Review: CORE RULESET by Timothy Bryan

Release January 15, 2023

First off, let me start at the end, and shout THAT ENDING!!! THAT ENDING!!!
[NO! Do not turn immediately to the end to see what I mean!!] On the surface, CORE RULESET is a novel about a downtrodden "David" vs. a multitude of unstoppable "Goliaths," from overbuilt bullies, to snooty self-centered, to the "Big Billionaires" whose octopus corporations seem to control the economy. Author Timothy Bryan elicited my empathy for this "feckless hero," whose life seems doomed to rejection and repulsion at every turn, the "guy who just can't get a break." Next level is a story of Supernatural Villainy vs. Police Procedural, as individual after individual--some connected, most disparate--are struck down in unlikely but unstoppable ways, ensuring not only their imminent demise but also their punishment. Third level: what you think is happening is just the facade. Life-changing AND life-ending: but HOW? and WHY? and WHOM?

The classic confrontational Denouement of Law vs. Villain is startling and amazing, then Anticlimax, then THAT ENDING!! 5 Stars for Implacability!!!