There was so much action packed into this book, it really did feel as if you were watching a movie instead of reading. It started nearly in the first few pages of the book, and it continued all the way until the end. It was purely awesome to read.

Two characters really stood out for me. Vincent and Lexi. Lexi’s real awesome. She’s not the typical damsel in distress and her present ‘medical condition’ (for lack of a better term) is different, but makes sense in this plot. Oh I liked reading about her. Her lack of fear makes her reckless and straight in your face type of attitude, it’s fun to read and her straight forwardness sometimes shocks other characters (it’s fun when she makes them uncomfortable). Vincent is the complete opposite (somewhat) but he makes a pretty good hero. He’s modest and shies away from leadership (which is somehow dumped on him anyway). However he kicks serious butt. He reminds me a lot of David Valentine from the Vampire Earth series except more enhanced and super powered.

The plot overall was a good read. It was straight forward and carried through pretty quick. There are quite a few characters in the book, but I noticed they were grouped together so it wasn’t too hard to figure out who was who. There was one particular character that did a complete 360 personality change which was completely unexpected to me - although this was good as I enjoy being blindsided by these sorts of things. It keeps me more interested in the plot.

Several things I thought could have improved, there last third of the book sort of slows down - understandably so, because they’re preparing for another battle. Yet I can’t help but think it could have been several chapters shorter, it did drag a little. Another thing, one of the characters just drops out of the book. Entirely. The reader is unaware of what happens to him, as he drops out of it midway in the book. I actually forgot all about him until it dawned on me after finishing it. I’m sure - hopefully this will be explained in the books following although just to drop him entirely midway in the novel was a little odd.

Other than those few things, I greatly enjoyed reading this book. I believe there’s two more after this one, so I’m looking forward to what’s going to happen next. It’s got a great ending, and leaves a lot of room for more to come! ( )

I wonder what can I say about this book that will make you want it... I wish I could give one to all of you. I read sci-fi, maybe is not the genre I love the most but I can enjoy it. I didn't enjoy this book, I completely loved it.
Why you ask? First of all, what is described in this book can, very well, happen in the real world. I believe this is what had me turning the pages all night long. Yes, all night long, I barely sleep last night because I promise you all, I needed to know what was going to happen next.

True to be told there's a few scenes that were a little to much for me but in the end my desire to keep reading was stronger.

What you are going to find in this book is suspense, is thriller, you will find yourself on the edge of your couch and don't worry if you suddenly realize you need air... I stopped breathing a few times myself.

But let me show you my point of view of this book: Our world, as we know it, is already destroyed. There was a psychopath named Zodiac that planted a series of flash bombs in all the big cities of the world and all of them exploded at the same time creating chaos and millions of deaths... After this Zodiac becomes the ruler of the whole world and, in order to stay as such he seeks every rebel to destroy them.

And then we find the hero of this book, Vincent Black who finds himself as an unwilling participant in a government experiment of super-soldiers. He is the only one who survives it. With the help of other rebels like Alexis Hera (a woman, believe me, that you wouldn't want to mess up with) or Andromeda he will give and set the basics of the ultimate rebellion: Face the enemy or die trying. He will show them that teamwork is the key to surpass all the difficulties.

But what I liked the most is that we are also allow to see the motivations and feelings of the "bad-side" and somehow, it gives a different and awesome depth to the story.

My recomendation? If you like sci-fi books read it, don't miss it. And if you don't like sci-fi then give it a try. I hope this book one day will become a movie... it would be amazing! ( )

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)

I spent a long time contemplating what to say about Mike Saxton's literary debut, 7 Scorpions: Rebellion, volume one of a coming science-fiction action-thriller trilogy; because while it's obvious that Saxton has put in quite a lot of time and effort with this title, and probably quite a financial commitment too, it's hard to say anything else about it besides that it's pretty terrible, less a finished genre novel for adults and more a profoundly hackneyed collection of violent apocalyptic-lit cliches designed for the "juggalo" end of the teenage-boy spectrum. (I mean, what can you say about a book that sees right on page one the meteoric rise of an unstoppable laser-wielding supervillain, dressed in spike-covered armor and named after a '70s serial killer? That's page freaking one, people.) But then, this may be the saving grace of such a book too -- because I'm sincere when I say that it will legitimately appeal to videogame-playing 14-year-olds, and there are far worse things in the world than to write a story that appeals to such a group, especially given that I used to be a violent little videogame-playing teenage boy myself. It would certainly be possible to print up, say, 500 copies of such a title, market it wisely, do a lot of live events tied into sci-fi and gaming conventions, and be able to make a tidy little profit by the end, all while getting the book into the hands of people who will legitimately love it; and while I can't in good conscience recommend this novel to intelligent grown-ups, I also wouldn't want to stand in the way of Saxton doing something exactly like what I just described, a plan that won't get anyone rich but that would certainly justify the book's existence, in the face of those who are undoubtedly tempted to make vicious fun of it. It's in that spirit that I recommend this today to the "Grand Theft Auto" playing teenage boy in your own life.

Out of 10: 5.9, or 7.4 for violent teenage boys ( )