Tag Archives: Rick Wayne

The Minus Faction: Episode 3 – Meltdown

minus_faction_3Once again, I was swept along in the story Wayne has created. This one is big on intrigue, as the new protagonist Ian finds himself on a terrorist watch list for no reason that he can fathom. He’s a sort of “every man” character, who’s devastated by his recent breakup when his life gets further complicated by the FBI and secret organizations. And then a foul-mouthed, super-intelligent 11 (and a half) year old girl comes into the picture – and, well, I think Ian was swept up in the story, too.

There are a lot of fantastic events along the way, and the characters from all three stories come together at the end of this one.

And here’s where this story fell down to 4 stars. I got confused when the POV hopped from one character to another without scene breaks. You’re in Ian’s head, then John without warning. I think it happened a couple times at the end where I wasn’t sure where I was in terms of head-space. I’d noticed very minor cases of this in previous stories, where something would be seen from a minor character’s viewpoint for one line, but it wasn’t a problem to follow. Don’t get me wrong, the story is still excellent, and I’m going to be continuing on with this series. I just hope future stories are clearer about whose POV we’re seeing through, and don’t become jumbled now that all the stories have come together.

About the Reviewer

ToxopeusRyanmedHusband, father, and researcher, Ryan Toxopeus spends his free time working on his epic fantasy trilogy, Empire’s Foundation. He started writing the first book, A Noble’s Quest, in 2010 and fell in love with all aspects of storytelling. He focuses on fast paced, character driven plots. His motto: “If I’m bored writing it, others will be bored reading it.”

Learn more about Ryan and his work at https://prcreative.ca/ryan/

The Minus Faction: Episode 2 – Crossfire

minus_faction_2This story was a slow build with a big pay off. After enjoying the first episode, I was hooked. When it started out, I noticed straight away that the writing style felt different from the first episode. The writing was in short, simple sentences. It felt a bit broken. But the reason for that became clear as we got to know Xana, the protagonist in this episode. She’s a hulking woman who can’t stop growing. She’s immensely powerful, but pretty simple-minded. So when we see the story from (mostly) her POV, it makes sense that it’s broken into smaller chunks.

The story itself is packed with emotion, as Xana looks for her son who has disappeared. There are layers to this story, and like a master storyteller, Wayne reveals them slowly, teasing the reader with bits of knowledge so you think you know what’s happening, and then another layer is peeled back. The character might think of herself as stupid and ugly, but I felt highly sympathetic to her plight. So far in these two episodes, Wayne has managed to take damaged characters and make them interesting and lovable – quite the feat for short segments.

I will definitely be picking up the third installment soon. The situations and characters that Wayne creates are too interesting for me to walk away. I need to know what happens next!

About the Reviewer

ToxopeusRyanmedHusband, father, and researcher, Ryan Toxopeus spends his free time working on his epic fantasy trilogy, Empire’s Foundation. He started writing the first book, A Noble’s Quest, in 2010 and fell in love with all aspects of storytelling. He focuses on fast paced, character driven plots. His motto: “If I’m bored writing it, others will be bored reading it.”

Learn more about Ryan and his work at https://prcreative.ca/ryan/

The Minus Faction – Episode 1: Breakout

breakoutThe Minus Faction-Episode 1: Breakout by Rick Wayne is a perfectly paced thriller-adventure with superheroic elements.

Captain John Regent is a paraplegic veteran, a favorite patient at the hospital where he now lives, the kind of guy everyone wants to talk to. Some might feel sorry for him, since his service cost him his mobility, but he’s not as limited as it might, at first, appear. He’s got an usual ability (which I won’t spoil for you in this review).

When his secret talents attract the attention of the government, he has some choices to make. Wayne’s main character is a fascinating hero, one of those men who has hidden depths and is truly willing to go to extremes for what he feels is right. It’s an action packed beginning to a series, a real page-turner with no fat or filler.

I recommend it for readers who enjoy a fast and exciting read.  

About The Reviewer:

BRYANT-CroppedSamantha Bryant is a middle school Spanish teacher by day and a mom and novelist by night. That makes her a superhero all the time. Her debut novel, Going Through the Change: A Menopausal Superhero Novel is now for sale by Curiosity Quills.

Learn more about Samantha and her work at http://samanthadunawaybryant.blogspot.com/