Book Review: Billy and the Cloneasaurus

Billy and the Cloneasaurus

By:  Stephen Kozeniewski

Publish Date:  June 29, 2014

Publisher:  Severed Press

Format:  eBook

Genre:  Sci Fi

Series:  Stand alone

Impression:  One man fights the cycle of life as a clone in Williamsport-6

Synopsis:
Six billion identical clones make up the entire population of Earth, and William 790-6 (57th Iteration) is exactly like everybody else. In his one year of life he will toil in suburban mediocrity and spend as much cash as possible in order to please his corporate masters. When 790’s first birthday (and scheduled execution) finally rolls around, a freak accident spares his life.

Living past his expiration date changes 790 profoundly. Unlike other clones he becomes capable of questioning the futility of his own existence. Seeking answers in the wilderness, he discovers a windmill with some very strange occupants, including a freakish, dinosaur-like monstrosity. Which is especially strange since every animal on earth is supposed to be extinct…

Dark, haunting, and blisteringly satirical, BILLY AND THE CLONEASAURUS is the story of one “man’s” attempt to finally become an individual in a world of copies.

First Sentence:
The Whirling Fan of Death abruptly stopped spinning the instant it struck William 789-6's abdomen.

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My Thoughts and Summary:
*I received a copy of this book from the author for an honest review.

It's William 790-6's birthday and like all clones, he's to be slurred today. Next in line for termination and the machine breaks. William 64-6 doesn't know what to do when the machine won't start, and it's almost quitting time, so he lets William 790 go home with his replacement. One more night to live... Past his 365 day limit, 790 starts to realize he is different, questioning things he never questioned before and going out of town. 790 learns there is more out in the world and what the Corporation running Williamsport-6 is up to.

That first sentence is a doozy! But I kept reading. And even though it sounds harsh in that moment, we see what the world is like here.

This is a story full of clones. Williamsport-6 is one of many cities around Williamerica that is strictly William clones. The city has 2,650 William's living in it, functioning as a city with all jobs filled by Williams. It's said that if clones live past their first birthday that they exhibit holes in their thinking, and the process of the clones.

The beginning was catching and the ending explained it all. But in the middle it was rather slow for me. Reading the book I realized it's really not the story for me. I'm more of an action type reader. This story is well put together but it's not the action I'm a fan of. I feel as we get a description of life though in a different setting. Billy is trapped in the same cycle as all the other clones, yet he's fighting to find a way out. The story has some great parts to it that I enjoyed, but for the most part I was bored. I know there are readers out there that this book will entertain and be interesting to them, sadly I'm not one of them.