Trying a New Genre

There isn't a genre of books that the Book Jam Lisas hate or avoid as we both try not to prejudge any book. And, we hope to remain open to whatever we can learn or be entertained by, always. We also freely admit Sci-Fi and Romance are not our go-to genres.  Luckily, Lisa Christie knows Dawson Nichols. This is a good thing as she likes and admires him (and his family). It also means she was lucky enough to receive copy of his first novel - Terminal Dispatch - a while ago - before it's June 2022 publication date. Seeing it on her shelf last week, under a stack of books that will eventually guide her walking the Camino and the UK's Coast to Coast trails, led to the realization we never reviewed it for Book Jam followers. This led to reviewing Terminal Dispatch today. This, in turn, will inspire our next set of reviews -- other books we are lucky to read way in advance because we know the authors as friends.  

Terminal Dispatch by Dawson Nichols (2022). The fact Nichols is an award-winning playwright is apparent from the very first pages of his first novel - Terminal Dispatch. Characters are complicated and plot moves quickly, with enough dramatic pauses to allow you to breathe a bit. The fully realized world Nichols creates easily allows you to create your own movie version in your head. In Terminal Dispatch, the planet Thalinraya’s terraforming project, is being sabotaged by unidentified ships and Tab must trust in his friends, Vie and Wil, to help him escape before the planet comes apart. Terminal Dispatch is the first book in a new series that addresses very topical questions around artificial intelligence, and explores what our drive to survive often costs. Pick it up for a great summer page-turner, even if you are not a Sci-Fi person.  And note, because I am not an unbiased reviewer, please read this review by Robert Sindelar of Seattle's Third Place Books & former President of the American Booksellers Association, “Dawson Nichols is a dazzling storyteller. Terminal Dispatch explodes onto the page and takes the reader for a thrilling and unpredictable ride. This is cutting edge world building in the tradition of William Gibson and Neal Stephenson.”~ Lisa Christie

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