Attacked by a shadowman, tormented by inexplicable events, and plagued with apocalyptic dreams, Tracy Kirin thought she was up against a demon from Hell. Her sole mission is to hunt down her tormentor, and destroy it. But what she finds is an ancient alien with a grudge that wants her dead. In the afterlife, when Tracy takes one of the shadowmen as a hostage, she learns about Godriel, a maniacal geneticist from planet Alta. Godriel arrived at Earth when hominids were evolving and eventually created Homo sapiens by mistake. He triggers a Yellowstone supervolcano eruption to reduce the population in preparation for a hostile takeover. But Tracy has other plans for Godriel.
Reviewed by Ray Simmons for Readers' Favorite The Black Widow Connection by TK Rising is the first book in a series called Blue Star. It is an ambitious series and an interesting book. I am a reader. I read everything. So, I know my Bible and the Old Testament books that are the foundation of the Judeo-Christian belief system. I know the books that are considered canon and I know the books that are secret and even banned. I know the story of Atlantis, and I know about all the ancient alien theories that are based on unexplained things from around the globe. TK Rising has taken bits and pieces from all these religious texts, ancient astronaut theories, and weird phenomena, and combined these into an exciting, thought-provoking novel. It is a tremendous achievement and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series. What I liked most about The Black Widow Connection was the plot. Combining all these different beliefs into a coherent story line is no mean achievement. TK Rising has done a great job. The plot is long and complex, but it is solid and tight. The setting moves all over the United States, the world, and beyond. But every location is described with precision and is beautiful. The characters are interesting. It was fascinating to watch Tracy evolve as she lived her miserable life. Some of the character names are intriguing: Godriel, Astoreth, Lilikee, Adam, Cain, Abel, Yeshua of Nazareth, Noah. These are names plucked directly from myth and legend. TK Rising re-imagines their stories and their relationships and the result is a great read.
Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite The Black Widow Connection by TK Rising is the first installment of the Blue Star series, launching the author's sci-fi fantasy adventure from planet Earth. The book starts with an introduction to Tracy, a human woman whose story is told with the revelation of a devastatingly traumatic and abusive childhood. It continues through her teen and adult years, paving the way through a sequence of ordeals that virtually catapult her from one agony to the next, fully developing her into a protagonist that is easy to root for. We're then introduced to the genuine cause of Tracy's suffering as she begins the intergalactic mission of vengeance, hunting through the universe in the cosmic afterlife. TK Rising has written an intelligent piece of science fiction that often gears more toward the beauty and skill of literary fiction than the laser-fueled “pew-pew-pew, blast, blast” of the former genre. The writing is fluid and the emotion that pours through the pages is as gripping as it is horrifying. Rising's fresh twist comes in the form of revelation, first in Tracy's understanding of the universal truth of her life and existence, and then in her desire to redress the wrongs done to her at all cost. The Black Widow Connection is a book that will transcend genres and, as a lover of women's fiction, I found Tracy's growth to be profound. Ultimately though, this is a science fiction novel, and the second half of the novel doesn't disappoint, as Rising pulls out all the stops, making this a series that I can see having a wonderfully vast audience.
Reviewed By Romuald Dzemo for Readers’ Favorite
The Black Widow Connection by T.K. Rising is a fascinating tale of an unusual woman, set in the future in 2035 when Tracy Kirin suffers heart failure and vows to go after the demon who has tormented her throughout her entire life, plunging her life into misery. She is seventy-three years old when she has heart failure. The reader follows a character who suffered a lot of abuse from both her parents. Her father, Patrick Kirin Sr., was an abusive alcoholic and her mother, Beth, an abused housewife. Her heart had already been broken by the fact that she needed protection from those who should have loved her. But then the story moves on, and she suffers heartaches, broken relationships, strange happenings, and apocalyptic dreams. But who is her real tormentor? Is it really a demon as she thinks or someone else, determined to transform her life into a living hell? It will be interesting for the reader to find out who it is and why.
T.K. Rising’s novel is the first book in the Blue Star series, a riveting story that is written in atmospheric, vividly descriptive, and insightful prose. It is intriguing to follow a character whose path seems to be haunted by a devious being. The plot has pleasant surprises and twists, the pacing is measured, well written for fans of emotionally rich narratives, and the characters are so real that readers will instantly identify with them. There is a pervading sense of mystery that creates the suspense, a mystery built around the identity of Tracy’s tormentor, and the author makes readers want to find out who it is. The Black Widow Connection is gripping and entertaining, written with interesting and convincing characters, and infused with a unique sense of realism.
