Synopsis:
After waking up in a hospital bed, paralyzed from the waist down, Charlie Snyder had no idea where life would take her. Dejected, broken, and permanently bound to a wheelchair, she believed her life was truly over. That is… until gravity no longer applied.
It started out slow. Floating from room to room. Menial tasks without assistance. When she decided to venture outside and take some real risks with her newfound ability, she rose above her own constraints to reveal a whole new world, and found other damaged individuals just like her to confide in.
But there are other things out there, waiting in the dark. Repulsive, secretive creatures that don’t want Charlie to touch the sky. And they’ll stop at nothing to keep her on the ground.
Edition:
Signed paperback purchased from the authors
My Thoughts:
Charlie is a well-rounded character. She suffers a terrible accident, and she is having a very difficult time adjusting to her new circumstances. She doesn’t just blithely accept her new reality. Of course not. She’s traumatized. Terrified. And her husband Marcus is about as supportive as a partner could be. And herein lies both what I feel is Slaves to Gravity‘s greatest achievement and its biggest issue.
Allow me to explain, because I’m sure that sounds confusing. So, I think that the way Charlie’s story plays out as far as her reaction to her injury and her subsequent realization that it has tapped some previously unknown power in her is nothing short of wonderful. She is no shrinking violet. She’s not going to just sit back and happily accept her injuries. Is this healthy in the long run? Psychologically speaking, probably not (note: I’m not a doctor. Nor have I experienced a spinal cord injury – this is just purely speculation on my part).
But is it believable? Absolutely. One of the five stages of grief is, after all, denial. So I like that Charlie is given some complexity in her reaction to her new life.
What really bums me out though is Marcus’ character arc. I can’t figure out though if I don’t like it because it doesn’t seem to fit with him, or because it doesn’t seem like it fits with the rest of the story. It feels like it was just shoehorned in there as a tool to wrap shit up quickly. And that, frankly is the real issue here for me. Yes, I understand that it is a novella, and thus things must happen very quickly, but I feel like there were too many elements introduced here to properly flesh out in 128 pages. I wish the story had been a little longer. Then, maybe, everything would have felt a little bit more cohesive. And not just with Marcus. Honestly, the entire bit with the “secretive creatures” felt a little under-cooked.
But, Slaves to Gravity is a very interesting book. I’ve read some of both Wesley Southard and Somer Canon’s work before, and enjoyed both their work. Together, they have written something wholly different from what I’ve previously seen from either of them. And that is absolutely not a bad thing – but I’m kind of sitting on the fence on this one. It was a really interesting premise, but I feel like it wasn’t long enough to make itself fully work.
Rating:
I just think it needed a bit more by way of exposition.
Slaves to Gravity By Wesley Southard and Somer Canon South of Heaven Press Published: June 8, 2022 ISBN: 979-8834992936 Paperback, Ebook 232 Pages (I don't know what has been added for the extra 96 pages) Wesley Southard's LinkTree Somer Canon's Website
