The Hollow Man

di Steven E Hall (Autore)

Steven Hall, 2025

Grief Eater (Series #1) - Book Summary Logline: In a world where grief can be surgically erased, a grieving father discovers the horrifying truth: the clinic promising peace doesn't delete his trauma—it physically harvests it from his body, turning his most painful memories into a living nightmare and a valuable commodity. Synopsis: Ben Evans is shattered by the sudden death of his infant daughter, Lily. His life is a constant, torturous loop of grief, defined by the piercing memory of the ambulance siren. Desperate for relief, he turns to the revolutionary and expensive procedure offered by the sleek, high-tech Aethelgard Clinic, run by the enigmatic Dr. Thorne. The procedure uses a bio-parasite called the Oblivio Parasiticus, which promises to "digest" the neuro-chemical signature of a specific traumatic memory, erasing its associated pain. Ben targets the memory of the siren. The initial result is a miracle: the screaming in his head is replaced by a blissful, empty silence. However, this peace is short-lived. Ben soon develops disturbing physical symptoms: an unbearable itch on his back, a patch of unnaturally cold, numb skin on his stomach, and terrifying nightmares. The horror escalates when the patch on his back splits open to reveal a raw, biological nub that emits the very siren he paid to forget. He isn't being cured; his grief is being physically manifested on his body. Dr. Thorne dismisses his concerns as psychosomatic, but Ben's body continues its monstrous transformation. The cold spot on his stomach forms a depression the shape of a curled-up baby—a "fetal cyst." During a panic attack, a secondary, palpitating "panic-lung" erupts on his side, gasping in sync with his terror. He is becoming a living museum of his trauma. Ben's isolation breaks when he encounters Katherine, another fleeing patient. She reveals the terrible truth: Aethelgard doesn't cure grief; it farms it. The physical manifestations, called "Trauma-Trophs," are harvested from patients and processed into powerful, illegal products—sonic weapons, panic agents, and a catatonic-inducing drug called "Stillness." Patients are renewable resources, and the harvesting takes place on the clinic's nightmarish "green floor." Hunted by Aethelgard's private security, Ben and Katherine realize they can't run forever. In a desperate, suicidal plan, they decide to weaponize their own trauma. They allow themselves to be captured and taken to the green floor, where they stage a violent uprising. Using their manifested horrors as biological weapons—Ben's screaming siren and Katherine's own gifts of deceit—they fight their way to the clinic's servers, securing proof of the global conspiracy. In the climactic confrontation, Katherine sacrifices herself, but Ben succeeds in leaking the data, exposing Aethelgard and having Thorne arrested. Themes and Resolution: The victory is pyrrhic. Ben is left permanently scarred, both physically and psychologically. The siren and panic-lung are destroyed, but the fetal hollow on his stomach remains—a permanent, frozen monument to his daughter. The novel ends not with a cure, but with a somber acceptance. Ben is reunited with his estranged wife, Sarah, and as she tentatively acknowledges the hollow, they begin to mourn together. The story concludes that grief cannot be erased or sold; it can only be carried, becoming a fundamental, weighty part of who you are. Ben is no longer a victim or a monster, but a "monument," finally learning to live with his loss.

• Autore: Steven E Hall
• Anno edizione: 2025
• Editore: Steven Hall
• Formato: EPUB2 con DRMFREE
• Lingua: Inglese
• Compatibilità: Tutti i dispositivi (eccetto Kindle)
• Layout: Reflowable
• EAN: 9798231141159