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    Woke Up in a Strange Place
    Woke Up in a Strange Place
    Woke Up in a Strange Place
    Ebook308 pages3 hours

    Woke Up in a Strange Place

    By Eric Arvin

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Joe wakes up in a barley field with no clothes, no memories, and no idea how he got there. Before he knows it, he's off on the last great journey of his life. With his soul guide Baker and a charge to have courage from a mysterious, alluring, and somehow familiar Stranger, Joe sets off through a fantastical changing landscape to confront his past.

    The quest is not without challenges. Joe's past is not always an easy thing to relive, but if he wants to find peace—and reunite with the Stranger he is so strongly drawn to—he must continue on until the end, no matter how tempted he is to stop along the way.

    Winner of the 2012 Gaybie for Best Speculative Fiction

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDreamspinner Press
    Release dateFeb 25, 2011
    ISBN9781615817962
    Woke Up in a Strange Place

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    Reviews for Woke Up in a Strange Place

    3.5/5

    11 ratings3 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Review will be word-for-word as included in the Eric Arvin Greatest Hits review.

      ~

      This one is a 4.5 for me. It would have been a 5, because I cried so many times, but it was really long, perhaps unnecessarily so, and there were a few incredulous moments that sort of spoiled it for me.

      This story was an ugly-cry one quite a few times. I mean, mostly when Lou showed up, but also during the flashbacks, I think I cried for about a solid 30% of the story.

      Joe is lovely, if a little too promiscuous for my liking. Lou grabs me, even when he's not really in the story. I just keep thinking about him and wanting what is best for him. Baker and the Plainsmen are funny, while 3P is hilarious and the child that lives within us all. Declan makes me sad, but in a real deep, regret-filled way, because of the reason for his appearance in the story. Lou's sadness is more heartbreaking.

      I like that the flashbacks give us an insight into who Joe is, because he doesn't know who he is for most of the book. Which is kind of the point of the entire story. We learn who he is in the same way he does.

      There's a lot of death and secrets in this story, which I'll admit, I saw a few of them coming. Baker and Grandpa I knew, while some more were a big surprise. Still, there's a lot of loss, since this is a world that is beyond life itself. Sometimes the deaths were well earned and happy affairs, like for Grandpa, and sometimes it was an ugly-cry, snot running, deep pain in the heart death like Declan.

      The few instances that didn't gel well with me were the centaur, Melva, and the whole talking, gay horses thing. Oh, and a human being from Joe's past becoming a bear, in this world. :/ It got a little odd and fantastical at times, which was okay in certain circumstances, but in others it just a bit too much. These moments were what made it really feel long winded and extravagant, kind of cheesy in places.

      Overall, I liked it, but it would have been better shorter and without the big flouncy parts.

      My absolute favourite quote comes from the first few pages and was the first time I cried at this story:

      ““Would you wait for me?” Joe asked quietly, his head resting again on Lou's strong chest.
      “Where?”
      “In heave. Beyond the clouds and the stars. Would you wait for me?”
      “It wouldn't be heaven without you. Of course I'd wait. I'll always wait for you, Joseph. Waiting for you, the anticipation, it's what drives me. You're my life-force.”
      Joe sighed, tears in his eyes. “Smooth talker. You always know just what clichés to use.”
      “Go to sleep, baby,” Lou whispered. “I'll be here in the morning.””
    • 4/5
      Amazing story! It was heartbreaking at times, and so lovely at others. Very imaginative, too.
    • 2/5
      I probably wouldn’t have finished this book if I hadn’t needed to review it. Right from the start, I felt my mind wander . Joe awakes in the afterlife, but before he can be reunited with his love, he has to remember. Interesting premise, only nothing really happens. Joe remembers via lots and lots of flashbacks, with lots and lots of italicized paragraphs. I think this is just not my style of writing, with so much emphasis on “self-discovery.” Don’t get me wrong; I don’t mind when characters learn more about themselves in the course of a novel – I expect even. However, I want a plot to get me there, not an existential experience filled with one-dimensional “supporting” characters/guides. I felt like the author was trying too hard to impart a “message” instead of simply telling a story. At times, the language was so flowery, it was awkward. “Memory? What was memory? Me-mo-ree. A strange word. A distant concept. Laughable. Lacking in description. For all he understood, the whole ball of existence was set above and around him and had always been barley and gorgeous sky….Joe. Was that it? Three letters? J-O-E. Three tiny symbols of some ancient script signifying an existence. There was more, right? There had to be more. There must be strength and vitality and vigor wrapped up in those letters somehow, for he was of the barley now, of the very same fortitude and determination. He felt it inside.” Obviously, other people enjoyed this book. I didn’t. I have read a lot of Dreamspinner titles, and so I was looking to escape into a romance. If the story piques your interest, I recommend reading a few sample pages as provided by Amazon to see if you like the writing style before purchasing.

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    Woke Up in a Strange Place - Eric Arvin

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