Manny King John
Elixir weaves together a fascinating and thrilling story of an orphaned genius named Sean Malone.
When we meet Sean, he is 14-years-old attending his first year of college. While school offers no real challenge to him he finds himself feeling vulnerable in some social settings. Winning his riches on Jeopardy at the tender age of 11 makes him a well-known child prodigy. He has wealth, superior intelligence but a burden of guilt caused by his parents death that make it hard for him to accept his place in the world. A feeling of uncertainty we can all relate to going through during our adolescence.
He befriends a professor who offers him a challenge that will ultimately change his life and the fate of the world.
He faces government agents, a hitman sent from the pharmaceutical companies, and finds love and companionship in a young girl on the other side of the globe. The author does an excellent job of pulling the reader in without being too predictable. This speaks to the real world problems many of us see but Sean has both the resources and intelligence to solve.
This book offers a contemporary tale of acceptance, maturity, and resolving one’s past to move forward in one’s future. Being that this is the author’s first novel, there is a great deal of promise here. While I think his efforts to introduce diversity seem quaint and clumsy, the overall plot offered a story that was entertaining and thought-provoking.
The author creates enough suspense to keep you engaged but offers no major plot twist or surprises. Overall, Elixir offers a neatly-packaged tale of overcoming personal challenges, adventure, and love. A great first novel from this author.
