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Flightsuit
Growing up poor in a virtual era isolates fourteen-year-old Leo. Others are immersed in a digital world he cannot access.
He’s left to explore miles of wilderness bounded by the Nolichucky River and the encircling Appalachian mountain ridges of Bumpas Cove, Tennessee. Beyond the last broken and tilted pieces of a crumbling asphalt road, he discovers the abandoned village where Iron Mountain’s mine workers lived. He walks inside empty houses and mine-works searching for toys and relics of the families that lived there decades before. In this place, being alone feels natural.
He returns daily, looking for forgotten things. Crawling through a streambed under a tunnel of long blackberry briars, he finds something that isn’t covered with rust. It shines white in the scattered shadows. Freed of muck and mire, the glass-metal sleeve is as light as plastic. He slides his arm inside, but before his fingers can reach down into the two long flat fingers, a sharp hook locks into his arm.
Leo is forced to find other scattered fragments, assembling a full flightsuit. Once restored, it prepares for a thousand light-year return trip with Leo trapped inside, as it waits for its alien pilot to be restored into Leo’s mind.
But the suit has drawn others, like Leo, set apart and isolated. Their fate and Leo’s intertwine as they face an alien entity that has no regard for their lives.
He’s left to explore miles of wilderness bounded by the Nolichucky River and the encircling Appalachian mountain ridges of Bumpas Cove, Tennessee. Beyond the last broken and tilted pieces of a crumbling asphalt road, he discovers the abandoned village where Iron Mountain’s mine workers lived. He walks inside empty houses and mine-works searching for toys and relics of the families that lived there decades before. In this place, being alone feels natural.
He returns daily, looking for forgotten things. Crawling through a streambed under a tunnel of long blackberry briars, he finds something that isn’t covered with rust. It shines white in the scattered shadows. Freed of muck and mire, the glass-metal sleeve is as light as plastic. He slides his arm inside, but before his fingers can reach down into the two long flat fingers, a sharp hook locks into his arm.
Leo is forced to find other scattered fragments, assembling a full flightsuit. Once restored, it prepares for a thousand light-year return trip with Leo trapped inside, as it waits for its alien pilot to be restored into Leo’s mind.
But the suit has drawn others, like Leo, set apart and isolated. Their fate and Leo’s intertwine as they face an alien entity that has no regard for their lives.
396 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 18, 2014
8 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
About the author
Tom Deaderick
12 books5 followersTom Deaderick lives in Jonesborough, Tennessee with his wife Martha. He writes unique and original novels that blend science-fiction and philosophical depth with the fascinating history and lore of the Appalachian Mountains and towns of East Tennessee. He is a great fan of classic science fiction written by Robert A. Heinlein, Philip K. Dick and Robert Silverberg and the influences of these books are evident in his writing.
Tom is a PMI-Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).
Visit http://TomDeaderick.com.
Creative works:
FLIGHTSUIT (2013)
FLIGHTPACK (2014)
LIFEFLASH (2016)
DEEP DARK: A BEDTIME TALE (2016)
THE LAZARUS SPEAR (2017)
FLIGHTSPAWN (2019)
TRY-CATCH (2021)
Tom is a PMI-Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).
Visit http://TomDeaderick.com.
Creative works:
FLIGHTSUIT (2013)
FLIGHTPACK (2014)
LIFEFLASH (2016)
DEEP DARK: A BEDTIME TALE (2016)
THE LAZARUS SPEAR (2017)
FLIGHTSPAWN (2019)
TRY-CATCH (2021)
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 15, 2026
Long build up to the central theme of the book. A bit disjointed, so somewhat hard to follow till you get about half to two thirds through it, when it starts to come together. Not one of my favorite reads, but good enough that I'll read the 2nd book.
July 19, 2025
Ok read
Niffty storyline, but a little short as to explanations which could give clarity and maybe some possibility to the story.
Niffty storyline, but a little short as to explanations which could give clarity and maybe some possibility to the story.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews