Aetherchrist by Kirk Jones

Something odd’s happening in a small town in Vermont, broadcast transmissions seeming to forecast its residents’ deaths like graphic serials. Rey, a cutlery salesman that only wishes to do his job, is at the centre of it all, images of murder and his own death following him through static airwaves. Fearful that the locals are spying on him with hidden cameras, he attempts to escape the range of their schemes, yet it’s not as easy as he thinks.

(WARNING: This review contains minor spoilers.)

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I thank Kirk Jones for giving me the opportunity.

I found Aetherchrist to be non-stop madness from start to finish, a lot crammed into its small package (as a novella it stands at around a hundred and fifty pages). I was totally there for the beginning, with its introduction of Rey and his creepy experience with some residents as a door-to-door salesman, it certainly got my interest as bizarre as it was. As events escalated, and they did rapidly, it was disappointing that my enjoyment devolved just as quickly. As it turns out, I really, really didn’t like the story. It wasn’t just the constant state of befuddlement I found myself in, even though that was notable in itself, but the overall lack of connection to anything that happened; the characters didn’t make sense to me – going on a killing spree of all things when paranoid of being under surveillance – and the plot rushed along with little room for development. Don’t get me wrong, the whole concept that connected the human consciousness to analog was imaginative, and I wished the execution worked for me, but it didn’t. Another prime example where I’m in the minority from those that found a lot to love.

In conclusion: Aetherchrist was full of insanity and grimness, with a neat idea behind it that I tried to attach myself to; a marriage of science fiction and body horror. Unfortunately, due to it being rather short and therefore hasty in plot, I couldn’t quite resonate with any of it – events turned from believable to nonsensical in no time at all, with characters whose actions annoyed me more than thrilled me. Naturally, this opinion is entirely my own, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this title to anyone I think would enjoy it.

It just wasn’t for me, I’m afraid.

© Red Lace 2020

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