“So horrifying, and yet so plausible. As an author who has written a book about a giant sea creature, I take my hat of to Neal – this guy takes us all to school in showing what it would be liked to be trapped somewhere remote by something with a monstrous size, appetite and intelligence. Great work – now to see what else he’s got!”

—Grieg Beck, Author

“…One of the most compelling components of this novel is the way in which the story is delivered. The reader sees the action through the eyes of the irreverrant, snarky Nathan. With such dry commentary as, “Nobody just walks up and says ‘Hey, I’m a vampire. Want to go somewhere?'” Nathan gives the reader a brutally frank view of the underworld. By infusing humor into an otherwise dark story, Neal creates a compelling read on many levels.…Going above and beyond the call of duty, “Suckage” delivers the full package: blood, guts, and love. With thoroughly developed characters, intriguing narration, and moral commentary, Neal creates a self-aware and refreshingly frank story likely to appeal to a variety of readers.”

“I was already a fan of Neal’s short stories; this is the second Neal novella I’ve read. The other was Relict, which I devoured (twice) and thoroughly enjoyed. Neal is a compelling and imaginative storyteller whose tales are richly evocative and leave the reader wondering about the story well after it’s read. This one, along with Relict, make me wonder whether one of his themes is our everyday presumption of being able to manage the world as humans, despite the overwhelming power and mystery of nature, and the consequences of that presumption. Neal explores larger questions of knowledge and morality but creates stories that nevertheless compel readers who love the genres he works in and don’t approach his tales analytically. He has an easy way with dialogue, and there is a lovely symmetry of detail in this novella. I will be reading more of Neal’s longer works.”

“In second place Ian [Watson] chose “Aegis” by D. T. Neal, which he described as ‘wonderfully descriptive and powerful and mythopaeic.’ “Aegis” was published in Albedo One, issue 37.”