The Unraveling: Damaged Incorporated, Book One [Kindle Edition]

Throw some Sci-Fi and Horror into a blender along with a dose of pop culture references and some disturbing, dark elements with a kick of irreverent humor and a rogue AI and you have the world of The Unraveling. This is an interesting debut novel which purports to be the first in a series of 'Damaged Incorporated'. Indeed many of the characters introduced in the story are "damaged" - some have dark, troubled backgrounds, and we get to witness some of this as the story unfolds. There are some very disturbing sequences which I would note are not appropriate for kids - this is NOT a 'YA' or Young Adult novel. Nevertheless, though it does have some dark horror elements, the author manages to introduce characters that are interesting, and finds ways to inject occasional humor into the adventures his characters must endure.

I would describe the book as a rather fast-paced, psychedelic thrill ride; and a decent page-turner. I often found myself wondering if what some of the characters are experiencing is real or some kind of alternate reality or some Matrix-like computer simulation. It's difficult to discuss too much of the individual plot elements without getting into spoilers. The characters that populate this world are interesting and very diverse and come together in different ways, though I sometimes felt like I was reading the script for the pilot of a television series. That's not necessarily a bad thing, I would suppose it depends on your personal tastes. I found the writing to be professional, and by the end I was interested in where this group of characters would go next - I'd be happy to read any sequel. Definitely worth the price if you like gonzo Sci-Fi/Horror adventure. Recommended.