William Hall

Considered a “sensationalist” novel of the mid 19th century, this complex story of love, friendship, betrayal, tragedy, deviousness and heroism was highly entertaining. Set in the world of 19th century England, with its caste system, the many and varied characters that come and go throughout the twisting plotline bring life to the story.

It's hard to describe the plot of this book. It has elements of a murder mystery mixed with starship travel in both space and time. There is also the coming destruction of Earth as what is called the Terminus is working its way back from the future ever closer to the present set in 1997. As the main character, a one-legged female member of a special branch of the space faring navy, looks into the brutal slaying of a family and a missing teenage daughter of the family, it is slowly revealed how this case has ripples through space and time that connect the case to the origins of the Terminus. The plot becomes quite complicated as the main character slips between 1997 and decades into the future looking for answers. She meets many of the same people at different ages but with different storylines. Can she trust the version of the future she travels to for answers? What is sure is that everywhere she goes a bloody trail of bodies is left in her wake. An interesting but brutal Sci-fi story.

This is one of those books you don't want to put down until the end. But, before you read this book I suggest, if you haven't already, read the classic horror story The Willows by Algernon Blackwood. This story, that definitely falls under cosmic horror, is an excellent homage to Blackwood's story. Like many such tales it poses the idea that there are other dimensions or worlds separated from our world by a thin veil and that sometimes openings may be torn in that veil allowing bleed through. In this case an object brought into a quirky museum, made up of strange objects and various preserved animals through the taxidermic arts, holds the power to punch a hole through the wall of the museum and into another world of cement bunkers, flowing water, misty white light and massive amounts of foreboding willow trees. While newly divorced Kara is looking after her uncle Earl's museum, she and her friend Simon, from the coffee shop next door, find and enlarge an opening in the wall of the museum and discover a cement bunker and tunnel that leads them to the dangerous Willow world. What follows is an edge-of-the-seat, unforgettable horror adventure into the unknown.

This book was an exciting page turner from beginning to end. The writing style and story subject matter reminded me of some of the best writings of Michael Crichton and Dean Koontz. There is much speculative scientific talk nowadays about quantum physics and the possible existence of alternate realities or parallel universes. Well, Science Fiction has been talking about these mirror realities/universes long before quantum theory came on to the scene, but this story takes a refreshing and scary new take on the subject. What starts out as a kidnapping of the main character, leads to the character's tortured and horrific search through countless versions of his reality in an attempt to find his way back to his wife and son in the one true reality (Do you remember the TV series Sliders?). And, the thrills continue non-stop with a wild chase as the story rushes towards its conclusion.

The story of The Troop is not for the squeamish. It hearkens back to several story themes rolled into one ghastly tale. One theme that is very pertinent to today's headlines is the escape from a biolab of a very transmissible and deadly organism and the horrific outcome for those who become infected. Could sociopathic scientists and the military possibly be involved, wink, wink? Another storyline hearkens back to the creepy “Bad Seed” theme and then elements of the story also remind the reader of the book The Lord of the Flies. But of all the horrible things that occur in the book, what bothered me the most was the sea turtle incident. Those who dare to read this stomach turning story will understand what I mean by that off-hand reference.