I want to be careful in reviewing this so I don’t spoil anything for other readers. In the small town of Galina in 1960, it begins with a Red Hail. But then people start acting oddly, and it only gets worse. In a very religious town, it’s easy to blame the unknown as the work of the devil, but it’s obvious that isn’t what’s going on. The message of what happens when you let religion rule over science is a strong (and wonderful) message.
There isn’t Red Hail in the present. Yet some people are exhibiting the same symptoms as the residents of Galin 60 years ago. The only problem? These people don’t live in Galina. Fascinated with the affliction that has no answers, Colin is racing to figure out what is going on with his boyfriend Alonzo. As people start to come forward, he must find not only what ties them together, but what is causing this.
I enjoyed the dual timelines and found myself engaged with characters from each timeline. I also appreciated the inclusivity of the characters. Even the unlikeable characters are well written. It was fun watching each timeline try to figure out what was wrong with people. The reason for the 4 stars instead of 5 is because the answer isn’t really my cup of tea. Even after I found out what was going on, Killen did a superb job sucking me back into the story because the writing is excellent. This was a fun read. There were some great supernatural elements at play, and I thought the author did a great job of balancing the history and the sci-fi elements. Nicely done!
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Red Hail is available for purchase on Amazon for $6.99
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