Praise for Slipstream

SLIPSTREAM HAS RECEIVED 16 FIVE-STAR RATINGS ON GOODREADS.

"Michael Offutt has done his research for this book. There is just so much information packed into it. Those who like the deeper concepts of space-time manipulation, aliens, dystopian worlds, and parallel universes will find this book has a lot to offer.

If you're just looking for a nice sci-fi/fantasy read, you'll love it too. It starts off innocently enough but soon, they are transported to Avalon, a world where oddly created beings and out-of-our-earth concepts are reality.

Although most of it is science fiction and theoretical, he did a great job at creating new worlds. I don't want to give too much away, so it's better if you just buy the book."

                    -- Clarissa Draper, author of The Sholes Key

******

"At first I struggled with how to write this review, because I didn’t know where to begin. There are so many amazing elements to this story. I’m going to concentrate on what I loved about the story and forgo the synopsis because I don’t want to give too much away.

My first surprise while reading Slipstream was how scientifically backed all the technology and fantastical elements of the story were. I've read many science fiction stories that don’t follow the rules of their world, or pull things out of a hat. Slipstream is solid science and the author described the settings and gadgetry in such detail it made the world vivid, imaginative, and realistic.

This is not a quick read, but when you have so many great plot elements it takes time to insure the reader can follow. The complex plot kept me intrigued, but it isn't all science. This is a book of theology, complicated relationships, social issues, and so much more.

The two main characters are young adults, but this is not a book for the young or squeamish. Michael Oufft has a gift of writing horrific scenes that will stay with you. This is an edgy story with language, some sex, gore, and dark elements. Michael Oufft is beyond imaginative with his scary spiders and monsters, artificial intelligence, Liquid Life, slipstreams and killsuits, all wrapped up in a dark alternate world called Avalon.

I highly recommend this book to hard sci-fi fans or those who enjoy a complicated read with some gore."
                    -- Ciara Knight, author of The Curse of Gremdon

******

"This book is fast paced and full of excitement. The author has created an entire world that seems a bit too big to fit into the entire book. There are lots of interesting characters in Slipstream. I liked Jordan and his sister (I actually wish we could have seen a bit more of her in the story.) Jordan isn’t a typical high school kid, which makes him interesting. He’s smart but doesn’t always make the wisest decisions. I also loved how the writer wove in a lot of interesting bits of information about physics and science throughout the story. This may be a bit heavy on the sci-fi for some readers, but it is a lot of fun."

                    -- Alyson Burdette, author of Nightfire

******

"Slipstream was a brilliantly written, YA sci-fi novel. Once I started reading, it was hard to put down. The main character Jordan Pendragon is a little difficult to appreciate at first; he is extremely intelligent and a superior athlete, with a self centered attitude and emotionless demeanor that can be a bit off-putting, despite the tragedy the story beginning. As the story progresses, however, so does Jordan's emotional growth. I attribute the early lack as the author allowing his character growth potential; and that is well done because there is distinct growth.

I have to admit I was more drawn to the alternate world of Avalon and the overall story plot than I was to the characters. The characters were excellently portrayed; but the world and its unique technologies and concepts carried the story. Surgically implanted electronic and mechanical devices replaced the mystical natures of the vampire and succubi and augments the currency and addiction aspects of the story with the ingenious discovery of Life Green; and an artificial intelligence (AI) stands in place of an all knowing God.

Each new concept introduced was fully explained by the intervention of science; and yes, it all made perfect sense. The author's ability to describe his settings and gadgetry in minute detail made the word vivid, imaginative, and quite real.

The overall story plot progresses through a complex structure of introducing the characters, the importance of their roles in resolving the crisis the AI's split personality (a literal split in two), explaining ramifications to both world (Earth and Avalon) if the AI is not ultimately cured of its insanity, and the development of trust relationships between all the chosen hero's. I was impressed with the story's level of intrigue.

I would have liked the story to focus more on Jordan's use of the slipstream to resolve the overall story plot, but as this is the first book in a series, I understand the focus on world building. And of course there is romance; what hero would be complete without a love interest to make saving two worlds more than just a task to be completed. The middle of the story has a slow down where the relationship issues between Jordan and the sexy bad boy Kolin navigate their way through tumultuous issues of age, celebrity, and for Jordan, first love; but it picks up again once the romance plot is resolved. Jordan's twin, Kathy, also finds her heart captured by the combat veteran Dylan, and his puma familiar.

Overall, this was an exceptional integration of science, social issues, romance, theology, and yes, enough action to intruge any James Bond/Dr Who enthusiast. While I had grievances with some of the author's stylistic choices (pov and consistent use of pronouns) which are acceptable for most readers, I highly recommend this novel with a five star rating for creativity, and I look forward to the next installment, Oculus."

                    --Donna Hole, blogger and book reviewer

******

"Any book that begins with a teenager saying, "Last night, I died for the third time this week," gets my attention. But I was really hooked when this teenager ponders his physics class lesson by combining Schrodinger's Cat with speculations about God being forced to use angels to travel between dimensions because of the quantum laws he created, and the effects of "the one consciousness out there that we all happen to share."

"Slipstream" is an exciting science fiction adventure story that dares to expand the genre with inspirations from mythology, theology, horror, a touch of Arthurian legends, and a technological twist to Carl Jung's idea of the collective unconscious.

It begins with an orphaned teenager, Jordan Pendragon, who lives with his sister in Utah. He's a good student and a superb hockey player, but by the end of the first chapter his life is forever changed: a car accident puts him in a coma, and when he emerges from it he sees a mysterious Englishman invisible to everyone else. He also discovers that he can "slipstream" himself in space-time. When another "unreal" and much more threatening man trespasses into Jordan's life, the story takes off. Jordan and his sister Kathy are about to cross from Earth into the parallel world of Avalon.

"Avalon and Earth are similar worlds that occupy the same space in two different dimensions," Offutt explains. The destruction of Avalon began with shock waves from the first atomic blast in 1945 Earth. The society that rises from the ashes is Earth-like and recognizable, but also dystopian, futuristic, and even more violent and ruthless. (My own favorite touch: the exorbitant cost of medical care and the cold-hearted means an Avalon hospital will use to collect on a debt.) In this Brave New World there are vampires, succubi, crystal spiders, ghost robots and grotesque monsters, all of them the results of engineering and biologic augmentation. There is the obsession with youth and the desperate, deadly pursuit of a life force that can be drained from the young and sold to the highest bidder - a fact that makes Jordan, with his precious "Green Life," a prime target. There is, most important of all, a human-invented god in the form of an A.I. that makes this society run.

Michael Offut clearly has the scientific knowledge and vision to create a fascinating and complicated world that is spinning out of control and "phasing together" with Earth. When Jordan discovers that he is the chosen hero (or as I'd call him, the messiah) who must save Avalon, he infiltrates it by joining one of its professional hockey teams (yes, there's some humor in this, and it works). Because he can control the "slipstream" of time and space when he's out on the ice, he becomes a sports star, but in this dangerous world that's not always a good thing. In his corner is his sister, who proves to be strong and courageous and doesn't hesitate to put on a "killsuit" to go into battle. After all, they're orphans who have long since learned to be tough and self-reliant. Several intriguing Avalon characters plot and fight with them, including the mysterious Englishman who becomes a romantic figure to Jordan. But can Jordan trust him?

"Slipstream" is a wonderful first book in a trilogy, which is good news to me because Michael has created growing and changing characters I want to follow. He has also written a thrilling storyline that's too good to be confined to a single volume, and he isn't afraid to ask questions about the "gods" we create to fulfill our needs, and the dark side of these gods when we make them in our image. Avalon is a cautionary tale of what Earth will become like if we lose our souls and humanity. If you enjoy not only excellent science fiction but a rattling good yarn in any genre, you'll want to read "Slipstream."

                    --Helena Soister, author of The Compass Master

******