They say that lurking inside everyone is a lonely book trying to get out. Well, it appears that mine has finally escaped the confines of my imagination to make its bid for freedom. But its a big scary world out there and it may need some help and a little TLC to start it on its way.
So if you have a Kindle (or an equivalent smart-phone app) and you’re sufficiently intrigued as to what does actually go on inside my head, please support the poor thing in its infancy.
Available worldwide through all local Amazon sites.
Ok. At first I thought I wasn’t going to like it, but by the end of the second chapter I was hooked!
You have brilliant character names I love them!
But I have a couple of questions:
Where is Bruno’s world. Is it before The Ship or after or a different world altogether?
What are the barriers and why are they there?
Do we still get to hear about the Chairman and Paraguay?
Please carry on I want to know what happens next!
*****
Alison, Colne, UK
Thanks Alison, glad you persevered.
I’ll try to shed some light … but I don’t want to introduce spoilers for part 2+
1. See the Epilogue
2. The Barriers … err … they separate things from other things
3. Yes, what would we do without them?
Sorry if I’m being a bit evasive here … everything will become clear, later. Probably.
Andy
I very much enjoyed the book with all its varied characters in both worlds and it gave rise to great pondering. Unfortunately to no avail ! I still haven’t worked out the links between the two worlds, what the Chairman is up to and who or what Paraguay is. The book switches effortlessly between the two different ‘lands’ and you find yourself lost in one before being pitched into the other at the end of the chapter. The prose is very easy on the eye and has great descriptions with a goodly portion of economic theory thrown in for good measure. It is exactly what it says on the cover – whim.
Thanks for this. Hopefully you’ll also enjoy the next one … when it finally turns up!
Andy
A great start to what is bound to be a spectacular series. Intelligently written with a sharp wit. Stirs more questions than it answers but to be expected as a first book. Loving the character lines and the personalities that have been introduced here – particularly those on the ship. Bruno’s world is described in immaculate detail leaving you wondering which parts will be integral to the rest of his story.
Loved the book, but how come Barry seems like such a muppet and then against all the odds ends up with mega entrepreneurial skills? Isn’t Bruno supposed to be the trading genius?
*****
Emma, London, UK
Thanks Emma.
Everyone knows someone like Barry … he’s the sadass nursing a soft drink in the corner of the room when the rest of the party is in full swing. But if you find a piece of common ground and get them on their specialist subject then … you’ll probably regret it.
Bruno is a “classically trained” Trader … but his training hasn’t been real-world and as a result his heart really isn’t in it. It’s not that he doesn’t understand the concepts, but that he doesn’t understand how they relate to reality.
It’s Barry’s job to educate him.
Andy
I loved this book! I thought that it was witty, addictive and well written, takes you to a new dimension!
I aim to please.
Andy
Just finished Whim, In the Beginning. Really enjoyed it . Hope it was only the beginning, on edge of seat for next instalment.
Hint of Terry Pratchett, a whiff of Douglas Adams and a pinch of Philip Pullman.
Really hit the spot. Can’t wait for the cinema release!
*****
David, Nottinghamshire, UK
Thanks David, much appreciated. Episode 2 is in the pipeline.
You’ll be relieved to know that I won’t be casting Tom Hanks as the Chairman.
Andy
Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to review the book, it’s very much appreciated. As a result of your feedback I’ve issued a new revision which will hopefully address some of the things raised:
Formatting: When I first published it I was under the impression that the Kindle convert process put it into the appropriate format for all the different Kindle devices … it doesn’t! Bugger! As a result it looked fine on some of the devices but was complete rubbish on others. I’ve tried to find a format that fits all … maybe. Apologies to those people who had to suffer a poor look and feel.
Typos: Even though 5 people independently proofed the thing, a couple of typos still made it into the final version. I’ve tracked down everything I can and fixed them.
Grammar: Apologies, my grammar is rubbish. I’ve been through it with nit-comb and done what I can to improve the grammar. This will hopefully make it a better read.
Plot: I’ve added a couple of paragraphs of back-story to help with the plot. These aren’t significant but they may remove some of the “What?” factor.
If anyone has any issues then please drop me a mail at andy@andyclose.co.uk
Andy
Well written with good characters and good plot development within the two distinct plot lines. How and where the two plot lines could possibly merge certainly seems to be a literary challenge of the first order. I am sure this is primarily a teaser to encourage the reader to purchase the sequel.
Overall an enjoyable read.
****
Outridder, Amazon.com
Many thanks for the comments. At the moment the two plot lines merge in my head, although all the clues are there … but being fair you’d have to understand what goes on in my head to unravel them, which is probably a big ask.
The book wasn’t really published as a teaser, although I can understand why it may seem that way. I just happened to reach a break point where the two threads accidentally reached the same place at the same time … the departure of a ship. I could have carried on but it seemed like a natural point to stop and test the water.
Andy
The follow-on is underway and I’m hoping this one will take less time than the first. The working title is “Whim: Technology”, but this may change as the words spill out onto the page. However, the general theme won’t … there is a plan.
If anyone has any comments then please drop me a mail at andy@andyclose.co.uk
Andy
A highly descriptive novel that intrigued me from the beginning. I am very interested to see how these two seemingly independent stories merge into one. This book also introduced to me some words I didn’t even know existed in the human language, though they are easy to grasp the meaning of in the context of the story. I still don’t know if I can quite wrap my head around QI though…. A great read.
*****
L Kav, Amazon.co.uk
Many thanks for this. You have to take QI’s as a bit of a leap of faith. In my head they’re the things that come after AI’s (Artificial Intelligence) but which have aquired the ubiquitous and damned Quantum prefix. So they exist as quantum computers somewhere in the cloud but have a pseudo-physical presence in the real world … that’s probably made it worse.
Andy
AC has written a novel of space travel across the galaxy. The people are in cryogenic sleeping chambers controlled by an aware computer named Nora. There are many difficulties to overcome to survive. This is an excellent read for the genre…..ER
Reviewed in the United States on 1 September 2015