Desolate [Kindle Edition]

Robert Brumm (Author)

Book Description

Howard Bell thought he hit rock bottom the day he returned to his former employer with a loaded gun. Instead of putting a scare into his ex-boss as he intended, things quickly get out of hand, and he kills five people. Howard is sentenced to life at an experimental prison camp off the coast of Antarctica, and he soon learns the true definition of "rock bottom." Prison life at the remote island involves back-breaking work in the illegal mine run by the corrupt warden and his abusive guards. After a mysterious object is discovered deep in the mine, the inmates and staff start dying from an unknown infection. Howard is lucky to find himself one of the few survivors immune to the pathogen, but he and his fellow inmates learn something far more sinister and terrifying also has emerged from the mine. The truly lucky ones are already dead.

This book is intended to be read by adults and may be unsuitable for children under 17. Contains indecent language and descriptions of graphic violence.

Approximately 24,000 Words.

Product Details

• File Size: 203 KB
• Print Length: 134 pages
• Publisher: DeadPixel Publications; Second edition (August 4, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005G3RN7E
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #217,859 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Desolate Delivers! August 31, 2011

By Bvzz

Format:Kindle Edition

Robert Brumm delivers a gripping science fiction thriller with his debut novel.
This story introduces us to Howard Bell, an unlikely protagonist sentenced to life
at an experimental prison of the antarctic coast. The narrative rapidly evolves
into a suspenseful tale of horror and survival. Mr. Brumm's fast-paced, unsullied
writing style propels the story forward with an urgency that keeps you on the
edge of your seat. I had a hard time putting this down until I reached the
satisfying conclusion.

I'll be watching with great anticipation for more from this promising new author.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A well written and quick escape January 11, 2012

By Wally

Format:Paperback

Robert Brumm's initial offering delivers with this short tale of a prison camp in the most unlikely of places. The story quickly engaged this reader in suspense with detailed and descriptive passages, such that the ebook couldn't be put down till a resolution had developed. That being said, it was almost too short. Fans are certainly looking forward to additional works from this gifted new author.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Human Condition July 14, 2012

By Max Zaoui

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Desolate is a fast-paced, thrilling and modern story. Modern in the sense that it is relevant with our time. I've read here and there that some people think the story is too short, or the characters not developed enough. Actually, I think Robert Brumm did the right thing by cutting everything to the bone (metaphorically speaking), as it made the action gain in terms of rhythm. Had he added more descriptions and details, everything would have been slowed down and it wouldn't have worked quite the same. Novels can't be written the same way for ever: in the 19th, Balzac could spend two pages describing a chair. No one could stand that today. Moreover, simple descriptions leave more room to the reader's imagination, which is fitting in a story meant to be frightening. As for the length, there's something about today's fast-paced society that makes us crave shorter works of fiction. Think of the success of series on TV: I think the format chosen in Desolate is really satisfying.
As a young author, Robert Brumm is a "product" of his time, and is thus influenced by TV series and films. Desolate is a mix of many of these, like a homage to all the stories we love (Lost, Alien...) and the author knows that we will see the references. That's why I don't think he needs to describe more than he does: the reader can fill in the blanks because he is in a familiar territory (even if paradoxically he isn't, stranded on this island with the characters...). SPOILER ALERT: the following paragraph is filled with spoilers.
That's why so many things happen in so few pages too: Howard loses his woman, his job, goes mad and kills his boss and a family, ends up in the worst prison on Earth (a desert island), meets crazy convicts and crazy guards. That would be Part I. Then a strange door is found in an underground place, behind which there's a spaceship, out of which both an alien and a virus come out, killing everyone in the place... The accumulation could be absurd and ridiculous. It's actually not: it is voluntary and the result is close to what the movie Scream accomplished: scaring the s--- out of you while being funny and paraphrasing all the horror films.
The chain of events, this downward spiral Howard is going through, is so exaggerated as to acquire epic, mythological proportions. Like a modern-day, negative double of Ulysses, he goes from one bad thing to a worse one. The tragic element springing from the fact that he brought (almost) everything upon himself. It's like an allegory of Life when things start going wrong.
Robert Brumm knows what he is doing, in other words. The story may look simple at first, but it's up to the reader to bring their own interpretation to it, because it's open enough to do so. Hence the (apparent) simplicity, like what you can find in a fairy tale. The choice of an island as a starting point is not at random either. From The Lord of the Flies or The Island of Dr. Moreau to Lost, islands allow the author to place his characters in a specifically secluded surrounding, where only terrible things can happen. Such is the Human Condition, the definition of which, and that will be my conclusion, fits Desolate on every point:

"The human condition encompasses the unique and believed to be inescapable features of being human in a social, cultural, and personal context. It can be described as the irreducible part of humanity that is inherent and not connected to factors such as gender, race or class. It includes concerns such as the meaning of life, search for gratification, sense of curiosity, the inevitability of isolation, or Thanatophobia (the fear of death)."
(Wikipedia)

More About the Author

Robert Brumm Jr. lives in Southeastern Wisconsin with his wife and two children. He can be found during the day slaving over a hot server as a systems administrator. At night, if he's not drinking beer in front of the television or taking his puggle for a walk, you just might find him writing in the basement.