Intercepts

This book had so much promise.

With a laboratory opening scene reminiscent of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.

You pray for what's coming next: test-tube creations, strange experiments and possibly even worse.

But whereas Brave New World is a strangely brilliant book with realms of scope and funky ideas, even laugh-out-loud funny moments at times, Intercepts is closeted and restricted and doesn't expand or properly explain what felt so good at first.

Why does mankind think it's okay to treat experimental 'intercepts' like meaningless cattle or bunnies?

This isn't Nazi Germany and I was unhappy with the author's expectations of me.

Or maybe a Guantanamo Bay scenario where waterboarding is common practice and torture is just part of the deal? This sort of thing happens in real life so why not in books?

I accepted all of that:

✔ Secret government facilities hidden underground.

✔ Protocol and red tape that's not supposed to be flexible.

✔ People in authority who feel morally corrupt and wooden at best.

But Intercepts uses a banana skin storytelling method of gradually slipping up until the pack of cards tumbles down.

This made Intercepts transition from being a good read to a really rather empty one by the end.

We got:

❌ Boring bunkers!

❌ Pesky fiddling and predictable FBI agents.

❌ Silly CEOs who fail to get the work/leisure ratio right.

Although Intercepts is well written and entertaining, it's exempt from life-shattering reveals and lightbulb moments.

More in-depth scientific explanations were needed.

More humanity and basic feelings.

More crazy Bishop-styled synth moments from Aliens, with nasty white goo coming out of them.

More excitement and better banter.

Intercepts is a fantastical concept at first that goes nowhere special by the end, which lacks in frivolous fun, wacky sidesteps or satisfying conclusions.