Zero Sum Conclusion


Fiction - Dystopia
361 Pages
Reviewed on 03/01/2024
Buy on Amazon

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.

Author Biography

Thomas grew up in a quaint small town in Illinois called Georgetown, which had one stoplight, one high school, one square, one lake, one police car and one hundred ways to get into trouble. He studied at the University of Illinois and later moved to Southern California with his family to work in the music industry.

In Southern California, he’s had a successful career in the Film & TV Music Licensing field with Warner Bros., Universal Records and the Walt Disney Company. After the birth of his triplet daughters, Lopinski focused on writing literature and joined a writer’s group made up of his peers in the music industry.

In 2012, he self-published his first novel, "Document 512," which won recognition and awards from Reader Views, Foreword Review, National Indie Excellence Awards and Best Indie Books. His second novel "The Art of Raising Hell" was published through Dark Alley Press in 2015 and won Best Young Adult Novel through Best Indie Books and was a semi-finalist for Best Literary Novel through Kindle Book Awards.

In 2022, Thomas released an album of original songs called “Unfinished Business” under the pseudo name “Pinski Thomas”. The album can be found and purchased on Spotify, iTunes and BandCamp. His latest novel, “Zero Sum Conclusion” was released on March 15th, 2024.

Thomas is also a member of the Independent Writers of Southern California (IWOSC) and has been a cancer survivor since 2006.

Visit: http://www.thomaslopinski.com/ or https://thomaslopinski.wordpress.com/

    Book Review

Reviewed by Stephanie Chapman for Readers' Favorite

Zero Sum Conclusion by Thomas Lopinski is a dystopian tale set after the Second Civil War reformed the American government. A scoring system based on demeanor and the Solid Start Initiative eliminated poverty and debt. After the death of Edgar’s wife, a doctor put out an alert on his mental health. Edgar found himself pursued by a former colleague. After subduing the man, he took off the man's experimental glasses. Edgar was interviewing Ketchum, an eighteen-year-old who lost all of his money to a con artist. Edgar could see and feel everything that Ketchum felt. Unfortunately, agents sentenced them to rehabilitation in a Dunes Facility. However, Edgar and Ketchum were about to find out that "rehabilitation" means something quite different from what they expected.

Thomas Lopinski created a scenario where the government sees everything people do. The demeanor point system seemed unfair, especially after Edgar’s score dropped simply because of losing his wife. Was he not supposed to feel anything at all? The vivid details of the surroundings and well-developed characters made the story come alive. I felt that the laws the population was subjected to demanded blind submission from everyone. I found the seamless transitions between the many characters easy to follow. The unexpected twists had me hoping that the people would open their eyes to what was happening in front of them. The end of the story left an opening for a sequel. Through every scene, it reinforced the overall theme of not trusting what you see in the media. Zero Sum Conclusion is the perfect fit for readers who enjoy stories of sacrifices to reveal the truth.