This is definitely a must read for new authors or those who are interested in self-publishing. It’s a really good and concise overview of self-publishing from someone who knows, and there are lots of up to date links and other references for further learning. It discusses a wide range of topics such as: why and how to self publish an ebook, markets to publish in, how to publish a print on demand paper book, getting help, and marketing. If you need more information, other books and courses are mentioned. Did I mention it is free?
November 6, 2021
Infractus by Sarah L. Johnson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Infractus is science fiction mixed with religious fantasy. It starts with the protagonist being abandoned as a newborn and moves in to a dark post-apocalypse when he grows up. He turns into a kind of a blade runner as some semblance of civilization re-emerges in the form of the Big Brother dictatorship known as the Panopticon. As the angels are introduced, the story becomes a dark comedy adventure along the lines of the Preacher, TV show.
The protagonist has no name until the final word of the book and is called various nicknames over time. He was raised by nuns in a boarding school/orphanage in Kamloops, British Columbia. Four years after the book was written, this location takes on a special significance for Canadians due to the recent discovery of 215 unmarked graves of native children in the old residential boarding school yard.
He hears voices and is protected and tormented by an unseen entity. He leaves the boarding school and the nuclear apocalypse occurs and he falls into the desperate life of a Vancouver street kid that is all too real.
We have seen religion used in other post-apocalyptic stories such as Canticle for Leibowitz that have moralistic endings, but more like Preacher, there is none of that here. Johnson brings a fresh perspective and uses the Latter Day Saints (LDS, formerly known as Mormon) pantheon rather than the mainstream Christian cosmology.
Her writing is brilliant, her characters rich, unpredictable, and usually well motivated. Sarah writes amazing short fiction and this was her first novel, and a very good one at that. The ending answers one big question but leaves others open and leaves the reader wanting a sequel. It’s been four years since this book was first released and still no sign of one. If you are listening, Sarah, please write one!
November 10, 2021
William Marshall 