It’s actually quite difficult to review a book you absolutely love.

Pithy one liners are much easier to come up with when you want to bring out the knives. I’ve been sitting here for the last twenty minutes trying to think of a good one liner to describe 7^th Son Descent, but I liked it so much I’ve got nothing pithy for you.

So instead let me tell you that 7^th Son: Descent is well worth your time, money and evangelical support.

J C Hutchins brings the characters to bear on the story quickly, and from the moment you start reading to the last page7th Son: Descent will kick your backside every step of the way. The main reason for this is that no one character is safe. You get attached to the clones (yes there are clones, trust me, it works) and their individual personalities, but every chapter Hutchins makes sure you know that they’re at risk from the main bad guy, John Alpha.

Incidentally, John Alpha could be anyone. Your high school gym teacher, your Grandma, anyone. Hutchins took an interesting route away from making John Alpha a demi god of a serial killer and instead gives readers a genuinely smart, dangerous antagonist with real motivations and issues. If you’re a writer you could do a lot worse than looking at John Alpha as an example of a well rounded antagonist. Yeah, he’s eeeevil but you can really understand why, and you have to wonder if you wouldn’t choose the same path if you were subjected to the same influences.

Speaking of which, 7^th Son: Descent jumps ahead of the pack of well written sci-fi thrillers by becoming a very in depth study on the idea of nature vs nurture.  If you take seven men, literally identical clones, and subject them to different lives, so they turn out the same, or will their lives dictate who they are?

I know this review is a little vague, and it has to be because I don’t want to spoil any surprises for you, but rest assured 7^th Son: Descent by J C Hutchins is one of the best books of the year. You can check out JC Hutchin’s website here where you can try the books free as a podcast, get extra 7^th Son: Descent goodies for free and look at JC’s other work.

This is the first book I’m going to use the new rating system on, and I give it 9/10. Buy two and frame one.