Title:Sunset
Author: P.B. Cannon
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: September 3, 2022
Genres: Science Fiction, Mystery
Length: 25 pages
Source: I received a free copy from the author.
Rating: 3 Stars
Blurb:
Charlotte, North Carolina, is an area where earthquakes are uncommon, but one bright morning it is struck by one so vigorous that it forms deep crevasses in the ground, knocks out communications, and leaves the city in disarray. Can a bodyguard and the bodyguard’s two clients who were about to board a private plane along with a tag-a-long passenger, get to the bottom of why their trip to Columbia, South Carolina has been so disastrously interrupted? They don’t know, but having no choice because all air traffic has stalled, along with the three employees from the small airport that was handling their flight, they begin a journey to find out.
Content Warning: An earthquake.
Review:
Airports are no place for any funny business.
Some of my favorite scenes were the ones that explored the relationships between the main characters and how their experiences with the world differed from how many men see it. Science fiction hasn’t always done a good job at writing female characters or delving into the nuances of what it means to be part of a minority group, but this is thankfully changing with newer generations of authors in this genre who have the life experience and compassion to write such things.
I struggled with the abrupt ending of this short story. While some of the conflicts were resolved, other ones were still left up in the air by the time the final sentence was completed. I’m not the sort of reader who requires everything to be wrapped up neatly, but I did find myself wishing more had been explained in that final scene so that I could better understand what the characters might encounter next. There was still so much that could have been done with it.
The explanation for the earthquake was strong and memorable. Even though I can’t go into a lot of detail about it for plot twist reasons, the scientific principles behind it intrigued me and made me want to learn more about the subject. Other readers who have stronger backgrounds in science can share their own thoughts about how realistic it is, but I thought it was well done and possibly could be something that happens in real life. (Oh, if only I could write more about this topic in this paragraph!)
Sunset kept me guessing.
I’m always frustrated when I’m enjoying a book and then it ends abruptly. I wish more care would be taken with the conclusion since it impacts the overall enjoyment of a story.