Life becomes a nightmare for the subjects of a bizarre experiment.

In his first installment of a proposed trilogy, Weech (The Journals of Bob Drifter, 2015)  introduces readers to a mesh of characters—the noble Sal, the gifted Kaitlyn Olhouser, Chris Royd the “has-been firefighter,” and several others—all of whom find themselves beset with violent nightmares unlike any they’d felt before. One by one, they awake in steel, sterile rooms restrained to their beds. They learn they are the targets of a sinister experiment, led by the darkly charismatic Gen. Leeroy Pederson. The general and his team of doctors and technicians are trying to create a more evolved human being, a better spy, and as they manipulate the nightmares of their victims, one after the other dies. But some survive. In nocturnal psychic communication with one another, those subjects conduct their own battle, a fight on two fronts: the first, to maintain their sanity; the second, to protect one another against the strange creatures who menace them—Minotaurs, ghoulish skeletons dripping with blood. Are these creatures the manifestations of their own minds, carefully designed implants, or something even darker at work? Have the subjects begun to fight a nightmare war even among themselves? In his novel, Weech takes his readers down a dark path, but one dotted with the lights of hope and the warmth of fellowship. While the author possesses the skills to create worlds where nothing is as it appears, he also makes his readers believe in the reality of those realms. “No one looks for themes or lessons in literature anymore,” one of the characters observes in an unusually peaceful moment. “They just want to stuff their faces full of popcorn and see pretty explosions.” Fortunately for his audience, Weech’s book can be read as an encouraging lesson or a popcorn thriller, and hopefully both.

A smart, page-turning journey into night terror, cybernetic warfare, and the meaning of bravery. 

In Weech’s debut supernatural thriller, an empathetic soul collector must stop one of his own from reaping dark souls and committing murder.

Bob Drifter is a typical Arizona substitute teacher—except for the fact that he’s a 338-year-old Journeyman. When a person is near death, Bob can transport his or her soul to the afterlife. He keeps a low profile, but it turns out that police Sgt. Richard Hertly is on the verge of connecting him to a few recent deaths, as witnesses in each case describe a stranger nearby. Richard and his partner, Detective Kyle LeShea, soon link Bob to a hospital death from his fingerprint, and Richard becomes determined to prove that Bob’s a murderer; he even follows Bob when he takes a new job in New York state. Meanwhile, Bob and his fellow Journeymen search for Grimm, a rogue collector who waits for souls to “sour” and become “Blacksouls.” Journeymen don’t have the ability to kill humans, but Grimm, with his Blacksoul-derived power, is dead set on finding a way. The novel is split into three parts that feel like separate short stories, though Bob and the antagonistic Grimm are always at their centers. The first is the most riveting, despite the fact that it has the least amount of action. It introduces Bob as a compassionate man who’s clearly only transporting souls out of necessity; other characters, and the narrative itself, describe the pain he feels when he watches people die. He also tutors a student named David, befriending the boy and his family for reasons that readers will likely surmise. Despite the book’s title, and its narrative device of recurring journal entries, the remaining two parts offer relatively little insight into Bob, instead concentrating on the Journeymen’s frequent, violent encounters with Grimm. That said, the novel does treat readers to laudable characters, such as Bob’s mentor and friend, Drisc. He’s a member of the Council, which tries to establish rules for Journeymen, and holds meetings in a bowling alley. Bob also has a chance at love with a photographer named Patience, and because she’s a mere mortal, the melodramatic possibilities abound. Bob eventually shows a few additional abilities, too; for example, he can “Manipulate” emotions or ease others’ pain. The ending leaves the door open for future sequels.

An often engaging supernatural thriller with an immortal protagonist with meritorious human traits.