Gunpowder (2008)Written by: Joe Hill
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 81
The premise: Elaine lives on the planet R2 as the caretaker of a group of boys who have the Talent of psyforming: essentially, they can terraform a planet using their imaginations in far less time than it'd take traditional technology. Only one of the boys, Charley, doesn't have the Talent save for a tiny sliver of it, but beyond that difference, life on R2 is peaceful, until news of an outside war disrupts their lives, and the boys are presented with a new, dangerous mission.
My Rating
Must Have: for Joe Hill fans, it's worth every penny. It's a lovely, tightly written little novella that's a treasure to own. If you've not read Joe Hill but don't want to check out his horror, this SF novella is worth the cash, though it may be more cash than you're willing to pay. I hope that Hill is able to get this released in some kind of collection or something later, because it's a fantastic little read, and I'm very glad I got a chance to get my hands on it. Hill's pretty much solidified himself as a must-read author for me, and I'm looking forward to the rest of his work.
Review style: there's really not a whole lot to spoil in this book. It's a novella, and a very short one at that. I read it in one sitting with no trouble. It's another one of those that I can't talk about without spoiling it, so I apologize. If you don't mind the spoilers, you can read the rest of my review in my LJ. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.
REVIEW: Joe Hill's GUNPOWDER
Happy Reading!