Author of sci-fi/fantasy, horror and adventure/thriller fiction

1983

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Netflix’s first Polish original series, 1983 imagines an alternate world where a series of devastating terrorist bombings (for them, a 9/11 level event) united Poland and gave the government a free hand to crush the Solidarity movement. As a result, Poland remained communist, and the Soviet Union never collapsed. The story is focused on 2003, where several story lines collide in this dystopian society, while flashing back to 1982-83, where we see the events that led up to the bombings.

In 2003, we follow several key characters. Anatol Janow is a police detective who believes a suicide is actually a murder, which connects him with both the SB, Poland’s brutal secret police, and the Light Brigade, a new resistance movement. Kajetan Skowron is a law student whose parents died in the bombings, whose belief in the Party is tested when a beloved professor is murdered, leading him on a path of uncovering a horrible truth and teaming up with Janow. Ofelia Ibrom is a key operative in the Light Brigade and wants to bring Kajetan into her group while dodging Anatol. In 1983, we follow Kajetan’s parents and grandmother during the tumultuous days of Solidarity.

This is a really fun and intriguing show. It’s easy to figure out very early on who did the bombings and why, which flavors everything and underpins this society with a big lie, but the characters knowing isn’t essential to the story, which has so much else going on. Two things I particularly liked: One was the political intrigue and conflict between the militia (police), SB (secret police), and the Polish Army. Two was every woman in this show is a total ass-kicker, and not in the wish fulfillment sense.

Two criticisms. One is there’s so much going on, and sometimes things are vague, which can be confusing, though the show catches you up if you hang tight. Two is Kajetan Skowron, the law student, is so expressionless and uncommunicative about what he’s thinking and feeling, it’s hard to empathize with him or even know what he wants sometimes.

The first season ends with the major story lines resolving but with plenty set up for a season 2, which Netflix has yet to green light.

Overall, as a fan of innovative dystopian fiction, I really enjoyed 1983 and hope Netflix gives us a second season.

ONE OF US Selected for B&N Christmas Promotion

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Ready to give the gift of dark fantasy this holiday season? Barnes & Noble has listed the hardcover edition of ONE OF US in its Holiday 50% Off promotion!

The promotion runs today through Christmas Day 2018, and is both online and in stores. Other authors in the promotion include Kim Stanley Robinson, S.A.Corey, and Brandon Sanderson.

Click here to check it out.

WHEN YOU FIND ME by P.J. Vernon

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My friend Philip (PJ) Vernon’s debut novel, WHEN YOU FIND ME, is a surefire pleaser for fans of “girl noir” authors like Gillian Flynn.

This Southern Gothic noir is a thriller told from the points of view of Gray, an alcoholic heiress coming home to visit her ancestral home for the holidays; Nina, a detective investigating the sudden disappearance of Gray’s husband Paul; and Annie, who either knows or may even be responsible for the disappearance.

Right up front, I have to say this genre isn’t my thing, I’m not its intended market. Still, I read the story thoroughly enjoying the execution and core mystery behind the disappearance. The setting, characterization (even the secondary characters), dialogue, pacing, and drip-by-drip reveals of everybody’s dirty little secrets are all spot on. I was honestly surprised this was a first novel, it’s so well done.

If you’d like to freshen up your “girl noir” reading with a seedy Southern Gothic take, check out WHEN YOU FIND ME.

OUR WAR Coming in 2019

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I’m very happy to announce that my next major release is coming from Orbit in August 2019. In this novel, a brother and sister become child soldiers fighting on opposite sides of a second American civil war. The novel is about their struggle and the lives of the people they come into contact with. It’s prescient and powerful. I hope you’ll check it out!

Here’s a description:

After his impeachment, the president of the United States refuses to leave office, and the country erupts into a fractured and violent war. Orphaned by the fighting and looking for a home, 10-year-old Hannah Miller joins a citizen militia in a besieged Indianapolis.

In the Free Women militia, Hannah finds a makeshift family. They’ll teach her how to survive. They’ll give her hope. And they’ll show her how to use a gun.

Hannah’s older brother, Alex, is a soldier too. But he’s loyal to other side, and has found his place in a militant group of fighters who see themselves as the last bastion of their America. By following their orders, Alex will soon make the ultimate decision behind the trigger.

On the battlefields of America, Hannah and Alex will risk everything for their country, but in the end they’ll fight for the only cause that truly matters — each other.

THE LAST EXORCISM (2010)

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I skipped over THE LAST EXORCISM (2010) for years, thinking it just another exorcism movie, and a found-footage one at that (insert raspberry noise). After reading an interesting review, though, I took a chance and boy, what a gem it turned out to be for me. THE LAST EXORCISM delivers a high level of creepiness packaged in a thoughtful, intelligent meditation on faith and skepticism.

The movie is a mockumentary in which Cotton Marcus is a minister who lost his faith after it was doctors, not God, who cured his son of a severe illness. Patrick Fabian brings real charisma, humanity, and likeability to the role, which makes the movie instantly engaging. Marcus still ministers and performs exorcisms, but for him, it’s a show, a service that helps people feel better but otherwise doesn’t mean anything. Still, after hearing about a child dying during an exorcism, he decides it’s time to throw in the towel, and agrees to do the documentary so that fewer people might believe in the power of exorcism and risk getting hurt. His last exorcism turns out to be a Louisiana farm, where Louis Sweetzer (a solid and menacing Louis Herthum) raises his teenage children Nell and Caleb in a strict religious household. Louis doesn’t believe in science because doctors failed his wife, so he’s turned to God for guidance in every aspect of his life.

What follows is something that surprises him. Nell appears to be genuinely possessed. Or is she?

THE LAST EXORCISM rolls out as both an entertaining possession story and also a meditation on God, faith, and fraud. I had one big criticism, which was the ending, which worked on one level for me but not as a whole; it could have achieved the same thing with a smaller scale. But so what. The direction and scripting are tight, the acting is terrific, the found-footage element plays as advantage and not gimmick (the two filmmakers even end up personally involved in the story), and the end result engages your head as well as your heart rate. I’m happy to recommend this as another indie gem that proves good story can make even tired old tropes feel like they’re young again.