Once upon a time, I reviewed a book. Imagine that, right? 😏 But seriously, this was a Children's Fiction/Fantasy story by a new-to-me author that I really enjoyed a few years back. Flash forward to 2023, and same said author has a new release out, this time in the adult Fiction genre with a Fantasy type twist as well...and I was lucky enough to be tapped to check it out. Shall we?
by
Matthew Newell
9798363229121
Amazon Publishing
About the book...
For some, gossip is an incurable itch. But what if you could access social media from the future? Tweets, TikToks and Instagram pictures about drama yet to even occur? Things yet to be posted?
Lewis mysteriously can do just that - a sudden phenomenon on his phone that he cannot grasp. Before long, the revelations are concerning. Can he ignore someone’s future suicide post? Or his closest friend’s hidden domestic abuse?
This is a story of a reluctant hero, trying to buy back his conscious that he feels he lost. For a man that detests social media, it soon becomes the most important thing in his life.
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I admit, this was different than my usual fare, and the situation considered, out of the box as well. Imagine seeing the future, but only on social media, in random posts, about things in your immediate area, and sometimes pertaining to you. It'd be an odd phenomenon, right? Well, that's the socially charged waters that Lewis is treading and things get rather interesting REALLY fast. He goes from setting a few things right in his own life interactions to a non-violent Daredevil-esque do-gooder type, who at least half the time, gets it very wrong. Oh, he means well...he's trying to stop bad things from happening, because his conscience, his moral compass says that if he knows about it and does nothing, he's part of the problem...but factor in the fact that Lewis doesn't even like social media thanks to crazy circumstances some time ago, and the gradual use (and misuse!) is bound to lead to a situation akin to a pot left to boil with the lid tightly on. Yeah...things build alright, and the crescendo has everyone running for cover, but not quite everyone actually makes it... 😯
Like I said, definitely outside my box reading, but not without its enjoyment. I can't say I liked Lewis, but I liked that he tried to the best of his abilities. I can't say I believed it a possible scenario, but the author definitely makes you believe in the world he's created. I definitely can't condone some of the events that transpire, but Lewis was trying to help...even if instead of preventing things, sometimes he simply changed it up a bit and ended up part of the story. I was opposed greatly to what happened to Lewis, but it does show the power of social media, the hive mind as it were, to affect people, spread fact AND fiction as fact, and cause joy, but also harm.
So, in the end, to me, this was not simply a story, but a cautionary tale of what can happen when we let the anonymous nature of the internet take control, when we believe everything we see/read online without actual sources or confirmation of fact, when we forget that there are other PEOPLE reading what we say, experiencing what we share, and those can pack a powerful punch. Online time is fine, heck...you're spending some with me right now, but just remember to balance it with REAL life, time away from the screen, and take things with a grain of salt...even my review. This is MY experience through the pages...yours might be even better, or perhaps not...but my role in your exposure to it is to present my truth. Your role...to decide what's next.
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About the author...
Matthew Newell is an author. Born in N. Ireland in 1986 he lived in several countries around the world, before settling in Scotland.
Matthew published his first novel in 2020, the Young Adult fantasy ‘Immies, Glummies & Beenies; A Tale Of Baradoohn.’ The first in a series with the second on it’s way.
He is a self confessed movie geek, and when he’s not writing, he still works full time for the Emergency Services!
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Special thanks to author Matthew Newell for the ebook for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, and his future works, seek him out online at your favorite retailers. This title is available now, so grab your copy at your favorite online bookseller.
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
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