In this dystopian future, the dead are kept in chambers, their energy used to feed the City’s voracious appetite for fuel now that traditional sources are long gone. These grisly fuel cells are kept watch over by Feast, a devil-human hybrid whose recent run-ins with the City leave him questioning its authority.
When he is needed to bring in one of the most dangerous creatures for containment, Feast is faced with a decision that may make him the next power source.
Professional Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping, Wondrous and Oh So Creative!
The notion of a quarter demon who works at an engery plant fueled by the souls of the dead and the departed, isn't just wildly creative. Ms. Royce infuses the tale with haunting undertone of identity, a vividly inventive conception of the future and a emotional sensitivity to the concept of death and the hearafter. I found myself immediately absorbed into the futuristic fantasy world that she created and drawn to its main character, Feast. While the reader is only given a small slice of his life in this novella, I found myself wanting to know more, wanting to see him do more and certainly wanting more of the world itself. The only flaw in this work is that it is not...a series. Notice, I did not say longer or novel length, but several books could easily span concepts such a mentioned war, the ownership and construction of his childhood home...and the possiblity of him moving from power plant worker to containment squad soldier and....oh yes, this book is a seed that wants to germinate. I hope the author pursues this further!
Compelling Prose
This author knows her way around compelling prose,and I would read more work by Eden Royce because of the attention to detail she gives in crafting a story. Feast is an intriguing character. I enjoyed the fantasy/horror aspects of him being a quarter-demon and how that enabled him to work nights alone at a power plant that harnesses the energy of ghosts. That being said, the novella reads like an installment from a novel since certain threads left me hanging as a reader. Aspects of Feast's back story are introduced, but not circled back to in order for the novella to function as a self-contained story. However, if the author intends to continue the story by installments, I would certainly read the next one.
Utterly Fantastic Occurrences is a collection of 20 science fiction short story novellas existing in hardcover, in paperback and in Kindle and Nook e-book formats.
