Review: Good mixture of Aliens and The Thing, albeit a bit rushed
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 19, 2013
If I didn't know that there were more parts to the "Desolate" series, I would feel unsatisfied. Knowing that there are two more, however, left me wanting more. What others have penned as being unnecessary plot development leads to the feel of the story. Sure, Carl wasn't the most three-dimensional character, but this is a novella (one of three so far) and he isn't an overlaying character. Howard has enough truth to him to be believable. Everybody makes mistakes, especially those that hide behind a bottle, and life of imprisonment on a labor camp will make one want to atone for their sins.Half of the novella/short story was devoted to the development of the "farm" itself, though, and I felt as the story continued, it was quite rushed. There's a large gap of time between the second to last and the penultimate chapter that I felt could have been filled, especially with how much detail was added to the first two thirds of the story. It was a large jump gap that could have aided in the development of Liz's character, but was left unfilled.I can't help but point out the similarities between "Desolate" and the "Aliens" franchise. Add a hint of the setting of "The Thing" and the story has enough familiarity without being overbearingly redundant. I would have loved more detail (and possibly a drawing, as hinted at by the author in the postscript?) for the creature, but I'm sure more of that will come in the future installments.Despite the rushed ending, the author leaves the ending open, leaving me intrigued, hoping there will be more thought put into the flow of the second novella. "Desolate" was a good quick afternoon read; just enough to wet my appetite for more.