The Song Behind Today’s Review Title

Today’s review title comes from the 1980 song Time Out of Mind, from the artsy, jazzy rock band Steely Dan. This was the last hit song for the band before Walter Becker and Donald Fagen split up. The song has been described by some as an ode to heroin, and Becker was addicted at the time - part of the reason for the breakup. But the lyrics are otherworldly, allowing the listener to form their own interpretation, while the tune is upbeat and danceable.

Becker and Fagen did reunite and tour as Steely Dan. Here they are, on this YouTube video from 2003, performing the song in concert at the legendary Pine Knob amphitheater in Michigan. Becker passed away in 2017 at the age of 67.

Whether it describes a heroin trip or some otherworldly experience, the song is a perfect fit for today’s book, which can best be described as a mind trip, and in which the author puts his own spin on the phrase “time out of mind”.

At what point in time does a memory exist? That’s the question posed by the psychologist Dr. Gordon Raine to his patient Edyn in Afterglow. This new novella is the first book from indie author Troy Kotanides, who calls it a “psychological fiction novel”.

Edyn finds himself in the Pacific Northwest in the 1990s, suffering from a form of amnesia. He can’t remember anything that happened to him before the past year. The farthest back he can recall, his first memory, is seeking refuge in a warehouse near the docks in a sleepy coastal town. Taken in by the dock manager, who accepts Edyn’s story of lost memory, he establishes a life for himself while being haunted by visions.

So, he turns to Dr. Raine for help in recapturing his past, while not completely trusting him with every detail of his visions. His primary vision is of a woman speaking to him high on a hilltop. Who she is and what she is saying is very hazy at first.

We follow along as Edyn, with some nudging from Raine, begins to unpeel the layers of memory to take himself back to his past. But not everything is at it seems.

As the book unfolds events in Edyn’s daily life are interspersed with visions and aural experiences. He remembers more and more about the hilltop scene, and the author interjects with snippets of what the woman said to Edyn. The snippets start with only the final part of what she said, and as they repeat they expand further back until the whole of what she said is revealed.

The expanding snippets were the cleverest bit of plotting from this first-time author. It clearly showed the progress Edyn was making peeling back the layers of his memory. The doctor felt like the weakest plot device. Every suggestion the doctor made was followed by Edyn’s visions revealing what the doctor felt Edyn needed to experience next.

Edyn’s visions begin to grow larger and longer. He goes through many experiences in what seems to be an alternate reality. He follows paths surrounded by darkness with only a pulsating swirl of light to guide him. He enters dark rooms where bright screens display haunting images. He sees visions of vine-covered structures transforming into decaying cities.

Finally, as we near the end, a whole new understanding of what Edyn is experiencing comes into view. With that the book takes an unexpected turn toward a cautionary conclusion.

The author stresses the psychological nature of the book, but a “psychedelic fiction novel” may be a more apt description. The book reads like I would expect an acid trip might feel, especially the visions Edyn experiences. Though having no experience with acid I cannot say for certain.

There is a certain 1960s experimental writing feel to the events unfolding in the book. Yet the style of writing reminded me more of late-1950’s pulp science fiction, having the kind of old-fashioned formal wording you might find in an old short short story, perhaps one called “Mission to the Inner Realm”. I have a feeling there are hidden meanings to the names in the story, and references in Edyn’s visions that I did not get. Suffice it to say parts of this book didn’t “click with me”.

It’s a short book. Read it for the psychedelic vibe, and for the cautionary ending.

RATING: Two and a Half Stars ⭐⭐🌠

OVERALL COMMENTS: A new novella from a first-time, indie author. A psychological, psychedelic adventure with an unexpected and cautionary ending.

WHERE I GOT MY COPY: I received an advance reviewer’s copy of the ebook through NetGalley, and courtesy of the indie publisher Glass Spider Publishing. The book is available to the public starting today, March 10, 2026.