Flashpoint Book One of The Underground Bk 1
Flashpoint is Biblical Cyberpunk set in the year 2036 and is the story of an alternative future where patriotism meets tyranny, the Patriot Act waxes Stalin-esque and the violence of terrorism has united the world. 2036 is the time of a central one-world government: the One-State. Fundamentalist terrorists are the One-State's only threat. This group includes Bible-believing Christians. When peacekeepers make a home-church bust in Ward-Six of the Chicago Metroplex, only Dave and Jen Williams evade capture. The siblings turn to the Body of Christ Underground for help, adopt street-names (Calamity Kid and e-girl) and slip between the cracks of the Chicago Metroplex. Calamity Kid and e-girl undergo technological re-formation that provides them with skills, knowledge and other abilities that allow them meet the gravest challenges facing Fundamentalist Christians and ultimately help them save their family, friends and neighbors before they're brainwashed, enslaved or worse by the One-State Neros.
User Ratings and Reviews
1 Star Buyer Be Aware
2 of the 3 reviews are written by the author. No place in the description of the book do they describe what the novel really is — a propaganda piece for fundamentalist beliefs.
There is nothing wrong with this type of novel. If those are your beliefs and you chose to engage in reading this type of material — please enjoy. If you do not want to read a book with a strong pro-fundamentalist christian slant then do not read this book.
With apologies to Mr. Creed it is also fairly poorly written. I tried to hang with it despite my discomfort with the subject material but in the end the terrible writing did me in and I had to put it down. Left it in a hotel room next to the bible figuring that's where he would like it to be anyhow.
One word version of this review = drivel.
3 Stars Flash Bang!
I met Frank Creed a few years ago through some writers groups and have followed his rise to published author with great interest. Frank is a thinker and he provokes one to follow him into thinking. Too many of us don't think anymore, we simply react. I guess that's why Frank has chosen a sub-genre of speculative fiction called cyber-punk to make his mark.
By now, it should be no secret that Flashpoint has won many accolades. I'm not surprised. It's an imaginative potpourri of ideas and ideology that keeps one involved in the process as they read.
I do like this book even though I'm only giving it three stars. Most of my problems with it have nothing to do with Frank's writing or the story itself and anyone who likes apocalyptic stories with technology and supernatural elements is going to love this book.
My problems were with the book itself. My copy is an advanced reader copy so these problems may have been resolved. The Writer's Cafe (co-owned by Frank) is a small press with not much history in the making of books and it shows. A larger font would accomplish a couple of good things for this work. It would be more readable. I had a hard time with the font. Too many lines per page I think was the deal. A different font size would put less lines on the pages. Which leads me to the other issue I had. This copy has the story at 169 pages. That's not a novel. I'm not even sure it'd qualify as a novella. With this being book one of a series I felt more of the story could've been added and the novel could've been separated into sections. I see this all the time.
I see from the Amazon page that the edition for sale is 216 pages so maybe they did some of this and my criticisms or moot. I hope so. I wanted to like this book more. I think Frank has a promising future as a storyteller and look forward to not only his growth, but that of The Writer's Cafe.
5 Stars Flashpoint in Christian Fiction
Great book. Besides entertainment, the story goes non-stop from beginning to end, I found the character of Calamity Kid to be inspiring! Despite his faults (he does suffer from pride and can be condescending) this character is superbly drawn.
The author, Frank Creed, writes in a tight highly descriptive style — every word is precise and there is no superfulous verbiage. The fight scenes are written to make one feel they are in the room, if not the character of CK.
Highly recommended — and I don't usually read sci-fi, let alone cyberpunk.
5 Stars Christian Science Fiction at its Best
I recommend this book. Not often does an author integrate Scripture into fiction in a way that does not belittle the Word of God or damage the fictive dream presented in the story. Frank Creed has created a world in which the reader can believe that the power of the Word is used by these fascinating and believable characters. The demonstration of faith is natural not contrived. Young believers, reading this futuristic tale, will witness Christians in action against foes that represent real opposition present in our world today.
4 Stars Good book with a caveat
When I first purchased this book from Amazon, I had found it appearing on list after list of "Great Cyberpunk Novels." Being a fan of the genre, I checked out the reviews, the few that were there gave high praise. So I bought it. When it arrived I knew from the first page that either I or the reviewers missed something.
As it is now obvious from the subsequent reviews & articles, the author is a devout Christian. As soon as you begin reading this will become apparent. As someone with similar beliefs, I figured that couldn't be that bad. I was in for a surprise.
The plot, characters & writing style are quite excellent & this leads to a compelling and entertaining story. I enjoyed many elements of the book. The idea that in a one-state future, Christians would be branded as extremist terrorists intrigued me. The character castes also served to draw me in.
The downside is that between almost every beat (and sometimes in the middle of an action sequence) the writer decides to insert a heavy-handed 'preaching session.' Don't get me wrong, in no way does the author say 'believe this' or 'think that', but he almost awkwardly inserts phrases or descriptions that would pull me right out of the story, make me put down the book & take a breather. Lines like "The new king of the hill is Liberator, and Liberator says treat everyone how you'd like them to treat you." Momentum & tension is also lost when you can envision these characters with a constant condescending smile that parents reserve for dumb children.
It breaks down like this: The closer you are to the author's beliefs, the better this novel is. When it came down to it, this book just makes 4 stars. Even with all that is said above, I still finished satisfied with my purchase. I believe the author would be better served to tone down portions of the book, he'd be more likely to actually connect to those who don't already agree with his world view. He has too much raw talent to risk alienating any potential readers.
Get our daily news and article headlines by email or RSS feed. 
