This horror / sci-fi novella is billed as a ‘dystopian’ tale, which suggests a bleak futurescape of social or technological woe. Instead, Crossfades uses movie-making language in a supernatural / paranormal setting, to describe the moment between life and death, where a few lost souls get stuck in imaginary worlds of their own making.

So, naturally, there’s a team of Men In Black, trained in the art of meditation and in controlling their chi. This was my favourite part of the story: the intricacies of the set-up, the braindead ‘partner’ providing a bridge through whom the dead could murmur; the role of ‘control’ who anchors the operatives when they step into the dreams of the recently departed, the weird worlds of the unconscious. Inventive and intriguing, with echoes of ‘Inception’, this is a background it’d be interesting to explore in greater depth.

For me, however, the main plot of Crossfades was less fulfilling. A serial killer met the righteous end of his earthly existence, but he’s carrying on exactly where he left off in an appalling interpretation of an afterlife. He delights in the gleeful manipulation and torture of the confused souls of the freshly dead. Around a half of the story is given over to the bad guy’s tower of festering torment… which, if you like reading about flayed souls and evil incarnate, may well do it for you. I prefer my menace to be a more suggestive and psychological, and a little less explicit and anatomical – not through squeamishness, but because there’s only so many pulsing livers being eaten from a living body you can endure before ennui sets in.

However, there’s plenty of opportunity left at the end of the story for author William Todd Rose to return to this reality and to explore the agency in more detail. A more complex plot; different agents; different religions; a link to mediums and parapsychology – there’s heaps of potential here. Far more than a fairly straightforward shlock-horror-movie story, so I hope Rose comes back to his creation with a more complex tale to tell.
7/10

There's more detail about this book at:
https://murdermayhemandmore.wordpress.com/2016/03/11/crossfades-metaphysical-mon... ( )

Albert only wants one thing in life – to be the lord of his own private hell and eternally torture his victims. And he knows exactly how to get it.

Chuck is hoping for a promotion in his mysterious career – a Recon and Enforcement technician. He rescues souls caught between this world and the next, spending their days in mini-hells known simply as crossfades.

Lydia’s life is full of nightmares. There is no escaping the realm of terror she lives in, unless Chuck can rescue her. But this will be no easy mission. Albert will not let any escape his wrath.

Welcome to the blog tour for Crossfades, run by the lovely TLC Book Tours! The first thing that struck me about Crossfades, as soon as I opened the email about it was the killer synopsis. I knew as soon as I read the first few lines that I had to get my hands on this book, and I definitely made the right choice.

Crossfades is a short book, being just over one hundred pages, but it packs a lot into such a small space. There’s so much going on – I won’t say too much about what that is because I don’t want to spoil the story – but this book is dark, at some points even scary. There’s plenty of graphic horror, as well as a bit of that hair raising, make you need to switch the light on kind of horror too. If you’re looking for something out of the ordinary, Crossfades is definitely the book for you.

I love horror fiction, but sometimes I think the genre can get a bit repetitive – that’s absolutely not the case with Crossfades. It’s dark, different and completely draws you in. It also feels very realistic and believable, there’s a great amount of emotion and depth in the characters, even though we don’t get to delve into their minds for long. This book is not for the faint of heart, but it is one hundred percent worth the read.

While Crossfades is only a short novella, there is a sequel entitled Bleedovers, due for release in September. I am immensely looking forward to this, and can only imagine how horrific and fear filled book two will be. If you’re looking for something more exciting than a summer beach read, then I sincerely recommend Crossfades.

As part of this tour William Todd Rose has been kind enough to hold a give away of a $25 gift card as well as an ebook copy of Crossfades. To be in with a chance of winning simply click here to enter! Thanks for checking out my stop and be sure to stop by the other tour stops for Q&A’s, reviews and more! ( )

I read the blurb advertising this book on NetGalley, and I was instantly intrigued by the book's comparison to works by masters of horror and suspense Stephen King and his son Joe Hill. So, I requested it (a big thanks to NetGallley and Hydra for approving that request), and I've read it; BUT, I can't say that Rose rises to the greatness of Hill or King. That isn't to say that he doesn't have some intensely creepy stuff lurking inside the cover of this slim novella...but it what he offers has a slightly, um, recycled feel to it.

Let me explain. I have a slightly unhealthy obsession with Vincent D'Onofrio. As such, I've seen The Cell just a few times, and I'm only slightly ashamed to admit that (mainly due to JLo's involvement in the film because, generally speaking, I enjoy it - AND, let's face it - it gets bonus point for Vince Vaughn, another swoon-worthy interest of mine). I felt that this book was just a tad too reminiscent of The Cell to warrant any originality points. No, it's not identical, but both feature protagonists delving into comatose persons' minds to access the highly bizarre and frightening worlds that have been crafted by serial killers. Don't get me wrong: the delusional, demented world that Rose has created here is frightening and well-crafted. If there was more substance to the rest of the story, I think that I would have been more forgiving of the similarities between Crossfades and The Cell. Because it is a novella, the pacing and development of the romantic relationship between Chuck and Lydia felt forced and frantic (see also: completely false and unbelievable). To be honest, the instantaneous love that developed between the two was, probably, what ruined the story for me. The repeated references to mediation and Eastern philosophy was another element of the novella that just didn't feel authentic to the rest of the horror story. And why the loose ends, the underdeveloped characters? There was so much potential in the little girl, Alison/Bug, who initially drew Chuck into the killer's cutscene; but, much to my disappointment, there wasn't any resolution to her short-lived section of the story. Likewise, I felt there wasn't enough backstory centering around the serial killer. The reader is dropped into his sick delusion but refused any details of his life and crimes.

Ugh. I feel like such a Negative Nancy. This one was difficult for me to enjoy. Overall, there were signs of both potential and talent, but neither came to fruition for me. Sorry, NetGalley. This just wasn't for me. ( )

Review copy

"The official description of Crossfades described them as being like that moment in movies where Acts One and Two briefly coexist; they meld into a composite for a moment--both scenes visible, yet semitransparent--but eventually one asserts its dominion over the other and the plot moves on."

Chuck Grainger has a job that is at the same time both a dream and a nightmare. His official title was Recon and Enforcement Technician, Level II, he thought he'd be some kind of cosmic cop, but now he just feels more like a glorified janitor.

This story is out there, way out there. Much like Chuck when he's on assignment, trying to guide a soul who's passed on and for whatever reason can't quite cross The Divide. At times, surreal, Crossfades is definitely creepy, and there is also an anomaly that has come up, leading to things getting out of control. Although above his pay grade, Chuck goes in to try and sort things out, and that's when the trouble really starts.

I really struggled to find the point of the story and it was really only my desire to always finish the books I start to read that kept me going. In the end, I was glad I did as there was a nice payoff for the reader.

Crossfades is published by Hydra, a Random House imprint and is available only as an ebook.

Recommended if you're feeling adventurous. I liked it enough to request the sequel Bleedovers which will be released on September 1, 2015. ( )