Savior

Jonah's Trilogy #1

by Anthony Caplan

A father and son stumble into the secret world of the Santos Muertos, a crime cartel bent on global domination. The son must find his father and keep the secret of the ancient Mayan code underlying the creation of matter in the universe from falling into the wrong hands.

A story of sacrifice and love.

Genres: Dystopia

308 pages

First published April 4, 2014

About the author

Anthony Caplan is an independent writer, teacher and homesteader in northern New England. He has worked at various times as a shrimp fisherman, environmental activist, journalist, taxi-driver, builder, window-washer, high school Spanish teacher, and telemarketer. He is currently serving in the New Hampshire General Court as a State Representative for the towns of Henniker, Bradford, and Warner

Reviews

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the literary world, a gem comes along that deserves to be recognized and read. Grab your sunglasses because Savior by Anthony Caplan shines it’s brilliance up there with the rarest of rare finds! Part mystery, part adventure, part psychological thriller, part coming of age, 100% amazing, a non-offensive read for any age!

Al and his son Ricky have lived under the shroud of grief since Mary’s brutal death to cancer, growing more distant, each with their own pain. In an effort to re-kindle a connection, they take a surfing vacation to Guatemala, a place Mary loved, steeped in its ancient lore, beliefs and cultures. Through an innocent purchase of an ancient tablet that reminded Ricky of his mother, father and son are catapulted into the dark world of the Santos Muertos, a cartel bent on global purification and domination. Ricky’s tablet, the Chocomal holds the final secrets that will unleash the Santos Muertos’ diabolical plan.

When Al is taken prisoner, Ricky begins a desperate search to free his father while keeping the tablet safe. Spanning from Guatemala to Canada, his journey is one that legends are made from, his experiences are epic and his ability to improvise grows exponentially. Is there a force watching over him, keeping him safe? Will he find his father before the torture and imprisonment finally end his life?

Using flashbacks and a change of POV, we are carefully guided through this tale of love and sacrifice, determination and the classic good vs evil as Young Ricky takes on a machine far bigger than he to find the father he loves and save the world from devastation and evil dominance.
What can I say, Anthony Caplan has gone above and beyond with Savior by creating a world that is chaotic, frightening, and intriguing all at once! Ricky’s character grows with each page, as you see the love he realizes he has for his father, flawed or not. Al also realizes his mistakes as a father, that he must allow Ricky to make his own way in the world, not living vicariously through his son. Both will do all in their power to save the other, at any cost. Each satellite character is well-defined, fit perfectly into this tale and sometimes provide comedic relief which allowed me to loosen the white knuckle grip I had on my Kindle. Kudos to the talent of Anthony Caplan and his magnetic style as a story teller! If you are looking for something fresh, with dark undertones, yet still filled with love and hope, this is it!


I received this ARC copy from the author in exchange for my honest review.

Publication Date: April 4, 2014
Publisher: Harvard Square Editions
ASIN: B00JHLOXTW
Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Coming of Age
Audience: I see no age this would be inappropriate for
Number of Pages: 247
Available from: Amazon

[Sorcha]

A father and son stumble into the secret world of the Santos Muertos, a crime cartel bent on global domination. The son must find his father and keep the secret of the Chocomal, the ancient Mayan code underlying the creation of matter in the universe, from falling into the wrong hands. A story of sacrifice and love set in a contemporary, dystopian America.

Sent to me by the author in ebook format in return for a review. As well as his website, he can be found on twitter as @anthonycaplan1. This book will be published in late April 2014.

Following the death of his wife Mary the year previously, Al and his 15 year old son Ricky go on holiday to Guatamala, to do some bonding – their relationship has been strained since Ricky chose not to follow his father’s wishes in continuing with football, preferring to ski.

Part of the holiday is to reconnect with Mary’s memory, going to places she had loved, and finding out more about the Mayan history she was interested in. At the surf shop, Ricky picks up a Mayan artefact called the Chocomal, which leads them into contact with the underbelly of the American continent, with the story traversing from Guatamala northwards into Canada with a trail of death and loss following behind.

For the 15 year old Ricky, he has to track down his father once the latter gets kidnapped, and find the people who can get him to where he needs to be whilst having little to no money. This means he ends up running with thieves, druggies, hippies, hackers and whores.
Meanwhile Al, has been kidnapped and transported to Canada, in order to tempt Ricky, who holds the Chocomal, to break cover. Al is held initially in solitary confinement, and subjected to torture (both physical and psychological). He is broken by his treatment, not knowing when he is – and only sometimes where he is – from one day to the next. He finds out the plans to make use of the Chocomal, that will rip the known world apart. When reunited with Ricky they work together, with some of the others kidnapped by Santos Muertos to stop them.

The formatting of the book is good and easily to get through, despite the lack of quotation marks! I was a little concerned by the way the first chapter was written, in that whilst it is a different and interesting way of writing (the mind of the father as he is disintegrating whilst held captive) it would have been a difficult book to read if it had continued for more than a chapter. However, a brave and interesting start to a book.

During his travel north Ricky – a surfer dude with enough strength to stand up to his father’s bullying techniques over playing football – seems in no hurry to move north, and spends weeks with drunks and dopeheads in the belief they can help him at some time in the future. Ricky leaves many of his friends and acquaintances behind as soon as they lose their usefulness and with nary a look back or regret, even if that person dies.

[Roberto Mattos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very intense book, describing all the sufferings of a young boy (Ricky Lyons) trying to save his father (Al Lyons) from the "Los Santos Muertos". The author did a superb job on creating the characters, going deep into the psycho analysis of their behavior. The plot is very well constructed. Father and son are spending some vacation days together, surfing at the beaches of Guatemala, trying to bond after Mary (Al's wife and Ricky's mother) died. Going into a gift shop type of store, Rick found an ancient Mayan tablet that reminds him of his late mother. He purchase the tablet and his adventures begin, as there is a group called Los Santos Muertos who is looking for the tablet and will stop at nothing to put their hands on it, including murder and kidnapping. They believe the tablet contains a message that will allow them to destroy the world. After barely escaping alive from an attack where his father is kidnapped, Rick search for help from different sources trying to rescue his father. The story develops from Ricky's perspective with updates from Al's captivity in parallel, as well as some flash backs from the time when Mary was alive, all the family conflicts and mainly Al and Ricky's relationship. The plot is very intense and it is guaranteed that you will be hooked from the first page on this incredible adventure, showing that a love between father and son has no limits.
I recommend this book to the permanent library of all readers that enjoy a very well written novel and want to be entertained for some hours. It took me about 11 hours to read the whole book.
I received this book from the author for reviewing and I was not requested to post a positive review. Opinions expressed here are my own.

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Savior is a riveting thriller that leaves death and destruction in its wake. Yet, within all the anger and cruelty there is tenderness and sacrifice.

Al and his teenage son, Ricky decide to take a South American vacation to honor the passing of Ricky's mother. Al spends this time trying to reconnect with his son, but when Ricky uncovers an old Mayan tablet father and son are catapulted into a crime world with a sinister plan. After a violent attack, Al sacrifices himself in order to safe his son and is captured by the Santos Muertos. Ricky knows the importance of the tablet and will stop at nothing to protect it, but who will protect him?

Savior is told in a matter of fact way, lacking the fluff of descriptive language, which seems to work well for the story. This tone effectively conveys the strained relationship between Ricky and Al, the methodical thinking of the Santos Muertos, and the, often times, irrational thinking of a teenager. The story keeps a quick pace with danger lurking around every corner, arousing a reader's attention and making it difficult to put the book down.

Savior is a story of love, friendship, and coming of age, filled with thought-provoking action and intrigue. There is something in this story for everyone and I recommend picking up a copy.

[Simone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Al and Ricky Lyons take a family vacation to Guatemala, a place loved by Ricky's mother before cancer took her away much too soon. What they had planned to be a fun vacation of surfing, sun and sightseeing turns into a race against time and a fight for their lives when Ricky comes across an ancient Mayan tablet. The tablet is wanted by the Santos Meurtos, and they will stop at nothing to get it.

This is a great edge of your seat dystopian novel. I was drawn in immediately and could not put it down. You can easily connect with the characters and the father son relationship is so realistic. My favorite character was Ricky. Even though he had no idea how he was going to save his father, his determination drove him. You could also see him grow as a person during his trek across the country to rescue his dad. This was an wonderful story of faith and courage. Even if you don't read dystopian novels, this book takes you on an amazing cross-country adventure you're sure to enjoy.

[RJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Mayan artifact which contains secrets that the Guatemalan cartel wants badly. Father and son are separated in a cat and mouse game as the cartel bad guys search for the artifact. Although the summary sounded interesting, the book itself could not hold my attention. Too much conversation, too much theorizing, not enough action. Plus, another narrator is sorely needed to give it some life and personality. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

[D.A. Bale · Rating 2 out of 5]

The opening of Savior immediately sets a tone of incredible stakes and overwhelming odds. Al has been imprisoned, tortured, barely clinging to his sanity - and for what? A tablet? A code? A calculation? He pretends to know nothing. He tells them nothing.

All to do what any loving father would do - protect his 15-year-old son.

Ricky seems listless, directionless, unfocused until placed on a surfboard. It's then he becomes the competitor, a conqueror of the waves as they threaten to overturn and crush him. Father and son rarely see eye-to-eye as the disconnect between them over the years grows.

Until they need to find a way back to one another after Mary's death - wife and devoted mother who held her family together. Now the glue is gone and the pieces threaten to shatter.

Al's confinement forces him to think back over the course of his life with Mary and their desperate attempt to have a child. When the miracle occurs and Ricky blesses their lives, Al cannot wait for the day when his son is old enough to hold a football. He dreams of the day when Ricky becomes the next Roger Staubach. But after all of the Little League teams leading up to high school, Ricky drops the bomb on his father and proclaims he doesn't like football and isn't trying out for the next season. Al explodes all over his son - and the resultant picture is a despicable, ugly one. When Mary dies, the angry father realizes he has one shot left to be the father Ricky needs. Thus a surfing trip to old Guatemala haunts in memory of Mary.

At the surf shop of Coconut Juan (I love that name!), Ricky spies an ancient tablet and is intrigued by the symbols and markings. After repeated negotiations, CJ reluctantly passes ownership of the relic to Ricky. Their lives change almost overnight as the Santos Muertos, a group bent on worldwide domination, seeks out the necessary key among the runes of the tablet - now in Ricky's backpack. After Al is captured, Ricky seeks only to be reunited with his father before he becomes an orphan adrift in an ever changing world.

The first half of Savior is told from Al's perspective while imprisoned. After the initial powerful opening, we then meander through the musings of Al's life with Mary, the birth of his son, and recount the events in Guatemala leading up to his capture. We get some of the tension and angst between father and son as Al attempts to surf as a way to connect with Ricky. There were a few hints toward the coming of the Santos Muertos, but I found it strange that a parent would be so lackadaisical about a real threat in a Central American country and not whisk his child out of harm's way. Instead Al is bound and determined to stick to his predetermined schedule and subsequently takes Ricky even closer to potential harm by trekking up into the mountains. This is where Al is captured, leaving Ricky behind to track down dad.

Thus we spend the majority of the remainder of the novel in Ricky's perspective as he worms his way home and then northward. This is where the story lost any semblance of steam or connection to reality for me. Ricky wanders, and wanders, and wanders. There is neither a sense of urgency nor emotion as he encounters scary folk, is captured by the supposed "good guys", and takes up residence in a commune where he spends a month or more just hanging out eating pot brownies, and losing his virginity to an older woman. There is no reaction to what is done to him. No questioning. No turn-on. All concern for his dad is lost in the fog. Even his girlfriend, who used her car to get them that far north to the commune, ends up shacking with an older dude - and we still get little to no reaction from Ricky. Each subsequent stop and camaraderie connection along the way feels simply like a means to an end. There is no study of the tablet the bad guys are after (it pretty much gets lost in the shuffle until - voila!), yet in the end he just miraculously "knows" - I'll leave it at that to avoid spoilers.

The novel never felt like the thriller it is specified to be except at the very beginning. Very little action, no sense of urgency, and almost no sense of motivation by anyone (bad guys included) coupled to make this feel more like a rambling Pilgrim's Progress meets stoned surfer dude. Characters were overall wooden and lacked emotional depth for the most part. I got to the point where I just wanted to finish the story and move along.

I realize that for some years now there has also been a push in the literary world to abolish quotation marks and dialogue tags. For literature, fine. For genre novels, this doesn't work. The reading process should be fluid and seamless to keep the reading racing forward. The lack of quotation marks and dialogue tags in Savior bogged this process down. Ordinary readers will likely not put forth the effort to wade through a book without these accepted and clarifying standards.

I would give Savior two-and-a-half stars.

[Ericka Katwal · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I was sent this free ebook by the author in exchange for an honest review)

Publication Date : April 18, 2014
Published by:Harvard Square Editions as an ebook for Amazon's Kindle


Al and his 15 year old son Ricky go on holiday to Guatamala. Al thinks that this would be good for them both to do some boding since after the death of his wife Mary, their relationship is strained. Ricky chose to not to follow what his dad wants him to do which is football and ski instead. While they are on holiday they try to reconnect and reminisce on Mary's memory and go to the places that she loved to visit.

Ricky stumbles on an ancient Mayan artifact called the Chocomal while looking around in a surf shop. Nothing but death has led up to anyone that had any dealings with the Chocomal. Before long Al gets kidnapped and Ricky must find it within himself to track down his father's kidnappers and rescue his dad.
He does whatever he has to do such as running with thieves, hackers, etc.

The story opened strong and it kept that level throughout the story. We are first introduce to Al. He is held captive in Canada. We see what mental state he is in physically and mentally. He also does flashbacks of his life before he met his wife and after. He is being tortured for information on the whereabouts of the Chocomal. While trying to hold on to what little hope he has, he is being drained from that also.

Even though Ricky and Al's relationship is strained they try to bond especially for Mary. That would be what she would have wanted. They both love each other and will do anything to protect one another.

This is definitely a story of love and sacrifice. I could not agree more.

Rating 3.5Stars
Recommend? Yes

[Sean Endress · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full disclosure: This comes from my Amazon.com review. I received a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest, explicit review. The opinions below are entirely my own.

Savior is, without a doubt, a roller coaster from start to finish. It takes some time to ground yourself in the story, as it opens with a man in extreme duress. Al's point of view has a crowded feel to its prose, and Mr. Caplan must be praised for his successful portrayal of the mind of a man on the edge of a breakdown. However, formatting problems and occasional rambling make for a slow, slogging read. On the other hand, the other point of view (Ricky's) is concise and crystal-clear, and to him belongs the major journey of the story. However, it suffers from the opposite problem - it is sometimes a little too concise, a little too clear. Ricky seems almost robotic at times, with a lack of reaction or emotion; rather baffling for a 15 year-old boy.

One of my favorite parts of Savior is the diversity of its cast - major players appear from all walks of life, and each and every one of them have the capacity to surprise you. When the plot became muddled or a bit unbelievable, the vibrant cast pulled me onward through the book. It was a challenge sometimes - there were definitely some scenes that could have been cut. In fact, another round of editing could almost certainly bring this book from 3 stars to 4, or even 5.

As it stands, "Savior" has a lot of promise, but some heavy shortcomings. If a second edition were to come out (with say, quotation marks) I would be happy to update this review. With further questions or comments, please feel free to drop me a line in the box below or to contact me at SeanOnAmazon@gmail.com.

[Deanna at The Book Lover's Attic · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has plenty of potential, however I have a few issues with it.

One. Underdevelopment of the characters. Let's start with the teenage boy, Ricky. I know that this is an alternate future, but I find it hard to believe that a teenager could go through the events in this book, both caused by him and thrust upon him with such calm. There were no inner struggle or freak out moments which would have been completely warranted. We get a little luckier with the father, Al. He has plenty of moments of struggle and reflection which make him slightly easier to relate to and connect with.

Two. Story development. The story/idea itself is not a bad one, but it felt like a little more care could have been taken to explain some of the more technical aspects. I didn't understand some of what was being discussed and felt myself "checking-out" at times. Also, the Spanish being spoken was sometimes easy to get, but at other times went completely over my head.

Three (and last, I promise). The dialogue. Clunky at best, this goes along with the character development issue for me. The conversations were short and awkward. Most of them just didn't feel like real conversations. The lack of quotation marks took a little getting used to, but was not the main issue here.

Overall not a bad book, but definitely in need of more development for me. Maybe a good proofreader would help to work these things out prior to publishing. I would have given this book 2.5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

[Bert · Rating 3 out of 5]

My primary problem with this novel is that it's primarily science fiction, not crime mystery thiller. Perhaps I just didn't do my own due diligence before selecting it to read. There's a protagonist with a son of around 15 years old, they're still grieving the death of the boy's mother a year ago. They decide to take a vacation to Guatemala, partially to recall good times with the deceased wife & mother on a previous trip. The pair acquires a Mayan artifact in a surf shop, which apparently has encoded keys to a scientific formula that unlocks enormous natural powers. A gang that's violent and operates like a cult chases them, kidnapping the father. He winds up in a fracking plant in Canada, that actually is home to the gang's apocalyptic plan to destroy life as we know it on earth. The boy decides to flee Guatemala and find his father. If you can get past the improbability of the science and the unrealistic way the boy tracks down & saves the day, this is your cup of tea. I do like the author's writing style, and correct spelling, grammar, and syntax.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free ecopy of this book for an honest review.

This is a difficult review to write because this book has some really good qualities but I had a couple issues with it. After reading the first chapter, I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to get through the book; however, after the first chapter it got much better and I’m glad I stuck with it. I do suggest the use of quotation marks in the author’s next novel, though. The lack of quotation marks makes the story much more difficult to follow.

The main characters were likable. I felt sorry for Al and Ricky who continued to mourn the loss of their wife and mother. I was impressed, though, at how quickly Ricky grew up and stepped up when he needed to.

The story got a little slow toward the end but overall it was a good read and I’d read it again (with quotation marks).

[Andrew · Rating 1 out of 5]

*Full review can be found here: http://therevboard.com/2015/02/12/mr-...*

The only thing that I can say is this: More work needs to go into the book. A professional editor, a professional proofreader, an extra pair of professional eyes so they can catch the grammatical errors would most likely make this book a bit more enjoyable and digestible. For me, I am having a hard time downing “Savior.”

[Tanner Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

;) s. Ice.

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