One of the great things about starting a new week is bringing attention to a story that might go unnoticed amongst the nearly 3500 stories posted on Gay Authors. This week, faxity has supplied us with a review of an in process story called "Imprint", written by Hermit in the Cave. Feel free to share your thoughts as well, and if you aren't already reading it, maybe faxity's review will make you want to start! Enjoy!

Reviewer: faxity
Status: In Progress
Words: 149,685
‘Imprint’ is a fantasy story that will teach you the meaning of the word ‘mystery’. From the very beginning, nothing is revealed and yet everything is hinted at, drawing you ever onwards into a world that’s as enigmatic as it is intriguing. Each chapter will make you re-evaluate what you think you know, and you may be left staring at the screen in awe when you figure something new out. It’s on chapter 18 as of 9/16/14, and almost everything I ‘know’ about the story is either a supposition or an assumption. The author carefully leaves tidbits of information for the reader to find, like highly addictive chocolate chips, and they’re easy enough to miss that finding one gives a genuine sense of accomplishment. Each ‘tidbit’ is like one dot on a ‘Connect the Dots’ drawing, but the dots are spaced far enough apart that the picture could be anything. Your imagination will draw the lines, but just when it’s starting to resemble one thing, you’ll find another tidbit that makes it look like something else entirely.

This amazing world that Hermit in the Cave has created is defined by the characters. They seem to jump out of your screen and pull you into their world with them, and you’ll be drawn along through their trials and triumphs. A list of the characters would be a spoiler (refer to where I said nothing is revealed XD), so I’ll only describe the first character to be met, a man named Frost. He’s quiet, and he can’t handle too much human interaction. He lives in a small apartment, and he works at a bookstore where he doesn’t have to talk to anybody. Like all the other characters, his past is as murky as his future, but he’ll quickly earn your love and a place in your heart. Far from seeming pathetic, as you’d expect, Frost’s inability to function near people is endearing. The secrets surrounding Frost only become more mysterious when he meets a familiar stranger, and you’ll find yourself craving the next tidbit of information as they interact. Frost’s story isn’t the only one in ‘Imprint’, and you’ll find the story isn’t so quiet and peaceful after all when you read on.

If you’ve ever read a mystery book before, then you have a pretty good idea of what ‘Imprint’ isn’t. It’s unconventional, but not so different as to be jarring. It will pull you out of your comfort zone just enough to make you realize how much nicer it is out here. There’s no wondering who the murderer is, no imagining how they got away with it. ‘Imprint’ isn’t a story about a mystery; it’s a mystery about a story, and the story beneath the mystery is a thing of dreams. It’s an amazing romance, seamlessly woven out of multiple plots, that will demonstrate just how much love can endure, and how many different forms love can take.

Oh, if you don’t have a good idea of the plot by now, don’t worry. I don’t either.