“The Razz” by Roger Evans

Review by Greg Forest

When I found I was going to review a book titled, “The Razz,” I envisioned bug-eyed monsters with lobster claws pouring out of spaceships and eating people and that I was destined for a boring read on a cliché subject. Yawn.

I’ve never been more wrong. Roger Evans has used what could be termed a stock-in-trade teleportation theme and twisted it into something remarkably new and compelling. Both the plot and tech trajectory had me up late and I finished “The Razz” in one reading.
I read a lot of science fiction and this is easily the best book I have laid my eyes on this year.

Set in a believable near future, the book has the elements of not only a great book but it is also a no-brainer blockbuster movie theme. When I asked Roger about the cinematic structure, he revealed that the book is based on a previous screenplay that he had expanded on. And expand he did.

The character development is expertly crafted and before long I found myself caring about the fate of the characters. In fact the plot structure and edge-of-your-seat pacing makes this a great book even for those who might not be fans of sci-fi.

Weaving different story lines into a tight tapestry, the book brings such diverse characters as the “mad” scientist, the evil-doing corporate goons, the police and a few normal people into the mix for a page-turning ride to an explosive finale. Just read it!