Metal

Lawrence is demonstrating his worth as a science fiction writer of depth and imagination.His characters are well crafted and each flawed in their own way, with the exception of Rhino, who I think gets through life with no flaws at all.The demolition of society is carried out in a novel manner that, like all good science fiction, is rooted in fact. The solution is imaginative and believable.I am happy to have found this relatively new writer and would recommend his work without hesitation. I shall be ready to buy his new work, sight unseen, just in the basis of Metal.

I loved this book, it was unique and thought provoking, the characters were addictive and the plot fast paced. Fantastic and varied narration, I look forward to seeing whats next.

I read this hopeful from the book's synopsis for a thoughtful, if pacey, sci-fi thriller in the Michael Crichton mould. However it really fails to deliver, descending very quickly into a formulaic post-apocalyptic "shoot-em-up". The story portrays a remarkably rapid descent of American society into anarchy, in which our protagonists (led by two special-ops soldiers and an ex-military scientist) adopt a policy of "shoot first, think later" (the condition of the recipients consistently precluding any asking of questions).The author is clearly very pro-gun, and uses the book to push the common justification of "if everyone has guns, we need mo' guns". Only one of the myriad interactions between the group and others completes with the exchange as agreed and everyone standing, the more usual outcome is complete carnage with the justification of "the mission" (to find a cure) being paramount. Those in the group with a more sensitive disposition all meet sticky ends, and only the "warriors" survive.All this wouldn't matter so much if the story had solid, consistent sci-fi underpinnings, but that's not the case. The concept of a contagion with an element which rapidly corrodes common metals is a good one. However that is then elaborated past the point of believability, with almost the whole of mankind infected overnight by a cocktail of our deadliest diseases, which have somehow been engineered to produce almost no human symptoms but to destroy any nearby metal with not much more than a nasty look. The fact that we already protect ferrous metals in particular with coatings, by alloying or plating them with less reactive elements, or embedding them in bodies of glass, rubber and concrete is quietly ignored. This results in a situation where a gun can be protected despite repeated handing by wiping it with disinfectant, but someone obviously licked the Golden Gate Bridge and it collapsed.A corollary of the in-credible science is very little discussion of possible solutions. What there is, is inconsistent: there's a list of the viral components and their metal targets, but a few pages later the priorities include one not on the list, and the list of "likely" vaccines ignores the fact vaccines for coronaviruses like COVID-19 have literally been developed within weeks of the viruses being identified. There appear to be other editing errors too: a note from the villain includes a hidden message, but the following discussion refers to elements which are not in the text, at least in the Kindle edition.If you want a good fast-paced romp with lots of people being shot, this may be for you, but if you want a more measured thoughtful sci-fi thriller look elsewhere.

I came across this author on Twitter and decided to try the first book, Metal. It’s a fast-paced technothriller with elements of both post-apocalyptic horror and military action. Think Michael Crichton meets early Daniel Suarez, with a sprinkling of The Last of Us.Suddenly the world is gripped by a devastating plague. Starting in the States, common metals begin to rust and corrode with catastrophic speed. Within days, critical infrastructure fails, since modern society is one hundred percent reliant on the base metals. Iron, steel, titanium, aluminum, copper, zinc, metal is all around us, and without them, civilization crumbles.Wall, our hero, must team up with a group of elite soldiers to figure out what has happened, and how to reverse the disaster. However, Wall is involved on a deeper level …I’m not going to speculate on the possibility of a virus being spread by humans and affecting abiotic materials in this way, but I decided early on that the contagion doesn’t matter. The theory behind the rusting isn’t important. What I loved about the story is the plot. All common metals are rusting away, and what would happen? How would you deal with it?The strength of the story is in the characters, the action, the wealth of details, the suspense, and the action. The author clearly did his homework. He knows how guns work. How soldiers fight. The story is never boring, filled with puns and funny situations, and Beef Jerky—lots of Beef Jerky.And the real horror of the novel is that this could happen. Life imitates art. There are real James Bond villains out there. Some want all farming to stop, so that we would have to eat bugs to survive. Another wants to block out the sunshine and trigger an ice age. And just like in that Stargate SG-1 episode where an alien race gives humanity a vaccine that renders all women sterile, there are maniacs among the world’s elite that think we need a drastic reduction in population. To me, someone releasing a contagion to send us back to the stone age sounds absolutely conceivable!I really hope there are heroes out there, like Rhino, Plink, Wall, and Aspen, that are willing to stop these people once and for all.Metal is not only a great novel, entertaining and full of suspense, it’s also an important warning.

Metal by J.F. Lawrence is a thoroughly researched tale of how humanity could be brought to its knees. The width and breadth of the scientific knowledge and worldbuilding were nothing short of impressive. This attention to detail raised the stakes and maintained a sense of plausibility that created a harrowing warning in this gripping tale.The story follows Wall, a vet who has turned his focus to scientific study. While he created a way to rust metal in the hopes of bettering the world, a comrade he trusted uses it to end the world instead. Gas lines explode. Vehicles and buildings fall apart. Even medical equipment imbedded in people is failing. And now special ops has come to get Wall's help in finding a cure. Throughout the book, Wall remains steadfast in his guilt over the part he played in unleashing this nightmare on the world, but he doesn't let it, or about a million injuries incurred, stop him from giving his all to making things right. His intelligence, determination, and compassion make him an easy character to relate to and root for.My other favorite character is Plink, his love interest. A highly trained and skilled member of special ops, she is the brawn to Wall's brain. A woman who can kick butt and take names, she also has a wicked sense of humor and her own type of compassion, though often she suppresses it for the sake of the mission. Their flirting definitely adds a fun tone to an otherwise intense read.While the majority of the book goes at break-neck pace, there was a chunk in the middle that meandered. There was a lot of action (almost non-stop), yet nothing was actually happening to move the plot forward of finding a cure. It remained enjoyable to read, but I was definitely getting antsy to return to the meat of the story. And when we did, the book goes out with one majorly emotional bang.Overall, if you're a fan of science and post-apocalyptic tales featuring unique characters, this is a must read.

World in meltdown, chaos explodes after a scientist's wild gamble. Ex-soldier Terrance Mathison dives into the madness, chasing answers and survival in a crumbling reality.This pulse-pounding sci-fi grips you from page one. Realistic characters, including a steely-eyed romance, fight for a future as Terrance grapples with who he must become to face the nightmare he inherits.Brian Avers' narration is pure magic, breathing life into every voice and keeping you glued to the edge of your seat.Buckle up and blast off with METAL – a thrilling ride you won't forget.

What the book’s synopsis doesn’t tell you is that the pathogen was created from a bacterial strain capable of metabolizing metal. Steel, iron, aluminum—doesn’t matter, everything that builds our world and sustains most of our processes had some form of affected metal in it. Can you imagine what would happen if we were suddenly stripped of all that?Metal does a good job from the outset of describing the potential aftermath. Buildings collapse, most electronics are useless, every major form of transportation is dead, surgical pins corrode… Seriously, this was bad news for humanity, and an incredibly creative take on an apocalyptic scenario.And with the collapse of society, the worst of humanity comes out to play. In their search to find/create a cure, there is plenty of danger. The main character is injured multiple times throughout the book, and I appreciated the realism employed with some of those injuries, particularly the concussions. He survives some situations through sheer luck alone (which becomes a point of humor as the story progresses.)Despite his wounds, he never gives up. Neither do the people he finds himself with, but they are all forced to make some tough decisions. “The mission is all,” was a common mantra.This book has Michael Crichton/Blake Crouch vibes, so if you’re a fan of their work, I encourage you to check out Metal. It’s well worth the read.

I thoroughly enjoyed the rusting aspect of this book. Apocalyptic stories can easily turn rote and cliche, but the addition of the rusting kept this story fresh and provided a new dimension I haven’t seen before. The characters are easy to root for, and even though I feel the story dragged a bit in the middle the ending came strong and satisfying.