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Lonnie Busch is an award-winning author whose short fiction has appeared in Southwest Review, The Minnesota Review, The Baltimore Review and other magazines. Among his awards for fiction are the Clay Reynolds Novella Prize for his novella, TURNBACK CREEK, finalist in the Tobias Wolff Award for Fiction, the Glimmer Train Very Short Fiction Award, and others. Busch is the author of several novels, ASSIMILATION, CARGO HOLD 4, PROJECT ÜBERMENSCH, ALL HOPE OF BECOMING HUMAN, THE CABIN ON SOUDER HILL and THE BALDWIN HOTEL.
Busch is also a painter, animator and illustrator, and has created artwork for numerous corporations, ad agencies and institutions, including the “Greetings from America” and “Wonders of America” Commemorative Stamps for the USPS.
See Busch’s short story collections, PUSH ME, and TURNBACK CREEK: A NOVELLA & SIX STORIES.
Reviewed by Essien Asian for Readers' Favorite
Kercy Powell was born with a deformity, but thanks to her parents' wealth and access to the best medical resources, she was given a chance at an everyday life. The one place where she feels most alive is on the island paradise belonging to her mother. When her mother sells the place, begging Kercy never to return, she rebels as soon as she's old enough to make her own choices, repurchasing it and returning to enjoy it. Her views on her mother's warning gradually shift when a series of mysterious events forces her to reconsider her actions. She doesn't realize yet, but the key to the strange activities on her property lies in the weird dreams she had as a child. Only time will tell if she can decipher them before it's too late for her and all humanity in Lonnie Busch's Assimilation.
Lonnie Busch uses a gradual pace to reveal Kercy's origin story, explaining the difficult circumstances of her early years that connect her to the island property. The dialogue shifts from relaxed to tense, then to downright frightening, and back frequently, immersing the reader in the narrative. The vividly detailed descriptions create compelling images of Kercy's unique experiences with her mysterious guests, raising the suspense as the author slowly unveils their unnaturally distinct features. This approach results in vivid, sometimes uncomfortable scenes that make readers feel like they are right there with Kercy. What makes Assimilation stand out is a storytelling style with unconventional ideas—such as the fallacy of the concept of survival of the fittest—to smoothly transition from a captivating fantasy adventure into a science fiction enthusiast's dream. Busch balances creepy moments with action scenes that appeal to fans of both action and mystery.
