Review: Forsaken Wrath (The Scorpio Files Book 1) by Alexander Ferrick

The life of a treasure hunter is never boring, and that’s certainly true of the hero in Forsaken Wrath, the first book in the Scorpio Files series by Alexander Ferrick. When professional fortune hunter Nick Reed, also known as Scorpio, sets his gaze on the ultimate treasure hunt in history, he isn’t going alone. In search of the ancient city of Atlantis, one of the “Gates to Hell” – and endless wealth – there are few things this swashbuckling adventurer won’t do.

Driven by the narrator of the story and Nick Reed’s sidekick, Bartimaeus, this novella whips through a treasure hunt in less than a hundred pages, making it ideal for an afternoon read. Following a long familial tradition, and dragged along by the perpetually energized Reed, Bartimaeus provides amusing and anecdotal narration as this race to the treasure unfolds. Reed and Bartimaeus aren’t the only hunter on the trail, and while no one truly knows if this vast treasure even exists, that doesn’t mean they aren’t willing to kill for it.

The set-up has so much going for it that he plot could definitely have been stretched out into a much more sizable book, as there was a wealth of detail, action, history and suspense that was clearly passed over in exchange for a fast, high-impact read. As the two unlikely partners traverse the globe in search of Atlantis, their personalities slowly begin to reveal themselves, but given the pace/length of the book, intensive character development is often overlooked. Too much action and exposition edge out the human moments that might make Reed and Bartimaeus more likable characters.

For example, the old rivalry between Reed and M’Kembe Oro should have been more fleshed out, and more of Bartimaeus’ background would be welcome, simply as padding for the unfolding of the story. In popular culture, the biggest characters in treasure hunting have larger-than-life personalities that can hold up an entire book series or movie franchise. There is an inherent excitement about treasure hunting, and the dangerous lives of fortune hunters, but more of that needs to come across in this series. Without a compelling protagonist that makes readers sit up and pay attention, this series won’t deliver to its full potential.

On the technical side of things, this book was rife with grammatical errors, as well as simplistic syntax, incorrect punctuation and misspellings. The target audience is adults, but the writing doesn’t always feel fully matured, particularly when the pace speeds up. Ferrick would do well to slow down his unfurling of the plot, let the characters interact sincerely with one another, and create more ambience within each scene. Without more flesh on the bones of the story, it becomes a recitation of events, and there is no need to churn out pulp fiction with such naturally engaging subject matter.

Searching for lost treasure among mystical civilizations will always be interesting to readers, but an author must create unique stories within that framework, while also trusting the reliable tropes of this genre that readers want and expect. These issues aside, there is a solid framework and wealth of imagination at play that could make the Scorpio Files a successful series.