Brainrush, a Thriller (Brainrush Series Book 1)

By: Richard Bard

Narrated by: R.C. Bray

Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Listed in The Wall Street Journal as the number-one Bestselling Action/Adventure in their "Readers Guide to Self-Published Big Sellers" (December 9, 2011).

When terminally ill combat pilot Jake Bronson emerges from an MRI with extraordinary cognitive powers, everyone wants a piece of his talent - including Battista, one of the world's most dangerous terrorists. To save his love and her autistic child, Jake is thrust into a deadly chase that leads from the canals of Venice through Monte Carlo and finally to an ancient cavern in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan, where Jake discovers that his newfound talents carry a hidden price that threatens the entire human race.

An original weave of current events bound by colorful locations and cutting-edge technology, Bard's novel is a must-listen for fans of Michael Crichton, James Rollins, Clive Cussler, and Brad Thor. A dynamic mix of fast-paced action and thought provoking soul, this book challenges the listener to keep pace with every sharp turn and shocking twist. Acclaimed by fans of action, sci-fi, and political thrillers alike, Brainrush is one of the most innovative and entertaining books of the year.

Brainrush was in the top 10 of the Amazon - USA Top-Rated List for over four months straight. The sequel, Brainrush II, The Enemy of My Enemy, was released in December 2011 to rave reviews. Within a few weeks it became the number-one Top-Rated Action/Adventure stories on Amazon.

©2009, 2011 Richard A. Bard (P)2011 Richard Bard

Critic reviews

" Brainrush explores the bonds of friendship while pushing the boundaries of science, creating a compelling, action-packed thriller with a climax that's a knock-out!" (C.J. Lyons, New York Times best-selling author)"A terrifically entertaining thriller with three finely executed set pieces strung together with nice characterization. Especially successful is Bronson, an amiable, low-key tough guy able to rescue his princess, survive brutality, and retain a sense of humor." ( Publishers Weekly)

BRAINRUSH an exciting, thrilling, adventure!

This is the best thriller - science fiction I have read in ages! It has current events as well as glimpses of possible, chilling, futuristic events.
Medical anomalies, thrills, non-stop action, cool weaponry, scifi, romance, mystery and much more. Something for everyone!

I hope you don't have any other pressing matters, because you will NOT be able to put this book down! I first read this book twice, on Kindle, and was thrilled when the author released on Audiobook. R.C. Bray, did a WONDERFUL job as the narrator, capturing the characters' personalities and accents.

What a BRILLIANT debut book, by author Richard Bard! His wonderful descriptive ability, and excellent character development, make you feel like you are in the story.

This was one of the best books I've read all year! BRAINRUSH II was even better, if that's possible. It's out on eBook now and hopefully it will be out soon, (Feb.??) on Audible too.

Diagnosis: sudden onset superheroism

It is similar to Mark Greaney's the Gray Man (series) in tone, pacing and plot. I think I'd have to say that Greaney's is a bit better written. It feels like Bard "wanted" to be Jake in this book - to the point where it felt like the author was fantasizing about being a super hero. Of course, this book also has a "fantasy" component that isn't in Greaney's.

The romantic component is weak and I think the book would have been better without it. Jake's superpowers seemed to develop (i.e. appear out of nowhere) just as he needed that specific superpower. Then this superpower wasn't mentioned again... until it, or a similar one, popped up just in time to save him from the next pinch. This also happened with characters - when Jake needed X, a character with X appeared in the story, just long enough to provide his service then disappeared. (Yes, I meant "his" service - there are women characters but, at best, they are cutouts based on stereotypes, at worst, they are just cutouts).

As an action packed pseudo-military story (it doesn't start off like this but after the events in Italy, it becomes almost exclusively pseudo-military) it was not bad at all. Lots of gun descriptions, lots of fighting and lots of stuff getting blown up. Perhaps some of the fighting was a bit overdone, perhaps some of the characters were a bit too melodramatic (Carlos, for example), and perhaps the story was a bit too long for its content... but overall I kinda enjoyed it.

Some people have commented on the shift to "aliens" near the end of the story. I didn't find this any less believable than Jake's sudden onset superheroism. In fact, I think it actually fit the storyline.

The narration is good - dramatic but not overly so. The characters are distinctly voiced. There is no sex and I don't think there was much foul language. There is lots of violence, but mostly non-gory.  I will probably buy the next in the series when it comes out.

Brainrush

A 4 star rating might be a little bit generous for this book. I went back and forth with how I felt about it, but I'll stick with 4 stars and if I get around to listening to the sequels I'll be tougher on them.

Would I recommend this book to anyone? Well, that depends. If you are like me and have the time, the financial means and the inclination to listen to several audio books a month then, sure, pick this up and give it a try. However, if the time and money you have is more limited and you only want to hear the very best audio books then I'd tell you to skip this.

The plot to this story is great. The execution of this story is lacking quite a bit. It seems as if Mr. Bard wanted to write something people would call "fast paced" when I think that the subject matter and storyline really demanded that it be slowed down and carefully fleshed out. As it stands, the characters are often acting in strange ways to keep the story moving. They except things way too quickly and there emotions are either too extreme or not extreme enough. The dialogue is often weird as well. Plus, the science behind the science fiction is nearly nonexistent.

I realize that there are millions of people who love "fast paced thriller" novels, and I'm not belittling that. I guess I'm just realizing that I'm not one of those people. To me it just feels lazy when you have a great idea that makes an awesome premise for a novel and you don't take the time to do it right.

At the end of the day I was entertained by this book. That's why I give it 4 stars. There were quite a few elements in it that had me thinking, "yeah that would be really cool." But it's a begrudging 4 star rating because I did a lot of eye rolling as well.

R. C. Bray does a stellar job as always. He's the main reason I finally bought this book, and he's a large part of what made it entertaining. I think I could listen to him read sterio instructions.

I have other silly opinions posted at unhelpfulreviews dot com for those of you who aren't depressed enough.

Riprunnrr

Loved it especially after I got into or a little way The pace became breakneck.

depends upon what kind of mood you're in

Would you try another book from Richard Bard and/or R. C. Bray?

i might.

Did R. C. Bray do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

wow. the guy is good. he can do believable italian, american, australian, andd middle eastern accents. the narration is why my overall score is 3 stars.

Was BRAINRUSH, a Thriller worth the listening time?

in a way. i listened to it while commuting. it's not a story where you have to rewind if you miss a detail. i like that when commuting. actually found myself driving a little more aggressive than usual. lol short & a good way to pass the time.

Any additional comments?

if you're in the mood to just turn your brain off and listen to an action packed story, then brainrush may be your fix.

yes, this is formula driven: over the top bad guy with SPECTRE like world domination plans, all of the main character's friends have unique and useful skills, sweeping plot movements from california to venice to monte carlo to afghanistan.

yes, it all does seem to convenient, but i wasn't in the mood for depth just action. yes, it's kind of cheesy, but i was raised on the cheesy action films of the 1980's -> arnold schwarzenegger ruled the 80's action movie cheese. but i digress.

quick summary: dying guy gets powers from freak accident, decides to showoff his new powers, local tv crew records some of his feats, the video goes viral, bad guy wants to examine jake to incorporate how his brain manages these feats so he can improve his implants to carry out a jihad against america. any more, and i'd give it all away.

the good:

agree w/ jeremiah's 1st 2 points:
1. the premise (mri accident gives the hero mental powers)
2. great 1st scene where hero starts to discover his mental abilities
3. hero's powers are limited. adds to the believability. for instance, telekinesis is taxing mentally and physically and isn't over the top, e.g. moving small objects and not cars. this isn't the x-men! lol
4. camaraderie of the hero's friends.
5. the kid characters, sarafina and ahmed, are done pretty well and aren't forgotten as the story continues.
6. alien inclusion: ok kind of interesting, but you can tell it'll be used in future books.

not so good:
1. while i hate islamic fundamentalism, i grow tired of it being used as plot device, and the main driver behind the bad guy's motivation. imho, it was only done well in patient zero.
2. the fact that terrorists are more technologically advanced than the us gov't. where are all of those trillions of dollars going. uungghhh...i digress again! lol
3. the lack of gov't agency involvement. hey...the cia, nsa, or other secret gov't agency is usually involved in some way (good or bad), and i felt that missed in this story.
4. story written for guys. the women in the story are just sexpots. yes, there's one chick that kicks a$$, butt she's always underestimated b/c of her looks AND she seems to grow more abilities than the hero w/o any super powers.

overall, if you're looking for an action-packed and fast-paced story AND THAT'S ALL, then this will give you your fix.

it's not much of a thriller at all, more like the recent james bond films- just meh! light beach reading.

It’s a coin flip if you’ll like it. Me, it’s head’s up.

Knocked my socks off!

If you could sum up Brainrush, a Thriller in three words, what would they be?

I purchased this book at Audible by 1 get 2 sale. I wasn't expecting much but was very pleasantly surprised through most of it. At the end it got a little fantastical but overall a good read. It kept me entertained throughout. and I was very happy to discover it is the first of 3 books. Cant wait to continue the journey!

Great Action Adventure

If you could sum up Brainrush, a Thriller in three words, what would they be?

Fast moving action

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jake - he is the man

What does R. C. Bray bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Very well done

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Jake taking care of the kids

Any additional comments?

Well worth the read and will be getting book #2 for sure

Exciting

I wasn't sure what to expect when I chose this one but it held my interest from beginning to end.

Edge of your seat!

If you could sum up Brainrush, a Thriller in three words, what would they be?

When I started this book, I didn't think I would like it, but then POW! It kept me on the edge of my seat right up until the end. I couldn't wait to get in my car and listen. I thought this would make a great "action" film. Some was a little far-fetched, but who cares, it was fast and furious. The narrator did a fabulous job of creating individual characters. Would recomend to anyone who likes action/adventure/no-stop thrills.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The lead, Jake. He was a very well strong, clever and had a lot of hero qualities.

What about R. C. Bray’s performance did you like?

He did a great job. You knew who was who. He did a great job on accents, he made women sound like women, nothing falsetto.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not an extreme reaction, but I enjoyed it so much I getting the 2nd and 3rd book in the series.

Any additional comments?

Great thriller, not a lot of foul language, or sex, there was a lot of violence, but not graphic. Would listen to more by this author with the same narrator.

Too much military jargon

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I was disappointed with this book. It started out exciting but got bogged down in too many descriptions of guns, weapons, and other military equipment. Those elements did not move the story along for me but stifled the action because I have no interest in the difference between an AK-47 or a super booming bomber. The story went from an intriguing love story to fantastical science fiction. Too much of a stretch between the two in this case. I don't think I'll be reading Book 2.