Book Review
of The Reclaimed by Phil Stern
Book
Synopsis:
What happens when a family man comes back from
the dead to find his mistress married to someone else?
Death is never final in Greenville, a frontier community on a faraway planet. Every year the townspeople vote on who will be Reclaimed, granting them a new life following an untimely, fatal accident. Often the elections are divisive, pitting neighbor against neighbor, or even family members against one another.
But when Ned Polanski comes back from the dead to a gloating wife and tense rejection from his young love, the brutal emotional aftershocks threaten the town’s very survival.
Death is never final in Greenville, a frontier community on a faraway planet. Every year the townspeople vote on who will be Reclaimed, granting them a new life following an untimely, fatal accident. Often the elections are divisive, pitting neighbor against neighbor, or even family members against one another.
But when Ned Polanski comes back from the dead to a gloating wife and tense rejection from his young love, the brutal emotional aftershocks threaten the town’s very survival.
Author
Information:
Phil
Stern is the author of both Contemporary and Science Fiction.
His
debut novel, The Bull Years, was published in 2011. A hard-hitting commentary
on both the frustrations and ultimate validation of modern-day life, The Bull
Years follows the lives of four people throughout the late 80′s, 90′s, and into
the 21st century, directly addressing the gradual alienation and disconnection
often experienced during young adulthood.
“I wanted to write about
characters everyone could relate to,” Stern says. “We’ve all had our ups and
downs. I think people sometimes feel everyone else has experienced more success
than they have, or are more firmly grounded in our world than they could ever
be. My hope is that everyone will recognize a little part of themselves in
Steve, Sophia, Dave, and Brooke.”
Born
in 1970 in Ossining, New York, Stern grew up with a love of all types of
science fiction, including the works of Robert Heinlein, Anne McCaffrey, John
Wyndham, Piers Anthony, and more.
“Speculative fiction is so
different today than it was back then,” Stern says. “I wanted to write stuff a
bit more recognizable to fans of my generation. Science fiction should be about
ideas and alternate worlds, strong characters and good stories.
Going
into talk radio after attending SUNY Albany, Stern hosted regular shows in the
New York City area, Albany, Utica, NY, and Greenville, NC. He later went into
the advertising and sales industries.
Stern now lives
in Florida, and is working on his next novel.
Book Review:
This
book reminded me somewhat of “The Lottery” only with the exact opposite
outcome. Imagine growing up with Earth
as ancient history, almost mythical, in concept. Then, imagine having one day a
year that you can bring back one loved one who passed in the last three years. Having lost several loved ones, I’m not sure
if I would bring them back. As much as I
would like to have them back, I’m not sure it would be a good thing.
This
book explores that concept. It is very
interesting. It’s a unique concept and
exposes all those little secrets people have that others don’t know. The story draws you in. It wasn’t until halfway through the book that
I even realized they were talking about a different planet. Unique story and I really enjoyed the
concept.
I give
this 4 out of 5 clouds.
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