Wick Welker

I really enjoyed the set-up for this book. The galaxy is dying, and our POV characters have to decide what that means to them and what they can do about it... or if they want to. Beetro the self-aware robot is trying to remember his past, while Miree the thief is trying to run from hers. Throw in Ribcage the plucky street orphan who can Jump between dimensions in order to appear to teleport, and the set-up for this book caught my eye right away. This is one of the few SPSFC3 books that I read which had a map and/or illustrations included, and this one has both! I loved that aspect of this book a lot.

Unfortunately, for me the plot didn't start to unfold in a way that I enjoyed until the very last quarter of the book. Early on, all of the character arcs turn selfish and unfriendly, which is a hard sell for me with a book. I find that books with unlikable characters have a harder time of convincing me to keep reading, and they have to give me something to care about in order to keep my interest. While the overall concept did interest me and (some of) the characters turn around later in the story, the book's length and slow pace were hard to counteract. I think if the book had been significantly shorter I would have enjoyed it more, because I would have been better able to focus on the plot instead of getting caught up in apathy for the characters.

“Is my story boring you?”
“No… I just can’t get away.”
“Away from what?”
“A terrible life.”
“It’s not just your life, my dear. It’s everyone's.”

— Wick Welker, Dark Theory

In addition, there were a few grammatical things that got in the way for me. One of them was the lack of dialogue tags. The quote above is one example, though in that quote it was still easy enough to figure out who was saying what based on context. There were other scenes where the context wasn't as obvious, and I had to count the lines to figure out who was saying what—or in scenes where there were multiple characters present, sometimes I just had to guess. Another couple of minor annoyances were places where I disagreed with the comma placement or where information was repeated overly frequently.

Beyond that, there are multiple places where the use of pronouns instead of names makes things muddled. In one example, a paragraph starts like this (with no paragraph breaks): "'Beetro,' she said without looking up. 'Keep watch around the corner. Tell me if anyone comes.' Ribcage sat on the ground, looking at the Quantizer. Carefully, she removed the silver thermos from her back and poured it into the canister on the back end of the Quantizer." To read that section, it sounds like Ribcage is the one speaking and doing all the actions. Most of it is not Ribcage, though... it's Miree. The only action Ribcage takes is that single sentence in the middle of the quote. Did this confuse me for long? No. But it and other examples like it slowed down the book and frustrated me. Generally, none of the technical issues I had with the book were major ones, and nothing was too annoying on its own, but they added up for me.

I know that I haven't been very positive so far in this review, but there were some things I enjoyed about the book as well. There are some fun scenes and good quotes. I liked some of the characters a lot, like Lucindi and Besidio; sadly they were just minor characters, and so got very little page time. As I mentioned at the start, the concept and set-up for the book fascinated me. I think there are some great ideas there. And once the book got near the plot's climax, I did enjoy the action a lot more.

But ultimately, this book was not for me. For me, it was too long, too bleak, and the characters were too unsympathetic. From initial comments in our team chat, many of the other members of my SPSFC3 team liked (or are liking) this book a lot more than I did, though, so your mileage may vary. I did really enjoy the worldbuilding behind this story, so if the issues I had with the book aren't things that are issues for you, I would definitely suggest giving this book a look. The concept is great, as long as you don't have a problem with the way it was executed here.

CW: death/murder, radiation poisoning, animal cruelty, torture, kidnapping & forced confinement, body horror, suicidal ideation, alcohol abuse & addiction

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I read this book as part of the judging process for the 3rd Self Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC3), and I was provided a review copy for judging purposes. My opinions are my own and do not reflect the thoughts of my SPSFC3 team or the competition as a whole.… (plus d'informations)

Saint Elspeth is the first book by Wick Welker I've read and though some parts read a bit slow overall it was a very entertaining book. The story takes place about 20 years after the world nearly destroys itself by attempting to kill what looks to be an alien invasion though, no alien actually attacked anyone. Our main character Elspeth Darrow was a pathologist when she entered the bunkers more than twenty years ago, after emerging from the bunkers she has taken on the roll of medical doctor off of training she learned via books and video recordings.
When the body of one of the little known aliens is discovered on a salvage trip, Elspeth goes back to her pathology roots in an attempt to discover what makes these aliens tick. When she and her colleagues start having the same vision about the Hilman...(the aliens) she discovers that maybe it's not just human life she was meant to save.
The story was pretty well paced and the characters were well developed. Overall a good read for those looking for an end of the world survival type story based on an alien invasion.… (plus d'informations)

Saint Elspeth by Wick Welker

Intriguing, intellectually stimulating, immersive look at what an apocalyptic world might be like. It is heavy on medical terminology and scenes as it should be since the main character is a pathologist that has had to learn new fields of medicine on the fly as she adapted and adjusted to her new situation. Her job used to be in a lab that was quiet, controlled with regular hours – twenty years on she has become a general practitioner doing her best to heal and save all she can no matter what the situation might be. She is the only trained physician in what was once San Francisco and the world she once knew is long gone.

As a retired RN, this book was much easier for me to relate to and read than the last book I read that had more to do with military equipment, terminology, and strategies. There were politics, greed, power struggles, thievery, gamesmanship, and other similarities in both books – rather surprisingly.

The plot was tight and well crafted. The characters were well developed and easy to visualize and understand. The cause of the demise of civilization was intriguing as were the theories on why the aliens arrived and what their true purpose was. I enjoyed the depth of thought that went into creating the world this book takes place in and enjoyed the fact that it managed to engage all of my senses. This story made me care, made me think, and gave me much to ponder. My reading experienced was enhanced by knowing the locations mentioned in the book as I grew up in California.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Demodocus Publishing LLC for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars… (plus d'informations)

I entered the Goodreads giveaway for Refraction based on the summary, but also the fact that the author is a physician who has written science fiction. As a retired doc, I was intrigued by this. I was fortunate enough to win a copy, and I’m really glad I did. What an amazing plot. It kept me engaged and was difficult to put down. I had no idea where the story was going and how it would all fit together. Well drawn characters, and amazingly easy to understand descriptions of the physics involved. I really enjoyed Refraction.… (plus d'informations)