppy (i.e. spaces in the middle of words; letters attached from the end of one word to the beginning of the next, etc.) As a disclaimer, though, I'll also acknowledge that these specific examples could have been a formatting issue on the Kindle, and are nonexistent in printed versions of the book.
• The side characters don't seem to be very developed, save for the sole love interest of the main character. A couple of them appear to be there simply to make the main character seem morally superior rather than appearing for any other intended purpose.

Conclusion

All in all, Mind Virus was very good! Usually, thrillers don't really interest me, but I definitely don't regret picking this one up! Fans of religious debates and biological warfare should absolutely check this one out (as well as anyone majoring in biochemistry!) because of the main themes in the novel. Mr. Kowalski, I appreciate the hard work that you put into this novel, and I hope to see more from you in the future!

Goodreads Link: See here

Amazon Link: See here

Riffle Link: See here

This fulfills my "Scientific Romance" subgenre of the Science Fiction genre!

Follow us on Facebook!
Follow us on Twitter!
Follow us on Riffle!