Books of Summer

Twist by Colby Hodge

Time-draining vampires from outer space. An apocalyptic future. A debate on pirates versus ninjas. And one coffee-craving woman armed with a kitana stuck in the middle.

Sounds like a strange plot for a science-fiction movie? No, it is the latest in Dorchester's Shomi line of action and speculative fiction romances, "Twist" by Colby Hodge.

Abbey Shore is a college and martial arts student who flips houses to pay for her tuition after her father's new wife left her penniless in the aftermath of his tragic death. She loves her dog and enjoys going to her favorite coffee spot, Java Joes, and drooling on the hunky doctor she rides the L with. When an accident at her site lands her in the emergency room and into the arms of said hunky doctor, Shane Maddox, Abbey's arm may be hurting, but she now has a date! Despite a moment of wierdness in the hospital when a woman dressed like a character out of 'The Matrix' shows up in her room, Abbey is looking forward to the future.

And then she discovers something very odd behind a wall in her house - a swirling vortex in a tub of peroxide. When it breaks, Abbey actually opens a gateway to the future - 100 years to be exact. There, she finds the world overrun by Ticks - alien vampires who drain time out of you instead of blood - who now let groups of humans live to repopulate the food chain. Abbey finds that the humans are lead by a familiar face - Shane - who was turned into a Tick the night Abbey disappeared and blames her. Abbey throws in her lot with the humans and finds she has an affinity for killing Ticks -something that just might be otherworldly -and has the Tick Queen, Lucinda, wanting to capture her alive. What does the vampire want? Can Abbey ever make it back home? And what will become of the human race?

A fun mix of science-fiction, vampires, romance, and ninjas, Hodge's boisterous story is pure fun for fans of the genres. Hodge has a way of writing intense action and turning around and adding bits of pop culture, romance, even humor. It's a first-rate ride, and, forgive me, a new "twist" on typical vampire fiction.

Hodge has written several other books for Dorchester, including "Star Shadows," "Shooting Star," and "Stargazer." She has also written historical romances under the name Cindy Holby.

"Twist" is published by Dorchester Publishing. It is $6.99 and 308 pages long.