The novel “Addendum” by Randall Sharpe was published for the first time in 2023. It’s the second book in the Astral Alignment series and follows “Astral Alignment“.
For Annabelle, seeing a dead body near the local lake is traumatic, especially since various murders have occurred in the area. She and her friend Charon try to support each other in a difficult time in various ways. Other strange events see them sometimes as witnesses and, on other occasions, as protagonists. The presence of Darien Weever, who seemed like a normal substitute teacher at their school but turns out to be something else, adds to the strangeness. Their path also crosses that of a masked vigilante. Danger comes from strange creatures, but also from the Delta Freya and religious fanatics who show that humans can be the worst monsters.
Ray is a vampire but has no malicious intentions towards others. When she finds herself in legal trouble because of an empath she met by chance, her parents hire a lawyer to defend her, who turns out to be a vampire herself and a prominent one among vampires. Mallory alternates between transporting people and running a conspiracy website. The Delta Freya take at least some of her articles so seriously that they kidnap her and her husband and force her to take them to the depths of the Earth. Clover Field encounters a sasquatch who predicts a momentous future for her, but under circumstances that are shocking to her.
“Addendum” is a prequel to “Astral Alignment” and recounts some of the events experienced by some of the initial protagonists. Its structure is composed of a series of stories, sometimes intertwined, with many different characters, more or less central but often important even when given little space. Only in a few cases are these characters previously featured in the first novel.
Randall Sharpe clearly intended to write a series that blends science fiction, fantasy, and horror, and this is clear from the first novel, which was partly set in a parallel world and partly on Earth. This prequel even adds other elements such as mythological creatures, conspiracy theories, and superheroes, further confirming that labels are limiting in describing the Astral Alignment series.
Randall Sharpe seems to have a great deal of fun combining seemingly disparate elements into what could be considered the backstory of a broader story. In this novel, the story is set solely on Earth, and the author uses this setting to include characters and creatures of all kinds, both human and mythological. From this perspective, he isn’t reinventing the wheel, but rather offers interpretations that can be original of myths like vampires or the hollow Earth.
This abundance is developed in various subplots, and only in a few cases do the personal stories of different characters intertwine. It can sometimes be difficult to keep track of what’s happening to the protagonists of the various subplots and to other significant characters, but the results show remarkable creativity in bringing together the many narrative elements that are mixed up in this novel.
The tone tends to be dramatic but ends up being variable precisely because of the remarkable diversity of characters and creatures’ stories. Jordan’s story sometimes goes over the top, and it’s a curious read. Mallory’s story also has funny moments that somehow offer a break in a novel that tends toward the dramatic.
If “Astral Alignment” is the prologue to the series, “Addendum” is a backstory that offers more information about some of the characters and the background to at least some of the events described in the first novel. Answers are still very limited, and many parts of the story will certainly be developed in the sequels. I recommend it to readers who appreciate genre blends that are developed over the course of several books. You can find it on Amazon USA, UK, and Canada.
