I wanted to give a big Thank You to those readers who have recently posted reviews of The Alexandria Project. Where they are also authors, I’d also like to provide links back to their sites so that you can learn about them and their books as well.The two most recent reviews were posted on the same day (a first for me) at Amazon and GoodReads. The more detailed one is by Felipe Adan Lerma, a prolific, self-published author (and poet and photographer), who posted the following:

Maybe, technically, due to sporadic typos, a 4.55. But it tilts, in my view too much to five stars not to be graded that way.

I’ve come to realize, anything I’ve ever graded five stars, movies or books or concerts, were that level because they fulfilled something more completely within me than other work I’ve read or seen or experienced. So it is with “The Alexandria Project.”

Yes, the technical portions were woven into the story via the characters, much as I’ve seen Micheal Crichton do at his best.

Yes, the humor varies from subtle to steady to side-splitting, like much of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series.

Yes, the chapters and segments near the rapidity and pace of a good James Patterson novel.

And yes, a variety of point-of-views are meshed like a good Joe Konrath.

But it was something in the author’s inter-weaving of all those components that felt so extremely satisfying to me. So much so it raised the work to five stars for me. Whether it’s luck or skill or magic, or some unpredictable potion of the three, it worked.

I was rather horrified by the fact that Adan found typos in my book (mostly relating to quote marks) after I recently printed a new edition to presumably eradicate all of the errors that my proofreader had missed. Other than that, I was obviously delighted with his review.  Adan tells me that he will be releasing his own thriller on October 19, so if you’re a fan of that genre, remind yourself to check back at his site then. His currently available works are listed here.

The second, shorter, review was posted at the same locations by Deborah K. Johns. My book had come to her attention when it was picked as a Book of the Month selection by the GoodReads A Good Thriller group. Deborah’s review reads as follows:

The Alexandria Project by Andrew Updegrove is a cyber mystery thriller that will give you lots to think about in terms of how vulnerable we could truly be in our world today. There are twists and turns in this story and just when you think all is straightened out a new and much more dangerous threat emerges. There are personal threats to the main character as well as larger threats to the country and the world at large. This was quite an interesting book and I look forward to the next one in the series.

Unfortunately, I can’t thank the next reviewer (form the Philippines) personally, as s/he signed in anonymously to Amazon:

I loved this book and could not put it down, i read a lot of books on kindle and rarely has a book gripped me like this one. I found not only the characters to be totally believable, but the plot lines and descriptions of the technology also where totally realistic and very consistent with the tech world I inhabit myself. As a professional engineer i did not feel like the book was full of cardboard cutout computers and prop technology, it was not dumbed down for mass consumption, but at the same time did not overwhelm the story.

I am keenly looking forward to the next installment.

The next is by Marcus Case, whose excellent thriller, The Bomb Makers I recently reviewed (you can find that review here).

This atmospheric technology thriller comes from the pen of Andrew Updegrove, a writer whose background knowledge of relevant material is clearly second to none. Painstaking research is evidenced throughout and revealed with an expertise that maintains the fast pace of this gripping, suspenseful and intelligent read.

The deepening characterisation is woven into the narrative with ease and supported by crisp dialogue containing some memorable instances of fine humour. But any opportunity to relax is brief, and Updegrove soon introduces further twists to draw the reader deeper into the book’s darker scenes and towards the terrifying spectre of its breathtaking climax.

Once started, The Alexandria Project refuses to be put aside until its final page has been turned. It would hold its own against a thriller by any of the biggest names and will not disappoint. Read it, meet Yoda (quite the most intriguing character imaginable), enjoy the appeal of its upbeat moments and hope like hell that its premise isn’t as believable as it seems. You’ll never forget it.

Marcus’ own site is here.

My thanks to each of these adventurous readers for giving my book a try, and especially for going on to share their thoughts with others. Perhaps their reviews will inspire someone reading this blog entry to follow your lead and give The Alexandria Project a try, or to recommend it to others.

More importantly, I’d like to recall that it’s often said that achieving any degree of success is necessarily all about the journey rather than the destination. As with other types of wayfaring, whether that odyssey  is enjoyable or miserable has everything to do with the acts of kindness you experience along the way. My sincere thanks therefore to those reviewers and others who have lent their help and support to me along the way.