J.H. Dierking (Author of The Joining)

J.H. Dierking wrote a new blog post A Package of Moods by Adam Bassett (2016): A Review Adam Bassett’s A Package of Moods is a speculative fiction novel set ina future where a pharmaceutical company has distilled moods into a nicotine pat Read more of this blog post »
Jun 02, 2016 03:45AM · like
J.H. Dierking rated a book liked it A Package of Moods by Adam Bassett (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Adam Bassett's A Package of Moods is a speculative fiction novel set in a future where a pharmaceutical company has distilled moods into a nicotine patch-like form. Through a series of chapters, each focusing on a new character, Bassett's novel explo ...more
Jun 01, 2016 05:59PM · like · see review
J.H. Dierking rated a book really liked it The Last Ghost by Dennis Liggio (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
"The Last Ghost" is a horror story narrated by a man setting his mother's estate to order. This is a tale that slowly builds with each paragraph, intent on creating a chilling atmosphere Since, as the title might suggest, "The Last Ghost" is a ghost s ...more
Sep 11, 2015 07:19PM · like · see review
J.H. Dierking rated a book liked it The Horde Returns by Gil C. Schmidt	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Gil C. Schmidt's story "The Horde Returns" is the first part of The Horde Anthology, though no other books have yet been released in the series. It follows a family preparing for a storm, which is the precursor to the arrival of the Horde. The storm ...more
Sep 11, 2015 07:19PM · like · see review
J.H. Dierking rated a book it was ok Township 7: Life continues, even as society changes. by T.K.	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
T. K.'s "Township 7: Life continues, even as society changes." [sic] is an exploration of global climate change and transhumanism as depicted through a report penned by an anthropomorphic purple dinosaur. Yes, the main character is an anthropomorphic ...more
Sep 11, 2015 07:19PM · like · see review
J.H. Dierking rated a book liked it Immortal Curse by Scott Gardner Boyce	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Scott Gardner Boyce's short story "Immortal Curse" follows an unnamed protagonist who discovers the secret of immortality along with the other six "Knights of Knowledge." The king for whom they discover immortality dies and the seven decide to keep t ...more
Sep 11, 2015 07:18PM · 1 like · like · see review
J.H. Dierking rated a book it was amazing Second Thoughts About the Fourth Dimension: A Short Story by Adam Bertocci (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
If you have ever taken part in a wedding—whether as the bride or groom, or one of the other essential wedding party members—you know that planning a wedding can be a tense, awkward, nervous affair. Adam Bertocci's "Second Thoughts About the Fourth Di ...more
Sep 08, 2015 12:26PM · like · see review
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J.H. Dierking wrote a new blog post

A Package of Moods by Adam Bassett (2016): A Review

Adam Bassett’s A Package of Moods is a speculative fiction novel set ina future where a pharmaceutical company has distilled moods into a nicotine pat Read more of this blog post »

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A Package of Moods
by Adam Bassett (Goodreads Author)

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Adam Bassett's A Package of Moods is a speculative fiction novel set in a future where a pharmaceutical company has distilled moods into a nicotine patch-like form. Through a series of chapters, each focusing on a new character, Bassett's novel explo ...more

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The Last Ghost
by Dennis Liggio (Goodreads Author)

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"The Last Ghost" is a horror story narrated by a man setting his mother's estate to order. This is a tale that slowly builds with each paragraph, intent on creating a chilling atmosphere

Since, as the title might suggest, "The Last Ghost" is a ghost s "The Last Ghost" is a horror story narrated by a man setting his mother's estate to order. This is a tale that slowly builds with each paragraph, intent on creating a chilling atmosphere

Since, as the title might suggest, "The Last Ghost" is a ghost story, the narrative adopts a Victorian tone to emulate the golden age of ghost stories. This voice is well-executed for the most part and helps immerse the reader into the narrator's tale. There were some evocative descriptions, such as the narrator describing "my mother, but not as a young girl, but older, in the winter of her middle age" and "in that sound I saw rot, not the fetid diseased rot of plague, but the dry, gnawing rot of inevitable decay, the dust of a million men reduced to nothing."

While there were multiple ghosts introduced throughout the course of the story, Liggio did well balancing their presence with one another so it did not feel like one was overly dominating or, conversely, was not described enough. The narrator's terror grows with the appearance of each new ghost, and the tension builds as the horror elements continue to slowly creep in. The ticking of the clock, "I'm sorry," the drip of blood: all of it ties together into an intense atmosphere.

The ending is where "The Last Ghost" struggles. As I found myself drawn into the atmosphere Liggio built in the home, I wanted to know what the ghosts meant by their silent reproach, their counting, and their pointing. And Liggio delivers, spelling out exactly what each ghost's actions and words signify. But though this ending answers all of the reader's questions, it is unsatisfying. The true power of horror is what is left up to the imagination, and Liggio leaves little questions unanswered, thus stripping away the terrors the reader might have imagined. Finally, some additional editing might have served the story well to eliminate a few redundancies and tighten up the writing, but overall, the story seemed to have been well-edited and I only found one typographical error.

Though the ending falls a little flat, "The Last Ghost" is still an enjoyable read, and one which I would recommend. ...more

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The Horde Returns
by Gil C. Schmidt

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Gil C. Schmidt's story "The Horde Returns" is the first part of The Horde Anthology, though no other books have yet been released in the series. It follows a family preparing for a storm, which is the precursor to the arrival of the Horde. The storm Gil C. Schmidt's story "The Horde Returns" is the first part of The Horde Anthology, though no other books have yet been released in the series. It follows a family preparing for a storm, which is the precursor to the arrival of the Horde. The storm brings with it the first of the creatures escaped from Hell, and the creature attacks a woman and boy, setting the stage for the story's central struggle.

Schmidt's prose is very verbose, with evocative descriptions like "The Tuesday sunset had been draped in heavy clouds and the muddy Mississippi had earned its name once again as its waters darkened, covered by huge expanses of choppy waves scattering in jagged peaks for miles along its waterways." However, this prose drags down the story at times when the story would benefit from tighter writing. For example, during the intense fight with the creature, the author describes the character Lionel as "the despised human," "the loathsome human," and "the little human" in three consecutive sentences. Excessively descriptive prose leaves the writing feeling ponderous and overwrought during a scene which should instead communicate the quick intensity of a brutal fight.

While Schmidt's plot is complex, with room for depth and expansion, it does not fit the short story format well. There are too many characters present in the story with three—Marly, Regina, and Petey—mentioned for a moment, then passed over to never be mentioned again. (Strangely, Petey is given a full two paragraphs of description and then he disappears completely from the story.)

The main characters of the story—Marcelo, Lionel, Beetle, Jennie, and Thomas—are a mixed bag. Some are well-established, like Marcelo and Thomas. The latter is introduced as "Thomas, who had asked last year to no longer be called Tommy" in my favorite line from this story: it perfectly encapsulates the transition of a child to an adolescent. Yet Lionel and Jennie lack a good deal of characterization, with Lionel mostly defined by his fight with the demonclaw and Jennie defined through her role as the damsel-in-distress. Beetle is a quiet, powerful man who appears to possess some mystic abilities, but they are never explained.

Schmidt's story leaves too many questions unanswered for the reader: what is the Horde exactly? Why is it returning? Why is Beetle so mysterious? Who are these characters to one another? etc. And if the reader wanted to learn the answers to these questions, there have been no other stories released in the series. Ultimately, "The Horde Returns" is a story that must be fleshed out more before it can fully satisfy a reader. ...more

J.H. Dierking rated a book it was ok

Township 7: Life continues, even as society changes.
by T.K.

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T. K.'s "Township 7: Life continues, even as society changes." [sic] is an exploration of global climate change and transhumanism as depicted through a report penned by an anthropomorphic purple dinosaur. Yes, the main character is an anthropomorphic T. K.'s "Township 7: Life continues, even as society changes." [sic] is an exploration of global climate change and transhumanism as depicted through a report penned by an anthropomorphic purple dinosaur. Yes, the main character is an anthropomorphic purple dinosaur named Rex. Since this could be a decisive factor for potential readers, I emphasize this upfront because—at this time of this review—the book's description and other reviews don't mention this.

Rex is one of many Critters, a new form of mankind appearing after great advances in cybernetics make their existence possible. They are humans transplanted into an exoskeleton that morphs to match their inner "second self." This half of the plot is very reminiscent of furries and what that group might look like with the technology to make fursuits a real extension, or replacement, for a human body.

Besides the development of these suits and the shift of their users from mere suit wearers to a new race, Rex also describes the decline of the Earth and the development of space habitats, called townships. Through Rex, T. K. tracks centuries of development and change reminiscent of A Canticle for Leibowitz, but falls short of the latter's successful execution. The story lacks an overarching plot or character development since it is written mostly as Rex's report of the decline of old Earth and the rise of a new space age. There are occasional breaks in the writing which show Rex's life on Township 7, but these do nothing more than talk about what food he eats and what his quarters are like. There is a rich and detailed future imagined here, but ultimately that is all. "Township 7: Life continues, even as society changes." does not feel like a complete story, but two different stories mashed together, without enough time dedicated to fully develop either.

"Township 7: Life continues, even as society changes." would have benefited from further editing before release. The majority of the writing is Rex's historical account, which is written more like a high school report than an academic paper. It is riddled with phrasing such as "they all had stuff to do" and cliches such as "bad seed," "right as rain," etc. This clashes with Rex's use of technological jargon in describing scientific advancements. Additionally, there were numerous grammatical and proofreading errors throughout the text, such as the constant misuse of who vs. whom. This proved quite distracting and indicates a lack of editing before publication.

Overall, "Township 7: Life continues, even as society changes." contains an interesting view of the future with rich possibilities imagined, but lacks the plot and characters to go with it. Had this been all, I might have given it 3 stars, but due to the poor editing I can only give it 2. ...more

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Immortal Curse
by Scott Gardner Boyce

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Scott Gardner Boyce's short story "Immortal Curse" follows an unnamed protagonist who discovers the secret of immortality along with the other six "Knights of Knowledge." The king for whom they discover immortality dies and the seven decide to keep t Scott Gardner Boyce's short story "Immortal Curse" follows an unnamed protagonist who discovers the secret of immortality along with the other six "Knights of Knowledge." The king for whom they discover immortality dies and the seven decide to keep their knowledge of immortality a secret. Over the years, they separate and the narrator suffers the whips and scorns of time alone until he sets out to unite the seven Knights of Knowledge once again, this time in order to cure the curse their immortality has become.

The style in which Boyce writes "Immortal Curse" is very Lovecraftian. There is no dialogue, only narration. While some might be put off by a lack of dialogue, it does not seem to detract from this tale. In another Lovecraftian theme, the narrator dabbles in sciences before coming to what should be forbidden knowledge to create his cure for death. Predictably, the cure backfires into a curse as he watches loved ones around him wither and die from the passage of years while he remains immune. As he travels the globe to find his fellow knights, the story emphasize the age of the characters as they seek out new experiences to keep their unending lives from growing stale.

"Immortal Curse" suffers from a lack of depth to its story. The passage of time is too quick: in the midst of a paragraph, years or decades may pass, but the reader does not feel this transition. The narrator is portrayed as weary of his immortal life—"the immortality grew from a blessing to a curse as the emptiness within grew with every loved one who passed to the next life"—but these statements are just summaries of an experience. The writing does not communicate this "emptiness," reducing any emotional impact the passing of years might have on the reader.

As a reader, I wanted a deeper description of the narrator's plight: what must it feel like to experience the slow passage of years, knowing that was to be your eternity, and feel powerless against it? Did the passage of time feel like a slow trickle, a torturous unfolding of days, one after another after another? As one becomes older, time seems to move more quickly, but when one becomes wearied of time, does it slow down once again? Boyce described his story's genre as adventure, but the story felt as though it would have been better served through horror. As a reader, the psychological horror of unending life was what I felt hints of and what I wanted Boyce to explore. Additionally, at a certain point, there are hints that the narrator may be unreliable and, perhaps, insane, but that idea was not expanded upon enough to satisfy the reader.

Another issue with the story is the large cast of characters. Aside from the narrator, there are six other characters. Yet of these six, James and John were the only ones described in any detail and the others seem to be mere placeholders. In a key moment of the story—perhaps my favorite moment as it ties together the beginning and the end—the narrator describes four skills he had learned from the other characters, naming James, John, Nicholas and Adam, and Thomas. This moment demonstrated that, at the least, Boyce could have cut down the cast of characters to four and still the story would have worked. So why seven Knights of Knowledge in all? I can only guess that Boyce was playing off the classical significance of the number 7, but even if this was Boyce's intent, the story suffers from an overloaded cast of characters.

Flaws aside, if you are a fan of a more Lovecraftian style and don't need dialogue, you may enjoy this story. However, I think the short story format does not do this tale justice, and it would be better served if it were expanded upon. ...more

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Second Thoughts About the Fourth Dimension by Adam Bertocci

Second Thoughts About the Fourth Dimension: A Short Story
by Adam Bertocci (Goodreads Author)

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If you have ever taken part in a wedding—whether as the bride or groom, or one of the other essential wedding party members—you know that planning a wedding can be a tense, awkward, nervous affair. Adam Bertocci's "Second Thoughts About the Fourth Di If you have ever taken part in a wedding—whether as the bride or groom, or one of the other essential wedding party members—you know that planning a wedding can be a tense, awkward, nervous affair. Adam Bertocci's "Second Thoughts About the Fourth Dimension" captures this feeling almost perfectly as it follows bride and groom, Harper and Sean, as they discuss their upcoming wedding.

Bertocci's dialogue between Harper and Sean feels quite genuine, full of all the tentative, half-spoken second thoughts a bride or groom might have before the big day, and all the ways in which someone, or their loved one, might try to dismiss or rationalize those thoughts. There are some little moments in the prose that just click with the experience of planning a wedding: "they'd chosen her parents' house to receive all the gifts. Which he'd been more than fine with. Sean was fine with everything." In this little moment, Bertocci captures Sean as the yes-man groom stereotype, agreeing to anything to make the planning process easier.

Meanwhile Harper epitomizes the anxieties of planning and imagining the upcoming wedding. Upon observing another bride on her wedding day, Harper watches the bride's reactions critically: "the bride's eyes were wet and her cheeks were flaming red and her mouth was going in several directions; Harper made a mental note to try and not be like that." While such a silly thing to read as an outsider, this is quite true to the process some brides and grooms might put themselves through in order to conjure up that perfectly photogenic expression on the Big Day. A wedding is a paradoxical event: expected to be both genuine and reflecting real life, while also being perfectly planned and meticulously executed.

In between the dialogue and prose are Harper's philosophical musings on the passage of time, what it might mean to marry someone for the rest of her life. But these philosophical moments are few and not drawn out to the point that they become overwrought and cumbersome. Bertocci's story is most true to Harper's nervousness as she considers whether or not she and Sean are rushing into the wedding, and ends with a delicious ambiguity true to the tone of pre-wedding anxiety. ...more

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I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream
by Harlan Ellison

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A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)
by George R.R. Martin

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	The Hunt 3.27 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 2015	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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