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Samara's Song
The two most terrifying words in Almar? Casting call.
Samara Pereo prides herself on living below the radar, avoiding the watchful eyes of the producers. She swore her family would never rely on the Stadium for sustenance. But when the pantry runs empty, she and Troy have no choice but to drag their two daughters to the shows. They’re rewarded with a few bites of stale, synthetic bread and a contract wrapped in an elegant red envelope with Samara’s name on it.
The 23-year-old mother is given two choices: pay the omission fee or accept her new role in the latest Almarian reality show. Inner precinct citizens can rarely afford food, let alone omission fees. Twelve hours later Samara finds herself in the company of nine other women, all with their lives completely upended as they head towards Studio One, towards The Crucible – a cruel “match maker” that demands love and condemns the unlovable.
Now Samara must let go of her family and win over the hearts of the watching public, or else face the consequences of elimination.
It’s love or be lost in this thrilling dystopian romance.
Samara Pereo prides herself on living below the radar, avoiding the watchful eyes of the producers. She swore her family would never rely on the Stadium for sustenance. But when the pantry runs empty, she and Troy have no choice but to drag their two daughters to the shows. They’re rewarded with a few bites of stale, synthetic bread and a contract wrapped in an elegant red envelope with Samara’s name on it.
The 23-year-old mother is given two choices: pay the omission fee or accept her new role in the latest Almarian reality show. Inner precinct citizens can rarely afford food, let alone omission fees. Twelve hours later Samara finds herself in the company of nine other women, all with their lives completely upended as they head towards Studio One, towards The Crucible – a cruel “match maker” that demands love and condemns the unlovable.
Now Samara must let go of her family and win over the hearts of the watching public, or else face the consequences of elimination.
It’s love or be lost in this thrilling dystopian romance.
75 pages, ebook
First published August 5, 2014
About the author
Amber Feldkamp
1 book1 followerI picked up a pen when I was four-years-old and drew on the walls with it. I think writers like to say they've got the gift in their blood, but I can promise you that I don't bleed ink. If I did, I'd be a best-selling celebrity by now.
No, I was born a daydreamer - not a writer. I grew up inside my own head. I was one of those kids that looked forward to long car rides because I could stare out the window and invent a new world around me. Television shows, books, movies - all became the objects of my obsession, worlds for me to recreate. Don't even get me started on Harry Potter. Bedtime was my favorite part of the day, to the point where I'd plan the adventures ahead of time that I hoped to have when my head hit that pillow.
I kept waiting to grow out of that fantasy stage, but honestly I never did. And so in my teens I decided to start trying to translate my imaginative worlds into fiction. Thus began the long, frustrating, and only sometimes rewarding journey that has led me here.
My name is Amber. I am a dreamer, a wife, a soon-to-be mother. I am a gamer, table top RPGer, and a baker. And someday I hope to be an author worth her weight in salt.
No, I was born a daydreamer - not a writer. I grew up inside my own head. I was one of those kids that looked forward to long car rides because I could stare out the window and invent a new world around me. Television shows, books, movies - all became the objects of my obsession, worlds for me to recreate. Don't even get me started on Harry Potter. Bedtime was my favorite part of the day, to the point where I'd plan the adventures ahead of time that I hoped to have when my head hit that pillow.
I kept waiting to grow out of that fantasy stage, but honestly I never did. And so in my teens I decided to start trying to translate my imaginative worlds into fiction. Thus began the long, frustrating, and only sometimes rewarding journey that has led me here.
My name is Amber. I am a dreamer, a wife, a soon-to-be mother. I am a gamer, table top RPGer, and a baker. And someday I hope to be an author worth her weight in salt.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 16, 2014
Samara's song is set in a dystopian world where the destitute people of the inner precincts are chosen at random to compete in reality TV shows solely for the enjoyment of the elite. The losers then must spend the rest of their lives in servitude, or worse, be voted on to be put to the death.
Samara is a young wife and mother of two who is chosen to participate in the Crucible. Ten men and women, total strangers, forced together on TV and now having to prove their love for each other to be voted as the top couple. To give immunity from the casting to the rest of her family she willingly goes, even though she knows she will never be able to see her family again.
At first I was afraid it would be too much like The Hunger Games, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Samara's Song has a unique story and voice all of its own. The writing is beautifully done and pulls you into this world where Big Brother is watching every word and action. The suspense keeps you on the edge of your seat, so much so that I read the book in one sitting, I couldn't put it down! The only complaint I have is that I wanted more of Samara's story. At only 64 pages it was more of a novella but well worth every moment of the read. I cannot wait for the next installment in this series. Great job Ms. Feldkamp!
Samara is a young wife and mother of two who is chosen to participate in the Crucible. Ten men and women, total strangers, forced together on TV and now having to prove their love for each other to be voted as the top couple. To give immunity from the casting to the rest of her family she willingly goes, even though she knows she will never be able to see her family again.
At first I was afraid it would be too much like The Hunger Games, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Samara's Song has a unique story and voice all of its own. The writing is beautifully done and pulls you into this world where Big Brother is watching every word and action. The suspense keeps you on the edge of your seat, so much so that I read the book in one sitting, I couldn't put it down! The only complaint I have is that I wanted more of Samara's story. At only 64 pages it was more of a novella but well worth every moment of the read. I cannot wait for the next installment in this series. Great job Ms. Feldkamp!
August 18, 2014
Reviewed by Robert defrank for writocracy.blogspot.com
Samara is a young mother of two living in a dystopian future of poverty. The districts are distracted from their plight through bread and circuses, garish entertainment in which the conventions of various reality TV genres play out with lethal results for the losers, and common citizens are selected as contestants.
When Samara is chosen to compete in one such twisted game, she has no choice but to acquiesce. In the interest of protecting her beloved family, she must leave them. She soon finds herself in the company of nine other women and ten men, in a setting that is one part studio, one part prison. Contestants must pair into couples and convince the audience of their love for one another. Samara must craft a role to appeal to the viewership, but she soon learns that that the power of selective camera shots and editing can imbue a situation with any meaning the producers desire before the media is packaged and presented to the public.
Will Samara succeed in playing the game of telegenic manipulation, or will so be voted a love loss?
Okay, first let’s address the elephant in the room: The Hunger Games.
I have some confessions to make: I have never read or watched The Hunger Games, nor have I watched any reality TV, but the plot and themes of Collins’ series and the tropes of reality TV have become so ubiquitous in our culture that I learned them by osmosis.
However, I’m not able to state for certain which parts of Samara’s Song are inspired directly from plot points in the Games and which represent the author going in her own direction. What I do know is that I started it with the intent of reading only a few pages and was halfway through before I quite realized it. I completed the book in two sittings and went back to re-read several passages.
I can’t look down on an artist who takes inspiration from a trend or pre-existing work, particularly since my first novel is a mosaic of fantasy adventure inspired by HP Lovecraft’s cosmology, but I took note of the quality of writing and of the plot, which are both exceptional. These include both the internal strife of the main character seeing the image of the person on screen contrasted with who she is, or was, and the tension of waiting to see which of the supporting characters would fall in the various challenges, conventional romantic situations given a lethal twist. Interesting side characters are created, and readers and left wondering if they will live or die in the next chapters. There is the cheerful, athletic couple, the woman who is a natural for the camera, the silly girl who expects to find fairy-tale romance in the grim reality of the show. Then there is Samara’s male counterpart, whom she is supposed to pretend affection for. It would have been easy to make him into villain, but instead he comes across as a guy doing his best to survive, and in fact became my favorite character.
The author has an interesting and well-developed style in which information is released a little at a time, in just the rate to keep readers flipping pages until the end.
Which of course, leads to my sole real issue with the story: the ending and how soon it arrives.
The book is just too short. The ending too abrupt when there were so many other scenarios that could play out.
There are hints of intrigue and of a deeper game behind the game, but the story draws to a close before we see more than those hints. I was so angered at the abrupt end that I was tempted to take off a star on that count alone.
In the Amazon description, I see this may be the first installment of a series.
SPOILER
I probably won’t pick up the next installments, not unless the next book opens with the villainous producers deciding to reverse their decision and compel our main characters to play further. The other couples were fairly interesting, but none intrigued me to the point of wanting to follow the game through their eyes.
SPOILER ENDS
There were also a few brief passages that I found not quite believable, or perhaps bathos for bathos sake. For example: why give the audience stale bread? That came across an unnecessarily callous when these shows were supposed to be a treat.
Also, and this is only a personal note, I despise first person present tense. It speaks well for the author’s skill that I was drawn in despite this style.
The book is recommended, and this is an author to watch for future works.
Four stars
Samara is a young mother of two living in a dystopian future of poverty. The districts are distracted from their plight through bread and circuses, garish entertainment in which the conventions of various reality TV genres play out with lethal results for the losers, and common citizens are selected as contestants.
When Samara is chosen to compete in one such twisted game, she has no choice but to acquiesce. In the interest of protecting her beloved family, she must leave them. She soon finds herself in the company of nine other women and ten men, in a setting that is one part studio, one part prison. Contestants must pair into couples and convince the audience of their love for one another. Samara must craft a role to appeal to the viewership, but she soon learns that that the power of selective camera shots and editing can imbue a situation with any meaning the producers desire before the media is packaged and presented to the public.
Will Samara succeed in playing the game of telegenic manipulation, or will so be voted a love loss?
Okay, first let’s address the elephant in the room: The Hunger Games.
I have some confessions to make: I have never read or watched The Hunger Games, nor have I watched any reality TV, but the plot and themes of Collins’ series and the tropes of reality TV have become so ubiquitous in our culture that I learned them by osmosis.
However, I’m not able to state for certain which parts of Samara’s Song are inspired directly from plot points in the Games and which represent the author going in her own direction. What I do know is that I started it with the intent of reading only a few pages and was halfway through before I quite realized it. I completed the book in two sittings and went back to re-read several passages.
I can’t look down on an artist who takes inspiration from a trend or pre-existing work, particularly since my first novel is a mosaic of fantasy adventure inspired by HP Lovecraft’s cosmology, but I took note of the quality of writing and of the plot, which are both exceptional. These include both the internal strife of the main character seeing the image of the person on screen contrasted with who she is, or was, and the tension of waiting to see which of the supporting characters would fall in the various challenges, conventional romantic situations given a lethal twist. Interesting side characters are created, and readers and left wondering if they will live or die in the next chapters. There is the cheerful, athletic couple, the woman who is a natural for the camera, the silly girl who expects to find fairy-tale romance in the grim reality of the show. Then there is Samara’s male counterpart, whom she is supposed to pretend affection for. It would have been easy to make him into villain, but instead he comes across as a guy doing his best to survive, and in fact became my favorite character.
The author has an interesting and well-developed style in which information is released a little at a time, in just the rate to keep readers flipping pages until the end.
Which of course, leads to my sole real issue with the story: the ending and how soon it arrives.
The book is just too short. The ending too abrupt when there were so many other scenarios that could play out.
There are hints of intrigue and of a deeper game behind the game, but the story draws to a close before we see more than those hints. I was so angered at the abrupt end that I was tempted to take off a star on that count alone.
In the Amazon description, I see this may be the first installment of a series.
SPOILER
I probably won’t pick up the next installments, not unless the next book opens with the villainous producers deciding to reverse their decision and compel our main characters to play further. The other couples were fairly interesting, but none intrigued me to the point of wanting to follow the game through their eyes.
SPOILER ENDS
There were also a few brief passages that I found not quite believable, or perhaps bathos for bathos sake. For example: why give the audience stale bread? That came across an unnecessarily callous when these shows were supposed to be a treat.
Also, and this is only a personal note, I despise first person present tense. It speaks well for the author’s skill that I was drawn in despite this style.
The book is recommended, and this is an author to watch for future works.
Four stars
August 16, 2014
This review is given on behalf of the blog, Writocracy.
Samara is a young mother of two living in a dystopian future of poverty. The districts are distracted from their plight through bread and circuses, garish entertainment in which the conventions of various reality TV genres play out with lethal results for the losers, and common citizens are selected as contestants.
When Samara is chosen to compete in one such twisted game, she has no choice but to acquiesce. In the interest of protecting her beloved family, she must leave them. She soon finds herself in the company of nine other women and ten men, in a setting that is one part studio, one part prison. Contestants must pair into couples and convince the audience of their love for one another. Samara must craft a role to appeal to the viewership, but she soon learns that that the power of selective camera shots and editing can imbue a situation with any meaning the producers desire before the media is packaged and presented to the public.
Will Samara succeed in playing the game of telegenic manipulation, or will so be voted a love loss?
Okay, first let's address the elephant in the room: The Hunger Games.
I have some confessions to make: I have never read or watched The Hunger Games, nor have I watched any reality TV, but the plot and themes of Collins' series and the tropes of reality TV have become so ubiquitous in our culture that I learned them by osmosis.
However, I'm not able to state for certain which parts of Samara's Song are inspired directly from plot points in the Games and which represent the author going in her own direction. What I do know is that I started it with the intent of reading only a few pages and was halfway through before I quite realized it. I completed the book in two sittings and went back to re-read several passages.
I can't look down on an artist who takes inspiration from a trend or pre-existing work, particularly since my first novel is a mosaic of fantasy adventure inspired by HP Lovecraft's cosmology, but I took note of the quality of writing and of the plot, which are both exceptional. These include both the internal strife of the main character seeing the image of the person on screen contrasted with who she is, or was, and the tension of waiting to see which of the supporting characters would fall in the various challenges, conventional romantic situations given a lethal twist. Interesting side characters are created, and readers and left wondering if they will live or die in the next chapters. There is the cheerful, athletic couple, the woman who is a natural for the camera, the silly girl who expects to find fairy-tale romance in the grim reality of the show. Then there is Samara's male counterpart, whom she is supposed to pretend affection for. It would have been easy to make him into villain, but instead he comes across as a guy doing his best to survive, and in fact became my favorite character.
The author has an interesting and well-developed style in which information is released a little at a time, in just the rate to keep readers flipping pages until the end.
Which of course, leads to my sole real issue with the story: the ending and how soon it arrives.
The book is just too short. The ending too abrupt when there were so many other scenarios that could play out.
There are hints of intrigue and of a deeper game behind the game, but the story draws to a close before we see more than those hints. I was so angered at the abrupt end that I was tempted to take off a star on that count alone.
In the Amazon description, I see this may be the first installment of a series.
SPOILER
I probably won't pick up the next installments, not unless the next book opens with the villainous producers deciding to reverse their decision and compel our main characters to play further. The other couples were fairly interesting, but none intrigued me to the point of wanting to follow the game through their eyes.
SPOILER ENDS
There were also a few brief passages that I found not quite believable, or perhaps bathos for bathos sake. For example: why give the audience stale bread? That came across an unnecessarily callous when these shows were supposed to be a treat.
Also, and this is only a personal note, I despise first person present tense. It speaks well for the author's skill that I was drawn in despite this style.
The book is recommended, and this is an author to watch for future works.
Samara is a young mother of two living in a dystopian future of poverty. The districts are distracted from their plight through bread and circuses, garish entertainment in which the conventions of various reality TV genres play out with lethal results for the losers, and common citizens are selected as contestants.
When Samara is chosen to compete in one such twisted game, she has no choice but to acquiesce. In the interest of protecting her beloved family, she must leave them. She soon finds herself in the company of nine other women and ten men, in a setting that is one part studio, one part prison. Contestants must pair into couples and convince the audience of their love for one another. Samara must craft a role to appeal to the viewership, but she soon learns that that the power of selective camera shots and editing can imbue a situation with any meaning the producers desire before the media is packaged and presented to the public.
Will Samara succeed in playing the game of telegenic manipulation, or will so be voted a love loss?
Okay, first let's address the elephant in the room: The Hunger Games.
I have some confessions to make: I have never read or watched The Hunger Games, nor have I watched any reality TV, but the plot and themes of Collins' series and the tropes of reality TV have become so ubiquitous in our culture that I learned them by osmosis.
However, I'm not able to state for certain which parts of Samara's Song are inspired directly from plot points in the Games and which represent the author going in her own direction. What I do know is that I started it with the intent of reading only a few pages and was halfway through before I quite realized it. I completed the book in two sittings and went back to re-read several passages.
I can't look down on an artist who takes inspiration from a trend or pre-existing work, particularly since my first novel is a mosaic of fantasy adventure inspired by HP Lovecraft's cosmology, but I took note of the quality of writing and of the plot, which are both exceptional. These include both the internal strife of the main character seeing the image of the person on screen contrasted with who she is, or was, and the tension of waiting to see which of the supporting characters would fall in the various challenges, conventional romantic situations given a lethal twist. Interesting side characters are created, and readers and left wondering if they will live or die in the next chapters. There is the cheerful, athletic couple, the woman who is a natural for the camera, the silly girl who expects to find fairy-tale romance in the grim reality of the show. Then there is Samara's male counterpart, whom she is supposed to pretend affection for. It would have been easy to make him into villain, but instead he comes across as a guy doing his best to survive, and in fact became my favorite character.
The author has an interesting and well-developed style in which information is released a little at a time, in just the rate to keep readers flipping pages until the end.
Which of course, leads to my sole real issue with the story: the ending and how soon it arrives.
The book is just too short. The ending too abrupt when there were so many other scenarios that could play out.
There are hints of intrigue and of a deeper game behind the game, but the story draws to a close before we see more than those hints. I was so angered at the abrupt end that I was tempted to take off a star on that count alone.
In the Amazon description, I see this may be the first installment of a series.
SPOILER
I probably won't pick up the next installments, not unless the next book opens with the villainous producers deciding to reverse their decision and compel our main characters to play further. The other couples were fairly interesting, but none intrigued me to the point of wanting to follow the game through their eyes.
SPOILER ENDS
There were also a few brief passages that I found not quite believable, or perhaps bathos for bathos sake. For example: why give the audience stale bread? That came across an unnecessarily callous when these shows were supposed to be a treat.
Also, and this is only a personal note, I despise first person present tense. It speaks well for the author's skill that I was drawn in despite this style.
The book is recommended, and this is an author to watch for future works.
December 26, 2014
Wow, this story is powerful, heartbreaking, and left me crying. For my SFR friends, NOT an SFR, but a science fiction story with a true love undertone.
The editing is excellent, the worldbuilding is really good and the main reason I'll be buying more of the series--because I want to know about the grass too! The characters are diverse and surprising.
I admit, when I first bought this and when I started reading I didn't expect a powerful story. It's written in first person present, which usually annoys me. The plot and Samara's personality made me forget that. The general feel reminded me of Hunger Games and an episode of Doctor Who the 9th. But as I kept reading that faded too.
This story has a strong interplay of the meaning of love, freedom, loyalty and sacrifice. The worldbuilding hints at enough of a larger world and larger conflicts to carry a series. It's short but it's just the right length and an excellent introduction to the series.
I'm sure I will remember this story in all it's horror and courage. Very well done.
The editing is excellent, the worldbuilding is really good and the main reason I'll be buying more of the series--because I want to know about the grass too! The characters are diverse and surprising.
I admit, when I first bought this and when I started reading I didn't expect a powerful story. It's written in first person present, which usually annoys me. The plot and Samara's personality made me forget that. The general feel reminded me of Hunger Games and an episode of Doctor Who the 9th. But as I kept reading that faded too.
This story has a strong interplay of the meaning of love, freedom, loyalty and sacrifice. The worldbuilding hints at enough of a larger world and larger conflicts to carry a series. It's short but it's just the right length and an excellent introduction to the series.
I'm sure I will remember this story in all it's horror and courage. Very well done.
January 13, 2015
Excellent novella. At first it seemed like just another Hunger Games-esque dystopian gladiator story. And while there are elements of that, I feel this author goes even deeper for this very adult allegory of a future in which entertainment reigns supreme and choices aren't choices at all. The plot kept me guessing, and my guesses were usually off target due to the author's willingness to make hard choices for her characters. The only regret was that this wasn't a full-length novel and we didn't get to spend more time with Samara.
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