Fearless

by Benjamin Warner

Christine Harmon is not afraid of anything. Dr. Blau wants to know why. He subjects her to a seemingly endless series of experiments, testing her reactions to spiders, rollercoasters, and being buried alive. Christine’s boyfriend, Carl, a professional archer turned party-entertainer, doesn’t care why. He subjects her to a seemingly endless series of increasingly dangerous party tricks. As the experiments and tricks grow weirder and more dangerous, Christine is forced to come to terms with her past, and the men in her life who both love her and do her harm.

242 pages, Paperback

First published September 20, 2022

Reviews

[Steven Comfort · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like his first novel, Thirst, Ben Warner’s Fearless seems to be set in a parallel universe. Thirst was set in a world without water; Fearless is set in an urban environment rife with fire - the protagonist, Christine, is a young woman who doesn’t register fear.

Although the city is not explicitly named, Baltimore is the stage for the surreal stories that emerge over the many years that we see Christine’s character develop.

[Joey Hedger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Amazing novel. This was one of those books that I started and just read right through because I couldn't put it down. the story features a woman named Christine who does not have the capacity for fear as she regularly gets tested for different phobias by the manipulative researcher Dr. Blau while simultaneously going about town saving people from burning buildings in order to see if she becomes scared. Told, in part, through scientific logs, this book has an incredible pacing and even suspense, as we learn more and more about her history of fear, the people who have loved or manipulated her in the past, and her own "competition" with a copycat in town who keeps trying to one-up her heroic actions. A great read, beautiful, thoughtful, and exciting. Definitely grab this one if you haven't already.