Title: The Final Day (The Genesis Project Series)
Author: Greg Van Arsdale
Publisher: Independently published
ISBN: 978-1698610344
Pages: 399
Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy
Reviewed by: Jack Chambers
Hollywood Book Reviews
Like most things in life, all good things must come to an end. Whether the end comes at the end of a good movie, a good meal shared by others, or the end of the world, the end is an inevitable place where one journey must end, while another must begin in its place. How people get to that end, and what the end truly means for that particular situation, is up to the people facing that end.
In author Greg Van Arsdale’s The Final Day, readers must face the end of the author’s fifth and final book in The Genesis Project Series. The story takes place ten years after the final moments of book four, End Game. Ten years have passed since John Neumann opened a path between the virtual world he created and the “real” world. His son, David, a human soul born into the virtual world, is not a young man, having spent the last decade honing his powers gained by being uniquely born into the system. After ten years in prison for his crimes, the villainous General Logan is released, with John’s former vice president Jack Lokitus having his soul imprisoned within Logan’s virtual body for his role in the plot against John and his company all those years ago. With David now in Logan’s sights as David works to save the remaining souls within the virtual world, Lokitus’s sister Lucia, targets Mike LeGuerre, John’s head of security, to use his soul to free her brother.
The author did an incredible job of really upping the stakes of the story to help bring the narrative to a close. The suspense and tension which the author infused into the story was strongly felt, with the stakes so high for this world in the Genesis system housing so many people, and Jack/Logan making one last violent push to gain the power he’s sought for so long; each chapter pushed the narrative in unique directions that readers would not have seen coming. The action helped elevate David’s story so much, and getting to see David step into the shoes as a main protagonist alongside his father John was great to see unfold, paralleling classic religious motifs to explore the impact faith and morality has on a shaky, albeit destabilizing society such as the one in the Genesis System.
This is the perfect read for those who enjoy fictional tales, especially those who enjoy long series that delve into the sci-fi and action genres. The world-building, and in certain places world-destroying, was greatly felt throughout the book, allowing the reader to see multiple POVs from both the virtual and real world and developing characters readers both rooted for and vilified equally. The adrenaline-fueled finale and the emotional ending will leave readers feeling satisfied and hopeful for a sequel series in the future. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy of this series today.