Genre

SUSPENSE, THRILLER, DRAMA, MATURE AUDIENCE

Brief

Former foster child and Atlanta-native FRANKLIN THOMAS drives non-emergency medical transports for a living. One day, he unknowingly transports the corpse of his long lost brother, DAVID. Soon, Franklin and his ghostly brother David form a tight bond, where David helps Franklin navigate through a complex web of romantic and sexual partners and through dealing with a myriad of other lingering spirits. David even helps equip Franklin with a stolen batch of a million dollars, which he uses to spoil his girlfriends and to help their shared father. All the while, gang violence seems to be escalating in the area.

Overall Rating

FAIR

Point of View

THIRD PERSON

Narrative Elements

Authors Writing Style: FAIR

Characterization: GOOD

Commerciality: GOOD

Franchise Potential: FAIR

Pace: FAIR

Premise: GOOD

Structure: FAIR

Theme: FAIR

Accuracy of Book Profile

The book profile has much room for improvement, as many parts leave more to be desired. For example, the log line and short summary are sparing and vague, doing little to clarify the concept or to drum up excitement for the text. Also, the character details section is entirely lacking.

Draw of Story

What drew me into the story immediately was the unique concept-- A very strange, even anachronistic pairing of urban life with the supernatural-- Not a common combination, but one used to solid effect. Also, the character of Franklin stood out as complex and flawed, which are virtues. He has just as many positive attributes to go along with his apparent selfishness and his hubris that seems to grow as the text progresses. Namely, he is intelligent, funny, and an inarguably loyal friend.

Possible Drawbacks

There were a few things that made me want to put the book down. The main thing is that there is much opportunity in this text to cut, condense, and simplify. It feels like the descriptions and dialogue are vivid and distinct to a fault-- Like the author spends too much time and verbiage to make his points to the point that it jars with the reader's engagement. A perfect example of this comes around page 50, when key characters order Chinese food-- In this scene, we spend upwards of a page entirely on ordering the food-- Something that could easily have been accounted for in a line or two. All in all, another pass with an eye for efficiency and word economy would only help this text.

Use of Special Effects

THE STORY RELIES A LITTLE BIT ON SPECIAL EFFECTS

Primary Hook of Story

The hook is that this work features a pairing of two sub-genres that have not often, if ever, been tied together. The result is a subversive, interesting, and modern world that is a perfect backdrop for the author's flawed, human characters. This will be sure to entice a niche audience and will hopefully draw a curious, wider audience, too.

Fanbase Potential

This would not have a wide fanbase, per se, but it bodes well for having a loyal and substantial audience given its focal points on not one but two largely separate genre spaces. This is perhaps the most one can ask for at this point for a story devoid of superheroes and superpowers and that does not borrow from an established IP.

Awards Potential

No, this is not an awards-type movie. It is more entertainment-driven and obsequious than the more auteur or art-leaning films that typically vie for nominations.

Envisioned Budget

MEDIUM BUDGET

Similar Films/TV Series

JUICE, BOYZ N THE HOOD, MENACE II SOCIETY

What’s New About the Story

One of the key strengths of this work is, in fact, the originality of its anachronistic concept. The opportunities to make it more original, then, are sparse. However, as far as execution is concerned, there is still much opportunity to cut, condense, and simplify this work, which would only further uplift and distinguish its concept.

Lead Characters

The lead character in Franklin Thomas stands out in that he is flawed, human, and complex. As noted, his positive attributes are just enough to overpower his varied negative attributes. This makes him feel real and human as opposed to plastic and basic. His easy-going ways in the face of intensifying social stakes make him likable and fun to follow.

Uniqueness of Story

This could be a rare gem, thanks to its doubly niche concept. However, what is holding it back is the excessive amount of time and word economy it takes to make its points and to tell its story. This work, it feels like, has no need to exceed 350 pages. A simple scanning through to cut, condense, and simplify what is not essential could get us to this more palatable page count in no time.

Possible Formats

Film:Indie, Streaming TV Series: Network, Cable, Limited Run / Mini-Series, Streaming

Analyst Recommendation

WORK IN PROGRESS

Justification

Despite its many virtues and the originality of its concept, this work certainly leans toward a work in progress due to some of its bloat and inefficiency. As noted, there is ample opportunity to simplify this work and to lower its rather large page count. Doing so would yield a work that simply has the same amount of impact but that takes far less time to achieve it.

Tips for Improvement

The author would need to do another pass simply to identify the sections that have lower value-per-page than others and to mitigate them by cutting, and if not cutting, condensing and simplifying.