SKINWRAPPER by Stephen Kozeniewski (Sinister Grin Press, August 2019) Kindle Edition, 81 pages. ASIN # B07TNPP4NZ
Summary on the Goodreads website . . . . .
A single word strikes fear into the hearts of even the most experienced starship crews…
Aboard the freighter Blue Whale, a young girl’s day begins like any other: texting her friends while her parents bicker about breakfast. Then, with a loud, sickening pop, their domestic tranquility is shattered.
A single word goes out over the emergency warning system…
The galaxy’s shipping lanes are plagued by a gang of vicious pirates. Suffering from all manner of terminal diseases, they require zero gravity to live. They also need a constant influx of fresh blood and organs, so their victims also become their unwilling donors. The band is so ruthless, so violent, that its very name has become a synonym for terror.
A single word that chills the blood, even in the utter cold of space…
The little girl finds herself alone, lost, and trapped aboard the vessel she called home, praying it won’t also become her tomb. She is about to learn there is nothing in the universe worse than being hunted by a SKINWRAPPER.
This prequel novella shoves you screaming back into the world of “space horror masterpiece” (Daily Dead) THE HEMATOPHAGES.
My Three-Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . .
This short novella is dark, stark and dystopian. Kozeniewski pares things down to the horrific essentials and creates a compelling and lightning-fast read. He certainly knows how to build suspense and maintain it. If you are prone to biting your fingernails during moments of stress or anxiety, then please wear gloves while reading this.
I'm fascinated by the world-building here, and wish there were more of it as well as more specifics and explanations. Still, the story holds your attention and keeps you turning pages despite the lack of certain details.
This definitely feels like a section of a longer work. The Goodreads summary describes this as a prequel, while the author's acknowledgment in the back text refers to it as a sequel of sorts to a longer novel, The Hemotophages. Guess I may have to read that to learn more.
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