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S.M. Sykes never saw himself as a writer, facing struggles with English classes in school. Even his wife, who doubles as his editor, can attest to occasional challenges with organizing his thoughts. However, despite these obstacles, he discovered a passion for storytelling that he couldn't ignore. Beginning with his debut novel, Eyes of Blue in 2018 at the age of 38, he found the genesis of his stories in a simple idea that sparked in his mind. As the narrative unfolded, it took on a life of its own, leading to the ongoing series that began with Eyes of Blue and continues with his current project, Loss of Blue. With Loss of Blue, he aims to weave together the threads of his previous works into a conclusion that is both profound and
satisfying.
Reviewed by Essien Asian for Readers' Favorite
Seventeen-year-old Ava Washington is one of the fortunate few who survived the Fall, a cataclysmic event that inexplicably changed humanity. She lost her entire family to its aftershock and now survives by scraping for essentials here and there and staying out of sight of the Deaders, zombie-like creatures who do not behave like your typical zombie. Ava knows she needs to change her location when two deaders follow her back home, so she packs up and leaves town with her dog Andromeda, her last remaining link to sanity. Ava is about to discover a new world outside with a different set of rules to abide by and evolving dangers to circumvent in S.M. Sykes' Eyes Of Blue.
Eyes of Blue flips the conventional end-of-the-world zombie apocalypse story, giving the antagonists some intelligence instead of being mindless, ravenous, undead automatons. This turns Eyes of Blue from an exercise in outrunning them at all costs into a gripping adventure where the rapidly evolving undead hunters stalk what remains of the human populace. The peculiar way that the Deaders feed will win over readers. The character development is sound. I loved how the author perfectly portrays Ava as a teenager by using her somewhat irrational attachment to her dead phone. Using Ava's monologues, he immerses the reader in solving the puzzle in the origin stories. He employs a unique approach to the storytelling, with the bulk of the adventure progressing rapidly. By the time it slows down, you are already engrossed enough in the action to know that trouble is waiting on the next page. S.M. Sykes deserves praise for a novel that raises the standard in science fiction.
