Carter Evans is founder and editor-in-chief of Astounding!―a formerly popular spec fiction magazine currently in its death throes. Not only can he do nothing to save it, but stuck in a rathole apartment with few interpersonal connections, he can’t seem to do much to rescue his future either. And certainly all the booze isn’t helping. He snaps when he receives yet another terrible story submission from the mysterious writer J. Harper―and in a drunken haze, Carter sends Harper a rejection letter he soon regrets. J. Harper turns out to be John Harper, a sweet man who resembles a ’50s movie star and claims to be an extraterrestrial. Despite John’s delusions, Carter’s apology quickly turns into something more as the two lonely men find a powerful connection. Inexplicably drawn to John, Carter invites him along on a road trip. But as they travel, Carter is in for some big surprises, some major heartbreak… and just maybe the promise of a good future after all.
Reviews
It’s that story that drives the rest of the book, the road trip with his ex and husband, the great sex, and the fight that would become very necessary. And that story is wonderful!
I don’t want to spill any of the great secrets, the wonderful story, or the twists at the end. I LOVED this book.
—Paranormal Romance Guild
“Astounding!” is a sweet and slightly quirky romance with a science fiction angle. It manages to poke a little gentle fun at the common memes of both genres, even while employing many of them. Having key characters that are science fiction writers and editors as part of a science fiction story is a bit risky, but the author pulls it off rather well. It is part of what allows the story to have a little fun with the plot, and also means that the story can be moved along rather quickly, since there’s not a lot of explaining to do.
—Michael Joseph
In one word, the book title says it all – this new release of Ms. Fielding is nothing short of astounding!
—Paddylast Inc.
Kim Fielding is undoubtedly one of the best writers in this genre. She’s an amazing writer. Period. Her prose flows and draws you in.
Reading her stories is effortless. It’s magic.
Regardless of your take on extraterrestrial life, this book will make you think, and cry a little.
Astounding! is wondrous! It’s worthy of every exclamation point.
—Goodreads
I absolutely love it when Kim Fielding decides to go on yet another genre freestyling endeavour. I get chills when she does this.
Like so many of her other books you just never know what to expect. Its like oh, she’s chosen this genre, but what is she going to do with it?
I’ve never been let down once when this happens to me. Every time one of her more intriguing synopses pops up I’m never disappointed. These are the books she writes that I cherish because another bizarre and highly creative story has been crafted and they always turn out to be exceptional books that I can’t put down.
—On Top Down Under Book Reviews
The main point is that this was an incredibly sweet and emotional story. I never cry reading books, but I teared up several times during this book. I will definitely read more books by this author. I’m so glad I took the recommendation and read a book I might otherwise have overlooked.
—Amazon
This is a fine story and particularly delightful for anyone who enjoys science fiction or fantasy. That’s not astounding — Kim Fielding writes really well; her work always makes me a little emotional but in a good way. In this tale there’s a universe full of people helping others and finding purpose, love and a kind of redemption in the process. All of this in a book that’s a pleasure to read. Highly recommended without reservation as something that stands out brightly in this genre.
—Amazon
