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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 166 customer reviews )
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88 of 98 found the following review helpful:
Delightful, genre-bending entertainment Apr 16, 2010
By J. T. Thorleifson
"Sci-Fi Fanatic"
Sometimes you get more than you pay for. The $2.99 Kindle edition of Lee Doty's "Out of the Black" is a bargain. "Out of the Black" is an amalgam of cop thriller, science fiction and magical fantasy. The mix is highly entertaining. The plot is taut, fast moving, and original. The prose is solidly crafted. Characters are fully realized, engaging and likable. The plot lines of the two protagonists cleverly interweave to converge in a rousing climax. The dialog is delicious; I often found myself laughing out loud. Particularly enjoyable is the cop banter between protagonist Detective Ping Bannon and coworkers. On the funny meter "Out of the Black" compares well to, for example, "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson.
My only nitpick with "Out of the Black" is the omnipresence of '80's pop cultural references. For instance, Blade Runner: The Director's Cut" is a cult classic for my generation, but perhaps of limited wider appeal. Such references make "Out of the Black" less accessible to a wider audience, and may ultimately detract from the book's ability to stand the test of time.
I suspect Lee Doty is the outcome of a secret genetic experiment combining DNA from Richard K. Morgan and Dean Koontz. If so, he's an experiment gone happily awry. Doty's work combines the best of Morgan and Koontz, and exhibits a refreshing optimism and faith in humanity lacking in either. "Out of the Black" does not fit neatly into any single genre; no doubt this makes selling books tough for Mr. Doty. But for jaded readers lucky enough to find him, the result is pure delight. I can't wait for more.
34 of 36 found the following review helpful:
 Depends on the reader Jan 13, 2011
By Robert Hafernik
This book is certainly worth the price. Doty has several parts of the writing craft perfected: the characters are nicely drawn and pull you into the story. The plotting is strong and direct. The themes are clear, but don't whack you in the face. That said, the book didn't work for me in two ways. First, the pacing is off. Doty goes from 100 MPH to zero in one sentence. Character-building flashbacks happen inside of action sequences. It's not that the characters don't get built, it's just severely jarring to change gears so fast. Second, the novel rides along on an extended reality of magical stuff that is never explained, not even in a hand-waving sort of way. I'm willing to believe that there is a "Loom" at the core of our reality that can be worked by the very skilled to give themselves extraordinary abilities, but the author needs to meet me half-way by explaining what's going on, how it works and its limitations.
Buy the book and see a new writer in proto form. I think Doty is going to be good - possibly even great - once he works out a couple of kinks. At this price, you can't hardly go wrong.
40 of 47 found the following review helpful:
 Funny and Smart Jun 18, 2010
By DAVID R THORSRUD
Like the guy who watches his lawn grow, I am more a fan of science fiction than fantasy and almost didn't buy this book. Unlike lawnmower man, I thought it was worth every penny - and more. The dialogue between the characters had me laughing out loud, the characters were interesting, the language was textured without being blatantly borrowed from other classic novels and the action was nonstop. Notably, the fantasy wasn't the unicorn frolicking type, but the what-if-hyperdimensional-physics-and-virtual-realities-could-explain-mystical-experiences type...more like The Matrix than Merlin the Magician. And when I say mystical, it is more along the lines of Obi Wan talking to Luke when he was dropping the torpedo down the gopher hole and not a pedestrian morality tale of how a genocidal, all loving, omniscient god wants you to love your brother. There are numerous references to pop culture which I ate up...but then not everyone is both a fan of BladeRunner and man enough to quote Vanilla Ice when the groaning gets tough.
Oh, and for those who liked the soundtrack to The Matrix: on the last page, the author writes his idea of the musicians who would do the soundtrack to a movie version of the book. I discovered Etnica and have been listening to them while I program. The Etnica Pandora channel is better then the Deep House, Drum&Bass, Juno Reactor, Crystal Method, or Psy Trance channels I've been listening to. So, I got a twofer with this book.
23 of 28 found the following review helpful:
What just happened Nov 28, 2010
By Steven Pereira
This is one of the oddest books I have ever read. I'm pretty sure I did't follow a good portion of this book. With that said...what a read! This author has crafted an amazing book. Without realizing it, you fall in live with his characters and can't put the book down. And talk about fast paced. The dialog bounces so fast you get dizzy. This guy is talented...I mean really, really talented. After I finished, I immediately starting looking for more. I searched and can't find another book. He needs to give us another fix...there has to be more. This book needs a sequel badly. Give us another.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Wow! Jan 03, 2011
By E. P. Monroe
I read the prologue and immediately emailed my wife and told her to buy this book! I could tell just in those few pages that this was a very gifted writer. I'm only half way through the book and I don't give a damn how it ends. It's just great writing! His powers of description, wit, and timing are phenomenal. This book is soooooo refreshing! I don't know where this guy came from but I hope he writes more.
What a sense of humor!
Read it. You'll love it!
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