Windigo Soul

by Robert Brumm

It's Hank Reed's birthday. As a citizen of the United Federation of Nations that means a mandatory death sentence simply because he turned sixty years old. Referred to as "retirement," it's one of the desperate steps the government has taken to curb overpopulation. Retirement is a widely accepted fact of life on a dying planet ruled by a tyrannical government. Hank's execution goes ahead as planned but state sponsored euthanasia isn't what it seems. The Reed family learns what really happens to retirees when secrets the UFN keep from the public start to unravel.

This book is intended to be read by adults and may be unsuitable for children under 17. Contains indecent language and descriptions of graphic violence.

Genres: Science Fiction, Dystopia, Ebooks, Fiction, Amazon, Horror, Fantasy

154 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 18, 2012

Reviews

[Michael Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Windigo Soul gave me an entirely new perspective on the word “retirement”. I probably won’t officially retire until age 65 (maybe 68 or 70 the way things are going), but at least I hope to make it past 60…

With Windigo Soul, Robert Brumm has set the stage for a future world that will seem familiar to many fans of dystopian fiction. And yet, Mr. Brumm has taken a number of familiar themes and woven them together into an interesting tale that kept my attention and delivered a very entertaining read.

I would hope that, as with Robert Brumm’s Desolate series, more Windigo Soul tales are knocking around inside his brain and find their way to publication in the near future. I highly recommend Windigo Soul as a great lazy afternoon read.

[Tammy Brumm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Not normally a huge sci-fi reader, but it really did enjoy this fast paced story. And not just because I'm sleeping with the author.

[Andrew Finazzo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Windigo Soul rehashes bad science fiction ideas from other places (The Matrix and Soylent Green both have some very common themes). The story is set in a future where the government enforces various Nazi-ish rules on global society, but never clearly explains how government went from bad to pure evil.

The book is quite short and the writing style is fast paced. About halfway through a second main character is introduced and the author starts doing jarring perspective jumps between his two protagonists. This is further confused when technical details are randomly jumbled into the text (usually information about weapons) awkwardly, disembodied from the general narration.

The plot ended up just being silly. At least three times characters stop the action to make goofy comments that start with "If this was a movie...". The small rebel group conveniently has a nuclear weapon!?! Finally, I enjoy science fiction which doesn't turn a blind eye towards reality. I.E.: (heavy spoiler) How did our best alternative energy option become something as farfetched as draining energy from dying humans? Solar energy, wind, fusion, and other alternatives are all untenable in the not so distant future? Ugh.

[Mandy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I rarely, if ever, stop reading a book. I usually trudge through it, mining for some nugget of goodness that will redeem whatever horrible plot the author has subjected me to. I could not finish this. Cannibalism, fecal matter, and completely unreasonable character developments had me wondering what the point of this novella even was. Just. No.

[Adele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes the theme seemed all too familiar.
The story itself was a very good read and totally entertaining.
And the author does a great job of tying up loose ends. Doesn't
disappoint in the ending.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Modern Soylent Green

Rather interesting twist on overpopulation, food shortages and other problems coming upon us. Extreme 1984. Good characters you love to hate and others you cheer for. If there was a sequel I would not read it, but this book had some interesting twists and turns. I am glad I retired years ago.

[Larry Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Forced retirement

Entertaining. Makes me about my impending retirement.

Amended comment: I have no only reached retirement age without incident, I sailed right past it into my next decade.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good.

Pretty good for a depressing look at the future. Still a few typos, though. It ends hopefully and reads quickly; a sign of good writing. It makes an interesting statement about government, human nature and the things that are important to us. Recommended.

[Shannon Story]

Good straightforward Read

I found this book enjoyable. Not exceptional but a good fun read that ended on a hopeful note. I would recommend it.

[Sienna Burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

It kept me turning pages and wanting to know more! It seemed familiar (as was stated by Robert that many have compared it to Soylent green).

[Leva Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful read

A wonderful suspense filled story! Such an interesting and unique way to think of a possible future! I hope there is more to come in the future!

[Robbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really my kind of book. I rate it 3 stars.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tend to not expect much from the lower priced Kindle offerings, having been disappointed frequently. It's a pleasant surprise to find a real gem instead. I'm glad I found this one. I'm going to write this without spoilers, I hope.

Here is a very well written story of life in the not too distant future. The world is woefully over populated, the environment badly polluted, fossil fuels seriously depleted. The government is no democracy, and its tactics for enforcing the laws rival the Gestapo. Civil liberty is a thing of the past, and the average citizen is exhausted and unwell due to poor air quality and water rationing. The measures for controlling the population are extreme, to say the least, and are the heart of the story. There is also rebellion against this way of life, as there should be, that is portrayed realistically. There are no superheroes here to suspend belief in the storytelling.

The author tells the story from the point of view of 2 main characters; both are well developed characters that are alive on the pages. The villain is real as well, in that he's not evil, just a self-centered jerk with no morals. Things move along nicely all through the story; well paced action is combined with vivid description. Near the end of the story, we get the point of view of the third major character, also well done, though brief. The ending was not abrupt, but did definitely leave room for another book. I hope that's the case.

I do think a bit more back story would have improved the book. The radical change in government would be more plausible with some explanation of the events that caused such changes. There's also some really debatable science in use - yes, I know it's science fiction - with no explanation for the absence of more logical alternatives based on today's science.

None of the minor issues precluded enjoyment of the story. Windigo Soul is a very well written, engaging story. It's both a science fiction and a horror story. Readers of both will really enjoy it. I look forward to reading more of Mr. Brumms work.

[Zeb Kantrowitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even after finishing the novella, the title doesn’t really mean anything related to the Indian “Gollem” known as a Windigo (or avenging spirit), unless you stretch a lot. What the book does have is parts of 1984, Brave New World, Soylent Green, Logan’s Run, The Matrix, and many other dystopias.

This is not to say that the story is derivative as much as it is a synthesis of ideas of this genre.
Saying all that, it is the story of people fighting for freedom of life and thought. In this overpopulated world, everyone retires on their sixtieth birthday. But retirement isn’t a rocking chair in from of a fire, it’s euthanasia and returning home (if you have one) in an urn. Earth’s resources are worn out, the air is so polluted that people have to wear masks outside and the sky is always covered by smog.

Everything is rationed based on one’s job. Those without work are homeless and live in shantytowns with little or no government services. Children can only be born to those with no genetic problems and only with government approval. When it’s time for Hank to go in for his retirement, he knows that his wife will be joining him in the near future.

But after being administered the euthanasia cocktail, Hank finds himself waking up in a factory where other ‘retirees’ bodies are used to produce electricity (think Matrix). Hank’s job is to replace the bodies that burn out from use. It aint great but it beats being dead, or does it. One night, Hank finds a couple of workers abusing a body with the consent of the Commandant (who reminds me of Boris Badanov’s Chief).

Hank is warned by the Commandant that this could happen to his wife when she comes in for retirement. Not only that but he can make life miserable for his daughter and son-in-law. But unbeknownst to Hank his son-in-law (Mike) works for a special bureau of the government that hunts down dissidents.

Hank decides he has to break-out from the factory, and strangely enough Mike shows up at the factory the day Hank decides to make his break. You fill in the rest. Not bad.

Zeb Kantrowitz

[Becky Sherriff · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** Spoiler Alert ***

Hank Reed is approaching his 60th birthday, this means he is due for retirement, in this overpopulated earth it means that he will be euthanised. His wife Peg will reach her retirement a few months later.

The retirees are euthanised and cremated .... or are they? I won't spoil this for you but the story completely captured my imagination and piqued my interest.

This is only a short book so I read it in one go, I was keen to find out the outcome.

The part of the book where Hank has to go for his appointment to be euthanised is really quite emotional.

There are some quite shocking parts in the book which are disturbing and some sad parts too about couples only being allowed one child and what happens if they fall pregnant again.

If Sci-Fi is not your usual Genre and you would like to give it a go this book would be a good starting point. It is well written and keeps you engaged.

The story is fast paced and has a few twists and turns on the way.

The main character Hank is very likeable and the main bad guy Lieutenant Hendricks is extremely hateful. The other characters in the book have been developed well too.

I also liked how Hank and John's relationship developed in the story as I feel all may not have been well in the past.

This is a story where it's a fast race for good guy to overcome bad guy and save a few people along the way.

I thought the author ended the book well and it was unexpected which is something I like when reading a book.

This is the first book I have read by this author and would be interested to read more of his work.

4 stars from me.

Becky Sherriff (The Kindle Book Review)

[Sean O'Reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't remember putting this book onto my phone but when I looked at the introduction it looked worth a read. This dystopian novel has much in common with a number of other books and films, as has been pointed out by other reviewers. To me this is of no great concern as the truly original concept in fiction is such a rare beast that it isn't worth hunting for. For me the only question is whether the idea is well executed in this incarnation.

Without wanting to give too much away the 'retirement' of the main character is not quite the involuntary euthanasia programme that it is billed as by the state in this dystopian near future. To my mind the use made of the 'retirees' seemed a little implausible from a scientific point of view. However I was happy to go along with in the interests of seeing where the story went.

I felt that this short novel was, for the most part, well paced. The main characters where well drawn whilst the supporting cast where portrayed in enough detail to make them believable. Whilst some reviewers have argued that Windigo Soul could have been longer I felt that is ended in the right place. Frankly there are too many enormous multi-novel story arcs for my liking in the world. Had Brumm chosen to write a much longer piece of work in this setting then perhaps some of the issues around the science and the development of the dystopian state might have started to unravel.

Based on this book I would certainly not be averse to reading some of Brumm's other work.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast-paced, heart-pumping action and suspense! This short story of dystopian civilization is harsh and disturbing. It strongly reminds me of Lois Lowry's works. The prologue of the book is already a hint of the nightmarish events to happen here, although it does nothing to cushion its horrific impact. The plot is almost similar to Charlston Heston's old movie Soylent Green, something that caused many sleepless nights for me as a child. What affects me is the feasibility of it happening in the future. A century ago, who would even believe that man would communicate with each other through technology, let alone land in and explore the moon? Who's to say that desperate solutions wouldn't emerge out of devastating events? We will never know.

The new totalitarian government desperately enforces measures to fight overpopulation. One child per family is not enough to lessen the count, so forced retirement at 60 is imposed. But the mandatory death at "retirement" age is a much better fate, compared to what secretly becomes of their unconscious bodies when the government takes them in for retirement. But a secret this big can only stay hidden for so long. 60 year old Hank Reed discovers the truth and with a series of unprecedented events, destroys that which provides a revolting alternative source of survival for mankind.

It's truly a thrilling read with a satisfying ending, leaving a little open-ended issues for a second book, if ever.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short novelette really captured my attention and my imagination. Its premise is frighteningly realistic given the current alarming world population growth. Combine that with the large (and still to be larger) glut of elderly in our society as a consequence of the ever-aging baby boomer generation and Mr. Brumm’s curiously gruesome imagination, and what evolves is an, at times, intensely graphic horror story decidedly not for squeamish readers. I do not want to give any of the story away, but suffice it to say I will never look at retirement in quite the same way again.

Think about all the food additives that are already an accepted part of the foods we eat (pink slime immediately comes to mind). Think about how our planet is being systematically plundered of its precious resources in order to satisfy the demands of a population deluded into believing that its every demand can be met without repercussions. Then think about the fact that more than 25,000 people die daily from starvation. Then think about a government conspiracy of massive proportion determined to keep certain secrets at all costs. When I think of all these things and more, I can not help but wonder if Windigo Soul may be something of a predictor of something chillingly similar in our not-too-distant future.

[Juliet · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tense, fast paced dystopian thriller. Windigo Soul as a title at first made me wonder who would turn out to be a windigo. With some relief as I read, it doesn’t go there. Where it does go is a not too distant future that we can only hope never happens but at the same time know it could come close. A branch of inventive science is fuelled by science fiction these days. Who knows? The result is worryingly plausible.

This is Soylent Green brought up to date with a very big bang. Brumm makes his characters clear and their motivations solid. He doesn’t over explain things, just tells us and we believe him. That’s quite disturbing in itself because we should really be hoping humanity is not capable of such things. Sadly, I think it is and could easily see this or similar happening.

There could be a bit more meat to the bones perhaps. A bit more to the ending, although the ground is nicely laid for a sequel which one hopes would be a revenge of the retirees (and rightly so!).

I do like the author’s note at the end. Yes you’re on the way to quitting that day job. Good luck – I look forward to seeing more!

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I enjoyed this glimpse into a dystopian world, it felt rather shallow and rushed to me. The characters aren't deep and sometimes make decisions that, at least on the surface, make little sense. Perhaps if we got more inside their heads or they had more depth the decisions would have made sense, but often they seem to make decisions just to further the story the author wants to tell.

There were a lot of cliche characterizations in this, both of 'government goons' and 'the rebels'. Overall I was interested in the subject matter of the book, but I found what I read ultimately unsatisfying given the quality of the characters. It's hard to care about them when you don't really know them.

The content here isn't really original, either. It has been done, and though I won't say by who or what to avoid spoilers, you likely won't be surprised by anything you find here. That said, it entertained me on a plane ride and I finished it. Cotton candy for the brain. No real substance, but enough to keep you occupied for a bit if you don't mind the fluff and faint annoyance of hard to chew bits every now and then.

[Hyouten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Windigo Soul joins the ever-growing list of dystopian books that do unspeakable stuff to its citizens. In this book, we follow the tale of Henry Reed: his life as an abiding citizen and the horrors that he witnesses later on.

This book is a quick read not only because it’s a short one, but because the writing is easy to follow. Our pacing is also quite balanced, a perfect match for its length. The author knows how to deliver shock value that will stay with readers for a while, all to provide that perfect environment he’s trying to portray. The gruesome stuff sound so far-fetched but can make one stop for a second and realize that it might actually be possible eventually.

My little complaint here is the author’s choice to use some words outside of dialogue. It’s one thing to make the characters say curse words, but it’s another to use it as a narrator. Perhaps a better choice of words would have suited better, but that’s just me.

While Windigo Soul might not be the next New York Times bestseller, it’s an enjoyable read. It’s short, quick, and amusing. It left me wishing that there was some more, because the plot here can definitely be fleshed out further.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a different take on the apocalypse, and very scary, me being a retired person. In this society there is an effort to reduce the number of people using the resources left and people are "retired" at age 60 and go off to die. Yep, that is what they are told and well, mostly that is what happens.

We follow Hank who is the father of Sara and his trip to be "retired." Also we follow his son in law who happens to be involved in the government's program of "retirement."
I will go no further but it is a new and frightening take on a dystopian society and I was captured right away and sad to see it end.

I gave it 4 stars but would like it to be 4 1/5 because I just had to take something away for what I felt was the author's less than authentic dialogue he gives the women in the book, Hanks' wife Peg and his daughter Sara. They have little to say but "what the heck is going on?" and I would have just liked a bit more from these women.
But I will be checking out this author's other books. I had this one in y Kindle Queue since December 2012, which is pretty sad. Which tells me I really don't need to buy any more books :)

[Rich Meyer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had thought I had read this book before, when it was in it's "first edition". At least the cover improved greatly since then. Unfortunately, that was all that had.

This book tries to combine far too many popular sci-fi conventions to have anything original to say. Soylent Green, Z.P.G., the Matrix, Logan's Run. If you've watched all those movies (or read the novelizations or books they were based on), you'll have read every single concept in this novel. Oh, and add one of the lesser Bond novels or a Ludlum.

There's maybe one good chapter (the first) that gives the reader hope for a greater whole, but it just doesn't materialize. You could maybe get a six-issue comic book out of this book, given the decompression of stories in that medium, but I don't know anyone who'd bother to publish it. Even including that good chapter, this story has been told before, many times, and many times better.

[Matthew Andrus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second edition of this novel which has been extended from a novella into a novel by the the author Robert Brumm

Windigo Soul is a thought provoking tale of retirement but not as we know it set in a dystopian future run by a government who's ideals on saving the future are only leading to its demise.

Hank Reed has just turned 60 and by the laws of the United Federation of Nations Hank is being retired or simply euthanised to save the world from overpopulation, although Hank is legally required to under go this process Hank is having doubts very big ones that will change his, his families and the rest of the worlds futures for good.

This is a brilliant well written thought provoking novel that is equally as touching as Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"

Don't miss this amazing book

[Michele Whitecotton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't even know what to say about this book, but WOW!! It was very shocking and very graphic but very incredible. I don't usually read books like this, but this one captured my interest and I'm so glad I gave it a chance. I don't want to give away any of the plot, but when Henry woke up and I discovered where the "retirees" really went, I was in complete shock. In today's world, the idea doesn't seem so far-fetched and that makes is really scary. You will fall in love with Henry Reed and you will cheer for him, and for John, until the very end. I cannot say enough good things about this book and have already recommended it to a number of people. I think this novel is brilliant and everyone should read it to see what we may have to face in the future. It is also very action-packed and would probably make an excellent movie. I wish I could give it 10 stars!!

[Brandon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I realize I'm never going to be fair to stories under 200pgs. It's impossible to give you enough details to fully grasp you in.

Reading chapter one was touching to say the least. You see the life of Hank who has just turned 60, coping with the fact that he must retire. The goodbyes, the tears... I was definitely engrossed in this story; and then came chapter 2. I wouldn't consider what happens next ridiculous but it was definitely predictable. I no longer felt emotion, I know longer felt like Hank was 60. As a matter of fact he transformed as well as the book into Chuck Norris from Delta Force.

It's not a bad read, but it's not a great one either. The potential that the first chapter illustrated was quickly dissipated. Realizing that I am biased against short stories coupled with the change between Chapter one & two, I feel you should read other reviews just to be safe.

[Laura of Lurking · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this a surprisingly thought provoking dystopian sci-fi. The book felt like it was split into two halves. The first covered what life was like in this world and looked at the relationships amongst a family, before Hank, the father was "retired" and found himself struggling with what this really meant. I found this half of the book touching as well as disturbing in the things it revealed of the character's lives.

The second half of the book felt much more like action and adventure. While this was well written and fast paced, as well as a great example of what an action novel should be, I felt it looked slightly weak against the first half. There was less conjecture of life in general – then again if they stopped to think the novel would have had corpses for narrators!

By the time I had finished the book though I was completely back in that world

[Eric Estes · Rating 3 out of 5]

SPOILER ALERT!!! The story is unoriginal: the Matrix's "human batteries" meet Soylent Green's "meat". There's no robot overlords, but a monolithic evil government that controls 90% of the globe. The story was predictable. I guessed the hero would battle the villain, escape, and then find a resistance movement where he would join them in sticking it to the tyrannical government by blowing something up. The writing was par for a self-published author and the editing was better than most in that category. There was little character development. You hear very little of what is going on inside the character's minds. The author reports the plot more than he describes it. It was a somewhat entertaining fluff read and quick at 110 pages. I would give it 2.5 stars if I could. Final thought: Windigo Soul is not good, not terrible, just predictable.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book that looked at a potential future where the longevity of humans and environmental resources clash. The book was very well written and fast paced. The team that was pulled together to win a battle against overwhelming odds was intriguing. Generally, the characters were well detailed. I would have liked a bit more back story on the son-in-law who seemed to change his stripes. Although there was an incident that indicated he was not totally on board with the way the government operated at times. It seemed he had determined that certain situations would cause him to make rash choices. I wasn't sure the relationship with his wife and in-laws would have been one of those situations. I enjoyed reading the book and would read more from this author.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review from amazon.com dated 3/30/2013

Title: Amazing Read

I loved this short read so much! "Retire" at 60? That's crazy when humans can live 20-40 years more!

This dystopia is great because it could happen if people are not vigilante. I do wish I knew more about the characters after the ending.

*SLIGHT SPOILER*

Maybe because I think negatively but we, the reader, don't know if it a completely happy ending because we don't know if she made it to her family. She could have walked out the door and been snatched.

I like that and don't, it leaves it up to our imagination but I'd still love to know!