Rating: 
Summary: Interesting concept but not well executed.
Review: "Fragments" offers an interesting concept, the fusing of the minds of several savants in a collective intelligence. However, a concept is not enough to sustain a book.In my opinion, the problem with "Fragments" is a basic one. The reader never really gets to know, or care about, the characters in the story. Part of the problem may be that there are too many characters to keep track of. In any case, the people we meet in this book are never really fleshed out. I think James David has some potential as a horror/thriller author. I think he just needs to refine his writing a bit first.
Rating: 
Summary: Promising plot loses steam and believability
Review: "Fragments" is a story about a group of diverse savants who are brought together for a remarkable experiment - to take each of their gifts (ranging from eidetic imagery to unbelievable mathematic computation) and meld them into one "super-human" personality. Sounds pretty interesting, doesn't it? That's what I thought too when I picked this book up. Unfortunately, this book just doesn't quite live up to expectations. For the most part, David "delivers" by creating some interesting characters (in particular, the savants), but the plot (and ANY believability) begins to lose steam in the last 200 pages of the book. This happens when the ghost of a young girl, who took her revenge against a group of college fraternity boys by murdering them 60 years ago, suddenly returns to finish the job by "working" through the savants "super-personality". The other major flaw in this novel (IMHO) is the relationship between the two major characters, Wes and Elizabeth. It's clumsy and sophomoric and takes away from the plot. It's almost as if David felt like he needed just to throw something else into the mix. As a matter of fact, the "Wes" character is
just plain annoying. It's hard to imagine how such a "whiner" could become a scientist of his stature. He is shown as a petty and rather immature individual who cares little for the savants and their needs. The ending is rather pedestrian and comes to a pretty abrupt halt. But, by that point, I think David was probably ready for this book to end as well. James F. David appears to be a promising author based on what I read in "Fragments". There are a few flaws that I think he will be able to work out as he creates more plots and characters. I haven't read his first book, "Footprints of Thunder" or his latest, "Before the Cradle Falls", but I think he shows enough potential to give them both a try.
Rating: 
Summary: Mystery, horror, suspense, and fantasy in one book!
Review: I couldn't put the book down! I had a big project due, butinstead of working on it, I spent the entire weekend reading thisnovel. I was kept guessing until the very end! The story is extremely well developed and very well written. (I'd say more but I don't want to give anything away.) From the very beginning I felt attached to the characters. This is one of the best books I've read in a while and as a bookstore manager I read a ton of books!
Rating:
Summary: Call me stupid, but..............
Review: I did not actually read this book, I just wanted to see if this review would get printed. heh heh heh
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfull - the best book you never read
Review: I picked up this book in Tucson at a used bookstore along with about 20 others. I live in San Francisco so large used bookstores don't really exist here. I read this one straight through. Fascinating mix of the supernatural, a ghost story, science, and a little tentative romance. The author weaves a riveting story about a group of savants brought together to scientifically "weave" their each unique special talents into one new mind, but the experiment is tainted by the presence of the ghost of a girl who had been raped and trapped, and died in the house where the experiments were conducted many years before as well as by a psychically gifted but criminal man who can suggest thoughts to others who is seeking to develop his gifts through the experiments. It reads far too quickly. I can't wait for more from this author.
Rating:
Summary: I love Ralph
Review: I think I want to start a fan site called "I love Ralph". Ralph has got to be one of the most real and endearing characters I've come across in a long time. James F. David has a particular talent for creating memorable characters with depth. This book caught my attention right away and held it until the end. I couldn't put it down! If you enjoy mystery twisted with the paranormal, you will love this book!
Rating:
Summary: I love Ralph
Review: I think I want to start a fan site called "I love Ralph". Ralph has got to be one of the most real and endearing characters I've come across in a long time. James F. David has a particular talent for creating memorable characters with depth. This book caught my attention right away and held it until the end. I couldn't put it down! If you enjoy mystery twisted with the paranormal, you will love this book!
Rating:
Summary: Umm, did I miss something?
Review: I'm not sure I'm willing to place James F. David among the ranks of such great suspence novelists such as Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Dan Simmons or even F. Paul Wilson. While his second novel, FRAGMENTS, starts off rather quickly and often grabs the reader by surprise, the plot seems to run consistantly thin throughout the story. Even the editing is handicapped as it turns the novel from a Hardy Boys episode (the dialogue often sounds out of date) into a bloody gore-fest straight from the likes of "Hellraiser." Maybe I've missed something, after all the idea behind the story is pretty original. This could possibly be the first ghost story/paranormal/medical thriller of our time (think: "Coma" meets "Rainman" meets "What Lies Beneath" meets "Carrie"). But I definitely felt a lack of connection to any of the characters, found the suggestive love interest between the two leads (Wes and Elizabeth) forced and unnecessary, and Gil (the bad guy) to be an oxymoron of himself (described as a character who never experiences anger yet needs that exact emotion in order to unleash his powers). And not one of the savant characters ever felt truly "real." Like a poorly written episode of "The X-Files," FRAGMENTS left me with unresolved feelings and with a lot to be explained. My recommendation is to pick up David's first novel, FOOTPRINTS OF THUNDER, as it's definitely more of an entertaining read.
Rating:
Summary: Ultimately disappointing
Review: The concept of fusing several savant talents into one "mind" is both original and interesting. Unfortunately, it never really goes anywhere. The set-up is well done. The characters are introduced well. After that, the plot just loses substance. I think the main problem here is that the author couldn't decide where to focus. The book would have been better, and more cohesive, if the focus had been on the experiment and the resulting events. Instead, we get the formulaic romance: They meet, they disagree/argue/misunderstand, they work together, they (apparently) begin a relationship. The whole thing is very forced and quite repetitive. At times, the dialogue reads like an old teen-gothic romance. Distracting. As others have noted, the ending is quite abrupt. It leaves the reader feeling that either something was left out, or that the author just ran out of things to say. This is the first book I've read by James David. I believe this is only his second novel. The concepts are there. If the storytelling improves with time, this will be an author to watch.
Rating:
Summary: Promising, but could have been better
Review: The X-Files meets Rainman is how the book is described on the back, and that pretty much nails this storyline to a 'T'. A truly original story which centers around the idea of taking the ultra-genius talents that certain savants possess (incredible memory, solving puzzles, knowing calendar dates from centuries in the past and into the future etc.) and combining them to create an artificial intelligence that can think on different planes than an average human can...but it is more than that, much more. From the opening scenes of 'Fragments' you read about a father and daughter with a most unusual relationship and the unique way the father decides to deal with it. Now at first I wondered what it all had to do with the savants, but never fear, Mr. David ties the loose ends together in a very clever way that turns it from an above-average para-normal story to a murder-mystery with a taste of the X-Files thrown in for good measure. One of the best things about 'Fragments' was the character of Ralph. You just cannot help but like this mentally challenged goliath with a taste for Slurpees and his perpetually happy moods. He adds a separate dimension to the storyline and his place in the story becomes very interesting towards the end. Personally I enjoyed how the mystery deepened when the murders began and how they were eerily similar to ones that had occurred years ago in the same town...a serial murderer who was never caught, too. Could the latest killings be done by the same person? Finding out is a journey that is both fun & rewarding. If you are searching for a completely unique fun story with supernatural undertones, I submit that 'Fragments' is the book you have been looking for. Oh, and for those who came to love Ralph, he makes a return appearance in Mr. David's 3rd book, 'Ship of the Damned' (another winner). Good stuff from an original author.
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