Discovery

At a Glance: When Cosmic Horror & Sci-Fi Collide

This debut novel from a family of wildly different backgrounds comes together to create something so bold and transcendent that it’s hard to believe this is their first go at publishing. Discovery blends Cosmic Horror, Sci-Fi, and a five act structure in a story that pushes what I thought I knew about the genres.

Discovery throws you into an alternate 1992 where Manny di Martini, our disgraced game show host makes a cosmic discovery that throws the world into chaos and collapse. Through the eyes of different characters and the diary entries of Dr. Oliver Daas we learn about what happens to society when they’re forced to come to terms with the fact that there is extraterrestrial life on earth.

The Minton family does an incredible job at blending suspense that keeps you on the edge of your seat with deeper character moments where you truly feel the pain and depth of the person telling the story in that moment. The book includes a lot of unique mythology that make you feel like you’re viewing the events from all over the world.

Cosmic Reach: Blending History with New Realities

The Mintons do an amazing job at showcasing the depth of their research into historical events and blending those with their alternate 1992 events to create a believable world where aliens, alternate realities, and mythology blend. Several references from WWII, Pacific Islander culture, and early 90s technology can be found throughout the book and are used to enhance what I would call the “realism” of the story.

Having these things all connect adds another level of suspense and fear when reading through the stories because the science fiction is never so far out of the realm of possibility because it’s rooted in the history of our world. Discovery incorporates everything from Stonehenge like structures that serve as celestial maps to EMP like events that take out communications.

The story starts off small in scope, first contained to a ship, then a news office, and rapidly expands to be a globally reaching event that involves people from every continent sharing a unified goal of learning more about “The Sleeping One”.

The world is full of mythology, religions, capitalism, gangs, cults, and the rebirth of ancient orders in light of the changing world and collapse of society. The UN is abolished in favor of a new world government that uses questionable methods to maintain order in this new found reality.

The world dives into many parallels with our current society that readers will be able to interpret in their own way. The book explores the ethics of AI, religion, capitalism, cultural differences, and humanities existence in the cosmos to name a few.

Cosmic Threads: Personal Connections on a Global Scale

Discovery has some of the best character work I have read in a while. All of the characters, wether main points of view or supporting are deeply complicated, flawed, and diverse. Former Nazi soliders, farm owners, nuns, media personalities, all these characters feel real and never like they’ve just been inserted to further the plot.

Nessa Decker and Howard Winfield begin their journey in Discovery with video and letters from Howard’s long time friend and journalist Griff Tran. Through this connection Howard decides the world needs to see just what was discovered out in the pacific, leading to “the collapse”. They are both very complicated characters, who make morally questionable decisions throughout the story. Nessa in particular becomes very interesting with a lot of depth as her connections to other characters unfold.

Dr. Oliver Daas’ journal provides a unique and central insight into the collapse post discovery over several years as the narrative unfolds. Daas is married to his work, but an unexpected grad student Lucia Santamaria throws an unexpected twist into the regimented life of Daas.

Lucia Santamaria was in my opinion the most interesting character story in the book. She was brash, cagey, mysterious, and blunt. As her story unfolds and we get insight into why Lucia behaves the way she does, her connection to the discovery becomes clear in surprising and truly twisted ways.

My personal favorite though we don’t see a lot of them is Chaos. I don’t want to spoil anything, but Chaos certainly lives up to their name.

Cosmic Horror: Pacing Can Be Scary

Discovery can at times feel slow and other times feel like you can’t flip the pages fast enough to find out whats happening. The five act structure is an interesting way to tell the story, and for this book it works. While there were some slower parts, they all served a purpose but can sometimes feel a little slower than I would have liked.

The jump between a POV and the diary entries never felt anything but complimentary to the story. I did find myself during some acts looking forward to the Daas diary entries more than the actual story from that current POV. There were some twist revealed during the Daas entries that I didn’t expect and was pleasantly surprised at just how many twists unfolded throughout both sections of the acts.

The story does an incredible job at weaving all the different POVs together in unexpected ways that never felt anything short of smooth and natural. The convergence of a worldwide story was done in spectacular fashion and I never felt like I was questioning how these plot lines and characters ended up weaving together. This was masterfully done by the Mintons and should serve as a benchmark for convergent storytelling and I’m still blown away that this was their debut novel!

Between the Sheets: Shared Struggle in Favor of Shared Beds

Discovery gets a 🌶️ (1.0) on the spice scale because it focuses on the bonds of the characters more than what they get up to behind closed doors. The characters develop platonic relationships through shared fear and goals when facing the reality that humans are not alone in the universe.

Lucia and Daas develop a more father and daughter bond than a romantic one, Daas worries and is regularly frustrated by Lucia while he attempts to make up for his short comings with his own daughter. Lucia takes on the role of someone who is independent and having to come to terms with someone caring for her. Other relationships are present but none are romantic in any salacious detail.

Bro Reading Comfort: Horror Safe for Public Reading

Discovery is a safe bet for public consumption with a 😳 (1.0) rating. The cover art may attract some curiosity, but that is only because it’s eye catching and a real work of art. The story focuses on the effects on society after the discovery of alien life on earth and how society recovers after a global collapse.

While the book does dive into some darker themes and human conditions, it’s never gratuitous and the cover art will make it clear this book is focused on the cosmic themes. The book won’t stand out in an airport or on public transit as anything more than an interesting read.

Darkness Factor: Trauma and Addiction in a Changing World

The Mintons don’t shy away from the gritty reality of the human condition in this book which earns it a 💀💀💀(3.5) rating on the darkness scale. Themes of generational trauma, parental abandonment, drug addiction, and poverty are deeply explored throughout the novel.

While these things can be uncomfortable for some readers, they are done in an authentic way that speaks to the human condition and how these different struggles continue regardless of what the state of the world is. A cosmic discovery can not alter or rewrite history or current struggles of the people living in the world.

The exploration of these topics only serve to further the narrative and character development, and never feel gratuitous or there to add shock value to a specific point. These themes are balanced with lighter moments and some interestingly funny dialogue depending on your sense of humor.

Book Battlefield: A Genre Transcending Story

Discovery is marketed as a Cosmic Horror and that is the core theme of the story, but it ends up being so much more than that. The book is full of suspense, science fiction, mythology, and a deep exploration of the human condition. The narrative is told in a 5 act structure which feels more like a movie than a book (in the best way possible). It’s a bold expansion of several genres in a cohesive story told through interesting characters and a central voice via Dr. Daas’ diary.

It’s hard to compare Discovery to other works because it feels like it carves out a place of it’s own among many. While it dips it’s pen into a few different genres, it never feels like it doesn’t have it’s own voice. The Mintons have leveraged their backgrounds in a distinct way and have developed a story telling style that I believe will be used by authors in the future.

The one comparison I’m comfortable making has to do with the way they have been able to weave multiple stories together in a cohesive manor. This is no easy task and can easily derail a book, a good example of this level of narrative weaving is Sarah J Maas in the Throne of Glass series, where multiple story lines and character arcs seamlessly come together in a believable way that never feels forced.

Should You Bother?

For Science Fiction Fans: Absolutely a must read, the elements of alien life being discovered along with cosmic threads and multiple universes make this a sci-fi adjacent read that is a lot of fun.

For Thriller/Horror Fans: Discovery had me on the edge of my seat more than a few times, there are twists, creepy scenes, and terrifying mysteries that unfold in a unique way.

For Character First Fans: I couldn’t get enough of these characters (well most of them), they all felt unique, authentic, and real. They have struggles, passions, and fears that most people can empathize or connect with.

For Literary Experimentation Fans: The Mintons create something that feels new and unique, by blending genres and using a five act structure to tell an engaging story.

Final BroMantasy Verdict

It’s hard to do my usual “For readers who love x genre” because the Mintons have done something truly amazing here and created a story that blends multiple genres so seamlessly that it truly leaves me questioning how to put genre tags on this review. Because of that and the unique five act story telling structure that worked so well, I’m giving Discovery a 4.75 rating. Outside of some slight pacing issues, this debut novel does everything right.

I wouldn’t be doing this review justice if I didn’t highlight why I think this unique and intriguing story works so well, and that is because Discovery is written by J.A.J Minton, a three author family collaboration. John(Dad), Amy(Mom), and Jakob(Son) who have come together leveraging their different background to create something so different and beautifully written that it doesn’t fit into a single genre box.

Discovery is never shy when exploring the human condition, and gives readers relatable characters thrust into a world of the unknown that is shrouded in cosmic mystery, cultural diversity, trauma that spans eons, and politicking on so many different levels. The story unfolds from all over the world while giving us the anchor point of Dr. Daas, who serves as the familiar voice among the chaos and collapse.

The Mintons have managed to blend a complex story, multiple POVs, politics, science fiction, and cosmic horror together in a masterful way that deserves all the attention it has received and more. The narrative is engaging, cohesive, and full of suspense that any Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Horror, or historical fiction fan will enjoy from start to finish. The book comes together at the end while leaving enough elements that have me chomping at the bit for the next installment.

J.A.J Minton also runs a popular book-tube channel called Talking Story where they review and discuss all things fiction from Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and Horror. Be sure to give them a sub!