MG Hardie Presents Spooky Suspenseful Spectacular Science Fiction - THEM

Rugged leather boots splashed, then trudged, through the reed torn, murky waters of the Florida swamp. He trudged through the firefly scattered darkness with Commotion closing in behind him. The moonlight that was once carried on the undisturbed surface now revealed undulating troubles. Now, barely panting and at full gallop, Devon Heathrow wondered how things could have gone so wrong so fast. How could a mistakenly delivered device lead to him being strapped down on an operating table in a remote, secret military base in Montana, and now running through a swamp that went God knows where with his clothes ripped and singed. No longer able to feel his heartbeat, he bit down on his lip to see if he still existed. He glided from tree to tree, lightly touching each branch— this kind of thing could go on forever.

~~~

THEM:

The Awakening

By MG Hardie

It's been awhile since I read MG Hardie, and his latest, a science fiction series debut, entitled THEM, was a pleasant surprise for this reader. It's unique, suspenseful and leaves you wondering... 

Devon Heathrow (played by Idris Elba) was a solid financial professional who was doing well with his work and personal life. He was even thinking about applying for a promotion; however, everything stopped for him when he received the package. 

The package had a note that included only Nwhitman...Not him, but he wasn't going to worry about that now...

Inside the box was a note that only read Nwhitman next to stylish glasses. He could tell by the sliders and buttons inside of the frame they were some kind of tech. He could see the translucent graphene that covered the lenses. The graphene was thin, hardly noticeable. The wearable computer optics was small and cyborg blue. Holding it in his hand, he could tell that the device was state of the art. He gently put it back into the box, fired up his car engine, and started on his way to work...

~~~

This debut is a perfect set up for a continuing series... At 46 pages he sets the reader up with enough information to establish suspense, put out some intriguing and unique scientific concepts--and then leaves you hanging, ready to go on to the next additional part. More importantly he shares basic, beginning information so that we can begin to understand the main character and sympathize with what is happening! The intrigue starts when he places the glasses on his face... As he tried different things, it started flashing "Not Them." He was having fun, but it was almost taking him over in a strange response. As he spoke to his wife, he saw her there in a lotus position and could even seem to smell her jasmine scent. But as he finished his conversation with his wife, and pushed end...

After finishing the conversation with his wife, he pressed the floating end button and, simultaneously, two large, well-dressed men who were casual observers in the courtyard faded from view in a visual ripple. The peculiar occurrence was only worthy of a double-take. Devon's mind briefly lingered on being followed by the F.B.I., or worse the S.E.C....

Later that evening while driving home, Devon put the device on so that he could call his wife again. He uttered the phrase, "Call Sweetheart," and the rural landscape slowly began to change, the sky darkened. Shrubs began whipping around the road. Devon's eyes lightened as he and his wife spoke.
The tall trees begin to sway and from those trees, two dark tall, well-dressed men descended from funnel clouds into his path. Devon swerved into the adjacent lane, barely missing the two gentlemen swiveling his his, to yell... Two miles down the same road, again two men leaped into his path...approached Devon. At lunchtime, in the courtyard, he didn't notice the faint halo around them; this time, he did. Devon couldn't make out the red symbols that moved along their clothing. The device's facial recognition gave him nothing. Devon quickly said, "End Call," as the call ended the men faded away, in a visual ripple. The running engine kept pace with his heart...He placed the device on the backseat...

~~~

That was just the beginning and when he next sat in his car, the device in the back seat rang and Devon grabbed for it and put it on, saying Hello.

"Them are more than you'd imagine..."

If I could, I'd continue to tell you the story! The imagination and creativity

exhibited by the author is exhilarating...and, of course, I was trying to visualize what actually came next, but...that wouldn't be fair, so I'll just give you a hint, LOL! Devon Heathrow is running... away...

All because a package was misdelivered...

Yikes!  Frankly I have no idea where this book is headed, but with what I've read thus far, I highly recommended you start, right now, with this debut story. It will grab you from the beginning, set you thinking and visualizing the potential of what that package contained, and wonder, is this how it will all end? But it's so much fun to explore the technology being proposed that I got caught up with all of it. SciFi fans, you really don't want to miss this one!

GABixlerReviews

An average guy making his way in the world. Speaking and writing are my contributions to make the world a better place.
My works include Every Day Life, It Ain't Just The Size, Midnight: Rise of the Black Vampires and the science fiction Them Series.
I once was asked what made my work unique...
Each time I am told not to do something...it motivates me to break the rules and to push limits.

Multi-author Book, Just as Special, Provides Wonderful Guidance to One-Parent Children...

Authors' Statement

The women of 3Evoke LLC, Marquetta Irons, Vonda Mattox, Loren Williams and Yolande Wooten, want to encourage the personal growth of our youth through learning, achievement and self-expression.

Through inspiring storytelling, their mission is to empower our children with positive images, thoughts and values. 

The women are originally from various parts of the country. The group now lives and creates in Georgia.

Vision

Through our stories and images, we aspire to enlighten children to understand that although their current situation may not be the most positive, it does not define them or their future. When children are encouraged with constant, positive figures in their lives they find it important to succeed academically and socially, becoming a positive contributor to their family and community.

Just as Special

By 3Evoke:

Encouraging, Engaging, Expression

I changed the format a little today because I was intrigued with the concept that the authors have created a logo to represent their first and upcoming books. Kudos for their plan of action and merge of talents and interests on behalf of all children...

Having never had a father figure (my father was killed in a mine accident while my mother was carrying me) I am fully aware of what it means not to have a father-figure in your life as a growing child... So I was very in tune with what Mason was thinking as he watched his friend out playing with his father...

As you can see from the real-to-life pictures, the Illustrator, Colette Robbins, has done a wonderful job and shows more than that, in my opinion... Although the book is definitely a children's book, it clearly shows that older children can also benefit...I didn't find an age appropriate but I would consider it all the way into early teens, with some explanation of the story by the parent or grandparent... The book reaches deep into the heart of an important issue--why don't I have a father? 

Sitting next to him, Mason's mom explains. "You do have a dad and he
loves you. Sometimes, for many different reasons, dads aren't around.
Instead, they send great people in their place to watch over you.
~~~

The most important thing I saw in reading the story was Mason's mother taking the time to immediately talk about his question, "Why don't I have a dad to play with like Nathaniel does?"

Lunch was ready but that didn't matter. Mason't mom saw that he was upset and needed to have a responsive statement about his concerns.

Now Mason did have a father, but the book doesn't say why he was absent--it could have been because he was in the military, or working out of town...or his parents may have separated.

I was really impressed by the way the mother answered Martin, first pointing out that his dad did love him and that sometimes a separation was necessary, but that they sent other people in their place... Now we know sometimes that isn't completely true, but in reality, there really is a community out there that helps raise each child...

This mother quickly began to talk about Grandpa Russell, noting that he took Mason fishing, to the park, and that Mason was always repeating his Grandpa's stories... And it wasn't very long before Mason began to feel better and smile!

But Mom wasn't done yet--she began to talk about Mason's uncles... And about that time, his older brother, Carter, came out to see why they hadn't come to lunch, and quickly pointed out what part he played! And you know how big brothers are, don't you?!

There were many others that they talked about--even a teacher! Soon, Mason realized that there are many who make him happy and help him with school things and often play with him...

You know, we never know how a character goes on after a book ends, but I found this video that seemed to me like it was presented by Mason, what do you think?

Well, maybe not, but I can see that with all the encouragement and guidance Mason is getting, he is going to be a very successful young man! This book needs to be given to special children...like me...who don't have a dad for whatever reason so they can learn how to recognize that other people, like uncles, brothers, even preachers and teachers can help us in many ways!

Highly recommended! This high-quality book, colorful real-life-like images will capture the attention of all children... Special alert to Moms, siblings, and Grandparents...anybody who cares about children! Isn't there a birthday or holiday coming up for which you need a beautiful, sensitively presented story?!!!

GABixlerReviews

The Renaissance of Aspirin by Glenn Parris - First Medical Thriller Featuring Fibromyalgia! Finally!

"You know what Fibro is? It's the Devil's favorite torture. Hurts like hell, but doesn't leave a trace of evidence. Not a mark..."
--Dr. Jack Wheaton

March 12, 2010

Boston, Massachusetts

FaM DaS Study Phase II subject #328: account of protocol deviation

They made an unlikely pair that first day in the waiting room--a plump, middle-aged southern divorcee and a skinny, sixty-year-old African American hotel worker from Roxbury, Massachusetts. They huddled over a Sudoku booklet like two schoolgirls: subjects 328 and 329, respectively. Going over the details of the process and recounting their late autumn introduction into the clinical research project, they crafted their plan.

The induction chaos had settled down to an organized crowd of mostly women with something in common to talk about: pain and misery. That's when Helen and Annie had found one another and clicked right off the bat. Their attention had refocused on a distinguished figure passing them in the aisle between chairs. One of the principal investigating physicians had made her way to the front of the room. The attractive woman looked serious and bore the smooth contoured face of one who didn't laugh enough...

Dr. Thomas was young, younger than any of the other PIs, but her voice carried the same self-assured confidence. She asserted  a commanding presence. "Those candidates assigned odd numbers to my left, those with even-numbered cards to my right...

When the randomization process was over, Helen and Annie found themselves headed toward different rooms and down different paths. Helen was in the active arm while Annie was in the control arm. Neither they nor the study investigators knew who got what, as all participants were blinded to placebo versus active drug. That had been three months ago. But this time, before they split, the twosome sat side by, conspiring to beat the system.

"Now you can't tell anyone that you'd already known how the real drug would work when you get it, okay, Annie?" Helen Holcolm looked furtively from side to side as she whispered to the woman seated beside her...

Annie waved back, hopped into her solid American car, and made for the parkway to Roxbury. She merged onto the I-90 and felt a funny little flush followed by a shiver...The sensation of an army of ants crawling on her scalp began building, and the image of the I-90 melted into a swirl of colors as she drove. That was the last thing Annie saw. The traffic reporters described  the accident as one of the most horrific in years...

The Renaissance of Aspirin

By Glenn Parris

The important part for me was that once I had read the statement about Fibromalgia that started the book, I learned two things: the pain my sister has gone through for so many years is far beyond my earlier comprehension, and, there is yet no cure for Fibromalgia. Dr. Parris is the first author that has used fibro as part of a novel. A shout-out to him for doing so! May it bring about interest to medical researchers in the field so that this silent torture of so many women and men, which leaves no trace of evidence, may someday end...

Dr. Jack Wheaton, a second-year medicine resident, came into the story by virtue of his position while Dr. Thomas, as a brilliant, young research investigator was part of a drug trial study being conducted... 

The most important issue is that she has realized and created a safe, inexpensive agent as opposed to the drug now formally being tested after years of research. Now, unfortunately, we all know where this is going to go, right?

Fortunately, one official got involved and relocated Anita Thomas, complete with a new background, and she becomes part of Wheaton's team. But he's soon concerned since her expertise seems beyond what it should be for her position...

And then Helen Holcomb showed up there as a patient! Seeing Dr. Thomas, she immediately called out excitedly, explaining where and how she had met her... Once Jack got over the shock, they grew closer and worked as a team... But then, Anita learned of Annie's death...and then Helen soon dies thereafter...

Dr. Thomas had come under watch because she had become involved with a small group of students doing research. All of them innocent, but eager to complete the project they were doing and Dr. Thomas had agreed to help...

Thanks to those watching, the team members had begun to die off...in ways that looked like accidents, of course...

Readers soon know who and why this is happening, but that doesn't detract from the suspense, especially as something new keeps coming up.

Hamilton Medical Center dealt with the problem [of overcrowding] the way most hospitals in that setting did: it allowed fellows and senior residents to moonlight for an hourly fee as long as they weren't on ward duty that months. This arrangement augmented the complement of four medical teams composed of two interns and a senior resident, two of which were on short call and two on long call.
This particular night the ER resident had burned through the two teams on call, the house esident who was to take the overflow in such situations, the three moonlighters, and even the three attending physicians on call. The cycle came back around to Jack's team for an eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth admission.
Triskaidekaphobia--the irrational fear of the number thirteen. Jack never believed in it before, always thought it was silly. But July 23 changed all of that.
Helen Holcomb showed up in the ER at 2:00 am, the thirteenth admission. The admitting resident assigned her to blue team directly without first assessing her. She was seizing when she rolled into the main hall by emergency medical services.
"Sam, come on. Give us a break, will you? We've already taken twelve hits. Now this train wreck as number thirteen? Are you serious? Where's the workup? Where's the prep and assessment? Scan her, tap her, stabilize her, contact the family, hell, hold her over till morning for God's sake," Jack pleaded...
Jack decided to do it himself and assign it to Al when the sun came up. Jac talked one of the EMTs, Karen Gleason, into helping him start an IV.
Mrs. Holcomb's right arm was thrashing around. She was conscious but not responding to verbal cues. Jack selected her left arm to start the the IV...

~~~

And one of the things was that while Jack and Anita had been called to work on Helen Holcomb when she was brought back to the hospital as an emergency patient, was that Jack had been infected with her blood as a technician had been trying to help and stabbed him instead of the patient, with the needle full of the patient's blood!  After that, he had demanded that Anita tell him what had been given to the trial members of that research program she'd been involved in! Whew!

While Anita shared with Jack, I found it ironic that Jack estimated there were probably a few hundred thousand individuals with rheumatoid arthritis and was quickly corrected to two million... Then proceeding on with the medical costs, she pointed out there are four or five times as many fibromyalgia patients alone as rheumatoid arthritis, not to mention those treated for chronic fatigue and other closely related diseases... In other words,  major drugs needed by millions on a continuous basis!

The tension increases as Jack Wheaton and Anita Thomas try to respond to the deaths that have already happened and to Jack's wound filled with infected blood of some sort... But there's also a little fun and romance coming up, so that by the end we have a quite satisfactory conclusion... Especially with the Afterword, where Dr. Parris claims, at least in his opinion, that the pharmaceutical industry is working to improve the world's health and together with the medical community using the best people and other resources to eliminate even more in the future. It might not be soon enough for my dear sister, Dee, but her daughter, who also has been diagnosed with it--I pray that relief is in the near future!

At the same time, Parris assures readers that we'll see more of the same characters in the future! Great, because I really did enjoy them, especially Khandi Barr... who protects Jack from being discovered by criminals in a very intriguing manner! LOL... Enjoy!

GABixlerReviews

As a board certified rheumatologist, Glenn Parris has practiced medicine in the northeast Atlanta suburbs for over 20 years. He has been writing for nearly as long. Originally from New York City, Parris migrated south to escape the cold and snow, but fell in love with the southern charms of Georgia and Carla, his wife of 22 years. He now writes cross-genre in medical mystery, science fiction, fantasy, and historical fiction. The Renaissance of Aspirin is his debut novel.