Smith

By: Sam B Miller II

Narrated by: John Pirhalla

Jake discovers a 3,000-year-old ring with the power to control demons as well as the weather and all animals. Jake starts to hear a voice that belongs to Smith, the computer-like interface who gives him guidance on how to deal with his newfound powers. Smith’s single goal is to ensure Jake is King of Earth with an appropriate Queen chosen by Smith. Both a rogue government and a secret society want the ring and its powers for their own wicked scheme. Smith’s methods for protecting Jake are prone to violence. Jake teams with Nava, a no-holds-barred woman with unique training. Smith doesn’t like her hair. The government and the secret society have just met their match.

©2017 Sam B Miller II (P)2018 Sam B Miller II

Coming of Age story with a snarky talking ring

Quite a different direction from his previous audiobooks, “The Origin of F.O.R.C.E.” and “Dawn of Chrysalis”, which I have previously reviewed, Mr. Miller instead takes us on an Earthly adventure to the regions of Israel. Our main character (Jake) is growing up in this part of the world because his father is an archeologist and researcher. The book “SMITH” is a rather short contemporary science fiction coming of age story about a boy who finds a mysterious ring granting him near super hero powers. The audiobook edition is exceptionally well narrated by John Pirhalla who has also narrated the author’s other books. There is action, there is adventure, and there is even a bit of romance all packed into this novelette. Even though it is not the space-based science fiction I have grown to like from author, it is a well written tale consisting of both mystery, action, suspense, and deceit. In just under four hours of audio, the author takes the listener on a path watching Jake grow from a boy into a man. If you like well written mysterious adventures, I recommend you give “Smith” by Sam B. Miller II a listen.

Although the book at times opened like your standard coming of age story, there were times where the author surprised me with the direction he went with the story. You have a boy who has some major relationship issues with his workaholic father. His mother died when he was younger, so he only has himself to trust; apart from a close friend. Because his is an outsider in this country, he is often bullied and considered the one people stay away from talking with. This often forces our main character to go out and discover the world, mostly on his own, and here is where is finds a surprising treasure. The author does a good job of building a level of tension between Jake and his father where one wonders if it will ever be resolved. For the most part, the main characters felt like they had depth and complexity, and each person seemed to stay consistent to their defined character. A few of the minor characters felt less defined meaning that I found myself not connecting with them as deeply.

As some may not be aware from the book’s title, I wanted listeners to know there is quite a bit of material dealing with religious overtones around the ring, along with its location near the conflict between Palestine and Israel. The book is in no way preachy, but it does use references from Biblical and non-biblical sources and weaves them into the story quite a bit. As with Dan Brown’s “Da Vinci Code”, I would not take the author’s theological stance as truth, it is clear that it is a piece of fiction. If you are aware of this from the start, you can better understand why the author uses such in his book. Even Jake’s father talks about his ability to separate, yet struggles as times, between both science and his religion.

Even though the book is rather serious most of the time, there are bits of pieces of humor thrown in helping to reduce some of the built-up tension. The ring is often humorous when it speaks with the main character as it has not been privy to our world and language over the past few thousand years. One of my favorite humorous parts is when the main character realizes that it is never a good idea to argue with an armed woman who also knows krav maga; Israel’s defense forces fighting style. She is the same one who is his romantic interest. There are also times where the author blends in some more conventional conversations between characters making the book feel more realistic. In some cases, I would have like to have had a few more periods of backstory or downtime chatter because much of the book moved from one action sequence to the next without giving me time to come up for a breath of air. As condensed as the book is, the author could have added some more to the story without greatly expending on its overall size. The book does a good job of also adding aspects of mystery and suspense to the story. Often the listener is left wondering who the good guys are and who are the bad ones.

Let me turn my attention to the audiobook’s narration. I have enjoyed the other works I have listened to performed by John Pirhalla. He has a rich, deep, and engaging voice that worked quite well for this story. He does a really good job of voicing the many different characters, and even those who had some difficult accents. I liked his use of inflection and each of the characters felt individual and unique. The book did not contain any audio artifacts or background noises. The only thing I will say is my finding of one missed edit near the end of the book where a word was repeated twice. Most will not even notice it, but I have to include it as many listeners like their audiobooks to be near perfect; and this one us is. I do not mind an issue here or there, but as a whole the piece is executed quite professionally.

For parents and younger readers, I can say that the author does not use any vulgar language in the book that I can recall. The elements containing romance are light and not a primary focus of the story. However, I will say the book does contain a fair amount of rather graphic and violent scenes of death. Smith is a killing machine and often the deaths occur so quickly that one begins to forget just how big the number of people die. Because of this, I would only recommend the book to older or more mature listeners that do not mind this level of violence.

In summary, if you liked “The Mummy”, “The Da Vinci Code”, or you like coming of age stories with a snarky talking ring, I would recommend you give “SMITH” a try. Mr. Miller weaves a tale that is mysterious, suspenseful, and feels a bit like a super hero story. Although it is shorter, the book does not feel incomplete. Could there have been some added pieces giving the story more depth, sure but I was glad to know this is a self-contained stand-alone audiobook that at this time I do not think there are plans for the sequel. I guess we will have to wait and see. Any comments Mr. SMITH?

Disclaimer: I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.

Hopefully just an intro

Smith is a short tale about a young man Jake who finds a ring that has been enchanted with sentience and an agenda - to protect the bearer and advance in power and influence. Jake tries to maintain his control over his life while dealing with the new powers that are granted by the ring, known as Smith.

Overall this book was enjoyable and fun. If I have to find one thing that I feel could have been better it would be pacing. The story has a very fast pacing but it feels as it is skipping over some chances at character development while jumping from one action scene to another. I am hoping that if this turns into a series there is some time spent on character development with some longer stories.

Ring of Power with Attitude

Jake is a lonely boy fending mostly for himself in the streets of the middle east. HIs mother died and his archaeologist father alternately doesn't have time for his son or willfully refuses to understand the dangers he faces. Jake does have one friend and, together, they begin exploring the forbidden tunnels of his father's recent dig. Jake soon finds a ring and puts it on his finger. The ring will not come off...for any reason. Then it starts talking to him...soon Jake is in much more danger than anything he has ever known.

This was an entertaining listen. Smith is smart, sassy and brutal to the point insanity. When he can't convince Jake, he cajoles him and when he can't push Jake into doing what he wants he resorts to threats. Jake soon meets Nava, the woman of his dreams, and once he does, he has to battle everyone he knows and more to keep her safe. Will Jake learn the nature of Smith before it's too late? Will Nava ever see him as anything other than an eighteen year old boy and competition for her job?

I would have like for it to be a little longer with more background and more fleshed out characters. Jake's learning of the ways of the ring could have been more developed as well. The story could have easily been seven to ten hours which is a decent length for an audiobook and often worth the credit.

I received this audiobook for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Review of “Smith “

Sam B Miller has written a great fast moving story, but as great as it stands; it is the performance by John Pirhalla that gives it wings. This is a story of a young man finding power beyond imagination and the adventure that followed. Enjoy:-)