This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Ron Seybold has created stories in journalism for more than 30 years. He arrived at fiction with years of community and computer technology reporting. Evenings of acting and hours of radio broadcasts primed the pump for drama. It is all in a lifetime of learning to write about the future. He coaches writers in the development of their books, edits books from authors all over the country, and lives with his wife Abby and their standard poodle Tess Harding.
Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
Viral Times is a pandemic-style dystopian novel by Ron Seybold, focusing on the aftermath of a modern day viral disaster. When a kind of super-AIDS virus prevents human beings from touching one another without risking death, the world turns to SexNet to experience intimacy on the most realistic level possible. Our central characters are reporter Dayton and homeopathic, somewhat mystical Angie, who both have lost loves and haunting memories in their pasts. When a new electronic virus called Mighty Hand threatens to purge the perceived sinners using SexNet to make some kind of physical connection, Dayton and Angie begin their quest to find a natural solution to the viral problem, resulting in powerful questions about Eastern and Western medicinal beliefs.
This was a surprising and bold read. Ron Seybold’s unforgiving postmodern world marks him as a kind of Aldous Huxley for this generation. I found Viral Times to be an engaging read for the plot and characters themselves, but it’s the wider message about modern reality, intimacy, disease and fear that really absorbs a reader’s attention throughout the tale. Viral Times is a highly original work unlike anything I’ve recently read in the dystopian genre, and it will certainly leave its audience with many questions about the speculative potential of its terrifying plot becoming a reality some day. If you’re looking for high concept, thought provoking and detailed, complex fiction, I’d highly recommend Viral Times as a thrilling read that leaves you with a new perspective on science, belief, and the human condition.
