NOT SO DONE

NOT SO DONE Charles Levin AuthorPublished by: A Sam Sunborn Novel
Release Date: July 24, 2020
Pages: 411
ISBN13: 978-1-7352108-0-3
ASIN: B08BYXPMRD
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What if an international terrorist teamed up with white nationalists to plot the deadliest attack in American history? Who can stop them?

NOT SO DONE, a new fast-paced thriller from the bestselling author of NOT SO DEAD and NOT SO GONE . . .

In NOT SO DONE, Sam Sunborn, Rich Little, Michelle Hadar, and Renata Fermi return to wage their greatest battle yet, keep the country safe and save their own families.

But wait! The Leopard is back with a nefarious plot of his own in Paris and New York, using bodyjacking technology he ripped off from Frank Einstein. Can Sam and his rag-tag team use wit and will alone to prevent a global disaster?

If you like heart-pounding action, mind-bending inventions, and terrifying villains, then you'll love Charles Levin's gripping saga.

Buy NOT SO DONE to plug into a cyber thrill-ride today!

Reviews:

"The third of the Sam Sunborn books, Not So Done is a fast-paced thriller that follows perfectly in the footsteps of its predecessors. A spy technothriller for the modern age that you won't be able to put down until you see how Sam and his team can handle not just one, but two threats facing the world."
-- Jo Niederhoff, San Francisco Book Review

 

Not So Done blends time travel with an international thriller to produce a read attractive to fans of sci-fi and espionage alike. Charles Levin does a fine job of exploring the murky intersection between science and global issues as he portrays Sam Sunborn, Rich Little, Michelle Hadar, and Renata Fermi's struggles to contain disaster.

From an explosion of victims of the futuristic crime of bodyjacking (stealing bodies and implanting minds in them) to virtual character Sam's involvement in the abuse of technology that has spawned a crime wave of criminal kidnappers, Not So Done opens with a bang of murder, deception, and virtual living. Levin evolves a steady stream of technological chatter to engage and enthrall science-minded readers interested in a blend of hard science and edgy writing.

The fact that author Levin has a degree in philosophy and 26 years of experience in tech lends to a unique approach that blends these disciplines in a compelling, realistic manner. Indeed, he points out from the beginning that all the technology, science, organizations, and global challenges covered in his fictional story are actually based on today's reality and possibilities. It's a frighteningly realistic scenario that evolves as Sam confronts his role in fostering a form of virtual reality that is literally a killer achievement.

 

In this story, Sam faces a deadly force in an international terrorist who joins with American white supremacists to pose a technological threat like no other. Time is literally not on his side as Sam pursues the scientific, social, and political conundrums and dangerous moves that threaten the world he's played a major role in creating.

 

From hackers, engineers, and classified information to decoding routines that challenge even the most brilliant minds, Not So Done not only spins a good yarn, but keeps its action fast-paced by moving between character viewpoints. Like a good puzzle, each changing perspective adds a piece to the bigger questions evolving the storyline.

 

The switches between first and third-person narration will keep readers on their toes, but there's seldom any question about whose point of view is being explored. Levin's ability to provide a seamless interface during the course of telling his story makes for a tale that is replete in attention-grabbing detail and changes, yet logical and entirely smooth in its revelations and mercurial viewpoints.

 

The dialogue is nicely crafted, and time is taken to provide background details on individual psyches and environmental influences. Thus, Not So Done's forays through software glitches, international threats, and political intrigue are all well done and smoothly engrossing.

 

Readers looking for a fast-paced thriller which takes its time to develop multiple characters, a solid science foundation for its action, and a concept that places terrorist attempts on a different level than most non-science stories will relish Not So Done for its well-spun, page-turning roller coaster of action and possibility. It's very highly recommended reading for techno-thriller readers who want their science as solid as the social and political intrigue.

 

-Diane Donovan, Senior Reviewer -- Midwest Book Review

 

A virtual computer whiz hopes that the third time's a charm as he again faces a vicious family of terrorists in this techno-thriller. 
 
In this third installment of his Sam Sunborn series, Levin has the hero making more hard choices. As the first chapter opens, Sam is pining to his virtual partner, genius Frank Einstein, about needing a physical body again. They had developed "re-instantiation," which allowed virtual identities to be injected into physical bodies. That technology was stolen by a terrorist called The Leopard, who is also virtual. He may be running a "bodyjacking" operation in Paris. But events dictate that Frank return Sam to a physical form. Rich Little, Michelle Hadar, and Renata Fermi, Sam's allies at the Department of Homeland Security, need his help in solving amass attack on the Congressional Black Caucus and a poisoning of everyone at an Indiana grocery store. To solve these crimes, they need to track down The Leopard; his sister, Ashaki; and a cell of White nationalists. Meanwhile, Sam's wife, Monica, leaves him. Complicating matters for Sam is that parts of the body Frank created for him using quantum objective reduction keep fading in and out. So Sam is greatly challenged while attempting to save both his country and his marriage. Levin certainly wants to create a stir, jamming all sorts of characters and action into this book. He presciently includes a pandemic and updated his manuscript after Covid-19 hit. It's not essential to have read the previous two entries, Not So Dead (2017) and Not So Gone (2018), but it helps, as many characters in those novels make appearances here. The quick-paced narrative of this installment is primarily a battle of wits between Sam and Ashaki, with The Leopard causing chaos as well. The author's battle with cancer while writing this thriller informs Sam's thoughts on his mortality. Sam is forced throughout to choose between personal aims and the public good, and the question is whether he can have it all. The conclusion leaves that answer in doubt, with an opportunity for the series to continue should Levin decide to do so.
 
This riveting series installment continues to ask if eternal life is worthwhile after all." -- Kirkus Review