I would like to thank the author for an advance copy of this novella in exchange for a fair and honest review

Publisher - Next Chapter

Published - very soon!

Price - tbc

Sirin AKA Tristan Grieves is a death bringer. A borrower of lives with a loose moral compass that points to Liene. A continent eater and the daughter of the Alkonost. He travelled everywhere. Now he must travel in her. Cannibalise her energy. They chase each other from door to door, star to star. Across borderless boredom. Immortals on pause. Only time can resume them. Will he survive the hurricane caged inside of her? 

When people discuss what makes a good book the concept of prose is a term used often that I tend to find a little uncertain. For me it basically means you like the writing style but I don’t think there is ever a particular universal standard as to what good prose is. Like music its what works at the time that you read it and matches your general preferences. I can bounce between loving writers who use decorous descriptive passages and those whose words are ultra lean; for me the question is does the writing suit the story? A good example of how to challenge this was the challenging experience demanded of Erik Hofstetter’s new dark science fiction novelette The Hurricane Caged Inside Of Her which is a mesmerising experience pulling the reader along without warning.

Our narrator Tristan details how he first met a woman named Liene a woman now dead but lives on in his memories. His life is in the dark streets of drugs and prostitution but Tristan’s special gift means Liene may still be alive in his memories but is that what she wants?

This was definitely a unique experience that ultimately I enjoyed but it takes no prisoners from the first paragraph where a bar becomes a harbour without warning. Hofstetter translates scenes in a constant stream of metaphors and description that bounce off each other then take detours that may initially mean that we double take to absorb what exactly is being described this time. Language is being played with in nearly every level which for this type of mind-bending tale works. Everything is re-interpreted to suit the fragmenting mind of our narrator. As such I think its going to be in the eyes of the reader as to what the story finally leads to. For me Trstan feels a soul who has taken the easy dark path allowing him that he can wallow in working for unpleasant people and he is not above using them for his own pleasure and desires. But now one woman he believes to be dead but exists in his memory that may be haunting him. We run from brothers, bars and mix with drug dealers and low life’s but strange powers hover in the edge waiting to pounce and destroy.

This is strong hypnotic tale where no one comes out very well but I do warn prospective readers Trsistan’s views on the woman he works with are clinical and very much led by his desire for sex, but while this treads a borderline it very much felt in character for the unpleasant nature of Tristan who may finally find himself out of control. It move at a dizzying pace, you need to follow the narrative carefully and you’re ultimately treading into a SF noirish poetic nightmare. To say I enjoyed the experience feels a little low key. I felt gripped, startled, pushed into dark places and impressed with the use of words to give the tale a pulse, style and atmosphere I won’t forget in a hurry! Fans of dark poetical but stark writing will enjoy this challenge!