China: The Flense (Volume 1)

Only reason this gets 4 instead of 5 stars is the icky self-righteousness of the main character in a part towards the end. The ends of the enemy group aren't bad or unnatural, it's their means of getting there that are the problem. A lot of books and stories fall prey to this - "I, Evil Bastard Man, have DONE THE THING! Now the dragon of death will be slain forever!" "How EVIL of Evil Bastard Man, and how EVIL the slaying of the dragon that is death is! Not only must we stop Evil Bastard Man, we must MAKE SURE THAT ALL HIS WORK IS DESTROYED, that people may die in perpetuity, for such is NATURAL and GOOD!" Gets old.

This book is part mystery, part medical thriller, and part horror. Its imagery is vivid, so much so that I felt a bit nauseated at times. It starts with a train crash in China that leaves only one survivor and the ensuing conspiracy is far-reaching and evil. There's no other way to describe it. There are powerful people and powerful corporations taking advantage of the poor, the anonymous, and the powerless for money. Sometimes they try to justify it as trying to make life better for people, but they treat people like lab animals and then laugh about it. Like I said--evil.The main character of the book is Angelique de l'Enfantine, a French woman married to an America she is separated from. She studied to be a doctor, but didn't finish, and instead is a medical reporter. She's also an heiress, which helps since she travels all over the place during the course of this book.She sees things she isn't supposed to while investigating the story of the train crash and is soon on the run from people who don't want her digging too deeply. The problem is she doesn't know who is on her side and who isn't. Neither do we. When she finally figures out the truth, again the imagery is quite gross and the unethical and illegal behavior of its proponents disgusts her and us. Also, the idea that this human experimentation is continuing leaves you with the feeling that it can get out-of-control very easily and threaten humanity.Angel, as she prefers to be called, does have some allies, namely, Norstrom. He's a secret agent, but she doesn't know where he's from. He warns her to get away from this thing, but, of course, she doesn't.There is also a mysterious "man in black" that appears rarely. Angel and we have no idea who he is. An additional mystery involves her brother--is he alive or dead? Does he have a part in all this? We don't know yet.This is a very good book. I started out thinking it was an apocalyptic viral story, but it isn't. It can easily turn apocalyptic, though. There seem to be very few people with ethical standards, which, unfortunately, mirrors our society today.This is the first book in a long series. I have the next two Flense books, but it will be quite costly to read the entire series. That is unfortunately.I highly recommend this book.

i came here from the bunker 12 series. I am astonished, caught completely unexpected and intrigued to find this better edited and enthralled to binge on this series now. So on to the next in the series. Then on to whatever else Saul has on kindle unlimited. I am hooked, netted, flayed, cooked, digested, and expelled. Wonderful.

I would like a lot more meat and a lot less matter. I am not tempted to continue reading this series Too many damn words

Good action novel with constant twists to keep you guessing on where the story is headed. I've already obtained book 2, Iceland, to start reading.

This is a very interesting beginning (parts1-3) of a 12 part series which shows a great deal of potential to become an apocalyptic story. While the hints are there so far there is no true apocalypse. I enjoyed the intrigue and still have many questions but it is very detailed. I understand much of this is required to get the ball rolling because of the many threads that run through this epic tale. And I definitely feel that I have to read the next segments. I do recommend it especially if you like a lot of mystery mixed with edge of your seat tension.I read this book from my Kindle Unlimited program and I recommend it as well.

I found the story refreshing from most apocalypse story's I've read lately thanks keep writing looking forward to the next book

This series is one long con. Over twelve books he doesn't manage to wrap up a single character's story or fate. We are left hanging (after 12 books!) about ALL the main characters. We end up not knowing what happened to any of them. Terrible. What a waste of time. I lost my time. Don't lose yours. The tragedy is that he is otherwise a smart writer. He just won't wrap anything up. And no, it isn't an artsy thing. He simply leaves it all hanging. Again, don't start because it won't finish.

This book is quite interesting. The China descriptions are largely realistic. The pace is about right. I really enjoyed it. I hope the action stays in China