**Reader Comments & Reviews**
I just finished Light Play and it is SO INCREDIBLE! Is there any way that I can PLEASE read Light Plays.....and Lightning Play?...Thanks so much for sharing it w/ me!
...and may I add excellent characters, great story line (I couldn't wait to see what happened next) and just wonderful all around!
Connie
PS I'm spreading the word!
...... Science fiction at it's most imaginative. An awesome plot with vivid characters. Fast paced and very visual. Compulsive reading.
Cassandra Knight
It is very captivating and interesting...I was home very sick one weekend. About the only thing I managed to accomplish all weekend was getting out of bed and printing out more pages of it. It was quite a page turner especially considering how badly I felt.
I have thought several times of sending you an email telling you how much I enjoyed it...
E. C.
It's an interesting and intriguing book...I love the way that N. D. Hansen-Hill describes her characters, especially Carolyn Denaro and her extra-corporeal manifestations.
T. H.
I'm about 80% through reading Light Play and am thoroughly enjoying it.
I think it would make an excellent movie. I like the way the story
moves along, and the problems continue to build upon each other. I
think the dark building is very effective for the search for Denaro.
G. S.
Fast, racy, keeps you on your toes. You just have to read to the end. You don't want to put that book down.
Sindee
**** Excellent
Dr. Richard Lockmann is a plant pathologist who not just studies plants and
their diseases, but also searches for cures for the diseases and more. But
now Rick has a bigger problem, one that no human doctor can cure, he has
been infected by a plant virus, but he didn't infect himself, Caroline
Denaro did the honors for him. How is he going to survive when he himself
has been searching for a cure for this plant virus and has not yet been able
to find one? More importantly, how did she manage to infect not only herself
with this virus, but also him as well.
As Rick fights for his life, his friends Simon, Cole and Jason not just try
to help him, but now they are also fighting to save their own lives as well.
Genetechnic Industries and the Defense Security Office each want to get
their hands on Rick. They want to study him and see what is going on with
his system and how he is managing to survive. Genetechnic wants Rick to the
extent that they have kidnapped him from the hospital and taken him to one
of their buildings. Now DSO has gone in to take him back. But Rick's friends
all know what will happen to him regardless of who wins, Rick will become
nothing more than an experiment and something to study. Each in their own
fashion has come up with a plan to rescue Rick, but who is going to rescue
them from the horror that lives inside the walls of where Rick is being
kept.
If you are a Dean Koontz fan then you absolutely must read the books by
author N. D. Hansen-Hill, where Koontz has a tendency to provide too much
detail and overkill, Hansen-Hill has found the perfect balance. LIGHT PLAY
is yet another excellent book in what I expect to be one of many books by
this author. This book is well written and flows smoothly; it gives you
thrills and chills and yet at the same time gives you laughter and humor.
The author has done an excellent job of breaking up the sections that could
be overwhelming if left alone by interlacing it with just the right touch of
humor to create the perfect balance. This is one book that you actually
won't want to end because of all the different variables involved. There
have read few books that have this affect, I couldn't put the book down
because it is truly captivating, but at the same time, I also found myself
deliberately not going back to it simply because I was afraid of what the
outcome might be.
Review by: Tracy Eastgate - Tracy's Book Reviews
Genetechnic's star scientific researcher has succumbed to a bizarre
accident. Caroline Denaro's genetic research has resulted in a tragedy.
Caroline has somehow become a specter. She has been rejected by her body
which is mutating into something horrible. Caroline's cries for help have
been ignored by David Vizar and other members of Genetechnic's staff. She
realizes that all Genetechnic wants is her research. Too late Caroline
regrets her drive for power, recognition and wealth; she knows she is
doomed.
Dr Richard Lockman encounters Caroline Denaro's out-of-body self at her
former home and lab. She pleads with him to help her. Rick's friend Cole
Calloway has rented the home from Genetechnic. Rick is so consumed with the
need to try and help Caroline, that he works feverishly researching all he
can into ghosts, afterlife, etc. Rick has gone as far as outbidding Cole for
the house. After two weeks totally consumed by his research, Cole finds Rick
looking feverish and exhausted. Jason Stratton is a medical doctor and
friend of Cole and Rick. Jason fears Rick is suffering from pneumonia and
admits him to the hospital.
Having left the hospital, Rick is in Caroline's home and she shows him where
her research material is hidden. Unknown to Caroline a plant virus had
infected one of her specimens. But Rick, who specializes in plants,
immediately recognizes the virus and begins to suspect that it isn't
pneumonia that has made him so ill.
Genetechnic has kidnapped Rick from the hospital, and have taken him to
their labs. The kidnapping has resulted in Cole being wounded and Simon,
another close friend, being shot. Now they are determined to rescue Rick.
What will they find at Genetechnic? What has happened to Rick, he was in a
coma, is he dead? How can Jason, a doctor who knows nothing about the
violent nature of the people involved in Genetechnic, assist in Rick's
rescue? How can Simon, even though he is a mercenary, help Rick when he is
badly wounded? David Vizar and his clean-up crew only want to profit from
Caroline's research, but she's already killed several of his people. How are
they going to stop Caroline who is no longer capable of human compassion?
This is a tense and fast paced thriller. The author pulls out all the stops
in this dark fantasy. If you love good writing and non-stop suspense, don't
miss this book!
Number of Stars: 4
Reviewed By: Bea Henson
This book has a little something for everyone. There's science and spies; ghosts, epidemics, helicopters and even guns. The action isn't exceedingly fast-paced -- in fact, it may take some time to get into the flow of the story -- but the story does move. We follow the escalating problems encountered by Rick Lockmann as well as his friends, who are all equally devastated by their buddy's demise. Even while remaining skeptical about the true cause of his illness, they are all loyally trying to find a cure.
"Friendship, loyalty, justice, courage. " These would be a few choice words to describe what happens within Light Play. I think the major appeal of the story is its theme of sticking by your friends and banding together (sometimes even with your supposed enemy) in the face of disaster.
The science doesn't get too intense for the casual reader, and while the characters were almost overwhelmingly male, the action was not too testosterone-driven. N.D. Hansen-Hill tries to make the characters' reactions based in reality, though I doubt that people put through such trauma could still come up with snappy one liners.
With a plot sounding like something from a B movie, Light Play asks you to stretch credibility a bit, as any good science fiction does. Once you suspend your disbelief, this book is a well-spun tale. I give it a solid four stars. ****
Reviewed by Tricia Gilbert for Midnight Scribe Reviews
Well I am sorry it has taken me so long to respond but i have to admit that
I LOVED BOTH !!!!!! I read Grave Images and thoroughly enjoyed it. So
decided to read Trees...
D.D.
What a beautifully crafted story! The ghosts are as real as the characters. You have mastered the art of giving away only small pieces of the puzzle in the beginning and then cascading them in dozens in the last few chapters. Is this the story that they want to film? What a goldmine of images for them to work with! thank you for the privilege of reading it at this stage!
What would I write on a book jacket???....mmmmmm....let's see....
A story of ghostly beauty, the power of the mind, and heart-pounding intrigue. Prepare to leave the lights on all night.
K.W.
Jarron Marshall is a scientist blessed with a brilliant mind, a few good
friends, a fascination with fungi, and some very bad enemies. Unfortunately,
he has no idea why he has enemies. It seems to have something to do with his
research on Endophytes, a kind of fungus that exists within other living
organisms, but it takes a while before he begins to understand the
implications of that research and why it worries a lot of powerful people.
Jarron's life doesn't get any easier when a brutal assault leaves him with a
peculiar sort of brain damage. It appears that certain dormant parts of his
brain have been jolted to life: he is now sensitive to a variety of
paranormal phenomena, including ghosts. One of those ghosts is the spirit of
the man who attacked Jarron and was later eliminated by his employers. The
ghost is not amused by his own death and hell-bent (literally) on revenge.
If all this sounds like a bit of stretch, don't be concerned. N.D.
Hansen-Hill pulls it off and does it with style. The inventive plot moves at
breakneck speed, throwing thrills and chills and puzzles at the reader,
interspersing hair-raising action scenes with warmly human and humorous
interactions among the characters. And what a wonderful bunch of characters
they are: Jarron's best friend, a science fiction writer with no taste for
fantasy; a mysterious, female, sort-of scientist who switched majors from
botany to burglary; a security officer with conflicting loyalties; and Kris
Chandler, who's a cross between guardian angel and stage magician. Their
dialogue is multi-layered, frequently hiding their affection for each other
under insults, their fears and worries under bravado, and their doubts under
aggression. It's impossible not to care about these people.
I made the mistake of starting to read this book as soon as I got home from
work. Some time later my understanding husband put food in front of me. I
think I ate it. I don't know what it was. By the time I finished the story,
several hours later, I was wrung out, elated and completely satisfied.
It isn't a perfect book. When you finally get out of the story far enough to
start analyzing it, you realize the plot doesn't entirely hang together, some
of the characters are a little out of focus, and the climax has logistical
problems. But who cares? It's a story so well-told, so engrossing, so
entertaining, it pulls you into its world, holds you there, and doesn't let
go until the last sentence. It's the most completely entertaining book I've
read this year.
Stars: 5
Reviewed by Karen McCullough
Jarron Marshall is a brilliant scientist, but not so brilliant as a regular
person. Jarron is a person that defines what is said about people who are
absolutely brilliant scientists; they lack in other areas. But with Jarron,
this lands him into something that is much more than one person should have
to go through and it all starts with an open door. Jarron's internal alarm
system goes off when he sees his front door slightly ajar. Unfortunately for
him though, he pays no attention to it as he has forgotten to lock the door
before on numerous occasions. So he just blames everything off that this
time when he pulled the door closed that he not only forgot to lock it, but
that it simply didn't latch either. He was wrong and this mistake in
judgment almost costs him his life, not to mention his sanity.
The beating that Jarron received at his home when he disregarded the open
door triggered something in his mind, it woke up a part of his mind that
normally is completely dormant. This in return causes him to begin to see
and hear things that no other living person could. It causes his friends to
wonder about him and even as much as doubt his sanity, that's all right
though, Jarron is doubting it too. But the race is on, the race to get
Jarron to reveal where the endophyte can be found, before he is destroyed.
Because on the road that he is on, that is what the solution will be
regardless if it is from his own hands or the hands of others.
Jarron had accidentally discovered an endophyte; a simple organism that
could change the world and the change would be for the better. What Jarron
doesn't know when he puts in the grant request for his project, is that
because of his brilliance in the scientific field he is under constant
surveillance. His grant request sets off alarms for people at quite a few
companies, companies that could be either positively or negatively affected
if his project succeeded, and each wants the endophyte as their own.
Author ND Hansen-Hill has written an absolutely spellbinding book. GRAVE
IMAGES is a book that reaches deep into the imagination, setting it afire
and keeping you glued to the book. This is a book that will keep you on the
edge of your seat, make you laugh, cry, and yes, even scare you at times.
There are multiple characters in this book that come into the main focus,
but each of them play a very important part of Jarron's life and what he is
going through at the present. This reviewer is definitely looking forward to
reading more from the author.
**** Excellent
Review by: Tracy Eastgate
Tracy's Book Reviews
Oh this book was great fun. If you like suspense, mystery and intrigue along
with a little bit of fantasy this is your book. Jarron, Nick and Khris are
long-time friends. Each is unique in his own way. Jarron is a brilliant
scientist, Nick is a math genius and a famous science fiction author, Khris
is a magician at, well, at being illusive. No one is sure what Khris does
for a living; they just know he'll never be caught doing it.
Jarron has discovered something that could possibly save the world from
hunger. In fact someone is determined to steal his discovery; very nearly
killing him in the attempt. Nick's determination to help his friend almost
ends in his demise. During Jarron and Nicks' recovery in the hospital, the
thief tries to kill Jarron again knowing that Jarron has seen him and can
identify him. Now the ISO is called in to protect Jarron. He has a guard,
Andy Wakefield, on his door constantly, and his hospital stay is extended to
help him recover from this second attempt on his life.
Jarron finds that he has some unexpected after effects of his encounter with
Halloran, the would-be thief. Halloran has died in an "accident", but his
presence has now returned to Jarron's house and no one who is close to
Jarron is safe. How is Jarron going to rid his house of this evil presence?
How will he protect himself and his friends? Why has his research suddenly
been taken over by people his newly acquired instincts tell him are
merciless and evil? How will Khris and Nick react to Jarron's eerie
pre-knowledge of events before they occur? Now that Andy is a friend how
will Jarron protect him when he finds out the people out to get him are
Andy's employers? How is he going to manage to hide the location of his
discovery from these ruthless people and still benefit mankind? Jarron knows
that as soon as he divulges the location of this discovery he and all of his
friends are dead men.
This book will grab you from the first paragraph and drag you on a roller
coaster ride of suspense, intrigue and attempted murder. Enjoy the ride;
this book is well worth it.
I'd love to review more of your books. You are amazing.
Number of Stars: 5
Reviewed By: Bea Henson
Steve King better look out! N.D. Hansen - Hill just may take a bite out of your tush! Clever stuff! Intelligent! Scary!
Scientist type Jarron Marshall discovers Jack Halloran trashing his place while in search of something. What, Jarron doesn't know. Really peeved at seeing his favorite papers trashed. he attacks Halloran and, for his troubles, ends up with brain damage and the ability to see and hear people that aren't there. Shades of the Sixth Sense movie with Bruce Willis? Yea, yea, but ever so much more and ever so much more terrifying!
The science here is clear and the characters are fresh and new despite an occasional resemblance to something out of the X-Files as well as that, um, Bruce Willis film. I actually dropped my Rocketbook at one point in my reading and at another, cried like a baby. This is good stuff and begs to be adapted for film.
Grave Images rivals the best of Stephen King and may even do him one better.
Buzzy
Leann "Buzzy" Arndt
Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review this most fascinating
book! I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Kathy
This is without a doubt one of the most fascinating and intriguing
fantasies I've ever read. This book captured my attention from first page
to last.
Peter has just bought this wonderful old house but he's most intrigued by
the grove of very strangly shaped lonely looking trees at the edge of the
property. Peter is a scientist so he gets the brilliant idea to pick a few
leaves and to cut a few limbs to do some tests on these trees. He does just
that and decides to make a trip to the lab with a few samples, leaving his
friend Trevor a note that he anchors down with a bag full of the limbs he
has cut from the trees.
Meanwhile, Trevor shows up and when he sees that Peter isn't there, he
decides to go ahead inside to wait for him. Trevor gets quite chilly
waiting so he grabs the limbs from the bag on the porch and decides to
start a fire in the wood burning stove. This is where the story gets very
interesting, to say the least.
Trevor leaves after waiting a while and when Peter comes back home he finds
his house full of smoke and sludge coming out of the wood burning stove. He
succumbs to smoke inhalation and is near death when Trevor finds him.
Trevor rushes him to the hospital where he gets treatment but a very
strange thing happens to Peter. His skin turns green, his ears get pointy
and he becomes very attuned to sounds and emotions. The government is
called in and Garrett Mader is thrilled to be able to run tests on him.
Before tests can be run, Peter gets away but not before Trevor also starts
changing so Peter also escapes with Trevor in tow. When they get back to
Peter's house they discover that Mortimer, Peter's dog has also changed.
What does this all mean? How can they figure this all out and what are they
going to do about it all?
This book is a must read and I highly recommend it.
4 1/2 Thumbs Up
Kathy's Faves and Raves
Trees - This well-written scifi thriller features very human, though sometimes outrageous, characters, an eerie grove of special-seeming trees, and two transformed people that a ruthless rogue government agency will stop at nothing to acquire. All of these elements are enough to provide lots of almost non-stop action, but a purely fantasy element turns this book into an insane romp, both funny and bloodcurdling at the same time. A unique read. It was delicious and I ate it all up!
by E. Bush
There standing alone in a lush green forest is a cluster of trees that look
diseased. Ghostly white and in eerie shapes and forms, these are not your
normal trees. Nobody knows what is wrong with neither the trees nor how long
they have been there. Little does Peter know just how dangerous these Trees
actually are and neither does his friend Trevor. Peter has purchased a small
home in the country for him and his fiancé Kate to begin their lives
together in. But all that is about to change on the night that Trevor lights
a small fire for Peter in the wood stove from the wood on the porch. This
wood is some that Peter has managed to cut from the grove of the deformed
trees and the results from this fire changes the lives of Peter, Trevor and
all involved.
Garrett Mader is a man on a mission and this particular mission is to ensure
that he secures Peter in his research laboratory. His testing on Peter could
change his whole world and he would be able to develop things beyond his
wildest dreams. But everything comes crashing down when he is informed that
Peter has disappeared from his hospital room. Now Mader is on another
mission, to find and secure Peter before anyone else discovers his
existence.
Trees is a book to fall in love with. There is danger and excitement,
thrills and chills, love and happiness. You will laugh, cry and hang on the
edge of your seat in anticipation. This book is truly a work of art. N. D.
Hansen-Hill has yet again accomplished another masterpiece that will rival
the best. This is another story that you will not want to end.
**** Excellent
Review by: Tracy Eastgate - Tracy's Book Reviews
Yowza!
At first I thought this was going to be one of those dark fantasy books that end up being horror and I was getting mighty ticked off to boot. I even thought that N.D. was going to do a dirty with one of the characters...an act that would have had me quitting the book. I am happy to say that I was wrong. This book is delightful! Reading it was like eating marshmallow squares. A major happiness! Even "the Shimmer" would think so!
The science is very real leading me to believe that Hansen-Hill is major league educated. The plot leads scientist Peter and loved ones, including dog Morty, on a journey into the fantastic. This is what makes for a good escape from the everyday as you trip off with these folks into the light fantastic.
A bit like the X-Files or Outer Limits. maybe even the Twilight Zone. Peter investigates these unusual trees on his new property and, as a result, finds himself and those around him becoming a tidge bit different from what they were before. Men in black types do their darndest to get a hold of the gang and do the old dissect and run.
You have to read this. Honest!
Buzzy
Leann "Buzzy" Arndt
Peter Trevick is a dedicated and enthusiastic plant biologist. He has just
bought a house in the English countryside for himself and his love Katy
Ryder. The house is in pretty bad shape but livable and he is fascinated by
the grove of trees just down a slope from the house. Their contorted and
strange appearance has sparked his scientific interest. He has invited his
friend Trevor Richmond to dinner. However, he is so involved at his
laboratory examining the strange "wood" from one of the trees that he
doesn't arrive in time for dinner. Trevor thinks the woods are creepy and
since there is a storm breaking he builds a fire for Peter and then leaves
the premises.
What is the source of the mutation that has taken over Peter's body? His
eyes glow and he is now green and slightly iridescent. Dr. Garrett Mader a
research scientist without a soul is determined to study Peter whom he
considers to be a mutant no longer human. What lengths will Dr Mader go to?
Can Dr Mari Sullivan interfere on Peter's behalf? What will happen to
Trevor now that he too has mutated? Now that Katy has returned from her
business trip will Dr. Mader interview her also? Why does Peter feel with
his heightened senses that the grove of trees offers a haven from his
pursuers? When Peter finds himself transported to a strange place, will he
survive all of the deadly beings in that world?
Can Trev, Peter and his newfound friends from another world rescue Katy and
Mari from the clutches of Dr. Mader?
Can there be any kind of a normal life for the four lovers?
This is a truly well written story with flowing prose. There is action,
adventure, danger and some romance. Although fantasies are not my favorite
genre, I enjoyed this story and the characters involved. The author has a
vivid imagination and is adept at story telling.
Number Of Stars: 4
Reviewed By: Bea Henson
N. D. Hanson-Hill is a talented author. Within the first few pages of the story, I had been immediately drawn into the action. The author then toyed with me as the story slowed down just enough so I could be brought up to speed on who everyone was, their purposes, and what was really going on.
There were also a couple of really interesting twists and touches that I felt added something extra special to this story. The characters were fully three dimensional with their roles and decisions not being cut and dried and their evolution being fluid throughout. These characters didn’t know it all, even though at times they think they have it all figured out. I also thought that the tie in between Micts and vampires was particularly brilliant and that the background story on the Folly was inspired.
Reviewed by: Tami Brady/TCM Reviews

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