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Synchronicity

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Some call it the Machine.
Some call it the SINC.
It’s the most dangerous thing ever created.
And it’s fallen into the wrong hands.


Tyler “Book” Malcolm has lived a life on the run. Off the grid, out of sight of the authorities. Hoping to escape a terrifying secret; to outrun what he has seen and what he has done.

Kane is an assassin who, with the help of the Machine, possesses the ability to assume the identity of anyone he wishes. He can strike without warning, and kill without mercy. Stronger than a dozen men, faster than sight itself, he can be anywhere, anytime.

When Book catches Kane’s eye, he discovers the world is even more dangerous than he knew. Book must ally himself with people who, like him, know that Kane is on the verge of remaking the world in his image.

But how do you know who to trust, when the man who wants you dead can be anyone he pleases?

How can you fight for the ones you love...

...when you can’t even believe who you see?

375 pages, Paperback

Published May 10, 2021

86 people are currently reading
83 people want to read

About the author

Michaelbrent Collings

92 books660 followers
One of the most versatile writers around, Michaelbrent Collings is an internationally bestselling novelist, produced screenwriter, and multiple Bram Stoker Award finalist. While he is best known for horror (and is one of the most successful indie horror authors in the United States), he has also written bestselling thriller, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, humor, young adult, and middle grade works, and Western Romance.

In addition to being a bestselling novelist, Michaelbrent has also received critical acclaim: he is the only person who has ever been a finalist for a Bram Stoker Award, a Dragon Award, a RONE Award, and a Whitney award: and he and his work have been reviewed and/or featured on everything from Publishers Weekly to Scream Magazine to NPR. He is also a frequent guest at comic cons and on writing podcasts like Six Figure Authors, The Creative Penn, and Writing Excuses.

Find more about him at his website, WrittenInsomnia.com, or sign up for his mailing list (and get a free book!) at http://writteninsomnia.com/michaelbre....

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
Profile Image for MaryJude Schmitz.
122 reviews10 followers
April 21, 2021
When I first started reading books by Michaelbrent Collings, I was looking for horror authors and I chose his novel Terminal as my free Amazon read for that month. I was hooked from the start and quickly began reading as many of his horror books as I could get my hands on. Although I do enjoy other genres, horror is usually my favorite, but this book may change that. Even though there is violence and killing in this book, I would not consider this a horror novel. I think this book falls more under the category of action/sci-fi. There are 3 things I feel are essential for me to thoroughly enjoy a book and this book has them all.

Well-developed characters – I really got attached to a few of the characters in this book and I am really hoping that this is the start of a series so I can continue to get to know them better. The main “good” character of the story, Book, is extremely likeable and I found myself rooting for him throughout the entire book. As the promo for the book says, he is like a John Wick or Neo from the Matrix. I also really loved Jade, Axel, and Duffy. There were many secondary characters that I really enjoyed learning about, but I will warn you, don’t get too attached to anybody! Even Kane, the villain, was well developed and I found myself wanting to know more about him.

Compelling Story – For me the book started off a bit slow and I had a hard time getting into it at first because I really didn’t understand what was going on. Once SINC was explained I was hooked and couldn’t put it down because I had to know what was going to happen next. The story was action packed and I cared so much about the characters that I had to know how/if everything was going to be resolved.

Twists and Turns – I love it when a book keeps me on my toes, and I am constantly trying to figure out what is going on or what is going to happen next. This book did not disappoint. There are several reveals in this book and while I did figure some out ahead of time there were definitely a few surprises for me. You will definitely want to read all the way to the end, even when you think everything has been resolved because there are some big twists at the very end.

All in all I highly recommend this book even if you have never ready any books by this author before. If you have shied away from Michaelbrent Collings other books because you are not a fan of horror, this may just be the book for you.
Profile Image for Gerhard Geick.
Author 13 books14 followers
April 19, 2021
Synchronicity is the smartest roller coaster ride that I've ever been on!

With Synchronicity, Collins hosts a high stake  game of cat and mouse where, at any given moment, your favorite character could be the cat, mouse, minion, or pawn - or some  combination thereof. And in the land of Gods, wannabe gods, monsters (both good and bad), chaos reigns supreme.

I would recommend Synchronicity for fans of Michael Chricton, Kurt Vonnegut, Jim Thompson, and Stephen King. It is fast paced, well written, and hard to put down. The characters are believable, relatable, and likeable (even the ones that you aren't supposed to like). With its most excellent conclusion, the story will linger long after you've finished the final page, and it will leave you wanting more.

This is my second book by Michaelbrent Collings (The first was The Forest), and what I like about his writing - apart from the above-mentioned - is that he makes you think. Not only is Collins an international bestselling author, but he is also a philosopher in his own way, and it seems to me that he uses his novels as vehicles to explore some pretty deep questions - and the answer he comes up with are as good as any answers I've heard before, and better than most.
Profile Image for Audrey.
1,382 reviews221 followers
May 11, 2021
**On sale for 99 cents for a few days only**

This is mainly a thriller with elements of sci fi and horror. It’s a bit like Terminator.



The book starts in the middle of things, so it was a bit confusing at first, but not in a bad way. There are a number of characters, and at first you don’t how they’re connected or who’s a good guy and who’s a bad guy.

We have a super-powerful psychopath who enjoys killing. He’s got a group of people on his radar. All these people have some kind of ESP, and they have all been “enhanced” by The SINC Machine, which lets them jump from body to body. It also makes them super fast and strong. This guy is UNBEATABLE.

There’s a lot of fight scenes and chase scenes. The last quarter was really good, with lots of twists and surprises. I definitely recommend to thriller fans.

I received a free copy for review.

Language: Mild
Sexual Content: Just some lewd comments and innuendo
Violence: Lots of graphic violence (more details below)
Harm to Animals:
Harm to Children:
Other (Triggers):
Profile Image for Anne.
383 reviews19 followers
April 19, 2021
This may be my favorite book so far by Michaelbrent Collings. It drew me in and kept me so interested it was hard to put down. It has a Matrix vibe to it that I really liked (doesn’t hurt that the movie is a guilty pleasure of mine). I liked that he acknowledged the connection at one point. The characters are fully developed, especially the main character, and his background is revealed gradually with hints along the way. The way that some chapters gave a look inside the mind of the truly evil bad guy was great. I really felt that the writing flowed. I’m hoping that we’ll get to see more from these characters. A great read!
Profile Image for D.K. Hundt.
827 reviews27 followers
May 12, 2021
‘What if you could be anyone, anytime?’
‘What would you do?’
‘Where would you go?’
‘Who would you KILL?’

Tyler “Book” Malcolm has lived a life on the run. Off the grid, out of sight of the authorities. Hoping to escape a terrifying secret; to outrun what he has seen and what he has done.’

‘But how do you know who to trust, when the man who wants you dead can be anyone he pleases?’

I had a blast reading Michaelbrent Collings’ Suspense Thriller SYNCHRONICITY, book one in a series, I’m hoping!! *fingers and toes crossed*

Highly Recommend!

Thank you to the author, Michaelbrent Collings, for providing me with an eBook of SYNCHRONICITY in the request for an honest review.

Released Today – May 11, 2021





Profile Image for Deacon D..
170 reviews35 followers
May 18, 2021
Wow, that was a blast!

Synchronicity by Michaelbrent Collings is quite a thrill-ride featuring a cast of engaging characters, plenty of action (and gruesome violence) and a truly deranged and sadistic villain. I had a lot of fun with this one, even if it did keep me up too late. ☺

Michaelbrent Collings is one hell of a talented and imaginative writer, and Synchronicity is another winner for him. Check it out!
Profile Image for Gee Liz Reads.
154 reviews5 followers
May 10, 2021
I received a free electronic copy of this book for an honest review.
I had never read a Michaelbrent Collings book until this one. In fact, I had never actually heard of Michaelbrent Collings until an email popped in to my inbox asking for me to review Synchronicity.
A quick google search showed me that I should have heard of Mr Collings, seeing as he is an internationally bestselling novelist, a screenwriter, and a multi-award winner, amongst other things. He has a list of novels as long as my arm, which after a quick read of the blurbs, the majority were added to my already out of control TBR list with a note to myself to quickly remove them if this book didn't tickle my fancy.

The good news is, they get to stay on my TBR pile because WOAH, this book was fantastic, and not like anything I had read before. I'll admit, the first few chapters of the book, especially the chapters from the point of view of the villain, were really confusing. I had to go back and re-read them and finally got my head around it. I think it was the fact they were written in the present tense in 1st person but the character was talking about himself in the 3rd person... does that make sense? Literally though, after the first few chapters there was no more confusion and I just couldn't get enough.

From early on in the book, I felt a familiarity with the style in which the book was written. I can't really describe it; it's quite a casual style with a natural, unforced sense of humour but the style reminded me very much of the Black Dagger Brotherhood Books by J. R. Ward, another series of books I thoroughly enjoyed, though a different genre to that of Synchronicity.


As for the plot, I had The Terminator vibes very early on in this book which then developed to The Matrix vibes so if you want to read a Terminator meets Matrix novel then this one's definitely for you. I don't want to divulge too much information about the plot as I really think you all needed to start reading this yesterday, but I'll just let you know that it is an action-packed thriller with lots of twist and turns, amazing descriptive scenes, some gruesome violence that will make your toes curl, and not in a good way (unless you're in to that sort of thing - no judgement here), and a lot of unpredictability throughout.

Something I always comment on when reviewing books is characters because in my opinion this is JUST as important as the storyline. I don't think you can ever, EVER have a good novel if you have poor characters. For me, I need likable or at the very least well-developed characters and this is something Collings has managed to do exceptionally well with all of the characters, even the ones who's time in the story came to a quick(?) end. There are a few 'main' characters of this novel but the 'good guy' is by far my favourite. I think it helps that his name is Book, so seeing as I've got just under a million of those on my shelves, I already hold him close to my heart. Book, is a cheeky chappy who never knows when to keep his mouth shut. You can't help but love him and root for him throughout. I don't want to delve too much in to the characters as I really want you to meet you themselves, but what I loved about Synchronicity is that you are in the head of the villain a lot. He is truly evil but I loved being in his psychotic head just as much as I enjoyed being in Books hilarious 'what the **** is going on' head too. I also loved that the villain, Kane, had the power to jump from body to body, so you never knew when he was going to turn up!

If I was to sum this novel up in three words - Read. It. Now!
Profile Image for Tracy Halls.
218 reviews5 followers
May 3, 2021
I was lucky enough to get to read this before release due to being part of the authors cult ;)
I started off the book without full focus on it due to a personal bereavement but the writing style, the characters and the storyline soon had me hooked and wanting more I was transferred to a completely different world, the world of SINC! (Very grateful for the distraction)
Unique story, interesting characters and most defiantly worth a read.
Storyline was very different to other books from this author but was well written and most defiantly enjoyed reading it, don’t just take my word for it check it out for yourself.
Profile Image for Billie.
5,784 reviews71 followers
April 19, 2021
This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.
Profile Image for Heather Escobedo.
34 reviews
May 11, 2021
Synchronicity is a fast-paced, exciting tale! Book is a troubled young man. He has spent his entire life trying to hide his true talents. One crazy day, everything changes. Book and those he cares about are thrust into chaos and danger. He must fight forces he doesn’t understand. He meets Jade and Axle. Will they lead him to destruction or save his life? The ending of this story gave me chills! I LOVED this book. I am hoping, with fingers crossed that this will be a series! I didn’t get enough!
Profile Image for Cat B..
791 reviews7 followers
April 25, 2021
A bit of a departure for this author of the most delicious horror novels. SYNCHRONICITY is total rush of a thriller. Perfect movie fodder. As observers we are taken along for a wonderful, thrilling, unexpected ride with Book, an extremely likeable, charming protagonist who wants nothing more than to blend in, be invisible to the world, make his way quietly even as he slips a hand into a pocket or uses a little "push" to turn a coin in his favor. As much as he wants the world to ignore him he is nonetheless drawn into the very dark underbelly of an existence that threatens the world. Take the ride with him, it's a glorious one.
I received a complimentary copy of this book and this is my honest and unbiased review.
Profile Image for Ami.
2,416 reviews14 followers
May 11, 2021
WOW! There are so many things I want to share about Synchronicity but I don’t want to spoil anything for you. Therefore, I’m only saying, great characters in an intriguing storyline that kept me reading throughout the night! Also, amazing plot twists that kept me guessing. I throughly enjoyed it and hope you will also.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this ebook from the author and this is my honest and unsolicited opinion.
24 reviews
April 19, 2021
SYNCHRONICITY
by MichaelBrent Collings

Book was a pickpocket and grifter with a special gift: he’d get a mark to flip for drinks. To make it harder they would ask the bartender to flip a coin off the bar, the mark would get to call it, and Book always won. Without fail.

Kane was becoming a god, the god of chaos. He had the ability to jump from one body to another, and while he was in another’s body, he picked up everything they knew, and during the hour he allowed himself in each, he killed and caused, well, chaos. Massive chaos.

He started out as part of a group, the Board, who used a Machine, called a synchronizer, to gain the ability to jump from body to body, learn what each knew, and become stronger and faster with each jump. Their purpose was to take out the bad and try to make life better for the masses. Kane was broken. He wanted to use his powers to rule the world. He had killed all the Boardmembers except the leader, the inventor of the Machine, and a woman who became the best of all except for Kane. And their goal was to destroy Kane and his stolen machine.

When they met Book, they were surprised by how powerful he was. But even with the girl Jade and Book together, we’re they powerful enough? Could they find a way to overcome the god of chaos? Or would the lose the world to chaos?

When MbC writes a book, every character is three d and very much real. And haven’t we all wanted to be faster and stronger than everyone else? His bad guys are so easy to hate, but can they be taken down?

You’ll have to read Synchronicity to find out. I promise you’ll enjoy the book.
Profile Image for Shawnae Aiu.
178 reviews1 follower
May 18, 2021
Synchronicity has interesting characters that are also multiple leveled. Each one comes to understand that they are part of an experiment which involves a machine of great power! Kane, the inventor, partially trains the other characters-Axel, Jade, and Book. Axel is a nice, older gentleman. Jade is a strong, beautiful woman, that doesn’t share her secrets. Book is the newest team member. The Machine is a secret, Kane is the only one that knows what the Machine is and what it can do. Book discovers one secret, the Machine can take on the look of anyone it wants. The Machine’s other powers are super strength, fast healing, and a superior killer. Book figures out that Kane is having the Machine kill people. Book is recruited to team up with Axel and Jade. Will the team stay true? Can they trust each other? What about Kane? This must read book has a superior ending that will keep you on the edge. This thriller is another hit out of the ballpark! MbC is an author worth reading!
Profile Image for Steph Warren.
1,769 reviews39 followers
June 13, 2023
*I received a free copy of this book, with thanks to the author. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*

With no exaggeration, this is a really, really grisly, gruesome and gory story.

I normally find overtly gruesome books a bit try-hard (“Shock me, shock me, shock me with that deviant behaviour!”), but this was so well-written that I couldn’t stop reading… well, apart from a few brief pauses to let my stomach – and brain – settle!

This is a great techno-thriller plot with great characters; fast-paced and intriguing – definitely a stay-up-all-nighter and also probably a book-hangover candidate. And it would make a fantastic film.

You need a strong stomach to read it, but it is worth it, as long as you can cope with lovingly-detailed, graphic, obscenely gross-out violence. This is thoughtful, clever horror-thriller writing that really grabs you by the throat and leaves you breathless and exhilarated. I was totally transfixed throughout and recommend it to all sci-fi thriller fans who aren’t afraid of things getting dark and bloody.

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...
Profile Image for Tam.
2,179 reviews54 followers
May 14, 2021
Creative! Wildly imaginative! Very unique plot! Fast-paced with lots of action and never a dull moment! Great, multi-faceted characters! Vivid and very envisionable descriptions! Collings does what he does best! A REALLY phenomenal read! Can't wait for this series to continue!!!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.
987 reviews12 followers
April 21, 2021
Can a machine imbue a person with so much power that he becomes invincible? Can that power corrupt a person's psyche? Axel has invented a machine to enhance the powers of specially gifted people. Unfortunately, the machine has been stolen by Kane whose evil machinations are wreaking untold havoc. Will Axel be able to stop him? This book is a rivetting page turner. Another brilliant masterpiece by Michaelbrent Collings.
Profile Image for Otis Doss III.
379 reviews4 followers
September 27, 2021
This book didn't grab me until just before half way through. Not because it wasn't good. It was. I don't really know why. But at some point before half way, I really started to get into it. I will say that I found the special ability of the main characters to be mildly outrageous. Nonetheless, this is a solid 4.5 stars.
Profile Image for Mystee Pulcine.
282 reviews
May 10, 2021
Another page-Turner from MBC. Wonderfully suspenseful. At times a bit confusing, but if you pay attention, it does all work itself out in the end. I would be interested in another story from this group. Perhaps a prequel?
85 reviews2 followers
April 19, 2021
I’m not usually an action book genre lover; but this book blew me away! The characters were great and the plot was intriguing, but the execution was brilliant. The action sequences were pulse pounding. A must read!
Profile Image for BJayne.
151 reviews18 followers
April 19, 2021
Absolutely LOVED this book! It starts out with fast action and just keeps getting faster. The characters are believable and I found myself drawn to them and the drama they were going through. You will not see the twist coming at the end. Excellent all around!
59 reviews1 follower
April 19, 2021
I really liked the concept of this book. A unique tale of good verses evil where evil appears to have the upper hand. He has mastered the ability to synch into another's body w/o the need for the machine that first enabled him to do so. How can he be stopped?
4 reviews
April 21, 2021
Exciting and thoroughly enjoyable. A fast paced adventure which is horrific at times and a very satisfying finale.
Profile Image for C. D'Arc.
Author 13 books33 followers
April 19, 2021
Fun and intriguing concept told through interesting characters with believable arcs.
3 reviews
April 20, 2021
Wow what an amazing story. I can hardly wait to read more of Mr. Collings books. They seem to get better with every one I read. I have anew favorite.
1,236 reviews60 followers
May 10, 2021
Fast paced thriller

Kane uses the Machine to jump into other people's bodies. Once there he learns everything they know. He can move faster, heal quickly. Kane wants to be a God and bring Chaos. Book is a pickpocket with a gift. He is found by people who want to stop Kane. They use Book now he must try and stop Kane. Can Book stop the unstoppable.
Profile Image for Sherry Fundin.
2,311 reviews162 followers
May 15, 2021
I love Michaelbrent Collings’ work and he is a must read author for me. He writes some amazing horror stories, so it was a no brainer to grab something new and different from him, a science fiction, suspense technothriller, And WOW, another HIT.

They worked for SINC, Stress Induced Neural Connector. The machine.

Axel, Jade and Duffy are on the run. Their goal is to save the world. Book was just minding his own business, until…Kane had been Axel’s friend, but now…well…he’s an assassin.

Kane feels he is the God of Chaos. He revels in killing. Michaelbrent Collings writes some of the best villains ever and I do love a great bad guy.

1 of 5 stars – The fabulous characters
2 of 5 stars – Storyline
3 of 5 stars – Excellent writing and pacing
4 of 5 stars – Uniqueness and creativity
5 of 5 stars – Ending…

The characters are intriguing, making me guess at who was good and who was bad, until the story was told. Not all survive. Even the peripheral characters had their moment. I do love that Michaelbrent Collings can keep me twisting, turning, flipping through the pages nonstop, because I have to know what happens. To say I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Synchronicity does not do it justice.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Synchronicity by MIchaelbrent Collings.

See more at fundinmental
501 reviews20 followers
May 11, 2021
This novel focuses on Book, an itinerant lone wolf type, who never stays long in one place, and doesn't allow any encumbrances. On the verge of taking off for greener pastures, Book encounters several mysterious figures who keep him where he is.

Synchronicity is a bit of a departure for this author, more in the vein of speculative fiction than true horror. It works really well owing to the incredibly tight pacing and fantastic characters. I did find that it took a bit of time for me to really understand what was going on, but this mirrored Book's knowledge and confusion, so it was fitting and helped me identify with the character more strongly.

Book's inability to just keep his mouth shut makes him one of my favourite characters. I'm a sucker for a smart aleck! Other characters also left a strong impression, though. There were a couple of characters who I wished were a bit more nuanced - I like more ambiguity than was displayed here. However, I think this does leave room for a fascinating prequel. (A girl can dream!)

Overall, I found this to be a great read. I loved most of the characters (there is a particularly tender scene featuring a minor character that stands out for me as it really expanded my understanding of two characters). I can't wait for Mr. Collings's next offering!

I received an ARC via the author.
Profile Image for Daniel Yocom.
206 reviews6 followers
July 25, 2021
Book hadn’t paid for a drink in years. His ability to manipulate the coin while it was still in the air was a nice little trick that paid its way, just like a number of other little skills he had picked up over the years. He new he would also be running from someone because of the graft he did. He never thought his telekinetic talent would get hi the recognition that it did.

I was given a copy of Synchronicity for review purposes.

Synchronicity is a fast-paced work that kept me reading. Even with the darkness portrayed about the current standing of our society, it presents there is a hope there are those out there in the world who are working towards making the world a better place. It also shows there is a fine line between good and evil when people have great power.

Michaelbrent Collins gives a story that is full of philosophical quests about power, good and evil, and who we are in are deeper cores. This book made me think about myself and about others.

I recommend Synchronicity to those who enjoy a modern-day horror based on the overall psychology of the people. A look at what a modern-day superhero or super villain may be like given the state of the world.

Read the complete review at http://guildmastergaming.blogspot.com...

Profile Image for Charlotte.
8 reviews2 followers
May 9, 2021
Faced Paced Well Written Roller Coaster Ride!

A game of cat and mouse where the stakes are high. Characters that intrigue and confuse and draw you in and you can't help but like even the bad guys. I would love for this to become a series so that I can revisit with these characters more. As a movie? This would make for a great one!

Compelling with a Matrix-vibe, the story weaves itself to draw the reader into this world where things are not what they seem. Or are they?

Michaelbrent Collings has been a favorite author of mine for many years now and while his genre is more akin to horror, this one steps from those boundaries into something that is better described as fantasy-scyfy-thriller. While the theme is good vs evil, it's not one of those yawn-inducers -- it will literally blow your mind and make you salivate for more. The plotline is well-developed as well as both main and secondary characters making them believable and compelling.

SYNCHRONICITY will suck you in and make you a believer forever. I highly recommend taking the chance of becoming hooked!!

I am a member of MbC's ARC Team and received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews

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