Now We Are Monsters

Science Fiction & Fantasy

By Randall Farmer

Publisher : MajorTransform Unlimited

ABOUT Randall Farmer

Randall Farmer
I am Randall Allen Farmer.  I am an author, science nerd, an amateur photographer, a father, and a pencil and paper game designer and gamemaster.  My formal education was in geology and geophysics, and back in the day I worked in the oil industry tweaking software associated with fin More...

Description

Now We Are Monsters (Book Two of The Commander)

Carol Hancock is a victim of Transform Sickness, a Major Transform known as an Arm.  After her escape from government detention, an established and mentally unstable Arm, Stacy Keaton, trained her in the Arm basics.  The basics are not enough, though, and Carol’s training continues, now with an explicit graduation test she must pass to get out of Keaton’s hands and become a free Arm.

During Carol’s training, the two Arms annoy one of the hidden powers among the Major Transforms, a master of Chimeras known as Wandering Shade.  Wandering Shade and his Chimeras plot to take their revenge on the two Arms, in the process endangering Carol’s hidden male Major Transform companion Gilgamesh as well as Keaton’s Major Transform backer Tonya Biggioni.

Carol must solve her graduation test before her own teacher suffers a psychotic break and kills her, and before the dangers of the outside world collide with the two Arms.

Book Two of "The Commander" My wife and I put together the basics of the first two books of the Commander series in a series of conversations about human predators and the effects of captivity on people's minds.

Reviews of "Once We Were Human", the prequel of "Now We Are Monsters"

Hooked!
"Once We Were Human" is science fiction, horror, suspense and action adventure all rolled into a great and well told story with interesting characters.

I downloaded the sample and read a few screens. I found myself interested in the story and the main character. Half way through the sample I was hooked and bought the book. The author deftly switches between parallel story lines and characters and continually builds anticipation as the story lines and characters converge. By the next morning I had finished it and greatly enjoyed the experience. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Hard Science, 'Modern' Paranormal and Alternate History...
This book is a bit of a genre bender and a promising start for a new author. The story follows the trials of Carol Hancock, a human who has been hit with "Transform Disease" which alters her into a superhuman, almost supernatural creature. However, unlike most of the genre, this book deals with the political and social implications of this transformation set in a period with its own transformations, the 1960's. The reactions of the government and the FBI ring true to the period and all of the characters have their own motivations.

That aside, it's simply a good read. The story moves quickly and I found myself reading later into the night than I wanted...[I suspect my work the next day suffered a bit :)]... While the book is not one I would normally have read, the premise intrigued me. Though darker in tone than my standard fare, the writing and characters held me. The transformation of Carol from housewife to her new state including her moral and social anguish felt right, though I think she was a bit of a caricature in the beginning. However that soon passes. I am waiting eagerly for the continuation of her story.