Moving to another planet should be easy, right? For Bree, she believed this to be true. But when something sinister wakes aboard her spacecraft, Bree and her family discover that surviving passage through space will be anything but easy.A Layer Hidden is the second stand alone short story in the Campfire Fantasy Tales series with a hint of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
A Layer Hidden is a science-fiction short story by Candace Robinson. I’ve read several of the author’s full length novels and other short stories, so this was a must-read when I saw it being launched this week. If you’re looking for a quick, enjoyable, and scary read, this is it.
Imagine the future when the Earth is overpopulated and people struggle to survive. Then winning the lottery where you can move to a newly inhabited planet in the galaxy. Bree, her husband, and her daughter are aboard the ship to take them there when something very odd happens. Only Bree can’t believe what’s going on around her. Green goo. Scary aliens. Hope. Fear. So much packed into such a short tale.
But it clearly shows why Robinson is a must-read author. Her strength lies in her character development and story creation. If they weren’t spot-on, I might not run to her works, as it’s not a regular genre for me… but she’s that good! I automatically invest in what she’s created because it crosses a number of genres and keeps me glued to the pages or screen.
A big recommendation from me…
This is a creepy, twilight zone-ish type of story. I loved it!! One minute your reading this sweet little SciFi-ish story and then, whoa, it gets creeeepy!!
Robinson did a great job on this. The way she fed this story out to us little by little, it is pure genius! It’s a lot of fun (in a creepy way) and really sticks with you. This is definitely one of those stories you will never forget!!
I’m a big fan of short reads, and have been indulging in them a bit more often lately. I picked this one up last night expecting an awesome ride, but what I got blew me completely away!! Especially since the characters Will and Bree come from another of Candace’s books, one that I absolutely loved, so to have them thrown into the horrible nightmare that is body snatchers on a spaceship really threw me for a loop!
I wasn’t expecting the outcome at all, not in the slightest.
What starts out as a lovely family moment showing the world just how much love Bree and Will have for one another, along with their daughter Kattie. They’ll do anything for eachother, including the escape from a crumbling Earth. While on their way to a place more pure and safe for their Kattie, Bree wakes in the night to a frisky sleeping Will. She stops his shenanigans before it gets out of hand and wakes Kattie, and then goes in search of food and water from the main hall since they’re up. It’s odd, the way the lights are flickering pared with the silence of the ship… Then WHAM! Candace drops the reader right into a suspenseful, and twisty ride. Splitting skin, creepy alien kids with super strength, bloody gore and heinous death.
Don’t let the size of this book fool you, it’s packing a punch! 5 stars! Excellent read!! Kudos Candace, you remain in my top favorite independent authors, you’re an amazing writer!
Candace Robinson has given us a short story that is truly a sci-fi nightmare. If you enjoy science fiction you should definitely check it out.