The year is 2028, and Dr. Gillian Ryan is in a race against time. There is a terrifying new aggressive form of dementia running rampant among the masses. The age does not matter. Gillian lost her husband to the sudden bout, and now her young daughter is diagnosed with it too. With no known cause for Losian's and how it targets the victims, Gillian is desperate to find a cure using cutting-edge research before her daughter succumbs to it. Unfortunately, the government does not feel the same urgency and she loses her funding. The only alternative is to travel to a space station for six months and research on a crew showing disturbing similarities to Losian's.

OBSCURA is stuff made of nightmares. The premise is truly horrifying and not unbelievable. Losian's disease is an advanced version of dementia but what makes terrifying is how fast it acts and how it can affect anyone, be it a child or healthy grown-up, with no known cause. With the new diseases surfacing day by day in our world, something like this is entirely possible. Hart has written a compelling tale of not only the mysteries of nature but our own human conscience. He has delved into the mind of an addict who refuses to give up for the love of her daughter. The rest is a space adventure.

OBSCURA gives the feels of zombies and the movie Alien but it is nothing like them. The only evil here is us and the only horror is that of our minds. Truly compelling tale. Started slow, leaps between timelines; present and past, so don't get confused, before picking up the pace. I could not put it down even when I wanted to take a small break and finished it in one go.

Word of warning: OBSCURA is not for the faint of heart. There is graphic violence and touch of horror. It really is a psychological thriller. The journey will keep you on the edge of your seat despite the tad bit predictable storyline. Am looking forward to reading more by Joe Hart.