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The Obscene
When Olly Ainsworth, his adopted sister Aisha, and their friend Scotch visit Chernobyl for what they think will be a quirky day trip, things quickly take a turn for the eldritch after the Obscene - an extra-terrestrial entity imprisoned beneath the irradiated plant - enslaves Olly and coerces the group into helping it escape.
Olly is forced to quickly learn how to control his impressive - and frightening - new abilities as he and his companions are hunted by the fearsome Colonel General Petrov across the parts of Chernobyl you aren’t likely to find on the guided tour.
Featuring alien tendrils, a demon fungus from space, a Russian paramilitary group set on enslaving it for their own nefarious ends, and three friends who end up caught in the middle whilst interrailing across Europe, The Obscene is a creepy Earth-based sci-fi novel with entertaining, diverse trio of main characters, a creepy antagonist and a splash of humour.
Olly is forced to quickly learn how to control his impressive - and frightening - new abilities as he and his companions are hunted by the fearsome Colonel General Petrov across the parts of Chernobyl you aren’t likely to find on the guided tour.
Featuring alien tendrils, a demon fungus from space, a Russian paramilitary group set on enslaving it for their own nefarious ends, and three friends who end up caught in the middle whilst interrailing across Europe, The Obscene is a creepy Earth-based sci-fi novel with entertaining, diverse trio of main characters, a creepy antagonist and a splash of humour.
- GenresHorror
171 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 24, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 23, 2019
Overall, this is a fast-paced, action-packed story that follows the hero journey's plot almost flawlessly. It's got the hero who acquires an incredible ability, the beautiful sister who will stay by his side and look out for him, and the scrappy comic-relief sidekick who falls in love with the beautiful sister. Sound familiar? It should. But Charlie Benton skillfully executes the story. Highlights below.
1) World Building. I've never been to Chernobyl, but a few chapters in I went online and did a virtual tour. Benton's creation of the world through his prose places the reader right into the setting.
2) Characters. The characters and their relationships are clearly established in the beginning. We get a strong sense of what each character looks like and a strong sense of their history together. In short, as a reader, I felt immediately invested in these characters.
3) Clear and present danger. It abounds the moment we step onto Chernobyl. Indeed, this is introduced even earlier than that. But it is shrouded in such mystery that, as a reader, I pass it off as simply odd. This develops even further, layer upon layer throughout the story. I didn't find the ending predictable.
One point worth mentioning:
The story could use another proofread. There were a few errors that didn't change the meaning of the story but did take me out of it for a moment.
1) World Building. I've never been to Chernobyl, but a few chapters in I went online and did a virtual tour. Benton's creation of the world through his prose places the reader right into the setting.
2) Characters. The characters and their relationships are clearly established in the beginning. We get a strong sense of what each character looks like and a strong sense of their history together. In short, as a reader, I felt immediately invested in these characters.
3) Clear and present danger. It abounds the moment we step onto Chernobyl. Indeed, this is introduced even earlier than that. But it is shrouded in such mystery that, as a reader, I pass it off as simply odd. This develops even further, layer upon layer throughout the story. I didn't find the ending predictable.
One point worth mentioning:
The story could use another proofread. There were a few errors that didn't change the meaning of the story but did take me out of it for a moment.
June 24, 2019
Horror and Gore with a story
I have really mixed feelings about this story and almost gave it 3 stars, but the ending really brought it back up to 4 for me.
The Bad:
I really did not enjoy the whole “Colonel General” schtick that was in the story. Just a really strange title for the character to obsess about. Also, the constant “this is not a horror movie” asides that the characters throw out did not need to be mentioned more than once. I also encountered a few typos that could easily be remedied and are not a big deal. Finally, some of the dialogue was chopped up oddly for a descriptive paragraph that could have been moved after the dialogue line. It just really messed with conversation flow for the sake of setting.
The Good:
The story made sense and the characters did, too. Their personalities and motivations were distinct which pushed the story along nicely. Things that happened later on with each character was backed up by what happened in the earlier bits. Really good descriptions of characters and setting really made this a lot more immersive than I thought it would be. The creepiness of it all was not overshadowed by the action, but bolstered by it.
Conclusion:
If this had been written as is by a more seasoned writer, there would be one less star. For what it is, this is a really quick and enjoyable read for horror/sci-fi lovers. I suggest you take a chance on this book and take a trip to Chernobyl, if you dare.
I have really mixed feelings about this story and almost gave it 3 stars, but the ending really brought it back up to 4 for me.
The Bad:
I really did not enjoy the whole “Colonel General” schtick that was in the story. Just a really strange title for the character to obsess about. Also, the constant “this is not a horror movie” asides that the characters throw out did not need to be mentioned more than once. I also encountered a few typos that could easily be remedied and are not a big deal. Finally, some of the dialogue was chopped up oddly for a descriptive paragraph that could have been moved after the dialogue line. It just really messed with conversation flow for the sake of setting.
The Good:
The story made sense and the characters did, too. Their personalities and motivations were distinct which pushed the story along nicely. Things that happened later on with each character was backed up by what happened in the earlier bits. Really good descriptions of characters and setting really made this a lot more immersive than I thought it would be. The creepiness of it all was not overshadowed by the action, but bolstered by it.
Conclusion:
If this had been written as is by a more seasoned writer, there would be one less star. For what it is, this is a really quick and enjoyable read for horror/sci-fi lovers. I suggest you take a chance on this book and take a trip to Chernobyl, if you dare.
June 23, 2019
Best Science fiction I've read in years!!
I flew through this book! Its not your run of the mill alien story!! It's a page turner and keeps your attention. Love the fact it didn't end abruptly and I'm truly hoping there's another book to follow this one. I'm invested in the characters and want more! Thank you Charlie Benton for writing such an awesome story.
I flew through this book! Its not your run of the mill alien story!! It's a page turner and keeps your attention. Love the fact it didn't end abruptly and I'm truly hoping there's another book to follow this one. I'm invested in the characters and want more! Thank you Charlie Benton for writing such an awesome story.
June 23, 2019
Excellent book! Benton's greatest strength is in writing characters and dialogue - the protagonist along with his companions are well-rounded, fun characters and reading their interactions feels like listening to a real conversation.
The plot gets quite dark and Benton keeps the reader on their toes with constant tension, yet there's often some great comic relief at just the right time.
It's also pretty clear the author has done a lot of research into the history of Chernobyl and the tragedy that happened there. While this is a work of fiction, it never feels exploitative.
Highly recommend to fans of sci-fi.
The plot gets quite dark and Benton keeps the reader on their toes with constant tension, yet there's often some great comic relief at just the right time.
It's also pretty clear the author has done a lot of research into the history of Chernobyl and the tragedy that happened there. While this is a work of fiction, it never feels exploitative.
Highly recommend to fans of sci-fi.
January 14, 2019
Nuclear Trouble Worth Getting Into
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's fast-paced with good descriptions. I liked the diversity of the characters and the craziness they encountered.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's fast-paced with good descriptions. I liked the diversity of the characters and the craziness they encountered.
June 19, 2019
Wowser.
What a story, one of those books you want to keep reading. I want to find more by this author.
What a story, one of those books you want to keep reading. I want to find more by this author.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews