Review of Gabriel: Zero Point by Steve Umstead

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Average Fan Rating:
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Rating from TwistedSciFi ★★★★★ 


How will technology effect soldiers in the future? In his book, Gabriel: Zero Point, Steve Umstead explores a future that integrates technology and humans on a scale that’s way beyond where we are today.

Umstead’s main character, Evan Gabriel, has characteristics of Jason Bourne from The Bourne Identity, Rambo and the Terminator. As with Jason Bourne, Evan Gabriel has to balance loyalty to his country with his own moral sense of right and wrong.

Umstead does a magnificent job of developing a strong main character in a very short period of time. He skillfully weaves in tales from Gabriel’s past in the midst of various action scenes. Understanding what makes Evan Gabriel tick is effortless.

Gabriel: Zero Point is not just fun to read, but it’s also believable. For a Science Fiction book, I think this is critical litmus test. Not only is the character of Evan Gabriel believable, but the mind-blowing future technology envisioned by Steve Umstead is believable as well.

Why did I rate Gabriel: Zero Point five out of five stars? It’s a very entertaining read, it’s believable, and Umstead’s character development is exceptional.

If you enjoy action-packed Science Fiction, then Gabriel: Zero Point is a must-read. You’ll breeze through this short story in just a few hours, and assuming you enjoy Gabriel: Zero Point, you’ll be excited to learn that you can continue with Gabriel’s adventures by reading the Evan Gabriel Trilogy. When you purchase Gabriel: Zero Point, you’ll also receive teasers from Umstead’s other Evan Gabriel books.

In order, the books are Gabriel’s Redemption, Gabriel’s Return and Gabriel’s Revenge. If you’re planning to read all three, however, then you may as well save some money by purchasing the entire trilogy under the title Gabriel’s Journey (Evan Gabriel Trilogy).

Have you read Gabriel: Zero Point or any of Steve Umstead’s books? Please share your comments below, and don’t forget to click on the yellow stars at the top of this post to share your rating (1-5 stars) of Gabriel: Zero Point.

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  • http://twitter.com/meijersjc Meijers

    I’ve read it. Zero Point really grabbed me. It’s as you say, it strikes that balance between fiction, fun and believability. It’s rare to encounter that combination, as very often tales of the genre do require you to make some leaps.

    I’m not sure though whether the presented combination of human and technology in the light of integration and application for specific purposes will remain in the realm of science fiction for long though. More and more often the thought surfaces in my brain that the genre is at a point where in stead of exploring possibilities of a remote nature, it is becoming a genre of patterning and prediction as life and evolution (of technology) encroaches on it. In some ways, it seems to happen without historic patterns of inspiration (form defined in science fiction ends up being already followed rapidly by function in our real life world).

    But maybe that is where the genre will find its next challenges in its own evolution. Early science fiction explored the realms of science and the travels of man as well as man’s mind in exposure to fictional creations. Maybe science fiction is becoming something of a teacher’s element for our species as it grows ever closer (without getting much humanly closer), as it seems we humans only learn through pain and repetition. Exploring boundaries before we catch up with them as scenarios can contribute to preventing ourselves from reinventing the wheels of applied experimentation with us as the mice.

    Who knows. Either way, this is a book to enjoy, very much so.