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The Surge was inspired by Monica Abbott’s desire to bring science, faith, futuristic scenarios, and ancient history together to tell a tale that would appeal to the whole family, the faithful, and those considering faith. At its core, The Surge celebrates the innate beauty of being simply human and valuing life, freedom of choice, and human compassion.
Monica Abbott enjoys creating endearing, imperfect characters whose banter and interactions with each other seem just like… family. Add the diabolical villains, an imminent ticking clock, a sinister death threat, and you’re off on this faith-challenging adventure.
This author’s individual writing style includes some of her favorite quips, onomatopoeia, and hobbies. So, whether it’s calling the mother-in-law Frankenstein, jokes about garlic, the M-16 “tha-tatat-tatats”, or the Arizona hiking experiences, the reader can know that those were intentional, unique additions to the story.
Very early in her writing, Monica Abbott found it inspiring to remember that Jesus taught in parables. Parables are stories; parables are fiction. We enjoy them and relate to them when we can insert ourselves into those stories, when we feel for the characters, and when we experience our “aha” moment at some point in the story. Her prayer is that The Surge is one of those stories.
Reviewed by Natalie Soine for Readers' Favorite
The Surge by Monica Abbott begins in 2003 in Baghdad, Iraq. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, Major George Hahn leads a group of U.S. Special Forces to the Babylon Museum. There they find a large heavy crate. From within the crate, two slender gray figures rise then dissipate. On the crate are etchings with embedded lapis lazuli stones. Hahn takes the crate to a Deep Underground Military Base, or D.U.M.B., to a team of research scientists working on super-soldiers known as Gilgamen. Operation Ancient Seed refers to the management and control of an enhanced population. The Surge, which follows an EMP, is part of a master plan to turn the minds of the population into robots. Anybody with D-11 in their system would be enhanced. NOVACC vaccine truther group and Dr. Johanna Silverberg, conspiracy theorist, warn the population against getting the D-11 vaccine as it contains a nanobot that rewrites their DNA code. Anybody without the D-11 vaccine must get to a place with vortexes or magnetic anomalies to reverse the Surge or face certain death from AMNW - accelerated muscular and neurological wasting. Cousins Rayner Pierce (electrical contractor) and Gideon Hahn (engineer) race their children to Sedona where the magnetite and the abundance of quartz with piezoelectric properties contribute to Sedona’s geomagnetism. They are followed by aliens Raff and Snuff and must use all their skills to survive.
The Surge is an action-packed story filled with interesting phenomena from aliens to enhanced people. Monica Abbott introduces the variety of characters as they enter the story, describing each one in detail including their personalities and appearances. The unusual locations are vividly depicted, making it easy for the reader to form a mental picture of the places and people. I especially enjoyed the dialogue between the friends and family members, including their banter and formal discussions. Reading this novel leaves a person with a feeling of achievement as the characters do whatever it takes to survive. The story is smooth flowing and a quick easy read, perfect for the upcoming holidays. I would recommend the novel to readers of any age who enjoy science fiction stories.
