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 continue our episodic story, Presumed Dead, by Rick Kennett, narrated by Marguerite Kenner.

Back once again for Part three of our now five-part serial review. Follow along here. Last we left our heroine, she was dealing, literally, with the ghosts of her past. Now, we delve deeper into her backstory and figure out how she landed on the planet in the first place.
The aftermath of a Xenoid Battle

While most of these chapters are backstory, we discover the aftermath of a Xenoid conflict, the one mentioned in the previous chapter. No doubt this was the infamous battle that may have forced Cy to crash land on the mysterious fungal planet. The battle itself is exciting, and with some genuine humor to boot.

I like the idea of faking out the enemy ships as well as using the magnet idea. Basically, using two magnets on equal poles reflect. It has that unique “Galaxy Quest” concept, where during the climactic battle, the ship pulls space mines and destroys the opposing alien ship (I’ve seen the film in snippets, never in its entirety).

I am curious who these Xenoid people are or what they look like. Also, why they’re even fighting the Earth (Martian) people at all. It’s eight chapters (and two parts left) and we still have no idea what these things are. I don’t mind the mystery, but hopefully, these will be worth the wait.

I usually get frustrated with these “secret alien species” type twists, because they usually don’t end all that well. Not that these things might be scary, but there’s no indication of their physiology or background. Are they robotic? Natural? Human? Animal? Some unique species that might seem real to alien enthusiasts?

I do hope we find out soon because I’m more interested in them than Cy’s survival. Speaking of which.
Cy and Lazarus

I still think the Kreengs are adorable, but Cy’s interaction with them makes it doubly so. Making a joke about Lazarus’s name origin, (’Lazarus, come forth.’ But Lazarus disobeyed…and came fifth) (Get it…fourth…fifth) and just being an overall goofball of a lobster spider. At this point, I imagine that Cy is going out of her mind, making friends with animals (alien animals) who cannot speak back who care more about what’s for lunch than about her.

This side interaction gives the story a humorous side and the narration adds to it. It really does sound like a teenager talking to a pet hamster or something. It gives this delusional sense that without anyone to interact with, between the ghosts and being all alone on a lifeless planet, she had to make friends with someone. Kind of like having an inanimate object as a friend.

I actually love seeing this side of her, rather than go completely ballistic and turning into a violent survival story. It’s a nice, refreshing pace and adds to the charm of this story. I’m glad we’re getting more of it.

Not much else to add. We’re getting deeper into the backstory and might finally figure out how she landed on this planet at all and what happened to George. Also, if we’ll see the Xenoid forces for real. There are still a few unanswered questions, but hopefully, they’ll be resolved soon.
That’s all for today. Stay tuned for another special Tuesday for part four and finally, a double whammy next Friday as we have both the finale and the novel review. So how are you liking this so far? I won’t do it too often, but I like changing this up every so often. Let me know in the comments. I like getting feedback.

Take care, and remember, the inn is always open.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

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.