Technosis: The kensington Virus by Morgan Bell

The most difficult thing about self publishing a book is the promotion. You have to shout from the rooftops that you have a book to sell. Shouting things from the rooftop is not my style. I like to keep things private and low key. Being asked to do an interview was as frightening as it was flattering. (Fame at last?) Luckily the questions were mostly about the book and not too personal, but the interviewer also wanted a photo. I had kept my face religiously out of the public domain, but here it was. I decided to take the next step in self promotion was to release my picture to the world. In true diva style I pretend to be younger than I am and released a picture that is a few years old:) It was taken against the back drop of one of my favourite places; Monaco.

On to the book review, and it was a goodie that easily deserves it 5 stars.
Technosis:KensingtonVirus by Morgan Bell

 One thing I love about book reviewing is that once in a while you get a book that truly surprises you. Judging by the cover I expected a dark dystopian fantasy, what I didn’t expect was a sharp, witty dystopian fantasy that had me laugh out loud a fair few times. Science fiction isn’t always about the fiction; it is often about society as it stands and the author’s fears or dreams about the future. This is a fast paced, entertaining, well written piece about how technology has become even more ingrained into our everyday lives. Many of us already ‘live’ on social media, and for some their digital lives have become more important than their real ones. So the plot of a virus that infects humans via digital messages is very topical. The victims of the Kensington virus turn into texting and emailing trolls, spreading the disease with obnoxious messages. Braindead, but still frantically keying away on their various devices. (Maybe the virus is already here!)

Dr Jamie Baxter is unaware of the epidemic, but immune to the virus. This brings him to the attention of the military and he gets press ganged into an elite unit that has to deal with the crisis. Jamie soon finds his ethics evaporating as he has to fight for his life. He and the team also learn that nothing is quite as it seems when they pick up the trail of the mysterious Cronos.

The book is at times very violent, but more of the Tarrantino/comic book variety, and I wasn’t shocked or offended by it. (Maybe a little by one unpleasant scene towards the end.) I wasn’t surprised that this story also exists as a graphic novel; I think it will work well as such. Witty, clever and a great read, I would recommend this to Science fiction fans that like a well thought out mystery and some satire. Excellent stuff.