Book review: Quick by Steve Worland

Quick by Steve Worland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Steve Worland is predominantly a screenwriter, and that is clearly evident by reading this book. From the start it is full of action and adventure and reads like a movie playing in front of your eyes.

I read that one of Worland's goals is to get more men, and boys, reading and therefore he appeals to their sense of adventure. He is happy to be seen as "another" Matthew Reilly and wants to write blokey adventure stories with an Australian hero.

He definitely hits his goals with this book. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it, and quickly told my husband he needs to read it too!

I won the audiobook from Bolinda (thank you), and the narrator was good, but not great. A few little things, like he has an American accent which is a little off-putting with a story that has an Australian main character, and initially is based in Australia. He can't do an Australian accent and his attempts at European accents (French, German, Russian) all sounded like a strange Russian to me. I found it such a shame that for an author who really wanted to have an Australian hero, the audio narrator was not Australian.
And while I'm on the nationalistic theme, there were just a few things that the MC said that are American-isms. I know that Worland works in the US and he probably doesn't even realise he did it, but his editor should have. Especially when the MC is meant to have never left Australia before (they called his annual leave "vacation time" and McDonalds "Mickey Dees" which Australians call "Maccas"). I know they are only small things, but they always stick out at me as an indication of the quality of the writing and editing.

Anyhow, don't let that stop you. Go and read this book! :)

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