Rami Ungar The Writer

So my friend and colleague Ruth Ann Nordin (check out her blog here) emailed me at some point last night, saying that she had read Reborn City and had posted a review on Amazon. Obviously, this got me excited, as I love getting feedback from readers, and I especially like hearing it from authors I respect and admire (which reminds me: Ruth, thanks for reading RC! I hope you enjoy Video Rage when you get to it!). So I was eager to see what she posted online. As I hoped, the review had only nice things to say.

Now if you don’t know what Reborn City is, it’s the first book in a science fiction trilogy I started writing in high school. It follows the trials of a street gang called the Hydras living in the titular city, the leaders of which have strange powers. The story has a lot of themes that are relevant to today’s world, including Islamaphobia, racism, drug addiction, gang violence, and, perhaps most importantly, overcoming what you think of yourself and what others think of you. Reborn City‘s sequel, Video Rage, was released this past June, and I hope to start on the final book, Full Circle, later this year.

Now back to Ruth’s review. I was very happy to see that she gave RC a five-star review (bringing the book’s total rating to a 4.8 out of 5), and titled her review Read like a movie. Here’s what she had to say on the book (and I’m warning you now, her review does have a couple of spoilers! So be aware before proceeding):

I decided to read this book because I know the author and have enjoyed his other works. I’m not a fan of books about gangs, so I wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy this story, to be honest. But I felt an immediate connection to the main characters right away, and this compelled me to keep reading.

SPOILER ALERT: This book took an unexpected turn. About halfway into it, it became apparent that the main gang members were special, and it was the unusual interest a shady government operation was showing in them that really pulled me in. There is an awesome genetic engineering component that I love in books and movies. The gang’s backstory was one of the best I’d ever read. This is a book that didn’t disappoint the sci-fi thriller lover in me. In my opinion, this would make a great movie.

As a warning, there is a lot of cussing. The violence wasn’t all that bad (maybe a PG-13).

Funnily enough, I usually write my books like a movie in my head, so the movie comparison is pretty on the spot. Not only that, but I think a Reborn City movie would be pretty awesome. Especially if we get Tyler Posey from Teen Wolf to play male lead Rip and Samuel L. Jackson from to play main antagonist Jason Price.

If anyone here knows those guys and can get them to read the book, please do so! I’d love for them to read it, and maybe like it enough to help produce a movie version. Let’s make that happen, okay?!

Anyway, this review matches what a lot of other people have said about RC in their reviews:

This is an extremely commendable effort by a new young writer, whom I believe we will see much more of in the years ahead. Rami Ungar’s vision of a frightening dystopian future is peppered with those elements that make us all human. There are quite a few surprises in the book, and I am anxious for the next volume in the series to be released.

Marc M. Neiwirth

This is not a genre I typically delve into, but I took this book on vacation and couldn’t put it down. The plot had me turning pages at quite the clip. The characters were unique and interesting and the imagery had me creating my own visual of what Rami’s interpretation of the future looked like. For first time novelist, Rami Ungar, this was an outstanding showing of talent and commitment to his passion of writing. Looking forward to seeing what he comes up with next!

Michele Kurland

Gangland violence, superhero-like enhancements, a futuristic setting, and social commentary that stems from a semi-post-apocalyptic theme. And then there’s a story where people come together as a family to deal with mutual loss and tragedy. What’s not to like?

Matthew Williams, author of Whiskey Delta and Papa Zulu

If any of this has made you want to check out Reborn City, I’ll provide the links below, as well as for its sequel, Video Rage. And if you do end up reading the book(s), I hope you’ll let me know what you think. Positive or negative, I love and appreciate getting feedback from readers, and it makes me a better writer when you folks tell me what works and what doesn’t.

Well, tomorrow’s Friday, so you know what that means. While I prepare for that, I’m also posting the link to an interview with Awesome Book Promotions that came out yesterday. So check that out, if you so desire. It’s pretty awesome, as the title suggests.

Until next time, my Followers of Fear!

Reborn City: Amazon, Createspace, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Smashwords, and Kobo

Video Rage: Amazon, Kindle, Createspace, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Smashwords, and Kobo