Reviewed
by: ?wazithinkin
Genre:
Contemporary/ Supernatural/ Adult Satire/ Relationships
Approximate
word count: 70-75,000 words
Availability
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store
Author:
“Michael Siemsen lives in Northern California with his
wife, three kids, dog Brody, cat Atom, four fish, one demon, and two
chupacabrii.
Seriously though he is “the second son of a Vietnam
veteran turned policeman. Initially focusing on performing arts, Michael
attended the prestigious Alexander Hamilton Academy in Los Angeles. After
serving in the U.S. Army as a tracked vehicle operator, he returned to civilian
life and began writing short stories and screenplays, and directing short films
and music videos.”
Mr. Siemsen's other published work include the Matt
Turner Series and a sequel to A Warm Place to Call Home titled The
Many Lives of Samuel Beauchamp (a demon's story). To learn more about him
check out his website or you can stalk him on Facebook. :D
Description:
“Frederick is a demon. Born in Maryland in the early
1980's, he hasn't a clue where he came from or why, but feels an irresistible
desire to occupy a human body. Once inside, he finds the previous occupants'
consciousness and memories forever erased, an inevitable side effect that gives
Frederick pause when switching bodies, but not so much as to truly halt his
ongoing enjoyment of human lives. In various bodies, he travels the world for
decades--aimless--sampling cultures and experiencing life from the points of
view of males, females, young, old, rich, poor.
Now, Frederick has an urge to return to his roots in
America, explore the mystery of his origin, find someone to love, and settle
down for a while. In his hometown, his mission bears fruit much faster than he
expected, as person after person presents themselves, and following his
impulses, he is lead directly to love, tragedy, answers, and the humanity he
never knew he wanted.”
Appraisal:
Fredrick is a body hopping demon and he has decided it is time for him
to find a nice body to call home where he can develop a relationship and start
a family. What better place to start looking than the memories of where he
began?
I was immediately drawn to Fredrick's voice from the very beginning of
this story. He was cavalier and had a sarcastic wit about him, but was likeable
for a demon. He had some decent qualities, but saw no sense in cultivating them
because he was a demon after all. Or at least Fredrick assumed he was a demon,
but was actually unsure about what he was exactly.
Obviously we were being told this story through Fredrick's eyes. The
characters were cleverly developed and realistic. The plot is well paced as we
learned Fredrick was not truly evil, he's impulsive and egocentric but rather
benign. He chose Joseph Cling because he was a handsome man and Melanie liked
him and Fredrick decided he wanted Melanie. However, he was too anxious to be
with Melanie to properly watch and get to know Joseph first. Escapades ensue as Fred/Joe stumbles through
trying to be Joseph in his day job. Feeling at home in Joseph's body he made a
conscientious effort to be everything Melanie wanted him to be.
To complicate matters, Joseph's identical twin brother, James, thinks
he knows what has happened with Joseph and tries to convince Fredrick to leave Joseph's
body. Fredrick is convinced that James doesn't have a clue and is making wild
claims. Nonetheless trouble really hits the fan when jealousy rears its ugly
head and Fred/Joe loses all sense of reality in a jealous rage over one of
Melanie's past relationships. Mr. Siemsen weaves a complicated tale of the
concept between good, evil, and purity as they become shades of gray and far
too human and frustrating when self-doubt creeps in. When is altruism
self-serving and when is it a selfless act? Philosophical questions are
explored in a unique and thoughtful way.
FYI:
This book contains explicit language and adult sexual content.
Format/Typo
Issues:
I found no significant editing errors.
Rating:
***** Five stars
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