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Ossified: A Story of Redemption
Ossified is a doomed man's story of self-destruction remedied by retribution. Aiden grapples with the remnants of his life after dying in a fire that leaves him a man only of bone and a newly acting denizen of the natural world. The novel begins with cold realism before descending into the darker themes of fantasy and folklore.
Aiden's journey causes him to encounter new terrors, while the wild beauty of Appalachia acts as a backdrop for his actions.
Aiden's journey causes him to encounter new terrors, while the wild beauty of Appalachia acts as a backdrop for his actions.
112 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 11, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 21, 2024
*** This book was given to me as Goodreads giveaway. ***
TW: House Fire, Alcohol, Death, Drug Use, Needles, Dead Child
My initial reaction after reading the first chapter is lackluster at best. The chapter is very wordy without really moving the storyline along at a quick enough pace for me.
Because this was a giveaway win I continued through this short story. Had this not been a giveaway win, I don’t think I would have progressed to the end of the book of my own volition.
In the second chapter the main character, Aiden, dies in a house fire while passed out drunk in the basement of his home.
Or does he?… As the story progresses, Aiden awakens from the fire as a skeleton. A postal worker/acquaintance of Aiden discovers the home has been burned down and notifies the authorities. Aiden retreats to the nearby mountains and explores the terrain and the creek. While doing so his bones detach at the wrist and he learns they can be reattached with ease. Before his bones reattach however they advise him to venture down a path (which he does). Along the path he finds the rotting corpse of a dog. Aiden’s bones detach again and proceed to turn the rotting dog into a life-like skeleton just like Aiden. Aiden begins to wonder if he is a necromancer.
Chapter six is titled “Inflamed Memory”. A woman has lost her daughter and frankly a mess because of the loss she’s experienced. She’s turned to drugs as a coping mechanism. Not sure why this transition to a memory was made but I felt lost as to why this tradition was made and was unclear how this fit into Aiden’s story.
Chapter seven returns to the original story line and we see Aiden and the dog, now named Barry, still in the mountains. Aiden feels he has a wrong he needs to right but is unclear how he can complete this while in skeleton form. Aiden begins to have dreams/visions and in one of these instances he believes he can see people. He isn’t sure of their intent. He hears a woman’s scream and digs his own grave out of fright in order to hide. Here chapter six begins to tie into the plot… The woman/banshee is close to Aiden’s hiding spot and is speaking to herself about not being able to find “her”. The woman’s grief is apparent and consuming for her.
Aiden and Barry continue to explore the mountains and come across a dying dove. Aiden’s bones once again detach after the Dove has passed and just like Barry the dove is brought back as a skeleton. He names the Dove Ciara and the three of them journey on together.
Months have now gone by in the forest mountains and Aiden is bored. He misses people (the living) and begins to spy on a woman living in a yellow house. The trio encounters a deer are led to from their cave to a trailer at the bottom of the hills. There the trio finds the body of a girl who appears to have been left for dead long ago. His bones detach and go to the dead girl’s corpse. She’s brought to life so to speak just as everyone else was. We learn the little skeleton girl’s name is Marietta.
We return to the yellow house and find a “wicked man” lying dead by gunshot. Aiden’s bone set fire to the man and his home and instead of being bright back to life as the girl and the dog and the bird had been. Everything just burns including the man. Aiden feels this rights a wrong and purges the evil of the area and we end the chapter with Aiden feeling like royalty as he and his animal companions return to the woods.
The trio of skeletons begin to search for Marietta in the woods. While searching for the skeletal girl they encounter the deer again. This time Aiden realizes the deer is wearing a necklace. The necklace gives Aiden dejavú. He puts the necklace on and Marietta appears before him. The necklace serves as an amulet that appears to protect Aiden from the spirits in the woods.
We jump back into the POV of the woman plagued by drugs and her missing daughter and learn she has been clean for two weeks. The chapter ends and you’re kind left wondering why we switched to her POV to learn that at all.
We jump back into Aiden’s POV and the trio has returned to the woods. It’s now snowing. Eventually Aiden goes back to his home and finds the yard on his property continues to be mowed but he doesn’t know by whom. Aiden becomes resolute in his new purpose as an “animated skeleton” and self proclaimed guardian of the forest.
In the end, Aiden decides to venture beyond the current mountains and journeys on with his skeleton pets to the East.
Maybe I wasn’t the intended audience for this book. That being said, I did not find a redemption story here. Nor does the content feel fully flushed out. The concept is there but was not executed very well. I won’t be recommending this book to anyone unfortunately.
TW: House Fire, Alcohol, Death, Drug Use, Needles, Dead Child
My initial reaction after reading the first chapter is lackluster at best. The chapter is very wordy without really moving the storyline along at a quick enough pace for me.
Because this was a giveaway win I continued through this short story. Had this not been a giveaway win, I don’t think I would have progressed to the end of the book of my own volition.
In the second chapter the main character, Aiden, dies in a house fire while passed out drunk in the basement of his home.
Or does he?… As the story progresses, Aiden awakens from the fire as a skeleton. A postal worker/acquaintance of Aiden discovers the home has been burned down and notifies the authorities. Aiden retreats to the nearby mountains and explores the terrain and the creek. While doing so his bones detach at the wrist and he learns they can be reattached with ease. Before his bones reattach however they advise him to venture down a path (which he does). Along the path he finds the rotting corpse of a dog. Aiden’s bones detach again and proceed to turn the rotting dog into a life-like skeleton just like Aiden. Aiden begins to wonder if he is a necromancer.
Chapter six is titled “Inflamed Memory”. A woman has lost her daughter and frankly a mess because of the loss she’s experienced. She’s turned to drugs as a coping mechanism. Not sure why this transition to a memory was made but I felt lost as to why this tradition was made and was unclear how this fit into Aiden’s story.
Chapter seven returns to the original story line and we see Aiden and the dog, now named Barry, still in the mountains. Aiden feels he has a wrong he needs to right but is unclear how he can complete this while in skeleton form. Aiden begins to have dreams/visions and in one of these instances he believes he can see people. He isn’t sure of their intent. He hears a woman’s scream and digs his own grave out of fright in order to hide. Here chapter six begins to tie into the plot… The woman/banshee is close to Aiden’s hiding spot and is speaking to herself about not being able to find “her”. The woman’s grief is apparent and consuming for her.
Aiden and Barry continue to explore the mountains and come across a dying dove. Aiden’s bones once again detach after the Dove has passed and just like Barry the dove is brought back as a skeleton. He names the Dove Ciara and the three of them journey on together.
Months have now gone by in the forest mountains and Aiden is bored. He misses people (the living) and begins to spy on a woman living in a yellow house. The trio encounters a deer are led to from their cave to a trailer at the bottom of the hills. There the trio finds the body of a girl who appears to have been left for dead long ago. His bones detach and go to the dead girl’s corpse. She’s brought to life so to speak just as everyone else was. We learn the little skeleton girl’s name is Marietta.
We return to the yellow house and find a “wicked man” lying dead by gunshot. Aiden’s bone set fire to the man and his home and instead of being bright back to life as the girl and the dog and the bird had been. Everything just burns including the man. Aiden feels this rights a wrong and purges the evil of the area and we end the chapter with Aiden feeling like royalty as he and his animal companions return to the woods.
The trio of skeletons begin to search for Marietta in the woods. While searching for the skeletal girl they encounter the deer again. This time Aiden realizes the deer is wearing a necklace. The necklace gives Aiden dejavú. He puts the necklace on and Marietta appears before him. The necklace serves as an amulet that appears to protect Aiden from the spirits in the woods.
We jump back into the POV of the woman plagued by drugs and her missing daughter and learn she has been clean for two weeks. The chapter ends and you’re kind left wondering why we switched to her POV to learn that at all.
We jump back into Aiden’s POV and the trio has returned to the woods. It’s now snowing. Eventually Aiden goes back to his home and finds the yard on his property continues to be mowed but he doesn’t know by whom. Aiden becomes resolute in his new purpose as an “animated skeleton” and self proclaimed guardian of the forest.
In the end, Aiden decides to venture beyond the current mountains and journeys on with his skeleton pets to the East.
Maybe I wasn’t the intended audience for this book. That being said, I did not find a redemption story here. Nor does the content feel fully flushed out. The concept is there but was not executed very well. I won’t be recommending this book to anyone unfortunately.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2024
* This book was given to me as a Goodreads giveaway.
This is a cool concept, but reading this story was difficult for me. This could very well be a fault of my own - I struggle with books/stories that include a ton of detail. I felt like the writing was so detailed and wordy that I would often forget what was happening in the story, because I got caught up in things that were thoroughly described that didn’t really matter. Some of the descriptions were beautiful and I enjoyed the mountain setting, but it also felt like a chore to get through. This just wasn’t for me and I probably would not have finished this, had it not been from a giveaway, but it would be perfect for someone who enjoys very descriptive literature.
This is a cool concept, but reading this story was difficult for me. This could very well be a fault of my own - I struggle with books/stories that include a ton of detail. I felt like the writing was so detailed and wordy that I would often forget what was happening in the story, because I got caught up in things that were thoroughly described that didn’t really matter. Some of the descriptions were beautiful and I enjoyed the mountain setting, but it also felt like a chore to get through. This just wasn’t for me and I probably would not have finished this, had it not been from a giveaway, but it would be perfect for someone who enjoys very descriptive literature.
January 19, 2025
I won this in a Giveaway.
I read Ossified very quickly. I thought it was going to be an interesting take on death and the afterlife. Instead, it was a strange short story that read like a high schooler wrote it.
Aiden falls asleep drinking and smoking. He accidentally sets his house on fire and dies. However, he wakes up as a skeleton and wanders around the woods. He reanimates a dog and bird he found, and then he wanders some more.
I'm not sure what the point of the story was. Nothing really happened or was explained. There was a lot of internal dialogue, but most of it was unnecessary. The sentences were choppy. I believe there's going to be a sequel, but I don't know why. It feels so incomplete.
I read Ossified very quickly. I thought it was going to be an interesting take on death and the afterlife. Instead, it was a strange short story that read like a high schooler wrote it.
Aiden falls asleep drinking and smoking. He accidentally sets his house on fire and dies. However, he wakes up as a skeleton and wanders around the woods. He reanimates a dog and bird he found, and then he wanders some more.
I'm not sure what the point of the story was. Nothing really happened or was explained. There was a lot of internal dialogue, but most of it was unnecessary. The sentences were choppy. I believe there's going to be a sequel, but I don't know why. It feels so incomplete.
May 25, 2024
Unique Take
"Ossified" is a creative exploration of redemption that takes readers on an unexpected journey. With its unique approach, the book delves into the path of redemption for those who haven’t found their final resting place. Despite being a quick read, its depth goes beyond initial expectations, leaving readers pondering its themes after turning the final page. A must-read for anyone seeking a fresh perspective on redemption narratives and willingness to reflect and explore internally.
"Ossified" is a creative exploration of redemption that takes readers on an unexpected journey. With its unique approach, the book delves into the path of redemption for those who haven’t found their final resting place. Despite being a quick read, its depth goes beyond initial expectations, leaving readers pondering its themes after turning the final page. A must-read for anyone seeking a fresh perspective on redemption narratives and willingness to reflect and explore internally.
June 7, 2024
Drowning in Details
I like the idea of the story but felt like I couldn’t find the story a lot of the time because of the excessive details. I understand wanting to paint a picture, but it was too much for me. It took away from the story and was distracting.
I like the idea of the story but felt like I couldn’t find the story a lot of the time because of the excessive details. I understand wanting to paint a picture, but it was too much for me. It took away from the story and was distracting.
September 25, 2024
A different take on death.
This book definitely has a different take on death. I do love that he got a four legged companion in death. My issue with this read was that it was extremely detailed. Almost too detailed. Still a decent read though.
This book definitely has a different take on death. I do love that he got a four legged companion in death. My issue with this read was that it was extremely detailed. Almost too detailed. Still a decent read though.
July 13, 2024
Loved this! A little dark but that appeals to me. When is #2 coming our?
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews