The Projection Room: Two from the Cubist Mist

by Carol Golembiewski

Years after an artist captures a macabre vision during World War I, his paintings unleash their remarkable powers onto a museum and all who dare to enter the Projection Room. When fledgling artist Georges Bosque has a near-death experience on the battlefield during World War I, he believes he sees two men harvesting the souls of the dead and dying. Haunted by his macabre vision, Georges is determined to capture them in his sketchbook and, in his last days, on two large canvases. But despite Georges’ pleas to destroy both paintings after his death, his family ignores his request, leaving the paintings with his aging widow. Years later, his widow sells both paintings to a Milwaukee museum that is testing a new technology that projects images and allows patrons to experience art three dimensionally. But as the technology’s inventor, Bruce Mallory, art director Geoffrey Cavanaugh, and his protégé Noelle Walker are realizing the benefits of the technology, two others—Ryan Barbieri, rebellious museum employee, and his friend, Michael Grout—decide to test the technology on Bosque’s paintings. Unfortunately, just as the two young men discern that Georges did indeed capture something on the other side of the grave, their discovery causes dire consequences for anyone who enters the Projection Room. In this gripping tale, two paintings hidden from the world for years unleash their powers onto an unsuspecting museum and a group of people completely unprepared for what awaits them.

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 29, 2013

Reviews

[Zoeytron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I may never look at a Cubist painting the same way again. That statement might suggest that I know something about art, but I do not. This book made me check out the Cubist period - think Picasso and the sharp jutting angles in his paintings. Now, think of them coming alive and reassembling into the images they were originally. . .

Fresh concept, intriguing title, great story. I loved it. This was a first-reads giveaway. Thank you!

[Julie Devaill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was impressed with the book. It was a fast read, very engaging. I know the Milwaukee Art Museum very well and was able to travel with her through the various galleries. The chapter that dealt with the sculpture of the janitor gave me the willies! I've always been a bit leery of the old gent in the first place and this gave me even more reason to keep a watchful eye on him the next time I visit. Looking forward to the sequel.

[Thomas Golembiewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, the author is my sister, so I have a bias. That being said, the idea behind this story is so compelling that I found myself drawn into the world that she had created. The fact that the setting is set in my home town made it easy for me to imagine the places described here. I would recommend this book to anyone.

[Daniel Baker · Rating 1 out of 5]

An artist captures on a canvas the image that he saw on the battlefield years earlier, two otherworldly beings harvesting the souls of the dead. Years after his death, a museum procures the two paintings, as well as, coincidentally, a new technology aimed at animating paintings into an immersive 3-dimensional plane. The combination of the technology and those two particular paintings has devastating effects when it opens a portal allowing one of the beings to roam free within the museum, killing anyone in its path.

I wanted to like this book. I thought the premise seemed interesting enough and I have a particular affinity for the Milwaukee Art Museum. Unfortunately, the book lost me pretty quickly, as soon as characters began interacting. Everything about the interactions feels off. The vernacular of the artist suggests what the author considers to sound wise and sage-like, things that on paper seem like they could maybe sound good in a movie but just end up falling flat and sounding corny on the page. From then on, the banter between the main characters, supposed adult professionals, all comes off as dialogue traded between immature high schoolers.

The characters are developed, I guess, but in a way that feels weirdly arbitrary. It chooses random points to unload overwhelming amounts of exposition about the characters in the least organic way possible and then strains to later tie their own personal demons in with the obstacles they face within the course of the story. It makes no attempt to hide the hand of the writer and everything feels more orchestrated than natural.

It also seems to get lost in the rules of its own world, which become more convoluted as the story goes on. It gets to the point where the author gets more bogged down in trying to justify the logic of her world than adding any meaning or weight to her story.

By the end of the story, after being introduced to a collection of flat uninteresting characters, sifting through repeated errors in punctuation, grammar, and spelling, and following a series of events that lack any sense of necessity, I can only recommend that for the next book(as the back states that this is the first of a planned series) the author consults a writers group, an editor, or even just rereads her own work. I think her story showed a lot of promise for a first book but it could have(and should have) been greatly improved with the input of other writers, and I think the sheer volume of the most basic of errors laced throughout this book suggests very little editing before its printing.

[Jimmie Kepler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Master story-teller Carol Golembiewski hooked me from the opening World War One battlefield scene. She weaves a thriller making excellent use of her subject matter expertise in the field of art with technology. She beautifully visualized scenes. This is a rare skill. Her use of technology had this geek intrigued.

Meet struggling artist George Bosque. He has a brush with death while attacking the German soldiers during World War One. During his charge toward the enemy lines, he sees two men collecting the souls of those killed in action. Obsessed by what he saw, Bosque draws them in his sketchbook. In late life, he does two large paintings, one of each of them.

His widow sold both paintings many years later. The purchaser is a Milwaukee museum. The museum has in the testing phase a new technology projecting images and allowing patrons to experience art in 3-D. They see great potential. However, a mutinous employee and his friend experiment on the two paintings with the technology. The results are horrific.

The men recognize that artist George Bosque incarcerated something from the other side of the grave. Dreadful consequences await everybody who cross the threshold into the Projection Room.

In this spellbinding account, two paintings out of sight from humankind for years let loose their powers onto an unwary museum and community absolutely not ready for what lies ahead for them.

I give it five-stars. It would make an amazing movie. I hope Carol’s agent is shopping it with Hollywood.

The Kindle version of "The Projection Room: Two from the Cubist Mist" by Carol Golembiewski was purchased, read and reviewed by Jimmie A. Kepler.

[Susan Gutknecht · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced thriller

Fast paced thriller

A funny thriller filled with comic relief. You get to see the art world in a new light. Wonderful book with a very interesting plot.