Extracted (Extracted Trilogy, 1) Paperback – March 1, 2017

*** LANGUAGE ***To state, as the editor stated on the product page, “some strong language and violent scenes,” is probably the understatement of the year. I suspect the author found a going-out-of-business sale of f-bombs at some future date and decided to stock up on them in Extracted. Out of curiosity, I did a search of the words dxxx and f-bombs. I found more than 70 of the latter for every d-word.*** CLIFFHANGER ALERT ***Ends with a cliffhanger, of sorts.*** SEX ALERT ***There is a decidedly adult theme to this tome. Mind you, I enjoyed this part, but I'm just making sure people know there is some sex. It is not overly graphic, but it is definitely effective.Quick OverviewFrom the three alert blurbs at the top of this review, it should be apparent that this book is not written to satisfy every member of the public. In that sense, I commend the author for his effort. It takes a certain courage to try writing something in a different way that is likely to alienate readers, whether it be the way this author wrote Extracted, or the opinions expressed by yours truly, when posting this review. As the author has done, I am striving...Mind you, some of my favorite science fiction has been written by Brits, and I have found some Brits uttering this profanity more freely than I became accustomed to in the US. Still, when a profanity is used more than 200 times in a 400-page book, the impact is less than stellar.Incidentally, time machine books are, or can be, great fun. Dinosaur Four was just such a gem, which is why I decided to give this a try despite the indication by the editor. [I have posted a link to Dinosaur Four near the end of this review]So, how does the writer satisfy my need for a quest to the end of the galaxy? Read on to learn what else I found while reading this fantasy for adults…Length: Print, 400 pages. Not yet available in Audible format, but, it could be a cult hit as such.Q - Target Audience/Genre and is it marketed as Nonfiction or Fiction:A – Science Fiction/Fantasy with strong adult language and violence.Q - How was this book obtained?A – Bought on Amazon as my Kindle First selection.Q - Is this a book that I can read without having to read others first?A – Yes.Q – If this is a recurring character or a series, does it have a cliffhanger ending?A – This is a series, with the second book scheduled for publication in June, 2017.Q - Are there a lot of typos/misspellings, grammatical errors or other editing failures?A – No, although there are a few. Mostly, though, the writing is a little different because the writer is a Brit.Q - Is this a fast, easy read or is it more of a leisure read?A – Fast-paced due to the heavy use of dialogue, but definitely a book to kick back in an easy chair to read.Q - My biggest pleasure or disappointment?A – The language.To give a feel for the editing, and the style and flow of this work, I am posting a brief excerpt below.Excerpt – Excerpt 1 displays the writer’s skill with dialogue and his ability to do so without using f-bombs. Clearly, this guy can write.Excerpt 1‘…He’s pulled over the side of a boat and lands heavily with hands gently slapping his cheeks.‘Here, Konrad, don’t hit him …’‘I’m trying to rouse him, Malc.’‘He might do what Ben did and I ain’t getting beaten up twice in one night. Hang on. Is he even alive? He doesn’t look too good.’‘He’s going into shock ...his lungs are full of water ...’‘Give him that epinephrine, I’ll get the defib charged.’‘I’m doing the defib.’‘Just give him the eppy pen. I’ll get it charged.’‘We said I was doing the defib ... the boss said I was doing it.’‘Alright, Konrad! I’ll just charge it.’‘Don’t zap him, Malcolm.’‘I said alright, Jesus Christ, it’s only a defib. Just give him the eppy.’‘Which one is it? This one?’‘That’s the sedative. The other one ...the other one ... oh my God, Konrad, the bloody other one, you twat.’‘Got it. Right, Harry ...you’re going to feel a burst of energy now. What if he starts fighting, Malc?’‘Just give him the bloody eppy before he dies.’ Whatever residue remains from death beckoning is banished the instant the adrenaline shot is administered and a surge of power and strength floods Harry’s battered system. Dying from drowning to unquestionable consciousness in an instant, his mind cannot cope with the transition as he tries to grasp the fleeting image of Edith. He bucks and writhes from a spasm that purges the seawater from his lungs and stomach out through his mouth and nose. Gasping for air, puking, writhing and all the time freezing from the icy…’Haywood, RR. Extracted (Extracted Trilogy Book 1) (Kindle Locations 624-639). 47North. Kindle Edition.Excerpt 2 This excerpt is a good insight into the adult language and theme that some readers may love, while others will find a turn-off. I used [] to encase the offending words and used the ironical term extracted for humor due to the title of the book.‘…different. It was the early hours and he woke up to find her hand on his pexxx[anatomical term for a man’s appendage extracted] and her mouth in his ear. ‘[F—bomb extracted] me,’ she demanded almost angrily. Ben rolled over and started to kiss her neck but got pushed roughly away. ‘I said [F-bomb extracted] me,’ she hissed and pulled him on top while rubbing his cxxx[anatomical term for a man’s appendage extracted by reviewer]. The second he was rigid she thrust it inside, bucking, grunting and raking at his shoulders while demanding to be [F-bomb extracted] harder. It was over quickly then she stared up at him in the moonlight coming through the blinds for a long minute before rolling over and going straight back to sleep. She was…’Haywood, RR. Extracted (Extracted Trilogy Book 1) (Kindle Locations 159-164). 47North. Kindle Edition.Bottom Line:What could have been, for me, an outstanding science fiction, even with a moderate use of adult language and theme, became a letdown. Those who have no issues with the language or the sexual discourse are going to rate this five stars. Others are going to detest Extracted. As for myself?Three stars out of five. Removing 75 percent of the F-bombs would rate it four stars.In case your curious about Dinosaur Four, here is a link  The Dinosaur Four Comments regarding your opinion of this book or of my review, whether favorable or unfavorable, are always welcome. If you buy the book based on my review and become disappointed, especially, I do want to know that and I want to understand how I can improve as a book reviewer. Just please be polite.Thank you.

What an exciting book! I was intrigued by the concept, and I’ve got to say that the execution made me really happy I read this book. Loved the characters, the mysteries, and all the action. Cannot wait to dive into the next book in this trilogy!

This has to be one of the most well put together time-travel stories I've read.I had to go straight onto books two and three and quickly finished all three.Interesting, sympathetic characters and a fascinating story.This author has a brilliant way of writing their banter and camaraderie.Things became a little crazy in book three but it was all sorted by the end.I'd really love to see this made into a series or trilogy of films.And now I see that this author has written a series of another of my favourite genres - the Zombie Apocalypse! Looks like they'll be skipping ahead of my four-year queue of books.Highly recommended.

I found myself laughing, crying and guffawing throughout this book. One of the things I loved the most was that RR gives the characters TIME to explore their feelings about being transported to a different time, and about the fact that time travel exists at all. I HATE when authors or movie makers shorten that learning curve so as to move the story along, I suppose because they've been convinced that we all have short attention spans and won't stay engaged if every other page doesn't have a chase or a fight or sex. When an author asks us for a disproportionate suspension of disbelief, yo me it serves as the undoing of the believability of the entire tome. Situations can be as preposterous and outlandish as the mind of a futuristic science fiction writer can conceive. But human beings are rather plodding and predictable in our emotions and reactions to said preposterous situations. RR gives the characters ample, believable time and need for proof of such outlandish situations, which is what makes the story "believable", as it were. As to the reviews that took exception to the cursing; seriously? Aside from the fact that it is desheartening proof that we STILL live in a suffocatingly uptight and Puritanical society in America, you've clearly missed one of the major intentions of the dastardly curse words. *Small spoiler alert--The fact that the female from the furthest point in the future had no compuncion about cursing and the ruthless soldier from the 1940s did, is quite an elegant way of defining the differences between the two eras and is exemplified repeatedly. Perhaps if a reader/reviewer were to spend less time counting the bad-bad no-no words and maintained a bit more openness to the rather obvious point of them, it would have reduced their shock and horror at having their tender and delicate sensibilities trampled upon. As to sex; really?! Yes, sex was addressed. Sexual abuse was addressed. Sex, as it would seem, apparently happens to be the cornerstone of civilization. If you're reading this review, it's because two people had sex. Go ahead, wipe the throw-up of your lily-white lips and then grow up. Seriously. You're embarrassing the rest of humanity. What I find resplendent in this book, is the fact that *ok, another small spoiler alert--despite one character's suffering at the hands of a sexual abuser, the goodness and integrity of another was what gave the character hope that there was still goodness in the world, whatever world or era that happened to be. This belief that there is basic human decency in spite of some who lack it, and that it's worth fighting for and saving, is kind of the seminal point of the whole book. And if someone misses that because they're too busy counting curse words or sex scenes, that what the bloody hell are you doing reading anything? I was going to say stick to reading the Bible, but there is WAY more sex and violence in the Bible. Way more. I found this book to be full of human spirit, ingenuity, love and triumph. Were all the descriptions perfect? Perhaps not. But perhaps the author wanted us to focus on something of greater import than an in-depth description of exactly how a time machine may or may not actually work. We get that it's all a made-up explanation anyway, right?! Which is, for me, the whole point of fiction. It's whatever was made-up in the author's brain, which is exactly their right to delve into to whatever degree they deem it important. I found the focus on the human emotions and interactions in what was, at best a difficult situation, to be wholly satisfying and well done. I have already put the sequel on my Wish List!

Terrible, terrible book. It's taken me 4 weeks to get through half of it and I've finally stopped letting it take up any more of my time!Poor writing, it reads like a child's book "Ben feels sad. Harry feels confused. Safa feels angry". So irritating. None of the characters are likeable, there is zero development of them or the story. The conversations are laughable. How anyone gave this 5 stars is baffling.Don't waste your time. Even if you're offered the book for free, don't do it to yourself.

The best book I have read for a long time, and I think, my first ever five star. Why so enthused about a time-travel story? The subject has surely been done to death over the centuries...But this author brings an entirely fresh take to a gripping and suspenseful two-book epic. You know the basic story from the blurb, how three unlikely killers are plucked from their impending deaths by a time machine invented by a genius adolescent. Their mission: to save the world. Yawn. But the storytelling is superb, the plot twist riveting, and the first book leaves you hungering for the second.The characters are three-dimensional, each with a believable history, and a love of banter that is really funny. When one sinks into depression on being torn from a loved one and 'imprisoned' in the age of the dinosaurs, you worry for him. When they bind as a team you smile.The action is brutal, no-holds barred, with a huge body count. But it all seems inevitable as Government struggles to own this new and devastating technology, pitting trained agents (and in one climactic scene, the Army) against a handful of time-travellers.Overall verdict? A well-deserved five stars. Please write more, Mr Haywood...

I was excited to start this book, because it looked massively up my street. Dystopian futures, time travel, history... perfect. At first I thought it was going to be great, but it began to deteriorate very quickly. The author has a great handle on suspense, but too much of it reads like a bad first draft. Example: 'Harry waits for the sentry to light another cigarette, knowing the sentry's vision will be momentarily ruined'. I can see why he used 'the sentry' twice, but why not spend a little time figuring out a better way of phrasing the sentence so it doesn't sound so clumsy? That's what good writing is about....I doubt it's been professionally edited or proofread - there is very little punctuation, with missing commas throughout - I get the feeling that he wrote it like a runaway train, and nobody told him that books usually need more than one draft to tidy up the prose. The dialogue is childish, like a teenager's impression of 'blokes' banter', with the characters' using each other's names far more often than people do in real life; okay, we know these chaps are called Malcolm and Konrad. They don't have to say, 'Check his pulse, Konrad' 'I am, Malcolm' 'Check his pupils too, Konrad'... you get the picture. Then there is the female police officer who is, of course, beautiful, though she doesn't wear make-up, as we are told more than once (any editor worth their salt would have noticed this).I loved the structure, loved the picture of what was possibly building up, and abandoned it then started it again a couple of times, because I wanted to know what was going to happen - but in the end the writing was just too bad.

The concept of time travel is a favourite among sci-fi and fantasy authors but needs very careful handling to prevent such a book sliding into the realms of absurdity. Some authors, like HG Wells and Stephen King, have managed it effectively, but most have not. Such a one is R R Hayward, who treats the subject with the literary skill and perspicacity of a teenage delinquent on amphetamines. Sadly, like many authors lacking in these disciplines, he believes that this deficiency in talent can be overcome by the repeated use of f-and c- words, which, rather than improving the perception of his literacy only serves to underline the lack it. Indeed, the word recurs with such tiresome frequency that you wonder about the sort of company the author keeps in real life – yes, I know I’m literary old school, but I think there are many more elegant ways for writers to express themselves than in continuous gutter invective; that is the province of inarticulate juveniles.All this is rather a shame, as the book began with much promise; sadly, it didn’t maintain it. No effort is expended in making the characters other than paper cutouts of silly archetypes, and their dialogue is risible. When one of the leading protagonists explains time travel by saying 'it has something to do with a mathematical equation' you just know the book just isn't going to challenge your powers of reason. The plot is wafer-thin and quite tedious in those places which aren’t intellectually inadequate.Apart from that, I didn't enjoy reading the book and look forward to missing the rest of the series; I advise others to do the same.

I bought this book over a year ago. I only got round to reading it at the end of last month. I wish I'd read it sooner.The start of a new time travel trilogy; something I'm a real sucker for. In this, the first book, we are introduced to our heroes as they are extracted from their current lives to undertake the mission required here.There's a bit of stereotyping going on here; how often do we see the tough but beautiful heroine as she beats up / kills the bad guys with ease, whilst remaining a picture of perfection? Personally, I don't care enough for it to be a problem. Safa may have a character based on a thousand stories already written, but would the book be as enjoyable without her, or with her in a more original form?For me, this book was well written, gave us enough back story for each character to feel attached to them, and provides a story paced well enough that I may have just gone straight in to the second in the series - something I don't often do.Overall, this is a great read, and a must for anyone interested in time travel (which obviously is everyone).