Forever Man contains a lot of the elements I love. A small town setting, strong characters, and suspense that keeps me turning pages! And the Banker’s autistic son is fascinating! ( )

Interesting start, Could use more details about others in the group. Are the original 12 still alive? What are their powers? Really drags at the end. ( )

When I first started reading Forever Man, I thought this was going to be your basic monster story as a creature of unknown origin attacks a high school couple late at night. Not that there is anything wrong with that, since I certainly enjoy a good monster story. However, as I continued to read, I realized that this had a much more complex storyline than I originally figured. It first started with the appearance in town of Bart Owens, ostensibly an unassuming musician who has come to town to play some gigs at a local bar. Bart turns out to be anything but that. He is an ancient being with mystical powers that get slowly revealed. Then there was a second mysterious character, Darryl Webber, who clearly has malevolent intentions as well his own set of mystical skills. The final piece of the puzzle is a young boy with a rare form of autism that seems to be at the center of what is happening. As I mentioned, this is a novel with a complex storyline that is rich in mythology and world building. The writing is, in one word, professional. As a fellow writer, I appreciate the craftsmanship and attention to detail that Matthews exhibits. It's remarkable than this is his debut novel since it comes off as the work of a veteran writer who has honed his skills over the years. The pacing, the flow, and the tension are just right. The story starts off with a bang. It delves into the significance of what is occurring. There is escalated tension in the middle, a big buildup, and then an epic confrontation--a textbook recipe for a successful story. If I could add one piece of criticism is that the backstory is glimpsed and by the end of the novel, the reader is still in the dark about most of it. However, Forever Man is just the first book in a series, and I can only assume that more will be revealed in future books in the series, which I very much look forward to reading. Get a copy of Forever Man and you will most definitely agree with me. Carl Alves - author of Two For Eternity ( )

I received this book as an early reviewers copy from LibraryThing. I really enjoyed the story and passed it along to my husband to read… a sign of how much I liked it. There was a high level of suspense through the book that made it hard to put down.
Looking forward to a second book with these characters, I hope this is the first in a series. ( )

Wow, I had a hard time putting the book down. It sucks you in and you want to find out what happens next. This is the first book by this author that I have read and I will read others written by him. ( )