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The Zaphnurr Phase
Imagine waiting on the love of your life and soon blindsided when you find out that person has been kidnapped.
When Kentil doesn’t arrive home, Sarah searches for him, fails, but is caught by M-Corp agents and is arrested. They accuse her of the failure to apply to give birth to a child.
The penalty for this is abortion, carried out by an M-Corp robot doctor.
In fear of what other crimes they might charge her with, she escapes and crosses into the forbidden zone, a landscape which turns out to be the start of hope.
Although, not everything is what it seems.
When Kentil doesn’t arrive home, Sarah searches for him, fails, but is caught by M-Corp agents and is arrested. They accuse her of the failure to apply to give birth to a child.
The penalty for this is abortion, carried out by an M-Corp robot doctor.
In fear of what other crimes they might charge her with, she escapes and crosses into the forbidden zone, a landscape which turns out to be the start of hope.
Although, not everything is what it seems.
259 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 1, 2025
1 person is currently reading
1 person want to read
About the author
Brick Marlin
25 books148 followersAt an early age Brick Marlin was exposed to horror and science fiction. He soon became an avid reader and enjoyed stories written by Edgar Allen Poe and W. W. Jacobs. His other favorite tales were written by Stephen King, Clive Barker, Ray Bradbury, J. B. Stamper—which he still to this day recollects her terrifying tale “The Furry Collar”—Kurt Vonnegut, Dean Koontz, Charles Dickens, Harper Lee, H.G. Wells, etc. Not long after did he decide to write horror, sci-fi and dark fantasy he began scaring readers such as his parents, his friends, a handful of neighbors, and even leaving a few school teachers scratching their heads wondering if the boy should be committed or not. His very first book was written when he was 9—a mere 100 words, if that, written on index cards and bound together with yarn—which was a follow-up to the movie Rikki Tikki Tavi. From then on short story ideas continued to visit. A book idea or two sometimes stopped by for a sit. And gathering the craft of world building and characterization by posing as a Dungeon Master while playing hours and hours of the game Dungeons and Dragons fed his need. When 2007 arrived he decided to pursue writing professionally and was able to have The Darkened Image published. Brick Marlin is a member of the Horror Writers Association and has published 11 novels, over 25 short stories, including a few which has shown up in anthologies such as Dystopian Express released by Hydra Publications.
Nowadays Brick Marlin loves to cast himself as an introvert when writing, staving off the outside world by hiding out in his office. The only thing which sometimes break the invisible force field is the dreaded literary gremlin and its miserable clan of misfits. If you see one, you know there’s more around. Much like that cockroach you notice when you open the kitchen draw of utensils and find out that cockroach has just birthed cockroach babies.
And the best thing to do in those circumstances are to feed the literary creatures Extra Sour Apple-Flavored Fizzle, Pop & Explode Candies Extreme Fizz Series One.
Unless of course you have cockroaches. Then you’ll need an exterminator.
Nowadays Brick Marlin loves to cast himself as an introvert when writing, staving off the outside world by hiding out in his office. The only thing which sometimes break the invisible force field is the dreaded literary gremlin and its miserable clan of misfits. If you see one, you know there’s more around. Much like that cockroach you notice when you open the kitchen draw of utensils and find out that cockroach has just birthed cockroach babies.
And the best thing to do in those circumstances are to feed the literary creatures Extra Sour Apple-Flavored Fizzle, Pop & Explode Candies Extreme Fizz Series One.
Unless of course you have cockroaches. Then you’ll need an exterminator.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 23, 2025
no spoilers
Reading The Zaphnurr Phase felt less like being entertained and more like being slowly pressed under the weight of a system that does not care if you break. From the moment Sarah realizes her partner is gone and that the world she lives in has quietly shifted into something crueler, I felt a constant sense of unease. The idea that something as intimate as reproduction is no longer a choice but a mandate is only a minor plot point on paper, yet emotionally it colors everything. Every interaction feels transactional, every rule feels designed to erase individuality, and I found myself sharing Sarah’s paranoia and exhaustion as she tried to understand how trapped she really was.
What stayed with me most was her decision to run—both from the authorities and from the life she’s being forced into. The forbidden zone she escapes toward isn’t just dangerous terrain; it feels like a last, desperate gamble for autonomy. Even knowing it could kill her, the act of choosing danger over submission felt quietly devastating. The robotic enforcers and corporate presence aren’t overexplained, which somehow makes them scarier, like faceless inevitabilities rather than villains you can fight. There are moments where hope flickers, but it’s fragile, easily crushed, and never guaranteed.
By the end, I didn’t feel comforted so much as hollowed out—in a way that felt intentional. The story doesn’t promise that resistance will fix everything or that escape means safety. Instead, it lingers on the cost of surviving a world that sees people as resources. The Zaphnurr Phase left me thinking about how thin the line is between “normal” and “monstrous” systems, and how easily love, choice, and identity can be stripped away when control becomes the highest value. It’s not an easy read, but it’s one that sinks in and refuses to let go.
Reading The Zaphnurr Phase felt less like being entertained and more like being slowly pressed under the weight of a system that does not care if you break. From the moment Sarah realizes her partner is gone and that the world she lives in has quietly shifted into something crueler, I felt a constant sense of unease. The idea that something as intimate as reproduction is no longer a choice but a mandate is only a minor plot point on paper, yet emotionally it colors everything. Every interaction feels transactional, every rule feels designed to erase individuality, and I found myself sharing Sarah’s paranoia and exhaustion as she tried to understand how trapped she really was.
What stayed with me most was her decision to run—both from the authorities and from the life she’s being forced into. The forbidden zone she escapes toward isn’t just dangerous terrain; it feels like a last, desperate gamble for autonomy. Even knowing it could kill her, the act of choosing danger over submission felt quietly devastating. The robotic enforcers and corporate presence aren’t overexplained, which somehow makes them scarier, like faceless inevitabilities rather than villains you can fight. There are moments where hope flickers, but it’s fragile, easily crushed, and never guaranteed.
By the end, I didn’t feel comforted so much as hollowed out—in a way that felt intentional. The story doesn’t promise that resistance will fix everything or that escape means safety. Instead, it lingers on the cost of surviving a world that sees people as resources. The Zaphnurr Phase left me thinking about how thin the line is between “normal” and “monstrous” systems, and how easily love, choice, and identity can be stripped away when control becomes the highest value. It’s not an easy read, but it’s one that sinks in and refuses to let go.
February 8, 2026
This was quite the ride, and the action starts right out of the gate! A very unique and dangerous dystopian future where robots and AI are at the top of the food chain (so to speak)
I quickly got caught up in Sarah's journey. And wow, what trippy ending!!
From one scifi nerd to another, I definitely recommend!
I quickly got caught up in Sarah's journey. And wow, what trippy ending!!
From one scifi nerd to another, I definitely recommend!
October 22, 2025
A gripping tale of love, control, and rebellion. When Sarah’s lover is kidnapped, her search exposes M-Corp’s terrifying rule over human freedom. Her escape into the forbidden zone sparks a journey of hope and survival. Emotional, original, and unforgettable!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews