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Red Hail
Professor Colin Ayres has spent years researching the strange story of Galina, Arizona, a sleepy border town ripped apart by violence and paranoia after the outbreak of a mysterious illness in 1960. Colin is certain the Galina Incident was simply a case of mass hysteria. But when his partner, Alonzo, starts exhibiting strange symptoms, Colin is shocked to realize they are the same as those that emerged in Galina decades ago.
As Alonzo’s condition worsens, Colin scrambles to piece together what really happened during that terrible summer in the past. He uncovers a story of murder, corruption, and fanaticism. The deeper he digs, the more he becomes convinced that what happened in Galina wasn’t mass hysteria after all.
When others start to develop the same eerie symptoms, Colin must confront the possibility that someone—or something—is driving the plague. Guided by rumors of a person who found a way to stop the plague in the sixties, Colin races to find answers before the disease destroys Alonzo and everyone else it touches.
As Alonzo’s condition worsens, Colin scrambles to piece together what really happened during that terrible summer in the past. He uncovers a story of murder, corruption, and fanaticism. The deeper he digs, the more he becomes convinced that what happened in Galina wasn’t mass hysteria after all.
When others start to develop the same eerie symptoms, Colin must confront the possibility that someone—or something—is driving the plague. Guided by rumors of a person who found a way to stop the plague in the sixties, Colin races to find answers before the disease destroys Alonzo and everyone else it touches.
356 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 21, 2020
71 people are currently reading
167 people want to read
About the author
Jamie Killen
13 books98 followersI'm a reader, writer, podcaster, feminist, and owner of a pack of very spoiled dogs. I've published several horror/SFF short stories and novellas over the years. I also write audio drama and have created several fiction podcasts including SPINES and MIRRORS.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jamiekillen...
RED HAIL was released in February 2020. Check out the book trailer here: https://vimeo.com/385537761
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
September 1, 2023
In a Nutshell: Have you ever read a fictional work that reads like it's based on facts despite its outlandish plot? This is one! As long as you don't overanalyse this indie novel, it offers a wild and creepy ride. A good mix of sci-fi, mystery, and psychological thriller. Enjoyed most of it.
Story Synopsis:
Bookish Yays:
😍 The first half of the book was utterly gripping, and to a certain extent, even terror-inducing. The “disease” scared the bejesus out of me. Many scenes left me jittery. I had to keep the book aside at regular intervals to relax my nerves.
(On an aside: I finally understand why Joey of FRIENDS felt like keeping his copy of ‘The Shining’ in the freezer. I might have done the same for ‘Red Hail’ had I not loved my Kindle so much!)
😍 One of my favourite experiences while reading is putting myself in the place of the characters and wondering what I would have done in such a situation. This exercise is nerve-wracking for this book, but it serves well to understand the almost-catastrophic tension faced by the inhabitants of Galina in 1960. As people who have survived a viral global pandemic, who better than we to understand what it is like to fear the unknown ailment?
😍 The suspense is well-maintained almost throughout the first 75% or so. Even though the possible source is guessable to a certain extent, the hows and whys don’t come out until the climax.
😍 The book has quite a few strong characters in the contemporary as well as historical timeline. Without going into much detail, I’ll just say that most of the main characters are strong and atypical. I especially loved the female characters. Anza, Sonia and Dove all don’t fit into traditional roles and are major catalysts in this tale. (As a mother, I could feel Sonia’s pain to my core.) The quirky combo of teenaged Anza, gutsy Dove and pragmatic Fr. Santiago makes for an interesting team of epidemiological investigators.
😍 For a change, both the timelines are powerful enough on their own merit and work in tandem to reveal the secrets. This is the first time I have seen two distinct timelines function so well as two halves of the same picture. There is a perfect synchronicity between the timelines, and each supports the book equally without spoiling the fun of the other era.
😍 The book covers quite a few strong themes such as racism, homophobia, religious fanaticism, xenophobia, and fatalism. While each of these is intense, the book never felt like it went over the top in its approach of these topics.
😍 Alonzo and Colin are homosexual partners, and there is another homosexual pair in the 1960s. While the latter felt a bit too convenient to the book, I loved the portrayal of the contemporary pair. Their new relationship, their banter, their love, their struggles and their struggle to accept what’s happening – every aspect of their life comes across realistically.
😍 There are priests of two religious orders in the book. The evangelical one is the usual fire-and-brimstone spouting hack who does everything possible to prove God’s avenging hand in the new disease. The Jesuit priest is the more practical fellow who doesn’t let go of his faith but is still open-minded about the possible causes, and doesn’t push God into every conversation. As a Christian who is a staunch opponent of evangelical malpractices, I loved this depiction. I also appreciate how it highlighted the difference in the approach across varied Christian denominations. (I am fed up of people who presume all Christians to have the same malevolent intentions.)
Bookish Mixed Bags:
😐 While I did like the resolution, I can’t help feeling like it was too smooth and too tame, especially after the originality of the first half. That said, I must appreciate the unusual source of the “cause”. It is not an angle commonly taken in this genre.
😐 Dove is a strong character and one of a kind. Hers is the kind of woman character we dream of reading. At the same time, her character background seems to span too many diverse things. It felt like a convenient way of putting her into varied situations without much question. I also would have loved to know her age. This might not be a problem for everyone, but for key characters, I like having a rough idea of how to picture them in my head. Dove seems to be anywhere between 40 to 65, too wide an age range for my comfort.
😐 The fictional Galina, Arizona (probably based on Galena, Arizona) is used fairly well in the story. The small town setting is utilised to highlight the closeness and familiarity of the neighbours while still depicting the underlying hostility between the whites and the Mexicans. At the same time, the natural features of the desert-mountain landscape could have been used even better to enhance the eeriness of the events. The heat, the sand, the distances between the houses, the mesa, all were great elements that could have heightened the tension more.
😐 The book goes ahead at a mostly steady pace, not too fast to rush over key elements and not too slow as to create boredom. However, while the first half kept me gripped, the second half’s slackened action makes the events feel a bit repetitive and dragged.
Bookish Nays:
😒 There are some plot holes, though admittedly, these will only pop up if you go over every events with a fine-toothed comb. There are also some gaps in the event at the end. While we can fill in some of the blanks, I would have loved for the plot to seal the entire story properly.
😒 Some of the secondary characters are quite clichéd.
All in all, I did have a lot of fun with this book, until my mind started popping up the queries and I realised that I didn’t have all the answers. So this is the kind of book you ought not overanalyse. It is an imaginative entertainer, and if you read it with the right spirit, you will have a great time being creeped out.
4 stars. (It was a strong 4.5 stars until the first half, and that saved the overall rating. The second half kept swinging between 3.5-4 stars.)
My thanks to author Jamie Killen for providing me with a complimentary copy of “Red Hail”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
Story Synopsis:
Sixty years ago in 1960, a scary illness swept through the small town of Galina in Arizona, apparently beginning with a mysterious red hail. Not only were the symptoms strange, but they also had no apparent resolution. The onset created communal tensions between the whites and those of Mexican origin. The authorities dismissed the whole affair as a case of mass hysteria, and the plague remained out of public sight and mind.
Now, in 2020, Colin, a sociology professor, has been researching the Galina Plague as the subject of his dissertation when his partner Alonzo falls ill. To Colin’s utter horror, Alonzo begins demonstrating the same symptoms as the victims of the Galina Plague. As one of the very few people who knows the strange events of the past, Colin rushes to find out what stopped the plagues in the sixties.
The book comes to us over the two timelines of 1960 and 2020, and is written in the third person perspective of some key characters, including Colin.
Bookish Yays:
😍 The first half of the book was utterly gripping, and to a certain extent, even terror-inducing. The “disease” scared the bejesus out of me. Many scenes left me jittery. I had to keep the book aside at regular intervals to relax my nerves.
(On an aside: I finally understand why Joey of FRIENDS felt like keeping his copy of ‘The Shining’ in the freezer. I might have done the same for ‘Red Hail’ had I not loved my Kindle so much!)
😍 One of my favourite experiences while reading is putting myself in the place of the characters and wondering what I would have done in such a situation. This exercise is nerve-wracking for this book, but it serves well to understand the almost-catastrophic tension faced by the inhabitants of Galina in 1960. As people who have survived a viral global pandemic, who better than we to understand what it is like to fear the unknown ailment?
😍 The suspense is well-maintained almost throughout the first 75% or so. Even though the possible source is guessable to a certain extent, the hows and whys don’t come out until the climax.
😍 The book has quite a few strong characters in the contemporary as well as historical timeline. Without going into much detail, I’ll just say that most of the main characters are strong and atypical. I especially loved the female characters. Anza, Sonia and Dove all don’t fit into traditional roles and are major catalysts in this tale. (As a mother, I could feel Sonia’s pain to my core.) The quirky combo of teenaged Anza, gutsy Dove and pragmatic Fr. Santiago makes for an interesting team of epidemiological investigators.
😍 For a change, both the timelines are powerful enough on their own merit and work in tandem to reveal the secrets. This is the first time I have seen two distinct timelines function so well as two halves of the same picture. There is a perfect synchronicity between the timelines, and each supports the book equally without spoiling the fun of the other era.
😍 The book covers quite a few strong themes such as racism, homophobia, religious fanaticism, xenophobia, and fatalism. While each of these is intense, the book never felt like it went over the top in its approach of these topics.
😍 Alonzo and Colin are homosexual partners, and there is another homosexual pair in the 1960s. While the latter felt a bit too convenient to the book, I loved the portrayal of the contemporary pair. Their new relationship, their banter, their love, their struggles and their struggle to accept what’s happening – every aspect of their life comes across realistically.
😍 There are priests of two religious orders in the book. The evangelical one is the usual fire-and-brimstone spouting hack who does everything possible to prove God’s avenging hand in the new disease. The Jesuit priest is the more practical fellow who doesn’t let go of his faith but is still open-minded about the possible causes, and doesn’t push God into every conversation. As a Christian who is a staunch opponent of evangelical malpractices, I loved this depiction. I also appreciate how it highlighted the difference in the approach across varied Christian denominations. (I am fed up of people who presume all Christians to have the same malevolent intentions.)
Bookish Mixed Bags:
😐 While I did like the resolution, I can’t help feeling like it was too smooth and too tame, especially after the originality of the first half. That said, I must appreciate the unusual source of the “cause”. It is not an angle commonly taken in this genre.
😐 Dove is a strong character and one of a kind. Hers is the kind of woman character we dream of reading. At the same time, her character background seems to span too many diverse things. It felt like a convenient way of putting her into varied situations without much question. I also would have loved to know her age. This might not be a problem for everyone, but for key characters, I like having a rough idea of how to picture them in my head. Dove seems to be anywhere between 40 to 65, too wide an age range for my comfort.
😐 The fictional Galina, Arizona (probably based on Galena, Arizona) is used fairly well in the story. The small town setting is utilised to highlight the closeness and familiarity of the neighbours while still depicting the underlying hostility between the whites and the Mexicans. At the same time, the natural features of the desert-mountain landscape could have been used even better to enhance the eeriness of the events. The heat, the sand, the distances between the houses, the mesa, all were great elements that could have heightened the tension more.
😐 The book goes ahead at a mostly steady pace, not too fast to rush over key elements and not too slow as to create boredom. However, while the first half kept me gripped, the second half’s slackened action makes the events feel a bit repetitive and dragged.
Bookish Nays:
😒 There are some plot holes, though admittedly, these will only pop up if you go over every events with a fine-toothed comb. There are also some gaps in the event at the end. While we can fill in some of the blanks, I would have loved for the plot to seal the entire story properly.
😒 Some of the secondary characters are quite clichéd.
All in all, I did have a lot of fun with this book, until my mind started popping up the queries and I realised that I didn’t have all the answers. So this is the kind of book you ought not overanalyse. It is an imaginative entertainer, and if you read it with the right spirit, you will have a great time being creeped out.
4 stars. (It was a strong 4.5 stars until the first half, and that saved the overall rating. The second half kept swinging between 3.5-4 stars.)
My thanks to author Jamie Killen for providing me with a complimentary copy of “Red Hail”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
February 7, 2020
Sixty years prior, the unexplainable happened in a small Arizona town. Now Professor Colin Ayres’s research of the event and the resulting illness, paranoia and violence brought Galina, AZ, to its already crippled knees. Studies by “experts” found nothing, but townsfolk swear what happened that day and the fugue states that followed were real, until they suddenly stopped.
Present day, ancestors of the affected townfolk are displaying the same symptoms. Welcome to the world of Jamie Killen’s RED HAIL. Science fiction lovers will devour this one while the curious will wonder, could this happen? Why did it stop? Why has it returned so many decades later?
Two timelines will tell the tale, brilliantly carved out characters from both eras will live out the mesmerizing events and build a mystery that begs the questions: Does someone have the answers? Why aren’t they talking? Can contemporary characters unearth the missing pieces?
I loved this one. I felt the characters come to life, disliked a few, respected many and felt like a fly on the wall in both eras. These characters were not superheroes, they were everyday people caught up in the unexplainable and it was perfect for me. That feeling of real answers seemed just around the corner and the frustration of not knowing had me turning page after page leading up to an ending that wrapped things up and gave me something to think about! Definitely a hidden science fiction gem!
I received a complimentary copy from Red Adept! This is my honest and voluntary review.
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing, LLC (January 21, 2020)
Publication Date: January 21, 2020
Genre: Science Fiction
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
Present day, ancestors of the affected townfolk are displaying the same symptoms. Welcome to the world of Jamie Killen’s RED HAIL. Science fiction lovers will devour this one while the curious will wonder, could this happen? Why did it stop? Why has it returned so many decades later?
Two timelines will tell the tale, brilliantly carved out characters from both eras will live out the mesmerizing events and build a mystery that begs the questions: Does someone have the answers? Why aren’t they talking? Can contemporary characters unearth the missing pieces?
I loved this one. I felt the characters come to life, disliked a few, respected many and felt like a fly on the wall in both eras. These characters were not superheroes, they were everyday people caught up in the unexplainable and it was perfect for me. That feeling of real answers seemed just around the corner and the frustration of not knowing had me turning page after page leading up to an ending that wrapped things up and gave me something to think about! Definitely a hidden science fiction gem!
I received a complimentary copy from Red Adept! This is my honest and voluntary review.
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing, LLC (January 21, 2020)
Publication Date: January 21, 2020
Genre: Science Fiction
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
October 21, 2021
A bit of a mystery combined with the supernatural.
The novel follows two timelines. In 1960, some of the residents of the Arizona town Galina, experience strange symptoms that can't be explained. Then suddenly it stops.
Then suddenly 60 years later, the same symptoms start appearing in descendants of the town's residents. Why did they stop? What is causing it?
This book was a slow read as we watched the progression of the symptoms in both timelines. There were interesting characters, including LBGTQ+ representation in both timelines. I found the ending interesting, but it seemed to be a slower burn to get there than needed. Worthwhile read if you enjoy a mystery with a bit of supernatural.
Thank you to the publisher, author and Booksirens for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The novel follows two timelines. In 1960, some of the residents of the Arizona town Galina, experience strange symptoms that can't be explained. Then suddenly it stops.
Then suddenly 60 years later, the same symptoms start appearing in descendants of the town's residents. Why did they stop? What is causing it?
This book was a slow read as we watched the progression of the symptoms in both timelines. There were interesting characters, including LBGTQ+ representation in both timelines. I found the ending interesting, but it seemed to be a slower burn to get there than needed. Worthwhile read if you enjoy a mystery with a bit of supernatural.
Thank you to the publisher, author and Booksirens for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 6, 2023
A huge thank you to the Author for providing a review copy to EPIC indie in order for an honest review.
Red Hail starts with just that, Red Hail. A devastating storm which leads to a series of horrifying events in small town Galina during the 1960’s.
In 2020 professor Colin is investigating the strange phenomena that occurred 60 years prior, when his husband starts experiencing similar symptoms to the plagues all those years ago.
This story told between two timelines was a heck of a lot of fun as the slow reveals of the new symptoms and old connections took place. Red Hail was very easy to read, fast paced, entertaining and surprisingly character focused.
I’ll certainly be looking for more by this author!
Red Hail starts with just that, Red Hail. A devastating storm which leads to a series of horrifying events in small town Galina during the 1960’s.
In 2020 professor Colin is investigating the strange phenomena that occurred 60 years prior, when his husband starts experiencing similar symptoms to the plagues all those years ago.
This story told between two timelines was a heck of a lot of fun as the slow reveals of the new symptoms and old connections took place. Red Hail was very easy to read, fast paced, entertaining and surprisingly character focused.
I’ll certainly be looking for more by this author!
February 15, 2023
I don’t really enjoy science fiction in general. I feel like I’m not quite smart enough to understand it and frankly, a lot of science fiction doesn’t interest me. This book was different. Not only was it fascinating and compulsively readable, it didn’t make me feel inadequate. I understood it! Super interesting and binge worthy! Listened on audio.
June 27, 2020
The Red Hail has an interesting theme for a storyline. The town of Galina, Arizona is well-known for a mysterious illness that took place there during the 1960’s. Eventually, the illness died out and people resumed their daily lives. Many years later, in the year of 2020, some individuals have begun to show symptoms again, with no clear cause or explanation. The story switches between the 1960’s and 2020, allowing us to view POV’s from multiple characters involved.
Unfortunately, this novel just didn’t live up to my expectations. While it had an interesting theme, I felt like I wasn’t hooked on the book, and had a hard time keeping interest through some parts. I felt like I couldn’t connect to any of the characters, and didn’t really know much about anyone. i felt as though the beginning of the book was building to a greater ending than what actually happened. Overall, an okayish read.
Thank you to NetGalley and BookSirens for allowing me to read this novel!
Unfortunately, this novel just didn’t live up to my expectations. While it had an interesting theme, I felt like I wasn’t hooked on the book, and had a hard time keeping interest through some parts. I felt like I couldn’t connect to any of the characters, and didn’t really know much about anyone. i felt as though the beginning of the book was building to a greater ending than what actually happened. Overall, an okayish read.
Thank you to NetGalley and BookSirens for allowing me to read this novel!
February 27, 2020
Told on 2 timelines, 1960 and the present day this is a tale that straddles the line between horror and scifi.
It was 1960 when the Red Hail fell in Galina and the town was forever changed. Men, women, children, and animals were soon afflicted with mysterious and frightening symptoms. Racists and religious fanatics alike were quick to cast blame on everything from the Devil to the Mexicans, leading to dire consequences. Three brave souls dared to seek the truth behind this blight on the town and were able to put an end to it, but only for 60 years.
Now it's begun again. This time not in Galina but to those whose grandparents were the first stricken with symptoms there. Again it falls to 3 unlikely heroes to uncover the mystery of this terrifying ailment.
I'm not normally much of a scifi fan but this story had so many great horror elements to it and a great mix of characters that I couldn't help but enjoy it.
4 out of 5 stars
I received a complimentary copy for review.
It was 1960 when the Red Hail fell in Galina and the town was forever changed. Men, women, children, and animals were soon afflicted with mysterious and frightening symptoms. Racists and religious fanatics alike were quick to cast blame on everything from the Devil to the Mexicans, leading to dire consequences. Three brave souls dared to seek the truth behind this blight on the town and were able to put an end to it, but only for 60 years.
Now it's begun again. This time not in Galina but to those whose grandparents were the first stricken with symptoms there. Again it falls to 3 unlikely heroes to uncover the mystery of this terrifying ailment.
I'm not normally much of a scifi fan but this story had so many great horror elements to it and a great mix of characters that I couldn't help but enjoy it.
4 out of 5 stars
I received a complimentary copy for review.
April 21, 2023
One of the best books I’ve read in a while. Perfect blend of mystery, suspense, and sci-fi - honestly struggled to put it down. Switching between the two timelines (1960 - when the plagues began, and 2020 - when the third generation is trying to figure out what happened 60 years ago) made for a very cohesive well developed plot and kept the pacing consistent. I was very emotionally invested in the characters and the glimpse into the racism and political side was very unexpected but made the story so much more enjoyable and realistic. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
March 24, 2021
I did it! I finally stumbled across a Sci-Fi book that I both loved and could understand!
The characters in this book are so well-written. In a dual-timeline story, I usually end up liking one story much more than the other. In this case, I loved them both equally! Dove from the 1960’s storyline is my absolute favorite! I think there should be a whole book just written on her character. A strong, take-no-crap-from-anyone woman and a problem solver to boot. Yep, my favorite. Anza was also written so well that I felt like both Dove and Anza should be my new best friends.
The events that transpired at the beginning of the book were soooo good and creepy. I was on the edge of my seat trying to eagerly read faster and faster so that I could see what was going to happen next. The story keeps you guessing through most of the book as it adds new information for the characters to try and work through and understand.
While there were no slow spots and the story kept moving along, I did think that it was about 40-50 pages too long. It was fine as-is but I think it could have been even more hard-hitting if it was just a bit shorter.
Thank you to the author and Red Adept Publishing for providing this review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
The characters in this book are so well-written. In a dual-timeline story, I usually end up liking one story much more than the other. In this case, I loved them both equally! Dove from the 1960’s storyline is my absolute favorite! I think there should be a whole book just written on her character. A strong, take-no-crap-from-anyone woman and a problem solver to boot. Yep, my favorite. Anza was also written so well that I felt like both Dove and Anza should be my new best friends.
The events that transpired at the beginning of the book were soooo good and creepy. I was on the edge of my seat trying to eagerly read faster and faster so that I could see what was going to happen next. The story keeps you guessing through most of the book as it adds new information for the characters to try and work through and understand.
While there were no slow spots and the story kept moving along, I did think that it was about 40-50 pages too long. It was fine as-is but I think it could have been even more hard-hitting if it was just a bit shorter.
Thank you to the author and Red Adept Publishing for providing this review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
May 6, 2021
This book was so good, I loved it. We have two timelines going on, what happened in 1960 and what is happening in present day. Also I should point out that even though our two main MC's are a couple, this is not about their romance it is about what is happening to one of the MC's as he is having symptoms that a town back in 1960 had. A mysterious Red Hail fell one day on the town of Galina and it changed the inhabitants in dramatic ways. 3 of the MC's from the time period band together to try to determine what is going on & why only certain people are effective. Along the way the town is met with violence against Mexicans and Catholics as they are being blamed for the afflictions, pure racial hate being driven by a preacher. In present day, one of our MC's is doing his dissertation on what happened and his partner suddenly starts exhibiting those signs. We then have a rush to try to solve this mystery. I really enjoyed the investigation and really had not clue what was the cause of it until towards the end. I would love a sequel as it sort of leaves things open for the possibility of what can happen in the future.
April 2, 2020
Thank you to Book Sirens and Red Adept Publishing for the arc.
This is the first book I’ve read by Jamie Killen, and it kept my interest until the very end. It’s told in 2 timelines, only 60 years apart. That becomes significant later in the book. While I liked most of the characters I was suppose to like, they seemed a bit stereotypical. Nothing new and unique, and most of the action set in 1960 was predictable - up to the cave. What was interesting was finding out what was happening to those characters. I’m not a big science fiction fan, but this one worked for me, it held my interest. No big inner hidden deeper secret meanings and you’re not left with much when it ends, but it was an enjoyable read for me. The right story at the right time.
This is the first book I’ve read by Jamie Killen, and it kept my interest until the very end. It’s told in 2 timelines, only 60 years apart. That becomes significant later in the book. While I liked most of the characters I was suppose to like, they seemed a bit stereotypical. Nothing new and unique, and most of the action set in 1960 was predictable - up to the cave. What was interesting was finding out what was happening to those characters. I’m not a big science fiction fan, but this one worked for me, it held my interest. No big inner hidden deeper secret meanings and you’re not left with much when it ends, but it was an enjoyable read for me. The right story at the right time.
December 24, 2020
I really, really liked this book. It kept me interested, and waiting for an answer and the answer didn’t disappoint. Plus I love what happened to the Pastor at the end!
November 4, 2020
The synopsis more or less describes most of the story, except for how it ends. The book has a strong start, alternating between events that took place in 1960 in a small town called Galina and parallel events occurring in 2020.
A mysterious red hailstorm in 1960 Galina sets in motion a series of sicknesses in the people of the town — the Galina Plagues. Fear and uncertainty cause the racist undercurrents in the town to come out into the open, and the hate is spurred on by a group led by a rabble-rousing priest who blames a certain section of the townspeople for spreading the disease. In 2020, similar sicknesses are observed in people who then dig through the past and try to understand what is causing it.
The story moves back and forth between what happened in 1960 and what Colin (a researcher studying the Galina Plagues) find out in 2020.
Killen writes beautifully, fully able to trace how fury and hate can be whipped up on the merest of pretexts. We can see parallels in real life; indeed–racism, religious bigotry, homophobia–are the burning issues of today.
Some hard-hitting and insightful quotes:
“If most of the people affected are poor and brown, no one gives a shit.” -- Colin
“Men can afford to be merciful. Women can’t. The high road is a luxury women can’t afford. No matter where you and your daddy go, no matter what you do in this world, you don’t forget that.” ---Dove McNally
“There’s some who think women should be awake to feel the pain, like it’ll teach them a lesson. I say we got enough pain just being in this world. Might as well avoid it when we can." -- Dove McNally
No prizes for guessing that Dove is my favorite character–gutsy, plain-talking, empathetic.
All’s well until we arrive at the end–when the cause of the “Plagues” is revealed. I had high expectations because of the way the story was presented in the beginning, but the end fell flat. The possessed animals and plants could have played a bigger role in the story–they felt like props at best.
I was mystified by the placid acceptance of the situation by the characters in 2020 (Colin, Alonzo, and Sonia)–it just didn’t seem believable. Old Anza’s indifferent stance was also strange–wouldn’t she take more of an interest in what happens to the future generations? I can’t say more without giving away the plot.
Of course, it is possible that I am influenced by popular conspiracy theories such that I find the explanation given in the book too tame. But I’d expected something more given how detailed Colin’s research into the Plagues had been. It failed to blow my mind, in short.
Nevertheless, Red Hail has some strong writing with a delightfully feminist tone that I loved.
(I received a review copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.)
A mysterious red hailstorm in 1960 Galina sets in motion a series of sicknesses in the people of the town — the Galina Plagues. Fear and uncertainty cause the racist undercurrents in the town to come out into the open, and the hate is spurred on by a group led by a rabble-rousing priest who blames a certain section of the townspeople for spreading the disease. In 2020, similar sicknesses are observed in people who then dig through the past and try to understand what is causing it.
The story moves back and forth between what happened in 1960 and what Colin (a researcher studying the Galina Plagues) find out in 2020.
Killen writes beautifully, fully able to trace how fury and hate can be whipped up on the merest of pretexts. We can see parallels in real life; indeed–racism, religious bigotry, homophobia–are the burning issues of today.
Some hard-hitting and insightful quotes:
“If most of the people affected are poor and brown, no one gives a shit.” -- Colin
“Men can afford to be merciful. Women can’t. The high road is a luxury women can’t afford. No matter where you and your daddy go, no matter what you do in this world, you don’t forget that.” ---Dove McNally
“There’s some who think women should be awake to feel the pain, like it’ll teach them a lesson. I say we got enough pain just being in this world. Might as well avoid it when we can." -- Dove McNally
No prizes for guessing that Dove is my favorite character–gutsy, plain-talking, empathetic.
All’s well until we arrive at the end–when the cause of the “Plagues” is revealed. I had high expectations because of the way the story was presented in the beginning, but the end fell flat. The possessed animals and plants could have played a bigger role in the story–they felt like props at best.
I was mystified by the placid acceptance of the situation by the characters in 2020 (Colin, Alonzo, and Sonia)–it just didn’t seem believable. Old Anza’s indifferent stance was also strange–wouldn’t she take more of an interest in what happens to the future generations? I can’t say more without giving away the plot.
Of course, it is possible that I am influenced by popular conspiracy theories such that I find the explanation given in the book too tame. But I’d expected something more given how detailed Colin’s research into the Plagues had been. It failed to blow my mind, in short.
Nevertheless, Red Hail has some strong writing with a delightfully feminist tone that I loved.
(I received a review copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.)
April 20, 2020
I received a free copy of this book courtesy of BookSirens.
When I first read the blurb a few months ago I was really intrigued and when I finally got to it, it was a bit surreal with everything happening at the moment, but I was instantly hooked with this story. We follow two timelines: the first with Anza, Dove and Father Santiago in Galina in 1960 during the summer of the Galina Plagues; and the second with Alonzo, Colin, and Sonia in 2020 when the symptoms of the Galina Plague start up on the 60th anniversary of the event. Colin is the number one expert on this event and along with Sonia and Alonzo, they try to figure out what is happening and how to stop it.
I really enjoyed this book from the minute I started reading it. What I liked the most was how it went back and forth between 1960 (following the chronological elements of the Plague and how people were trying to work out what was going on, seeing the symptoms for the first time, how Dove, Anza, and Father Santiago tried to find a cure, etc), and then in present-day, when they already know so much about the Plagues from 60 years ago, but it's also very different this time. I really like reading books set in the past, and this one was especially great because we got both the past and the present.
I also really enjoyed reading about all the different characters and their links to the Plague and how they all worked together in parallel partnerships of 3 people, working against the plague and their daily lives and how they had to deal with everything.
Overall, I loved this book so much, it was such a different book, the plot was so original, but the scary thing is that I can totally see something like this happening. I have to admit that as the book goes on, one or two things were fairly obvious, but I loved how the author brought everything to an end and it was a really good and unexpected ending. I highly recommend, this was a great book.
When I first read the blurb a few months ago I was really intrigued and when I finally got to it, it was a bit surreal with everything happening at the moment, but I was instantly hooked with this story. We follow two timelines: the first with Anza, Dove and Father Santiago in Galina in 1960 during the summer of the Galina Plagues; and the second with Alonzo, Colin, and Sonia in 2020 when the symptoms of the Galina Plague start up on the 60th anniversary of the event. Colin is the number one expert on this event and along with Sonia and Alonzo, they try to figure out what is happening and how to stop it.
I really enjoyed this book from the minute I started reading it. What I liked the most was how it went back and forth between 1960 (following the chronological elements of the Plague and how people were trying to work out what was going on, seeing the symptoms for the first time, how Dove, Anza, and Father Santiago tried to find a cure, etc), and then in present-day, when they already know so much about the Plagues from 60 years ago, but it's also very different this time. I really like reading books set in the past, and this one was especially great because we got both the past and the present.
I also really enjoyed reading about all the different characters and their links to the Plague and how they all worked together in parallel partnerships of 3 people, working against the plague and their daily lives and how they had to deal with everything.
Overall, I loved this book so much, it was such a different book, the plot was so original, but the scary thing is that I can totally see something like this happening. I have to admit that as the book goes on, one or two things were fairly obvious, but I loved how the author brought everything to an end and it was a really good and unexpected ending. I highly recommend, this was a great book.
February 9, 2021
*I received this as an ARC copy for a fair and honest review
TW: Blood, abortion, homophobia, racism, plague, implied harm against children, religious-based violence
This was a really great story with a captivating mystery and enough horror elements to make me feel uneasy reading it alone at night, and it all came together wonderfully.
My favourite thing was the way the author wrote the setting, especially the parts in 1960s Arizona. The characters all felt authentic to their time, and I could picture them all and the entire town so clearly. I think everyone and everything had the perfect amount of descriptions, with just enough to really understand the vibe of the people and places but letting my imagination fill in the gaps. It made it so vivid in my mind.
The other thing with it being so vivid is how frigin creepy some parts were, but that's definitely a compliment. This isn't jump-scare or being-chased-by-a-monster scary, it's animals acting really strange and weird unexplained phenomenon and people just acting… wrong. Those were all described in a lot of detail, and it was unsettling in the best way. I felt such a sense of dread and fear, and I wasn't even sure what I was afraid of yet.
While I did like the mystery itself, I found its pacing to be a little off for me. I'm the type of reader than likes to play detective as I read and try to solve the mystery, even if my theories are completely wrong. But we didn't get many clues to what was actually going on. Halfway through the book I realized I didn't have a single solid theory, just the same giant list of possibilities I had after reading the first chapter. If you like just going along for the ride I don't think this would be an issue at all, but I like more clues along the way.
Overall I really enjoyed this story and had a great time reading it! I'd especially recommend this for anyone who likes the mashup of science fiction and mystery/thriller, the type of mystery when no explanation feels like it can be ruled out.
TW: Blood, abortion, homophobia, racism, plague, implied harm against children, religious-based violence
This was a really great story with a captivating mystery and enough horror elements to make me feel uneasy reading it alone at night, and it all came together wonderfully.
My favourite thing was the way the author wrote the setting, especially the parts in 1960s Arizona. The characters all felt authentic to their time, and I could picture them all and the entire town so clearly. I think everyone and everything had the perfect amount of descriptions, with just enough to really understand the vibe of the people and places but letting my imagination fill in the gaps. It made it so vivid in my mind.
The other thing with it being so vivid is how frigin creepy some parts were, but that's definitely a compliment. This isn't jump-scare or being-chased-by-a-monster scary, it's animals acting really strange and weird unexplained phenomenon and people just acting… wrong. Those were all described in a lot of detail, and it was unsettling in the best way. I felt such a sense of dread and fear, and I wasn't even sure what I was afraid of yet.
While I did like the mystery itself, I found its pacing to be a little off for me. I'm the type of reader than likes to play detective as I read and try to solve the mystery, even if my theories are completely wrong. But we didn't get many clues to what was actually going on. Halfway through the book I realized I didn't have a single solid theory, just the same giant list of possibilities I had after reading the first chapter. If you like just going along for the ride I don't think this would be an issue at all, but I like more clues along the way.
Overall I really enjoyed this story and had a great time reading it! I'd especially recommend this for anyone who likes the mashup of science fiction and mystery/thriller, the type of mystery when no explanation feels like it can be ruled out.
March 18, 2020
What Made Me Read It I was sent a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. The author described it as an "historical mystery sci-fi novel... a first contact story [where] dual investigations in 1960 and in 2020 both uncover aspects of the plagues that seem possibly supernatural or extraterrestrial, and in both times the characters are able to make contact with the entities that have occupied their bodies". It sounded intriguing so I decided to give it a go.
The Plot Summer of 1960. A sudden crimson colored hail falls from the sky over Galina, a small copper mining town near New Mexico. A week later, the 3 children who went missing during the storm start showing a series of eerie fits and seizures that soon spread to the entire community. Driven by fear, the small town falls prey to religious fanaticism, racial conflict and bloodshed. Skeptical to take the symptoms as the work of the devil, 16-year-old Anza Kearney, Dove McNally and Father Santiago join forces to discover the real cause of the disease, on a race against time to find a cure before chaos tears Galina apart.
Summer of 2020. Colin Ayres is a college professor of sociology researching the Galina Plagues for his dissertation. When his companion Alonzo Cardenas, a descendant of a Galina resident, suddenly shows the same symptoms, Colin is forced to discard his initial mass hysteria theory and look for a different explanation. Sonia Rollins is a single mother, working as a bartender and a blues band singer. After her 7-year-old son suddenly starts going through strange fits and seizures and the doctors accuse her of abuse, Sonia reaches out to the one person who might be able to help her: the sociology researcher who's been contacting survivors of the Red Hail and their descendants. Anything is on the table, from a simple virus to crackpot theories, government experiments, possession, aliens... it's up to Colin, Alonzo and Sonia to find the answers before this disease destroys their lives.
The Ones have come to learn and to teach. The Agreement of the First Meeting has been honored and The Ones need to consult with Those of Origin in order to proceed. But the Means to contact Those of Origin is in possession of one of the First Speakers and has been moved from its original location. Now The Ones must travel to the Place of Landing in order to find the Means and complete the mission.
The Good "Red Hail" is a science-fiction mystery-thriller novel, set both in 1960 Galina and 2020 Tucson. In the summer of 1960, the multicultural copper mining town of Galina witnesses the fall of a mysterious red hail, followed by an epidemic of strange and frightening physical symptoms that lead to paranoia, rioting and bloodshed. A 16-year-old girl (Anza Kearney), a middle-aged widow and former nurse (Dove McNally) and a catholic priest (Father Santiago) struggle to find a cure for the disease and save the town. 60 years later, on the anniversary of the Red Hail events, a college professor of sociology (Colin Ayres) working on his dissertation about the Plague Summer, is forced to rethink his mass hysteria theory when his companion (Alonzo Cardenas) and a single mother bartender and blues singer (Sonia Rollins), both descendants of former Galina's residents, start manifesting the exact same symptoms, along with several other people spread across the country.
The narrative alternates between the 2 timelines, weaving together seamlessly around the Galina Plagues mystery, with the present day timeline (through Colin's scientific research and Alonzo's and Sonia's personal experiences) complementing the past in a way that doesn't feel like we're reading 2 different stories, allowing us to explore and solve the mystery alongside the characters as they all go through the strange events in their respective times. The worldbuilding around the Red Hail is well thought-out: the symptoms and progressive stages of the disease (Naming Disease, Statue Disease, Dancing Sickness and Remembering), the origin of the Plague, the way both generations search for answers and how the mystery plays out in both timelines... it's logical and very plausible.
It's not an action-packed plot but mostly a realistic and believable character study, even with all the supernatural and science fiction elements, full of tension and suspense. In the 1960 timeline, the residents of Galina, a peaceful town under normal circumstances, show both the best and the worst of themselves when confronted with the unknown: some respond with violence, racial/gender conflict and religious fanaticism, preying on minorities and blaming them for the disease; while others explore the fear and uncertainty to strengthen their own influence and control. In the present day timeline, Colin must broaden his horizons in order to help his companion, while Alonzo and Sonia must learn to deal with a condition that strongly affects who they are, their relationships and their future.
The characters are 3-dimentional and complex, with realistic behaviors, reactions and motivations: the evangelist pastor, who uses the plague to consolidate his power over his congregation; a bright and curious young girl, brave enough to stand up for herself and those threatened by racial violence; a single mother, plagued by feelings of inadequacy, who will do what it takes to protect her son; a sociologist who steps outside his comfort zone in order to help his companion; the town's drunken thug who uses the plague to feed his own racism and misogyny...
It's a truly engaging story guaranteed to keep you glued to your seat until the very last page.
Read the full review on: https://literaryportals.blogspot.com/...
Final Rating 5 of 5 stars. "Red Hail" is a standalone science-fiction mystery-thriller novel, set both in 1960 Galina and 2020 Tucson, a realistic and believable character study full of tension and suspense. Recommended for those who enjoy mystery-thrillers and first contact stories.
The Plot Summer of 1960. A sudden crimson colored hail falls from the sky over Galina, a small copper mining town near New Mexico. A week later, the 3 children who went missing during the storm start showing a series of eerie fits and seizures that soon spread to the entire community. Driven by fear, the small town falls prey to religious fanaticism, racial conflict and bloodshed. Skeptical to take the symptoms as the work of the devil, 16-year-old Anza Kearney, Dove McNally and Father Santiago join forces to discover the real cause of the disease, on a race against time to find a cure before chaos tears Galina apart.
Summer of 2020. Colin Ayres is a college professor of sociology researching the Galina Plagues for his dissertation. When his companion Alonzo Cardenas, a descendant of a Galina resident, suddenly shows the same symptoms, Colin is forced to discard his initial mass hysteria theory and look for a different explanation. Sonia Rollins is a single mother, working as a bartender and a blues band singer. After her 7-year-old son suddenly starts going through strange fits and seizures and the doctors accuse her of abuse, Sonia reaches out to the one person who might be able to help her: the sociology researcher who's been contacting survivors of the Red Hail and their descendants. Anything is on the table, from a simple virus to crackpot theories, government experiments, possession, aliens... it's up to Colin, Alonzo and Sonia to find the answers before this disease destroys their lives.
The Ones have come to learn and to teach. The Agreement of the First Meeting has been honored and The Ones need to consult with Those of Origin in order to proceed. But the Means to contact Those of Origin is in possession of one of the First Speakers and has been moved from its original location. Now The Ones must travel to the Place of Landing in order to find the Means and complete the mission.
The Good "Red Hail" is a science-fiction mystery-thriller novel, set both in 1960 Galina and 2020 Tucson. In the summer of 1960, the multicultural copper mining town of Galina witnesses the fall of a mysterious red hail, followed by an epidemic of strange and frightening physical symptoms that lead to paranoia, rioting and bloodshed. A 16-year-old girl (Anza Kearney), a middle-aged widow and former nurse (Dove McNally) and a catholic priest (Father Santiago) struggle to find a cure for the disease and save the town. 60 years later, on the anniversary of the Red Hail events, a college professor of sociology (Colin Ayres) working on his dissertation about the Plague Summer, is forced to rethink his mass hysteria theory when his companion (Alonzo Cardenas) and a single mother bartender and blues singer (Sonia Rollins), both descendants of former Galina's residents, start manifesting the exact same symptoms, along with several other people spread across the country.
The narrative alternates between the 2 timelines, weaving together seamlessly around the Galina Plagues mystery, with the present day timeline (through Colin's scientific research and Alonzo's and Sonia's personal experiences) complementing the past in a way that doesn't feel like we're reading 2 different stories, allowing us to explore and solve the mystery alongside the characters as they all go through the strange events in their respective times. The worldbuilding around the Red Hail is well thought-out: the symptoms and progressive stages of the disease (Naming Disease, Statue Disease, Dancing Sickness and Remembering), the origin of the Plague, the way both generations search for answers and how the mystery plays out in both timelines... it's logical and very plausible.
It's not an action-packed plot but mostly a realistic and believable character study, even with all the supernatural and science fiction elements, full of tension and suspense. In the 1960 timeline, the residents of Galina, a peaceful town under normal circumstances, show both the best and the worst of themselves when confronted with the unknown: some respond with violence, racial/gender conflict and religious fanaticism, preying on minorities and blaming them for the disease; while others explore the fear and uncertainty to strengthen their own influence and control. In the present day timeline, Colin must broaden his horizons in order to help his companion, while Alonzo and Sonia must learn to deal with a condition that strongly affects who they are, their relationships and their future.
The characters are 3-dimentional and complex, with realistic behaviors, reactions and motivations: the evangelist pastor, who uses the plague to consolidate his power over his congregation; a bright and curious young girl, brave enough to stand up for herself and those threatened by racial violence; a single mother, plagued by feelings of inadequacy, who will do what it takes to protect her son; a sociologist who steps outside his comfort zone in order to help his companion; the town's drunken thug who uses the plague to feed his own racism and misogyny...
It's a truly engaging story guaranteed to keep you glued to your seat until the very last page.
Read the full review on: https://literaryportals.blogspot.com/...
Final Rating 5 of 5 stars. "Red Hail" is a standalone science-fiction mystery-thriller novel, set both in 1960 Galina and 2020 Tucson, a realistic and believable character study full of tension and suspense. Recommended for those who enjoy mystery-thrillers and first contact stories.
October 21, 2020
4.5
Book source ~ Review copy. My review is voluntary and honest.
In 1960, Galina, Arizona was a typical border town until a strange atmospheric event led to an even weirder plague. As the town’s citizens developed unusual symptoms and it spread through nearly every family, the townspeople became paranoid and racism led to violence, ripping the town apart.
In 2020, Professor Colin Ayres has been doing years of research while writing a book about Galina. He believes the town experienced mass hysteria since there was no indication the mysterious symptoms or illness spread outside of town. In the course of interviewing survivors and their descendants he meets Alonzo, a grandson of one of the town’s citizens. When Alonzo starts experiencing the very same symptoms that showed up in Galina 60 years ago, Colin is dumbfounded. As he puts his research in high gear to help Alonzo, he finds more and more people are also experiencing the symptoms. The only connection these people have keep leading Colin back to Galina. What the hell is going on here and what the hell happened there in 1960? Colin needs answers and needs them now.
Holy shit. This is quite a ride! It has alternating POVs with Anza in 1960 and Colin, Alonzo, and a woman named Sonia, all in 2020.The underlying story is sci-fi, but what it really boils down to is a mystery. And suspense. I can’t emphasize enough how much of a mystery this book is. Reading it is an agonizing process. And I mean that in a good way. Because I was right there with the characters trying to figure out what the hell was going on and not only in the past. But now there’s the present, too! Just, what the hell?! The slow deterioration of Galina is so painful to watch. Not to mention the people who are infected. The disease is so incredibly weird, too. I was on the edge of my seat, just waiting for it all to be revealed. And what a revelation it is! The characters are great, the writing is smooth, and the mystery is a head scratching hellofa stumper. Don’t pass this up!
Book source ~ Review copy. My review is voluntary and honest.
In 1960, Galina, Arizona was a typical border town until a strange atmospheric event led to an even weirder plague. As the town’s citizens developed unusual symptoms and it spread through nearly every family, the townspeople became paranoid and racism led to violence, ripping the town apart.
In 2020, Professor Colin Ayres has been doing years of research while writing a book about Galina. He believes the town experienced mass hysteria since there was no indication the mysterious symptoms or illness spread outside of town. In the course of interviewing survivors and their descendants he meets Alonzo, a grandson of one of the town’s citizens. When Alonzo starts experiencing the very same symptoms that showed up in Galina 60 years ago, Colin is dumbfounded. As he puts his research in high gear to help Alonzo, he finds more and more people are also experiencing the symptoms. The only connection these people have keep leading Colin back to Galina. What the hell is going on here and what the hell happened there in 1960? Colin needs answers and needs them now.
Holy shit. This is quite a ride! It has alternating POVs with Anza in 1960 and Colin, Alonzo, and a woman named Sonia, all in 2020.The underlying story is sci-fi, but what it really boils down to is a mystery. And suspense. I can’t emphasize enough how much of a mystery this book is. Reading it is an agonizing process. And I mean that in a good way. Because I was right there with the characters trying to figure out what the hell was going on and not only in the past. But now there’s the present, too! Just, what the hell?! The slow deterioration of Galina is so painful to watch. Not to mention the people who are infected. The disease is so incredibly weird, too. I was on the edge of my seat, just waiting for it all to be revealed. And what a revelation it is! The characters are great, the writing is smooth, and the mystery is a head scratching hellofa stumper. Don’t pass this up!
November 19, 2020
Galina, Arizona, 1960. A teenage girl witnesses a strange rain storm, red hail falls from the sky staining everything with a bloody hue. The cause - A natural phenomenon? Nobody knows, but when people from the town start to exhibit strange behaviour they all quickly realise that they might be dealing with something terrible. Tensions in the town reach fever pitch as the Mexican population are wrongly blamed for the outbreak. Nobody seems to be coming to help so the towns folk take it upon themselves to be judge, jury and executioner.
Sixty years later, Colin Ayers, a professor, has been looking in to the town of Galina and the fallout from the “outbreak” all those years ago. He isn’t convinced that anything untoward happened but when his partner Alonzo starts to exhibit the same signs that where recorded all those years ago he realises that something doesn’t add up. As Alonzo’s conditions worsens and others start to show up with the same symptoms, Colin decides that the only way to save him and the others is to go back to where it started. What will he find in Galina and will anyone want to talk about the events from all those years ago?
Red Hail was an enjoyable read with a sci-fi element to it, the dual timelines which can usually be a put off for me worked extremely well as the story progressed. The journey to the cause of the hail and the strange behaviour is an enjoyable one and the conclusion of the story was not one I could have guessed.
Thanks to Jamie Killen for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Sixty years later, Colin Ayers, a professor, has been looking in to the town of Galina and the fallout from the “outbreak” all those years ago. He isn’t convinced that anything untoward happened but when his partner Alonzo starts to exhibit the same signs that where recorded all those years ago he realises that something doesn’t add up. As Alonzo’s conditions worsens and others start to show up with the same symptoms, Colin decides that the only way to save him and the others is to go back to where it started. What will he find in Galina and will anyone want to talk about the events from all those years ago?
Red Hail was an enjoyable read with a sci-fi element to it, the dual timelines which can usually be a put off for me worked extremely well as the story progressed. The journey to the cause of the hail and the strange behaviour is an enjoyable one and the conclusion of the story was not one I could have guessed.
Thanks to Jamie Killen for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
January 28, 2020
Review copy provided by the author.
While studying the mass hysteria that swept a border town sixty years ago, a young professor is forced to reconsider his hypothesis when his partner starts showing the same bizarre symptoms. This is a solid mystery, alternating between 1960 and 2020 timelines in a way that maintains momentum without feeling forced. The cast in each timeline is human and diverse, and watching each group tackle the mystery with the capabilities and limitations unique to their timeline is satisfying. (I particularly love Dove, a brusque woman from the 1960s timeline who has a bevy of backstory and competency.) But what this lacks is atmosphere--it has a sense of time and place, but is utterly bereft of pathetic fallacy, and using the sweltering desert heat or inhospitable barren landscapes to intensify the anxiety surrounding the disease would have made this more memorable.
While studying the mass hysteria that swept a border town sixty years ago, a young professor is forced to reconsider his hypothesis when his partner starts showing the same bizarre symptoms. This is a solid mystery, alternating between 1960 and 2020 timelines in a way that maintains momentum without feeling forced. The cast in each timeline is human and diverse, and watching each group tackle the mystery with the capabilities and limitations unique to their timeline is satisfying. (I particularly love Dove, a brusque woman from the 1960s timeline who has a bevy of backstory and competency.) But what this lacks is atmosphere--it has a sense of time and place, but is utterly bereft of pathetic fallacy, and using the sweltering desert heat or inhospitable barren landscapes to intensify the anxiety surrounding the disease would have made this more memorable.
April 15, 2022
I received an advance review copy of this book and am leaving this review voluntarily.
I found this book while looking through selections on the BookSirens review site. The first thing that caught my eye was the opening to the blurb: "In 1960, the plagues came to Galina. Today, they came back for the survivors' descendants." I do enjoy a good historical sci-fi story, so I took the dive.
I found Red Hail a great story I enjoyed immensely. The characters were interesting and written well, and there were several I cared about. The interactions between characters was well written and believable. I felt as though I was in the places being described by the settings. There was nothing about this tale I didn't like. The story itself flowed very well and as it bounced between the two eras it covered, 1960 and 2020, I was always able to distinguish between the two.
There are some uncomfortable moments as it unfolds. Plot points include racism, sexism, religious conflict, and a few depictions of violence that may make some uncomfortable, but nothing was in any way gratuitous or sensationalized.
It's 1960 in the town of Galina, Arizona, located close to the border between the US and Mexico. A young woman goes to see a friend for help with a precarious situation. While they visit, there is a storm with red hail falling from the sky. Before long, many of the people of the town start showing strange, unexplainable behaviors. There doesn't seem to be anything medically wrong with those affected, but one group of people begin to blame the Hispanic population for the plague brought by the storm.
Move forward to 2020. Colin and his partner, Alonzo, have moved into their own place to live their lives together. A sociology Ph.D. candidate, Colin works on his dissertation on the Galina Plague. He does not know just how close he will get to his subject matter until Alonzo begins displaying symptoms sixty years after the event.
These two stories come together in a satisfying and fascinating way at the end of the tale.
My favorite characters in Red Hail follow Esperanza Kearney (known to most as Anza) and a salty older woman named Dove McNally.
Anza lives with her father in Galina. At sixteen, she is an intelligent and hard-working young woman with a lot of potential. When she discovers she is pregnant, she seeks the help of Dove, a kind of expert on how to use plants for numerous things. Anza has ambitions for her future and isn't ready to have a family, and she is also petrified that her father would be more than a little upset at her situation. He also wishes to see Anza reach her full potential, and as a dedicated father, he will do just about anything to see his little girl be successful in life.
Dove has a lot of life experience and isn't afraid to use it. She is handy with cures and with a shotgun as well. She helps Anza as best she can through the story and is someone I would like to know. Dove is a truly fun character through the book as she helps those in need in whatever way she can.
My favorite point of plot in Red Hail is when the two stories come together. It had me laughing out loud, but not because it was funny, but because of how well the story was out together and how unexpectedly the plot twisted. It was worth the time to read to get to the end because of how neatly it was all wrapped up.
My takeaway from this tale is how one must be ever vigilant to watch out for superstition as an explanation for something that cannot be explained. Nothing can replace good, old-fashioned research and finding the empirical evidence. The beliefs of some of the town members turned Galina into a war zone for a time, and there was a lot of avoidable strife and loss of life.
Red Hail is a fun and entertaining story for any sci-fi fan looking for a good read. There is plenty of action and suspense, lots of interesting characters, and an out of this world ending.
I recommend this book for genre fans as well as those looking for a good story. It is on the light-side of science fiction and more character driven.
I found this book while looking through selections on the BookSirens review site. The first thing that caught my eye was the opening to the blurb: "In 1960, the plagues came to Galina. Today, they came back for the survivors' descendants." I do enjoy a good historical sci-fi story, so I took the dive.
I found Red Hail a great story I enjoyed immensely. The characters were interesting and written well, and there were several I cared about. The interactions between characters was well written and believable. I felt as though I was in the places being described by the settings. There was nothing about this tale I didn't like. The story itself flowed very well and as it bounced between the two eras it covered, 1960 and 2020, I was always able to distinguish between the two.
There are some uncomfortable moments as it unfolds. Plot points include racism, sexism, religious conflict, and a few depictions of violence that may make some uncomfortable, but nothing was in any way gratuitous or sensationalized.
It's 1960 in the town of Galina, Arizona, located close to the border between the US and Mexico. A young woman goes to see a friend for help with a precarious situation. While they visit, there is a storm with red hail falling from the sky. Before long, many of the people of the town start showing strange, unexplainable behaviors. There doesn't seem to be anything medically wrong with those affected, but one group of people begin to blame the Hispanic population for the plague brought by the storm.
Move forward to 2020. Colin and his partner, Alonzo, have moved into their own place to live their lives together. A sociology Ph.D. candidate, Colin works on his dissertation on the Galina Plague. He does not know just how close he will get to his subject matter until Alonzo begins displaying symptoms sixty years after the event.
These two stories come together in a satisfying and fascinating way at the end of the tale.
My favorite characters in Red Hail follow Esperanza Kearney (known to most as Anza) and a salty older woman named Dove McNally.
Anza lives with her father in Galina. At sixteen, she is an intelligent and hard-working young woman with a lot of potential. When she discovers she is pregnant, she seeks the help of Dove, a kind of expert on how to use plants for numerous things. Anza has ambitions for her future and isn't ready to have a family, and she is also petrified that her father would be more than a little upset at her situation. He also wishes to see Anza reach her full potential, and as a dedicated father, he will do just about anything to see his little girl be successful in life.
Dove has a lot of life experience and isn't afraid to use it. She is handy with cures and with a shotgun as well. She helps Anza as best she can through the story and is someone I would like to know. Dove is a truly fun character through the book as she helps those in need in whatever way she can.
My favorite point of plot in Red Hail is when the two stories come together. It had me laughing out loud, but not because it was funny, but because of how well the story was out together and how unexpectedly the plot twisted. It was worth the time to read to get to the end because of how neatly it was all wrapped up.
My takeaway from this tale is how one must be ever vigilant to watch out for superstition as an explanation for something that cannot be explained. Nothing can replace good, old-fashioned research and finding the empirical evidence. The beliefs of some of the town members turned Galina into a war zone for a time, and there was a lot of avoidable strife and loss of life.
Red Hail is a fun and entertaining story for any sci-fi fan looking for a good read. There is plenty of action and suspense, lots of interesting characters, and an out of this world ending.
I recommend this book for genre fans as well as those looking for a good story. It is on the light-side of science fiction and more character driven.
July 18, 2020
I’ve read several books over the last few years that have had, as a big part of their storyline, a pandemic or plague or the like. Sometimes the issue was one in the past, like in this book, and other times it is more contemporary, imagining something now or at some point in the future. When these books work for me it is typically for several reasons, not only the intensity of the story, and me as a reader being pulled in and rooting for the characters, but also because it gets me thinking and asking questions. Could something like this really happen? How would I react, would it be the same as the characters in the story or differently?
Given current happenings in the world, my reactions and thoughts to such a book remain all of the above with a bit more immediacy. The “sure, this is fun to think about, but nothing like this is really going to happen” thoughts don’t have the same credibility as usual. I suspect some people would stay away from such a story right now. In my case, I’ve found these books help me cope to some degree with the real world. That the plague in Red Hail is imagined to have been (at least mostly) in the past and geographically limited might help as well.
As for the story under discussion today, I loved it. The various characters (both heroes and villains) were well done, keeping me rooting for the good guys, both past and present, and on the edge of my seat to see how it would all end.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
Given current happenings in the world, my reactions and thoughts to such a book remain all of the above with a bit more immediacy. The “sure, this is fun to think about, but nothing like this is really going to happen” thoughts don’t have the same credibility as usual. I suspect some people would stay away from such a story right now. In my case, I’ve found these books help me cope to some degree with the real world. That the plague in Red Hail is imagined to have been (at least mostly) in the past and geographically limited might help as well.
As for the story under discussion today, I loved it. The various characters (both heroes and villains) were well done, keeping me rooting for the good guys, both past and present, and on the edge of my seat to see how it would all end.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
March 22, 2020
Red Hail is the second novel from horror and science fiction writer Jamie Killen. I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
My expectations were certainly high as I was already a big fan of Killen's through her audio fiction. And perhaps, that audio element I'm used to with her work provides the needed emotional punch, because this book fell somewhat short for me. It does touch on a lot of familiar themes, the story particularly reminding me of Mirrors (if you enjoyed Red Hail, I urge you to search for Mirrors on your favorite podcast app).
The dialogue is often cheesy and resorts to overused tropes. And though the characters all have their own developed backstories (no mean feat), their traits and descriptions lean toward tired tropes as well - Sonia, a tough single mother who sings in a blues band, has dark, shaggy hair, dark eyeliner, and swears a lot. However, the story is incredibly well paced, masterfully so. There are no lulls. The action is not all saved for the final chapter.
The science fiction element is very interesting but ended up feeling anticlimactic to me. The strengths of Red Hail come through in the human response to said element, that scary unknown. Killen writes about the mass panic and fear, about racism, prejudice, and human evil. As in her other works, she has a particular gift for writing about hope, often through found family and community. That hope sparkles and reaches out to the reader. Despite some issues with this book, I know I will continue to follow her work because of it.
My expectations were certainly high as I was already a big fan of Killen's through her audio fiction. And perhaps, that audio element I'm used to with her work provides the needed emotional punch, because this book fell somewhat short for me. It does touch on a lot of familiar themes, the story particularly reminding me of Mirrors (if you enjoyed Red Hail, I urge you to search for Mirrors on your favorite podcast app).
The dialogue is often cheesy and resorts to overused tropes. And though the characters all have their own developed backstories (no mean feat), their traits and descriptions lean toward tired tropes as well - Sonia, a tough single mother who sings in a blues band, has dark, shaggy hair, dark eyeliner, and swears a lot. However, the story is incredibly well paced, masterfully so. There are no lulls. The action is not all saved for the final chapter.
The science fiction element is very interesting but ended up feeling anticlimactic to me. The strengths of Red Hail come through in the human response to said element, that scary unknown. Killen writes about the mass panic and fear, about racism, prejudice, and human evil. As in her other works, she has a particular gift for writing about hope, often through found family and community. That hope sparkles and reaches out to the reader. Despite some issues with this book, I know I will continue to follow her work because of it.
February 26, 2020
I would argue this might be closer to a 4.5.
Thank you Jamie Killen for reaching out to me and offering me the opportunity to read this in exchange for a review. Now, I've had numerous authors reach out after my angry review of "Book of the Unnamed Midwife" and ask for a review. The whole "I see you hated this, maybe you'll like this". I always get nervous about these, as that book made me really mad haha. But this is the first of those that actually surprised me.
This book was exquisitely written, it's no Atwood, Le Guin or Butler. But it was solid. I honestly can't complain terribly in regard to the writing. The pacing was spot on, I read it quickly and looked forward to reading it, pulling it up on my phone whenever I had a moment. It always ended a section in a way that made me eager to read the next, the epitome of "just one more chapter". I wanted to finish it, not because I started it and I refuse to DNF, but because I honestly wanted to see where it was going. The characters were interesting, a little samey and flat, but interesting and unique enough to make them believable.
This story flips back and forth between the past and the present. Showing the events of an event when it first happens, and the repercussions of said event and the event of it beginning to happen again. Very Oryx and Crake style, which is my favorite book of all time. It starts in the 1960s in Arizona, a tiny community of mainly miners and workers. A Mexican Irish girl name Anza seeks out an old friend of her late mother to deal with her.. situation. A sexually active girl situation. During her consultation, a weather event happens, hail begins falling, but it's red, leaving gross red mush everywhere. It comes quickly and leaves quickly and the community has a "that's weird moment" and moves on. However, within the week, people begin exhibiting strange things. Similar to seizures they start just naming what's around them while zoned out, then they start having movement issues, freezing in contorted positions for long periods of time.
Then we have the present. A student working on his dissertation that focuses on the events of that community, in a loving relationship with the grandson of someone from that town. A single mom, singer, bartender, who also is a descendant. The issue is that though this event in the 60s stopped as suddenly as it started, these descendants are beginning to exhibit the same symptoms, the naming, the statuing, etc. The 60s event ended in bloodshed so what will happen now? The present effected come together to try and figure out just what happened in the past to see if they can solve the present.
The book then switched from the past to the present, showing the events that lead to racial tension and bloodshed, in a very realistic way. As the sickness spreads, people blame the Mexican community, they turn to the church, which breeds even more discontent and spreads even more suspicion and violence. Anza, a Priest, and her late mother's friend take on the task of investigating the sickness as you would with any sickness, interviewing, investigating and gathering all the information they can. What they discover is intense, and things get weirder and weirder. Weird bugs are popping up, the coyotes are acting strange, even the birds. What illness would only affect Men, and Women under 50, and why is it not affecting Anza? What illness would affect the animals and cause cacti to grow in unnatural ways?
The stories collide by the finale when the present meets the past in a finale that offer's us the author's interesting and believable solution, one that a poor author would butcher and would come out terribly. Whatever the solution is, it's in Galina, the small town where all this began on the day of the Red Hail.
The fact that I didn't spoil or go into depth means a lot to me. I do that to books I dislike so much I don't mind spoiling. But I want you to read this and come up with your own opinion. The author succeeded in making everything believable, no matter how out there. They made me on edge and relieved, they built up and delivered. The only thing I can argue is that the modern characters fell flat in comparison to the characters from the past, I didn't care about them nearly as much as the past ones. The author used a reverse technique of cliffhanger, the future hinting at major events in the past that made me look forward to the chapters in the past perspective that would tell me what exactly happened. At times eerie, at times mundane, but never boring. This book really brought something new to the table. Something I was excited to read and left satisfied at the end. It was a character study, anthropology, rather than a Michael Bay film and it worked. It kept it's pace, slow but sweet for the whole book and made me feel like I was solving the mystery as the characters did. It felt well researched and well planned. I very much look forward to what Jamie Killen writes next. While it won't usurp my current favorites, it was well worth the read, interesting, unique and really really satisfied me. Writing this review the same day I write a scathing review of another book makes me super sad that that book has more reviews, more people read it, and liked it, even though it was bad. This book deserves way more attention. I hope it gets the recognition it deserves over time. I won't lie though, I want to re-illustrate that cover, as I'd never pick this up in a store, but I'm picky and judgy (Illustration Professor right here). If I had cared a little more about the present characters this book would have the potential of really sticking with me. So please, if you're on the fence, read it!
Thank you Jamie Killen for reaching out to me and offering me the opportunity to read this in exchange for a review. Now, I've had numerous authors reach out after my angry review of "Book of the Unnamed Midwife" and ask for a review. The whole "I see you hated this, maybe you'll like this". I always get nervous about these, as that book made me really mad haha. But this is the first of those that actually surprised me.
This book was exquisitely written, it's no Atwood, Le Guin or Butler. But it was solid. I honestly can't complain terribly in regard to the writing. The pacing was spot on, I read it quickly and looked forward to reading it, pulling it up on my phone whenever I had a moment. It always ended a section in a way that made me eager to read the next, the epitome of "just one more chapter". I wanted to finish it, not because I started it and I refuse to DNF, but because I honestly wanted to see where it was going. The characters were interesting, a little samey and flat, but interesting and unique enough to make them believable.
This story flips back and forth between the past and the present. Showing the events of an event when it first happens, and the repercussions of said event and the event of it beginning to happen again. Very Oryx and Crake style, which is my favorite book of all time. It starts in the 1960s in Arizona, a tiny community of mainly miners and workers. A Mexican Irish girl name Anza seeks out an old friend of her late mother to deal with her.. situation. A sexually active girl situation. During her consultation, a weather event happens, hail begins falling, but it's red, leaving gross red mush everywhere. It comes quickly and leaves quickly and the community has a "that's weird moment" and moves on. However, within the week, people begin exhibiting strange things. Similar to seizures they start just naming what's around them while zoned out, then they start having movement issues, freezing in contorted positions for long periods of time.
Then we have the present. A student working on his dissertation that focuses on the events of that community, in a loving relationship with the grandson of someone from that town. A single mom, singer, bartender, who also is a descendant. The issue is that though this event in the 60s stopped as suddenly as it started, these descendants are beginning to exhibit the same symptoms, the naming, the statuing, etc. The 60s event ended in bloodshed so what will happen now? The present effected come together to try and figure out just what happened in the past to see if they can solve the present.
The book then switched from the past to the present, showing the events that lead to racial tension and bloodshed, in a very realistic way. As the sickness spreads, people blame the Mexican community, they turn to the church, which breeds even more discontent and spreads even more suspicion and violence. Anza, a Priest, and her late mother's friend take on the task of investigating the sickness as you would with any sickness, interviewing, investigating and gathering all the information they can. What they discover is intense, and things get weirder and weirder. Weird bugs are popping up, the coyotes are acting strange, even the birds. What illness would only affect Men, and Women under 50, and why is it not affecting Anza? What illness would affect the animals and cause cacti to grow in unnatural ways?
The stories collide by the finale when the present meets the past in a finale that offer's us the author's interesting and believable solution, one that a poor author would butcher and would come out terribly. Whatever the solution is, it's in Galina, the small town where all this began on the day of the Red Hail.
The fact that I didn't spoil or go into depth means a lot to me. I do that to books I dislike so much I don't mind spoiling. But I want you to read this and come up with your own opinion. The author succeeded in making everything believable, no matter how out there. They made me on edge and relieved, they built up and delivered. The only thing I can argue is that the modern characters fell flat in comparison to the characters from the past, I didn't care about them nearly as much as the past ones. The author used a reverse technique of cliffhanger, the future hinting at major events in the past that made me look forward to the chapters in the past perspective that would tell me what exactly happened. At times eerie, at times mundane, but never boring. This book really brought something new to the table. Something I was excited to read and left satisfied at the end. It was a character study, anthropology, rather than a Michael Bay film and it worked. It kept it's pace, slow but sweet for the whole book and made me feel like I was solving the mystery as the characters did. It felt well researched and well planned. I very much look forward to what Jamie Killen writes next. While it won't usurp my current favorites, it was well worth the read, interesting, unique and really really satisfied me. Writing this review the same day I write a scathing review of another book makes me super sad that that book has more reviews, more people read it, and liked it, even though it was bad. This book deserves way more attention. I hope it gets the recognition it deserves over time. I won't lie though, I want to re-illustrate that cover, as I'd never pick this up in a store, but I'm picky and judgy (Illustration Professor right here). If I had cared a little more about the present characters this book would have the potential of really sticking with me. So please, if you're on the fence, read it!
October 24, 2022
Red Hail is a sci-fi novel by Jamie Killen and What. The. Fuck.
The author contacted me about this book to read and review it and initially I was hesitant for one main reason. The book was pitched to me as a LGBTQ novel, and typically when books are pitched to me like this, I end up finding out that yes it includes a diverse cast of characters, but that is it. The characters themselves end up having their sexuality, their race, or their gender being their only personality trait and it is also the only plot point of the book. While I love the diversity, there really isn’t much there to read and enjoy; I hate that it reduces these potentially interesting and wonderful characters to their sexuality, their race, or their gender. That was not the case in this instance and I am thrilled to know that is the case.
Red Hail takes a bit of time to pick up, but once it does you are on a nonstop journey trying to figure out what happened. This book takes place over two time periods, one time period is the 1960’s and the other is in the 2020’s. Obviously these are two very different periods of time and different things happen and the author handled this incredibly well. Each time period tells a completely different story that I honestly thought was two different stories. I was wrong. Instead of being two entirely different stories it is two interwoven stories happening that you have to try and connect the pieces too. (Thankfully if you are bad at puzzles like I am, the author does eventually connect all of the pieces together so that you know everything that happens.)
As there are two different stories there are obviously two sets of main characters to keep track of, and ultimately the way it breaks down is there are three main characters in the 1960’s and two main characters in the 2020’s. I loved the main characters in the 1960’s far more than I loved the main characters in the 2020’s. The three main characters included a teenage child (Anza), an adult woman (Dove), and a priest. Yes, you did hear that correctly, yes it does sound like a set up to a bad joke, and yes each character was vastly different with their own plot points and ideas. When we are introduced to Anza and Dove when Anza is seeking an abortion and needs a safe way to do it, and Dove, a retired nurse, is the one who can help her get it. ARE YOU KIDDING ME! That is how we are introduced to them and we are not supposed to instantly want to know everything about their lives? In the 2020’s we have Alonzo and Colin. Alonzo is a direct descendant of the individuals from the 1960’s and Colin is his partner. Alonzo starts to experience things that happened to the victims of the Red Hail in the 60’s and now it is a race against time to try to figure out what happened then, and what is happening now.
I really enjoyed this book, and I loved how different the cast of characters was. There was no “typical” character as each one was well developed and incredibly interesting. I also loved the setting. I cannot remember a time when I read a book set in a sleepy town in Arizona and the author painted a picture of where the town was and what it looked like, not just in one time period, but two.
The thing I hated about this book (REVIEWER’S NOTE – THIS PARAGRAPH DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THE END OF THE BOOK) is the ending. The things these characters went through, from the Naming, to the Dancing, and the other things that happened painted a vast picture of what might happen and what might be the root cause of it. My mind painted ancient technology that has been hidden and somehow activated. Aliens that were working to control people to use as soldiers in a war. And ultimately, it ended up being a hive mind alien that just wanted to learn about earth’s creatures. I want to say I wasn’t disappointed but once I found out what it was, and what the suspense was leading up too, I sincerely felt so let down and unhappy. It didn’t diminish how much I loved the beginning of the book, but it did make it that I would give a warning to anyone else that read it.
Overall – This was an excellent Sci-Fi book filled with suspense and ideas that I couldn’t quite figure out on my own. I loved seeing the two story lines intermingle and eventually connect together. The cast of characters was diverse and interesting without feeling like it was a box to be checked so the author could promote it as an LGBTQ novel and I am incredibly happy that is the case. I would recommend this book with the caveat that I was not a fan of the ending.
For more reviews, visit aliciajeanne.com
The author contacted me about this book to read and review it and initially I was hesitant for one main reason. The book was pitched to me as a LGBTQ novel, and typically when books are pitched to me like this, I end up finding out that yes it includes a diverse cast of characters, but that is it. The characters themselves end up having their sexuality, their race, or their gender being their only personality trait and it is also the only plot point of the book. While I love the diversity, there really isn’t much there to read and enjoy; I hate that it reduces these potentially interesting and wonderful characters to their sexuality, their race, or their gender. That was not the case in this instance and I am thrilled to know that is the case.
Red Hail takes a bit of time to pick up, but once it does you are on a nonstop journey trying to figure out what happened. This book takes place over two time periods, one time period is the 1960’s and the other is in the 2020’s. Obviously these are two very different periods of time and different things happen and the author handled this incredibly well. Each time period tells a completely different story that I honestly thought was two different stories. I was wrong. Instead of being two entirely different stories it is two interwoven stories happening that you have to try and connect the pieces too. (Thankfully if you are bad at puzzles like I am, the author does eventually connect all of the pieces together so that you know everything that happens.)
As there are two different stories there are obviously two sets of main characters to keep track of, and ultimately the way it breaks down is there are three main characters in the 1960’s and two main characters in the 2020’s. I loved the main characters in the 1960’s far more than I loved the main characters in the 2020’s. The three main characters included a teenage child (Anza), an adult woman (Dove), and a priest. Yes, you did hear that correctly, yes it does sound like a set up to a bad joke, and yes each character was vastly different with their own plot points and ideas. When we are introduced to Anza and Dove when Anza is seeking an abortion and needs a safe way to do it, and Dove, a retired nurse, is the one who can help her get it. ARE YOU KIDDING ME! That is how we are introduced to them and we are not supposed to instantly want to know everything about their lives? In the 2020’s we have Alonzo and Colin. Alonzo is a direct descendant of the individuals from the 1960’s and Colin is his partner. Alonzo starts to experience things that happened to the victims of the Red Hail in the 60’s and now it is a race against time to try to figure out what happened then, and what is happening now.
I really enjoyed this book, and I loved how different the cast of characters was. There was no “typical” character as each one was well developed and incredibly interesting. I also loved the setting. I cannot remember a time when I read a book set in a sleepy town in Arizona and the author painted a picture of where the town was and what it looked like, not just in one time period, but two.
The thing I hated about this book (REVIEWER’S NOTE – THIS PARAGRAPH DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THE END OF THE BOOK) is the ending. The things these characters went through, from the Naming, to the Dancing, and the other things that happened painted a vast picture of what might happen and what might be the root cause of it. My mind painted ancient technology that has been hidden and somehow activated. Aliens that were working to control people to use as soldiers in a war. And ultimately, it ended up being a hive mind alien that just wanted to learn about earth’s creatures. I want to say I wasn’t disappointed but once I found out what it was, and what the suspense was leading up too, I sincerely felt so let down and unhappy. It didn’t diminish how much I loved the beginning of the book, but it did make it that I would give a warning to anyone else that read it.
Overall – This was an excellent Sci-Fi book filled with suspense and ideas that I couldn’t quite figure out on my own. I loved seeing the two story lines intermingle and eventually connect together. The cast of characters was diverse and interesting without feeling like it was a box to be checked so the author could promote it as an LGBTQ novel and I am incredibly happy that is the case. I would recommend this book with the caveat that I was not a fan of the ending.
For more reviews, visit aliciajeanne.com
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2020
In 1960, the residents of a US border town, Galina, where nothing much happens out of the ordinary, are subject to a hailstorm. But this hailstorm is out of the ordinary, great chunks of ice the colour of blood rain from the sky, streaming through the dust and dirt roads. Following the red hail, inhabitants of the town begin to exhibit strange behaviour. The majority of the town become steadily affected by these peculiar and disturbing symptoms. Paranoia runs amok and the residents turn on one another. Fast forward sixty years, Dr Colin Ayres, has nearly finished his research on the plagues in Galina and is concluding that they were probably due to mass hysteria. However, when his partner, Alonzo, who is descended from a Galina resident, begins to show the same symptoms as those of sixty years previously, Colin cannot ignore that there might be more to this….
I thought this book was really, really good. The narrative had an immediate confidence and strength which was entirely justified. The beginning plunges you straight into the action and the two characters that we first meet, Esperanza (‘Anza’) Kearney and Dove McNally are excellently drawn. They both have a real sense of identity and personality along with the town of Galina itself; the heat, dust and air of hopelessness adds to the growing atmosphere of unease and sense of threat. It was a very good, geographic choice gifting the book a visual, cinematic quality which reminded me strongly of early Stephen King.
The chapters flip-flop between 1960 and 2020. Ms Killen’s writing was imbued with just enough retrospective and modernity; I really felt that the 1960s chapters had a sepia, otherworldly quality whereas the present-day ones were sharper and tinged with steel. It worked very well as you were given little nuggets of information that the characters did not possess across the decades, enabling the reader to place a few pieces in the supernatural jigsaw puzzle but not so many that it spoiled your enjoyment or the ending. It did concern me that the thrust of the book was so enjoyable that the conclusion may have fallen short; it didn’t for me and I was pleased that it was not ridiculously far-fetched.
Aside from the main plot of the red hail and its consequences, there are a number of side narratives. There were a couple of twists in these ‘offshoots’, which were very well done, sympathetically handled and gave you a little extra focus away from the plagues yet dovetailed quite neatly at the same time.
Strangely, large elements of the story are not dissimilar to the times in which we find ourselves with Covid-19. These relatable parallels were oddly comforting yet quite eerie and amplified both my reading and reaction to the novel.
A very engrossing, intelligent and highly recommended read.
I thought this book was really, really good. The narrative had an immediate confidence and strength which was entirely justified. The beginning plunges you straight into the action and the two characters that we first meet, Esperanza (‘Anza’) Kearney and Dove McNally are excellently drawn. They both have a real sense of identity and personality along with the town of Galina itself; the heat, dust and air of hopelessness adds to the growing atmosphere of unease and sense of threat. It was a very good, geographic choice gifting the book a visual, cinematic quality which reminded me strongly of early Stephen King.
The chapters flip-flop between 1960 and 2020. Ms Killen’s writing was imbued with just enough retrospective and modernity; I really felt that the 1960s chapters had a sepia, otherworldly quality whereas the present-day ones were sharper and tinged with steel. It worked very well as you were given little nuggets of information that the characters did not possess across the decades, enabling the reader to place a few pieces in the supernatural jigsaw puzzle but not so many that it spoiled your enjoyment or the ending. It did concern me that the thrust of the book was so enjoyable that the conclusion may have fallen short; it didn’t for me and I was pleased that it was not ridiculously far-fetched.
Aside from the main plot of the red hail and its consequences, there are a number of side narratives. There were a couple of twists in these ‘offshoots’, which were very well done, sympathetically handled and gave you a little extra focus away from the plagues yet dovetailed quite neatly at the same time.
Strangely, large elements of the story are not dissimilar to the times in which we find ourselves with Covid-19. These relatable parallels were oddly comforting yet quite eerie and amplified both my reading and reaction to the novel.
A very engrossing, intelligent and highly recommended read.
January 29, 2020
‘If I were the superstitious type, I might be tempted to read this as a bad omen’
Texas author Jamie Killen focuses her talent in writing on science fiction, horror and fantasy stories and her short stories have been featured in several anthologies and magazines (Mystic Delirium Magazine, Metamorphosis Magazine, The Colored Lens, Heiresses of Russ among others). To date she has published three books – THE WANDERING LAND, SPINES, and now RED HAIL.
Timing! Though not planned or predicted, Jamie’s new novel about a mysterious illness is released as the globe trembles with fear of the new strange Chinese coronavirus – a factor that just happens to imbue her novel with a sense of heightened credibility. But the beautiful young Jamie does not pretend to be a prognosticator: she is a fan of fantasy and horror and proves in this novel that she is expert in that genre.
Opening the story with a visit to Galina, Arizona 1960, we meet a young girl, Anza, seeking ‘woman assistance’ from Dove, confessing her unwanted pregnancy and her desire to end it, when a strange storm, bleating red hail falls, menacing the core of the story that follows. In that fine first chapter it is obvious that the ensuing tale will be disturbing – just like horror fiction should be!
The story jumps to the present, 2020, and follows as condensed: ‘Professor Colin Ayres has spent years researching the strange story of Galina, Arizona, a sleepy border town ripped apart by violence and paranoia after the outbreak of a mysterious illness in 1960. Colin is certain the Galina Incident was simply a case of mass hysteria. But when his partner, Alonzo, starts exhibiting strange symptoms, Colin is shocked to realize they are the same as those that emerged in Galina decades ago. As Alonzo’s condition worsens, Colin scrambles to piece together what really happened during that terrible summer in the past. He uncovers a story of murder, corruption, and fanaticism. The deeper he digs, the more he becomes convinced that what happened in Galina wasn’t mass hysteria after all. When others start to develop the same eerie symptoms, Colin must confront the possibility that someone—or something—is driving the plague. Guided by rumors of a person who found a way to stop the plague in the sixties, Colin races to find answers before the disease destroys Alonzo and everyone else it touches.’
Not only does the story create healthy anxiety about the ‘unknown,’ but it also weaves fine science fictional visitors from space (‘Ones’) that explains the bizarre occurrences – but that is for the reader to discover. Jamie Killen is a very fine new author who deserves our closest attention. Highly recommended.
Texas author Jamie Killen focuses her talent in writing on science fiction, horror and fantasy stories and her short stories have been featured in several anthologies and magazines (Mystic Delirium Magazine, Metamorphosis Magazine, The Colored Lens, Heiresses of Russ among others). To date she has published three books – THE WANDERING LAND, SPINES, and now RED HAIL.
Timing! Though not planned or predicted, Jamie’s new novel about a mysterious illness is released as the globe trembles with fear of the new strange Chinese coronavirus – a factor that just happens to imbue her novel with a sense of heightened credibility. But the beautiful young Jamie does not pretend to be a prognosticator: she is a fan of fantasy and horror and proves in this novel that she is expert in that genre.
Opening the story with a visit to Galina, Arizona 1960, we meet a young girl, Anza, seeking ‘woman assistance’ from Dove, confessing her unwanted pregnancy and her desire to end it, when a strange storm, bleating red hail falls, menacing the core of the story that follows. In that fine first chapter it is obvious that the ensuing tale will be disturbing – just like horror fiction should be!
The story jumps to the present, 2020, and follows as condensed: ‘Professor Colin Ayres has spent years researching the strange story of Galina, Arizona, a sleepy border town ripped apart by violence and paranoia after the outbreak of a mysterious illness in 1960. Colin is certain the Galina Incident was simply a case of mass hysteria. But when his partner, Alonzo, starts exhibiting strange symptoms, Colin is shocked to realize they are the same as those that emerged in Galina decades ago. As Alonzo’s condition worsens, Colin scrambles to piece together what really happened during that terrible summer in the past. He uncovers a story of murder, corruption, and fanaticism. The deeper he digs, the more he becomes convinced that what happened in Galina wasn’t mass hysteria after all. When others start to develop the same eerie symptoms, Colin must confront the possibility that someone—or something—is driving the plague. Guided by rumors of a person who found a way to stop the plague in the sixties, Colin races to find answers before the disease destroys Alonzo and everyone else it touches.’
Not only does the story create healthy anxiety about the ‘unknown,’ but it also weaves fine science fictional visitors from space (‘Ones’) that explains the bizarre occurrences – but that is for the reader to discover. Jamie Killen is a very fine new author who deserves our closest attention. Highly recommended.
June 14, 2023
I received a free copy of this book. This does not impact my review.
Red Hail, by Jamie Killen, is a sci-fi thriller about a couple who, amongst others, experiences frightening symptoms that have plagued the generations before. Among these individuals are Alonzo, a veterinarian who horrifies his partner with odd movements and speech patterns, and Sonia, a mother who fears she’s passed her disease to her child. As Alonzo’s partner, Colin, tries to find a way to cure the affliction, the symptoms become more and more horrifying. In order for Colin to uncover the cause of the Plague, he needs to first delve into the history of when the symptoms started, back to the 1960s, when Anza begins her own investigation into the outbreak.
In all honesty, when I read the separate timelines in the book, it was as if I were reading two different stories. The first, which took place in 1960, had Anza dealing with what could only be described as a religious horror; there was a cult and everything, right down to them wanting to lynch people who didn’t look (or practice) like them. Then there was the 2020s, which reads more like a sci-fi narrative. Both storylines put me at the edge of my seat; they both carried the uncertainty and fear of the characters, forcing the readers to understand just exactly what was at stake. Whether it be a community of believers, families, or friends, I found it admirable that, in both timelines, the characters came together. They made sure the other was safe even when it was a better option to duck out.
Which brings me to another thing; the love story between Colin and Alonzo. Alonzo really wasn’t mincing words when he told him this condition was permanent. Based on Colin’s reactions at the beginning of the book, and the stress he’s experienced, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he left. But he didn’t, and honestly, I was relieved.
Another thing I liked reading about was the hysteria that gripped Anza’s community. Pastor Benjamin was charismatic enough to turn his church into cult, savvy enough to get away with murder. I could only wish I was there to see him frozen, but I’ll just have to settle with the author brushing over his punishment. I have to admit, it did harken to the time of the Witch Trials, where everyone was persecuted based on the color of their skin, how they practiced, whether or not they were women, ect.
Because of these character’s relationships and their interactions with one another, and Killen’s ability to demonstrate humanity’s perseverance, good or otherwise, I would give this book a 5 out of 5 stars.
Red Hail, by Jamie Killen, is a sci-fi thriller about a couple who, amongst others, experiences frightening symptoms that have plagued the generations before. Among these individuals are Alonzo, a veterinarian who horrifies his partner with odd movements and speech patterns, and Sonia, a mother who fears she’s passed her disease to her child. As Alonzo’s partner, Colin, tries to find a way to cure the affliction, the symptoms become more and more horrifying. In order for Colin to uncover the cause of the Plague, he needs to first delve into the history of when the symptoms started, back to the 1960s, when Anza begins her own investigation into the outbreak.
In all honesty, when I read the separate timelines in the book, it was as if I were reading two different stories. The first, which took place in 1960, had Anza dealing with what could only be described as a religious horror; there was a cult and everything, right down to them wanting to lynch people who didn’t look (or practice) like them. Then there was the 2020s, which reads more like a sci-fi narrative. Both storylines put me at the edge of my seat; they both carried the uncertainty and fear of the characters, forcing the readers to understand just exactly what was at stake. Whether it be a community of believers, families, or friends, I found it admirable that, in both timelines, the characters came together. They made sure the other was safe even when it was a better option to duck out.
Which brings me to another thing; the love story between Colin and Alonzo. Alonzo really wasn’t mincing words when he told him this condition was permanent. Based on Colin’s reactions at the beginning of the book, and the stress he’s experienced, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he left. But he didn’t, and honestly, I was relieved.
Another thing I liked reading about was the hysteria that gripped Anza’s community. Pastor Benjamin was charismatic enough to turn his church into cult, savvy enough to get away with murder. I could only wish I was there to see him frozen, but I’ll just have to settle with the author brushing over his punishment. I have to admit, it did harken to the time of the Witch Trials, where everyone was persecuted based on the color of their skin, how they practiced, whether or not they were women, ect.
Because of these character’s relationships and their interactions with one another, and Killen’s ability to demonstrate humanity’s perseverance, good or otherwise, I would give this book a 5 out of 5 stars.
August 10, 2020
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily (BookSirens).
First off, I don't usually read this particular book type.
Why?
Because I have an overactive imagination, that's why! Lol.
However, the blurb for Red Hail really grabbed me so I ended up picking up the ARC and taking it with me to the seaside vacation I took just to unwind. And boy, did it not disappoint.
I mean, reading about red hail coming down from the sky is one thing - but extraterrestrial life with that said connected to it? How even??
It wasn't so much the science fiction aspect of the book that got me though (but I will admit that I was seriously creeped out with the 1960s bit of the book while they were figuring out what was happening, because, HELLO freaky zombie land with random naming things and contorting poses!) but the society it was focused on.
Namely, how absolutely terrible humankind can be to its own people.
It isn't just that it was the 60s either, because it was still present (if in a smaller capacity) in the 2020 portion of the book, where people were mostly just taken as headcases and nutters. But the 60s portion of this is rough, if predictable, because why the hell would we NOT turn against each other when we don't understand something, rather than try to figure it out, am I right?
THAT bit hit home, because essentially, it's a not-so-pretty picture of society as was, and as is. And it gets you thinking. Like one character says in the book proper 'my father was a mean SOB but he stood behind what he said, you don't even have the courage to say the truth, hiding behind niceties and socially-approved expectations'. It's one of the greatest truths you'll ever read anywhere in any book, I think.
The science fiction bit with the dust and ETs and a future of co-existence was fine - plus I've watched Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. from day one and MCU before that, so aliens aren't that freaky for me.
The reality bites though? THAT is what makes this book. And that's what I feel is its strongest point. I might have maybe wanted some more Anza, but that's a minor little nitpick. I highly recommend this book not as a read on 'what might happen if someone from outer space comes to Earth' but rather as a 'how do we as society not make the mistakes of our predecessors' kind of thing.
First off, I don't usually read this particular book type.
Why?
Because I have an overactive imagination, that's why! Lol.
However, the blurb for Red Hail really grabbed me so I ended up picking up the ARC and taking it with me to the seaside vacation I took just to unwind. And boy, did it not disappoint.
I mean, reading about red hail coming down from the sky is one thing - but extraterrestrial life with that said connected to it? How even??
It wasn't so much the science fiction aspect of the book that got me though (but I will admit that I was seriously creeped out with the 1960s bit of the book while they were figuring out what was happening, because, HELLO freaky zombie land with random naming things and contorting poses!) but the society it was focused on.
Namely, how absolutely terrible humankind can be to its own people.
It isn't just that it was the 60s either, because it was still present (if in a smaller capacity) in the 2020 portion of the book, where people were mostly just taken as headcases and nutters. But the 60s portion of this is rough, if predictable, because why the hell would we NOT turn against each other when we don't understand something, rather than try to figure it out, am I right?
THAT bit hit home, because essentially, it's a not-so-pretty picture of society as was, and as is. And it gets you thinking. Like one character says in the book proper 'my father was a mean SOB but he stood behind what he said, you don't even have the courage to say the truth, hiding behind niceties and socially-approved expectations'. It's one of the greatest truths you'll ever read anywhere in any book, I think.
The science fiction bit with the dust and ETs and a future of co-existence was fine - plus I've watched Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. from day one and MCU before that, so aliens aren't that freaky for me.
The reality bites though? THAT is what makes this book. And that's what I feel is its strongest point. I might have maybe wanted some more Anza, but that's a minor little nitpick. I highly recommend this book not as a read on 'what might happen if someone from outer space comes to Earth' but rather as a 'how do we as society not make the mistakes of our predecessors' kind of thing.
November 11, 2020
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/4
Type: Standalone
Genre: Science Fiction, Mystery Thriller
Narration: Limited Third Person
This book has an interesting theme with gripping narration. it kept my interest until the end. I was disappointed by the way it ended yet this book was a delightful read.
This book starts and toggles in two parts of past and present. Sixty years ago, in 1960 an unexplained happened in the small town of Galina. Town was ripped apart after the outbreak of a mysterious illness. Over a period, many researchers have been sure that its “Mass Hysteria”. Now in 2020, grand children or the next generation post that, of the affected townsfolks are displaying the same symptoms.
As book toggles between past and present mystery builds gradually. Timelines and story between the two era’s go in parallel, making the readers curious on what would happen next. Some brave people from both generations come forward to solve this strange situation. As they start to rule out the possibilities and unearth the truth, they are in for big revelation.
I loved some characters from both era and absolutely loathed few. I liked how book went back and forth between the events from 1960 and 2020. Totally loved how people looked at the same situation from different angle in different era. The way racists and religious fanatics reacted and handled the situation vs Researchers, Professors and Scholars looked at it, different, yet intriguing.
I was glued almost till the last page. I was hoping for more action and more detailed explanation after such a big buildup, somehow it was disappointing for me at the end. Even though author has tied things well, it didn’t give clarity on some issues. Apart from skewed ending this book has it all. Plot moved in steady pace with slight up’s and downs. Narration style is wonderful. Mystery element of the book is written so well. Emotions of infected people are described well.
Overall, this book kept me rooted and on the edge of the seat until very last minute. It's an engaging thriller mystery which creates healthy anxiety woven along with the concepts of science fiction. If you into this type of plot, don’t miss it and let me know your thoughts.
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Type: Standalone
Genre: Science Fiction, Mystery Thriller
Narration: Limited Third Person
This book has an interesting theme with gripping narration. it kept my interest until the end. I was disappointed by the way it ended yet this book was a delightful read.
This book starts and toggles in two parts of past and present. Sixty years ago, in 1960 an unexplained happened in the small town of Galina. Town was ripped apart after the outbreak of a mysterious illness. Over a period, many researchers have been sure that its “Mass Hysteria”. Now in 2020, grand children or the next generation post that, of the affected townsfolks are displaying the same symptoms.
As book toggles between past and present mystery builds gradually. Timelines and story between the two era’s go in parallel, making the readers curious on what would happen next. Some brave people from both generations come forward to solve this strange situation. As they start to rule out the possibilities and unearth the truth, they are in for big revelation.
I loved some characters from both era and absolutely loathed few. I liked how book went back and forth between the events from 1960 and 2020. Totally loved how people looked at the same situation from different angle in different era. The way racists and religious fanatics reacted and handled the situation vs Researchers, Professors and Scholars looked at it, different, yet intriguing.
I was glued almost till the last page. I was hoping for more action and more detailed explanation after such a big buildup, somehow it was disappointing for me at the end. Even though author has tied things well, it didn’t give clarity on some issues. Apart from skewed ending this book has it all. Plot moved in steady pace with slight up’s and downs. Narration style is wonderful. Mystery element of the book is written so well. Emotions of infected people are described well.
Overall, this book kept me rooted and on the edge of the seat until very last minute. It's an engaging thriller mystery which creates healthy anxiety woven along with the concepts of science fiction. If you into this type of plot, don’t miss it and let me know your thoughts.
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March 11, 2020
“Red Hail” is an intriguing and eerie novel. The plot teeters from the year of 1960 and 2020. In the small town of Galina in 1960 a storm brings a strange red hail. Is it the storm that causes strange things to happen: naming, statuing, dancing and memory? Only a few brave people of Galina were willing to search and try to solve this strange phenomena: Anza Kearney, Dove McNally and Father Santiago.
Now, in 2020 the phenomena of the so-called plague of Galina has come back.
Colin and Alonzo are just starting a new journey with their lives but it becomes filled with doubt when Alonzo is stricken with the strange occurrence of naming. Once again, a few people are willing to search out the phenomena: Colin, Alonzo and Sonia.
The phenomena brings them in touch with different generations, who were originally effected by the plagues and eventually the only thing to do is travel to Galina and find the truth.
Jamie Killen delivers a very solid, well written novel, that’s very edgy and suspenseful. Every step of the way the novel throws in a twist of mystery. As I continued to read, so many thoughts of just what can be causing the phenomena crossed my mind. From: curses, extraterrestrials, government testing, and inbreeding, until the true reason was discovered. “Red Hail” is very similar to what is actually going on in the world today. No matter what this red hail seems to be it brings: racism, panic, fear, religious fanaticism, murder and hate to the community of Galina. Some will use the strange phenomena to strengthen their hate and some will use it to hold power over the vulnerable.
Killen creates a wide range of characters that give a balanced perspective to the story. Colin, Alonzo, Sonia, Anza, Dove and Father Santiago: even though both trios are from different years they are determined and have a purpose to finding the truth.
Jamie Killen is a new author for me. I was totally entertained and immersed in “Red Hail” and it was very difficult to put down. “Red Hail” will be one of those stories that will be hard to forget!
Now, in 2020 the phenomena of the so-called plague of Galina has come back.
Colin and Alonzo are just starting a new journey with their lives but it becomes filled with doubt when Alonzo is stricken with the strange occurrence of naming. Once again, a few people are willing to search out the phenomena: Colin, Alonzo and Sonia.
The phenomena brings them in touch with different generations, who were originally effected by the plagues and eventually the only thing to do is travel to Galina and find the truth.
Jamie Killen delivers a very solid, well written novel, that’s very edgy and suspenseful. Every step of the way the novel throws in a twist of mystery. As I continued to read, so many thoughts of just what can be causing the phenomena crossed my mind. From: curses, extraterrestrials, government testing, and inbreeding, until the true reason was discovered. “Red Hail” is very similar to what is actually going on in the world today. No matter what this red hail seems to be it brings: racism, panic, fear, religious fanaticism, murder and hate to the community of Galina. Some will use the strange phenomena to strengthen their hate and some will use it to hold power over the vulnerable.
Killen creates a wide range of characters that give a balanced perspective to the story. Colin, Alonzo, Sonia, Anza, Dove and Father Santiago: even though both trios are from different years they are determined and have a purpose to finding the truth.
Jamie Killen is a new author for me. I was totally entertained and immersed in “Red Hail” and it was very difficult to put down. “Red Hail” will be one of those stories that will be hard to forget!
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