Jamie is Buried Alive. Poe is Laughing.

Warning: This blog contains mild spoilers regarding Jamie Poole's most recent book, Time by Einstein.

Buried.

Alive.

I pounded on the lid of the sarcophagus.

Sealed in.

I convulsed. I’d run out of oxygen soon.

How had I gotten here?

This is how Time by Einstein opens. As we've advertised much of this year as we led up to Hal-Con, Jamie Poole falls through a wormhole and ends up back in Time.

Where the burying alive happens in relation to falling through the wormhole, I won't spoil that. Read the book for yourself.

If you haven't been paying attention (and you should be, Tristan scolds!) there are a lot of Edgar Allen Poe themes racing through the Jamie Poole books. Jamie names the raven "Edgar" in The Isle of Osiris after all. Then there's the reference to Poe's story "Some Words With a Mummy" which is not named, but the plot is summarized. Then comes Jamie's friend Lenore, and if that's not a dead giveaway, I don't know what is.

If you think the series had tired of Poe Easter eggs, what did you think of Time by Einstein? They weren't so sneaky, eh? If they were, perhaps you should pick up a book of Poe and realize just how many things were hiding in plain sight.

Back to Jamie, buried alive, just like in that story "The Cask of Amontillado." Maybe Jamie didn't end up buried alive exactly as Fortunato. But speaking of Fortunato...oh, sorry. Spoilers.

Anyway, we've left Jamie in something of a lurch, but all is not lost. I've been saying for a while that we'll be releasing a new book in 2025. We couldn't be more excited! Heck, I'm always excited over a new book, so this is nothing new.

What is new is this is the first book that takes on a new voice. A gothic voice. Oh, it's still historical science fiction, and the cast of characters is some assembly of folks you've met previously. What is new is the narrator. Yikes! Not Jamie? you ask. That's right.

And if you got to the end of Time by Einstein, you'll be able to work out why she may be occupied elsewhere.

The suspense is almost over. A book title and cover reveal will be made next week on Friday, December 13. Why then? Because I absolutely love Friday the 13th and can't think of a better day to say more about this new and exciting book that will push forward the story to the next level.

Now go find a spade. Jamie may need some help!