REVIEW: Gilded Folly ~ N. D. Hansen-Hill ~ Cerridwen Press Publishing ~

Title: Gilded Folly
Author: N. D. Hansen-Hill
Website of Author: http://www.ndhansen-hill.com
Publisher: Cerridwen Press Publishing
Website of Publisher: http://www.cerridwenpress.com
Genre: Futuristic/SciFi
Publication Date: eBook-December 2005
ISBN: 1-4199-0409-4
Length: 240 pages
Format: Print, eBook
Reviewer: Lucille P Robinson,
http://www.lucilleperkinsrobinson.com

Romulus, sent to earth as an assassin, but living under amnesia for several years. Until he saw the glowing in his trash can and retrieved an envelope embedded with glittery light particles and the letter inside with the holographic image of the woman he was sent to kill.

Wick, sent to protect the woman, his duty: to stop Rom or kill him before he got to the woman. When Rom put his hands on that letter, his blood raged through him so he took off running. In the park millions of mosquitoes covered him so much so that he sucked them inside with each breath, spit out a mouthful with every exhalation as he raced toward the pond that reflected the moon's glow. Wick, with instincts sharpened to a fine edge, ran after him.

Jeremy, an earth friend who believed Rom walked in his sleep, knew through instinct something was wrong and went after Rom. Jeremy fought bats raining from heaven to get to Rom, but Wick was the last one standing and he made sure Rom and Jeremy made it to the hospital.

Wick then had to fight the Micts, "punishers of the irreligious." As a result, all three were pretty well beaten up. Fitz, a young earth man and a doctor and jumping to all the wrong conclusions, filled them all with sedatives in order to keep them in bed, but it didn't stop Rom.

Glys, the woman in the holographic image on the paper, has been on earth for about ten years now. She'd left her world seeking freedom and has made a good life for herself here. She knows, even expects, an assassin to come for her and a protector to defend her. She knows they are even now on earth and was probably sent to find her from the first day she'd disappeared. Now all she can do is sit and wait. It was the way things were done.

Through multiple obstacles rising for both the evil and the good, Rom's friends search for him and only Wick knows how desparately important it is to find him before he reaches the woman. Other friends become involved, but will they understand? Will they assist him? Will Rom and Wick face death as a result of failing in their duty to kill: one to kill an innocent woman; the other to kill the assassin? Will they be given a chance to rid themselves of the indoctrination and training they have received and live a free life here on earth?

All the friends and Glys, the woman, end up meeting in a cave where a dangerous, thought-to-be-extinct Snotzil lives. During one of the story's greatest battles, humor forms a buffer to the horror of this monster. Between Wick and Glys, the monster is lured into a crack she had made in the rock and disappears out of sight.

"For a crazed instant, Wick wondered whether he'd gotten it wrong-maybe Rom was the intended victim, and the crazed killer."

Fantastic imagery, suspenseful plot, tension to beat all tension, incites the reader to sit on the edge of the seat and read until the last letter, the last dot, until THE END. ND Hansen-Hill weaves a tale of the battle of good versus evil that seems so real the reader will look askance at his/her neighbor and wonder. ND does a great job balancing the story elements and creating a story worth reading. Unexpected statements are written and/or made throughout the whole story instilling humor and a bit of surprised delight. Great for the fantasy lover, the sci-fi lover, or even the romantic one. What can be more romantic than a woman being protected from an
assassin? Loved this story!

AUTHOR BIO:

N. D. Hansen-Hill, a resident of Auckland, New Zealand, began by writing fantasy series, then branched out into science fiction and horror. All her novels are suspenseful, and all bear traces of the paranormal. Two of her books were EPPIE finalists in the fantasy and horror categories, and three others were nominated for the Sir Julius Vogel Award.

Recently, she has been concentrating on single titles, rather than series. With a busy schedule that includes work as a professional artist and designer, N.D. stays in touch with science via university, where she takes classes ranging from anthropology to virology. She is also working toward a graduate diploma in teaching, and intends to teach novel-writing in the near future.

The author welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.cerridwenpress.com.