‘Purpose’ by Andrew Q Gordon, #LGBT #Review #NewRelease

Mtsnow13 reviews Andrew Q Gordon’s book ‘Purpose’ published by Dreamspinner Publications October 6th, 2015. 270 pages.

  

Why did MtSnow read this one: Wow. Well, I read the blurb, and honestly was pulled in by the cover image. Duality. A Host. What an interesting premise. Had me chasing my tail and rereading a few paragraphs to make sure I was understanding what was going on.

BLURB:

Forty years ago the Spirit of Vengeance—a Purpose—took William Morgan as its host, demanding he avenge the innocent by killing the guilty. Since then, Will has retreated behind Gar, a façade he uses to avoid dealing with what he’s become. Cold, impassive, and devoid of emotion, Gar goes about his life alone—until his tidy, orderly world is upended when he meets Ryan, a broken young man cast out by his family. Spurred to action for reasons he can’t understand, Gar saves Ryan from death and finds himself confronted by his humanity.

Spending time with Ryan helps Will claw out from under Gar’s shadow. He recognizes Ryan is the key to his reclaiming his humanity and facing his past. As Will struggles to control the Purpose, Ryan challenges him to rethink everything he knew about himself and the spirit that possesses him. In the process, he pushes Will to do something he hasn’t done in decades: care. 

REVIEW:

Spirit of Vengeance. But is it really a spirit? The ‘being’ reminds me a bit of a combination of Meyer’s The Host, Jordan L Hawk’s SPECTR, and Libby Drew’s 40 Souls To Keep. At about the halfway mark, I kept getting this sense of foreboding, even though it was encouraging to see Gar(Will) start ‘feeling’ again, and not be do mechanical and detached from his emotions and his bodies actions. 
A voiceless being, but a strong compulsion just the same. Empathy for victims, or just a job?

This story had me going in circles a bit. I will say it’s an easy one to get lost in, as to the way ‘It’ communicates with Will/Gar. It wasn’t by any means a typical romance, and so much happened in the last chapters that I’m still digesting my thoughts. It was definitely an interesting premise.

This story has a very scifi vibe, and as the reader you get a definite feel of something going on when he meets Ryan, but you just don’t know what. I found it funny that Gar initially thought of Ryan as a kid, and seriously was thinking maybe he was a teenager the way Gar’s mind described him. Then a few chapters later we find out he’s 23 years old, and that Gar is in a 25 yr old’s body. That there makes the cover picture seem a bit old for him. But I really liked the new cover.

As for the new cover design, I do believe it gives the story the right feel, with the dark and mysterious man split in two, but more so the character we are introduced to later in the story than the almost fresh, newly awakened Will we get to meet during the beginning chapters.

It was a journey, but one that left me thinking, a lot. It left me almost with more questions than answers. So much going on, and at the end, well, the reader is almost allowed to think anything they’d like. An interesting premise for sure. I’m glad I read this one and would definitely recommend for the scifi fan as well as fans of non-conventional romance.

8.5/10 pots of gold

  
Where to purchase: DSP Publications * Amazon * Barnes & Noble 

About the Author: 

Andrew Q. Gordon wrote his first story back when yellow legal pads, ball point pens were common and a Smith Corona correctable typewriter was considered high tech. His books blend LGBTQ characters with his lifelong love of fantasy and the paranormal to produce a different voice for readers. Though most of his stories fall into the epic fantasy or contemporary paranormal molds, the occasion contemporary LGBTQ work will push its way to the front.

Andrew currently lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his husband of twenty years, their young daughter and three dogs. In addition to dodging some very self-important D.C. ‘insiders’, Andrew uses his commute to catch up on his reading. When not working or writing, he enjoys soccer, high fantasy, baseball and seeing how much coffee he can drink in a day and still fall asleep at night. You can find Andrew on-line at http://www.andrewqgordon.com.

Follow Andrew:

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/andrewqugordon,

On Twitter: @andrewqgordon,

Or just email him: andrew@andrewqgordon.com