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Losing Touch
Morgan Dunsmore feels like everything is out of reach--a paying job, a healthy marriage, even a good bowel movement. Complicated by his wife's recent back surgery, Morgan tries to protect his wife & kids from his anxieties, not to mention their financial burdens, but that just pushes them away even further. In the middle of it all, he starts to lose his tangibility. He may be able to walk thru walls, but that ability comes with a price. He has to learn not just how to control it, but how to use it without anyone finding out, not even his family. He doesn't want to become a circus freak or government test subject while providing for his wife & kids, but there doesn't seem to be any honest work for a man who can secretly phase through solid matter. The temptations, on the other hand--the temptations are endless, & when he succumbs to the first, the rest begin to fall like dominoes...
210 pages, Paperback
First published May 14, 2013
43 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 5, 2014
Losing Touch is the story of an everyday kind of married male trying to make ends meet. His biggest struggles are to be a father, stay faithful, provide for his family, and as the story begins, come to grips with the power to move through other objects.
But this new power isn’t in a superhero universe, it’s in the real one, and thus, for example, he can pass through walls but only when naked (for how could clothes get through the wall, right?)
If you ever been bothered by the fact that the Hulk only loses his shirt and not his pants when he turns green from rage and expands, this novel is for you.
While the husband has the power to phase through things, in a way, he has been castrated to a degree and is losing his power. There is wonderful metaphor going on here. At least that’s how I took it. The husband was no longer tangible and seems to be feeling a bit impotent despite everything . Eventually, he can’t please his wife anymore (his appendages pass through other objects) and he can’t provide for his family (things pop through things during interviews. It’s all very hard to explain). He finally does try to use his new power to provide for his family and make things right, but this is complicated. Sneak naked into a bank, then what? You can’t sneak the money back through. All sorts of scenarios play out, and you start to feel trapped in the main characters plight and isolation.
The isolation of the protagonist was displayed wonderfully. He doesn’t tell anybody about what is happening to him and is constantly afraid his wife will found out. He’s a shame-based creature who is only as sick as his secret. There are some interesting marital moments that anybody who has done the ‘separate to different rooms’ each night, not out of spite, but just general emotional distance, will relate to. I couldn’t help but seeing him as a Walter White Character to a degree, Walt was maybe more powerful, but both of them trying to flex some male muscle in their suburbia lives, neither able to ever fully conquer.
It is through many micro-moments that the book holds itself together. It is not a book that travels fastly or grand, but instead travels inward. Self-thoughts and inner discussions of the character with his doppelganger dominate. The writer shines in some of these moments.
As far as the potty humor, and there is plenty of it; I can appreciate the implications of bowel movements like any adult size 5 year old boy, but it was a bit explosive over the first part and lost its effect.
What else stopped this from being a better read from my experience is that it seemed clunky. There was too much time with the protagonist getting used to what is happening to him and scenes that go on way longer than you (well, than I) want them too. In the second half, it really picks up, and you appreciate and don’t resent his doppelganger. The second half I finally felt sucked in and I eagerly read towards the finish unlike the first half which had moments I only endured.
I think a book 30 pages shorter on the front end would have worked better, but then again, what do I know? The book was given an introduction by a god-damned legend, won awards, and received some sparkling reviews on amazon. I’m just a everyday kind of married male trying to make ends meet, trying to be a father, provide for my family, and I have zero superpowers.
--This book was gifted to bookie-monster.com in exchange for a review--(less)
But this new power isn’t in a superhero universe, it’s in the real one, and thus, for example, he can pass through walls but only when naked (for how could clothes get through the wall, right?)
If you ever been bothered by the fact that the Hulk only loses his shirt and not his pants when he turns green from rage and expands, this novel is for you.
While the husband has the power to phase through things, in a way, he has been castrated to a degree and is losing his power. There is wonderful metaphor going on here. At least that’s how I took it. The husband was no longer tangible and seems to be feeling a bit impotent despite everything . Eventually, he can’t please his wife anymore (his appendages pass through other objects) and he can’t provide for his family (things pop through things during interviews. It’s all very hard to explain). He finally does try to use his new power to provide for his family and make things right, but this is complicated. Sneak naked into a bank, then what? You can’t sneak the money back through. All sorts of scenarios play out, and you start to feel trapped in the main characters plight and isolation.
The isolation of the protagonist was displayed wonderfully. He doesn’t tell anybody about what is happening to him and is constantly afraid his wife will found out. He’s a shame-based creature who is only as sick as his secret. There are some interesting marital moments that anybody who has done the ‘separate to different rooms’ each night, not out of spite, but just general emotional distance, will relate to. I couldn’t help but seeing him as a Walter White Character to a degree, Walt was maybe more powerful, but both of them trying to flex some male muscle in their suburbia lives, neither able to ever fully conquer.
It is through many micro-moments that the book holds itself together. It is not a book that travels fastly or grand, but instead travels inward. Self-thoughts and inner discussions of the character with his doppelganger dominate. The writer shines in some of these moments.
As far as the potty humor, and there is plenty of it; I can appreciate the implications of bowel movements like any adult size 5 year old boy, but it was a bit explosive over the first part and lost its effect.
What else stopped this from being a better read from my experience is that it seemed clunky. There was too much time with the protagonist getting used to what is happening to him and scenes that go on way longer than you (well, than I) want them too. In the second half, it really picks up, and you appreciate and don’t resent his doppelganger. The second half I finally felt sucked in and I eagerly read towards the finish unlike the first half which had moments I only endured.
I think a book 30 pages shorter on the front end would have worked better, but then again, what do I know? The book was given an introduction by a god-damned legend, won awards, and received some sparkling reviews on amazon. I’m just a everyday kind of married male trying to make ends meet, trying to be a father, provide for my family, and I have zero superpowers.
--This book was gifted to bookie-monster.com in exchange for a review--(less)
October 3, 2014
4.5 of 5 Stars Review copy
From the foreword by Piers Anthony. The basic premise of Losing Touch is as follows...
"Suppose you were to discover that you had the ability to phase out and walk through walls, in the manner of a ghost. Great! You could visit forbidden places, get out of jail free, sneak peeks at your neighbor's private lives, get inside when you lock yourself out of your car or house. But would it really be that simple?"
It all starts when Morgan Dunsmore falls off, or should I say through, his toilet. Larsen has honed his skills with the short story format over the years and it shows. Even though Losing Touch is set in the world of the fantastic, the characters themselves are real, down to earth, as evidenced in this conversation between Morgan and his wife, Corrine.
"'Hand me my robe.' Corrine took off her towel and wrapped it around her head. 'It's the principal of the thing. Besides, I want to be home in time to pick up the kids. You have a honey-do list as long as my arm--starting with replacing the broken foot on our washer. Keep putting it off and it's going to get up and walk away the next time it hits a spin cycle. Now stop looking at my boobs and hand me my robe.'" I can actually hear my wife and I having such a conversation.
It's true, that Losing Touch requires the suspension of disbelief, but I found it easy to do, with the possible exception of the Chicago Bears making the playoffs. That I found nearly impossible to believe.
I also enjoyed the bits where, with all that's going on, Morgan is listening to the banter on the sports-radio station. It helps to keep the story grounded.
Losing Touch was published earlier in 2014 by Post Mortem Press and is available through Amazon.com both as a paperback and for the Kindle.
Highly recommended.
From the foreword by Piers Anthony. The basic premise of Losing Touch is as follows...
"Suppose you were to discover that you had the ability to phase out and walk through walls, in the manner of a ghost. Great! You could visit forbidden places, get out of jail free, sneak peeks at your neighbor's private lives, get inside when you lock yourself out of your car or house. But would it really be that simple?"
It all starts when Morgan Dunsmore falls off, or should I say through, his toilet. Larsen has honed his skills with the short story format over the years and it shows. Even though Losing Touch is set in the world of the fantastic, the characters themselves are real, down to earth, as evidenced in this conversation between Morgan and his wife, Corrine.
"'Hand me my robe.' Corrine took off her towel and wrapped it around her head. 'It's the principal of the thing. Besides, I want to be home in time to pick up the kids. You have a honey-do list as long as my arm--starting with replacing the broken foot on our washer. Keep putting it off and it's going to get up and walk away the next time it hits a spin cycle. Now stop looking at my boobs and hand me my robe.'" I can actually hear my wife and I having such a conversation.
It's true, that Losing Touch requires the suspension of disbelief, but I found it easy to do, with the possible exception of the Chicago Bears making the playoffs. That I found nearly impossible to believe.
I also enjoyed the bits where, with all that's going on, Morgan is listening to the banter on the sports-radio station. It helps to keep the story grounded.
Losing Touch was published earlier in 2014 by Post Mortem Press and is available through Amazon.com both as a paperback and for the Kindle.
Highly recommended.
May 9, 2015
Years of reading comic books has apparently trained me not to question the physics behind most super powers. For instance, the Hulk can pick up a car by its front end and slam it over his foe's head. Ignoring the sheer weight of the car, how does he have the leverage to lift such a long, heavy object? When Batman or the (Green) Arrow are falling and fire a line up in the air, how can they be certain that the object it attaches itself to will support their weight, and for that matter, how is their arm not wrenched out of its socket when the line jerks taught? And while they do make some mention of the Flash having to eat huge quantities of food because of the calories he burns by running at super-speed, unless his digestive system is super-efficient, he's going to need to go to the bathroom a lot because of it.
It seems to me that Christian Larsen has spent a lot of time thinking about stuff like this, because when the protagonist in his novel 'Losing Touch' discovers that he has the ability to phase through solid objects, Christian spends a lot of time describing the problems that this ability causes. There are a lot of necessary bodily functions involved, and they are described in great detail. I found that fascinating.
I'm also accustomed to a powered character either using those powers for good or for evil, but the lead character in this book does neither, really. He spends lots of time trying to figure out what's going on and how to control it, then tries to use the ability to provide for his family. This seems reasonable, but this is where he lost me.
Morgan is introduced as kind of a sad-sack everyman. He's out of a job, bills are piling up, and his future looks bleak, but he seems to be a decent guy with a loving family. Once he discovers this gift, though, it seems to me that he makes every possible wrong decision in his life that he could. I wanted to root for him, but halfway though the book I realized that I didn't even like him, and he started to get on my nerves. Not something you want to feel about the character through whom the story is being told.
There were a lot of good ideas in the book, and it was fairly well written. The story dragged in a few spots, but not enough to make me want to put it down. I applaud the author for putting a different spin on what could have easily been a standard superhero origin story. I just wish his main character wasn't such a jerk.
It seems to me that Christian Larsen has spent a lot of time thinking about stuff like this, because when the protagonist in his novel 'Losing Touch' discovers that he has the ability to phase through solid objects, Christian spends a lot of time describing the problems that this ability causes. There are a lot of necessary bodily functions involved, and they are described in great detail. I found that fascinating.
I'm also accustomed to a powered character either using those powers for good or for evil, but the lead character in this book does neither, really. He spends lots of time trying to figure out what's going on and how to control it, then tries to use the ability to provide for his family. This seems reasonable, but this is where he lost me.
Morgan is introduced as kind of a sad-sack everyman. He's out of a job, bills are piling up, and his future looks bleak, but he seems to be a decent guy with a loving family. Once he discovers this gift, though, it seems to me that he makes every possible wrong decision in his life that he could. I wanted to root for him, but halfway though the book I realized that I didn't even like him, and he started to get on my nerves. Not something you want to feel about the character through whom the story is being told.
There were a lot of good ideas in the book, and it was fairly well written. The story dragged in a few spots, but not enough to make me want to put it down. I applaud the author for putting a different spin on what could have easily been a standard superhero origin story. I just wish his main character wasn't such a jerk.
August 7, 2013
I have been a pretty big fan of Christian A. Larsen since I started to read some of his short fiction about a year and a half ago. So when I found out that he was releasing a novel, I was pretty stoked. I was even more excited when I read the description and found that it was about someone that pretty much gets superpowers. So the comic and horror nerd in me was revved up for this one.
The story itself is very well played; well thought out characters, great tension and some great scenarios. There were times when I was reading Losing Touch that I wanted to scream at the page like my friends scream at movies, saying “What are you doing? Stop it! That’s a terrible idea!”, which is saying a lot. Any book that can pull that type of reaction from me has done the job it is supposed to do. Getting an emotional response from the reader, whether it be from frustration at a characters act, sadness, joy or terror, is the key to any great story and this one delivers.
The comic book nerd in me also enjoyed the more Marvel Comics-like character and situations. He has a power that so many would love to have, yet life is far from perfect. He has money issues, relationship issues and seems to have a hard time making good choices. I also found myself wondering what I would do with the same talent and that made the direction the story takes that much better.
Now Mr. Larsen could have gone the easy road and made it just a simple comic book hero origin story with a dash of horror, but he doesn’t. There is more to it than that. There are real problems he is faced with; his gift sometimes comes off as a curse, and failure is a common thread in his life. And in the end, as you think it is going to go a certain way, you are given an ending you might not be expecting, or at least I wasn’t.
My only complaint about the entire book is that it ended, which isn’t really a complaint at all, but still, I didn’t want to leave these characters. I highly recommend this book and I’m pretty sure you will walk away as happy as I did.
The story itself is very well played; well thought out characters, great tension and some great scenarios. There were times when I was reading Losing Touch that I wanted to scream at the page like my friends scream at movies, saying “What are you doing? Stop it! That’s a terrible idea!”, which is saying a lot. Any book that can pull that type of reaction from me has done the job it is supposed to do. Getting an emotional response from the reader, whether it be from frustration at a characters act, sadness, joy or terror, is the key to any great story and this one delivers.
The comic book nerd in me also enjoyed the more Marvel Comics-like character and situations. He has a power that so many would love to have, yet life is far from perfect. He has money issues, relationship issues and seems to have a hard time making good choices. I also found myself wondering what I would do with the same talent and that made the direction the story takes that much better.
Now Mr. Larsen could have gone the easy road and made it just a simple comic book hero origin story with a dash of horror, but he doesn’t. There is more to it than that. There are real problems he is faced with; his gift sometimes comes off as a curse, and failure is a common thread in his life. And in the end, as you think it is going to go a certain way, you are given an ending you might not be expecting, or at least I wasn’t.
My only complaint about the entire book is that it ended, which isn’t really a complaint at all, but still, I didn’t want to leave these characters. I highly recommend this book and I’m pretty sure you will walk away as happy as I did.
September 3, 2016
While the main character in this book may be “losing touch” in every way, the book does the exact opposite for the reader. Christian Larsen draws you in and keeps you in.
I can’t say what I expected when I picked up this book at a convention, but what I read was much more than just horror or sci-fi or drama. Larsen successfully blends all the above genres into an exciting book, which is a rare thing. The main character, Morgan Dunsmore is a unique individual and it’s not just his quantum tunneling ability that makes him so. Gone is the incredible superhero with this ability, the Mr. Macho guy with the puffed out chest, which is what most other authors would have done here. Maybe I was kind of expecting that, but Larsen takes the novel in a better direction. I certainly don’t share Morgan’s abilities, except the one to screw up in major areas of life (as a spouse, father, corporate drone), and Larsen shows us his skill because what makes Morgan unique is that humanity, that very thing most authors leave on the editing floor, and that’s what kept me reading. I identified with Dunsmore on so many levels, I found myself turning the pages long past my allotted reading time.
The book isn’t so much about having a super power (or a curse, depending on how you look at it) but about being ourselves—the good and the bad—with the hand life deals us. We don’t exist in a vacuum and every choice we make alters not only our life, but also the lives of everyone we interact with, no matter how small that interaction is. Larsen illustrates this perfectly in “Losing Touch.”
Pick up "Losing Touch" today and I promise you'll be in touch with what's important in your own life before you're done reading.
I can’t say what I expected when I picked up this book at a convention, but what I read was much more than just horror or sci-fi or drama. Larsen successfully blends all the above genres into an exciting book, which is a rare thing. The main character, Morgan Dunsmore is a unique individual and it’s not just his quantum tunneling ability that makes him so. Gone is the incredible superhero with this ability, the Mr. Macho guy with the puffed out chest, which is what most other authors would have done here. Maybe I was kind of expecting that, but Larsen takes the novel in a better direction. I certainly don’t share Morgan’s abilities, except the one to screw up in major areas of life (as a spouse, father, corporate drone), and Larsen shows us his skill because what makes Morgan unique is that humanity, that very thing most authors leave on the editing floor, and that’s what kept me reading. I identified with Dunsmore on so many levels, I found myself turning the pages long past my allotted reading time.
The book isn’t so much about having a super power (or a curse, depending on how you look at it) but about being ourselves—the good and the bad—with the hand life deals us. We don’t exist in a vacuum and every choice we make alters not only our life, but also the lives of everyone we interact with, no matter how small that interaction is. Larsen illustrates this perfectly in “Losing Touch.”
Pick up "Losing Touch" today and I promise you'll be in touch with what's important in your own life before you're done reading.
August 23, 2013
Morgan Dunsmore has a wife, Corrine, and two young sons. He also has no job (and no prospects), a mortgage, and mounting bills. His wife can’t work due to her back surgery and Morgan feels the burdens of life weighing him down. He feels alone, overwhelmed, and invisible…and soon he starts to fade away. Morgan discovers he’s able to phase through matter – walk through walls, etc., but comes at a price. Hiding his new-found ‘ability’ from his family only brings more distance between them and leads Morgan to make some dubious choices. As Morgan keeps fading away, bigger problems are coming to light and Morgan may not be able to stop before it’s too late.
‘Losing Touch’ is a very different kind of story. To me, it’s not really science fiction or supernatural, even though Morgan does gain the ability to phase through matter. I would consider it more of a drama / human interest. How many of us, myself included, have felt invisible before? What if we gained this ability? I can empathize with Morgan’s situation and understand, not necessarily agree with, the choices he makes as he’s exploring his new ability and trying to save his family. ‘Losing Touch’ is full of unexpected events and consequences for Morgan. The author has brought to life a character that is imperfectly human, just like the rest of us. Dark and sometimes violent, ‘Losing Touch’ will make you think about the realm of possibilities and the responsibility which goes along with power.
‘Losing Touch’ is a very different kind of story. To me, it’s not really science fiction or supernatural, even though Morgan does gain the ability to phase through matter. I would consider it more of a drama / human interest. How many of us, myself included, have felt invisible before? What if we gained this ability? I can empathize with Morgan’s situation and understand, not necessarily agree with, the choices he makes as he’s exploring his new ability and trying to save his family. ‘Losing Touch’ is full of unexpected events and consequences for Morgan. The author has brought to life a character that is imperfectly human, just like the rest of us. Dark and sometimes violent, ‘Losing Touch’ will make you think about the realm of possibilities and the responsibility which goes along with power.
June 13, 2013
A discovery at the Printer's Row Lit Fest in Chicago. I stopped at the Post Mortem Press table and the cover on this book jumped out at me. It was eye catching and made me want to know what the book was about. The author was there to tell a little about the story, and I bought it.
It's a hard-to-categorize book - not really horror, but not really SF either. More of a human story told within the trappings of both of those genres. The main character's life isn't going too well as the book begins, and suddenly and inexplicably, he discovers (somewhat painfully) that he can pass his body through inert objects - quantum phasing, I believe his physicist brother calls it. So that's the hook - from there it's the human story of what will Morgan do with this power? What will he allow himself to become? How will it affect every single thing in his life?
In the power, Morgan sees the answer to all of his problems, but it's also apparent that the power brings a whole new set of problems.
The writing is superb, the story is always interesting right till the end, and the characters are ones I'd want to read more about, possibly, in the future. An introduction by the legendary Piers Anthony sets the reader up for the coming experience nicely.
Like ONE MANS CASTLE, I was surprised by how good this was. I will read more by Christian Larsen as he publishes them.
It's a hard-to-categorize book - not really horror, but not really SF either. More of a human story told within the trappings of both of those genres. The main character's life isn't going too well as the book begins, and suddenly and inexplicably, he discovers (somewhat painfully) that he can pass his body through inert objects - quantum phasing, I believe his physicist brother calls it. So that's the hook - from there it's the human story of what will Morgan do with this power? What will he allow himself to become? How will it affect every single thing in his life?
In the power, Morgan sees the answer to all of his problems, but it's also apparent that the power brings a whole new set of problems.
The writing is superb, the story is always interesting right till the end, and the characters are ones I'd want to read more about, possibly, in the future. An introduction by the legendary Piers Anthony sets the reader up for the coming experience nicely.
Like ONE MANS CASTLE, I was surprised by how good this was. I will read more by Christian Larsen as he publishes them.
January 31, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. The protagonist is a man approaching middle age and he is not handling this stage of life well. Despite his character not being overly likable, by the end you find that you are wishing that he will succeed. There is an element of fantasy as he discovers that he is able to move through matter and has to learn how to handle this new part of his life.
I am also reading Larsen's new book (couldn't find it here to add to my shelf), Blackening of Flesh. From what I've seen so far, it's going to be a winner also!
I am also reading Larsen's new book (couldn't find it here to add to my shelf), Blackening of Flesh. From what I've seen so far, it's going to be a winner also!
August 22, 2014
Grim, but also lots of fun. Larsen has considered the details of quantum tunneling, and how such a power would effect a man down on his luck, and though the premise is fantasy, the story is very real. There's a lot of heart to this book, and though it largely follows the "downward spiral" trope (things start of bad, and just keep getting worse), there's a great and unexpected ending waiting on the other side.
January 6, 2015
A nice slow build up, to a great ending that kept me glued to the page. Highly recommend it!
February 19, 2014
I've seen more than a few folks call this book "Breaking Bad with a twist." Can't wait for Larsen's next.
January 20, 2015
A great read. New, fresh and fast. There is not a lot of fluff to this one, which is nice and refreshing.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews