I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A disgraced former agent must solve a mysterious murder and uncover the dangerous secrets that have put him in the crosshairs of a deadly conspiracy in author Giancarlo Roversi’s “Nerve”, the prequel to the author’s Pulstar series.
The Synopsis
Seeking redemption, a discredited agent investigates the perplexing death of an elderly millionaire, unearthing a macabre scheme that might involve himself.
Astralvia: a nation on the verge of collapse.
Jon Creepel, an elderly millionaire and CEO of a leading high-tech corporation, is dead.
Discredited Agent Graham Squirrel investigates this disconcerting death. It’s his chance to clear his name and return to the Federal Police job he lives for.
As he delves deeper into the inquiries, he discovers layers of intrigue, secrets, and plots on a significant macabre scale. Working alongside Zabrinah Yorkt, a mysterious and complicated intelligence agent, brings extra challenges and triggers questions Squirrel would never have anticipated.
He has to escape the sinister threat looming over him and find out why they assigned him to the case, but nothing is what it seems.
And he’s about to discover the truth … he’s about to meet the Nerve.
Join Agent Squirrel to see if he cracks the mystery of Creepel’s death and survives the investigation in this suspenseful, mystery-packed sci-fi thriller.
Nerve is the enigmatic prequel to the gripping Pulstar trilogy (although you can also read it as a stand-alone novel), which took over ten years to make and has a soundtrack in production.
The Review
This was a pulse-pounding and exhilarating read. The pacing and the world-building stood out immediately. While I did read the first book in the Pulstar series, I was able to see both the connective layers of the narrative between this prequel and the first novel, while also recognizing how much this story stood out on its own two feet. The blend of sci-fi and metaphysical dystopian storytelling the author brought to this narrative was fascinating and kept me intrigued as the story progressed.
For me, the heart of the story rested in the unique balance of character development and atmosphere. The tone and quality of the author’s writing and the philosophical discussions that were brought to the forefront as a result of the narrative reminded me greatly of why I loved Battlestar Galactica so much, and the evolution and path that Graham as a character took and the framing of the story overall felt very cinematic due to the author’s amazing handle on imagery in this book.
The Verdict
Memorable, captivating, and entertaining, author Giancarlo Roversi’s “Nerve” is a must-read prequel to the Pulstar series and a wonderful sci-fi narrative. The unique world that the author has built and the major twists that some of these characters undergo by the book’s end will keep the reader hooked until the very last page. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
About the Author
Venezuela-born Giancarlo Roversi isn’t only a writer. He’s also a computer engineer and a musician who shared stages with artists such as REM, Oasis, Travis, Duran Duran, and Maroon Five.
When his band Fractaler broke up in 2011, he devoted the next ten years to cue the Pulstar Trilogy and three prequels in that universe.
He surrendered his personal life and wrote these manuscripts in his native language, Spanish, and then he translated them into English. He also composed a soundtrack for each book; they’re currently in production.
When he’s not living and breathing in his Pulstarverse, he loves family time, cooking, astronomy, animals, and having philosophical discussions—especially about the meaning of life—with anyone who cares to join him.
