At thirteen, Philippe can see his father trapped in a world of secrets and silence, a world with no place for honesty or courage. But when the walls of that world fall apart, and something from outside breaks in, the silence becomes a warning shout... and Philippe will be tested in ways his father could never imagine. This is a dark modern fantasy, suitable for Young Adult to Adult readers.
I received this book for free from Author Gifted in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
At first you hear the silence is a short story about a young boy who is left to his own devices when his parents and sister go to town. So while he is sitting at their farm he notices that both the dog and cat wont go outside at all. Intrigued as most young boys are, he investigates to find that all of the barn cats had been dismembered and chewed on. I know right? Especially since he really liked those cats. The larger, smarter animals like the horses and the dog know when the going gets tough, they hide. Sometimes humans should listen to animals. That starts a harrowing experience that pushes what a young boy will do.
So because this is obviously a short story there isn’t a lot I can say, but first, I want to say that the author has some twisted mind, I mean aliens sure? Monsters sure? But the enemy in this book is not what you would expect. Because of that I tip my hat and my fangs. It was a really good book, it started off a little slow and I almost put it down, but I am glad that I didn’t since it really sped up and the ending was worth the read.
Knowing how this author writes, I am going to look for other stories by him, that is how impressed I was that the story just flew at me from left field and I was not expecting it. It almost hit me alongside the head, but I read fast enough to ensure that I was safe. Seriously though, I liked this story, and if he made this short story into a full length novel to answer some of the questions that were left hanging, I would buy it and read it.
About Mark Fuller Dillon
"Mark Fuller Dillon is an original talent, whose precise use of language, obliquely disturbing imagery and meticulous world building single him out as a writer to watch." (Peter Tennant, BLACK STATIC #35.)
Most of my stories are set in the region where I live (Gatineau, Quebec), and are based on some of the stranger moments of my life, or on my nightmares (which have kept me awake and nervous until daylight since I was three years old).
I've had work published in Barbara and Christopher Roden's ALL HALLOWS and in John Pelan's DARKSIDE; I've also had work accepted for anthologies and magazines that faded away before my stories could appear. The best of these are collected in my second ebook, IN A SEASON OF DEAD WEATHER.
Right now, my goal is to find reviewers. Writers can focus on craftsmanship, but they cannot be certain of just how much they've been able to learn and apply, until the readers tell them. To that end, I'm inviting you to let me know exactly what you think of my stories. Honest feedback, pro or con, is one of the most valuable things a writer can use.
