BRAINRUSH, a Thriller: Book 1

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.

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.

I loved the ebook, but I enjoyed the audio version even more. The narrator is amazing! He really brings the characters to life.

I loved all the twists and turns. I never knew what was going to happen next.

Mr. Bray is a true performer. The accents were spot on.

What a rush!

I can't wait or the sequel!

I would say that the Audiobook is better than the print version because the narrator, R.C. Bray, does an incredible job of bringing the characters to life. It's hard to believe all of the accents came from one person.

It's very hard to compare BRAINRUSH to other Thrillers because it has so many elements to it. So many Thrillers these days seem to be very generic, almost like the author is following a formula. Richard Bard does a great job of breaking the mold and creating a truly original Thriller.

I have not heard any other audiobooks narrated by R.C. Bray.

BRAINRUSH definitely has both funny and sad aspects. Since one of the main themes of the book is terrorism, it is sure to elicit emotion from all who listen.

BRAINRUSH is one of the best and most original Thrillers I have read/listened to in a long time. I highly recommend it!

Super action and suspense...I was never sure what was coming next.

I was happy that it was only part 1! I have purchased part 2 already.

The gambling segment was fantastic...really enjoyable.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys science fiction and/or action stories.

The characters are both down to earth and unstoppable. There are plenty of twist and turns in the story line, but not so many that any of them drag or get lost in too much detail.

The black obelisk rocketing off.

He has good changes of voice for the different characters and good energy.

Yes, I actually stayed up all night to finish it!

This book is one of the best that I've listened to in a very long time! Totally worth the money and time to listen to. It's one that I'll be listening to again!

When you think of radical, fundamentalist terrorists I know what comes to mind...the most technologically and well trained military and scientific force in the universe...no? Oops, because that's the basic premise behind Brainrush.

The Good:
1. The premise is great. A freak accident gives the hero a super-brain.
2. The first scene in which the protagonist uses his newly acquired awareness and eidetic memory. Very well written, witty, and simply fantastic.

The Not-So-Good
1. Everything after the first scene in which the protagonist uses his newly acquired powers.
2. The protagonist's powers quickly expand to telepathy and telekinesis, and the author seems to forget about the protagonist's memory and awareness advantages, because they cease to play an important part of the story.
3. The absolute cluelessness of world governments and the military
4. The inclusion of alien artifacts

Great Action. True "page turner" - characters well defined. Plot was somewhat simple but also easy to follow - very little "rewinding" required. Just a gr8 listen. Narrator did an excellent job of turning the printed pages into a cerebral video for the listener. All in all, a great, fun "listen." Definitely five star in all categories for pure recreational reading.

I quit after about an hour and a half. The story was weak and the characters were entirely unoriginal. This felt very formula driven, and not a good formula at that. A LOT has to be taken on faith. One example: the villain of the novel. He's half Afganistanian (father is an Afgan rebel) and half Italian (mother is rich Italian). For the novel he needed to be educated and rich, but inherently evil. I couldn't help trying to figure out how the bad guy's parents got together in the first place. Or why the Afgan father sends his son to Italy to be raised in Italy after his tenth birthday. It was a very minor point, but this shallow storytelling is scattered throughout the book. If I was 10 years old, it wouldn't matter. Adults are going to find it annoying.

Couldn't finish this book. Found myself thinking more about the author than his charaters, which means his ego was totally invested in the story, so it was all over the place.

Instead of a story building naturally from events and from the character's personalities, it jumps to whatever fun place the writer wants to go to show off his great abilities, with espionage, supernatural powers, and of course, the ladies. He compares himself shamelessly to 007. Shouldn't these comparisons come from the other characters, or from the devoted reader?

I just couldn't take it. There was so much potential with his pitch, but he couldn't suspend my disbelief even for a second. Why were he and all of his friends suddenly in Venice? Not because the story sent them there, no, because the writer wanted that write off.

Made me angry. Grrr.