Fantasy Fiction Review

The Human Element
by Dan Skelton
ISBN-10: 1424142253

Do we really know the people in our hometowns? What could they be hiding, just under the surface? In Dan Skelton's novel, "The Human Element," what's under the surface is something truly scary.

Everyone in the small town of Medalia seems to idolize a young football hero, Trex Stegal. He's a fantastic player, on and off the field. The girls all want to be near him, the guys all want to be his friend. Trex has the respect of the adults in town, from the coach to the local cops. But there is something just barely hidden under his skin, something in the depths of his eyes that hints at an untamed beast. When three college students are murdered, the case goes unsolved for the guilty party is the person who would be last expected. Bit by bit though, we begin to see the boiling persona Trex keeps somewhat under control.

Disturbing events of sex and violence demonstrate the truth, but only to the reader. The other characters in the book have only an inkling that Trex can be a monster. You don't want him as an enemy, for revenge is deviously planned and played out. This all American boy is really anything but. Murder, incest, attempted rape, tortuous blackmail, vicious violence on the football field in front of hundreds of fans, all wrapped up in a tight package called, "The Human Element."

Dan Skelton captures the reader's attention and writes his work so fluidly it's a wonder the words don't pour off the page. His descriptive talent will have you gasping in shock, devouring the words in the heat of passion, and appalled at the detailed depictions of lust, violence, and insanity. Can he get any better? I can't wait to find out.

Fiction Review

Out of Innocence
by Dan Skelton
ISBN-10: 1413772730
Review by Heather Froeschl

Dan Skelton's, "Out of Innocence" will stay within your mind for a very long time. With raw power and imagery Skelton drags the reader in and doesn't let go until the bittersweet end.

Ten-year-old Chris Curry and his siblings have to deal with more horror and grim circumstance than any child ever should. Their mother, Audie Curry, is a pathetic excuse for a person and could hardly be called anyone's mother save for the fact that she bore the children, each to a different father. With every new man in her life comes a new set of rules for existence, none of them what anyone could call a normal childhood. With every new man also comes a new "home" for a while, and then a new time of leaving that home until eventually the five of them end up living in the car more than any place else. What happens in between is a nomadic scramble to stay alive. Day by day, minute by minute, meal by meal.

Through it all Chris is the voice of reason; he is an old soul likely sent to take care of this bunch of younger ones. One night, he takes the ultimate step in saving them all. Things change drastically, yet for the better, after that, at least for some of them. New people enter their lives and for some it means a new lease on life, while others fall willingly through the cracks.

Dan Skelton takes the lives of four children and their mama and exposes every dirty little secret. Here is where he weaves magic in his words. The lowest depths of humanity are seen through his characters, and also, the very basics of strength, and love. Some moments will rip readers raw, cut to the bone, and leave you wanting to cry. Others will make you laugh out loud, read faster with excitement, and finally close the book with closure and a sense of having learned something about the human existence, like it or not.

This book is a must read, but for adults only. It will touch you and you may just never be the same.