Book Review: Terra Obscura: A Knock in the Dark by Geoff and Michelle Genge
Genre(s): Science Fiction / Alternate History / Supernatural
Book Synopsis:
People are dying in the dark and New York’s highest office wants the truth buried. Only Charles Fort, an ambitious but ridiculed paranormal investigator, is willing to get to the bottom of it. In Casebook One, Fort explores subterranean New York looking for the source of various reports of violent attacks during the construction of NYC’s iconic subway system. What he finds in the dark, no one wants to ever see the light. Between the city’s political elite and powerful forces unseen, Charles Fort will test his limits to prove what he knows to be true.
Review:
This was a very quick read with some fun and quirky characters. I particularly liked the portrayal of Nikola Tesla in the story, as it added some additional humor in a few places. I also found Ripley’s conclusion amusing, as it ties into another relatively famous real life person (who I won’t name here since it’s a potential spoiler.)
It’s categorized as steampunk, though I think this book falls more in the realm of alternate history. It didn’t have some of the classic steampunk elements that I’m familiar with. As many know, the categories aren’t always set by the author, but the retailer, so I wanted to mention it.
I got some National Treasure-ish vibes from the book, though they’re seeking cryptids rather than relics/objects/gold. A few scenes were intentionally goofy in that B-movie action-thriller sort of way, and I found that aspect a lot of fun. I liked that the cryptids focused on in this story were an unusual variety (mole men), rather than the typical ones seen in pop culture.
As far as the writing itself, there was frequent head-hopping, and the flow was a bit choppy.
Aside from that, I found this to be a solid read with some fun elements.
Author website: terra-obscura-chronicles.com
Amazon link: Terra Obscura: A Knock in the Dark
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