The Deadliest Echo

by Reese Hogan

The year is 1928, and American mercenary Echo Maebius is seized while fleeing Russia after the disappearance of Joseph Stalin. Just when things can’t get any worse, Echo’s doppelganger walks into the room, offering him a way out—but with a terrible catch. Now, broken, damaged, and alone, Echo must find out why his closest comrade Jez has disappeared from his life—and why the failure of their mission in Moscow is responsible.

Told in alternating chapters between Echo’s past and present, The Deadliest Echo is a science fiction thriller about assassination, alternate paths, and the dangers of being a foreigner in a country newly raised from revolution. It is a powerful tale about the thin line between loneliness and friendship, and the intricate web of secrets that forces Echo to confront the one truth he most wants to escape…

Unless he can finish the mission he never completed in Moscow, the whole world will pay the price for his failure.

Genres: Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, Thriller

242 pages, Paperback

First published May 4, 2014

About the author

Reese Hogan is a science fiction author who has published four novels. Though no two works are quite alike, some common themes include identity, the question of what makes us human, and the need to find happiness while the world is falling apart around us. His short fiction has been published in The Decameron Project, A Coup of Owls, and on the Tales to Terrify podcast, as well as in two anthologies. In addition to writing, Reese enjoys singing in the local gay men’s chorus and running. He lives with his two children in New Mexico.

Reviews

[C.M.T. Stibbe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Deadliest Echo was every bit as educational as it was exciting. A fast paced story, well conceptualized, capturing the essence of 1920’s Russia and the covert and devious ways of old Soviet society. The opening chapters are action-packed and full of suspense. So no dallying there. The plot is believable, Maebius is an interesting character we want to root for right from the start and Jez, the playful prankster, is a tight friend our protagonist so desperately needs.

Maebius arrives like a ghost out of the cold and here’s where the plot twists unpredictably. We don’t know where he comes from or why he’s there. We sense that whatever it is will cause a few ripples and rip a sizeable hole in Russia’s future. But is he’s plucky enough to pull it off?

What I like about Hogan’s writing is the crisp prose and snappy dialogue, not to mention vivid scenes that take you out of your living room into snow-packed forests and a glance at Red Square. Or worse, into a customs office and an interrogation that goes horribly wrong. At this point, the book gallops and doesn’t let go, although we do have the brief respite of the alternating chapters, cleverly weaved between past and present.

Obstacles, deterrents, torture, and a main character confronting danger head on, always provides a hook for me. Hogan has captured every facet of a gripping story to produce a page-turner. Highly recommended.

CMT Stibbe
Author of Chasing Pharaohs

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alternate History and assassins. Set in 20s Russia, this debut novel was a lot of fun. The milieu felt genuine, the characters were engaging, and the action was intense.

[Sean Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hogan is a good writer, excellent at transporting me to a different time and place, but I lost interest and stopped reading. Not normally a genre that I read - historical fiction thriller.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been trying to get into reading more books involving history lately so when I had the chance to read The Deadliest Echo I jumped on it. It’s an interesting combination of historical fiction with a dash of sci-fi, a whole lot of action, and complex characters.

Echo was most interesting to me because at first I’d assumed he’d be . . . not exactly boring, but there’s a certain stereotype that comes with mercenary characters. But Echo is younger than expected and although he is certainly clever and calculating, he’s also lonely. Wiling to do a lot to keep others from realizing this, of course, but when he finally gets himself a friend he’s willing to lose everything to keep that friend safe. And that’s something that I can understand, that makes him human.

Action is all over this book, literally from page one. Told with each chapter giving a piece of Echo’s timeline, before and after a major event happens for him, there’s something intense happening in each portion of his life that’ll have you wanted to learn about the past when you’re reading the future and wanting the future when you have the past. This book was so intense that, yes, one night after finishing a chapter, I actually dreamed that Russian assassins were coming after me. If that doesn’t say something about how entranced and entrenched you’ll be in The Deadliest Echo then I don’t know what would.

I feel like this is a novel that can appeal to people who read a plethora of different genres, especially if you’re wanting to get a peek into a different genre to see if you’d enjoy reading it as well. Sci-fi, historical, action, thriller, and even fans of spy novels will all find something unique, captivating, and thought-provoking in The Deadliest Echo.

[Mars Dumont · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really sucked me in from the start. The descriptions of Bolshevik Russia and Weimar Berlin are so vivid that the reader can smell and feel as well as visualize the settings. The author includes enough period detail, such as the slang term “darb” (which I had to look up), to give it that extra atmosphere. The pacing is excellent as the parallel realities weave back and forth until they finally catch up with one another, and the romantic angle is exactly how I like my romance, secondary to an interesting plot, but engaging enough to keep me hanging. My only reservation, and why I didn't give this book five stars, is that the main character, Echo Maebius, supposedly a hardened loner who is one of the most ruthless and deadly mercenaries around, is a bit effete. He blushes, he can’t hold his vodka, he’s fussy about the smell of cigarette smoke and the sight of a starving child hunting rats makes him nauseous (I would imagine someone in his position wouldn’t think twice about roasting a juicy rat if his life depended on it; besides this is part of real special forces training). Perhaps it was intended to humanize him, but there were too many other passages that made me feel I was reading the thoughts and feelings of the female author instead of a fully developed character. That being said, it was still a great read. This is fun escape to curl up with, and I would highly recommend it.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This historical science fiction novel opens in 1928 with the Russian army torturing mercenary Echo Maebius in order to find out who killed Joseph Stalin. Due to the abrupt, unexpected, and shocking appearance of Echo’s doppelganger, Echo is suddenly thrust into a world only half-recognizable, out of danger for the moment, where his friend and comrade Jez is gone. Alternate Echos play a major role in the book, with the location and even the life or death of Jez in question. The story details Echo's past and present as Echo and Jez experience the political and social events that are so crucial to the country and the world of the time.
The author does an excellent job of scene setting and character creation. It allowed me to picture the action and to really care about the characters. A few surprises will keep you guessing as to how the events will play out. I look forward to reading more of Hogan’s works.

[Philip Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Echo Maebius is an American mercenary plying his trade in 1920s Europe. The story begins with his capture after a failed assassination attempt on Joseph Stalin, but things quickly escalate when a meeting with an alternate version of himself reveals a more sinister plot at work. The book is very well written and carefully researched, and I could tell the author put a lot of care into it. I got a vivid impression of the scenery and characters, and the action scenes were smooth and gripping with some nasty antagonists. The story twists and turns, revealing the connections between the main characters and divulging the mysteries behind Echo's predicament through flashbacks and the present (1928), and I enjoyed the ending which caught me by surprise. It was refreshing to read a well-edited indie book and I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys alternate histories and suspenseful SciFi. Good work.

[Kristi Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is like two books in one. There are alternate universes and characters switching back and forth through them in an amazing story of contract killers out to kill Stalin.

Echo Maebius is the protagonist and the story begins with him captured and being tortured when a mysterious man enters the room. He is Echo's doppleganger and gives Echo a way out of this mess, if he chooses to enter a different universe where things are not all the same as where he is. In fact, in the new universe he kills his best friend for being a traitor or for loving the same woman? You figure it out!

I received this book as part of the Goodreads First reads program.

This was a fun book with lots of twists and turns and a little alternate history thrown in for good measure.

I enjoyed it.

[Dexter Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Deadliest Echo, set in Russia during the 1920's, is a gritty scifi/historical thriller which leaves you very little room to take a break. The story revolves around the main character Echo's journey from a life of isolation to the company of two indispensable friends. He learns early on that his best friend’s life is in jeopardy and he may be the only one who can fix the tragic mistake made by his doppelganger. This is all done amazingly well, all while trying to kill a notorious dictator and escape one of the harshest environments on earth during a very bloody time in the country’s history. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys thrillers, scifi, or historical novels. Hope this is not the only novel I see from Reese Hogan.

[Daniel Quilter · Rating 4 out of 5]

In pre-World-War-Two Russia, American agent Echo Maebius deals with the consequences of his botched assassination in Moscow. Things get even more complicated when Echo’s doppelganger comes into the picture. The story alternates between the current story and flashbacks of Echo’s past, while exploring the mysteries of Russia under Stallin’s rule, and the throwing in s few sci-fi twists.
To give full disclosure, the author sent me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, but I did genuinely enjoy the book. The characters are interesting and well fleshed out along with a story that flows well and is well researched.
If you enjoy spy novels, action, sci-fi, or any combination of the three then this book is worth checking out.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really great book by one of my new writer friends. If you love history or alternate history, you'll love this book. The descriptions make you feel like you are right in the middle of the scenes with Echo. The characters are very well developed, and whether you like them or not, you are very interested in their stories. The twist (if you can call it that) caught me by surprise, which shows me how careful the story was plotted. I can't wait to read more of Hogan's books!

[Mary Licking · Rating 3 out of 5]

Time travel, parallel universe, alternate history are involved in the plot. Reviewer K. Richardson's comment about two books in one rings true for me here. The descriptive writing and action in the first half drew me in. The second half was a mental exercise to keep the threads and the characters straight.

[E.M. McIntyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an action-packed, enjoyable read from front to back. The writing is solid and the characters intriguing. I was continually anxious to get back to the story each time I had to break from it. I loved the time travel aspect. A big thumbs up!

[William Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable book about an assassin in 1928 who meets his double in the first chapter and is whisked away from torture. I can't say much more without spoiling things, but go read it! I was hooked very quickly and wanted to read the rest. Looking forward to more from Reese Hogan!

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very confusing with a twin or some doppelgangers for Echo's character and being in a parallel universe. Jumping back and forth for the timeline didn't help to make it understandable.

[Kaitlyn Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this on a good reads give away.

I liked that it was a realistic fiction novel and that it was written so nicely and that it went from past to present