Book Review: "Black Days" by Jackson Ellis

I had never heard of this book, nor had I heard of the author. I simple just found it on my recommendations list on Amazon. I would have got it at the library but it was on Kindle Unlimited and they didn't have it in the library. I wanted something that was going to be edging on the psychological thriller routine but wasn't one of those 'married couple finds out one of them is a psycho' things. At the beginning, I thought it was going to be more like a horror novel, but as it goes on it turns almost into a Sci-Fi. I'm still not sure what to think about it. I will say that if you enjoy dark Sci-Fi films then this is for you. I liked it, it just wasn't what I thought it would be.

On the bitterly cold night of December 24, 1992, Daniel Fassett, a longtime factory worker from Granbury, Vermont, experiences a life-altering event. While driving his pickup truck along treacherous, ice-covered roads, he loses control, veering off course and crashing into the frigid waters of the Mad River. Trapped beneath the surface and unconscious for a critical twenty minutes, his fate teeters on the edge until a last-minute rescue pulls him from near-certain death. This is quite an atmospheric introduction and it goes quite quickly, so don't be fooled by the learning of backstory and the whole scene-setting situation going on. I enjoyed reading it, I just hoped it would have been a bit meatier. It felt for me, like something was missing. But if you're not like me and you actually don't like the long and intensive descriptions that drown you in the atmosphere then I'm pretty sure you're going to enjoy this.

The devastating accident plunges Daniel into a prolonged coma that lasts for four arduous months. When he finally regains consciousness in the gentle warmth of spring, he is met with a cascade of crushing realities. The financial security he had meticulously planned for has unraveled, due to an unforeseen technicality, his pension has been drastically reduced. Meanwhile, the quaint bungalow in Key Largo, Florida, once the cornerstone of his retirement aspirations, has slipped beyond his grasp, leaving him with an uncertain and bleak future. I'm not going to lie - this was actually pretty good even though it ended up reading like a David Fincher movie. These shocking realities are actually not that shocking but I enjoy the sentiment.

Determined to evade the crushing weight of his circumstances, Daniel devises an audacious and highly unorthodox plan: one that defies both logic and human limitations. Instead of enduring another brutal Vermont winter in solitude and despair, he resolves to place himself in a state of artificial hibernation, effectively sleeping through the season until spring’s thaw offers a fresh start. Inspired by the survival mechanisms of certain animals, he becomes fixated on the idea of slowing his body’s functions to near dormancy, convinced that if nature can endure hardship through dormancy, so can he. Though seemingly impossible, the notion takes hold of his imagination, offering him a radical escape from the relentless cold and the bleakness of his dwindling prospects. This, as you can see, is where it turns into a Sci-Fi story.

Wanting to turn his bold vision into reality, Daniel turns to his trusted friend and local doctor, Dr. William Butcher, for guidance. Though initially doubtful of the idea’s feasibility, Dr. Butcher soon finds himself captivated by the scientific potential behind it. As their discussions evolve, curiosity replaces skepticism, and he agrees to help orchestrate the unprecedented experiment. Working together, they repurpose an aging maple sugarhouse on Daniel’s property, meticulously converting it into a rudimentary hibernation chamber. And now it's veering away from horror. But it's still readable. I enjoyed the different paths this book could take and it does take quite an interesting turn. However, I won't say much more about the storyline because beyond this, it turns into spoilers.

All in all, though it was not what I expected, it still had a good storyline and it had an interesting series of events. I will say that if you are not sure about the book to begin with, it does get better as you keep going. The book remains atmospheric but as you can tell by my tone - I am still unsure about whether I really enjoyed it, or whether I simply liked it.