Chain Reaction

The Phenom League

By: T. C. Archer

Narrated by: Robert Coltrane

Length: 6 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

For love of country and a woman, Jordan Pierce must sacrifice his humanity.

Former Chicago Detective Jordan Pierce put his life on hold in order to protect America's secret weapon against the Nazis - The Manhattan Project. But he can't protect himself against the disease eating away at his humanity. Jordan discovers how much of his soul this infection has devoured when he falls in love with the woman who could destroy America. Choosing her means choosing the monster he's becoming, making him the most powerful man he's ever known.

©2012 T. C. Archer (P)2015 T. C Archer

The A Bomb and a Vampire

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Probably not, most my friends like to read the books I read. This book is something I and my friends might enjoy as a documentary or movie.

What other book might you compare Chain Reaction to and why?

I don't remember reading anything like this book before, really not my cup of tea. I, whether right or wrong, think of this as a man's book, but maybe not even that that it is also paranormal.

What does Robert Coltrane bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

In my opinion, most narrators bring the story to the mind, like watching a movie. The narrator did his part in doing this for me. Being an audio book is the only reason that I read this book, I would not have ever read it otherwise.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I can't think of any moment, maybe just the over feeling of regret for what the main character was going through, being turned against his will and having to make the best of a bad situation.

WWII German Spies vs a Vampire Detective

Jordan Pierce use to be a Chicago police detective until he was attacked and turned into a vampire. Now he is in private security guarding the scientists at a Chicago university who are working on the Manhattan project.

This would of been a good historical mystery without the paranormal elements. There is some very interesting history contained in the book. For example I never realized that the scientists who worked on the Manhattan project had a Chicago campus that they worked at.

Jordan is fighting what he now has become, referring to his vampirism as being a disease from which he longs for a cure. In order to defeat the villains Jordan will need to accept and embrace his vampirism.

I think this book could be a great start to a series and do hope that the author will write sequels.

“I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review."

An Interesting, Consistent Story

CHAIN REACTION was an interesting take on the romance genre. I felt it sounded more noir-ish thriller. There were places I was lost but soon caught back up. The story moved along at a fast pace with good characters. It also stayed consistent in that the reader's style was that of noir, gumshoe who gets involved with the heroine whose good but also bad. There was even something paranormal in the story. It was an overall good listen from T.C. ARCHER and was definitely different with tie-ins from multiple genres.

ROBERT COLTRANE'S performance was really good. At first it stood out and was something different from anything I've heard but he gets very interesting. I don't know how to describe it. He spoke monotone yet it sounded like old fashioned noir. It worked well. I'd be interested in seeing these two pair up again.

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."

This is a really neat concept

Any additional comments?

Great narration, I loved the concept, and the story kept me entertained. I have visited Oak Ridge TN (not the set for this book, but the government created a town for the building of the bomb in this location too) and the research in this story was plain to see - while being blended creatively with the supernatural -- fascinating!

Gritty mix of fact and fiction.

Wasn't sure where this book was going at the start, the narrator gives it a very Philip Marlow'esque atmosphere which is in fact just right for the sort of story that unfolds. A mixture of detective story, romance and oddly enough some paranormal goings on are tied in with the real world development of the Manhattan Project during World War Two which gives the whole plot a degree of surreal realism. I just had to keep listening. If I had read the book I would be describing it as a page turner. What's more there are clearly more books to come - can't wait.

Great story, Great Storyteller!

What did you love best about Chain Reaction?

There were 3 main reasons why I loved Chain Reaction:

1) The incredibly accurate historical references to places and people were like a snapshot from a day in history.

2) The gritty Film noir style voices the narrator made this tale come alive with.

3) The plot twists that just kept coming and coming, and throwing more and more people with special abilities together. It was like having the Avengers, the Nazis, MI6, and the X-Men in the 1940's WWII Era all converging on Eckhart Hall... and the people responsible for the atomic bomb.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Chain Reaction?

One of the most memorable moments of Chain Reaction was the fire. For any who may have felt that the fire which consumed Acme Truck Rentals in Chapter Thirteen was a convenient but not-too-likely event that enabled the authors to put unfair pressure on Jordan Pierce, this fire actually did take place on October 2, 1942—the very date the
story takes place. I'm only sorry Jordan Pierce wasn't there to save those brave men.

Which character – as performed by Robert Coltrane – was your favorite?

Without a doubt - Jordan Pierce. Robert brought Jordan Pierce to life with reads that totally embodied the "film noir" & "hard-boiled" feel for this Sci-Fi & Romance Thriller. I kept thinking of a young Ray Liotta as a 1940's detective in a trench coat... who also happened to be learning how to deal with his new found Vampiric powers.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The fire scene was very moving and was based on history. An acetylene welding torch started a 5-11 alarm fire at the Acme Truck Rentals garage on S Wells Street in Chicago, when a spark from the torch ignited a section of the garage's wooden wall. Firefighters from the Chicago Fire Department were battling the flames when a wall collapsed on nine firefighters, burying them under tons of debris.

Firefighter Thomas Fitzgerald of Truck Co 14 died immediately, and Captain William Steed, acting chief of the 8th battalion, died from his injuries one day later at Mercy Hospital. More than $100,000 worth of equipment was lost in the fire, including truck tractors and tires that
had been set aside to support United States efforts during World War II.

Again - I'm just sorry that Jordan Pierce wasn't really there to save them that day.

Any additional comments?

Loved it! Get this audio book if you like Film Noir, The X-Men, Vampires, and International Intrigue. There's some great erotic romance moments too, but it doesn't get too graphic.