Incubator: Alien Conspiracy

by Baltar Xinzo

Thirty years ago, Margot and her then boyfriend Thomas visited Costa Carcosa, a new Cuban resort, on a promotional tour, all included and free of charge. Thirty years later, the couple still holds together, living meek and predictable lives. It has been a life full of disappointments and hard punches, but at last, they have each other.

One day, Margot found in the mail an invitation to visit the same resort they once visited, a promotion for the thirtieth anniversary of their first and only visit. Exhilarated by the news, the modest income couple set to have a free vacation on the beach that otherwise would not be able to afford. Unknown to them, their lives since their first visit to that resort have been part of an experiment, one that is about to end.

As they said, 'There is not such a thing as a free lunch.'
___

This story came to me almost fully formed. My role was as usual to carve the true story out from its raw form, filling out some crevices, and polishing it a little, but the core story was there already, waiting for someone to write it. Once I had the last draft, I stepped back and read it with new eyes, expecting to confirm roughly my original view of it. Instead, I saw something different. The result enthralled me, and I hope the reader will have the same reaction.

What would happen if we find out an elite of seemingly omnipotent beings have been guiding our history as a species? What would happen if we dare to take control of our destiny? I hope that the reader will guess the answers to these questions, or at least, to think about them.

188 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 3, 2024

About the author

Baltar Xinzo is the pen name of an Argentine-Canadian author based in Ottawa. A scientist and engineer by training, Xinzo writes reflective tales that often have a dark undertone typical of the noir genre but also have a sense of hope and optimism atypical of that subgenre. While Xinzo has defined his style as 'analytical fiction,' he frequently dives into existentialism, repurposing literary elements from genres such as cyberpunk, hard science fiction, transhumanism, and transrealism.

Reviews

[Yellow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a remarkable story told from the perspective of apparently normal people who have to confront extraordinary circumstances that force them to challenge their perception of reality. However, the story became much more than you can see on its surface after reading the afterword section. This book is about the barriers people build to deal with traumatic experiences when the life around them turns abnormal. I love books that have many layers of complexity, and this one has many.
I would recommend it to everyone who had, or is planning to have, a vacation in one of those isolated, all-inclusive beach resorts, and in particular, I would recommend it to all the X-Files and Stephen King’s fans. Incubator