I was recently sent a copy of Maximal Reserve by Sam Batterman to review. Here’s a brief synopsis from Deep River Books:
Phil Channing has been down on his luck for some time, trying to find a job since graduating from college. When offered a job with Axcess Energy (along with a sizable sign-on bonus) Phil knows he’ll have the resources he needs now to finally ask his girlfriend, Lisa, to marry him (with the blessing of her country club parents). What Phil doesn’t know is that this job is going to forever change his life in more ways than he could ever imagine.Since this book is about the oil industry, I decided to toss it at my darling husband. He works in the oil industry, so I thought he’d think it was pretty interesting. And guess what? You’re going to get the review right from him. Take it away, Xiris!
Thanks! I should start by clarifying, I don't really work IN the oil industry, more like WITH it, which by no means makes me an expert. That said, while this book is about oil reserves and has oil drums artfully represented on its cover, it's not about the oil industry either. It's about a biblical prophesy. Which I have to admit I wasn't expecting, not being a big reader of fiction targeted at the Left Behind demographic, but I'm willing to take anything with an open mind and a healthy suspension of disbelief for the sake of a good story.
Unfortunately, this is not a good story. The premise has promise; what would happen to the balance of global power if a resource-poor nation (in this case, Israel) suddenly finds itself resource-rich with oil? What are the political, environmental, and religious implications? Sam Batterman's story fails to really explore this premise. His one dimensional characters discuss technical details, ad nauseum, which aren't just wrong but emphatically wrong. Every opportunity Sam has to blow past some questionable science to tell the story, he takes to somehow be more wrong. This is not limited to the broad creationist science the he clearly subscribes to, and could be forgiven; this is a deeper problem in the way he inaccurately describes minutiae such as the sound suppressed guns make or the rhythm of heavy metal (errors made just in the prologue) extending to basic factual schisms with the way people actually talk in the office, or work gets done, or presentations are given. As minutiae makes up the bulk of this story, this is impossible to ignore.
Which is a shame. The real opportunity here, to fulfill the premise, would require actual debate among characters with differences of opinion. Such as, why is it important to support Israel? What does that really mean? What will it continue to mean in an era when Israel no longer needs such support? What responsibilities do resource-rich nations have in the global economy, and how should religious differences factor in? These never get discussed, because all of Sam's "good" characters all think and talk alike, as do the "bad" ones, and the lines are clearly drawn. All it takes is a nod for a questionable statement to be accepted as fact.
In the end it doesn't really matter. The kind of people who read these books won't care if it's grossly inaccurate or tells a compelling story, they'll read it anyway. Those that don't will wonder how I got through the book in the first place. To those I say, my wife now owes me a BIG favor. ;)
Well, there you have it, folks. Apparently I owe Xiris a big favor, so I think I’ll go pay up now! ;)
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Disclosure: We were provided a copy of the book, kindly autographed by Mr. Batterman. All opinions are our own, as you can tell! This is a MamaBuzz review. The product was provided by Deep River Books/ Bring It On! Communications for this review. No monetary compensation was received.