I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A man working a hotline at the CDC sees an opportunity to end a global plague when a woman the world has been searching for may be on the line with him in author Brady Koch’s “The Hotline at the End of the World”, the third book in the All Our Forgotten Futures series.
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The Synopsis
In a world paralyzed by an unprecedented outbreak, Clint mans the CDC hotline, a solitary beacon of dwindling hope. Then, one fateful day, a call comes in. Clint finds himself navigating a delicate situation involving a mysterious woman, hinted at in classified files, who may possess the coveted cure. As the world remains under a suffocating lockdown, Clint’s every word, every choice, holds the weight of untold futures.
“The Hotline at the End of the World” is a gripping narrative of responsibility and suspense, set in a reality where a single phone call can alter the course of humanity.
The Review
This was a gripping and compelling short story. The author is able to weave together plot points from the previous two entries in this series to illustrate the desperation and sorrow that has overtaken the world, emphasizing in particular the importance of book one protagonist Sarah. The fast pace of the narrative and gripping imagery really elevate the tension that has built over time in this world.
The character development and world-building that this story does for the All Our Forgotten Futures series was incredible. The subtle moments of the narrative, such as the protagonist scratching at a phantom limb illustrate the things and people that are missing from his own life and the way this story builds towards an emotional and fantastic final entry into this dystopian-level sci-fi thriller.
The Verdict
Engaging, mesmerizing, and thought-provoking, author Brady Koch’s “The Hotline at the End of the World” is a must-read short story and emotional read. The twists and turns that drive this story forward and the shocking end that leaves the future on a somber note yet filled with endless possibilities make this a thoughtful and caring story to get lost in. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Feel free to read over Brady’s shoulder if you see him working on a new novel or short story at the coffee shop or library. Despite his penchant for crime, horror, and the unusual in his writing, he’s actually a nice guy and welcomes your feedback. Brady Koch’s first collection of short works, Guns, Gods & Robots, is now available. His debut novel, All our Forgotten Futures, will be available in Winter 2023.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Two people adjusting to life in an American Utopia discover the true cost of peace and the extreme methods that some of the new nation’s leaders are willing to go to in order to preserve that Utopia in author James Rourke’s “Stone Souls”.
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The Synopsis
What price would you pay to become a member of a vibrant society where poverty and crime have been eradicated? Medical advancements render cancer no deadlier than the common cold. You can teleport to your next destination. Art flourishes and intellectual accomplishments are celebrated the way lesser nations celebrate athletic contests.
The only cost is your soul.
Raymond and Karen Butler, as new citizens of the Common States of America, endeavor to embrace the nation’s demanding vision. The allure of prosperity collides with the ferocious realities of initiation. Their struggle to accept new customs and modes of thinking unfolds under the cruel gaze of Kurt “Stone” Adams, the secretary of internal security, who defends the nation he loves with revolutionary intensity.
Would you sell your soul for Utopia?
The Review
This was a gripping and haunting sci-fi dystopian read. The world-building was excellent, really doing an amazing job of bringing this “Common States of America” to life in a visceral way. The horrors and shocking events that readers see come to life by this new hierarchy in order to maintain their “utopia” is terrifying, and coupled with the religious and philosophical discussions that bring to mind social and political issues our own world is facing at this time, this book is filled with so much tension.
To me, the heart of this narrative was in the unique character perspectives and the language used in this new world that speaks to the foundations of this society as a whole. The perspective readers get from both the newcomers to this society and the person practically running things was great to see as it gave a balanced viewpoint of this society, and the language very much reminded me of an almost cult-like mentality, as it often referenced a distrust of the outside world and showcased an often brutal hand of authority and standards that were impossible to live up to, leading to tragedy.
The Verdict
Memorable, haunting, and engaging, author James Rourke’s “Stone Souls” is a must-read dystopian sci-fi novel. The book’s commentary on our over-reliance on technology as a whole and the cost of perfection and a utopian society at the cost of humanity and morality as a whole made this a truly one-of-a-kind story and will stick with readers long after the book’s end. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
James Rourke has been a high school teacher of history, psychology, and philosophy for twenty-eight years. His commitment to these three disciplines guides his writing . “The Comic Book Curriculum” is praised for revealing “how major superheroes and their stories raise some of the deepest and most important ethical and psychological questions we all need to ask and answer.” This aspect of storytelling, the quest to tell stories that entertain, challenge, and uplift the reader, inspires James in his fiction as well.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A leader within the growing Insurgency against an Imperial war machine must test his faith after being taken to an Imperial stronghold, while two other rebels find a young girl who could turn the tide of the war in author TC Marti’s “The Rebellion Awakens”, the first book in the Sentrys of Terrene series and the latest entry into the Elementals universe the author has crafted.
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The Synopsis
War!
A strike from underground bases won the Insurgency’s first victory against Vranom Imperials.
During the battle, Insurgency spies intercepted a blueprint regarding the Imperials’ superweapon, the Fusion Bomb, constructed with enough Source energy to wipe out an entire landmass.
Commander Tage-Ras Svendson intends to celebrate the Insurgency’s victory after relaying the stolen plans before a confrontation with the notorious Venn Rhine forces him into a Vranom stronghold. With only a disembodied voice giving directions, Tage faces the ultimate test of faith.
Meanwhile, in Vranom’s capital city of Sunrise, two insurgents stumble across a girl who may hold a key to restoring justice to the lost world.
The Rebellion Awakens is Book I in the post-apocalyptic dystopian military science fantasy Sentrys of Terrene Series. Inspired by Star Wars with a touch of Avatar: The Last Airbender, join Tage-Ras Svendson, Sabre Kjaergaard, and Ren Elk-Jaer as they battle the People’s Republic of Vranom and expose the global superpower’s lies regarding the extinct Sentry Order.
The Review
This was a wonderful blend of action and epic sci-fi fantasy storytelling. The latest entry into the Elementals saga is the perfect way to jumpstart “phase II”, and the way the author is able to blend elements of the other books in the saga with this new world and its own mythos was remarkable to see come to life. The society for which this rebellion is born highlights the somber and fear-state atmosphere that compels the characters forward in their journey.
The character growth and powerful themes really hit home in this novel. The cast of characters all played great roles in this story, but the character who best showcased the wonder and terrors of this world that the reader could relate to was Sabre, who found within herself her own form of rebellion by reading ancient texts hidden by her father and discovering the true ways of this world for herself, which flies in the face of the faith and government that they are all sworn to abide by. The concept of a fear-state and ruthless government rule is a dystopian nightmare that plays heavily into our own current state of affairs in the world, which makes for truly engaging and frightful narratives.
The Verdict
Mesmerizing, haunting, and entertaining, author TC Marti’s “The Rebellion Awakens” is a fantastic dystopian and post-apocalyptic thriller and a must-read first book in the Sentrys of Terrene series. The twists in the author’s story and the wealth of character development and dynamics will keep readers engaged with this narrative, and the rich mythos and world-building will have fans enthralled by this brand-new series. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
TC Marti has been an avid reader/writer for over three decades. He is the author of the Elementals Universe, a shared speculative fiction universe spanning multiple series. He is also a workout fanatic, and a fan of Arizona sports teams.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A researcher for a trailblazing VR program hoping to perfect the system gets lost in the darkest recesses of the system itself and must confront his past and the darkness humanity has been plunged into in the real world in author Tamel Wino’s “Dusk Upon Elysium”.
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The Synopsis
From the award-winning creator of Ékleipsis comes a dystopian narrative of affliction and obsession.
The world as we know it is forever lost. A deadly virus has scourged the planet and ravaged billions. Under the harsh ruling regime, survivors were “cleansed” and confined to isolated units, perpetually tormented by hunger, desolation, and desperation.
Among them is Geoff, a researcher for the trailblazing Paradiso, an authority-regulated virtual-reality program that allows users to momentarily escape their waking lives via implanted chips. He is devoted to perfecting the system—a vessel to preserve future hopes and dreams, where immense worlds prevail, brimming with vast possibilities.
But before long Geoff finds himself thrusted into the darkest recesses of these alternate realities, where he must confront not only his past but persevere against the unknown, fighting for his very existence.
Is all this magnificence just a grandiose illusion? Could there ever be salvation from the living hell into which mankind has plummeted?
The Review
This was a truly engaging novel. The author does an amazing job of capturing the grittiness of this world the author has created. The vivid imagery the author employed here did an excellent job of capturing the rich juxtaposition of the shocking dystopian reality of the real world with the atmospheric and beautiful scenery within Paradiso, bringing this sci-fi epic to life expertly.
The heart of this narrative had to be the dynamic character development and the stellar world-building that the author crafted. The emotional core of Owen’s past meeting the present day and the psychological effect of being so immersed into this virtual world help build upon the mythos of this illness-ravaged world that has left humanity on the brink of extinction and a powerful military keeping the survivors “in check”, mirroring some of our own fears in the heights of the recent global pandemic we all endured.
The Verdict
Thought-provoking, entertaining, and haunting in its delivery, author Tamel Wino’s “Dusk Upon Elysium” is a must-read sci-fi dystopian novel of 2022. A great way to end the year for fans of these genres, the balance the author found between the mind-bending genres and the emotional core of these characters and their arcs made this story truly shine. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Tamel Wino is a horror/thriller short fiction writer from the resplendent British Columbia whose works focus largely on madness and human morality. He attended the University of Western Ontario, majoring in health sciences and psychology which only furthered his interest in human nature.
With inspirations including Alice Munro, Joe Hill, Stephen King, Margaret Atwood and Edgar Allan Poe; Tamel’s expositions are strongly grounded in traditions of dark fiction. Yet, with his bold, evocative narrative voice and incisive plot construction, Wino is paving a new movement within the space.
When he’s not reading or scribbling away on his laptop, Tamel loves listening to jazz, rewatching good ol’ classic movies and travelling.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A man stolen away from his home planet must fight to rescue both his family and his world from a grueling threat and fight a villain for the right to rule his world in author Jane Mckay’s “A King Ascends”, the first book in The Tyrea Trilogy.
The Synopsis
A thrilling science fiction story of good and evil.
The sentient planet, Tyrea, is in danger. Unaware of the problem, Jon Tor is happy in doing work that he loves but knows something terrible has happened on his home planet when he is kidnapped, injured, and flees for his life. He desperately needs to save not only his family but his entire planet. Friends, on and off the planet, gather to help him survive the struggle to get home in time. He is facing an additional problem because he needs to survive long enough in order to put himself into the hands of his enemy. The two men must come together to battle for the right to rule.
Who will outwit the other and win?
The Review
This was a powerful and thrilling dystopian sci-fi novel. The author did an incredible job of diving head-first into the narrative’s action and showcasing the rich and diverse cast of characters and world-building the author. The tension the author infused into the story and the heavy atmosphere that builds as the weight of this planetary threat makes itself known was greatly felt in this story.
Yet it was the engaging character development and mythology the author built, along with a moving series of themes, that made this story feel alive on the page. The protagonist’s tale of tragedy and overcoming hardships was both relatable and inspiring, and the natural way in which the world around him adapts and engages with the advanced tech and multiple alien species was great to see. The emotional weight of the protagonist’s story and the themes of loss, love, and the grieving process overall made this a masterful sci-fi adventure.
The Verdict
Memorable, adrenaline-fueled, and entertaining, author Jane Mckay’s “A King Ascends” is a must-read sci-fi and dystopian epic, and the perfect opening story in the growing The Tyrea Trilogy series. The twists and turns this narrative takes and the action-packed adventure the protagonist finds himself on against the sinister villain keep the reader invested until the book’s final pages. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Jane McKay is a graduate of Ohio State University with a BA in Geography. She loves her field because it touches on all the other sciences and allows her imagination to soar with lots of ‘what if’ questions. All her life she has wondered about the world outside her door. Credit through has to be given to her family who have kept her firmly grounded on this home planet. That’s okay, it only causes her to dream more. The best hope she has is to gather new friends to share her dreams.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
In a futuristic world where climate change is worsening and mental health and population control have gotten out of control, one woman seeks a means of using technology to prevent a total apocalypse in author Janet Kravetz’s “Sky Curse: The Chosen Five”, the first book in the Sky Curse series.
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The Synopsis
The Sky Curse series follows Cecilia Miller, a coder of artificial dreams living in the year 2045. It’s a time when climate chaos has become the norm and the collective mental health of humanity has fallen to a grave state. The world’s population has grown to a horrific twenty-five billion people, maxing Earth to its limit. Most are planning to abandon Earth and leave it to its fate as they colonize a new world through Titan pioneering (those beings are called Universalists). However, there are those who still hold on to hope for Earth and a humanity untainted by AI (those beings are called Localists). As humanity struggles to survive, it seems like only technology can help, and Cecilia is determined to be the one to bring it about. When planet Earth faces apocalyptic events, she must summon her resolve and resilience if she’s to have a chance to save this world.
The Review
This was such an intense, captivating conspiracy thriller that meets YA sci-fi and a dystopian novel. The novel read like a very mature story, with strong characters who represented the complexities of this novel’s themes. The tension and atmosphere the author creates in this novel were so palpable and captured the reader’s attention, allowing the narrative to shine through brightly. The characters felt organic and honed into the world around them so well, and each character, including the protagonist, became a vocal representation of the themes the narrative brings to life.
What stands out in this novel are the incredibly complex themes and the rich world-building the author utilizes. The themes the author explores included the advancements in technology, climate change, humanity’s impact on the world, and the slippery slope between controlling humanity and curbing destructive behaviors. The reader is immediately treated to the themes through the advanced AI systems, virtual reality becoming virtual dreams and even the protagonist’s status as a Cyborg. The idea of a “big brother” state and the question of how much control humanity has on the impact of the world around them and how much is left up to fate was incredible to read and watch unfold on the page.
The Verdict
Thought-provoking, adrenaline-fueled, and entertaining, author Janet Kravetz’s “Sky Curse: The Chosen Five” is a must-read sci-fi meets dystopian conspiracy thriller novel of 2022! The concept and execution of this narrative felt very much like George Orwell’s 1984 meets Issac Asimov’s expansive sci-fi collection, including I, Robot. The intimate way the author is able to capture the concept of finding one’s voice and stepping into your own power made this such a rich and unique story. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Janet Kravetz (sometimes writing under the pen name Topaz Ruby) is an award winning author, poet and artist as well as a mental health advocate.
Janet was born in Ukraine and grew up in Israel, where she had a career in legal research and public policy, joining the Israel Bar in 2009. Soon thereafter she immigrated to Nova Scotia, Canada and continued working in the field of legal research and public policy, while volunteering with various local committees for the promotion of diversity and inclusion. She speaks Russian, Hebrew and English.
In 2013 she launched a career as an award-winning poet and in 2014 as an award-winning author, when her self-published book of poetry and art “Reaching Beyond Ourselves – Leading a Spiritual, peaceful and Diverse World” won the international Beverly Hills Book Awards for both content and presentation (under the pen name Topaz Ruby). In the following years Janet turned to writing more poetry and also a few unpublished manuscripts about topics of spirituality, mental health, diversity and the environment. She writes in plain language that children and immigrants can understand.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A group of women who gain supernatural abilities in the midst of a biological attack have to survive and face untold danger as they battle the impending apocalypse in author P.C. Cast’s “Into the Mist”, the first book in the series of the same name.
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The Synopsis
As men fall to the mist, the age of womankind begins to rise.
The world as we know it ends when an attack on the U.S. unleashes bombs that deliver fire and biological destruction. Along with sonic detonations and devastating earthquakes, the bombs have also brought the green mist. If breathed in, it is deadly to all men—but alters the body chemistry of many women, imbuing them with superhuman abilities.
A group of high school teachers heading home from a conference experiences firsthand the strength of these new powers. Mercury Rhodes is the Warrior, possessing heightened physical powers. Stella Carver is the Seer, with a sixth sense about the future. Imani Andrews is the Watcher, with a rare connection to the earth. Karen Gay is the Priestess, demonstrating a special connection with Spirits. And Gemma Jenkins is the Healer, a sixteen-year-old student who joins the group after losing her parents.
As they cross the Pacific Northwest, trying to find a safe place to ride out the apocalypse, the women soon learn they can’t trust anyone, and with fresh danger around every corner, it will take all their powers to save themselves—and possibly the world.
The Review
This was a gripping and thought-provoking post-apocalyptic read. The elements of sci-fi and fantasy that play into the narrative are perfectly utilized, for they don’t necessarily overpower the story at all but enhance it, and add more depth to the overall drama of the sequence of events that begins this cataclysmic event. The imagery and atmosphere (both figurative and literal) are well defined and give the reader a true sense of the world that has become their reality, delving into themes of survival, relationships, and the breakdown of society as a whole.
The character dynamics and growth was superb in this read. The author really did an amazing job on page 1 of defining the relationships and connectivity of these characters, especially the core cast of women who serve as the backbone of this story. The way the author is able to flip the script so to speak on the post-apocalyptic story by having a group of women takes on the roles of protectors and heroes in a world that has turned into a nightmare was an inspired choice, and making the women feel realistic and vulnerable in one breath while also exuding strength and determination in the next was great to read.
The Verdict
Heartfelt, engaging, and exhilarating, author P.C. Cast’s “Into the Mist” is a must-read suspense thriller that meets dystopian apocalyptic sci-fi read, and is one of my top suspense reads of 2022! The chilling nature of the attacks that lead into this main narrative and the heart-pounding thriller aspect of the narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seat as alliances and distrust form in the wake of civilization’s breakdown was so compelling to read. The shocking twists and turns will leave readers eager to read the author’s sequel when it inevitably arrives. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today, or preorder the book and receive it on July 12th, 2022!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
PC was born in the Midwest and grew up being shuttled back and forth between Illinois and Oklahoma, which is where she fell in love with Quarter Horses and mythology (at about the same time). After high school, she joined the United States Air Force and began public speaking and writing. After her tour in the USAF, she taught high school for 15 years before retiring to write full time. PC is a #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today Best-Selling author and a member of the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame. Her novels have been awarded the prestigious: Oklahoma Book Award, YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Prism, Holt Medallion, Daphne du Maurier, Booksellers’ Best, and the Laurel Wreath. PC is an experienced teacher and talented speaker. Ms. Cast lives in Oregon near her fabulous daughter, her adorable pack of dogs, her crazy Maine Coon, and a bunch of horses. House of Night Other World, book 4, FOUND, releases July 7th, 2020. More info to come soon about the HoN TV series!
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A newly dead detective tries to find a group of missing children and solve the mysteries of the floating city of Autumn’s long-lost history in author Michael G. Williams’s “New Life in Autumn”.
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The Synopsis
RETURN TO THE MEAN STREETS OF AUTUMN
Valerius Bakhoum is dead and buried.
Too bad he’s still flat broke and behind on the rent.
Unsure what to do with himself—and of who he is—Valerius resumes his career as a detective by taking up the oldest case in his files: where do the children go?
Throughout his own youth on the streets of Autumn, last of the Great Flying Cities, Valerius knew his fellow runaways disappeared from back alleys and other hiding places more than anyone realized. Street kids even had a myth to explain it: the Gotchas, who steal urchins away in the night.
With nothing but time on his hands, Valerius dives in head-first to settle the question once and for all and runs smack into a more pressing mystery: who killed one of Valerius’ former lovers?
And do they know Valerius is still alive?
Stalk the shadows of Autumn’s hidden places by Valerius Bakhoum’s side as he shines a light on secrets both sacred and profane, ones with shockingly personal connections to who he was—and who he might become.
New Life in Autumn is the sequel to the Manly Wade Wellman Award-winning A Fall in Autumn.
The Review
What immediately struck me about this novel was just how much the setting of this floating city called Autumn felt so alive on the page. A beautiful blend of dystopian sci-fi meets fantasy and hard-boiled detective mysteries, the author found a way to make the city itself feel like a character all its own. The intrigue and drama that the author’s narrative brought forth kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.
The character growth of this narrative was such an engaging aspect of the story. The protagonist was so versatile and complex, both emoting the tough-as-nails attitude one expects of a seasoned detective and showing the raw emotions and shock of experiencing death and rebirth all at once. The LGBTQ-forward romance and inspired character development made this story shine brightly as well, making for a rich and diverse dystopian read.
The Verdict
Gripping, captivating, and entertaining, author Michael G. Williams’s “New Life in Autumn” is a must-read novel! The action and mystery surrounding this story feel both classic and yet futuristic all at once, and the rich character development, both the protagonist and the city, in particular, make for an emotionally engaging and mind-blowing hook that keeps us readers invested in this series. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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Michael G. Williams has a new gay sci-fi mystery out, Books of Autumn book 2: A New Life in Autumn. And there’s a giveaway!
THE HARDEST PART OF DYING IS DECIDING HOW TO PASS THE TIME
Valerius Bakhoum died and kept no living. Now he can walk the streets of his city with a new face and a new name and finally feel a little bit respected. Too bad he’s still flat broke and behind on the rent. Unsure what to do with himself—and perhaps even of who he is—Valerius resumes his career as a detective by taking up the oldest case in his files: where do the children go?
Throughout his own youth on the streets of Autumn, last of the Great Flying Cities, Valerius knew his fellow runaways disappear from back alleys and other hiding places more than people realize. Street kids even have a myth to explain it: the Gotchas, who steal them away in the night. With nothing but time on his hands, Valerius dives in head-first to settle the question once and for all and runs smack into a more pressing mystery:
Who killed one of Valerius’ former lovers?
And do they know he’s still alive?
Return to the mean streets of Autumn by Valerius Bakhoum’s side as he shines a light into shadowy corners and finds secrets both sacred and profane with shockingly personal connections to who he was—and who he might become.
Warnings: This book does involve mild violence, capture and impending torture by antagonists, and discussion of the murder of children.
About the Series:
What would you do if you found yourself free at last–and all alone–in the sin-drenched paradise you were told you’d never reach?
Books of Autumn is a series telling the story of Valerius Bakhoum, a down and out private eye in Autumn, last of the great flying Cities, at various points in his life.
In A Fall in Autumn (2020 Manly Wade Wellman Award), we meet Valerius as he winds down his career and his too-short life.
In New Life in Autumn, Valerius navigates a surprising second chance and questions of who he is–and who he might become.
Walk the mean streets of Autumn by Valerius’ side in this award-winning study of the kindness and compassion found in the places where humanity’s lowest ambitions lurk!
Across three quarters of the City of Autumn, street kids are an unthinkable paradox. For the most part, the Pluses and the PlusPlus and all the other manifold forms of intentional humankinds only ever run into the sorts of kids someone wanted badly enough to design. There are already a billion people in the world between the Empire, the Eastern Expanse, and the less-organized places nobody’s fought over quite yet. Having kids willy-nilly wouldn’t add up, not with so many people already in line for the breakfast bar. That’s one of the many objections the Spiralists put forward to continued cultivation of Artisanal Humans like me—well, like I was.
That’s going to take some getting used to.
Anyway, widespread cultural insistence on bespoke offspring leaves a lot of kids out in the cold, literally. The ones I described before, orphaned by chance or abandoned for turning out imperfect or who got tired of their old life and decided to chase a new one are, in the remaining fourth-to-fifth of the City, as common as cobblestones and just as underfoot. There are plenty of them, and the supply continually refreshes, and I went to distinctly other streets than theirs. It isn’t that I wanted to avoid them, but talking would have taken money or some sort of barter and I was too short by half on either. I suspected it would have generated too much information rather than too little. A street kid asked to tell a story for a steam bun or a little reliably spendable scrip will gin up all the story you want and then some. I didn’t need urban legends. I needed facts, and that meant a much more gruesome start than some urchin milking my wallet with tall tales of what goes bump in the night.
I mentioned to Clodia one time that I had a friend who worked the Cisterns. The City of Autumn is like any town: its people have to piss like anybody else and its gutters often swell with rain. Autumn routinely flies into weather systems to gather up fresh water, and there’s a vast infrastructure to purify it for use by humankinds. I could spend ten pages telling you about the ponds in Down Preserves where rainwater burbles and bubbles under pressure, mixing in fresh air. The whole City sleeps atop a bed stuffed with pumps and gravity lines, charcoal and scrub algae, grates and artificial reefs and purpose-built shrimp—but I won’t.
Instead, I’ll simply say this: by the time water gets to us, the only thing left is the scent of the air where it first fell as rain. I don’t understand how the process works. I don’t care, either. The important thing, the thing none of us think about too much in case it, too, is another pretty lie in the quilt of them we make over our lives, is it happens. Sip from Lotta’s to remember the dead, cup your hands in the fountains of Domino, turn on a tap in the average Autumn kitchen, and you’ll enjoy the aroma of a field somewhere in Afrique, or a mutant blossom somewhere on a nameless plain in the vast Recovery Zone between Big River and the Salt Flat.
But on the other end of the system? Once all that delicious water has run its course through bodies and beer kegs and ice machines and steam plants?
That’s called Cistern Intake. I knew a gal who worked that part of the system. You could smell it on her from ten meters away. I always felt sorry for her, because it was so baked into her skin, ground down into her pores, she didn’t even smell it anymore herself.
On the plus side, she always had plenty of room in a bar. Nobody crowded her for long.
Frankie was a Mannie. Generally speaking, no variety of Plus—nice, “normal” people with designer genes—would even be considered for her job. Even applying for it might result in getting a replication error assessment. Odds are good you’ve already heard the story from a few years ago about the PlusPlus whose big ideas on “lived egalitarianism” got her carted off for genotoxicity screening. What most folks don’t know, however, is it was a stunt on both sides. Sure, she only wanted to make a point by suing the City for the right to join a scrubber team, not actually take the job if they offered it. But the City went out of its way to make the counterpoint in response, escorting her kicking and screaming away from the workhouse where they keep the little gliders they use to clean the Fore Barrier’s external face.
I assume she hoped to drum up publicity for her so-called perverse beliefs. I think she expected the City would do something to make an example of her, sure, but something more symbolic. You know, a big fine she could never pay, or maybe a few nights in the Palace of Imperial Justice. Something Imperial media could print without making anybody lose their lunch.
Instead, they dragged her —did I mention the kicking and screaming?—straight to the Hive. No trial. No judge. No pretenses. The Hive is right there at the front of the City, and the tiny portion of it sticking out above street level is visible if you climb high enough in Down Preserves and look to the Fore. The joke goes, they put the City’s worst criminals out there so we’ll hear them screaming if we crash into anything. This lady’s worst crime, though, was trying to prove we’re not all equal, not in the lives we’re allowed to lead or the risks we’re expected to take in the course of them. It sounds like heroism to you or me, but to the powers that be, the Sinceres, the Spiralists, and all the other people who don’t care if the Empire is a heap of shit as long as they’re near enough the top to catch a breeze, she’d committed the worst kind of social treason: she’d violated the spoken and unspoken rules propping up the class system on which they relied.
Author Bio
Michael G. Williams writes queer-themed science fiction, urban fantasy, and horror celebrating monsters, macabre humor, and subverted expectations. He’s the author of three series for Falstaff Books: the award-winning vampire/urban fantasy series The Withrow Chronicles; the thrilling urban fantasy series SERVANT/SOVEREIGN featuring real estate, time travel, and San Francisco’s greatest historical figures; the science fiction noir A Fall in Autumn, winner of the 2020 Manly Wade Wellman Award; and a bunch of short stories. He strives to present the humor and humanity at the heart of horror and mystery with stories of outcasts and loners finding their people.
Michael will be the Guest of Honor at Ret-Con in 2023, co-hosts Arcane Carolinas, studies Appalachian history and folklore at Appalachian State University, and is a brother in St. Anthony Hall. He lives in Durham, NC, with his husband, a variety of animals, and more and better friends than he probably deserves.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A soldier and his team must take a final stand to protect Earth’s abandoned colony of Duatero from a deadly ecosystem that poisons crops and turns humans into mindless monsters in author Brad C. Anderson’s “Duatero”.
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The Synopsis
Majstro Falchilo Kredo has devoted his life to protecting the abandoned earth colony of Duatero from Malamiko, the indigenous ecosystem that makes their crops fail and whose contamination turns humans into mindless monsters. But Malimiko is changing, becoming more dangerous, more aware, even as the ancient technology they use to combat fails piece by precious piece. Kredo and his fellow soldiers must risk everything or see all they hold precious wiped away and forgotten. Kredo is prepared to sacrifice himself—and anyone around him—to do his duty. But what if the price demanded is even higher?
The Review
The author did such a great job of crafting a vivid and unique world. The story of Duatero was mesmerizing, bringing the study of society and how it evolves (or doesn’t evolve) over time in response to the natural dangers of a world to life. The natural character growth and dialogue let both familiar yet unique to the narrative, as the speech and dialogue of the characters felt unique to the characters and their world, and yet the camaraderie and the personal issues they face also felt realistic and something that people could relate to if they were in a similar situation, making these characters very relatable.
The world-building and mythos of this world were what really stole the show here. The way the author was able to create a threat and danger that dwelled not in the minds and hearts of mankind solely, but in the natural ecosystem of an entire planet, was a great way to explore the biology of the sci-fi genre and the language and terminology that the characters used highlighted the rich mythos that was developed for this science fiction meets dystopian adventure.
The Verdict
Haunting, action-packed, and entertaining, author Brad C. Anderson’s “Duatero” is a must-read sci-fi dystopian read of 2022. A unique and creative tale, the rich characters that are both flawed yet highly emotional in their delivery and the impact this harsh world has on those surviving in this lost colony create an engaging story that will have readers drawn into the narrative wholeheartedly. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Brad C. Anderson lives with his wife and puppy in Vancouver, Canada. He teaches undergraduate business courses at a local university and researches organizational wisdom in blithe defiance of the fact most people do not think you can put those two words in the same sentence without irony. Previously, he worked in the biotech sector where he made drugs for a living (legally!).
His stories have appeared in a variety of publications. His short story, Naïve Gods, was longlisted for a 2017 Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic. It was published in the anthology Lazarus Risen, which was itself nominated for an Aurora Award.
