Digital Reads Reviews

My review
There is something so wonderfully exciting to read about one man fighting against the villains. There is something so valiant about the entire concept. This has enchanted mankind from the beginning of life.

And what happens if that one man army is a puny, nerdy family man who suddenly finds himself exiled all alone, into the last corner of his world? He learns to fight; he becomes self-reliant. He becomes ready. Such a man then becomes a hero.

And that is exactly what happened in Thomas Hill’s sci-fi thriller. Where Dean is pitted against these robots by his bosses, the Central Authority, at the company CYANATA as they feel he has discoveted their secret, and they decide to eliminate him. Dean then has varied experiences, dealing with various hardships at every point.

This is a new author for me. I generally like sci-fi genre, and this book kept the interest running in most parts of the story. I like the way Thomas Hill has conceptualised this entire new futuristic world, there is a whole army of robots staying on the top side, who are fighting the humans who stay in the underground cities. I liked the whole concept of Artificial Intelligence becoming rebellious and turning against the humans. Isn’t that what us going to happen somewhere in the future??

I liked how Thomas Hill has dreamt this futuristic novel with the ancient theme of good vs evil. Thomas has introduced various species of characters, there are the normal humans like Dean, there are the sprinters modified humans via experiments, there are the nukeheads, the critters, and then there is Artificial Intelligence, the robots and a master controller of all electronics called Chip. Hence the title Chip and the Caretaker.

There are a few typos which sometimes niggled me. The story sometimes went into unnecessary details, there are many characters, and sometimes the story went from past to present. But I soon learned to get through the book and read the exciting bits in delight.

There is still a child like eagerness in me to read such books which have an age old concept written in a new world fathomed by imagination. Good vs Evil. There is an inner happiness when a one man army wins the war. There is glee and a need for vengeance when the Artificial Intelligence take over, even though we are at the root cause of making them.

Thomas Hill has done a great job in making me feel the roller-coaster ride of the old Western movie set in an futuristic era run by computers and AI, hopefully many centuries away.

I received an ARC from the author, in exchange for a review. The details of the book, cover and the blurb, are as provided by the author.

My rating : 3.25 stars

About the Author

Thomas Hill is a novelist and an author of fantasy and science fiction. He creates original new stories and he brings a fresh new voice to these genres.

His novels are action-packed and filled with interesting characters. He will take you into new worlds you haven’t seen before.

His most recent novel, Chip’s World: Complex #31 and the Caretaker, delves into a sinister world in the future where technology is constantly changing and humanity is at war with the offender robots. A computer programmer suspected of knowing too much about a government conspiracy is exiled to a remote complex on the northern frontier. There danger awaits him and his survival at the hands of myriad threats is uncertain.

His well-reviewed first novel, The Blood Moon, is a tale of discovery of magic. The seemingly simple villagers of Hepta must go on a harrowing journey. They must face a series of terrifying supernatural disasters and attacks. This first novel promises to be the beginning of many adventures set in pre-historic ancient times.

Thomas Hill lives in New York where he writes and teaches. Tom is a fan of good food, music, movies, books, travel and warm summer weather.

Book blurb

Dean Haggerty, a clever computer programmer, is sent to live as a caretaker of a huge complex on a desolate northern frontier because the Central Authority believes he knows too much about the conspiracy. Little does Dean know about the threats that wait for him.

Meanwhile, a master computer chip called ‘Chip’ connected to all electronic devices, secretly monitors all activity. Chip decides that Dean and the outlawed soldiers, the sprinters, must be eliminated by the agents of the High Council.

Dean soon discovers that the High Council’s conspiracy to install control chips in unsuspecting people. His wife and son are taken hostage. Dean has to surrender the dancing evidence against the High Council or face the consequences.

Will Dean and his band of outlaws survive the threat or perish at the hands of the Central Authority’s agents?

Product Details

Publication date : February 2018

Publisher : CreateSpace

Language : English

Available on Amazon

A sci-fi thriller