Enaro". I'm going to call it a science-fiction piece because that is how it starts out. It turns into horror eventually; starting with "Scale Of Scientific Sins" horror and moving into "Eldritch Abomination" horror.
PLOT
This is a weird one. It's blurb....well, it doesn't really have one. The only thing on Amazon is a quote from the book. It is a sound byte, I think. So even after reading it I'm not sure what the plot, conflict, story etc. are.
NOTE
Between receiving the review request and posting this review, the author has updated the amazon blurb. It no longer has the book quote but a premise describing conflict and characters. It is more useful to get a sense of things than the quote was but, in my opinion, more misleading.
END NOTE
Anyway, one would think that the blurb lead to a political science fiction story, perhaps dystopia or Crapsaccharine World. Except, the first section has monsters pounding away at a wall and a girl is using the power of dreams to repair the wall at the behest of a deity; I think that's what's going on.
Then the next scene is a guy despairing at the flaws in his society and then going out for a Enaro celebration. The second chapter (I think) goes back before Enaro existed, where Geras is lecturing to special students. It starts with time and gravity, and it all sounds scientific and what valid and what not. Then it goes into reality-is-a-simulation theories and the thoroughly debunked "humans only use 10% of their brain" idea. By the end of the lecture, Geras is talking about the coming of aliens. He sounds like a kook, but he's actually one of those aliens. I'm not sure if this is a Human Alien thing or he's using A Form You Are Comfortable With.
The story is not linear, which normally would not be an issue, except I'm not sure if this is just a matter of the order of events in literary fashion as it typically the case. The protagonist here (I think it is Geras) may or may not be experiencing/directing these events in the order described (i.e. linear from his perspective but In-Media-Res for the reader) or if he's aware of all of them simultaneously. I think this may be the case because there is a lot of talk about 4-dimensional thinking be limiting.
There is talk of "past lives" but I'm not sure what these mean. They could be body-surfing, reincarnation, a really long term simulation or a figure of speech along the lines of "I started a new life in place X after Y happened".
I don't know if "Khog" is a real entity, a metaphor, the proper name of a concept, or (maybe literally) personified phenomenon.
At the end, I get the sense that this whole story was a god-like creature's erotic dream.
Yes, if you don't like erotica, then this book is likely not for you. I felt uncomfortable reading it because that sort of thing is not something that I like to read.
Geras is definitely a womanizer. One of the special students, I mentioned he admitted solely for an opportunity to seduce her, and on another occasion, he gave a woman vodka until she passed out. There is one character who is horrified at how he copied Geras' behavior; so horrified he thinks he deserves to go to literal hell (that, I'm pretty sure, is not a metaphor).
Yes, this starts as a science fiction pieces, and Geras scorns the idea of religion, but there are definitely god-like creatures here and a hell for sinners. Maybe. It seems clear at the time but it might have been an illusion, or a dream of an illusion of a show that is an abstraction of a conflict between two "higher intelligences". Of the two of them, only one might exist.
This story goes heavy into Mind-Screw territory. I read the ending but I can't really say what happened or what it resolved, if anything.
CHARACTERS
Geras - an alien atheist scientist and womanizer. Despite setting up Nero to be a place of equality and stuff, he's pretty selective on who goes there. The determining factors appear to be a certain mindset/capacity to learn his metaphysics and the right genetics to absorb his immortality drug.
Kes - a human (half alien?) who is driven by resentment of Geras and his own self-hatred.
Ze - an alien with a god-complex. Seriously, he re-enacts Judgment Day.
POLISH
It has funky grammar; I don't want to say that it is wrong but it is strange to read. I also saw a couple spell errors.
This book both intrigued and repulsed me. I want to understand it more but I also don't want to. Most of all, it just confused me.
Trickster Eric Novels gives "Enaro" a ?
Click here for my previous book review (for fun): The Last Days of Socrates
Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).
His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback
PLOT
This is a weird one. It's blurb....well, it doesn't really have one. The only thing on Amazon is a quote from the book. It is a sound byte, I think. So even after reading it I'm not sure what the plot, conflict, story etc. are.
NOTE
Between receiving the review request and posting this review, the author has updated the amazon blurb. It no longer has the book quote but a premise describing conflict and characters. It is more useful to get a sense of things than the quote was but, in my opinion, more misleading.
END NOTE
Anyway, one would think that the blurb lead to a political science fiction story, perhaps dystopia or Crapsaccharine World. Except, the first section has monsters pounding away at a wall and a girl is using the power of dreams to repair the wall at the behest of a deity; I think that's what's going on.
Then the next scene is a guy despairing at the flaws in his society and then going out for a Enaro celebration. The second chapter (I think) goes back before Enaro existed, where Geras is lecturing to special students. It starts with time and gravity, and it all sounds scientific and what valid and what not. Then it goes into reality-is-a-simulation theories and the thoroughly debunked "humans only use 10% of their brain" idea. By the end of the lecture, Geras is talking about the coming of aliens. He sounds like a kook, but he's actually one of those aliens. I'm not sure if this is a Human Alien thing or he's using A Form You Are Comfortable With.
The story is not linear, which normally would not be an issue, except I'm not sure if this is just a matter of the order of events in literary fashion as it typically the case. The protagonist here (I think it is Geras) may or may not be experiencing/directing these events in the order described (i.e. linear from his perspective but In-Media-Res for the reader) or if he's aware of all of them simultaneously. I think this may be the case because there is a lot of talk about 4-dimensional thinking be limiting.
There is talk of "past lives" but I'm not sure what these mean. They could be body-surfing, reincarnation, a really long term simulation or a figure of speech along the lines of "I started a new life in place X after Y happened".
I don't know if "Khog" is a real entity, a metaphor, the proper name of a concept, or (maybe literally) personified phenomenon.
At the end, I get the sense that this whole story was a god-like creature's erotic dream.
Yes, if you don't like erotica, then this book is likely not for you. I felt uncomfortable reading it because that sort of thing is not something that I like to read.
Geras is definitely a womanizer. One of the special students, I mentioned he admitted solely for an opportunity to seduce her, and on another occasion, he gave a woman vodka until she passed out. There is one character who is horrified at how he copied Geras' behavior; so horrified he thinks he deserves to go to literal hell (that, I'm pretty sure, is not a metaphor).
Yes, this starts as a science fiction pieces, and Geras scorns the idea of religion, but there are definitely god-like creatures here and a hell for sinners. Maybe. It seems clear at the time but it might have been an illusion, or a dream of an illusion of a show that is an abstraction of a conflict between two "higher intelligences". Of the two of them, only one might exist.
This story goes heavy into Mind-Screw territory. I read the ending but I can't really say what happened or what it resolved, if anything.
CHARACTERS
Geras - an alien atheist scientist and womanizer. Despite setting up Nero to be a place of equality and stuff, he's pretty selective on who goes there. The determining factors appear to be a certain mindset/capacity to learn his metaphysics and the right genetics to absorb his immortality drug.
Kes - a human (half alien?) who is driven by resentment of Geras and his own self-hatred.
Ze - an alien with a god-complex. Seriously, he re-enacts Judgment Day.
POLISH
It has funky grammar; I don't want to say that it is wrong but it is strange to read. I also saw a couple spell errors.
This book both intrigued and repulsed me. I want to understand it more but I also don't want to. Most of all, it just confused me.
Trickster Eric Novels gives "Enaro" a ?
This was a free book review. The author requested an honest review so I provided one.
Click here for my next book review (a request): SHOT DOWN
Click here for my previous book review (for fun): The Last Days of Socrates
Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).
His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback
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