2023; 288 pages. New
Author? : Yes. Full Title: From the Paranormal Case Files of Bishop Kincaid: The
Rembrandt Stratagem. Genres: Pulp
Fiction; Paranormal Fantasy; Superheroes.
Overall Rating : 8½*/10.
What if lots of those creatures that you read
about in fantasy novels really exist?
The good ones as well as the bad ones, the cute and fuzzy ones as well
as the magical and threatening ones. Gnomes, and elves, trolls and vampires,
centaurs and werewolves.
Well, they’re all sentient
beings, so chances are they’d interact and dwell among humans. There’d be variants in each species – more
than one type of vampire or werewolf; and they’d definitely be outnumbered by
us humans, since we seem to reproduce at alarming rates.
Because they’re visibly
different from us, you’d almost certainly find hatred and bigotry among a
subset of humans. But that would be
balanced by others of us who’d advocate mutual tolerance and cooperation. And no matter what, all of us are mortal, we'll all die at some
point.
Well, not quite all, if you throw a few mythical figures into the
mix—such as Prometheus—and a cosmic deity or two. Then what kind of world would you end up with?
In our case, you'd have the
setting for From the Paranormal Case Files of Bishop
Kincaid: The Rembrandt Stratagem.
What’s To Like...
The Rembrandt
Stratagem is set in and around an alternate New York
City, and is the first book in a new Pulp Fiction series penned by Kellie Austin featuring
a fascinating and enigmatic protagonist, Bishop Kincaid.
He’s blessed with some powerful talents, but he’s also got a rebellious
streak and is presently in deep doo-doo with his supernatural superiors. His character is definitely “gray”, which is
how I prefer my fictional heroes.
There are a bunch of interesting characters
to meet and keep track of. Gant,
Bishop’s bodyguard and driver, is a Neanderthal; and Devin, one of Bishop’s
fellow “grays”, is a Gorgon. Kane and
Abel are a pair of sentient knives. Some
of those who seem to be humans, aren’t; and even the Cosmic Spiral has a
certain flair to its personality. The
main paranormal group in the tale, Vampires, come in several genetic variations.
Like any good Pulp Fiction novel, the
action starts in Chapter One, and the thrills-&-spills are nonstop from
there on. There’s plenty of intrigue as
well. Who’s targeting Bishop? Where’s the governor? Why’s someone killing mermen? What’s with all the Moraturi
disappearing? And perhaps most important
of all, how the heck do you kill a Moraturi Worm?
There’s a smattering of romance mixed in
with all the adventure. Dani Darling is
married to D.A. Dan Dickens, but she was previously hooked up with Bishop. Dan and Bishop have to occasionally team up
to accomplish mutual goals, and it is interesting to watch how they handle Dani,
who by career is a reporter that’s always in search of a news story.
Everything builds to an ending that’s full
of exciting, to-the-death bloodshed on several fronts. The world is saved, but it comes at a heavy cost. The immediate evil is vanquished,
but greater threats lurk in the shadows, waiting to manifest themselves in a
sequel, which, I’m told, is in the works.
Ratings…
Amazon:
*.*/5
based on 0 ratings and 0 reviews.
Goodreads: *.**/5 based on 0
ratings and 0 reviews.
Kewlest New Word ...
Precession
(n.) : the slow movement of the axis
of a spinning body around another axis due to a torque (such as a gravitational influence) acting to
change the direction of the first axis.
Excerpt...
“You mentioned silver. We have a connection.”
“What connection, Kincaid?” said the
Commissioner. “You mean silver and a
true Vampire? I graduated from high
school. Got a C- in Paranormal vs.
Genetic aberration. Even I know that
silver kills a true Vampire. Not on
Genetics, you see, only on natural bloodsuckers.” He beamed with a sense of accomplishment on
knowing information that illustrated why he was in his new position.
“Right.
You’re a smart man, Mr. Ross, truly befitting for a man in your
stature,” replied Bishop, feeding Commissioner Ross’s ego. (loc. 1841)
“I shouldn’t be telling you these
things. I’m breaking a vow of the
eternal library. See, I just made a
choice that was the right one, no matter the cost of that decision. I will accept the punishment for doing
so. You are of the gray, Bishop. Don’t be an avatar of heroism because you
feel guilt over events of the past, be an avatar because you choose to be a
light in this world of shadows, darkness, and death.
“Bishop, it’s all about choice.” (loc. 3018)
Kindle Details…
Right now, The Rembrandt Stratagem sells for $3.99
at Amazon. This is Kellie Austin’s
debut full-length novel, but she has also contributed two short stories to
Charles F. Millhouse’s fantastic “Pulp Reality”
series.
“Oh my god,” she
screamed again. “I’m going to die
horribly twice!” (loc.
2449)
The cussing is impressively sparse in The Rembrandt Stratagem, just
11 instances in the first 50% of the book; and I noted only one “adult
situation”.
A couple of the secondary plot threads,
such as the governor’s whereabouts and the Dan/Dani/Bishop triangle, remain
unresolved at the book's end, but I presume these will be addressed in subsequent books in the
series. Bishop is a long way from achieving redemption by the Cosmic Powers, and I doubt that will happen anytime soon.
The book could use another round of
copy-editing. The punctuation needs work, the Glossary needs alphabetizing tweaks, and a couple
character names have two spellings (Kane/Cain,
Devin/Devon).
All of this can easily be corrected in the next edition of the book.
Enough of the nitpicking. The Rembrandt Stratagem is a fine debut entry in the Pulp Fiction genre by Kellie Austin. It’s filled with lots of excitement, interesting characters, and a truly unique world setting. Bishop Kincaid is a character I can empathize with: he made difficult choices a long time ago and now is steadfastly willing to live with the cosmic retribution that he knew would inevitably follow. That might sound “dark”, but I think the book’s message is: despite all the hatred, bigotry, and violence we have to face every day, in the end, by choosing to confront and overcome it, we can make the world a better place.
8½ Stars.
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