Threadsinger
A story of bodies, hungers, and alien minds
72k words, fantasy / science fiction, CW: body horror
The last thing Sky remembered was the creature doing something to his head. His face. He had been mourning for Melrim, weeping because he was about to become… what? The creature had wanted him to do something. Become something. It had changed him and made him into a hybrid copy of itself.
A monster. He had been made into a monster.
Ked is a half-human shapeshifter tasked to travel the world to hunt humans, steal their minds, and deliver them to a monster deep in the blighted wilderness. When an injury awakens the archive of his original human mind, Tabyz Sky, Ked's work becomes a fight for survival.
Sky, trapped within Ked's body, must find a way to regain control, stop Ked, end the blight, and save his love… all while fighting alien instincts, keeping hidden from Ked, and staying human.
Feedback
This is a rough draft. It needs line edits and more, but first I am seeking general story feedback.
If you can, I would ask you to log "ABCD" moments. These are moments that are Awesome, Boring, Cconfusing, or Don't seem plausible. For extra credit, you can add moments when you are Excited to hear what will come next.
If you are not in a position to write anything down, or don't want to, that's fine, too. I'd still love to hear what you think of the story overall when you're done. At least, I'd like to hear that you finished it.
Reach me at marycjenkinsart@gmail.com
Downloads
Typeset like a mass-market paperback, to be read as two-page spreads.
Designed for modern ebook readers. Note that the book includes load-bearing "small caps," which don't always come through. Check the first line of chapter two for the words "TWO YEARS LATER" to make sure you are seeing small caps. These words should at least be bold, which is fallback styling.
Read by me, just under 8 hours long. It's read at a rate of 9k words an hour, which is industry standard, but slow to my ears at least. You may want to listen in an audiobook reader that allows you to speed it up. On Android I like "Smart AudioBook Player," which is about $3 for the pro version.
M4B: Gonna get this working next. Stay tuned.