Friday, August 30, 2013

Review: The Child


The Child
The Child by Keith F. Goodnight

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Science Fiction with Lovecraftian/paranormal overtones
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: People who enjoy Lovecraft and Sci-fi and think they'd be groovy together
Book Available: November 5, 2013 in Paperback and Kindle; December 3, 2013 in MP3 Audiobook
Trigger Warnings: orphaned and abused children, murder, violence

My Thoughts: So, I'm reading this thing, and there's a fairly hard-science-fiction element to the story, but suddenly it veers off into almost Lovecraftian territory! To say I was delighted was an understatement. I do like science fiction, and even hard science fiction, but to have the genres suddenly cross like that is always a happy surprise to me.

The rating is based on the fact that while I liked the story, it didn't blow me away. It was an enjoyable and interesting idea, it was fairly well executed, and the ARC was in good shape, so 4 stars (I liked it) but I am not in a raving frame of mind, you see? Still, it's a cool idea. Even more interesting, it appears that the author plans a series around this, although where it will go from here I am not completely sure.

This is probably going to be a fairly polarizing book, and it will definitely not be for everyone. People who like science fiction will probably be annoyed with the Lovecraftian aspects; fans of Lovecraft probably won't like the science in the story. But there is a group of people, like me, who like both concepts and think that putting them together in a Reese's Peanut Butter Cupcrazy-quilt story is just the ticket to make their reading day. So, if that is you, then check this out.

Disclosure: I received a paperback ARC from the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Dave Harris is a scientist living aboard the Alley, a military space station where he carries out hyperfield experiments. The technology to harvest energy from hyperspace saved humanity from extinction thirty years ago, and Dave’s research is at the cutting edge of hyperfield technology. Just as Dave’s experiments make progress, an accident engulfs the Alley in a whirlwind of chaos and mysterious forces, leading Dave to a disturbing discovery: his work has uncovered the energy behind psychic powers—something horribly dangerous for a mindless machine to be spreading amongst the humans in the Alley. While the hours slip by, crew members are going insane at a frightening pace and Dave’s mind becomes clouded by horrifying visions. As he sorts through the aftermath of the disaster, Dave realizes that it wasn’t a singular event and if he can’t fight the impending madness, there is one certainty: the Alley will be destroyed, along with everyone in it.



View all my reviews

No comments:

Post a Comment

My apologies for the moderation, but I am spending almost an hour a day deleting spam messages. I will approve all comments as quickly as possible.