As a kid, I grew up watching Ewoks battle the Empire, the Enterprise shoot down the Klingons, and epic movies about aliens like Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T., and other spectacular stories. I even wrote my first sci-fi fantasy novel in 2004. So we can say safely, that I am a sci-fi fanatic. Which is why I am happy to write down my thoughts about the latest creation to grace the world of science fiction and fantasy.

When I first met John Biggs at the TechCrunch tech meetup in Philadelphia, he was a pretty cool guy who had a comical side to him. He sang his rendition of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (with the help of someone that feed him the lines). Needless to say, I found his presence quite entertaining, and at that point I had no idea he was a sci-fi writer at heart.

I then had the honor of spending some time with him at the PennApps Hackathon at University of Pennsylvania a year and a half ago. He was one of the judges along with a panel of pretty important guys who were choosing the winners. So now that I’ve had the chance to actually meet John a few times, it’s nice to see his personality shine through words in his book.

Without spoiling too much about his book, I’ll compare his book to others that have truly resonated with me throughout life. First being the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. There were moments in Mytro that truly reminded me of some fantastic moments in Hitchhikers. The nuances Biggs detailed in the characters taking us through a fast-paced action adventure, as well as the actual beings in charge of the Mytro were pretty intense. I’m totally biased in some ways because my family comes from Barcelona, so he had me smiling a lot every time the Castilian character would attempt to speak English.

What I loved most about the novel, wasn’t the character development, plot, or the world that Biggs created (although I loved all of those). To me, the best part was the pristine detail that Biggs implemented, to truly immerse us in his world. I also liked the twists and turns, as well as the feeling of wanting to know what was going to happen next. It’s rare to see that sci-fi novel nowadays, because most great stories have been told.

There are a few other books that Mytro reminded me of, one being the Percy Jackson series, since I’m a big fan of mythology I ended up reading those, even though they are for kids. They were great books to entertain myself at the airport or the beach. But something that Biggs did that other books did not was truly dive deeply into another world, that was universal in scope, but existing on a completely different plane that humans haven’t even thought of. The intricacies of the world he created will make you rethink your existence completely

The best part of Mytro, is that it brought me back to my childhood, where I forgot about the world around me, and lived vicariously through characters on a page.  I watch movies more than I read, but reading this book made me want to read more (and I have been).  It’s nice to have people out there who are still transferring their imaginations into words for others to enjoy.

Biggs figured out a formula that worked. I’m really glad he decided to make this a trilogy, because I am excited to read the next two books. If you haven’t already checked it out, click here to purchase a copy for your Kindle and spread the word to everyone!

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