Double Dose by F. Paul Wilson
Gordian Knot Books (September 2023)
382 pages; $16.99 paperback; $4.99 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms
The world of legend F. Paul Wilson continues to grow in this second installment of the Duad series. Is it the finale or just another chapter? Read on to decide but if one is familiar with Wilson’s storytelling, the mystery is always afoot. One thing is sure, however. The man seems incapable of penning a bad — or boring — book.
In Double Threat, con artist Daley ventured into a cave to escape those tracking her down, only to become “infected” by an otherworldly presence who forms a symbiotic existence with her. Pard adds a level of humor to the dark story that continues here in Double Dose. Daley discovers that the “horrors,” an affliction that is, well, horrific and debilitating without a medical explanation, can possibly be cured by her passenger.
This story delves deep into the characters, a skill the author wields like few others in this genre or any other. Not only with Daley, or Rhys, the conflicted member of the shady Pendry clan, but with several secondary characters. This is what natural writers do –– bring everyone off the page and breathe life and personality into all who inhabit the story. A favorite is the reclusive, deformed Pendry brother who endures a transformation which yields stunning results. Possibly a nod to Nightworld, the Visitors, otherworldly beings, threaten to end humanity by traveling through space and time. Daley, Rhys, Pard, and the others must pull together to stop the Pendry clan and followers who ache to bring about this apocalypse.
Yet, fans are always waiting for the connection to the Secret History of the World, the threat that ties most of Wilson’s stories together. It’s here. Harkening back to the masterful Wardenclyffe, Double Dose reaches back through that Tesla-related tale along with several other efforts.
Easter eggs are everywhere if one knows the canon.
As usual, F. Paul Wilson created a story that isn’t to be missed. If a reader didn’t try the first of the duad installment, it’s a quick read. It’s more than worth the effort.
Highly recommended reading for fans of Wilson, thrillers, horror, and science fiction.
