Northgate is a city in turmoil. Decaying, violent and corrupt, it is a common enough place in the mid-twenty-first century save for one difference: a discovery has been made on the lunar surface, the ramifications of which will echo all the way to Northgate. Into the city has come Michael Flynn. Jobless and down to his last few dollars, Michael nevertheless dreams of making a difference of his own. He has no family, no friends save for the freelancer known only as Diomedes, and tonight they will lose their home to arson. When Diomedes becomes his mentor in their search for the one responsible, Michael will get his chance to realize those dreams. But he will need to find the courage to face far more personal things than fire before he succeeds, for like a shadow in the flames, neither arsonist nor mentor may be what they seem. ...and those who search the moon may be watching him as well.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Entanglements and quests from the safety of your living room,
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This review is from: A Shadow in the Flames (Paperback)
I don't know what I expected when I started this book. I think I was leery of a first novel, but within a few pages Munz had me hooked. The story is remarkably philosophical without being pedantic or rhetorical. The blending of perspective, a sort of speaking stick between characters gave you a chance to see each event, character, and situation from several sides. It was seamless.The character at the true focus of the novel matures and grows over the course of the story (one of my favourite things, I love adventure and so on but I lose interest in characters that are so wooden they are left unaffected by the most mind-numbing events). The maturation of the primary character, starting from his sense of confusion and hope, to one where he stands not just on his own (another fantasy, the solo superhero), but as a member of a society that shares his values, his ideals, and gives shape to his imagination. The characters least explored are the violent ones. In truth, no amount of justification in a character study allows me to see the value of violence. Munz treats his characters with a generous heart and even those characters from whom the human heart has been eviscerated, Munz treats with a strong, delicate touch. I felt for everyone in the novel (except, of course, the true evil master mind whose presence was rare and yet pervasive). There was pretty much a bit of everything in this book, action, adventure, intelligence, thrills, chills, and romance. No book is complete without characters that don't develop feelings for each other. It just wouldn't ring true. Munz hints at events more complex than those witnessed in the novel. He does this with the deft touch of a story teller, what is needed in the scene is seeded in the scenes before. He gives you enough to be pleasing, not so much that you need a score card in the book to track what is going on. Besides, who said we had to understand mad men and their ways? Munz ties things up with an opening. Brilliant. Write more.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An entertaining and plausible work of speculative fiction,
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This review is from: A Shadow in the Flames (Paperback)
Michael G. Munz has painted a vivid portrait of his vision of our world in 2051 by verbally constructing Northgate, a city that has degenerated into a hardened, seedy place that makes even the toughest men apprehensive about entering there alone. We are also treated to a glimpse of the Moon and all its many secrets from this author's fertile imagination. Munz has the exceptional ability of creating a character, molding the personality and physical traits with glimpses of their psyche, to create a living, breathing person. Subtly revealing the plot in small, frequent increments, the reader is compelled and intrigued with to find the resolution of the story. With realistic advancements in technology and the insight into man's never-ending greed and corruption, Michael G. Munz makes this an entertaining and plausible work of speculative fiction.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Engaging from start to finish.,
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This review is from: A Shadow in the Flames (Paperback)
I enjoyed learning about and following each character through the story. The descriptions are complete and concise, allowing the story to play like a movie in my head. Each section is written from a different character's point of view, allowing the story to be approached from different angles simultaneously. Brilliant, really.
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