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After I retired from a fulfilling career starting as an Adult Services Librarian then being appointed Head of Children's Services in a large library, I wanted to write. I took a creative writing course and then joined a group of published writers to hone my craft. My first published book was "Miriam, Ever Watchful" in 2012. The theme of "The Vanishings" was something I had pondered for years. How the popular and powerful can influence people into doing their bidding without even being aware of being manipulated.
Reviewed by Christina B. Steele for Readers' Favorite
Ann Letzter's The Vanishings is a short sci-fi tale of a modern Earth, where there is affluence, world peace, and no problems which plague the world today. The citizen's largest fear is the mysterious vanishings that started to occur 20 years ago, prevalent among newborn babies. Robots, futuristic settings, science and technology, space travel and extraterrestrial life. Most of Letzter's imaginary elements come to life with the story being told from the point of view of a new mother, Anet, who has recently relocated out of NY with her family to raise her children with a better life. Charmed by her new neighbors, she grows suspicious of their motives when she realizes that her husband and father are not acting like themselves. Filled with intrigue and creative characters, Letzter immerses the reader in the battle for Earth.
I admire Letzter's creativity when it comes to melding many sci-fi elements into a suspenseful tale of what the aliens' true motives are for Earth. The undercurrent of the vanishings of families and newborns takes the reader on a suspenseful tale which ends unexpectedly. Her characters are very relatable, typical friendly suburban families. This, woven together with the contrast of the charismatic and almost too perfect Dirk Matheson, Founder of the Appleton Food Corporation (AFCo), leaves the reader wondering if his resourcefulness and maneuverings are altruistic or intended as an evil plot to rule the Earth with AFCo at the top.
The Vanishings is ultimately about the quest for answers, about what the characters know about the disappearances, and what they know about each other. Letzter has constructed a plot which advances in an enticing fashion, supplying clues obliquely. Everything leads up to an inevitable climax which brings all answers into focus, while still allowing for the possibility of a sequel. Overall, this is a very entertaining quick read. If you like Supernatural, Resurrection, The Returned and The Taken, this is definitely a book for you.
