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Zero Sight #1
Zero Sight
Meet Dieter Resnick. Dieter is the sole child of an abusive single father, a perennial schoolyard brawler, and Ted Binion High's number one academic prospect. Dieter is terrified of staying poor. He has few friends and is absolutely obsessed with earning a college scholarship. He's also a latent mage--one of the few humans left that can bend the manaflows to their will.
Too bad no one told him. Now a boy is dead.
Meet Rei Acerba Bathory. Rei is a second year student at Elliot College, the premiere magical training academy in North America. She's also on an all-liquid diet. Rei acquired her odd speech and mannerisms living among her centuries-old kin--strange vampiric creatures that have carved out the Midwest as their playground. She can kill a man without blinking, but has a serious weakness for puppies. Thanks to a childhood spent living cloistered from the public, Rei knows little of modern society. She'd do well to make some friends, but her fellow trainees despise her. Rei is the first of her kind to be admitted, and many hope to make her the last.
Dieter was raised in the grimy outskirts of Las Vegas. Rei was homeschooled in a Chicago mansion. Both are on their way to Elliot College. Both believe the other is a creature of idle fantasy. In ten hours, they're going to be at the center of a war fought by shadow actors. In eleven hours, they're going to become a weft-pair, bound together by the most sacred spell in the magic canon. And in twelve hours? Well, in twelve hours, they've got to get to class...
Zero Sight is a full-length young adult fantasy novel, 107,000 words or about 350 pages. Because of graphic situations, Zero Sight is only recommended for readers 16 years and older. The entire novel is provided DRM-free based on reader requests.
B. Justin Shier and Team Astraeus are hard at work on Zero Sum, the second installment in the Zero Sight Series. It is scheduled for release in the fall of 2011.
Too bad no one told him. Now a boy is dead.
Meet Rei Acerba Bathory. Rei is a second year student at Elliot College, the premiere magical training academy in North America. She's also on an all-liquid diet. Rei acquired her odd speech and mannerisms living among her centuries-old kin--strange vampiric creatures that have carved out the Midwest as their playground. She can kill a man without blinking, but has a serious weakness for puppies. Thanks to a childhood spent living cloistered from the public, Rei knows little of modern society. She'd do well to make some friends, but her fellow trainees despise her. Rei is the first of her kind to be admitted, and many hope to make her the last.
Dieter was raised in the grimy outskirts of Las Vegas. Rei was homeschooled in a Chicago mansion. Both are on their way to Elliot College. Both believe the other is a creature of idle fantasy. In ten hours, they're going to be at the center of a war fought by shadow actors. In eleven hours, they're going to become a weft-pair, bound together by the most sacred spell in the magic canon. And in twelve hours? Well, in twelve hours, they've got to get to class...
Zero Sight is a full-length young adult fantasy novel, 107,000 words or about 350 pages. Because of graphic situations, Zero Sight is only recommended for readers 16 years and older. The entire novel is provided DRM-free based on reader requests.
B. Justin Shier and Team Astraeus are hard at work on Zero Sum, the second installment in the Zero Sight Series. It is scheduled for release in the fall of 2011.
236 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 24, 2011
77 people are currently reading
4,315 people want to read
About the author
B. Justin Shier
3Ìýbooks441ÌýfollowersB. Justin Shier grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada. After cashing in his winnings, he went to study at Washington University in St. Louis. He researched cancer biology for a few years before deciding on a career in medicine. He is currently pursuing his medical doctorate somewhere in California.
B. loves scuba diving and dirt bikes. He also enjoys writing in his journal at:
B. loves scuba diving and dirt bikes. He also enjoys writing in his journal at:
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 227 reviews
November 21, 2016
Reread in September/October for Action-Adventure Aficionados group read.
I was very distracted when I did this reread, since my life has been chaotic and crazy. I would read it at night in bed. It didn't hit me as powerfully this time, but I think that was a me not it kind of thing. Still love this book and Dieter Resnick and I hope that B. Justin Shier finally writes book 3.
**
Previous Review:
I ended up loving this book. It showed promise from the first page, and that promise held through to the last. I know I'm going to devour this series, and probably anything else B. Justin Shier writes. He knows just how to keep me excited about a book.
If you liked "The Magicians", you might enjoy this one. I liked it even more.
A good mix of coming of age, magic, science fantasy, and snarky humor. It earns five stars from me.
Reviewed for Bitten by Books. .
I was very distracted when I did this reread, since my life has been chaotic and crazy. I would read it at night in bed. It didn't hit me as powerfully this time, but I think that was a me not it kind of thing. Still love this book and Dieter Resnick and I hope that B. Justin Shier finally writes book 3.
**
Previous Review:
I ended up loving this book. It showed promise from the first page, and that promise held through to the last. I know I'm going to devour this series, and probably anything else B. Justin Shier writes. He knows just how to keep me excited about a book.
If you liked "The Magicians", you might enjoy this one. I liked it even more.
A good mix of coming of age, magic, science fantasy, and snarky humor. It earns five stars from me.
Reviewed for Bitten by Books. .
July 6, 2016
So Dieter is not a happy high school student. Now granted there probably is no such thing as a happy high school student but Dieter has it worse than most. His father is an abusive drunk, the local gang is out to get him, and Tyrone, the gang’s leader is the schools football hero. Dieter has used his “sight� to help him win all the fights he’s gotten into so far but when Tyrone and he end up fighting something goes terrible wrong. Now Tyrone is dead and the school’s chemistry lab has been destroyed. But instead of getting into trouble for it, Dieter ends up getting a full ride scholarship to an exclusive east coast university, a university for mages.
Now I know what you’re thinking, boy has bad life, boy learns he is a magic user, boy goes to a school to learn about it. I’ve read a story like that already.
Well, I was worried this was just another Harry Potter rip off but it is far from it. Dieter is smart and wants nothing more that to get away from his father and the mess that Las Vegas has become. He’s lived his life so far with the sole purpose of qualifying for a scholarship and getting out. So when he gets just that from Eliot College he can’t wait to pack. There was never the usually “yeah right� moment where the lead character does things that you know someone of his age so would not do. Dieter is an exceptional young man that has a powerful gift that he’s struggling to learn to deal with. He screws up and has to suffer the consequences of those screw ups.
More than once I found myself on the edge of my seat as I read this book. The only bad thing is the huge cliffhanger that leaves me searching for the next book in the series.
This book is NOT for very young or sensitive readers. There is a lot of death and more than one really gruesome scene.
October 24, 2011
Review originally at
PLOT OVERVIEW & ANALYSIS: This book wasn’t a review request and I would have missed it, had it not been for Amazon’s recommendations. Whilst I was searching for some other title, Zero Sight popped up on my screen as a book I might like, based on my previous buys and search history. Never having heard of the book or the author before hand, I looked up some of the reviews on Amazon as well as Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ and got myself a copy.
The book was tremendously funny, managing to capture my interest from the first few pages and had me rooting for the main character like no other. Dieter Resnick is the narrator of the story and is infact one of the main draws of the plot. He’s a sixteen year old kid who’s street smart as well really intelligent. He knows he’s in a shitty situation but is also mature enough to ride it through and get out to a good college. He lives with his alcoholic dad in Las Vegas and while being a physical abuse victim; he doesn’t let it deter him from figuring out his life plans which mainly includes a good college education with a full scholarship. However fate has other plans as the school bully Tyrone Nelson hurts one of his friends, Dieter’s conscience will not let it slide. Things soon take a downturn and after an accident of sorts, Dieter discovers that there’s something kooky about the accident as well as his role in it.
He returns to school and is fixated upon a college with a full scholarship and things seem to be heading his way when he receives an acceptance from Elliot College with the terms he wanted. Feeling full of joy, he sets about on his bus trip from Vegas to New Haven, Connecticut wherein he has no idea what he’s about to get into. On the way he meets Rei Acerba Bathory, a strikingly beautiful female whose looks have him floored but as such stories go, there’s more to her than meets the eye. Thus begins the crazy story that is Zero Sight and one which will have more fans over the years.
I absolutely loved this debut novel as it’s very rare that you discover a book which makes the story come alive, have a great narrative voice and inspite of the obvious tropes utilized, still manages to make the reader oblivious to them. Zero Sight does all of this and then goes on to end in a way that makes you covet the next volume essentially. For me this book was a complete winner and here’s why: The story begins with a rush and Dieter manages to convey his intelligence, charm and spunk all in the very first chapter. The narrative voice is a youthful one and the energy which is abundantly presently in the main character comes across and touches the reader as well. We share his enthusiasm, feel his pain and marvel at his antics. The book’s humor quotient is one which will have readers frequently chuckling along and to add to it Dieter seems like a junior version of Harry Dresden with his geeky references and snappy monologues.
Thus by having the reader root for the protagonist, the author moves onto his next hook namely the location and the plot twists, the story opens up in Las Vegas, then through a bus journey moves cross country and ends in Elliott College, New Haven. The story never slackens and pulls the reader constantly forward and with the plot twists that keep the reader entertained. There is an infectious charm to this story which is inexplicably alluring and adding to its effect is the fact that it was the author’s debut.
The story utilizes some common fantasy tropes but due to the author’s writing, effectively manages to not hinder the reader and gives them a story which will make them engrossed in figuring out what’s going on and at the same time having quite a bit of fun along with and at Dieter’s expense. The addition of the magical college settings which are very reminiscent of Hogwarts as well as Kvothe’s University are a definite plus however the author does his best to differentiate Elliott College from the aforementioned places in many small but significant ways. The magic system is a bit generic but then once the rules are laid out it does make sense, in its pattern and schematics.
Another aspect which I want to highlight is that it doesn’t shy away from violence or the darkness of its characters and thereby makes this story score some points over the Harry Potter & Kingkiller Chronicles. There are quite some scenes of gore and violence, their presence is justifiable in relation to the plot. This story though having a teenage protagonist as well as many young characters is far away from being a YA book and that was another point which I thought should be highlighted as many readers might assume so from its blurb. There’s also the character cast which begins with Rei and she’s the second most developed character behind Dieter, however the rest of the cast gets very less presence however since it’s the first book, the author had very less time and space to do justice to them. I expect this to be rectified in the future volumes and more to be revealed about the rest of the characters as well the world they inhabit.
The sole point which kind of detracted a bit of awesomeness from this book was its ending and in this it coincidentally shares this quirk with Patrick Rothfuss’s amazing debut. The ending is a bit ambiguous in the sense it just ends and leaves the story hanging. The Name of the Wind also faced a similar complaint from its fans that the story just ended instead of having a strong climax. Some might disagree with me on this point but I felt with the aces that the story delivered, it faltered a bit in the ending. This was the only drawback experienced by me.
CONCLUSION: An excellent Urban Fantasy debut which will amaze readers with it narrative voice, plot energy and fun twists. This book is definitely one of the best debuts and will possibly herald Brian J. Shier’s ascent into future authorial stardom. This is a book heavily recommended for all fans of Jim Butcher and Kevin Hearne, give it a try and find out why I think Zero Sight deserves to be counted as one of the best urban fantasy debuts of the year and possibly of this decade as well.
December 28, 2012
Not a HUGE Young Adult reader, but when I read about this book as a "gritty modern-day Harry Potter" I had to do it! I think this book is a bit uneven but REALLY interesting. It is definitely a less rosy view on a teen with magic, I really loved the love interest and how she was an outcast, and the precocious lead character was really engaging, especially considering his somewhat challenging past. Towards the end of the book I wanted the characters to grow a bit more, but all in all a really fun read, especially if you like teen protagonists. The reality of the magic system was very grounded as well, which I enjoyed too.
April 23, 2012
Best new series I've read in years. Much better writing than my own, much as it pains me to say. Love the characters (especially Rei Acerba).
February 21, 2014
Dieter Resnick is the man. The story opens up en medias res. It grabbed me from the beginning and held me down. This was a 1000 plus pages on the Nook and I read it in a day, because it was so engaging and witty.
So, Dieter is a senior in high school that wants nothing more than to escape Las Vegas. School is his golden ticket and Dieter and Dieter has to have perfect scores and grades if he wants to make it out the desert and into an Ivy league institution. In Shier's world America is experiencing another depression. Getting a job is hard, and getting a scholarship to get a career is even harder. His dead beat dad is no help, and well mom is something else entirely.
En medias res, we open up and Dieter, our genius who needs school to escape Vegas is in a fight with a school jock, bully, gang leader hybrid that only a crappy public school could breed. Not very conducive to being a model student hoping to escape to Harvard. But, Dieter has his reasons and his Sight. Dieter has a bit o' magic that he believes is a sixth sense. What transpires over the novel is him learning its much more than that. It's a coming of age tale, hero's journey that is both unique and riveting. We have vampires (a different take, believe me the word makes me cringe too), mages, battle magic, military assassins, druids, witches and a school for mages. This ain't Hogwarts though, Miss Grainger. No wands here, much more fascinating magical system that is shown more than told.
Vampires have fiefs,(I live in one, yay to the author for putting St. Louis in), the history of the mages and world is really interesting. Shier blends historical events about the Knights Templar and Hospillatar wonderfully, and adds historical references like little nuggets or Easter eggs that I just love to have in novels. One particular is his reference to Elizabeth Bathory, a figure I have always found intriguing.
The real strength though comes from his character's voice, narration and witty dialogue. Dieter is a hoot; check the comments for some quotes. Shier has a great Urban Fantasy wrapped in teenage angst and young male libido that adds for a hilarious narration. I loved watching Dieter, a young man who lost his innocence to fate at an early age, go through trials and learn the truths about pain and power. Dieter learns that loss isn't a onetime incident that you learn from if you're lucky, but an ongoing process that waxes and wanes throughout your life. Brilliant story!
Self-published!!! Egads, I just read a self-published book that wasn't poo. I know that this has been a taboo topic as of late. I'm usually very biased and avoid self-published titles like the plague, after having tried a couple and been utterly disgusted by the lack of care that seemed to be put into the work. I was quite impressed, with this work. The editing was fantastic and I think I might have seen one typo. One! Most traditionally published titles don't have that. It reminded me not to be biased of where a book comes from.
My one point of contention with this novel is the ending. It just tapered off, like watching a series you love and knowing they pop those dreaded words; to be continued on you. It almost made me wonder if it might have been intended to be two novels at first instead of three. But this didn't stop my elation of having read an outstanding piece of fiction.
Check this out! Recommend it to your friends. I've already finished the second novel, in a day as well. The story just gets better. And to think he wrote this while in med school. What kind of magic does he have?
So, Dieter is a senior in high school that wants nothing more than to escape Las Vegas. School is his golden ticket and Dieter and Dieter has to have perfect scores and grades if he wants to make it out the desert and into an Ivy league institution. In Shier's world America is experiencing another depression. Getting a job is hard, and getting a scholarship to get a career is even harder. His dead beat dad is no help, and well mom is something else entirely.
En medias res, we open up and Dieter, our genius who needs school to escape Vegas is in a fight with a school jock, bully, gang leader hybrid that only a crappy public school could breed. Not very conducive to being a model student hoping to escape to Harvard. But, Dieter has his reasons and his Sight. Dieter has a bit o' magic that he believes is a sixth sense. What transpires over the novel is him learning its much more than that. It's a coming of age tale, hero's journey that is both unique and riveting. We have vampires (a different take, believe me the word makes me cringe too), mages, battle magic, military assassins, druids, witches and a school for mages. This ain't Hogwarts though, Miss Grainger. No wands here, much more fascinating magical system that is shown more than told.
Vampires have fiefs,(I live in one, yay to the author for putting St. Louis in), the history of the mages and world is really interesting. Shier blends historical events about the Knights Templar and Hospillatar wonderfully, and adds historical references like little nuggets or Easter eggs that I just love to have in novels. One particular is his reference to Elizabeth Bathory, a figure I have always found intriguing.
The real strength though comes from his character's voice, narration and witty dialogue. Dieter is a hoot; check the comments for some quotes. Shier has a great Urban Fantasy wrapped in teenage angst and young male libido that adds for a hilarious narration. I loved watching Dieter, a young man who lost his innocence to fate at an early age, go through trials and learn the truths about pain and power. Dieter learns that loss isn't a onetime incident that you learn from if you're lucky, but an ongoing process that waxes and wanes throughout your life. Brilliant story!
Self-published!!! Egads, I just read a self-published book that wasn't poo. I know that this has been a taboo topic as of late. I'm usually very biased and avoid self-published titles like the plague, after having tried a couple and been utterly disgusted by the lack of care that seemed to be put into the work. I was quite impressed, with this work. The editing was fantastic and I think I might have seen one typo. One! Most traditionally published titles don't have that. It reminded me not to be biased of where a book comes from.
My one point of contention with this novel is the ending. It just tapered off, like watching a series you love and knowing they pop those dreaded words; to be continued on you. It almost made me wonder if it might have been intended to be two novels at first instead of three. But this didn't stop my elation of having read an outstanding piece of fiction.
Check this out! Recommend it to your friends. I've already finished the second novel, in a day as well. The story just gets better. And to think he wrote this while in med school. What kind of magic does he have?
July 11, 2012
For life of me, I could not read another word of this book. I seriously don't understand the rave reviews this book has gotten, but I have to emphatically disagree with them.
There are definitely editing errors that detract from the flow of the book, but that's the least of the problems.
The greatest problem is actually the characters - and when your whole book is centered around developing your two protagonists, that's a bit of a problem.
Dieter is a boy struggling to make it out of his crap town in Las Vegas and get a college. He has something called the Sight that allows him to be aware of things around him as well as see intent. When he makes it out, headed for a magic college, he meets the other protagonist... dun dun dun, the love interest.
Rei is probably one of the worst characters written in novel history. She's gorgeous, athletic, witty, smart, talks like she was born in Victoria, England, and is a vampire. Of course Dieter falls over her like a love-struck boy and there the two caricature of people go. I honestly don't see a flaw in either of them - and as characters, that makes them failed characters. When you write about perfect people, there's no room for them to grow or develop. It isn't a coming-of-age story anymore, it's a "let's put perfect people into situations and watch them get out of it with no problem". Their interactions are abnormal and not believable. He takes her odd quirks without blinking and they rapidly hit it off - which goes completely against the way their backgrounds would suggest. Unnatural - hurts the flow of the book.
It takes 25% of the book to even get to the girl and from there, I'm already rolling my eyes at how much the protagonist Dieter is up in his own head. The amount of action/dialogue is minimal, which is never a good recipe for balance or for story movement.
It aims to be a sort of Harry Potter story with the whole magic and college system, but ultimately fails to deliver any sense of wonder or interest of their world. I honestly don't care for the characters or the world. It bores me halfway to death.
One star because I dropped the book after the magic action started (and it didn't interest me). So perhaps it gets better. Perhaps. But I doubt it. I skimmed through about 200 pages and all of it looked rather mind-numbing.
I don't recommend this to anyone.
There are definitely editing errors that detract from the flow of the book, but that's the least of the problems.
The greatest problem is actually the characters - and when your whole book is centered around developing your two protagonists, that's a bit of a problem.
Dieter is a boy struggling to make it out of his crap town in Las Vegas and get a college. He has something called the Sight that allows him to be aware of things around him as well as see intent. When he makes it out, headed for a magic college, he meets the other protagonist... dun dun dun, the love interest.
Rei is probably one of the worst characters written in novel history. She's gorgeous, athletic, witty, smart, talks like she was born in Victoria, England, and is a vampire. Of course Dieter falls over her like a love-struck boy and there the two caricature of people go. I honestly don't see a flaw in either of them - and as characters, that makes them failed characters. When you write about perfect people, there's no room for them to grow or develop. It isn't a coming-of-age story anymore, it's a "let's put perfect people into situations and watch them get out of it with no problem". Their interactions are abnormal and not believable. He takes her odd quirks without blinking and they rapidly hit it off - which goes completely against the way their backgrounds would suggest. Unnatural - hurts the flow of the book.
It takes 25% of the book to even get to the girl and from there, I'm already rolling my eyes at how much the protagonist Dieter is up in his own head. The amount of action/dialogue is minimal, which is never a good recipe for balance or for story movement.
It aims to be a sort of Harry Potter story with the whole magic and college system, but ultimately fails to deliver any sense of wonder or interest of their world. I honestly don't care for the characters or the world. It bores me halfway to death.
One star because I dropped the book after the magic action started (and it didn't interest me). So perhaps it gets better. Perhaps. But I doubt it. I skimmed through about 200 pages and all of it looked rather mind-numbing.
I don't recommend this to anyone.
January 22, 2012
Holy cow, this book was great! Ìý The premise sounds like a typicalÌýintrepid-hero-attends-a-magic-academy that clutters YA. ÌýBut it's YA in the same way that Ender's Game is - which is to say that it magnificently transcends the age of the protagonist. ÌýAnd the voice is a lot more Harry Dresden than Harry Potter. ÌýI can't recommend it enough.
Zero Sight is the first books in the Zero Sight Series and Shier's debut novel. ÌýIt's set in a broken-down, near-future America. ÌýDieter Resnick, the protagonist, is a young man with a single purpose - getting the hell out of his current life and into something better. ÌýHis master plan involves keeping his head down, getting an academic scholarship to an Ivy, and living happily ever after somewhere far away from the gangs and poverty and abuse of his current life.
The first part of his plan hits a snag when he gets in a fight with higher stakes than he hoped for, and things take an unexpected turn. ÌýIf you've read much in the genre, you have some idea where things are headed in the first book, but you won't care because the journey is fantastic. Ìý
It's a book that doesn't condescend. ÌýHe's telling the story of aÌýbrilliant, honorable, and driven young man in a richly detailed world and emotionally complex circumstances. ÌýThis first person POV gives us the chance to be inside one of my new favorite minds, but you can't sleepwalk through it. Not that you want to - it's a gripping read.
My only quibble is that it doesn't stand alone - it feels like part one of a two part book. Luckily, the second book is out and has an ending that feels like an ending, so as long as you're prepared to read them both in a row, you'll be fine.
Zero Sight is the first books in the Zero Sight Series and Shier's debut novel. ÌýIt's set in a broken-down, near-future America. ÌýDieter Resnick, the protagonist, is a young man with a single purpose - getting the hell out of his current life and into something better. ÌýHis master plan involves keeping his head down, getting an academic scholarship to an Ivy, and living happily ever after somewhere far away from the gangs and poverty and abuse of his current life.
The first part of his plan hits a snag when he gets in a fight with higher stakes than he hoped for, and things take an unexpected turn. ÌýIf you've read much in the genre, you have some idea where things are headed in the first book, but you won't care because the journey is fantastic. Ìý
It's a book that doesn't condescend. ÌýHe's telling the story of aÌýbrilliant, honorable, and driven young man in a richly detailed world and emotionally complex circumstances. ÌýThis first person POV gives us the chance to be inside one of my new favorite minds, but you can't sleepwalk through it. Not that you want to - it's a gripping read.
My only quibble is that it doesn't stand alone - it feels like part one of a two part book. Luckily, the second book is out and has an ending that feels like an ending, so as long as you're prepared to read them both in a row, you'll be fine.
October 26, 2011
WOW!!!! Three letters to sum up my experience and my first 5 star rated book of the year (Dont call me stingy now). Thanks Mihir for this really awesome recommendation on FantasyBookCritic. Its been a really long time since I felt like reading a book in a single sitting and just when I felt that this year I had ultimately exhausted my options of discovering the next big thing, I found this.
The book grips you right from page 1 and doesnt let go till the last word of the last page. I refuse to believe that this is a maiden effort by an indie author. The characterizations, the world building, the humor...they all add up perfectly for this wonderful book. Of course, as Mihir pointed out in his review of this book, it does remind you of Harry Potter but this is much more darker (cant find a better way to describe it).
Will definitely read this again along with the next installment...please dont make me wait :)
The book grips you right from page 1 and doesnt let go till the last word of the last page. I refuse to believe that this is a maiden effort by an indie author. The characterizations, the world building, the humor...they all add up perfectly for this wonderful book. Of course, as Mihir pointed out in his review of this book, it does remind you of Harry Potter but this is much more darker (cant find a better way to describe it).
Will definitely read this again along with the next installment...please dont make me wait :)
September 28, 2013
WOW!
I loved it, even with a few typos its still one of the better books I have read in a while.
It filled my need for sarcasm perfectly!
I loved it, even with a few typos its still one of the better books I have read in a while.
It filled my need for sarcasm perfectly!
July 27, 2011
Zero Sight by B Justin Shier start off in Las Vegas following Dieter a kid who just wants to get out of town and make something of himself. He attends a pretty rough highschool and is literally fighting just to get by. Dieter is a special kid, he has some unique abilities on top of being a very smart guy. He hits some pretty massive speed bumps on the way, but he does get into college and on his bus trip across the country he meets Rei, a beautiful girl with whom he has no idea how to act. The interaction between the two of them had me laughing out loud several times.
There were a few parts of the story that slowed down, but for the most part the plot moved along at a good pace. Since Mr. Shier is a med student there were some pretty graphic descriptions of the gore involved. The story has several plot twists that I did not see coming. Overall this is a great book and I cannot wait to read the second installment.
There were a few parts of the story that slowed down, but for the most part the plot moved along at a good pace. Since Mr. Shier is a med student there were some pretty graphic descriptions of the gore involved. The story has several plot twists that I did not see coming. Overall this is a great book and I cannot wait to read the second installment.
March 23, 2012
This book just went on and on. One third of it was the bus ride from Las Vegas to Connecticut. I get it, he doesn't like the burgers at the bus stops! This story did not move fast at all. I will not be reading the sequel.
March 30, 2012
A Badass Hidden Gem...
July 12, 2011
It is a good idea, and I liked the main characters. But I was bored a lot. A lot. To much needless mind numbing detail about nothing.
January 5, 2014
Pretty cool, I didnt know what to expect. I took a chance and it paid off.
June 16, 2020
Rating 2.5 stars
Not for me. You know how you read some books and they seem to fly by. Then you read other books and the story drags on. This one had both. First time I think that I ever experienced that. The story started off pretty well. We start off with the main character Deiter in a fight. During the fight we find out that he has a secret talent. He can see the flow of a fight while it is happening allowing him to predict what is going to happen. That doesn't guarantee success though. When he goes up against a group of people he ends up getting hurt bad. Right before he is about to be really hurt something crazy happens. Something logic can't explain. Months later he gets an acceptance letter to an exclusive college in the east. He finds out during the trip that the school is for mages.
So for the first 15% of the book, I really got into the story. Interesting premise, interesting character with a solid power. Then nothing happens for the next 20% of the book. Then when it does happen, nothing is explained. He finds out during the trip that vampires are real and he is going to a magic school and yet the person with him refuses to tell him any more. Once he gets to school he is told how behind he is because everyone else has been learning since they were little, but again they refuse to answer his questions, saying he will be told later.
The world building was kind of poor. I didn't understand the purpose of the magical groups. The magical system was not explained very well. Then there was the vampires. In reality the book only had the one and there wasn't much talked about her world. I did like her relationship with Deiter and those were the moments that seemed to fly by. There were significant portions of the book that I just skimmed over. There wasn't a lot of conversations. There was a lot of introspection and postulation followed by one or two sentences of dialogue. There was more than one flashback moment to a period in Deiter's life. They ended up being very long and didn't really have a place in the story.
Then there was the use of pop culture references. The story took place some time in the future when the US suffered a recession after most of the oil dried up. Yet there were tons of pop culture references from the 80's and 90's from the college kids. Because yeah, that makes sense. I know when I was in High school I used pop culture references from the 1940's and 1950's because that is just what kids do right? Talk about things that happens 40-50 years ago.
I liked the relationship between Deiter and Rei the most. I liked the powers that Deiter showed early in the story, I just wish it was investigated more. Everything else was pretty forgettable.
Not for me. You know how you read some books and they seem to fly by. Then you read other books and the story drags on. This one had both. First time I think that I ever experienced that. The story started off pretty well. We start off with the main character Deiter in a fight. During the fight we find out that he has a secret talent. He can see the flow of a fight while it is happening allowing him to predict what is going to happen. That doesn't guarantee success though. When he goes up against a group of people he ends up getting hurt bad. Right before he is about to be really hurt something crazy happens. Something logic can't explain. Months later he gets an acceptance letter to an exclusive college in the east. He finds out during the trip that the school is for mages.
So for the first 15% of the book, I really got into the story. Interesting premise, interesting character with a solid power. Then nothing happens for the next 20% of the book. Then when it does happen, nothing is explained. He finds out during the trip that vampires are real and he is going to a magic school and yet the person with him refuses to tell him any more. Once he gets to school he is told how behind he is because everyone else has been learning since they were little, but again they refuse to answer his questions, saying he will be told later.
The world building was kind of poor. I didn't understand the purpose of the magical groups. The magical system was not explained very well. Then there was the vampires. In reality the book only had the one and there wasn't much talked about her world. I did like her relationship with Deiter and those were the moments that seemed to fly by. There were significant portions of the book that I just skimmed over. There wasn't a lot of conversations. There was a lot of introspection and postulation followed by one or two sentences of dialogue. There was more than one flashback moment to a period in Deiter's life. They ended up being very long and didn't really have a place in the story.
Then there was the use of pop culture references. The story took place some time in the future when the US suffered a recession after most of the oil dried up. Yet there were tons of pop culture references from the 80's and 90's from the college kids. Because yeah, that makes sense. I know when I was in High school I used pop culture references from the 1940's and 1950's because that is just what kids do right? Talk about things that happens 40-50 years ago.
I liked the relationship between Deiter and Rei the most. I liked the powers that Deiter showed early in the story, I just wish it was investigated more. Everything else was pretty forgettable.
December 5, 2011
Another addition to the "wizard boarding school" subgenre, this is darker and more realistic than Harry Potter. If you thought Voldemort lacked ambition, this may well be the book for you - the author has clearly put a lot of thought into answering the question, "If I was a bad guy who could use magic, what would I do with it?"
Dieter, the protagonist, initially doesn't know he's a wizard, except that he has what he calls his Sight - if someone's attacking him, he can see what they're going to do, half a second before they actually do it. This would probably get him through high school, but then the school bully tries to bash his head in with a rock. The attack unleashes greater powers within him, and the result is one dead bully and one large hole in the chemistry block. This brings him to the attention of Elliot College, a small and very exclusive university for wizards. Once there, Dieter learns to use and control his magic, before thwarting an assault on the school.
Dieter narrates the story in first person, and his wisecracking, self-depreciating tone makes him likeable, even when you know he's about to do something that will turn out badly.
My main criticism with this novel is that there's not much plot, and what's there is fairly linear. It essentially consists of several set pieces (which, to give them their due, are quite exciting), and marking time in between them. The author dumps a lot of information on you at the end to set up the sequel, and there are a couple of important points in there that seem implausible for Dieter not to have known about earlier. Despite that, I enjoyed this book, and will put the sequel, Zero Sum, on my reading list.
Dieter, the protagonist, initially doesn't know he's a wizard, except that he has what he calls his Sight - if someone's attacking him, he can see what they're going to do, half a second before they actually do it. This would probably get him through high school, but then the school bully tries to bash his head in with a rock. The attack unleashes greater powers within him, and the result is one dead bully and one large hole in the chemistry block. This brings him to the attention of Elliot College, a small and very exclusive university for wizards. Once there, Dieter learns to use and control his magic, before thwarting an assault on the school.
Dieter narrates the story in first person, and his wisecracking, self-depreciating tone makes him likeable, even when you know he's about to do something that will turn out badly.
My main criticism with this novel is that there's not much plot, and what's there is fairly linear. It essentially consists of several set pieces (which, to give them their due, are quite exciting), and marking time in between them. The author dumps a lot of information on you at the end to set up the sequel, and there are a couple of important points in there that seem implausible for Dieter not to have known about earlier. Despite that, I enjoyed this book, and will put the sequel, Zero Sum, on my reading list.
June 14, 2011
So good I decided to read it twice!
Quick disclaimer: Although Zero Sight is billed as a young adult, it's got some graphic gore in it, so I personally would put it on the high end of young adult, it properly probable belongs in new adult.
That being said, I loved the storyline. Shier does an excellent job with the development of the characters and the pacing. Things moved along at a good clip without leaving you feeling like you didn't know what was going on.
Best of all was the magic system-it had plenty of hooks back to legend and mythology which made it incredibly easy to suspend disbelief and dive right in.
If the disclaimer at the top about the level of violence doesn't faze you, do yourself a favor and read Zero Sight!
I can't wait until the sequel comes out
1
Quick disclaimer: Although Zero Sight is billed as a young adult, it's got some graphic gore in it, so I personally would put it on the high end of young adult, it properly probable belongs in new adult.
That being said, I loved the storyline. Shier does an excellent job with the development of the characters and the pacing. Things moved along at a good clip without leaving you feeling like you didn't know what was going on.
Best of all was the magic system-it had plenty of hooks back to legend and mythology which made it incredibly easy to suspend disbelief and dive right in.
If the disclaimer at the top about the level of violence doesn't faze you, do yourself a favor and read Zero Sight!
I can't wait until the sequel comes out
1
August 17, 2011
I'm a big fan of the independently published books on the Kindle. Though these books that have not passed through professional editing systems tend to have more misspellings and formatting errors than the mainstream releases, the stories can still be just as good.
Shier did a fantastic job with Zero Sight by creating a humorous novel in the sense of Harry Potter that took conventions and examined them in a scientific manner. Why does magic work? How? These questions propelling this particular book to heights that other Potter-esque novels can only hope to reach.
Shier did a fantastic job with Zero Sight by creating a humorous novel in the sense of Harry Potter that took conventions and examined them in a scientific manner. Why does magic work? How? These questions propelling this particular book to heights that other Potter-esque novels can only hope to reach.
June 2, 2013
This book was an engaging read, but definitely a bit different than I'd expected.
For some reason coming into this I thought that it was YA. However, after a page or so I realized this definitely wasn't YA... The language, the violence - never would this book get published as YA. Then again, I think this book definitely appeals to teens and young adults and can see them reading it. Such a paradox is solved by the author's method of publishing - online.
The "independently-published on iBooks and Amazon e-books" route has recently exploded with new authors and stories, telling us tales that for some reason big publishers haven't yet bought into. In some cases, this has yielded some great writers and stories, some absolute gems. One such example is Hugh Howey's "Wool" series. And usually, when such cream of the crop rises, the books get snatched up by a publisher with a huge contract (speaking of "Wool") and, in the case of "Wool", directly Ridley Scott comes along and buys the rights to direct the movie.
This is great news to those of us who write and want to publish our books. The opportunity has never been better to get our work out there and noticed.
But we're talking about "Zero Sight" here... And I only bring up "Wool" to make a couple of comparisons... The stories are completely different in almost every way, but B. Justin Shier has, like Howey, put together a pretty interesting book. Most of all the book feels fresh and original, and he can write pretty well, too. The prose has a very modern, edgy flavor to it, and each of the characters has their own distinctive "voice". The dialogue is pretty good too, and flows. All in all, the book didn't really drag at any point and definitely pulls you along to find out what happens next.
I haven't read Harry Potter, so I have no idea if the whole "magic college" part feels derivative or not. To me it felt pretty original, though not as interesting as the first half of the book. I liked the main character and felt I could identify with him. I also liked Rei and the tense relationship between the two of them. I wonder if a romance between them could ever possibly work.
I'm looking forward to discussing this book further with my writing/reading group to compare notes and see what we can take from it and use in our own publishing plans. I have a feeling that this series is going to pop up on bookshelves before too long under a major publisher's label.
March 27, 2012
"Zero Sight" will inevitably draw comparisons to Harry Potter and, to a lesser extent, Twilight. Like Harry Potter, it's a story of a boy from an unhappy home who goes away to school to be trained in the working of magic. Like Twilight, it's a story about two young adults who find themselves drawn to each other � except one of them is a vampire.
Whether those similarities make "Zero Sight" more or less appealing will likely depend on how you felt about Potter and Twilight. For the record, I enjoyed the Harry Potter series, I didn't make it past the first Twilight book, and I really liked this book.
In "Zero Sight," we're introduced to Dieter Resnick, a high school senior (and, unbeknownst to him, a latent mage) who's driven to get out of Las Vegas and away from his abusive drunk of a father. He's pinned his hopes for the future on college, so when he gets an offer from the elite Elliot College, Dieter's moving to Connecticut. On his way, he meets with Rei, a strange but beautiful young woman who winds up saving his life � and who turns out to be both a vampire and a classmate of his. The two of them will have their hands full, dealing with attacks on their college by a mysterious group of counter-mages. It's a good thing they've formed a bond.
Dieter struggles with his attraction to Rei. She's beautiful, yes, but she's a vampire. To Dieter's credit, he's disgusted by her nature, and he has a hard time reconciling his feelings toward her with the fact that she drinks human blood. She suffers no conflicts about her nature, though, and it's refreshing, after the recent trend of vampires-as-tortured-sex-symbols-with-special-dietary-needs.
"Zero Sight" is an excellent start to a series. The writing is good, and though the book could use another read-through by a proof reader, the occasional errors weren't glaring enough to detract from the reading. The secondary characters are just getting fleshed out by the end of the book, as is the system of magic, but both promise to be handled well in future entries.
The book ends on a cliffhanger, and I bought the sequel right away.
Whether those similarities make "Zero Sight" more or less appealing will likely depend on how you felt about Potter and Twilight. For the record, I enjoyed the Harry Potter series, I didn't make it past the first Twilight book, and I really liked this book.
In "Zero Sight," we're introduced to Dieter Resnick, a high school senior (and, unbeknownst to him, a latent mage) who's driven to get out of Las Vegas and away from his abusive drunk of a father. He's pinned his hopes for the future on college, so when he gets an offer from the elite Elliot College, Dieter's moving to Connecticut. On his way, he meets with Rei, a strange but beautiful young woman who winds up saving his life � and who turns out to be both a vampire and a classmate of his. The two of them will have their hands full, dealing with attacks on their college by a mysterious group of counter-mages. It's a good thing they've formed a bond.
Dieter struggles with his attraction to Rei. She's beautiful, yes, but she's a vampire. To Dieter's credit, he's disgusted by her nature, and he has a hard time reconciling his feelings toward her with the fact that she drinks human blood. She suffers no conflicts about her nature, though, and it's refreshing, after the recent trend of vampires-as-tortured-sex-symbols-with-special-dietary-needs.
"Zero Sight" is an excellent start to a series. The writing is good, and though the book could use another read-through by a proof reader, the occasional errors weren't glaring enough to detract from the reading. The secondary characters are just getting fleshed out by the end of the book, as is the system of magic, but both promise to be handled well in future entries.
The book ends on a cliffhanger, and I bought the sequel right away.
March 30, 2018
Zero Sight is a somewhat more mature and grittier take on the Harry Potter style magic-school + hidden society + wizard war setting (emphasis on "somewhat," because Zero Sight still falls very squarely into the Young Adult genre and remains a bit juvenile at times). It stands out a bit from other magic school stories by revolving around a magical college instead of high-school equivalent, touching on the themes of moving from one world into another both literally, with the protagonist joining the magical secret society, and symbolically as he moves into adulthood. It also has a far more slow-paced, more literary style prolonged opening that takes the character from dull, suffocating mundane life into a new world that is both exciting and terrifying. This long opening, which takes up almost exactly 50% of this 100,000 word novel, is one of the choices that will probably get a lot of flack from a lot of readers as the vast majority of it could easily be edited out. But personally I found it engaging and a good way to build both character and intrigue, though I imagine that won't work for everyone.
I want to give this review a more positive slant because ultimately despite all flaws I generally enjoyed it all the way through, despite some frustration and eye-rolling here and there, and I'm definitely invested in continuing the series. So I'll quickly acknowledge some of the books issues, of which there are admittedly a good number. First of all, the book could really use some more polishing just in the basics. There are far more numerous typos than I usually see in published works, and while I don't really mind that sort of thing since it happens to everyone I know it can be very immersion breaking for others. The novel is heavily overwritten, with many scenes that, while engaging and memorable, could easily be cut down to include more dense meaning while flowing faster. A lot of the dialogue goes for a hip and unique tone that easily crosses over into cringe territory. On a more substantial level, the book has way more cool and intriguing ideas than it has time to develop. There are tons of characters and subplots that don't go anywhere in this book, simply setting them up for the sequel which I am looking forward to, but leaves it unsatisfying as a stand-alone novel. I feel like the two books written were probably more of a single story chopped in half than two separate novels. Lastly, one of the two major characters of the book, Rei Acerba Bathory (yeah, that's her name) is someone that I feel like I should absolutely love on paper, but I found her characterization incredibly frustrating because of how unrealistic and awkward she felt, which made all of the novel's big moments involving her a bit of a let-down.
Dieter is not one of my favorite protagonists but he is well-characterized with an extremely strong character voice that makes it engaging even when he's not doing anything particularly interesting. He doesn't develop nearly as much as I would like in the first book and he has some habits that make me want to slap some sense into him (though that's par for the course when reading about a teenager), but his perspective is a generally interesting one to read from. I was mostly drawn into Zero-Sight because of the things it does differently from other Urban Fantasy. First of all, there's more of an air of mystery and slow reveal than in usual UF which likes to vomit out every magical trope it can think of in the first few chapters. Dieter is drawn into the magical world slowly, first by his own unexplained supernatural power, then by learning to experiment with it, then by being drawn into the actual magical society. His learning is comprehensive and reveals a great deal of different techniques and styles of magic which do seem legitimately different and interesting, with each magus having their own specialties. The power-source and limitations of spellcasting are more interesting and well-defined than usual and I can see them leading to a lot of interesting applications in the future. The magical society is a lot more well-thought out and believable than you'd see in the likes of Harry Potter while also still having a lot of potential for in-depth detail later on. While the villains have very little presence in this first book I was intrigued by the overall plot being far more mundane and realistic than usually is seen in these sorts of stories. There is no world-ending plot or capital E evil monsters out to get them so far, but rather a war of political and nationalistic focus between other humans. I could turn out to be wrong but the villains seem to be motivated by far more relatable and ordinary reasons than for some apocalyptic prophecy or because they're absolute ideological fanatics.
I've always really enjoyed stories about characters learning and developing skills, and it's a part of the story that I often feel is skimmed over too much in other books, so I was excited about the prospect of a book set at a wizarding college. Unfortunately I do feel this book also skims over the actual learning process quite a bit. Dieter goes from knowing nothing to being able to casually explain magical theory and specific spell-applications to the reader over the course of about one chapter which covers him spending a whole season cramming to learn as much magic as he can. But I expect to get more of it in the next book, and what I did get was enjoyable, with the magic always explained in a very compelling and easy to follow manner. It's also possible that the next book might skip past that point and focus on a more rpg-party style combat squad of unique magic users, but I would also be down for that. The book introduces a lot of characters who are sketched out briefly and clearly have their own unique personalities, connections, and specialties, though none of them is really given the time to be fully developed other than Dieter, Rei, and the druid who takes over Dieter's tutoring. So when it comes down to it, I suppose what I really liked the most about this book was the potential. It sets up so many things that even if some of them are disappointing I do feel like I'll end up enjoying the majority of it.
This book is difficult to review because I don't really feel like gushing about anything, while I could write pages on its flaws, but I still found it to be an enjoyable and fun experience. Key word there, I think, is fun. The book does go into dark places from time to time, with Dieter suffering from PTSD early in the series and Rei being a certified pyschopath (and Dieter being well aware of it, he just doesn't seem to care that much, ah hormones), but the overall tone is more of a light romp through serious but not somber challenges. It reminds me more of the experience of a casual table-top rpg session or an adventure anime series. I know there are a lot of people who would not be able to get into this book, but for reasons I have a hard time really nailing down it worked for me, and I will be reading the sequel.
I want to give this review a more positive slant because ultimately despite all flaws I generally enjoyed it all the way through, despite some frustration and eye-rolling here and there, and I'm definitely invested in continuing the series. So I'll quickly acknowledge some of the books issues, of which there are admittedly a good number. First of all, the book could really use some more polishing just in the basics. There are far more numerous typos than I usually see in published works, and while I don't really mind that sort of thing since it happens to everyone I know it can be very immersion breaking for others. The novel is heavily overwritten, with many scenes that, while engaging and memorable, could easily be cut down to include more dense meaning while flowing faster. A lot of the dialogue goes for a hip and unique tone that easily crosses over into cringe territory. On a more substantial level, the book has way more cool and intriguing ideas than it has time to develop. There are tons of characters and subplots that don't go anywhere in this book, simply setting them up for the sequel which I am looking forward to, but leaves it unsatisfying as a stand-alone novel. I feel like the two books written were probably more of a single story chopped in half than two separate novels. Lastly, one of the two major characters of the book, Rei Acerba Bathory (yeah, that's her name) is someone that I feel like I should absolutely love on paper, but I found her characterization incredibly frustrating because of how unrealistic and awkward she felt, which made all of the novel's big moments involving her a bit of a let-down.
Dieter is not one of my favorite protagonists but he is well-characterized with an extremely strong character voice that makes it engaging even when he's not doing anything particularly interesting. He doesn't develop nearly as much as I would like in the first book and he has some habits that make me want to slap some sense into him (though that's par for the course when reading about a teenager), but his perspective is a generally interesting one to read from. I was mostly drawn into Zero-Sight because of the things it does differently from other Urban Fantasy. First of all, there's more of an air of mystery and slow reveal than in usual UF which likes to vomit out every magical trope it can think of in the first few chapters. Dieter is drawn into the magical world slowly, first by his own unexplained supernatural power, then by learning to experiment with it, then by being drawn into the actual magical society. His learning is comprehensive and reveals a great deal of different techniques and styles of magic which do seem legitimately different and interesting, with each magus having their own specialties. The power-source and limitations of spellcasting are more interesting and well-defined than usual and I can see them leading to a lot of interesting applications in the future. The magical society is a lot more well-thought out and believable than you'd see in the likes of Harry Potter while also still having a lot of potential for in-depth detail later on. While the villains have very little presence in this first book I was intrigued by the overall plot being far more mundane and realistic than usually is seen in these sorts of stories. There is no world-ending plot or capital E evil monsters out to get them so far, but rather a war of political and nationalistic focus between other humans. I could turn out to be wrong but the villains seem to be motivated by far more relatable and ordinary reasons than for some apocalyptic prophecy or because they're absolute ideological fanatics.
I've always really enjoyed stories about characters learning and developing skills, and it's a part of the story that I often feel is skimmed over too much in other books, so I was excited about the prospect of a book set at a wizarding college. Unfortunately I do feel this book also skims over the actual learning process quite a bit. Dieter goes from knowing nothing to being able to casually explain magical theory and specific spell-applications to the reader over the course of about one chapter which covers him spending a whole season cramming to learn as much magic as he can. But I expect to get more of it in the next book, and what I did get was enjoyable, with the magic always explained in a very compelling and easy to follow manner. It's also possible that the next book might skip past that point and focus on a more rpg-party style combat squad of unique magic users, but I would also be down for that. The book introduces a lot of characters who are sketched out briefly and clearly have their own unique personalities, connections, and specialties, though none of them is really given the time to be fully developed other than Dieter, Rei, and the druid who takes over Dieter's tutoring. So when it comes down to it, I suppose what I really liked the most about this book was the potential. It sets up so many things that even if some of them are disappointing I do feel like I'll end up enjoying the majority of it.
This book is difficult to review because I don't really feel like gushing about anything, while I could write pages on its flaws, but I still found it to be an enjoyable and fun experience. Key word there, I think, is fun. The book does go into dark places from time to time, with Dieter suffering from PTSD early in the series and Rei being a certified pyschopath (and Dieter being well aware of it, he just doesn't seem to care that much, ah hormones), but the overall tone is more of a light romp through serious but not somber challenges. It reminds me more of the experience of a casual table-top rpg session or an adventure anime series. I know there are a lot of people who would not be able to get into this book, but for reasons I have a hard time really nailing down it worked for me, and I will be reading the sequel.
December 27, 2012
The story is a bit of a mixed bag and pretty derivative, but overall it was an enjoyable read that was at times hard to put down. I would have preferred a bit more of a self-contained story with some closure rather than the very open-ended set up for the sequel, but overall I was pleased by the time I finished the novel.
As you would expect for a relatively short, young-adult novel most of the characters lack any type of development. Dieter, the protagonist and narrator, is the only character that really has any weight to him. Rei, the love interest, has some development but really it's mostly just hinted out. Dieter is also a bit of a comedian, and regularly attempts to insert witty comments to both the reader and those he is speaking to. Overall, I found the comedy to be a bit hit or miss, and sometimes it felt forced. One particular segment where he sets up a metaphorical battle between his "machismo" and brain was extremely grating to me. But your mileage may vary.
Overall, the book was enjoyable. It has a fairly dark tone overall and clearly borrows from a lot of other popular young-adult fantasy around right now, but it does add some nice twists and some fast paced action.
As you would expect for a relatively short, young-adult novel most of the characters lack any type of development. Dieter, the protagonist and narrator, is the only character that really has any weight to him. Rei, the love interest, has some development but really it's mostly just hinted out. Dieter is also a bit of a comedian, and regularly attempts to insert witty comments to both the reader and those he is speaking to. Overall, I found the comedy to be a bit hit or miss, and sometimes it felt forced. One particular segment where he sets up a metaphorical battle between his "machismo" and brain was extremely grating to me. But your mileage may vary.
Overall, the book was enjoyable. It has a fairly dark tone overall and clearly borrows from a lot of other popular young-adult fantasy around right now, but it does add some nice twists and some fast paced action.
May 10, 2012
Dieter Resnick is the son of a alcoholic and physically abusive father and a mother who left when he was just a kid. He lives in a post-apocalyptic America, a dilapidated Las Vegas to be specific. Resnick is smart and determined to go to a great school and get rich. Until his expectations are dashed when every university turns him down...except a completely unknown, expensive, private college called Elliott accepts him on full scholarship. Given no other option he decides to escape Las Vegas and take the bus to Elliot College in the NE.
That's where things get weird (well, weirder) and he ends up meeting a vampire who saves his life while he saves hers. Meet Rei Bathory, a 20 year old (hot) vampire that can kick ass. His personal and covert bodyguard (well until he finds out about her being a vampire). Now he must rely on her to get to this hidden college alive. And thats only the beginning.
I loved this YA book. Resnick is clueless while Bathory is sometimes puzzling and sometimes easy to figure out. I really like their odd hot and cold relationship. The book is full of action and the introduction hook is really great. I am hooked and can't wait for the next 20 books to be out already. The author needs to drop out of med school/residency and just write full time.
That's where things get weird (well, weirder) and he ends up meeting a vampire who saves his life while he saves hers. Meet Rei Bathory, a 20 year old (hot) vampire that can kick ass. His personal and covert bodyguard (well until he finds out about her being a vampire). Now he must rely on her to get to this hidden college alive. And thats only the beginning.
I loved this YA book. Resnick is clueless while Bathory is sometimes puzzling and sometimes easy to figure out. I really like their odd hot and cold relationship. The book is full of action and the introduction hook is really great. I am hooked and can't wait for the next 20 books to be out already. The author needs to drop out of med school/residency and just write full time.
July 20, 2011
I just finished Zero Sight and I have to say that I was impressed.
The story centers on Dieter who lives in Las Vegas and whose whole goal is life is to bust his hump in high school so can get out of Vegas by going to college on a full ride. Dieter is extremely intelligent, but also a scrappy guy who is not afraid to throw down if there is a demand for it. Oh yeah, and he has this nifty little advantage of the Sight which allows him to see energy flows so he can tell when a punch is coming and how hard and make sure he dodges in time.
He gets his longed for scholarship to Elliott College in CT and he's off. On the way, he meets Rei who he thinks is just another traveler on the bus until their layover in NYC.
I found the plot to be a 'Fight Club' meets 'Harry Potter' and I liked it. Some reviewers complained of all of the detail, but I'm a science geek at heart so I enjoyed the detail and didn't find it boring at all. Some also complained of the language, but the main character IS a senior in high school/freshman in college and from what I remember, most of them talk this way.
The ending was quite abrupt, but I'm hoping that means that a sequel will soon follow.
The story centers on Dieter who lives in Las Vegas and whose whole goal is life is to bust his hump in high school so can get out of Vegas by going to college on a full ride. Dieter is extremely intelligent, but also a scrappy guy who is not afraid to throw down if there is a demand for it. Oh yeah, and he has this nifty little advantage of the Sight which allows him to see energy flows so he can tell when a punch is coming and how hard and make sure he dodges in time.
He gets his longed for scholarship to Elliott College in CT and he's off. On the way, he meets Rei who he thinks is just another traveler on the bus until their layover in NYC.
I found the plot to be a 'Fight Club' meets 'Harry Potter' and I liked it. Some reviewers complained of all of the detail, but I'm a science geek at heart so I enjoyed the detail and didn't find it boring at all. Some also complained of the language, but the main character IS a senior in high school/freshman in college and from what I remember, most of them talk this way.
The ending was quite abrupt, but I'm hoping that means that a sequel will soon follow.
November 25, 2012
The first book in this new series. Its hero is a Dieter, the only child of a drunken Los Vegas casino dealer.
At the start of the book Dieter is in the process of beating up/being beaten up by a gang in his high school. He's challenged the leader of the gang to a fight, and loses his temper and beats up that leader. When the rest of the gang takes off after him, he tries running away, only to get taken down by a rock to the head. From there, it gets REALLY interesting. . .
This book is set in an America that has become a second--or possibly third--rate country because of the over-spending of the government and the dependence on natural oil. Most of the country (including Vegas) is in the grip of not only a drought, but also what seems to really be another major Depression. Work is hard to come by, money is almost worthless and, well, so are lives.
Mr. Shier doesn't grind our faces in this, but he does use this to show Dieter's character and how his up-bringing has shaped him.
Excellent read.
At the start of the book Dieter is in the process of beating up/being beaten up by a gang in his high school. He's challenged the leader of the gang to a fight, and loses his temper and beats up that leader. When the rest of the gang takes off after him, he tries running away, only to get taken down by a rock to the head. From there, it gets REALLY interesting. . .
This book is set in an America that has become a second--or possibly third--rate country because of the over-spending of the government and the dependence on natural oil. Most of the country (including Vegas) is in the grip of not only a drought, but also what seems to really be another major Depression. Work is hard to come by, money is almost worthless and, well, so are lives.
Mr. Shier doesn't grind our faces in this, but he does use this to show Dieter's character and how his up-bringing has shaped him.
Excellent read.
October 11, 2014
I really, really enjoyed this book. I'm not sure how it came to my attention, but I'm glad that it did. It's an excellent coming-of-age/urban magic story and I was delighted with it. More than vaguely reminiscent of Harry Potter but with the protagonists at college instead of primary school and, frankly, I enjoyed this more. The fight scenes are certainly better and more enjoyable. I ripped through this in less than two days and immediately jumped into the sequel. Admittedly there were a number of copy-editing errors in both books which were mildly annoying since they knocked me out of the story briefly, but overall they did not take the shine off these excellent books for me. This is truly excellent stuff, very fun and engaging, and I highly recommend it if that's what you are in the mood for. Justin is you want some free copy-editing for the next release, just shoot me an email, I volunteer.
October 28, 2012
This is a great book. I marked it four out of five because I read the second book - "Zero Sum" before writing this review and I held one star back because the second book is even better. Rei and Dieter are now in my top ten favorite characters of all time. Funny, funny moments - lots of snickers, snorts, and just plain laugh out loud moments. Some great pump-your-fist triumphs. Star-crossed love? In spades. Moments of shared grief? Uh huh. Villains who are really more anti-heroes, sympathetic and hate-able at the same time? We got 'em. Read it. If you've got romance and repartee in your heart, you will love it.
March 17, 2012
Alright, I have to say I really enjoyed this book! The magic system is well thought out and fits well with all the action going on. I easily formed a bond with the characters and had fun with the the easy banter and actions between them. I am just starting the second book and I am looking forward to so much more. I would say this is easily an American Harry Potter going to college but Dieter is a much cooler main character. I would like to thank the author for creating such a wonderful tale! Now to get some of my friends and family to read it so I can get other takes on it.
March 16, 2012
I truly love this new Indie author work(s). In fact I cold not put one book down before completing the second. The story, there colorful/depths of character, the on-going emotional force between humor and despair, back-story and main theme are all drawn into the perfect balance. For this level of achievement is the why I read and I know that all Sci-Fic and Fanatical readers are going to crave more...much more from this wonderful author. Mr Shier, thank-you.
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