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‘A Still Life’ by Elliott Wink – Review

Lee Hall

Short and intriguing, an original sci-fi tale perfect for reading in one sitting…

I read this intriguing sci-fi novelette in just one sitting and very much enjoyed the concept. Narrator and receptionist android ‘Addie’ has worked in a hotel for many years and its a place that has seemingly passed by from near enough all human contact, in fact, there hasn’t been a guest for a long time. Is the place closed or is there something else sinister at play here?

Whilst the guests may have left years ago, the hotel staff of two continue their tasks even if it appears they have been forgotten although we are never really given any finer details and this is just one of concepts that feeds the readers imagination. We see snippets of ‘Addie’s’ past and how her near human make-up has provided an almost existential conundrum that results in questioning her very own existence. Perhaps all she wants to be is human and have a purpose, this story does a fantastic job of exploring what its like to be alone whilst not fully understanding who you are. Very enjoyable.

5 Stars

Weekly Ramble #43

Lee Hall Leave a comment

And so the final words of Jack Thorn appear on the horizon. What stands before me is still a mountain of a task but behind me is 100,000 plus words drafted of a story that I originally created fifteen years ago; the first attempt came out with 40,000 words, I guess that’s the true reflection of how much I’ve grown over the years much like this book which will change science fiction – I suppose one can dream… 

This book and it’s contents I carry with me, everywhere I go, I have done since I was a teen so why did I decide to write this now?

Jack Thorn is and always will be home to me, it’s my dream book, the one I have always wanted to read. This year has been hard, I knew that from the onset, and so because I moved into my own place I needed something to make me feel at home, and I’ve decided now to that this attempt is justifiable by the fact I’ve learned how to write and tell stories by simply doing that.

I care so much about this story that I was willing to put it to one side and delve into other worlds so I can hone this craft I now have before me. I wanted to be my very best for this tale and it’s been a long journey and even now I have battled to carve a path I mostly already knew, it just needed to be updated, polished and adapted to today’s standards.

The full title I have now chosen and will reveal in time. Hopefully by the end of the month ‘Jack Thorn’ would have been drafted. I said next year’s plan I would be querying, but I will probably be editing for a long while.

The ultimate question you probably have is what’s the premise of Jack Thorn? Like all of my stuff it appears as one thing but is actually a stack of different things – right?

Jack Thorn is a science fiction epic about robots in the future. But it’s really about; friendship, family, war, prophecy and above all humanity. From what started as quite simple story has spider webbed into a epic mess of a story and journey of darkness, action, fun, emotion and destiny.

After all these years this dream stands strong, every single word of it…