Review: That Which is Nameless

That Which is Nameless by Chris Salch

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Please note: this review is being posted again because I have just finished editing it. I hope I have helped the author improve this book; time will tell. It definitely has potential!

Book Info: Genre: Horror Reading Level: Adult Read: from 5/19-5/20/12

Disclosure: I picked up a free ebook version on Amazon back in January; recently the author contacted me to offer me a copy in exchange for an honest review. Since I already had it, I said I’d be happy to provide feedback.

Synopsis: "There is a somewhere in the middle of nowhere that is everywhere at the same time. In that place, time is a fluid that flows around you, and the very fabric of reality seems to twist and stretch," said the old man with a sly grin on his face. There was a glint in his eye that all talented storytellers have when they are reciting some particularly enticing bit. From the way he spoke, you would wonder if he drank one too many and followed it with the worm. Of course, the fact that this particular conversation happened to be taking place in a retirement home, without an ounce of liquor in sight would, normally, seem to preclude that possibility.

"I've been there once myself. Years and years ago when I was a much younger man. Of course, nowadays I doubt you could find it again. It may be impossible to get there with all this newfangled technology around, Mapping every last inch of the world so that everything has a name to it," he spat out the last words with a disgusted grimace, "Of course, that's the way things have to be. If we didn't explore every last inch of our planet, we would be a dead race. That's the thing, you see. We have to keep moving out farther and farther to stay alive, but we destroy the mystery when we do. Curiosity doesn't always kill the cat. Sometimes . . . sometimes it doesn't kill anyone. Sometimes, it just closes the door and walks away."

My Thoughts: The author tells me the book has been re-edited and provided to Amazon to update; although I downloaded a fresh copy right before reading it, I don’t think I received the re-edited copy, as there are a number of typos and grammatical errors in the text I have. It’s not a problem for me, but please make sure you have the latest edition of this book.

That said, the synopsis is actually the first two paragraphs of the story. The basic idea is that there are powers that control the world, and you can reach them by the path mentioned by the old man. Most of the story is The Nameless, who controls The Book, trying to understand his power and survive, basically. It’s an interesting idea, and it’s obvious that the writer has some talent and ability, but the story itself needs a great deal of polish. I ran across at least one major plot hole, which I can’t mention or I’ll add a major spoiler to the story here. The characters had a certain level of development, but it ended at the point where their position in the story was set – the interviewer, the old man, the nurse (Melanie), Jack the drunk. Then there was The Nameless and Tabitha. At any rate, it’s not a bad story – it’s highly entertaining while one is reading it – but it doesn’t have that polished finishing touch that needed to turn a good idea into a great story. That said, fans of horror should find it entertaining.



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