Like Wax Under Flame

by Alexandra Pelaez

Everyone knows the story of the apocalypse: The greedy, corrupted world governments waged war, devastated the entire planet, mutated the majority of humanity through biological weapons, and destroyed themselves in the process. The gangs took their place and the only rule of survival was to join them, or at least get on good terms with one or five. Try to survive on your own…well, the concept is nothing short of laughable.

But not to nineteen-year-old Dane. A psychic gifted with extraordinary telekinetic powers, senses, and a self-programmed drive to survive, the thought of bowing to any form of authority is less than laughable. Dane doesn’t question the story of the apocalypse, and has convinced herself that she is content to be the only one of her kind. But she is destined to pierce through the shadow of ignorance that blankets the world. People are watching her, people who want her to know that World War III was merely a smokescreen to hide another war. A war driven by prejudice and paranoia. A war that resulted in the near extinction of Dane’s people and gave birth to a savage, lawless world…

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction

70 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 10, 2012

About the author

Have been stuck in Florida for as long as I can remember, and much as I'd love to see snow sometime in the future I'm happy as can be. I'm a Liberal and Progressive, but also well aware that corruption is always inevitable in politics which explains my strong Machiavellian streak. Since I discovered my passions will always lie in the arts a few years back, I've been teaching myself how to draw and am currently training to be a concert pianist and composer.

I've always loved to write, but fan fiction helped me realize my dream career. A bit about my books; The Evanescence Chronicles is a satirical joke (mostly revolving around irony) on modern day paranormal romance. Like Wax Under Flame is a short story that I'm currently developing into a series of novels. The first one is tentatively scheduled to be released in the spring of 2013. A brief warning to all: Though I include these elements with a purpose Like Wax Under Flame is my most violent, dysfunctional, perverse story yet. Even more so than my fan fiction.

My favorite author will always be Matthew Stover, but like the common geek I'm a huge fan of Tolkien, Rowling, George R.R. Martin, and Orson Scott Card. My favorite show is "The Vampire Diaries" (something I never expected, really, REALLY hoping they never jump the shark), and my favorite movie is a balance between Crash(2004) and The Dark Knight.

My cat is lord and master of the universe.

Feel free to contact me, follow me, like me, or friend me at any of these sites including this one.

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/sirenshaper
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alexand...
Blog: http://alexandrapelaez.wordpress.com/
Fan Fiction: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1168605/
Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/Alexandra_Pe...

Reviews

[Olethros · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Iniciativa sin prejuicios y con muchas ganas.-

Género. Novela corta.

Lo que nos cuenta. En la calle Achtunng del sector 39, una banda de violadores asesinos trata de hacer lo de siempre pero esta vez su víctima no es como las demás. Muy al contrario, Dane está equipada y dotada para repartir muerte mientras busca dispositivos y artículos con los que comerciar después, aunque terminará topándose con algo muy peligroso y que nunca había visto.

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Needs Finished

This was a good start. I liked reading it. I would love to see a full book written,say like at least 500+ pages.

[Carl R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alexandra Pelaez’s novella, Wax Under Flame, is the precursor to a full novel of what is apparently a new genre--literature of dystopia (as opposed to utopia, of course.) Never knew it was a separate thing, but there you are. I would have called this a work of post-apocalyptic science fiction/fantasy, but that’s cumbersome compared to “dystopia” so if simplicity is better, maybe the term is an improvement. At any rate, I must grant that her Twitter handle “sirenshaper” fits this book nicely.
Where we are in this elegantly titled work is in a world dominated by such folks as rape gangs and toughsluts and cryptkeepers. Of special note here is the language. She plays a lot with words and in intriguing ways. “There’s something very spiral about this guy.” “It was thrill, but it wasn’t enough. He wanted. . .more.” Nicely done.
Our protagonist is a singularly combative psychic named Dane, whose main preoccupation is survival in an environment where everyone is out to get you. Thing is, most people have a gang to protect them. Dane has only herself, and the strain is beginning to tell.
We love her toughness and her stamina. As she goes through a slough of crises, we get to know a little about her life, about the history and mythology of this world, and of her special place in it. A place hidden even from her until near the end of the book. What she’s going to do with her new knowledge is a matter for the larger work that Pelaez has promised is coming next year, and we look forward to it.

[Doreen Dalesandro]

Kindle freebie, 07/18/12