Though I’m very late to reviewing this one, I really enjoyed it! It kept me interested, and I would recommend it to anyone who dabbles in this genre.

Being a work of 'cosmic horror', this book was a step outside my comfort zone, but one I did not regret. I did not care about the 'alien god' background, but the characters and plot were interesting enough to keep me reading. And while I found the first half more to my taste than the concluding events (and the very sudden, too happy ending), I was fascinated how the author made humans and their human characteristics appear both an inferior and superior species to the 'gods' at the same time.

Quite bizarre, but this tale is also very memorable. It won't fade into the background in your mind, like so many other horror novels do. Excellent

This is a wild fantasy/cosmic horror story that’s quick paced with an imaginative plot and fun characters. The fantasy elements were perfectly woven into the beginning creating a hint of the despair to come. Tension builds as more mysteries are unraveled. The descriptions and images were just the right amount of terror without ever crossing the line into grotesque or gore. The aliens won’t give you nightmares, but they certainly leave an unsettled feeling in your gut.
Harper, the librarian, was a fine protagonist but I think her character competed with the aliens for center stage. In my opinion, the aliens won as their character arcs seemed more interesting and dynamic. I don't want to give too much away, but I was pleasantly surprised with the reveal of these celestial beings powers and how they ended up on Earth. I would have preferred more time spent on them and their backstories, but overall character development was solid.
While I enjoyed this book, and I certainly think people should give it a chance, there just seemed to be something missing overall in terms of the storytelling. There were some bits of the plot that never fully got explained. Plus, the big final action scene didn’t leap off the page in the way I expected, and the ending felt a bit safe. I feel like everything could have been hiked up a notch in order to add just a little more sizzle.
But overall, it’s a good story. If you’re looking to escape reality for a few hours, I recommend giving it a read. It’s fun and engaging. Will it stick with you long after you’ve finished the last sentence? Probably not, but there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s a quick read that transports you to a small town where alien monsters are lurking in plain sight. I’d say it’s a satisfying and entertaining read.

A kick-ass librarian lands the job from hell!

When I noticed the main character of Brian Fatah Steele’s latest novella Celestial Seepage was a librarian and archivist, my ears pricked up, as I work in the same profession. I am sure you can appreciate we can’t all be as cool as the legendary Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but Harper makes a pretty good job of it in this story which has two seriously contrasting halves. The first is well plotted, with an urban-fantasy vibe which sets the scene nicely, but what follows is a crazy romp with ageless monstrous entities from a different dimension duking it out in a small American city. I was not certain the two halves gelled together perfectly, but I happy to hop on the rollercoaster and had fun with the book.

Before we meet our kick-ass librarian, the story is carefully laid out through a series of isolated incidents which show something is not right in the struggling Ohio city of Ellesmere. In the first of these an ex-con with a drug habit, Travis Lowell, is trying to score drugs, which he eventually does close to the building of the Historical Society, which plays a key role in the story. Upon meeting William, his usual dealer, he pulls a knife and stabs Travis repeatedly killing him. Considering what was just around the corner, this was a normal day at the office, but at the time shocked the city residents.

The story then jumps to librarian Harper Llewellyn who has just found out she has been temporarily transferred from Andrews Public Library to the Historical Society to work on an obscure archive cataloguing project digitising material which dated back to 1887. Upon arrival she is hostilely treated by her new boss Elizabeth Vickers who does not seem to think Harper is the right person for the job and the two women fail to hit it off. Also adding to the negative vibe, Harper is unsure why she has been transferred and begins to investigate.

Eventually Harper’s story meets that of Riley Owens, an independently wealthy university student who obviously has a few secrets up her sleeve. Riley is dating Lana Vargas who works at the local bar The Long Krall and the two have a strong relationship. Riley is an engaging character and the plot takes its time revealing where it is taking this sassy young woman, who obviously has connections to the Historical Society also.

Everybody who has seen Ghostbusters will remember how all the supernatural stuff gravitated towards the Plaza Building, things are similar in Celestial Seepage except in this story we have the Historical Society. Harper soon realises something is up and soon things begin to develop. The story is told through multiple third person perspectives but most of the pivotal stories are played out through Riley and Harper.

Your overall opinion of Celestial Seepage may well be judged by how much you take to the over-the-top second half. It’s all action stuff, but some readers may find it stretches the realms of possibility too far, but hey, it is billed a supernatural thriller and genuinely lets everything hang out. I enjoyed it but still feel something was lost in the wave of mass destruction.

Thank you to NetGalley/ Brian Fatah Steele/ Alien Agenda Publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

This book is in its own way amazing.
The chapters could be named after the character so its a bit easier to follow i found myself having to re-read the first page of the chapter to find which character it was on about.
The story is fast-paced and unique, i love the fact its in our world yet not our world. I think this book is for a unique taste. I am so glad i read this but at the same time the ending was a little disappointing, slow compared to the fast-pace her set at the beginning.
But in all it was fantastic and spoke to me and i hope this book does as well as i think it will.

Another author i will follow and will be reading his others, he has a unique brain and a knack for this genre.

My thanks to Alien Agenda and Netgalley. This is a review for a free download. I do appreciate it!
I'm not gonna blow smoke up your arse and tell you this was a great read. But, it was something a little bit special! Yeah, I liked it! The thought of these Gods/Aliens kind of tickled my funny bone! I'm not going to talk about this story, because I think it should be read without insight. I know this was supposed to be scary, and maybe for others it will be. Me? Man, I had creepy moments and then fun! I'll admit that historical society buildings creep me out. Maybe not the buildings themselves, but the contents. Never liked them. Never will. To me they're haunted. Ghastly. Still, the damned God's and mere humans were the draw. Loved them! Augustus is the bomb! My only problem was the ending. Yes, I'd hoped for it. Who wouldn't? But, it was very amateurish. It felt like a tween ending. You can't have a adult story with a tween ending! I mean, you can, but you will lose half your audience. I would still recommend this story. Truth is that I had fun with it. But, because of that ending, I can only give 3 stars. 4 star read. 3 star end. An author needs to know that death is sometimes the bravest option in a tale.