Reviewed by Donna
TITLE: Gremlins Are Malfunctioning
AUTHOR: Susan Laine
PUBLISHER: Less Than Three Press
LENGTH: 245 Pages
RELEASE DATE: August 20, 2018
BLURB:
A year ago, supernatural creatures swarmed the earth—and ensured that human technology could no longer function without them.
Eliot Tate works for the Civilian and Environmental Protection Agency, so he’s on the receiving end of customer complaints about their gas gremlins. Despite his efforts, though, he can’t figure out what’s wrong.
He gets help in the form of Alek Saroyan, an agent with the Mythkin Energy Research Facility, but right from the start the two men despise each other. With antagonism, the gas gremlin problem, and rising questions about mythkin sentience hanging over their heads, Eliot and Alek are going to have find their own balance if they stand any chance of restoring the balance that’s been lost.
REVIEW:
I’ve read a few books by Susan Laine before, but I can honestly say that this one wins as my favourite so far. I wasn’t totally sure what to expect from this book, and although the blurb does cover the gist of the story, it’s also much more than that. This is a book that can be light and amusing, or deep and thought provoking. At its core it is a very clever commentary on politics, environmental issues and animal rights versus human rights. But at the same time it’s fun and kinda cute, and if you don’t want to delve any deeper than that you’ll still enjoy the story.
To give you some background… A year ago corrupt Republican President Stump and his cabinet refused to heed protesters and gleefully drilled away at Erect Rock Reservation. The result was the eruption of the Montana Pass Pipeline, which killed over seventy people when tar sands oil exploded from beneath the earth. The explosion became known as Loreblast, and released into the world energy based creatures who were labeled “mythkin”. Now when I say energy based creatures, I mean whatever form of energy you can think of, there is a mythkin who produces it. Gas gremlins, oil hellions, solar sprites and wind wisps, are just a few examples, and humans are now forced to rely on these creatures to power everything.
I think the author did a great job with world building here, because this Earth is definitely not the one we’re use to. She has created so many new life forms that had to actually make sense, and then she had to fit them into our daily lives. On top of that she wove a plot that I found extremely interesting and well thought out, with so many aspects coming together to culminate in the dramatic conclusion. While the characters of Eliot and Alek were certainly interesting, this book was about so much more than their romance as far as I was concerned.
I sincerely hope that the author chooses to continue writing stories in this new reality she has created. I’d love to see how humans react to the idea that these creatures are sentient beings, and don’t merely exist to serve human needs. Whether continuing with these characters or writing about someone new, I would love to keep reading more of these books by Ms. Laine.
RATING: 
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