Paused by Stephanie Ellis

Paused takes an idea that has been ruminated on and crafted in many ways and extrapolates it in an entirely different vein. The premise of man’s ‘eventual’ extinction and the determining factor has long been the stuff of nightmares. It is no surprise this event is a prevalent trope in the sci-fi and horror genres. The human race’s demise as the result of an alien invasion, technology, disease, environmental disaster, or the zombie apocalypse has become more prevalent within the last couple of years. Humans walking the tightrope of pandemic survival is what made this novella scarier. Over a few weeks, the plot follows a small group of scientists in the UK as they attempt to determine the cause of a new pandemic that effectively renders humans inanimate. They cope with the growing knowledge that they, too, may eventually succumb.

This compact plot is…