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Pale Imitators
Not yet published
Expected 13 Oct 26Win a free kindle copy of this book!
12 days and 07:25:45
50 copies available
U.S. only
Kittyhawk, New Mexico, 1966
A routine traffic stop shatters what was supposed to be another quiet day on the highway for officer Teddy Money. A bent bumper, a trace of blood, a putrid smell of tobacco. And a deep sense of dread that makes Teddy... let the driver go.
The guilt begins to eat him alive, and Teddy ignores his orders by retracing his steps and going after the suspect. His unofficial investigation leads him to an army cordon, and a remote desert farmhouse manned by government agents, putting Teddy face to face with a waking a murder victim who looks exactly like him.
The deeper Teddy digs, the more the conspiracy unravels, one his powerful grandfather is desperate to cover up. Pitted against a rogue agent Teddy must capture the killer and get to the truth. But will he–and humanity itself–make it out of this alive?
A routine traffic stop shatters what was supposed to be another quiet day on the highway for officer Teddy Money. A bent bumper, a trace of blood, a putrid smell of tobacco. And a deep sense of dread that makes Teddy... let the driver go.
The guilt begins to eat him alive, and Teddy ignores his orders by retracing his steps and going after the suspect. His unofficial investigation leads him to an army cordon, and a remote desert farmhouse manned by government agents, putting Teddy face to face with a waking a murder victim who looks exactly like him.
The deeper Teddy digs, the more the conspiracy unravels, one his powerful grandfather is desperate to cover up. Pitted against a rogue agent Teddy must capture the killer and get to the truth. But will he–and humanity itself–make it out of this alive?
- GenresScience Fiction
247 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication October 13, 2026
About the author
Ilia Epifanov
5 books44 followersIlia Epifanov is an American science fiction and supernatural thriller author. He has written over thirty short stories, books, and comics, and his works take readers to curious and uncanny worlds to grapple with intimacy and loss.
Crescent Earth, the first book of Ilia’s latest sci-fi series, kicks off his most ambitious mystery yet. Through a time traveling spaceship, readers are transported across a rich interstellar landscape to solve the murder of Frankie Mason.
In his spare time, Ilia is a developmental editor who reads crime fiction and comic books while taking his two Pomeranians to the park. He gets his inspiration from long walks with his family and through his travels. He was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and currently lives in Los Angeles.
Crescent Earth, the first book of Ilia’s latest sci-fi series, kicks off his most ambitious mystery yet. Through a time traveling spaceship, readers are transported across a rich interstellar landscape to solve the murder of Frankie Mason.
In his spare time, Ilia is a developmental editor who reads crime fiction and comic books while taking his two Pomeranians to the park. He gets his inspiration from long walks with his family and through his travels. He was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and currently lives in Los Angeles.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 29, 2026
**I was provided an early copy courtesy of the author in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was provided and all thoughts expressed in this review are solely my own.**
I am often blown away by books, but it truly isn’t often that I want to have an author over for coffee and spend hours picking their brain. This is one of those books for me. Epifanov’s world is surreal, but so grounded in reality and popular media to make it uncannily possible in a way that is beyond disturbing. He creates that sense of unease in your mind that makes you think just how easily a parasitic species could take over our planet, especially when it is capable of behaving like the species Epifanov describes. It feels just irrational enough that people would question it, but still plausible enough you are wont to defend the ideas themselves. The ending is beautiful in how it seems to hint at more to come, but resolves the chaos of the previous few days at a satisfying pause point. Epifanov’s characters are so very down to earth and feel very real. I aspire to Agent Lindsey’s grit and determination and I find a mirror of myself in Teddy’s overwhelm.
Truly, Pale Imitators is a novel that gets under your skin and sits at the base of your brain, slowly devouring the matter in front of it. It hits you like a gut punch, but one so small and forceful that the pain is magnified. I will be thinking about this powerhouse of a novel for a long time.
I am often blown away by books, but it truly isn’t often that I want to have an author over for coffee and spend hours picking their brain. This is one of those books for me. Epifanov’s world is surreal, but so grounded in reality and popular media to make it uncannily possible in a way that is beyond disturbing. He creates that sense of unease in your mind that makes you think just how easily a parasitic species could take over our planet, especially when it is capable of behaving like the species Epifanov describes. It feels just irrational enough that people would question it, but still plausible enough you are wont to defend the ideas themselves. The ending is beautiful in how it seems to hint at more to come, but resolves the chaos of the previous few days at a satisfying pause point. Epifanov’s characters are so very down to earth and feel very real. I aspire to Agent Lindsey’s grit and determination and I find a mirror of myself in Teddy’s overwhelm.
Truly, Pale Imitators is a novel that gets under your skin and sits at the base of your brain, slowly devouring the matter in front of it. It hits you like a gut punch, but one so small and forceful that the pain is magnified. I will be thinking about this powerhouse of a novel for a long time.
August 16, 2026
Thank you to the author for the gifted ARC!
This was a quick, fun, sci-fi horror novel. The setting of the American west in the 60s is a bit obvious but spot-on. It really fed well into the overall story, doing a lot of the descriptive heavy-lifting in such a short book.
Epifanov manages to cram a LOT of character into, well, a lot of characters, and in so few pages! I was very impressed with the robust development of not just MC Teddy, but Agents Mac and Lindsay, Julie, and of course Thaddeus.
I think perhaps there might be a smidge too much going on here for such a short book, and I found myself a little perplexed at points, but it was a fast-moving ride for sure. The ending setup could certainly lead to a sequel.
Thank you so much to the author for an ARC of this book so that I may leave an honest review.
This was a quick, fun, sci-fi horror novel. The setting of the American west in the 60s is a bit obvious but spot-on. It really fed well into the overall story, doing a lot of the descriptive heavy-lifting in such a short book.
Epifanov manages to cram a LOT of character into, well, a lot of characters, and in so few pages! I was very impressed with the robust development of not just MC Teddy, but Agents Mac and Lindsay, Julie, and of course Thaddeus.
I think perhaps there might be a smidge too much going on here for such a short book, and I found myself a little perplexed at points, but it was a fast-moving ride for sure. The ending setup could certainly lead to a sequel.
Thank you so much to the author for an ARC of this book so that I may leave an honest review.
Review of advance copy
I received an advanced copy from BookSirens in exchange for an honest review.
My overall rating for this book; the plot, writing, editing, and font/layout would be 3.5 out of 5.0. I read this as an EPUB on my Kobo, so aside from the font, I didn't have any other covers (hard or soft) to view, and rate this on, although I would love to see the hard cover once it is released.
This would be my first foray into Ilia Epifanov's work, and I will say, I did thoroughly enjoy it. I chose this story solely on the bio given, and the illustrated cover shown on BookSirens (as I choose a lot of the titles I read).
Based on Ilia's writing style, I would imagine that they have read quite a few of the authors that I enjoy; such as, Ben Bova, H.G. Wells, Isaac Asimov, and especially Edmond Hamilton, and Lester del Rey. I felt these two quite particularly present in his writing style. I will say it has a drier aspect to it, while still remaining entertaining.
I did get a very 50's pulp fiction style plot line (the novellas - not the Quinton Tarantino movie), where the protagonist could do no wrong / or face any real consequences, which can be seen with his relationship with the sheriff, following a SECRET government body without any care for repercussions, and the way he went gung-ho into any given situation. It felt very much like an action story where you did not have to have any worry whatsoever for the main character (although a large portion of the other characters do end up dead).
I did enjoy the story, and the classic tropes from sci-fi, and did find it had a lot of ties to the illustrious "Men in Black", a shady secret alien fighting government body, that nobody really speaks of, or knows of.
With that said, I did notice quite a few small editorial errors throughout the story, such as grammatical errors, incorrect word choices, or missing words or conjunctions. With that said, I know this is an ARC, and a lot of editing takes place after the fact, in later editions, I just thought it was prudent to mention.
All-in-all, I enjoyed the story, the length, and the overall plot. I will most definitely be looking at some of Ilia's other work from the past.
My overall rating for this book; the plot, writing, editing, and font/layout would be 3.5 out of 5.0. I read this as an EPUB on my Kobo, so aside from the font, I didn't have any other covers (hard or soft) to view, and rate this on, although I would love to see the hard cover once it is released.
This would be my first foray into Ilia Epifanov's work, and I will say, I did thoroughly enjoy it. I chose this story solely on the bio given, and the illustrated cover shown on BookSirens (as I choose a lot of the titles I read).
Based on Ilia's writing style, I would imagine that they have read quite a few of the authors that I enjoy; such as, Ben Bova, H.G. Wells, Isaac Asimov, and especially Edmond Hamilton, and Lester del Rey. I felt these two quite particularly present in his writing style. I will say it has a drier aspect to it, while still remaining entertaining.
I did get a very 50's pulp fiction style plot line (the novellas - not the Quinton Tarantino movie), where the protagonist could do no wrong / or face any real consequences, which can be seen with his relationship with the sheriff, following a SECRET government body without any care for repercussions, and the way he went gung-ho into any given situation. It felt very much like an action story where you did not have to have any worry whatsoever for the main character (although a large portion of the other characters do end up dead).
I did enjoy the story, and the classic tropes from sci-fi, and did find it had a lot of ties to the illustrious "Men in Black", a shady secret alien fighting government body, that nobody really speaks of, or knows of.
With that said, I did notice quite a few small editorial errors throughout the story, such as grammatical errors, incorrect word choices, or missing words or conjunctions. With that said, I know this is an ARC, and a lot of editing takes place after the fact, in later editions, I just thought it was prudent to mention.
All-in-all, I enjoyed the story, the length, and the overall plot. I will most definitely be looking at some of Ilia's other work from the past.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Thank you to the author for the gifted eARC - all opinions are my own
Pale Imitators is a fun piece of detective fiction with classic sci-fi notes and endearing characters.
We follow Teddy Money, a police officer in Kittyhawk, New Mexico. Teddy lives an unassuming life, despite his powerful grandfather, until a bizarre traffic stop sets him on a rogue investigation with potential ties to his family name.
This was a really fun time. Immediately the setting is well stylized and reminiscent of a classic 1960s crime thriller, only it’s anything but. It’s got grit, heart, and workplace bureaucracy - a combo that kept me invested and enthralled. The New Mexico setting gives an isolated feeling that’s perfect for this secretive government co-op mission.
The characters felt true to the time and fostered connection. I particularly liked Teddy’s convictions and good nature. While there’s certainly some darkness to the story, he remained a source of light.
There was ample opportunity for the plot to grow muddled but the writing stays on track and clearly focused. My singular complaint is that the middle ran a bit slow but it didn’t impact my experience all that much.
This is my first work by the author but I’m looking forward to more. I recommend for fans of The X-Files, Men in Black, Area 51 covertness, and 1960’s detective stories.
Pale Imitators is a fun piece of detective fiction with classic sci-fi notes and endearing characters.
We follow Teddy Money, a police officer in Kittyhawk, New Mexico. Teddy lives an unassuming life, despite his powerful grandfather, until a bizarre traffic stop sets him on a rogue investigation with potential ties to his family name.
This was a really fun time. Immediately the setting is well stylized and reminiscent of a classic 1960s crime thriller, only it’s anything but. It’s got grit, heart, and workplace bureaucracy - a combo that kept me invested and enthralled. The New Mexico setting gives an isolated feeling that’s perfect for this secretive government co-op mission.
The characters felt true to the time and fostered connection. I particularly liked Teddy’s convictions and good nature. While there’s certainly some darkness to the story, he remained a source of light.
There was ample opportunity for the plot to grow muddled but the writing stays on track and clearly focused. My singular complaint is that the middle ran a bit slow but it didn’t impact my experience all that much.
This is my first work by the author but I’m looking forward to more. I recommend for fans of The X-Files, Men in Black, Area 51 covertness, and 1960’s detective stories.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This was such a fun concept and it kept me engaged till the very end. I needed to know what would happen next!
The writing was beautiful and I enjoyed the great cast of characters. If you grew up watching the X-files this is right up your alley! This is classic pulp fiction with a touch of horror. You'll never know what's gonna happen.
My only complaint is the dialogue felt stilted and jarring most of the time. It was hard to follow the characters train of thoughts to why they say what they say.
Thank you so much to the author for sending me an ARC
The writing was beautiful and I enjoyed the great cast of characters. If you grew up watching the X-files this is right up your alley! This is classic pulp fiction with a touch of horror. You'll never know what's gonna happen.
My only complaint is the dialogue felt stilted and jarring most of the time. It was hard to follow the characters train of thoughts to why they say what they say.
Thank you so much to the author for sending me an ARC
Review of advance copy received from Author
Thank you Ilia for sending an ARC my way!
I really loved this book. It's a shorter read, but it packs a lot in. The slow build, combined with the crazy twists and steady action, kept me thoroughly engaged. I really enjoyed the cast of characters. They were well developed and felt really real. I'm looking forward to reading more from Ilia.
I really loved this book. It's a shorter read, but it packs a lot in. The slow build, combined with the crazy twists and steady action, kept me thoroughly engaged. I really enjoyed the cast of characters. They were well developed and felt really real. I'm looking forward to reading more from Ilia.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I love small town mysteries and the lurking supernatural and this novel nailed it. Full of fun twists and deep conspiracies that will impress any fans of the X-files in need of a good mystery. Epifanov manages to pack a punch into 200 mere pages and despite the size, it felt like a great long journey
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews