B E Schafer Books

 SIX TOES

         Deep within the small Midwest town of Solitude strange things are happening to the children. Twenty plus years of secrets are about to come out.

        Alexander Prower and his brother Wyatt are having dreams that seem to be theirs, but aren’t.  Alex feels as if he is somehow changing.  From experimentation gone awry and young adolescent hormones on the run, to discovering their true destiny, the children of Solitude are forced to fight for their very lives and come to terms with the fact that their lives will never be normal.   The children must seek out who they really are, and just what it means to be human in a world of ‘crazy animals’.

 

REVIEWS ON SIX TOES

Six Toes

B.E. Schäfer

ISBN: 9780982208380

Cordon Publications

Reviewed By Chelsea Perry

Official Apex Reviews Rating:  ****

The town of Solitude would be no different from any other small,

nondescript Midwest town – were it not for the horribly disfigured patrons and

various mutilated animals. Add to that a growing list of missing people and an

even bigger list of fleeing residents, and you have the makings of a quickly fading

ghost town. The central factor in all this mysterious activity? Lost Island, a former

military facility that once conducted secret testing on the effects of gene splicing –

but was destroyed by fire nearly a decade ago. Before its untimely demise, Lost

Island was home to a couple research scientists, a host of experimental animals,

and even five young children – none of whom remember what they were subject

to while residing at the facility, but all of whom are determined to uncover the

truth about their experiences, including exactly how their past has contributed to

the present plague on their humble hometown...

Six Toes is nothing if not intriguing. In his debut offering, author B.E.

Schäfer combines various elements of horror and sci-fi to create a multi-layered

tale of scientific ambition gone horribly wrong. Without coming off as preachy or

pedantic, Schäfer expounds on the deleterious consequences of genetic

experimentation, offering up a startling glimpse into the powerful impact it can

have on the lives of its subjects – lives that are forever altered in ways they could

never before imagine. Swathed in mystery and suspense, Six Toes pulls you in

from the very beginning (a series of scriptural passages from Genesis) and holds

your interest throughout as Schäfer cleverly stokes the flames of imagination and

curiosity. A welcome debut from a unique new literary voice.

Review of SIX TOES BY READER VIEW

Six Toes

B.E. Schafer

Cordon Publications (2009)

ISBN 9780982208380 (Amazon)

 

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SIX TOES REVIEW:

  BY:  L.A. Tripp (Author  of WOE TO THE RICH) Dec 15, 2010


B.E. Shafer has conceived a brilliant multi-dimensional plot that you won't fully uncover until the end of Six Toes. He gives you clues, yet keeps you in suspense throughout, just as any writer worth his salt should do. Along the way, you'll fall in love with some of the main characters, and despise others. Your appetite will be sufficiently wet to continue with The Legacy to see if your favorite characters have that ultimate happy ending.

 

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Review of SIX TOES BY READER VIEW

Reviewed by Ron Standerfer for Reader Views (03/10)

****

 

It.s another ho-hum day in the small Midwest town of Solitude. The list of missing people continues
to grow and now includes the town.s only “lady of pleasure,” plus a group of Japanese businessmen
in town to inspect an old factory; a dog is found in a back alley horribly mutilated and apparently
eaten by a pack of vicious animals; and residents are beginning to pack up and leave with fear in
their eyes, muttering that “those people at Lost Island” were the cause of all this. Oh, and let us not
forget the town.s latest arrivals: two men horribly scarred and mutilated; one a former resident who
is returning to practice medicine; and the other, a hairy, one-eyed man who prefers to skulk and
slither around in the night and whose hands strongly resemble a pair of sharpened claws.

 

How do all these things fit together? The clue, of course, is Lost Island, a former military facility
that was engaged in a super secret research project involving genetics and gene splicing until it was
destroyed by a fire eight years before. There were two researchers on duty when the fire broke out
and they were presumed dead, along with a population of cats and other research animals. Oddly enough, the list of research subjects also included five sub-teen children who mysteriously
disappeared just before the fire. As it turns out, the five children, now teenagers are living in
Solitude, facing excruciating mental and physical challenges that more than likely can be attributed
to their experience at Lost Island---a time in their lives they cannot remember. As you probably
already guess, the town of Solitude.s latest arrivals are the two researchers presumed to be lost in the
fire. When it is revealed that the two men are mortal enemies, that.s when the pace of the story
picks up; and when it is apparent that the one-eyed man displays distinctly animal characteristics and
quite possibly is not from this world, that.s when the plot thickens.

 

“Six Toes” is B.E. Schafer„s first novel and in it he spins a fine yarn that moves along at a fast pace
and keeps the reader on the edge of his seat. In fact, the way he seamlessly combined the two genres
of horror and science fiction into one story line reminds me of some of Stephen King.s early works--
-and that.s not a bad place to start. Book II of Six Toes, “The Legacy” is scheduled to be published
in the spring of 2010.

 

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Below Exerpt of Review by Readers Favorite

THREE STARS ***

The setting is the small town of Solitude in southern Indiana along the banks of the Ohio River. Dr. Richard Melton, research scientist, had been working on genetic engineering. His research began with various animals. He was uncomfortable when the government brought in cats for the experiments. He's always hated cats. Then they brought in the humans for testing. He cared for the children.

Sam the adult male had begun to make him uncomfortable. The man/animal was out of control. For years he had worked on the project. He wasn't totally comfortable with it but once the government had taken control he had little choice. Then someone had started an investigation. He had carefully formulated a plan to protect the children. He gave them a serum so they would forget their past. They might remember many years later but by then it wouldn't matter. As Melton continued with his plan he was attacked by Sam. The facility caught on fire. The firefighters found one man alive, when asked his identity he managed to say, "Dr. Richard Melton."

The children had been taken to parents that would love them and raise them. It was years later before the memories began to surface. They suffered severe migraines and seizures. The memories began to haunt them. They knew they were transforming, but what did that mean?

B.E. Schafer is a talented author. His plot is rather complex and involved. When I'm reading science fiction I want to read a good solid plot. It does not have to be filled with scientific facts. Schafer's work reminds me a little of Dean Koontz.