Shannon C.’s review of The Hollowing by N.D. Hansen-Hill
Sci-Fi novel eBook published by Cerridwen Press 17 Apr 08

I had a hell of a time getting into The Hollowing not because it was a bad book, but because for some reason, probably owing to the fact that Cerridwen Press is an imprint of Ellora’s Cave I was expecting a romance. Naturally, I have no problems at all with non-romance books–I’ll try and read most things once, but it took me about a quarter of the book to shift my expectations from paranormal romance to something more along the lines of horror-tinged science fiction.

For horror-tinged science fiction, The Hollowing is a pretty good read. The plot is intricate–too intricate to describe with any real flair here, although I’ll give it the old college try–and the characters were likeable. I’m intrigued enough by what I’ve read that I’ll probably pick up another book by Ms. Hansen-Hill. But the book loses points because it didn’t engage me as quickly as I wish it had.

As I said, the plot is complex. It centers around Shawn Walsh. Shawn has always had strange abilities which he’s tried to suppress. But soon it becomes clear that Shawn needs to use his abilities to prevent a tragedy from striking. He is aided along the way–albeit reluctantly–by his friends, his cousin Dos, Rhys, a science fiction writer, and Jack, a doctor.

I really liked the characters. I quickly got a sense of who Shawn, Rhys, Dos and Jack were, and they were all complex individuals. Shawn in particular is very well-drawn, managing to be an honorable man despite some pretty horrendous circumstances. And the relationship between these four men felt authentic and genuine. What’s more, their speech and actions felt very authentically male, which is a nice change from some of the characters I’ve read about.

The time-travel element–which it’s not a spoiler to admit is the major paranormal element–works pretty well. There were moments when I got lost though, moments when I wasn’t sure what was actually happening when and where and to whom. I thought that Ms. Hansen-Hill’s time travel theory was more well thought out than some I’ve seen. The villains are a bit cartoonishly psycho, but they are, again, slightly better fleshed out than some villain types I’ve read.

Except for the fact that the story took some time to really engage me, I do recommend this book for any science fiction lovers out there who are willing to experience a different and more unusual type of paranormal story. It didn’t wow me with its brilliance, but it was a nice change from some of the other offerings I’ve read from this publisher lately.

Grade: B-

     Summary:

     Shawn Walsh’s problems don’t arise from his own troubled past but from someone else’s. Fires, floods, battles, bone-rattling quakes — he’s frequently an unwilling and horrified participant in events long gone. For when The Hollowing claims him, his present dissolves.

     Unfortunately, his problems have everything to do with family and his rather questionable heritage — with a birthright he’d rather know nothing about. Lost and tossed about by destiny, trapped and extorted by those long deceased, he’s tired of playing a victim.

     And he refuses to give up hope. There is still a chance he’ll be able to resolve his issues without dying, given the right place… And enough time.

     Read an excerpt.

You can read an excerpt here