In an eerie, post-apocalyptic world resulting from an alien invasion, day is indistinguishable from night and the sky is composed of ever present eyes looking down. Modern conveniences of technology and climate control are lost, and previously harmless animals have transformed into aggressive mutations. Humans resort to murder and cannibalism to survive. Some people become thralls where they routinely kidnap others and offer these captives as human sacrifices to the Masters: the unseen aliens who oversee small geographical locations.
One man, Dan, has kidnapped a teenage girl and is in the process of bringing her to his own particular master. The Last Mile by Tim Waggoner tells the story of these two characters as they make their grisly journey to Dan’s Master. The novella is fairly short and the tale moves quickly. The world is portrayed in a dismal and bleak manner. The sense of character despair is richly portrayed. The descriptions of the climate, scenery, and the horrid transformations of our world are creative yet simple. I could see how our world could end up this way given the series of events that are only hinted at. Mr. Waggoner’s prose is spare – and it fits the tone of his work. The ending had a small twist to it which was clever. Overall, the book was a good quick read – certainly creepy.  

After reading The Kingdom of Keys by Brian Moloney, I couldn’t help wondering what kind of childhood and adolescence Mr. Moloney had. He states in his author notes that he carried this story with him from a very young age before he wrote it down. He must have had a blast as a kid with one adventure after another.
Sixteen year old Toby Pierce is struggling with personal issues and finds himself unhappy with aspects of his life. When he finds the ultimate skeleton key which unlocks a secret door in his bedroom, he does what every kid his age would do: gather his two best friends (Billy and Lori) and go through the door. On the other side of this “Door to Nowhere” is a fantasy world with mind-boggling adventures, strange creatures, and nasty villains. If this wasn’t enough, Toby is falling desperately in love with Lori whom he has known since kindergarten. As a result of his experiences, he learns some valuable life lessons.
What makes this tale different from the standard fantasy is the author’s nonstop boyish sense of humor (one reviewer referred to it as goofy and dorky – and that fits). You can sense Mr. Moloney’s delight in the escapades of our heroes through the banter and the plot twists. In some ways, the dialogue of the sixteen year olds didn’t quite sound like the “earthy” language of your average teen (not a single profanity escapes their lips!). They sounded more like twelve. But that is a minor quibble. In fact, I think this book would be great for this younger age group (in addition to those of us who appreciate boyhood humor and sense of adventure) because of the humor and underlying messages. For me, The Kingdom of Keys was pure joy.

I’m not sure how old Glenn Rolfe is but looking at his picture on his Amazon page tells me is a pretty young guy (at least in comparison to me). I bring this up because I could have sworn after reading his novella, Boom Town, that he grew up on the same diet of 1950’s and 1960’s horror and science fictions movies that I did. Obviously, he didn’t. His work, Boom Town, however, brought me back to movies like The Blob, It Came from Outer Space, and Invaders from Mars. That is no small feat – it takes skill to create that mid-twentieth century sense of foreboding and curiosity of “what might be out there.”
Boom Town begins with a prologue of a UFO depositing something into the ground of a rural Wisconsin community in 1979. Fast forward thirty years later, and we learn that the community has been rocked with minor earthquakes ever since (hence the “boom” in Boom Town). When two 12 year-olds discover a pipe from the ground that has surfaced due to the tremors – they find a gooey blue substance that is leaking from the pipe. Without going into any more detail, touching the blue goo is not a good idea – but, still, folks do come into contact with it. When that happens, look out.
As I mentioned earlier, this reads like a 1950’s science fiction/horror story. The pacing is fast and the scenes involving the blue blob are gruesome fun. In fact, there is one extensive sequence of what happens to an older man who comes into contact with the substance that is worth the price of admission. The main characters are the kids who provide the backbone of the story. They are the investigators and their sense of wonder and willingness to suspend belief is a perfect match for the story. There is also the subplot of first love which adds an extra character dimension. The resolution of the story was a little unexpected which enhanced my appreciation of Glenn Rolfe’s willingness to take chances. There are not many negatives beyond the common error of attributing thought processes and emotional awareness to kids which is beyond their developmental level – so not a big deal.
A great read.
Disclosure: I received a free copy of the book in order to write an honest review.