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Fiction Friday is a series where I talk about what I’ve been reading. Short Stories (and sometimes Novellas) are featured as in-between posts and the first Friday of the month will feature a new novel review. Today, we pick up where we left off in our serialized review of  Presumed Dead by Rick Kennett.

We’re continuing the serialized story, Presumed Dead by Rick Kennett, narrated by Marguerite Kenner, as featured in Cast of Wonders. You can listen to it here. Time to pick up where we left off. Last we saw our heroine, we find her stranded on a deserted planet of fungal trees. She finds a ship graveyard. Now, she must find a way to evade a potential threat from above. So, let’s keep going.

Cy’s Survival

At this point in the story, we see Cy battling two forces at once. Those trying to find their augmented human, and Cy trying to battle both nature and her past. We learn a lot about her past life as a Martian trainee, and how she endured her training and her relationships with others. Many of these unusual spirits and hallucinations come to haunt her, resembling those she once cared for, including family.

It’s starting to get interesting as Cy’s past begins to unfold. I kind of like having both her past and present intertwined. It’s a good use of flashbacks that don’t feel out of place and feels super important. I’ve read stories where flashbacks, while informative, essentially don’t matter. But these have a “how did she end up here” purpose.

I am curious how this story’s going to unfold. It still isn’t explained where these hallucinations are coming from. It’s not her chip since even after removing it, she sees these spirits. My guess is the mushrooms. They can be a gateway drug after all. You know, Shrooms (Don’t do drugs, kiddos).

So far, we’re seeing a deeper part of Cy through her backstory and her current predicament. She does seem to be a bit maniacal after living in this world. I do think the mushrooms might be getting to her. It wouldn’t surprise me, but I do hope for a bit of a twist moment rather than the obvious.

The Kreengs

I’m not a spider person, but I love how adorable these Kreengs (pronounced Kree-negs) are. They look like fluffy lobsters. I do think Lobsters are cool, but spiders, yeah some of them are pretty interesting, but God are they creepy. Tiny ones I can live with, but if they’re bigger than a coin, I’m reaching for the shoes. And don’t get me started on the ones in Australia. Those things might as well have HP bars.

Anyway, I like their innocent and curious personality. Most insects tend to be a little dumb (a little?) but I like that they seem to have more animal than insect in them. I want one as a pet. It’s big enough to cuddle right? At first, I thought she named one of them, but she has since dubbed their species as Kreengs after an old drill sergeant.

She might keep one as a pet, even though these are about as alien as the planet she’s on. The two seem to have a goofy relationship that drives her insane.

I still wonder what purpose they have in the story. Obviously, they get in her way, but there has to be more to it than that. Perhaps they’re related to some giant Kreeng that ends up being the main source of her hallucination? Who knows?

What’s next?

This section ends with a Xenoid conflict in the past storyline. I’m curious to see how that will affect the current situation and address the remaining questions I have. We’ll have to see for ourselves, won’t we?

Stay tuned for part three this Friday. I hope to finish this the following Friday, but it’ll also feature my novel review. Yep, you’ll be getting a double dose of Fiction Friday. I might space it out (maybe one on either Thursday or Saturday. Keep an eye out)

If you’re reading it, what do you think so far? Are you enjoying it? Do you think Kreengs are adorable? Let me know in the comments.

That’s all for today. Take care, and remember, the inn is always open.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

If you have any suggestions for future topics and reviews, hit me up on my social media channels and let me know your thoughts. I always read the feedback, even if I don’t respond. Your feedback is what keeps me going, so thank you for supporting me.

My Japanese Mythology-inspired short story, Do Not Stare Into The Eyes Of A Kitsune, is finally available. You can buy it on Amazon or wherever ebooks are sold. Help a debut author make his debut worth it.

My next work will be titled “City of Kaiju,” a tale about an unlikely alliance between a young girl and her gigantic dog-dragon monster, as they survive chaos and disaster from a gigantic kaiju invasion. Part of a new Short Novel initiative, intended to fill in the gap between releases. Set for release within the Fall 2018/Winter 2019 period. Read more about it here.