When The Stars Fall

by T.W. Grim

It was just another Saturday overtime shift at a manufacturing facility... until a runaway tanker truck rammed through the security gate.
Mark and his coworkers are trapped inside the plant with an ancient nightmare, and the clock is ticking towards complete and total annihilation. With chaos running rampant and the thin shell of modern civility starting to crack, Mark discovers that no one is who they seem to be, not even himself.
When the stars fall from the heavens, all of humanity will be swallowed by the void...

Genres: Horror

188 pages, Hardcover

Published May 3, 2018

About the author

T.W. Grim is a horror novelist from Southwestern Ontario. He is the author of 99 Brief Scenes From the End of the World, Tripping Over Twilight, When the Stars Fall and The Promises We Make in December.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/T.W.Grim_Author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWGrim_Official
IG: @t.w.grim
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/twgrim

Reviews

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 3 out of 5]

I looked down the hall to my left and saw a crumpled form lying in front of the West Employee Entrance, a plain steel door with a rectangle of glass at face height. There was a bullet hole in the glass. We’re under siege, I thought, and I felt the cold finger of panic touch my spine. We’re under siege and no one outside of these walls even knows that it’s happening. No one at all.

The workers at AccuTech Factory are about to face a terrifying final shift when a mysterious truck crashes through the factory gates at full speed, bringing with it a cargo of human and alien terror. An alien parasite, capable of absorbing and perfectly mimicking its hosts, hides and reproduces within them, leaving a bloody trail of death and devastation in its wake.

“I touched him,” Henley said, and he ground his palms hard into his eyes. He blinked at the phone. “I carried the guy inside. He… he bled all over me.” “Then it’s very likely that you’ve been infected, Mr. Henley. Anyone else who you’ve had direct physical contact with since being exposed might also be infected. This thing is extremely contagious.”

For Mark and his colleagues, a desperate fight for survival begins. They are hunted by the creature and shot on sight by snipers from a shadowy military faction determined to prevent the alien outbreak and news of the incident from spreading to the rest of the world.

“Goodbye, gentlemen,” MacAllistair said. His tone was brisk and impersonal. “I understand your anger, but there’s nothing I can do. God help you all.” There was a loud click and Major MacAllistair was gone, replaced by dead silence. We stared at the phone. “Did they just cut the line?” Dom asked, and Henley gave him a slow nod.

This gripping tale of survival, betrayal, and visceral body horror is drenched in blood and draws heavily from The Thing (1982) and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956). Some scenes and situations also evoke Battle Royale (2000) and Aliens (1986). MacAllistair's character could easily be a Weyland-Yutani executive, just to give you an idea.

Henley locked the door behind us and we tip-toed quickly through the front office hall. I let Henley go first so that I could keep my eye on him. So that he couldn’t sneak up on me and… do something. Something bad. I decided to leave my gloves on. I hadn’t made any direct physical contact with Henley, Dom or anything either of them had touched since the ordeal had begun, and it seemed prudent to keep it that way.

Unfortunately, first-person narration has never been one of my favorites, and in this case, it diminishes much of the tension, sometimes almost shamelessly spoiling the fate of the despicable protagonist. Both the protagonist and the supporting cast would have benefited from a bit more characterization and background, in my opinion, instead of just spewing profanity and showing the worst of themselves.

With all those big, square windows sitting in a row, it would have been easy for the snipers to pick us off, but they allowed us to retreat, and the shot I was bracing myself for never came. There’s been many, many sleepless nights since then where I’ve found myself wishing that the snipers had gone ahead and opened fire. I could have died with a clean conscience. I could have died with my soul still intact.

I thoroughly enjoyed most of this intense and gory read, and the stunning cover—possibly AI-generated but still very beautiful—caught my eye. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any credits for it in the book or online. The cover alone made me pre-order this ebook to add to my Kindle the moment I stumbled upon it on Amazon a few weeks ago.

I took a deep breath and said, “Okay, there’s no sugar-coating this, so I’ll just say it. Jim’s sick, and more of us are going to start getting sick pretty soon. That’s why we’ve been surrounded with guns and barbed wire fences. There’s a bug in here, a disease that’s super-contagious, and it’s… it’s bad.” I rubbed my temples hard and grimaced. I didn’t know what to say to them and not sound like I was crazy.

Three stars, three and a half.

[H.G. Gravy · Rating 5 out of 5]

When The Stars Fall by T.W. Grim is a masterful novel about the darker side of human nature when confronted with inevitable doom. Mark, our protagonist (but truly an anti-hero) is thrust into an unthinkable situation while at work at his plant. A truck crashes through the front gate, and its driver is carrying an alien parasite capable of overtaking its host and shape-shifting into nightmarish creatures. This sets off a chain of events involving government conspiracies and results in the confinement of various strong personalities within the plant under threat of immediate execution if they attempt to escape.

This novel is a dark, cynical, and brutal exploration of what overwhelming tension and the breakdown of order does to the psychological conditions of co-workers who couldn't stand to be around each other in the first place. Groups are formed. People try to establish themselves as leaders. Territories are set, and then there are those who are left to fend for themselves against the overwhelming odds of falling victim to the government soldiers waiting outside, the parasitic alien in search for human hosts, or their mentally deranged co-workers. This non-stop horror thriller will keep readers on the edge of their seats as the strong consume the weak, tempers flair and unthinkable acts of violence and murder consume everyone in its wake.

As a long time fan of his work, T.W. Grim outdid himself with this novel. I've come to regard him as one of the best indie horror authors around and believe this novel can stand right alongside the work of any mid-tier horror author being traditionally published today. If you don't believe me, buy this novel and find out how wrong you are.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for things that go bump in the night, look no further. If you prefer things that scream like a banshee and then rip the head off of the guy standing beside you, sit down and read.
T.W.Grim is not interested in your having a good night's sleep. He might not care if you ever sleep again, but he's very interested in getting your heart rate up and having you check under your bed before a long sleepless night.
An alien germ is just one of the problems disturbing this collection of unfortunate folks, but as their stories unfold you'll quickly realize that their earlier misfortunes, and previously damaged psyches have left plenty of scars for the night described in this book to reopen. None of them really deserve what happens to them, but many of them had it coming.
Turn on the light, take a stiff drink, pour another one and hold on. This book is quite a ride!!

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really found myself captivated with this tale of survival. The characters were brought to life and death by Geoff Sturtevant, such a talented narrator. The premise is a believable one. The story starts quite quickly with a truck accident at the AccuTech factory gates when the night shift has just arrived.
The author does a superb job describing the employees at the factory, what is important in their life and what they have to lose in the end. As a reader, you really feel for each character as they succumb to the virus. Gory for sure, I had to put the book aside a few times to get a break from it.
I am so happy when I am able to listen to well written audiobooks and feel the story through the narrator.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

There better be a second book..

What an amazing read. I loved the characters, I loved the story itself. I love when a book makes you feel something for the characters.

[Robert Knudsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

This story took off from the get-go, I loved the storyline and the characters they were well written and I really enjoyed the ending great job

[Matt Shuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world is ending. For a group of warehouse workers, it's already started. There's a mysterious illness spreading and the occupants of the factory turning ordinary people into shape-shifting murderous creatures hellbent on spreading the infection. But the thing is, that's not the most interesting thing for me with this novel. What this masterpiece is really about is what it means to be human. There are no good people here, and bubbling just beneath the surface they quickly discover they have multitudes of evil within them. Every character is flawed, and even the most honest and courageous person, when left with the alternative of death, is capable of doing the most horrendous things imaginable. Prepare yourself for sleepless nights, because this book is incredibly difficult to put down once you start