Twice

by Keith Soares

“It should be easy,” my brother told us. “It’ll probably be fun.” That was before anyone died. I don’t know why I listened. I never fit in anywhere in my life. Why should this be different? I was born with both wealth and a power called electromagic, though I wish I had none of it. I wish I could find self worth on my own, without everyone deciding how important I am. And I should have known that there would be consequences to what my friends and I did in New York City, exposing the secrets of the people in charge. So they sent us to Paris, under the pretense of investigating an unusually high birth rate for new electromagicians. What we found instead was something that could threaten the entire structure of the world. But that’s not the worst of it. The worst thing is that I might actually want our world to change.

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 26, 2020

About the author

Keith Soares is an independent American speculative fiction author who has a potentially unhealthy obsession with Godzilla, so it’s no coincidence that kaiju have made it into some of his stories. His favorite question to ask when writing is, “How would I respond if that really happened, right now?” If he saw a raving, bloodthirsty shamble, he’d call it a zombie. If he suddenly couldn’t be hurt by fire, he’d call that superpowers. If he could harness electricity at will, he’d call that magic.

More than anything, Keith writes stories about family, whether that means the parents that gave birth to you or the friends you’ve had for years. His characters are fiercely loyal, though they often feel like they aren’t up to the job of whatever disaster they’re living through. We all feel that way, sometimes.

Keith's novels include The Oasis of Filth, the John Black series (beginning with For I Could Lift My Finger and Black Out the Sun), the Lightning Hopkins series (beginning with Struck), and White Fire.

Reviews

[Michael Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the first episode’s adventures, in which Lyn and her friends Percival and Mackenzie uncovered some problems in their NYC home, they were sent to Paris to investigate another situation. Lyn is beset with doubts about her abilities and feels like a loner who has been lied to all her life.  She has a tough time forming attachments other than her two friends.  She doesn’t know who to trust, which affects everything she attempts.  Having been given only sparse information, the inexperienced trio stumble into and out of dangerous situations as they try to identify the culprits and bring them to justice.  The story is an easy read, which draws the reader in and keeps you turning pages.  I couldn’t put it down; I read it all in the same day.  I recommend reading the books in order, so the second book makes sense right from the start.  I’m eager to read more of Mr. Soares’ writing.