Hell's Well

Systema Paradoxa #13

by Sean Patrick Hazlett, Jason Whitley (Illustrator)

Astrophysicist Dr. Kate Gavin-Weaver’s life was hard enough fighting for tenure at Caltech while raising a four-year-old daughter as a single mother. It was even harder living under the shadow of her estranged father, Mack Gavin, the host of a wildly popular television series, The Cryptid Hunter.

But when Mack disappears while researching the subject of his next episode in a secluded wilderness town in California, Kate decides to leave the relative safety of Pasadena to find her father.

What she uncovers there shakes the very foundation of her reality and forces her to grapple with an adversary she could’ve never imagined.

Genres: Horror

110 pages, Paperback

Published October 21, 2022

About the author

Sean is a technology and finance professional working in Silicon Valley. He writes horror and science fiction as well as nonfiction. He is a recent second place winner of the Writers of the Future Contest. He has published over a hundred research reports on clean energy, semiconductors, and enterprise software including Wall Street's first comprehensive market analysis of opportunities in the smart grid, which was cited twice in The Economist (See "Making Every Drop Count" and "Smart Grids: Wiser Wires"). His fiction has appeared in Writers of the Future, Grimdark Magazine, Abyss & Apex, Sci Phi Journal, Fictionvale Magazine, Plasma Frequency Magazine, Kasma SF, The Colored Lens, NewMyths.com, and Mad Scientist Journal, among others.

Before becoming working in finance and technology, Sean was a research associate at the Harvard-Stanford Preventive Defense Project where he worked on energy security issues that included the United States-India Strategic Partnership and policy options for confronting Iran's nuclear program. He won the 2006 Policy Analysis Exercise Award at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government for his work on policy solutions to Iran's nuclear weapons program. Sean also spent time at Booz Allen Hamilton as an intelligence analyst focusing on strategic war games and simulations for the Pentagon. Before graduate school, Sean was a cavalry officer in the United States Army where he trained American forces for combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan at the National Training Center.

Sean holds a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School, a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and bachelor's degrees in History and Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.

Reviews

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic short story. The writing was wonderful and the alternate reality was a very cool twist on some angry aliens trying to invade Earth. I highly recommend this quick read.

Dr. Kat Gavin-Weaver's father is missing. She does everything she can to save her father. Along the way she meets some weird friends and is exposed to some classified supernatural cases that exposes her to a new reality.

Thank you #NetGalley for sending me #Hell'sWell

[Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read in the Systema Paradoxa series. I have loved each and every one that I've been able to read. These open up your knowledge of cryptids that didn't even know about. Can't wait to read another. #SeanPatrickHazlett #NetGalley

[Amber Toro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this fast paced, cleverly written short story. It reads like a great episode of Black Mirror. I loved the main character Dr. Kate Gavin Weaver’s, I really resonated with her personally. As a technical person myself I really apricated that the author was technical as well and you could tell in the references and style of writing, which really worked given that the main charter is an Astrophysicist. Great read, will definitely be on the look out for more stories from Sean Patrick Hazlett.

[TJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Ok" is about the best I can do for this short book about California cyptids (think NJ Devil) that make an appearance again and start threatening the populace. Mack Galvin, cyptid hunter, is on the case and looking for evidence of the beings he can use on his popular TV show. When Mack disappears without any word, his estranged daughter and university professor, Kate, and his granddaughter go searching for him. What Kate finds will shake her scientific foundation and sets in motion a wild chase through the remainder of the book.
I was initially intrigued by the subject matter, but my interest level never deepened because of shallow characterization and limited plot setting. In addition, the main protagonist, Kate, is not a very likable character. I would have liked to have found out more about her father's passion, but the author did not delve into that either. Maybe the author was working on a page count because there was so much more he could have done with this story if he would have fleshed it out more.
The book is passable, at best, because it's a short read and fans of this genre may find some redeeming value in it.

[Lauren Russo · Rating 1 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story but the main character Dr. Kate Gavin-Weavers is not likable. She is an astrophysicist and when her father goes missing she has a genius idea to bring her 4yr old to go looking for him in an area where something is slaughtering people. Anytime Kate has an interaction with other characters she has a horrible attitude and shows how absolutely insufferable she is. I read other books in the Systema Paradoxa series and enjoyed them much more.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't something I could get into.

[Brenda Hudson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great writing but story was just ok.