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katykelly 's review for:
The Third Wheel
by Michael J. Ritchie
Independence Day from the 'little people's' point of view... with some surprising traits.
Aliens have landed. Dexter has been taken. This is just the first page, where Dexter is "overwhelmed by the notion of leaving everything I knew behind on that tiny blue dot that wasn't prepared for its sudden demise." We know immediately that this is no Happy Ever After. He tells us the story of a week ago, but also of his life and friends. Part of a large group of buddies, he's the only one not partnered up. Which seems to be significant.
One by one, he tells us how his friends all found partners, giving each personality and backstory (though I couldn't help but mix them up subsequently), making us see them all as noteworthy characters. The references of self-awareness are funny: "Enough back story, there's an alien invasion in progress" - I liked Dexter's narration from the present/future.
Dexter himself is single and lonely with it, despite loving his smart little cat (The Great Catsby) and having a career as an English teacher. When the world begins to fall apart, he bands together with his group and attempts to get them all to a place of safety, while watching the aliens and how they treat their victims.
I loved how Dexter described his friends as pairs: "Priti-and-Art". Very funny considering what happens to his friends.
Now, you'd expect this to be a horror story, as these are hostile aliens and they decimate the planet (again, this isn't a spoiler, this is told to us on the first page). But the horrors that are described are, almost universally, not dwelt on, mourned over, even though some description is fairly detailed. Dexter does at one point refer to grief, he empties his "body of its salt water", but it's removed from emotion somewhat.
The elements of an alien invasion you'd expect to read about are here - chases, deaths, protecting provisions, characters unexpectedly stepping up and showing unseen traits. But it's just as unusual in other elements.
Entertaining story, slightly unexpected, funny. The few chapters of bonus chapters after the book finishes add some little details of a few characters that I enjoyed for the alternative viewpoint they provided.
With thanks to Netgalley for the sample reading copy.
Aliens have landed. Dexter has been taken. This is just the first page, where Dexter is "overwhelmed by the notion of leaving everything I knew behind on that tiny blue dot that wasn't prepared for its sudden demise." We know immediately that this is no Happy Ever After. He tells us the story of a week ago, but also of his life and friends. Part of a large group of buddies, he's the only one not partnered up. Which seems to be significant.
One by one, he tells us how his friends all found partners, giving each personality and backstory (though I couldn't help but mix them up subsequently), making us see them all as noteworthy characters. The references of self-awareness are funny: "Enough back story, there's an alien invasion in progress" - I liked Dexter's narration from the present/future.
Dexter himself is single and lonely with it, despite loving his smart little cat (The Great Catsby) and having a career as an English teacher. When the world begins to fall apart, he bands together with his group and attempts to get them all to a place of safety, while watching the aliens and how they treat their victims.
I loved how Dexter described his friends as pairs: "Priti-and-Art". Very funny considering what happens to his friends.
Now, you'd expect this to be a horror story, as these are hostile aliens and they decimate the planet (again, this isn't a spoiler, this is told to us on the first page). But the horrors that are described are, almost universally, not dwelt on, mourned over, even though some description is fairly detailed. Dexter does at one point refer to grief, he empties his "body of its salt water", but it's removed from emotion somewhat.
The elements of an alien invasion you'd expect to read about are here - chases, deaths, protecting provisions, characters unexpectedly stepping up and showing unseen traits. But it's just as unusual in other elements.
Entertaining story, slightly unexpected, funny. The few chapters of bonus chapters after the book finishes add some little details of a few characters that I enjoyed for the alternative viewpoint they provided.
With thanks to Netgalley for the sample reading copy.