PAUSED by Stephanie Ellis (Silver Shamrock Publishing, January 2022) Trade paperback, 134 pages. ISBN # 1951043510/978951043513
Summary on the Goodreads website . . . . .
People are stopping, bodies halting regardless of situation or location. They are still alive but completely unresponsive, vulnerable statues utterly at the mercy of their environment. Unable to run from fire, some burn. Unable to return to shore, some drown. Unable to move from the path of a truck, some are crushed. Nor are you safe at home—unable to move, you starve.
Dr Alex Griffiths heads a research department in a university hospital. As more and more succumb to this strange affliction—including his own family—it becomes a race against time for his team to find an answer before they too are affected.
Humanity has been put on pause. Will it ever restart?
When I learned of the premise for this novella, I was immediately interested. Stephanie Ellis' treatment of this clever speculation did not disappoint.
PAUSED is a taut science mystery/thriller that reads almost as fast as the immobilization malady spreads. I could have easily finished this the same night that I began reading it, but decided it would be better to spread it out longer for a greater appreciation. Besides, when I read too fast I miss things.
I was reminded of the science/thriller novels of Robin Cook while reading this. Ellis ramps it up another notch with an horrific element that is all the more disturbing for how palpable it seems, especially in our current pandemic times.
There's a subtle message about the capabilities of modern science as well as the limitations (trial and error takes time) that sometimes is forgotten in our divided society. The science-deniers distrust all information from the medical professionals while the believers expect instant answers, solutions, and to be right the first time. Nobody is perfect.
In the reveal as to the cause of this strange epidemic is another example of new ways our planet might respond to the damage that humanity is incurring upon it. Kudos to Ellis for provoking these kinds of thoughts within such a short tale.
The characterization is well done, and concise. A lot is revealed in reactions and shared thoughts. What was especially impressive is that Ellis presents the reactions to the pandemic from the point-of-view of not just the unaffected (and diminishing) characters but also that of the afflicted. Some of the more terrifying scenes are those that reveal the thoughts of infected victims, unable to speak, move, blink an eye or physically react in anyway to let others know they are still alive and cognizant rather than just a vegetative state of being. Well done.
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