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Table of Contents
About The Book
An old man nearly chokes to death after stuffing dandelion heads into his mouth. A pregnant cow repeatedly runs headlong into a fence post. Oscar Basaran investigates a series of strange events on the Kidney Island.
“From its highly original premise to its deliciously isolated setting, Gregory Bastianelli’s SHADOW FLICKER hooked me and kept me squirming until the very last page. An entertaining and emotional read. I had a blast!” — Jonathan Janz, Author of THE SIREN AND THE SPECTER and THE RAVEN
Investigator Oscar Basaran travels to Kidney Island off the coast of Maine to document the negative effects of shadow flicker from wind turbines on residents living near the windmills, but is unprepared for what he encounters from the islanders.
Oscar’s research shows that sleep deprivation, light deficiency and ringing headaches brought on by the noise and constant strobe-like effect of the sun filtered through the spinning blades of the turbines brings on hallucinatory episodes for the closest neighbors to the machines.
Melody Larson’s elderly father nearly chokes to death after stuffing dandelion heads into his mouth. The Granberrys' pregnant cow repeatedly runs headlong into a fence post. Tatum Gallagher mourns her young son who vanished more than a year ago, presumed swept out to sea by a wave while fishing on the rocky shore, but several people claim to see him appear only in the glimmer of the shadow flicker.
Aerosource, the energy corporation that owns the turbines, hired Oscar to investigate the neighbors’ claims, but the insurance agent shows no allegiance to the conglomerate, especially after learning a previous employee sent to the island a year before has disappeared without a trace.
When Oscar meets former island school science teacher Norris Squires, fired for teaching his students about the harmful effects of shadow flicker, he learns a theory regarding Aerosource that sounds too preposterous to believe.
While it seems the shadow flicker effect has driven some of the island’s animals crazy, is it possible it’s caused an even worse mental breakdown among the human inhabitants? Or is something more nefarious at work on the island?
As Oscar’s investigation deepens, he discovers the turbines create an unexpected phenomena kept secret by a select group of people on Kidney Island who have made a scientific breakthrough and attempt to harness its dark power.
FLAME TREE PRESS is the imprint of long-standing independent Flame Tree Publishing, dedicated to full-length original fiction in the horror and suspense, science fiction & fantasy, and crime / mystery / thriller categories. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.
“From its highly original premise to its deliciously isolated setting, Gregory Bastianelli’s SHADOW FLICKER hooked me and kept me squirming until the very last page. An entertaining and emotional read. I had a blast!” — Jonathan Janz, Author of THE SIREN AND THE SPECTER and THE RAVEN
Investigator Oscar Basaran travels to Kidney Island off the coast of Maine to document the negative effects of shadow flicker from wind turbines on residents living near the windmills, but is unprepared for what he encounters from the islanders.
Oscar’s research shows that sleep deprivation, light deficiency and ringing headaches brought on by the noise and constant strobe-like effect of the sun filtered through the spinning blades of the turbines brings on hallucinatory episodes for the closest neighbors to the machines.
Melody Larson’s elderly father nearly chokes to death after stuffing dandelion heads into his mouth. The Granberrys' pregnant cow repeatedly runs headlong into a fence post. Tatum Gallagher mourns her young son who vanished more than a year ago, presumed swept out to sea by a wave while fishing on the rocky shore, but several people claim to see him appear only in the glimmer of the shadow flicker.
Aerosource, the energy corporation that owns the turbines, hired Oscar to investigate the neighbors’ claims, but the insurance agent shows no allegiance to the conglomerate, especially after learning a previous employee sent to the island a year before has disappeared without a trace.
When Oscar meets former island school science teacher Norris Squires, fired for teaching his students about the harmful effects of shadow flicker, he learns a theory regarding Aerosource that sounds too preposterous to believe.
While it seems the shadow flicker effect has driven some of the island’s animals crazy, is it possible it’s caused an even worse mental breakdown among the human inhabitants? Or is something more nefarious at work on the island?
As Oscar’s investigation deepens, he discovers the turbines create an unexpected phenomena kept secret by a select group of people on Kidney Island who have made a scientific breakthrough and attempt to harness its dark power.
FLAME TREE PRESS is the imprint of long-standing independent Flame Tree Publishing, dedicated to full-length original fiction in the horror and suspense, science fiction & fantasy, and crime / mystery / thriller categories. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.
Product Details
- Publisher: Flame Tree Press (March 29, 2022)
- Length: 304 pages
- ISBN13: 9781787586789
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Raves and Reviews
“From its highly original premise to its deliciously isolated setting, Gregory Bastianelli’s SHADOW FLICKER hooked me and kept me squirming until the very last page. An entertaining and emotional read. I had a blast!”
– Jonathan Janz, Author of THE SIREN AND THE SPECTER and THE RAVEN
"This is a gripping horror story from an author who deserves a wider audience."
– Booklist
"It’s a dark, disturbing treat."
– Publishers Weekly
"An original, well written horror story, which is sure to scare you or creep you out at the very least! Very well written, with characters written in perfection for this twisted tale! Unique, fun, and chilling to the bone at times! Highly, highly recommend!"
– Johnna Whetstone
"This book grabbed me from the start! It had a creepy atmosphere that fit the storyline very well. Must read!"
– Naomi Downing
"Shadow Flicker is an intriguing, character driven story with one foot in Eco Horror and the other in Sci-Fi. I loved the descriptions of the island and getting to know it's residents. It is a story of love and desperation and well as greed and fear. The horror creeps up slowly until suddenly it comes crashing in like high tide nearer the end."
– Irene Cole
"Gregory Bastianelli does a wonderful job as a writer creating a uniquely different type of horror story that the reader will be left shaking their heads and will really enjoy that they will not be able to predict any of the outcomes in this book since It was so well-written and plotted out. Pay attention to every character because they will all play another part in the last thirty-percent of the story. That element alone deserves a 10 for cleverness! I am a fan of this author and I highly recommend this stunner of a book as well as his other book "Snowball" which I have never forgotten.
I want to thank the publisher "Flame Tree Press" and NetGalley for continually putting out great horror books year after year."
– Luvtoread Spaniel
"I read this book almost in one sitting (darn having to go to work) and was captivated right from the first sentence ... This is my first book I’ve read by the author, but it will definitely not be my last."
– Michelle Donaldson
"A book that's a blend of genres, horror, mystery, sci-fi and supernatural it was a book I enjoyed to the fullest... This really is a book with a fresh and unique plot. Gregory Bastianelli has done some fantastic world building to make the reader feel like they are transported to Kidney Island with the strange things that are going on."
– SharonBeyondTheBooks
Praise for SNOWBALL:
"Readers will be riveted by this genuinely scary holiday phantasmagoria." — Publishers Weekly
"If you want Halloween-infused Christmas terror tale … Bastianelli has got you covered … with several feet of blood soaked snow." — Rue Morgue
"Thank you, Mr. Bastianelli, for one heck of a sleigh ride." — New York Journal of Books
"Bastianelli serves up the perfect holiday monster for every reader." — The Nerd Daily
"Gregory Bastianelli’s debut is the perfect read for the depths of winter. With one foot in crime and the other in horror, Bastianelli has crafted an irresistibly schlocky thriller." — CrimeReads
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