We have a great review from a new member who has only been with us for a short while, but who has totally embraced and been embraced by the GA community. Not only is Sasha an author as well, but in less than four months has over 360 posts and a reputation of almost a thousand. Here is Sasha's review of Nemesis, by Author Thorn Wilde and if you enjoy Nemesis, Thorn has six other current stories on GA.Stories. Enjoy!

Reviewer: Sasha Distan
Status: Complete
Word Count: 61,073

Thorn Wilde’s first novella Nemesis made me smile pretty much all the way through, except for the bits that made me unspeakably upset and concerned for the characters. Mr Wilde puts them through hell, and even though some of them deserve it, it was tough going at times. I read Nemesis mostly because the title and the blurb kept on hanging around my brain, and I loved the idea of having a ‘best enemy.’ The story follows the final school year of Nick Davies and Dave Thompson, who have been bitter enemies since the age of five, who find each other somewhere between hate, animosity and dropping books on each other.

Thorn writes his two protagonists of Nick and Dave in a coherent and consistent manner. Dave is cocky and arrogant in his voice and actions, while Nick is softer; shy and endearing, but perfectly able to use his great wit and stand up for himself. The relationship and history between the two is palpable and entertaining and their various little tics and habits help to enrich the story and along with the realistic descriptions of the town and school (and of course, the bike sheds) make the world that Thorn has created intriguing and exciting.

The cast of supporting characters are well rounded and interesting, and the exploration of the through Thorn Wilde’s collection of short stories is a lovely added bonus to the novel. Dave’s collection of friends start out falling into very defined stereotypes and while the main characters find their way in the big bad world of love and relationships, the supporting cast bash their way out of their boxes, developing and changing to become real solid people. It is a refreshing and exciting expansion of the core story.

Nemesis is an enthralling story, one which I read as a reward system on which I then ended up cheating on myself with because I was driven to continue reading by the various twists and turns the characters take. Throughout the novel there are elements of fear and secrecy, the town in which Thorn sets his stories is deeply suspicious and homophobic in a very real way, and the constant drive to act undercover drives the characters to make rash decisions, chose interesting choices and ultimately build themselves up toward a climatic finish.

The main character of Nick is a delight to experience. The little tousle haired geek who reads Neil Gaimen religiously and snaps at those who annoy and irritate him got right under my skin and drew me in. His circumstances, the rocky relationship with his mother, his sweet but rather independent sister and her deeply irritating and downright dangerous boyfriend, all spin together to create an empathic and believable character.

This book has taken a decade to come to fruition, and it is easy to see where Thorn has allowed his character time to develop. The world he creates is rich and detailed, utterly absorbing, and the central relationship between Nick and Dave is strong enough to take a hell of a beating whilst still being beautifully fragile in the way of teenage romance everywhere.