Prickle Forrest Books Review: Author Jon Newton Cohesion Lost An Avar-Tek Short Story

Prickle Forrest Books

BOOK REVIEW

October 11, 2024

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Dear Readers,

John Newton is back! Here is a brain twister from his Avar-Tek short story series. Pay attention and hopefully this engaging short story won’t make you hate machines afterwards. You’ll definitely think twice… Enjoy, I did!

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Title: Cohesion Lost

Series: Avar-Tek

Author: John Newton

ASIN: B0DDZR45J2

Publisher: Firesmith Press

Pub Date: September 1, 2024

Review Date: October 9, 2024

Submitted Date: October 11, 2024

Genre: Sci-Fi, speculative fiction, short story

Pages: 30

Format: Digital eBook

Price: Free (limited time) 99¢

Availability: Amazon

NetGalley Reviewer: 1375356

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Description:

When the line between human and machine blurs, trust becomes a dangerous illusion.

Alex’s life seems ordinary—until vivid memories of battles, spacecrafts, and ancient empires haunt his dreams, threatening his grip on reality. As a mysterious illness takes hold, these visions intensify, pushing him to question his very identity. Desperation forces him to seek help, leading him down a path where the past, present, and future collide.

When a strange man approaches him with cryptic messages, Alex’s reality unravels. Are these just side effects of stress, or is there something deeper at play? With his life and the safety of his loved ones at stake, Alex must confront the truth, even if it means facing a reality far stranger than anything he could have imagined. His journey is just beginning, and the answers lie beyond the familiar.

Alex must face the ultimate question: What if everything you believed about yourself was a lie?

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My Review:

Alex thought his life was normal—until, well, it wasn’t. In *When the Line Between Human and Machine Blurs*, his dreams of ancient empires, space battles, and a mysterious illness all start to push him into a pretty serious identity crisis. Is he just stressed, or is there something a little too weird going on? As his reality crumbles, Alex meets a cryptic guy with messages that only make things worse (or more interesting, depending on how you look at it). With his life, sanity, and loved ones hanging in the balance, Alex has to figure out what’s real before it’s too late.

The story’s only 30 pages, but it packs a lot in. On the positive side, it’s a total page-turner—things escalate quickly, and you won’t be bored. The character development, especially for Alex, is surprisingly deep for such a short read. It’s a thinker, too—if you like your Sci-Fi with a side of “What is reality, anyway?” you’re in luck. On the downside, because it’s so short, some parts feel rushed. There’s not much time to explore the world fully, and you might end up with more questions than answers by the end. But hey, that’s also kind of the point with stories like this—keeps you thinking long after you’ve turned the last page.

If you enjoy short Sci-Fi stories that mess with your mind, think along the lines of Philip K. Dick or Ted Chiang. This one’s definitely worth your time. It’s quick, a bit of a brain bender, and will have you second-guessing just how much you trust those machines around you. All in all, it’s a solid 5—quick, smart, and keeps you thinking long after you’ve closed the book. Great job, Newton!

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My Rating:

My rating for this novel is … a solid 5 because when it keeps me thinking days after reading it, then it’s definitely earned the best one it can get *****. Now on to read his third short story of the Avar-Tek short story series. Stay tuned for another review, it’s coming soon…

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Thanks for checking out this review.

Christina Hartmann Benchoff