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The Doppler Affect
Shapeshifters Control Our Lives!
The frightening power of vampires, werewolves, and lycanthropes has lived within our nightmares for centuries, failing to be reasoned out by the rapid advances in science and technology. The truth is that they are very much a part of our reality. However, they are merely the genetically inferior offspring of a more powerful race, known as doppelgangers, who evolved alongside humankind. These shapeshifters adopted a secretive yet manipulative approach when dealing with us, feeding off the sexual desires of men to sustain their society…until desperate times forced a new order.
Christopher Sands, a rising investment banker, was just another victim in a long list of doppelganger schemes. Framed for a crime he wouldn’t commit and watching his family fade farther and farther from his prison bars, Chris makes an unbelievable discovery; shapeshifters aren’t the only race with supernatural abilities. Can he find the strength to accept an even worse fate than prison to not only save his son, but all humankind? Will Michael Sands be able to control the spirits that haunt him to finish what his father cannot?
The frightening power of vampires, werewolves, and lycanthropes has lived within our nightmares for centuries, failing to be reasoned out by the rapid advances in science and technology. The truth is that they are very much a part of our reality. However, they are merely the genetically inferior offspring of a more powerful race, known as doppelgangers, who evolved alongside humankind. These shapeshifters adopted a secretive yet manipulative approach when dealing with us, feeding off the sexual desires of men to sustain their society…until desperate times forced a new order.
Christopher Sands, a rising investment banker, was just another victim in a long list of doppelganger schemes. Framed for a crime he wouldn’t commit and watching his family fade farther and farther from his prison bars, Chris makes an unbelievable discovery; shapeshifters aren’t the only race with supernatural abilities. Can he find the strength to accept an even worse fate than prison to not only save his son, but all humankind? Will Michael Sands be able to control the spirits that haunt him to finish what his father cannot?
- GenresFantasyParanormalMystery
312 pages, Paperback
First published May 19, 2014
4 people are currently reading
625 people want to read
About the author
Shawn H. Phillips
9 books36 followersShawn Phillips wrote his first book, a young-adult fantasy novel titled Dillon’s Dream: Water in Earth (definitely not successul), in 2009 before following it up with his adult paranormal fiction novel, The Doppler Affect (wow, really did great). He will be publishing a new novel Darkened Demigod: Weapon of War on 31 January of 2018.
He spent his younger years living in southern Michigan farming communities before running away to Holland, Michigan to pursue a chemistry degree at Hope College, which he completed in 1992. After migrating to California, he continued his chemistry studies and obtained his doctorate degree in 1997. After a brief yet enjoyable stint at DuPont, he signed on as a civil servant for the United States Air Force. He is currenlty the site director of the AFRL Rocket Lab, having spent nearly twenty years conducting and directing propulsion research for Air Force needs.
He spent his younger years living in southern Michigan farming communities before running away to Holland, Michigan to pursue a chemistry degree at Hope College, which he completed in 1992. After migrating to California, he continued his chemistry studies and obtained his doctorate degree in 1997. After a brief yet enjoyable stint at DuPont, he signed on as a civil servant for the United States Air Force. He is currenlty the site director of the AFRL Rocket Lab, having spent nearly twenty years conducting and directing propulsion research for Air Force needs.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
March 18, 2016
The Doppler Affect is about a race of beings called doppelgangers, better known in the book as dopplers. I was approached by the author to read and review this book, and while it sounded intriguing, I was cautious. I didn't necessarily think I wouldn't like the book, but I was worried because it was talking about something that I hadn't read a lot about. I just wasn't sure what to expect. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised and can't wait to read the next book in the series.
Christopher Sands is a banker, who also is a husband and father, and he is accused of murdering someone at his bank and theft. After not recalling doing the actual crime, and seeing where it very well could have not been the actual him, he sets off on a quest to make sure that his son, Michael doesn't fall into the same despair. I really felt for Christopher, but I have to say it was Michael that had my heart in this. Going through his life with pretty much no parents, he seems to be doing really good. He does gymnastics, and goes to Stanford where he is with his crush, Candace. At the start of his journey, something happens that turns his life on end and it is not the same. He finds out that while there are the doppelgangers that can shape-shift into any human being, he finds that he has a special ability of his own. Candace as well for that matter. I won't go into too much detail about it because I already feel I am teetering on the edge of gushing about it.
One of the things while reading this was that there was more adult content then I would have thought. Not saying it was bad, but just not something that I was expecting. BUT with the doppler race, that's really just a part of it once you know the story of their race a little better. I found the content bothering me less and less because I understood better what was really going on as I went further into the story.
Another thing I enjoyed about how it was written was seeing all sides of the things that were going on. Not only do you get to see what's going on with Michael and Candace, you experience what the "bad guys" are conjuring up and how the doppler race handles things in their own way. It ties together so well that I never felt lost or had the need to go back and see if I had missed something. It flowed well and was a very exciting read, it would actually make a pretty bad ass movie in my opinion. If anything to see how the dopplers shape shift and other things they do to continue on as a race. Not to mention see Michael's ability in action because I was really intrigued by what he could do.
I'm not quite sure when the next book in the series will be coming out, but I do know that I will be reading it because I have to know what happens with Michael and if he ever truly is able to rid himself of the doppler race. I highly recommend this story to anyone that enjoys an exciting story that has very few slow points without being too much. But definitely not for a younger audience because there are some pretty descriptive happenings concerning the adult content.
Christopher Sands is a banker, who also is a husband and father, and he is accused of murdering someone at his bank and theft. After not recalling doing the actual crime, and seeing where it very well could have not been the actual him, he sets off on a quest to make sure that his son, Michael doesn't fall into the same despair. I really felt for Christopher, but I have to say it was Michael that had my heart in this. Going through his life with pretty much no parents, he seems to be doing really good. He does gymnastics, and goes to Stanford where he is with his crush, Candace. At the start of his journey, something happens that turns his life on end and it is not the same. He finds out that while there are the doppelgangers that can shape-shift into any human being, he finds that he has a special ability of his own. Candace as well for that matter. I won't go into too much detail about it because I already feel I am teetering on the edge of gushing about it.
One of the things while reading this was that there was more adult content then I would have thought. Not saying it was bad, but just not something that I was expecting. BUT with the doppler race, that's really just a part of it once you know the story of their race a little better. I found the content bothering me less and less because I understood better what was really going on as I went further into the story.
Another thing I enjoyed about how it was written was seeing all sides of the things that were going on. Not only do you get to see what's going on with Michael and Candace, you experience what the "bad guys" are conjuring up and how the doppler race handles things in their own way. It ties together so well that I never felt lost or had the need to go back and see if I had missed something. It flowed well and was a very exciting read, it would actually make a pretty bad ass movie in my opinion. If anything to see how the dopplers shape shift and other things they do to continue on as a race. Not to mention see Michael's ability in action because I was really intrigued by what he could do.
I'm not quite sure when the next book in the series will be coming out, but I do know that I will be reading it because I have to know what happens with Michael and if he ever truly is able to rid himself of the doppler race. I highly recommend this story to anyone that enjoys an exciting story that has very few slow points without being too much. But definitely not for a younger audience because there are some pretty descriptive happenings concerning the adult content.
March 17, 2024
Shawn H. Phillips wrote The Doppler Affect, which features several different POVs throughout the story. The main characters are an original Doppelganger, aka Shapeshifter, and a banker, Chris Sands.
Dr. Phillips has created a story unlike any you have ever read. His combination of scientific explanations of mythology in the fiction arena is astounding. The characters are creative and original, each with an agenda and fight. Depending upon world views, the "bad guy" can shift occasionally. Overall, the changing points of view allow for a well-rounded vision of the playing field in the story.
My biggest complaints are that the timeline does shift forward and back to fill in the story, and sometimes I would have to go back and forth to the dates to figure out what time I was reading about. The POV shifts were easy for me to follow, but the timeline in the book's first third jumped substantially. This was not an issue in the remaining parts of the book unless a large amount of time had passed. It could have been a bit more seamless, if there was a specification of years passed since the last passage (such as 15 years later, 20 years earlier, etc.) My only other complaint is that each character is so in-depth that it was almost too many main characters in such a short amount of page coverage in the last half of the book with so many additional characters added. I LOVED all of the characters and their descriptions, but I had a hard time grasping many personalized identities about many of them. I would have loved to have a bit more background and time spent getting to know the characters where appropriate.
All in all, I felt as though this book was a great "pilot" for setting up the reader into a much larger scheme that is to come. I definitely hope that Dr. Phillips will continue on with the amazing abilities and identities of these characters and the book definitely ended with a massive opening for a possible continuance of the story. The character I would most like to explore more of would be the cross-breeds and Candice. I was never able to determine fully if the dark and light sides were all here or a mimicking doppelganger. I also would have liked to see more of DeSean, who seemed to disappear. Ultimately I am left wanting more details, and hope to see these in the likely future installments of the story.
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars for creativity and originality. There is a bit of a rushed feeling in the end, and I would have liked the pace to remain with the detail-oriented feeling that was felt in the rest of the book. The possibilities of all of the introduced characters and abilities are endless. I highly recommend The Doppler Affect, especially if you are into fiction, paranormal/fantasy, sci-fi, mythology, romance, mystery, suspense, etc.
** This is definitely an 18+ novel as there are some graphic adult scenes, in case you are bothered by that.
Dr. Phillips has created a story unlike any you have ever read. His combination of scientific explanations of mythology in the fiction arena is astounding. The characters are creative and original, each with an agenda and fight. Depending upon world views, the "bad guy" can shift occasionally. Overall, the changing points of view allow for a well-rounded vision of the playing field in the story.
My biggest complaints are that the timeline does shift forward and back to fill in the story, and sometimes I would have to go back and forth to the dates to figure out what time I was reading about. The POV shifts were easy for me to follow, but the timeline in the book's first third jumped substantially. This was not an issue in the remaining parts of the book unless a large amount of time had passed. It could have been a bit more seamless, if there was a specification of years passed since the last passage (such as 15 years later, 20 years earlier, etc.) My only other complaint is that each character is so in-depth that it was almost too many main characters in such a short amount of page coverage in the last half of the book with so many additional characters added. I LOVED all of the characters and their descriptions, but I had a hard time grasping many personalized identities about many of them. I would have loved to have a bit more background and time spent getting to know the characters where appropriate.
All in all, I felt as though this book was a great "pilot" for setting up the reader into a much larger scheme that is to come. I definitely hope that Dr. Phillips will continue on with the amazing abilities and identities of these characters and the book definitely ended with a massive opening for a possible continuance of the story. The character I would most like to explore more of would be the cross-breeds and Candice. I was never able to determine fully if the dark and light sides were all here or a mimicking doppelganger. I also would have liked to see more of DeSean, who seemed to disappear. Ultimately I am left wanting more details, and hope to see these in the likely future installments of the story.
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars for creativity and originality. There is a bit of a rushed feeling in the end, and I would have liked the pace to remain with the detail-oriented feeling that was felt in the rest of the book. The possibilities of all of the introduced characters and abilities are endless. I highly recommend The Doppler Affect, especially if you are into fiction, paranormal/fantasy, sci-fi, mythology, romance, mystery, suspense, etc.
** This is definitely an 18+ novel as there are some graphic adult scenes, in case you are bothered by that.
August 8, 2014
The Rippled Affect by Shawn H. Phillips is a first read win and I am giving my honest opinion. At first I didn't like this book. It grew on me. So I upgraded the rating. This is a story about the different races that formed the world. You had humans, the shifters or dopplers and the elusive soul walkers. The dopplers decide to concentrate on the United States and leave the sub races to the rest of the world. The dopplers needed DNA from the other person to shift into them. The only ones that could obtain the DNA were female so it was a matriarchial race. They destroyed anyone who got in their way. Christopher Sands got in their way. They framed him for murder and robbery she te shifted to him and he got money from the vaults and jewels, securities and stock certificates from the safety deposit boxes. He sentenced to life in prison. He figures out someone was imitating him when he watched the tape and saw the shifter reading the names for each office. When the security guard came around the shifter shot him point blank between the eyes. In prison he was being beaten and kicked to death when a voice entered his head and told him to surrender and he would help him. When he let go the spirit of an ancient warrior took over and he defeated six of the attackers. He didn't realize there was a betrayer, his cell mate was a shifter she stabbed him. Before he was killed he did a financial plan for the warden, asking him to watch out for his son and give him a story book he rearranged. Son Michael has the same abilities as his father. Will he be strong enough to defeat the dopplers?
August 10, 2014
(I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, so here it comes...)
This book transports you into a world where what you think is real isn't and what you think isn't real, well, you're probably right, it probably isn't. Shapeshifters, or doppelgangers, are a mighty powerful race that manage to keep the lycanthropes, vampires, and other creatures under their power. They've managed to stay hidden while running their empire for a very long time, only using humans for the purpose of repopulating their race and keeping their own society blossoming. They just never counted on one human starting a chain of events that would continue to threaten all they hold together (I'm not so good at building up the end there, but it's really exciting and action and adventure ensues!).
Before reading this book, I think it's important to note that there are a lot of pretty heavy duty sexual situations and people like to get it on quite a bit (to put it bluntly) in this book. Sometimes it's very much for the storyline and sometimes it seems it's just sort of in there but they can be in more detail than just a PG or PG-13 type rating thing. I would probably say that this book should be for adults over the age of 18 just to be on the safe side. They were just fine and dandy for me (I'm very much over 18 but I'm not telling by how much, but it's a lot) but just wanted to get that out there so no bad reviews come in because someone claims they didn't know about it :D
This book was a lot of fun to read because it was so much different than anything else. It had the shapeshifters, lycanthropes, vampires, nymphs, etc. but they were all different than portrayed in most stories, especially the shapeshifters. The main characters were brilliantly written so you were easily able to fall right into step with them and join the story along side them. This is a really hard one to review without giving anything away because of how well one thing followed another which lead directly to another thing. It seems like it was really well thought out and planned so that the science used in the book made sense, even if science makes little sense to you normally. The timeline shot around a bit in the beginning, but it worked perfectly. It's an adventure from the very first page.
This book just keeps you glued to it from the beginning and you won't want to put it down until the very end. It's unique, fantastical, scientific (it really has some seriously cool scientific stuff going on), intriguing, and fun. I really enjoyed it!
This book transports you into a world where what you think is real isn't and what you think isn't real, well, you're probably right, it probably isn't. Shapeshifters, or doppelgangers, are a mighty powerful race that manage to keep the lycanthropes, vampires, and other creatures under their power. They've managed to stay hidden while running their empire for a very long time, only using humans for the purpose of repopulating their race and keeping their own society blossoming. They just never counted on one human starting a chain of events that would continue to threaten all they hold together (I'm not so good at building up the end there, but it's really exciting and action and adventure ensues!).
Before reading this book, I think it's important to note that there are a lot of pretty heavy duty sexual situations and people like to get it on quite a bit (to put it bluntly) in this book. Sometimes it's very much for the storyline and sometimes it seems it's just sort of in there but they can be in more detail than just a PG or PG-13 type rating thing. I would probably say that this book should be for adults over the age of 18 just to be on the safe side. They were just fine and dandy for me (I'm very much over 18 but I'm not telling by how much, but it's a lot) but just wanted to get that out there so no bad reviews come in because someone claims they didn't know about it :D
This book was a lot of fun to read because it was so much different than anything else. It had the shapeshifters, lycanthropes, vampires, nymphs, etc. but they were all different than portrayed in most stories, especially the shapeshifters. The main characters were brilliantly written so you were easily able to fall right into step with them and join the story along side them. This is a really hard one to review without giving anything away because of how well one thing followed another which lead directly to another thing. It seems like it was really well thought out and planned so that the science used in the book made sense, even if science makes little sense to you normally. The timeline shot around a bit in the beginning, but it worked perfectly. It's an adventure from the very first page.
This book just keeps you glued to it from the beginning and you won't want to put it down until the very end. It's unique, fantastical, scientific (it really has some seriously cool scientific stuff going on), intriguing, and fun. I really enjoyed it!
July 9, 2014
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).
(This review may contain spoilers).
It did take me a little longer than it would normally to finish this book, but once I was up to it, I found it a unique, entertaining read.
Shapeshifters on their own aren't an original idea, but the way they were portrayed in this book was really unique. I felt the author did a good job of showing the science behind the shifting and what the race's characteristics were, without it coming across as an info-dump.
I found the characters in this book to be quite interesting and engaging. The use of the spirits was quite intriguing and I felt the author showed the way both Christopher and Michael handled the spirits really well.
I did get a bit confused with the switching of different time periods at certain points. I was a bit thrown with the flashback - I think it would have worked better as a kind of prologue.
It was interesting to see the different races that were offshoots of the doppelgangers. I would have liked to see a bit more of their history and how they formed.
There were some scenes in the book that did make me cringe to read them. Some parts of it were quite graphic, in terms of sex and violence.
I think this is a world I would like to see more of. I found the book engaging, with interesting characters and a plot that held my attention throughout. If you're interested in a different spin on the shapeshifter genre, this book is definitely worth a read.
(This review may contain spoilers).
It did take me a little longer than it would normally to finish this book, but once I was up to it, I found it a unique, entertaining read.
Shapeshifters on their own aren't an original idea, but the way they were portrayed in this book was really unique. I felt the author did a good job of showing the science behind the shifting and what the race's characteristics were, without it coming across as an info-dump.
I found the characters in this book to be quite interesting and engaging. The use of the spirits was quite intriguing and I felt the author showed the way both Christopher and Michael handled the spirits really well.
I did get a bit confused with the switching of different time periods at certain points. I was a bit thrown with the flashback - I think it would have worked better as a kind of prologue.
It was interesting to see the different races that were offshoots of the doppelgangers. I would have liked to see a bit more of their history and how they formed.
There were some scenes in the book that did make me cringe to read them. Some parts of it were quite graphic, in terms of sex and violence.
I think this is a world I would like to see more of. I found the book engaging, with interesting characters and a plot that held my attention throughout. If you're interested in a different spin on the shapeshifter genre, this book is definitely worth a read.
September 18, 2014
I won a copy through the Goodreads: First Reads program.
Tl;dr version: Great premise. Good story. Bad characterization. Worse editing.
I really, really need self-published and tiny-press authors to start investing in editors. This book was very interesting, but I found myself constantly dragged out of the story by all of the niggling grammatical errors. It starts with the title and goes right through the last chapter.
Okay, now that's out of the way. This is a good story with an interesting premise. But it has some major flaws. The female characters need a bit more differentiation. The majority of them are completely interchangeable. As in, I had to keep turning back to earlier pages/chapters to figure out which woman this was supposed to be, despite names being clearly used. Note for Authors: If your Big Bad is a matriarchal society, give the women more than superficial differences. Seriously, the only thing that made one of them stand out from all of the others was that she loved one of her children. That's it. And I have absolutely no clue why any of the human men are in love with the women in their lives. Unless Dr. Phillips is one of those people who seriously thinks great sex automatically equals great love.
Tl;dr version: Great premise. Good story. Bad characterization. Worse editing.
I really, really need self-published and tiny-press authors to start investing in editors. This book was very interesting, but I found myself constantly dragged out of the story by all of the niggling grammatical errors. It starts with the title and goes right through the last chapter.
Okay, now that's out of the way. This is a good story with an interesting premise. But it has some major flaws. The female characters need a bit more differentiation. The majority of them are completely interchangeable. As in, I had to keep turning back to earlier pages/chapters to figure out which woman this was supposed to be, despite names being clearly used. Note for Authors: If your Big Bad is a matriarchal society, give the women more than superficial differences. Seriously, the only thing that made one of them stand out from all of the others was that she loved one of her children. That's it. And I have absolutely no clue why any of the human men are in love with the women in their lives. Unless Dr. Phillips is one of those people who seriously thinks great sex automatically equals great love.
July 26, 2014
What would you do if you discovered a copy of yourself~a doppelganger? This the main question posed by Christopher "Chris" Sands. He was implicated in a crime that he didn't commit. Only to discover later that the actual crime was committed by a doppelganger. Michael Sands never really knew his father and keeping a secret. Michael's secret is that spirits of the dead can take control of his body which he fights unlike his father. Michael is in a horrific accident that kills his best friend and his potential girlfriend injured as well. Michael is searching for answers in his past. Can Michael discover the secrets of the past? What role do doppelgangers play? Your answers await you in The Doppler Affect.
The concept of doppelgangers has always fascinated me especially with having twins myself. Twins are the genetic clones of each other much like a doppelganger. I thought the author did an excellent job of creating this story and characters. I would definitely consider reading more of his work in the future.
The concept of doppelgangers has always fascinated me especially with having twins myself. Twins are the genetic clones of each other much like a doppelganger. I thought the author did an excellent job of creating this story and characters. I would definitely consider reading more of his work in the future.
August 19, 2014
I loved it. Matter of fact, because I was interrupted so many times while reading it, I am going to read it again on a trip. I really enjoyed the idea of the doppelgangers. I have read lots of fantasy and am always interested in shape changers. This book took it to a whole new height. I felt sorry or Chris Sands but he did leave his son a great clue. This book was just the right length. Now I hope we might get another one along these same lines. Thank you Mr. Phillips and Goodreads for the free book.
July 27, 2014
Just up on my blog with pics and music! Do check it out especially if you're into scifi, fantasy and strange species...
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August 1, 2015
It has been a full year since I picked this book up and got about 12% though it. I hate to DNF a book that soon, but I just doubt that I'll get back to it since it's been a whole year and I obviously haven't cared to finish it.
2/5 stars instead of 1 because I feel I didn't give it a fair chance.
2/5 stars instead of 1 because I feel I didn't give it a fair chance.
April 3, 2018
Book: The Doppler Affect by Shawn Phillips
Characters: The protagonists are well developed with their history, feelings and actions explained fairly well throughout the book. The antagonists are also fleshed out and given a good amount of backstory.
Theme: Sci-fi in a modern world with a twist on familiar mythological creatures.
Plot: The plot is definitely interesting. It was written well enough to keep me reading the book day after day. There are some unexpected twists that keep the story engaging. Some of the plot points seem a little rushed without enough explanation as to how events unfolded to get to that point.
Similar books I've read: Reminds me of ‘Whispers of Mirrowen’ series by Jeff Wheeler.
Recommendation: I would recommend giving this book a read, it is definitely worth the time invested. Being more used to longer ‘book series’ I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys stories encompassed in a single book.
Characters: The protagonists are well developed with their history, feelings and actions explained fairly well throughout the book. The antagonists are also fleshed out and given a good amount of backstory.
Theme: Sci-fi in a modern world with a twist on familiar mythological creatures.
Plot: The plot is definitely interesting. It was written well enough to keep me reading the book day after day. There are some unexpected twists that keep the story engaging. Some of the plot points seem a little rushed without enough explanation as to how events unfolded to get to that point.
Similar books I've read: Reminds me of ‘Whispers of Mirrowen’ series by Jeff Wheeler.
Recommendation: I would recommend giving this book a read, it is definitely worth the time invested. Being more used to longer ‘book series’ I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys stories encompassed in a single book.
August 12, 2021
The author had mentioned that he had written a couple of books and this book seemed interesting. It took me a while before I settled down to to read it but once I got into it I really got sucked into the story. The basic premise of the story is that a number of mythical beings, i.e., vampires, werewolves, nymphs, etc. were all a subspecies created by a race of of beings called Doppelgangers or shapeshifters whose goal is domination of the human race. Very good read and highly recommended.
January 19, 2015
I received this book through the First Reads Giveaway back in August 2014. (My apologies to the author for not reading and reviewing it until now, January 2015.) I've tried to not include major spoilers in my review.
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars (it finished strong, so I gave it 4 stars as Goodreads doesn't allow half stars)
The Doppler Affect details a race called doppelgangers, their attempts to control the human race and other supernatural races, and how Christopher and Michael Sands fought against them.
When I started reading this book, I wasn't sure how well it was going to go. It felt a bit rocky in places, and I spent a lot of time flipping back and forth catching the time stamps and figuring out where everything went in chronological order. Somewhere between one third and one half of the way through, the pace picked up and I got very involved in the story, wanting to know what happens next. It does finish strong with a slightly open ending that could leave open the option for a sequel.
The idea of doppelgangers/shapeshifters, especially being so female dominated, is a great idea for world building and is a different take on the standard. At first I was worried that since our "hero" at the start being male and the shapeshifters being female would mean that it would take on an anti-female view, but by the end it came across as an "absolute power corrupts absolutely" view.
There is quite a bit of violence and sexual content in this novel. I understand the need for the violence and a majority of the sexual content in relation to the storyline, but I think there was about 25% of the sexual content that did not feel like it drove the plot forward. Also, throughout there are some moments with very detailed explanations of what is happening to bodies, whether it is movement or in physical changes. (The author certainly knew a lot of anatomy!) Some of these felt awkward and unneeded but not so much that it derails the story.
If you do read this book, my one big suggestion is to pay attention to the time stamps.
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars (it finished strong, so I gave it 4 stars as Goodreads doesn't allow half stars)
The Doppler Affect details a race called doppelgangers, their attempts to control the human race and other supernatural races, and how Christopher and Michael Sands fought against them.
When I started reading this book, I wasn't sure how well it was going to go. It felt a bit rocky in places, and I spent a lot of time flipping back and forth catching the time stamps and figuring out where everything went in chronological order. Somewhere between one third and one half of the way through, the pace picked up and I got very involved in the story, wanting to know what happens next. It does finish strong with a slightly open ending that could leave open the option for a sequel.
The idea of doppelgangers/shapeshifters, especially being so female dominated, is a great idea for world building and is a different take on the standard. At first I was worried that since our "hero" at the start being male and the shapeshifters being female would mean that it would take on an anti-female view, but by the end it came across as an "absolute power corrupts absolutely" view.
There is quite a bit of violence and sexual content in this novel. I understand the need for the violence and a majority of the sexual content in relation to the storyline, but I think there was about 25% of the sexual content that did not feel like it drove the plot forward. Also, throughout there are some moments with very detailed explanations of what is happening to bodies, whether it is movement or in physical changes. (The author certainly knew a lot of anatomy!) Some of these felt awkward and unneeded but not so much that it derails the story.
If you do read this book, my one big suggestion is to pay attention to the time stamps.
August 16, 2014
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I was torn with this book, I liked that it had a different take on the paranormal as I haven't read anything about Doppelgangers before. I liked that it was a Matriarchal society too. What I didn't like was how the story flowed. To start off with, it seems jumbled and the timeline is all over the place. The story jumps from different characters and timelines until almost half way through the book and then it settles down.
It moves along at a faster pace when it is Michael's point of view but it then starts to jump around again. There is also a point in the story, after the car crash when Michael is released from the psychiatric unit and he meets up with Candice again, where she says she knows about him being in the unit but later on she wants to know why he never rang her or answered her calls.
I found this jumping around a little annoying, I also felt that parts of it were being explained again and again. When they were being chased, it seemed to be dragged out longer than was necessary. Almost like the book needed to be filled up. Towards the end of the book, it felt like the author was in a rush to get everything down on the page and wasn't too bothered about how it came out.
There isn't much about vampires and werewolves or any other supernatural species, other than a few paragraphs which don't really have much to do with the storyline.
I don't know if I would read the next book in the series, as I found this one to be a little disjointed. Interesting but disjointed.
I was torn with this book, I liked that it had a different take on the paranormal as I haven't read anything about Doppelgangers before. I liked that it was a Matriarchal society too. What I didn't like was how the story flowed. To start off with, it seems jumbled and the timeline is all over the place. The story jumps from different characters and timelines until almost half way through the book and then it settles down.
It moves along at a faster pace when it is Michael's point of view but it then starts to jump around again. There is also a point in the story, after the car crash when Michael is released from the psychiatric unit and he meets up with Candice again, where she says she knows about him being in the unit but later on she wants to know why he never rang her or answered her calls.
I found this jumping around a little annoying, I also felt that parts of it were being explained again and again. When they were being chased, it seemed to be dragged out longer than was necessary. Almost like the book needed to be filled up. Towards the end of the book, it felt like the author was in a rush to get everything down on the page and wasn't too bothered about how it came out.
There isn't much about vampires and werewolves or any other supernatural species, other than a few paragraphs which don't really have much to do with the storyline.
I don't know if I would read the next book in the series, as I found this one to be a little disjointed. Interesting but disjointed.
September 15, 2015
(Review in Progress)
Okay, so...
In all honesty, I got so caught up in the first part of the description to this (with all the mythical creatures that have, in fact, been real all this time and they're the offspring of even more powerful Shapeshifters - how cool is that?!) that I totally didn't see the part in the last sentence which reads "feeding off the sexual desires of men"... /:
The little card thing included with my book (which is a really good idea and I like it!) notes that this book contains Sexual Content, Violence, and Language. It would have been nice if this information would have been noted in the description of the book on GoodReads.
I am NOT a fan of books containing either sexual content or language. /:
BUT, seeing as the author has taken the time and expense to send me a free copy of this book, carefully packaged and thoughtfully signed with a nice inscription - and my name, correctly spelled (yay!) - I am going to attempt reading this as much as I can. Hopefully I can skip through whatever sexual content there is and there will be a really cool story! (:
And since it was my error in not fully reading the description - »-« - I will try not to base my review on my dislike of the sexual content, but instead focus on the writing and overall story.
So, here we go!
Okay, so...
In all honesty, I got so caught up in the first part of the description to this (with all the mythical creatures that have, in fact, been real all this time and they're the offspring of even more powerful Shapeshifters - how cool is that?!) that I totally didn't see the part in the last sentence which reads "feeding off the sexual desires of men"... /:
The little card thing included with my book (which is a really good idea and I like it!) notes that this book contains Sexual Content, Violence, and Language. It would have been nice if this information would have been noted in the description of the book on GoodReads.
I am NOT a fan of books containing either sexual content or language. /:
BUT, seeing as the author has taken the time and expense to send me a free copy of this book, carefully packaged and thoughtfully signed with a nice inscription - and my name, correctly spelled (yay!) - I am going to attempt reading this as much as I can. Hopefully I can skip through whatever sexual content there is and there will be a really cool story! (:
And since it was my error in not fully reading the description - »-« - I will try not to base my review on my dislike of the sexual content, but instead focus on the writing and overall story.
So, here we go!
July 5, 2014
Shapeshifters Control Our Lives!
The frightening power of vampires, werewolves, and lycanthropes has lived within our nightmares for centuries, failing to be reasoned out by the rapid advances in science and technology. The truth is that they are very much a part of our reality. However, they are merely the genetically inferior offspring of a more powerful race, known as doppelgangers, who evolved alongside humankind. These shapeshifters adopted a secretive yet manipulative approach when dealing with us, feeding off the sexual desires of men to sustain their society…until desperate times forced a new order.
Christopher Sands, a rising investment banker, was just another victim in a long list of doppelganger schemes. Framed for a crime he wouldn’t commit and watching his family fade farther and farther from his prison bars, Chris makes an unbelievable discovery; shapeshifters aren’t the only race with supernatural abilities. Can he find the strength to accept an even worse fate than prison to not only save his son, but all humankind? Will Michael Sands be able to control the spirits that haunt him to finish what his father cannot?
The frightening power of vampires, werewolves, and lycanthropes has lived within our nightmares for centuries, failing to be reasoned out by the rapid advances in science and technology. The truth is that they are very much a part of our reality. However, they are merely the genetically inferior offspring of a more powerful race, known as doppelgangers, who evolved alongside humankind. These shapeshifters adopted a secretive yet manipulative approach when dealing with us, feeding off the sexual desires of men to sustain their society…until desperate times forced a new order.
Christopher Sands, a rising investment banker, was just another victim in a long list of doppelganger schemes. Framed for a crime he wouldn’t commit and watching his family fade farther and farther from his prison bars, Chris makes an unbelievable discovery; shapeshifters aren’t the only race with supernatural abilities. Can he find the strength to accept an even worse fate than prison to not only save his son, but all humankind? Will Michael Sands be able to control the spirits that haunt him to finish what his father cannot?
August 29, 2014
Christopher Sands is in prison for a crime he didn't commit. The problem is- there is video evidence to prove otherwise. Searching all possible reasons how it couldn't be him, he stumbles across doppelgängers. Convinced he is right he leaves all articles and proof he can find for his young son.
Going between several points of view from both the Sands family and different doppelgängers, this is a book that needs a lot of concentration to remember what time and place you are reading in. While the idea and way it is written is good and helps you to see how things are coming together from all the angles, it is also quite difficult to keep track of where you are in the story. Other than this layout, the writing is very strong and the storyline is well thought out with a bunch of twists in the plot that you don't see coming. I like the authors spin on the mythical and how well thought out the whole system of the paranormal world is explained.
I enjoyed reading this book. It took a while for me to get in to the rhythm and style of writing, but is worth the effort to stick with it and see how everyone's actions effected the outcome of the story.
Going between several points of view from both the Sands family and different doppelgängers, this is a book that needs a lot of concentration to remember what time and place you are reading in. While the idea and way it is written is good and helps you to see how things are coming together from all the angles, it is also quite difficult to keep track of where you are in the story. Other than this layout, the writing is very strong and the storyline is well thought out with a bunch of twists in the plot that you don't see coming. I like the authors spin on the mythical and how well thought out the whole system of the paranormal world is explained.
I enjoyed reading this book. It took a while for me to get in to the rhythm and style of writing, but is worth the effort to stick with it and see how everyone's actions effected the outcome of the story.
September 8, 2014
Received this book directly from the author and I glad I was able to read this book. This was the first book I have read about doppelgangers/shapeshifters. I loved that the book was broken up by day and went from the Doppelgangers then to the real world. After reading this book I freaked out and wondered do Doppelgangers really exist? That would be very scary to see someone that looks just like me and more odd is when people say I saw a person that looked just like you. As I read I started to get confused with who the real human character was. The shapeshifters seem to be everywhere in places least expected. They want to take over the world and have the vampires and lycans as slaves. I would have loved it if all the other supernatural creatures would have grouped up and attacked the Doppelgangers. If you love paranormal books then you definitely want to pick this book up. Thanks for broadening my knowledge with a new paranormal group the Doppelgangers.
December 8, 2014
I won this book on goodreads.com
(SOME SPOILERS HERE)
Wow...where to start? First off, I have to admit I didn't fully read the full explanation of the book and missed the part where the dopplers fed off of the human sex drive. That didn't really detract from the book, however, and I found myself able to enjoy the plot line. I was a bit concerned that the book was going to turn into light porn thanks to the feeding off of sex-drive issue. As said, not an issue. This isn't a "50 Shades of Gray" with sex on every other page of the book. The sex scenes aren't insanely descriptive. Instead, the author focuses on the issue of dopplers versus humans and the implications of the battle for dominance. I found myself cheering on the humans and hoping the dopplers lost their battle.
Not a bad read at all :)
(SOME SPOILERS HERE)
Wow...where to start? First off, I have to admit I didn't fully read the full explanation of the book and missed the part where the dopplers fed off of the human sex drive. That didn't really detract from the book, however, and I found myself able to enjoy the plot line. I was a bit concerned that the book was going to turn into light porn thanks to the feeding off of sex-drive issue. As said, not an issue. This isn't a "50 Shades of Gray" with sex on every other page of the book. The sex scenes aren't insanely descriptive. Instead, the author focuses on the issue of dopplers versus humans and the implications of the battle for dominance. I found myself cheering on the humans and hoping the dopplers lost their battle.
Not a bad read at all :)
July 23, 2014
A must read for anyone looking for a book to challenge the mind. This is not your typical shapeshifter book. The Doppler Affect will definitely make you stop and think about how you view many things in this world.
I did have a little trouble at the beginning of the book with the rapid switching back and forth of time periods, it might have been better to tell those parts as an introduction. Once you get into the heart of the story about Dopplergangers or Dopplers that have been working behind the scenes to control man-kind since the beginning of time. Also one of the main characters, Michael, is a Spirit Walker, which are believed to truly exist by many cultures, this story gets very interesting very fast.
I'm not going to go into detail about the storyline as I very much dislike reviews that spoil the book.
I received this book as a gift from the author in exchange for a review
I did have a little trouble at the beginning of the book with the rapid switching back and forth of time periods, it might have been better to tell those parts as an introduction. Once you get into the heart of the story about Dopplergangers or Dopplers that have been working behind the scenes to control man-kind since the beginning of time. Also one of the main characters, Michael, is a Spirit Walker, which are believed to truly exist by many cultures, this story gets very interesting very fast.
I'm not going to go into detail about the storyline as I very much dislike reviews that spoil the book.
I received this book as a gift from the author in exchange for a review
September 27, 2014
I received a review copy of this book from the author.
This was a really different book!!
Before reading, I thought yeah....this will be something different...something worth checking out.
When I first started reading I really wasn't sure how to take it. The Doppler Affect was so different from anything I've read! I was really impressed with how this book had a different paranormal aspect than most.
I LOVE THE IDEA of dopplegangers. REALLY REALLY love the idea!
Overall, this was a great read. It was a little hard for me to get into at first, but once I did, I enjoyed it!
The Doppler Affect was VERY well written and contains well rounded characters. I look forward to reading more from this author!
This was a really different book!!
Before reading, I thought yeah....this will be something different...something worth checking out.
When I first started reading I really wasn't sure how to take it. The Doppler Affect was so different from anything I've read! I was really impressed with how this book had a different paranormal aspect than most.
I LOVE THE IDEA of dopplegangers. REALLY REALLY love the idea!
Overall, this was a great read. It was a little hard for me to get into at first, but once I did, I enjoyed it!
The Doppler Affect was VERY well written and contains well rounded characters. I look forward to reading more from this author!
August 21, 2014
Given To Me For An Honest Review
This book isn't a must read, it's a Have To Read. It is an amazing book. Although it isn't in my usual genre I am so glad I read it. Once I began I could not put it down. Talk about page turner. The story line really gives you something to think about. I can't even begin to explain the book in its entirety. It has shapeshifters, vampires and others included. It will really keeps you involved in the story. I can just say that Shawn Phillips did an outstanding job with this book and I hope to read more of his books. I gave it 5 stars but it really needs more that 10. I highly recommend this book to everyone.
This book isn't a must read, it's a Have To Read. It is an amazing book. Although it isn't in my usual genre I am so glad I read it. Once I began I could not put it down. Talk about page turner. The story line really gives you something to think about. I can't even begin to explain the book in its entirety. It has shapeshifters, vampires and others included. It will really keeps you involved in the story. I can just say that Shawn Phillips did an outstanding job with this book and I hope to read more of his books. I gave it 5 stars but it really needs more that 10. I highly recommend this book to everyone.
September 9, 2014
I was able to download this for my kindle on Amazon for free. (Thank you Shawn for the invite).
I really ended up enjoying this book. At times I found it a little hard to follow, but still didn't want to put it down. The idea of doppelgangers taking over the US was brilliant. This was the first book I've read about doppelgangers and I enjoyed learning all about them. I'm hoping that the sequel picks back up with some of the same characters. I don't want to write too much more and ruin the book for others with spoilers. It was a great read.
I really ended up enjoying this book. At times I found it a little hard to follow, but still didn't want to put it down. The idea of doppelgangers taking over the US was brilliant. This was the first book I've read about doppelgangers and I enjoyed learning all about them. I'm hoping that the sequel picks back up with some of the same characters. I don't want to write too much more and ruin the book for others with spoilers. It was a great read.
July 30, 2014
I received this book from the author for review. This book is a very interesting read. I found it was a little hard to get into but once you were there you want to continue reading to find out what happens. I really like how the author deals with the subject of the shape shifters it seems to be a very unique point of view. This book is a very solid read. I recommend to people who are looking for a different paranormal book.
September 30, 2014
I won a copy from a Goodreads giveaway.
I found this book to have an interesting concept. It was a bit slow getting into, but it turned out to be a good book. I was a bit worried at first that this would be overly sexual, but it really wasn't. The writing style was decent, but I did find quite a few grammatical errors that need corrected. All in all, I enjoyed the book, but it could use some improvements.
I found this book to have an interesting concept. It was a bit slow getting into, but it turned out to be a good book. I was a bit worried at first that this would be overly sexual, but it really wasn't. The writing style was decent, but I did find quite a few grammatical errors that need corrected. All in all, I enjoyed the book, but it could use some improvements.
September 22, 2014
I won this book in a giveaway What a pleasant surprise the blurb and cover didn't lure me but the content was great.It was quite a mix up with sci-fi thriller,crime and even a bit of romance in there.Many thanks for the good read.
August 6, 2014
Odd story; non-gratuitous sex scenes; clever premise; unnecessarily complicated?; rather appealing (human) characters.
not-interested
August 29, 2014Not to be mean, but if the author/editor can't even figure out the correct use of affect vs effect in the freakin' title... I'm very worried about the rest of the book. :(
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