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Anoxic Zone #2
Halocline
This book, Halocline, begins as a torturous quest for survival and independence once again washes up on the shores of Romania. Over a thousand years ago a war was fought on the sands of the coast. Good did not win. But the winds of change are blowing and the Roma will have to go through hell all over again if they are to keep the right to live.
Jake must decide whether to save himself or a people from a fate worse than death. Kismet once again makes the choice. Who's to say which is the better? The risks are great and the cost his soul. The battle will be on two fronts with Megacorp and limitless greed on one side and the malevolence of a madman on the other. As Jake says, 'it's like being between a rock and a rock.' And it would be nice if it were all that simple. But it is not and Jake will have to confront the evil within himself when it gets tight if they are to prevail.
For Jake this is no small task. And the odds are overwhelming. A halocline occurs when fresh water mixes with salt water. A perfect example exists in the Black Sea. The result is a blurry translucent miasma, which makes it difficult to see things in perspective.
In our novel the halocline phenomena is a metaphor. All is not as it appears and is ever in flux. Past and present, good and evil, domination and independence, hatred and love, dreams and reality commingle creating a halocline of life that is nearly impossible to navigate or ever forget.
Jake must decide whether to save himself or a people from a fate worse than death. Kismet once again makes the choice. Who's to say which is the better? The risks are great and the cost his soul. The battle will be on two fronts with Megacorp and limitless greed on one side and the malevolence of a madman on the other. As Jake says, 'it's like being between a rock and a rock.' And it would be nice if it were all that simple. But it is not and Jake will have to confront the evil within himself when it gets tight if they are to prevail.
For Jake this is no small task. And the odds are overwhelming. A halocline occurs when fresh water mixes with salt water. A perfect example exists in the Black Sea. The result is a blurry translucent miasma, which makes it difficult to see things in perspective.
In our novel the halocline phenomena is a metaphor. All is not as it appears and is ever in flux. Past and present, good and evil, domination and independence, hatred and love, dreams and reality commingle creating a halocline of life that is nearly impossible to navigate or ever forget.
386 pages, Paperback
First published January 11, 2011
17 people want to read
About the author
John G. Rees
4 books12 followers john g rees lives on a volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii and likes it there. He’ll return to the Mainland of the USA every few years for some weeks of hard motorcycle riding – enough to hold him for the next few years. Then back to the peace of the island.
He spends his time writing and at home with his wife, cats and chickens, in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the ocean. He likes that, too. Nothing like his novels…
john g rees was a salvage diver in the Hawaiian Island Chain for some years in the 80’s and 90’s, getting a lot of research for his novels first hand. Working in Pearl Harbor on Navy vessels to Japanese fishing boats, he dived the watery field in his youth, only to see all the horror years later. He enjoys writing it down.
He spends his time writing and at home with his wife, cats and chickens, in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the ocean. He likes that, too. Nothing like his novels…
john g rees was a salvage diver in the Hawaiian Island Chain for some years in the 80’s and 90’s, getting a lot of research for his novels first hand. Working in Pearl Harbor on Navy vessels to Japanese fishing boats, he dived the watery field in his youth, only to see all the horror years later. He enjoys writing it down.
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January 25, 2011Jake Strom is a deep-water salvage diver. Johnny is his friend and a scientist. They are both Recyclables, undead men created by Megacorp for their skills, kept alive with a series of injections created with the blood of Vlad Tepes—the Dracula—and mixed with heroin and other chemicals to keep them under control. This future world was first introduced in Anoxic Zone, a term used for the deep water of the Black Sea where no oxygen exists, deadly to human divers. It is a world where countries have no governments but are run by corporations, the biggest of which is Megacorp, a bully when it comes to doing business. In Anoxic Zone, Jake and Johnny discovered Megacorp’s secret and broke away to start their own company and destroy Tepes.
Halocline takes place after some years have passed. Karuna Talian has a daughter, Riana, a product of her rape by Tepes, whom her friends Jake and Johnny knew nothing about. Riana is a driven archaeologist working on the coast of Romania along the Black Sea. She has made a discovery that Tepes wants and will stop at nothing to get. Tepes also wants Romania for his own to rule again. Jake, Johnny, Karuna and Riana are thrown into a civil war between the people of Romania and Tepes’ Societas Draconis. They find another like Tepes, named Vlad Cneajna, who also wants to destroy Tepes and his hold over Romania. Megacorp, which gives up nothing without a fight, also stands in their way.
The title, Halocline, refers to the blurry miasma created when fresh water mixes with salt water, which occurs in the Black Sea, where a good portion of the story takes place. Halocline is a novel about corporate greed, the decline of a civilization at its own hands, and the fortitude of the human spirit. It is a very different kind of vampire story and quite refreshing given the influx of beautiful, sparkly vampires. The characters are well-rounded and have continued to grow since Anoxic Zone. The story is strong and well-written and kept me glued to the pages. Rees’ writing style is straightforward yet very descriptive in its imagery. Loaded with plenty of blood and gore for any horror enthusiast, Halocline is a welcome addition to the world of literary vampires. Recommended.
Contains: violence, gore, adult language, drug use
Reviewed by: Colleen Wanglund
Halocline takes place after some years have passed. Karuna Talian has a daughter, Riana, a product of her rape by Tepes, whom her friends Jake and Johnny knew nothing about. Riana is a driven archaeologist working on the coast of Romania along the Black Sea. She has made a discovery that Tepes wants and will stop at nothing to get. Tepes also wants Romania for his own to rule again. Jake, Johnny, Karuna and Riana are thrown into a civil war between the people of Romania and Tepes’ Societas Draconis. They find another like Tepes, named Vlad Cneajna, who also wants to destroy Tepes and his hold over Romania. Megacorp, which gives up nothing without a fight, also stands in their way.
The title, Halocline, refers to the blurry miasma created when fresh water mixes with salt water, which occurs in the Black Sea, where a good portion of the story takes place. Halocline is a novel about corporate greed, the decline of a civilization at its own hands, and the fortitude of the human spirit. It is a very different kind of vampire story and quite refreshing given the influx of beautiful, sparkly vampires. The characters are well-rounded and have continued to grow since Anoxic Zone. The story is strong and well-written and kept me glued to the pages. Rees’ writing style is straightforward yet very descriptive in its imagery. Loaded with plenty of blood and gore for any horror enthusiast, Halocline is a welcome addition to the world of literary vampires. Recommended.
Contains: violence, gore, adult language, drug use
Reviewed by: Colleen Wanglund
June 4, 2013
Once again we meet up with Jake Strom in a Romania that is ruled by evil. Halocline is a metaphor used to let us know that the winds of change are always blowing. They are blowing now for Megacorp. These human monsters created Jake Strom, and his scientist friend Johnny, using blood from the original Vampire, Vlad Tepes who we know as “Dracula”- they make a cocktail of his blood mixing in heroine and other chemicals in order to maintain control of the two vampires. Then they use them for their own gains.
This is a world that is a person's worst nightmare, the governments of the major countries are little more than puppets for the big Mega-corporation. In Anoxic we saw Jake and Johnny break away from their “Masters” to attempt to bring them down. Halocline is set some years after this event, we meet the daughter of Karuna Talia, Riana is the product of a rape. Tepes himself is her father. Riana is an archaeologist who has made an important discovery one that Tepes wants and will do anything to get.
This new addition to the series is just as good as its predecessor. The story is written in such a manner as to carry the reader along on a tidal wave of intensity. The only problem is that it has to end. You will be anxiously waiting for the next installment.
This is a world that is a person's worst nightmare, the governments of the major countries are little more than puppets for the big Mega-corporation. In Anoxic we saw Jake and Johnny break away from their “Masters” to attempt to bring them down. Halocline is set some years after this event, we meet the daughter of Karuna Talia, Riana is the product of a rape. Tepes himself is her father. Riana is an archaeologist who has made an important discovery one that Tepes wants and will do anything to get.
This new addition to the series is just as good as its predecessor. The story is written in such a manner as to carry the reader along on a tidal wave of intensity. The only problem is that it has to end. You will be anxiously waiting for the next installment.
February 3, 2011
Again, I love John's writing style. I was impatiently awaiting more when I finished the first book. This one, too, left me breathless and wanting more! This book followed the adventures of the original characters to their ultimate conclusion. The use of historic fact and imagery laced with legend and imagination was like one of those famous cocktails Jake and John were so fond of. A shot in the arm to get you going and again I found it hard to put down. I breathlessly await more, John is awesome and his books are awesome!!!
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