The Last Sword Maker

The Last Sword Maker is a terrific techno-thriller that will keep you thinking long after the last page. With today’s ever increasing dependency on technology to keep us safe Brian Nelson asks the question what happens when nanotechnology becomes independent of man? The Last Sword Maker gives us a scary possible scenario that will keep you flipping pages and up long past your bedtime.

Great book. Very thought provoking. It is very disturbing and frightening to think that the reality of nanovirue may be in our near future. Love his book, very well researched and written.

Trying to branch out my reading a little and I honestly enjoyed this book a lot. Some of the technology ideas were a little above my understanding but I don't think it detracted. There were good plot elements, good flow, some drama, and I thought the characters well developed. There was almost no world building which I think was appropriate because there's merely the implication of the world they're in and how clandestine it is. I was pretty much hooked on this book from the start. This book does deal with some brutality, so it's not for the faint of heart, and while there's very little mystery involved I think it would also appeal to people who like tinkering and figuring things out because of Hill's thought processes.

"The Last Sword Maker" is a techno-thriller that takes several current technologies and scientific discoveries and tweaks them into more frightening possibilities that threaten to alter the world in drastic ways. Taking place in the near future, this tale of utilizing DNA to target and wipe out specific people and people groups leaves you at the last page pondering "what-if" and other implications of taking some of these discoveries to the extreme.

Free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Book is available October 16th.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this book. This techno-thriller was a fun read. The science was handled well. The author took some very deep topics and made them understandable enough for laypeople. It took a bit to really get into the story, but once it got going it was quite the roller coaster. The subject matter also sticks with you. The science feels scarily attainable. It will definitely get you thinking. If you want a fast and interesting read, give this one a shot.

truly enjoyed the Tom Clancy -like thriller with the Chinese as the enemy and not just the stockers of all Wal-Marts. My only negative is that it a serial, the main cause of death for most good books these days. I enjoyed this one though and hope you will too.

This was a fun read that could take place in the very near future. With references too current politics the story of possible Chinese attacks that would dominate the world of micro-computer bugs. The technical jargon got really detailed and hard to follow and there were times that the characters acted strangely. Is this what the world is coming to?

I would like to thank NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an advanced copy of this propulsive, action packed techno-thriller. It presents a thought provoking and horrifying look at the near future by predicting what could happen if present scientific theories and research are utilized to design a new form of weapon.

It seems there is an epidemic killing scores of Tibetan people without infecting the Chinese Han. An spy informs the Americans that the deaths are not caused by any viral or bacterial disease, but a new type of weapon developed in China to attack the subjected Tibetans based on its reading of genetic differences in their DNA. China has designed fast, intelligent, microscopic machines for warfare and genocide. They have not yet taken their nanotechnology to a more fearsome level. The next step is to find a way to get these minuscule machines to be further programmed and to replicate themselves which would make them even more lethal if used for evil intent.

An American team is formed under Admiral Curtis in a race against the Chinese to replicate and perfect these tiny weapons. The best scientific minds are gathered together from various disciplines. A young scientist, Eric Hill is recruited and given the task of making their theories cohesive. The goal is to come up with a replication program that works, and to do it in a hurry.

There is a lot of technical jargon used to explain theories and attempts to succeed. Much is incomprehensible to the average lay person, but I felt was explained as well as possible by the author. This was not a distraction to an exciting plot, especially when I discovered the various scientists hardly understood what the others were doing.

At the beginning Eric feels overwhelmed by the daunting task, but is befriended by a male and female fellow scientist who share ideas from their own scientific fields. In the meantime a young Tibetan man is smuggled out of the country. He aims to prepare himself to get revenge on the Chinese officials who tortured him in prison and caused the death of loved ones.

Eric and his male friend are kidnapped and brought to China to be forced to duplicate the successful work they completed in America. We learn in the intense action scenes what a deadly weapon has been created in both countries. Can anything stop the terror?

This was an enjoyable, thrilling story with well developed, believable characters; some intelligent, brave, ruthless or evil. It leaves you with the forecast of what could happen if technological progress results in the development of new forms of warfare.

I generally don't enjoy books that veer into science fiction and innovations theoretical in nature but this book was very well written. It is a fast paced book that has the United States and China racing towards developing a weaponized form of a nanovirus that can target people on a cellular level. It is full of suspense and was a definite page turner that I highly recommend.
Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This novel has a complex plot and characters. The author does a great job of developing each main character and providing ample backstory. The main themes in this book are dangers of emerging technologies, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, and biological weaponsat times I found this book hard to read due to the scientific and technical terminology and foreign settings.

The book starts off slow, almost dragging, but this is necessary to include all the logistics of the plot. The action picks up about halfway through and the suspense accelerates incrementally until the end.

This story takes place seven years in the future, in 2025, after numerous incidences of civil unrest and wars. Technology has advanced at a rapid rate, and nanotechnology has opened doors to a whole new opportunity for countries to defend themselves. International espionage comes into play as the Chinese government has a traitor that is feeding intelligence to the United States. The Chinese launch an attack on the Naval Research Lab in hopes of crippling the United State's progress. Kidnapping and more spy vs. spy carries the plot at a feverish pace until the satisfying conclusion, full of lots of tense and graphic action scenes.

I would recommend this book to fans of techno thrillers, espionage, and suspense. I received this as a free ARC from Blackstone Publishing on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A series of events and people woven into a captivating thriller. A race for world dominance between China and the United States. A devastating programmed virus strikes Tibet independence separatists. 2 facilities racing to complete a virus that could decimate your enemy. Fascinating tale that could come true. Evil, heroes, turncoats, and possible world destruction.

I don’t read a great deal of technothrillers these days, but the storyline seemed intriguing, so I picked up the book. The taut, nonstop thriller was a bit graphic in parts, but was compelling to the end. The story read like a Jack Ryan novel with Michael Crichton level of detail when it came to the nanotechnology. One of the underlying tensions in the book is the battle between brain and brawn and some might suggest the hubris of people like Oppenheimer to think that his weapon will end all war (helpfully, this is referenced in the book) is the core message of this book.

If you can handle a good deal of science with your action (and thankfully the technical aspects often are explained for those of us who earned Cs in the “hard” sciences), then you probably will enjoy The Last Swordmaker.

Nelson has crafted a fine and entertaining page turner of a thriller! High marks for a well-done plot!!

Concerns are raised in the United States when a village in Tibet becomes the site of a huge death toll. China isn’t saying much but rumors claim a weapon which can target certain genetic traits; if true, it would make China virtually unstoppable. The science behind it utilizes nanotechnology and can be used to craft nearly an infinite number of weapons with almost limitless potential for harm. When 3 of the key American scientists who are working to achieve “Replication” are abducted by the Chinese, the American military knows that it’s “game over” if the Chinese beat them to the key benchmark of “Replication.” An ambitious rescue operation is launched and only through the help of a Chinese dissident and the stall tactics of the captured scientists can all-out war be avoided.

“The Last Sword Maker” by Brian Nelson is a riveting novel centering around a technology that, while now very commonplace today, may well be as common as cars in this not-so-distant future: nanotechnology. While Nelson has earned accolades for his non-fiction work, this book is his debut fiction novel and for a first book, I’d say he has done a good job. I will admit I’m a little stumped as to the meaning of the title but thoroughly enjoyed the plot. However, the flow is a little disjointed at times and some of the terminology used regarding nanotechnology will be far beyond most readers, including myself. In addition, I believe the book would be better if there was more background given so that the reader would better understand how the story has reached the point it has at the beginning of the book.
That said, I would still recommend this book and give it 3/5 stars.

*A copy of the ebook is the only consideration received in exchange for this review.*

Once in a while you read a book that raises the standard in its genre and leaves you breathless. The plot was complex and I enjoyed the real science woven into the story which didnt skimp on the human aspects. The story is about several people, depicted in their full human frailties and strengths as they are confronted with almost impossible challenges. The story leads us to consider a future which is terrifying both in its wondrous possibilities and horrifying abuses. The result is a book of wide scope and luscious human landscapes.
Highly recommended!

I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this book, however, this is my honest opinion.

Brian Nelson has written a foreboding thriller that uses technology to create deadly, unstoppable weapons. Combining genetics, AI and nanotechnology, the United States finds itself in a race against China to create a weapon that kills individuals based on their DNA.

Nelson’s account follows the two teams – American and Chinese – as they work to be the first to develop this incredible weapon. A third component is the story of one individual who escaped the first beta test of the weapon against a Tibetan resistance group by the Chinese. While the story is solid the detail of the science often dampens the suspense.

Overall this is a thought-provoking fiction raising issues that suggest serious debate is needed to limit the potential abuse in the application of technology.

It’s 2025 and U.S.-Chinese tensions are at an all-time high as the battle for worldwide supremacy continues. Sound familiar? Are we sure this is 2025 and not 2018?

In The Last Sword Maker, the U.S. and China are not competing to build the biggest and baddest weapons, but rather the smallest and most complex. An epidemic that seems to wipe out thousands of Tibetans in the span of a few hours is no more than a weapons test for the Chinese. Technology has been developed to kill based on genetic traits.

In response, the U.S. pulls together a scientific dream team and throws recent graduate whiz kid, Eric Hill, into the center of the action. The Americans must beat the Chinese to the final process of this genetic technology – replication. This would allow a country (or a rogue individual) the ability to code cells to reproduce and develop in ways never seen before. The implication of this advancement could cure cancer, create bulletproof skin, or develop weapons beyond current comprehension.

The Last Sword Maker found a way to feel futuristic yet realistic given current geopolitical tensions along with the rapid acceleration of medical and technological advancements. While the topic may appear nerdy, this was also one of the most violent books I have read recently. I was engrossed in the science, the violence and the moral conscience of the major players.

Definitely pick up this techno-thriller this fall!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher and author for an ARC in exchange for my candid review.

A very intriguing and scary book set in the near future.

This is a story of scary new technology including self-replicating nanobots and germ warfare. It is a story about technology being developed for the "greater good" that is the perverted and contorted by competitive governments. It is about a race to beat someone else to the technology---this time, the US vs. the Chinese. It is also about how things never really work out exactly the way that you might think it will.

It is a compelling, very readable read. I have one complaint-----I still do not understand the meaning of the epilogue. It is not important to the story, but I still don't understand it.

Other than that-----a great read!

Brian Nelson has written a great techno-thriller that I really enjoyed! A race for world domination between America and China is taking place - and even though this is a work of fiction, the fact that it could really happen in the (maybe near) future is the real fright of this story.
Thank you to Brian Nelson, Blackstone Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC of this book,

People have died in Tibet due to a terrible virus that seems to kill in minutes. The world is in danger and a group of the highest notched scientists are tasked to undertake and find out why these people are dead.

Is it a disease or is it something else, a mass genocide placed upon the Tibetans by the Chinese. A battle begins as the scientists become involved in the world of nanotechnology racing to beat China in a process call the Replication. Lives are lost and the US must beat China at this game or else the power will be held by the ruthless Chinese bent on world domination.

This book had at its core an interesting premise as the world of nanotechnology is one that is being currently explored with diligence. It is also a world where extreme dangers lies as perhaps the machines we create will one day prove to be a danger beyond belief.

While I liked the story, it tended to be on the long side, with many instances that made the book somewhat dull and boring. However, those who enjoy a good spy thriller with global overtones would probably like this one.