Live Wire

by Kyle Toucher

A storm is coming…
In 1993 New Mexico, Black Magic and High Tech find common ground in Medusa Engineering's Project Dragonfire―and for one endless October night, a fissure opens between here and Elsewhere...

Live Wire, a horror thriller for science fiction fans, begins with four people sequestered in a desert filling station during a freak thunderstorm. Outside, one-hundred-foot electrical towers―miles and miles of them―uproot and stalk the desert. In tandem arrives The Signal, a dissonant machine language that subverts the human mind...harvesting old guilt, shame, and trauma.

Fifty miles down the road at the Very Large Array, the Medusa Engineering Corporation unleashes Project Dragonfire, a bold technological effort that has summoned a ravenous entity from the very fabric of creation—perhaps unwittingly, perhaps not.

Our ensemble includes Pale Brody and his son Caleb, en route to Austin to start a new life; Ken Lightfeather, an Apache trucker with a .44 on his hip; Kwik Gas proprietor Otis Thompson, who assumes the freak electrical storm has spawned the wandering giants; and fast-thinking Nikki Barlowe, who suspects a parallel, sinister operation―led by shadowy Medusa Engineering executive Armand Jenks―is in play.

High stakes and high octane fuel the incendiary action―mass murder and suicide, AC-130 Spectre gunships engaging the VLA in a brutal firefight, electrical towers pulverizing anything in their path, a massive gridwork of steel and feral energy blocking the only route of escape. Old ghosts and unresolved conflicts plague our characters as the signal interferes with their only task: surviving the onslaught.

The night wears on everyone as the electrical towers converge on the Kwik Gas, and only the end of the circuit reveals the nexus of their power. At dawn on Route 60, a final showdown pits human resolve against brute force and inner horror. Will an ancient, shadowless terror find dominion on Earth?

Live Wire is a tight, electrifying novel filled with action at a massive scale, terrors at the intimate level, and revelations of the Universal. If you like your fire hot, your blood red, and your metal mean, then this horror/science fiction hybrid is for you.

Genres: Horror

270 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 14, 2023

Reviews

[Terry and dog · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is nuts.
Flat out crazy. It is also fun and creative and exciting and horrific. I love the storm atmosphere and sheer panic that ensues when things go sideways. I will say you do have to pay attention at the beginning , I lost focus and had to go back an reread a couple of times. I love the interviews with Nikki, she's quite a sarcastic piece of work but I loved her. Want a different kind of horror that will take you on a trip? This is it. Amped up horror that keeps on going.

[Noelle Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

 Wire was a total surprise, at every turn. Elements of sci-fi horror, ancient evil and familial relationships.

The format of the story alternates between an interview after a classified incident and an incident in the desert. Pale and his son Caleb are trapped in a garage in an unusual desert storm- but there is so much more at play here.

Well written, with scenes of terror and action at every turn.

Another great release from Crystal Lake.

[Horror Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I didn't know what to expect when I started this book but it went above and beyond my expectations.

This is a fantastic blend of science fiction, occult supernatural horror, and some cosmic horror. But how to describe it? Whew, that's a tough one because there are so many amazing elements in here that tie together in an action fueled epic "end of the world" narrative.

Set in the desert of New Mexico, four people find themselves trapped in a gas station while a storm rages outside, making driving almost impossible. But this is no ordinary storm as we'll discover.

Under the guise of scientific research, a secretive government organization has discovered a gateway to another dimension and perform a ritual of sorts to bring forth eldritch beings into our world. And they do this through electricity. Electric towers, substations, tv, radios, and basically anything metal become part of a connected chain, now with these evil old ones in control of them. And what happens next is terrifying and amazingly depicted in this book.

Then there's the "signal" that emits from all sources. It affects people by dredging up the worst things they've experienced, distorts those thoughts, and causes them to commit horrific acts to others and themselves.

This novel is simply awesome. The characters feel like real people with no particular skills to face this horror. The scenes in here would rival any disaster type movie and it's a non stop thrill ride from beginning to end. I highly recommend this book!

[Michael J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

LIVE WIRE is a very well-written and exciting debut novel from Kyle Toucher, an author I plan to keep an eye on. While reading this I was reminded of several classic science-fiction movies of the 1950s/1960s (THEM, ATTACK OF THE 50-FOOT WOMAN, etc) that dealt with monstrous threats arising out of the atomic age. In places, this also felt like a homage to the classic truck stop movie MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE, based on a Stephen King story.
Toucher manages to blend into his character-driven truck stop horror tale elements of science-fiction and Lovecraftian occultism. A quasi-governmental science-based organization (Medusa Engineering) opens a gateway to another realm of ancient beings who manifest themselves inside the massive electrical grid system of New Mexico and all hell breaks loose in highly imaginative and creative fashion. The pseudo-science is touched upon just enough for readers to suspend disbelief and let the juices flow until a highly-charged finale.
I liked the development of every single character (except one) in this novel and worried about every one of them, something that doesn't occur that frequently. The ending is somewhat prophetic and satisfying and the final chapters leave things open for a sequel, although the thought of that is a bit shocking. The final destination of one of the major characters is left undetermined but suspicious.

[Jonathan Gensler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ride the lightning with Kyle Toucher, as he offers a ripping debut in a high tension cross of science and the occult. Welcome to his universe, readers, where Walpurgis looms large on the horizon, and the Shadowless wait for you on the edge of sleepless nights.

LIVE WIRE hits the gas hard from the first page and doesn’t let off until its thunderous and unsettling conclusion.

[Kate Victoria RescueandReading · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Spilled blood, spilled souls.”

Love, love, love this story, the ideas, the fantasticalness of it all.

But dang! It’s feeling way longer than it actually is due to the amount of dialogue and the face offs with repetitive enemies/structures.

So if you’re in the mood for a horrifying cosmic scifi adventure, with developed characters, then this is the story for you!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

The novel Live Wire by Kyle Toucher is the literary equivalent of a lurid B-movie. Which is not a bad thing in the least. This is a very entertaining, action-filled book that kept me entertained and thoroughly engaged the entire time I spent reading it.

[Robb Basham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Live Wire is a fun, frightening and furious novel. It is deliberate, yet frenetic. It is nostalgic, yet cold and alien. It is heroic, yet dark and paranoid. This novel hearkens back to Stephen King's heyday and yet maintains its own fresh touches.

The story is broken up into two narratives:
1) Interviews between Nikki Barlowe (a survivor of the events that are expanded upon in the main narrative) and two federal agents who are listening to Nikki's unbelievable story.
2) The main story which involves several groups of characters:
- Pale and Caleb, father and son duo who are leaving their old lives behind and moving across the desert to start anew...not realizing Caleb is host to some secrets he has yet to understand.
- Nikki and Randy, two scientists hired by the shady Medusa Engineering, who are part of the group that brings an interdimensional evil being into our world.
- Otis and Ken, two friends who go back a bit due to business between shopkeeper and trucker who are also stuck in this cosmic horror chess game between mankind and unknowable evil.
In the main narrative, our characters are trapped in a gas station after a radio signal is broadcast in the area and brings electrical grids to life and unleashes them in the desert. Along with breathing life into the inanimate, the Signal causes homicidal/suicidal thoughts in the minds of those vulnerable. These metal monstrosities and their own malignant thoughts/fears/regrets conspire against these unwitting captives. There are two immune people who can resist the murderous call of the Signal, but will they be able to survive the hellish night that awaits them with rusted, metal teeth?

The prose is simply poetic and definitely helps the reader capture the mental pictures of the fight to survive. It is eloquent, yet gritty and bleak. The interview transcripts that serve as a bridge between then and now also serve as a way to break up the story into more digestible pieces. In the end, some answers are left unanswered and for a story like this, it works because sometimes we may not want to know what happens after the story ends.

I'm giving Live Wire ☠️x5 (or, ⚡x5)!

[Wofford Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Live Wire by Kyle Toucher was an action-packed, summer blockbuster movie packaged in book form. All hell broke loose from the beginning, and chaos reigned supreme. Two of my favorite things I experienced throughout reading this book were one) the description. I’m a sucker for great description, and Kyle gives it in spades. It was an incredibly detailed, chaotic account of around 24 hours of this story’s timeline. With it being so detailed, it only led to the believability of this tale, even though it was in the sci-fi/horror genre. And two) I loved Toucher’s use of parallels, mainly between two of the main male characters, and how he used those parallels to present their backstories. I noticed other smaller ones, but the main character’s backstory parallels were a real treat to read and experience. This book was one hell of a wild ride on the sci-fi side. A spectacular display of power. It’s a bigger-than-life apocalyptic treasure. Get it and experience the “Dragonfire“ power of it.

[Johann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pale and his son Caleb are on a road trip on route 60 and stopped at a little gas station to get snacks and gas. But then a crazy storm hits which forces them to hunker down till it blows over. Otis is the owner that wishes the travelers to not chance the storm. Ken is a regular trucker just passing through. All of them are in for the shock of their lives when the giant electric grids come alive. Things get even worse when a signal comes through all electronics that opens up every piece of darkness this group has and it wants them to kill each other.
Will they survive the unusual storm that wants them dead or will they succumb to the darkness that will make their worst nightmares come true?

Great story! Reminded me of the Cthulhu cults of Lovecraft and the creepypasta of Siren head. Loved the mix!!
Got this as an ARC but the review is all mine.

[A.K. McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a fan of Toucher’s short fiction and was stoked when I saw he had a novel coming out. It did not disappoint, with three-dimensional characters and a writing voice dripping with wit. While the idea of towers coming to life and stomping around the desert is a little wild, the story crackles with life because of the characters and the intense imagery. For those who like stories of grand conspiracies, this is a great book for you. If you’re more of a straight horror reader, there’s plenty of ghastly imagery and scenarios for you too. I’m excited to read more from this literary universe!

[Hal Astell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Crystal Lake Publishing for sending me a copy of this book for review; apparently they liked what I had to say about Nick Roberts's 'The Exorcist's House'. This plays in a very different subgenre of horror, but it plays well nonetheless and two strong books out of two for any small press means that they're clearly doing it right. It looks like they were founded in South Africa and have published a hundred or so books thus far, with a few Bram Stoker Award-winners among them. I look forward to reading more from them in the future.

Initially, this feels very patient and very cinematic, across two different strands of plot.

The first tells us that something serious has happened, because Nicole Lynn Barlowe, who's a systems analyst at Medusa Engineering Corporation, is being interrogated by the government about it in the ominous form of the Defense Intelligence Agency. What it actually is, we don't quite know yet, but Nikki is a bright and sassy tech who refuses to be intimidated and gives as good as she gets. It's easy to see these scenes on a big screen, with a Charlize Theron or a Brie Larson leading the movie. She may be in an inherent position of weakness, as a prisoner in an interrogation room, but her power is refusing to acknowledge that weakness.

In a separate thread, in flashback, we meet the various male leads as they collectively shelter from a vicious storm at Thompson's Kwik Gas, somewhere in the middle of nowhere on Route 60 in New Mexico. There's Otis Thompson, the old timer who runs the place; Pale and Caleb Brady, a father and son on their way to Texas; and Ken Lightfeather, a trucker who knows something is different about this storm, which doesn't make scientific sense. Never mind the purple lightning, there's hot, dry air mixed with rain. This is cinematic too, because I've already seen it on the big screen, these early scenes reminiscent of the Paradise Falls Diner in 2010's Legion, only a couple of states over in the Mojave Desert of California.

The positives at this point is that Toucher roots everything in character and that he gives those characters an impressive set of dialogue to give it all life. It's easy to delineate them because they're different colours and ages, but it's also easy to delineate them because they're very different people, something that's made even more obvious when the primary antagonist sends them each deep into their own fears. The storm brings each of them something very different and they each bring something very different in response to it. Oddly, given that everyone else is male, it's Nikki who gets the best dialogue, but nobody misses out on good lines.

The negatives are mostly not Toucher's fault. There's some inconsistent use of fonts in the interview sections, the use of justification with a monospace font annoying but entirely appropriate for government documents, a slip here and there into regular serifed body text less so. There are too many slips with smartquotes and an occasionally lapse in proofing, like Haley's Comet. Are we suddenly talking Bill rather than Edmond? This sort of thing doesn't show up so often to be a problem for most readers but it was often enough for me to feel the need to write this paragraph.

The only negative that we could lay at Toucher's feet is perhaps not a negative at all, because it'll depend on what individual readers care about. Some will certainly see it as a negative that this is fundamentally simple, very little actually happening over the course of a full two hundred and fifty page novel. The whole thing only encompasses one night, after all, with a skimpy cast of characters dealing with the fallout from one event.

That's one fair take, but another is the exact opposite, that Toucher does a heck of a lot with that simple plot, delving so deeply into the characters of that skimpy cast that we care about all of them and feel for them, not just in the here and now but in what they have to deal with when they're thrown into their darkest memories. To readers who see it that way, it's an emphatic positive. Oddly, I find myself in this latter category, even if it's pretty clear from the suggestion that Caleb is special that this is an aspect he probably learned from Stephen King books, of which I'm not overly fond because of how talky and character-driven they are.

I can probably talk a little about that event, because it's detailed in the back cover blurb and so can't count as a spoiler. Nikki was working at the Very Large Array, a Medusa Engineering installation that was designed not for the purposes she and many scientists involved thought but for something far more sinister. That's Project Dragonfire, which neatly merges cosmic horror with technothriller, taking us away from King and more into a realm we probably associate with H. P. Lovecraft, while still focusing on it with a cinematic eye. Should this be ever turned into the feature it probably was in Toucher's mind, it could be seen as a horror movie, action flick, sci-fi film and thriller.

There's even a pivotal movie magic moment like the "welcome to Jurassic Park" scene. Here, it takes place at Thompson's Kwik Gas, as the storm rages right above them, hammering the forecourt with blasts of lightning, almost deafening them with sound and energising anything metal within human bodies down to the fillings in their teeth, even changing the air pressure in the room. It's Caleb who takes the Sam Neill role of witnessing the moment first, as a high tension power pylon chooses to uproot its concrete base and start walking across the desert. Needless to say, they're not in Kansas anymore, Toto.

That back cover blurb goes with a tag of "black magic meets Big Tech" and I've just suggested a cosmic horror technothriller, so you can pretty much figure out what's happening here without a lot of surprises. Where the surprises come may be in how far Toucher is willing to go in certain scenes, a couple at the Very Large Array in particular, and how much emotion he manages to wring out of the rest, all the way to the heroic finalé and an open-minded ending that seems more than ready for a sequel. I hope Toucher writes one, because I'd love to know more about what the villain of the piece is trying to do and how close he came to meeting his goals in this book.

Originally posted at the Nameless Zine in December 2023:
https://www.thenamelesszine.org/Books...

Index of all my Nameless Zine reviews:
https://books.apocalypselaterempire.com/

[Nadine Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Live wire was another amazing indie read. I must first thank the author Kyle Toucher for sending me this book along with a couple of others from his collection. Simply to get more eyes on it and more reviews. Stellar guy!

This cosmic occult horror novel I read after I buddy read Southpaw a tiny short story from the same author. It kind of connects to this same world of The Medusa Cult that Kyle Toucher has created and weaved throughout some of his works. (The Medusa Psalms is a collection of stories that just released also).

I don’t even know where to start with Live Wire. So much happens in such a short amount of time in the book and in such a minimal amount of space (geographically) if that makes sense.

We essentially have three pairs of people that all end up meeting and taking shelter during a manmade electrical storm at a gas station in the desert. Together they find a way to fight against the giant electrical towers that have come to life and that are wreaking havoc along Route 60. The storm created by Medusa Engineering seems to be opening a gate that is sending out a signal that conjures up the worst memories and sins of people in their minds making them do horrendous things. Only one young boy could hold the key to it all.

This book kept me wanting to read everyday. So much happened in just one spot. But it didn’t feel like it lagged or got bogged down. There was a lot of setting up for future stuff I can tell with The Medusa Cult. Toucher really wrote the psychological horror well with The Signal and it dredging up old wounds and memories. And it just all amped up (pun not intended but it sure fits) culminating in the most electric showdown.

Kyle Toucher is definitely an author that should be on your radar. I can’t wait to read more from him.

[Menion · Rating 4 out of 5]

This kicks ass...no doubt about it. And, it's got a wonderfully wacky idea too! Transmission towers in the desert that uproot themselves to wreck the place, AND they send out a signal that makes people go crazy (and kill people, of course), now that's called a good time! Best part is, the story moves fast and has really cool characters, the truck driver, Ken, was probably the best one. Also: the numerous transcripts that are part of the story were excellent, and help keep the story pacing moving, while assisting in the explanation along the way. This one is worth ponying up the dough to get, this guy can write a thriller.

[Dave Stall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Toucher is very descriptive; I mean the visuals are crazy! In a good way. I could see the linked high-tension towers careening along the road. The characters have good depth with interesting backstories. My only gripe would be that the character point of view was skipping all over the place; at times the pacing of the narrative called for this but still a little confusing. All in all, though, a very well written cosmic horror story.

[Tom Deady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Live Wire is a simmering cauldron of weird weather, dangerous science, and the occult. Remember how Stephen King ruined old cars and St. Bernard's for a lot of people? Kyle Toucher has made it so you'll never look at those power line stanchions that line the highways the same way again. Truly unique and terrifying.

[Stuart Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read

Was completely unfamiliar with this author and came across him on Amazon while searching for a Stephen King book. Very glad I did as I thoroughly enjoyed the story and we look forward to more of his writings.

[A.M. Symes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most books have ebbs and flows. This book punches the gas in the first chapter and doesn't let up until the ending when you're left flying off a cliff, wondering if your heart rate will ever return to normal.

[Francesca Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wild ride from start to finish and I loved every minute of it! Toucher's fast paced, heavy metal, supernatural meets sci-fi, government cover-up, debut novel, showcases the writer's talent and unflinching storytelling. The ensemble cast
of characters are well developed and engaging with rich and distinct dialogue and sympathetic back stories. The plot and premise are unique and kept me guessing right up until the very end. I highly recommend this book!

I can't wait to read more from Toucher! Bring it on!!