A. Michael Schwarz

The Hidden, by Andrew Michael Schwartz, falls into a transformation / possession horror genre, like Stephen King's "The Shining", or Robert Louis Stevenson's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", but in "The Hidden", we have a doppelganger. This creature adds a twist to this 'Othered' novel. Unlike Mr. Hyde, a vampire, or a werewolf, the dopelganger can act independently and contemporaneously yet at times be indistinguishable from the protagonist. Schwartz spins a novel tale within the genre - novel both in development of the antagonist and also of the plot line. He brings in an element of biology to the story line that earlier works lack. "The Hidden" shares many plot elements with King's Shining but the ontogeny of Schwartz's main character is very original. I liked the novel better than King's.

Aside from a tale of a monster, we see a man getting kneed low by life in a way that takes the reader out into the street among the homeless. The realism is kept at bay, however, by a 2nd half plot that one might expect from a film noir combination of "Pygmalion" and "Through the Looking Glass". Over all, it is complicated and a bit out of control compared to other works. These qualities mainly come about by its originality.… (mehr)

This is not a bad book. I did have some difficulty getting into it. Hunter is a paranormal investigator, who has passed in a car wreck and has amnesia. He now has a unique crew of entities within his head that help him see things no one else can who assist him with his investigations. He is called upon to investigate a strange situation of bodies that do not decompose, which, the Vatican states, are relic (though Hunter cannot see the two as even being Catholic). Hunter sets off on a wild but fascinating discovery of the two bodies and what they really are. This book is different from others I have read. I read paranormal stories, but this one definitely had a lot more paranormal than I normally read. Still, it was very interesting to read once I got into it. I think the author has managed to pull together some fascinating paranormal aspects as well as to tell a great story. That definitely took some creativity and work. Again, for me, this is not the normal paranormal story I usually read. I will be looking for more Thomas Hunter books to read. I received this from Library Thing to read and review.… (mehr)

In the beginning, we find the main character in a relationship she knows is not good for her and yet out of loneliness doesn't end it. I found myself annoyed by how long her weakness went on. Humans can procrastinate but a heroine has to get on with things. I found myself disliking her but once she decided to act I forgot all about my annoyance and was fully team Sarah. The villain, Poppycock, was horrendous as he was meant to be. I found his murders almost more than I could take. Too much imagination perhaps. I've always preferred villains I hate but can at least have some understanding of why they are what they are. I loved the way the Fey were represented. All things must change with the modernization of the world or become obsolete and the Fey are no different. They and their magical world were the best part of the book. I'm also a sucker for the sage-type character in any book so I enjoyed the Irish/Asian woman who recognized Poppycock for what he was. I'd love to have tea and fruit cookies with her. All in all a great book for anyone who loves Urban Fantasy. Just don't give up on Sarah before she gets started.… (mehr)

Not a bad read. For only 190 pages it took me almost a week to get through it. Hunter the main character is lost due to amnesia from a car wreck and now has his crew. His crew consists of intities within his head that not only allow him to forsee the future but tell him how to get through and allow his body to transform into a better fighting machine. Hunter is a paranormal investigator with a twist. He only goes after certain types. When people start coming up dead but refuse to decompose naturally things get twisted. The end of the book was very disappointing with no true endiing AND NO TRUE EXPLANATION FOR SEVERAL QUESTIONS SUCH AS WHO ARE THE PEOPLE CHASING hUNTER AND WHY ARE THEY SO DETERMINED TO RID HIM OF HIS CREW?… (mehr)