Book Review by Christine Bode

Publishing Information

Title: The Day the Sky Died
Author:  Jason Garman
Publisher: GARM Press 
Released: September 15, 2026
Pages: 277
ASIN: B0HB1WRCGW
Stars: 4.0

“Some doors should remain closed. Some discoveries should never survive the moment of their discovery. And some things… Some things should not be.”

Jason Garman, author of Reflections in the Dark, which I reviewed earlier this year, provided me with an ARC copy of his new speculative fiction novel The Day the Sky Died in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on September 15, 2026, and you can pre-order it now on Amazon.

An Atmospheric Mystery Begins in Chile

From Chapter One, Garman’s setting is not just described, but felt. At Villa Cerro Castillo, Chile, in 1968, we sense a disturbing foreboding.

Children are playing along a riverbank with their German shepherd when they have an encounter with unusual lights in the sky.

I know that Chile is widely considered one of the global hotspots for frequent UFO or UAP sightings, so, being The X-Files fan that I am, I’m immediately transported into Season 1, Episode 4, “Conduit”.

Chapter Two continues with an excellent, atmospheric setting that introduces us to the February funeral of Dr. Thomas Hardin in southwest Chicago. A man, reminiscent of Deep Throat in The X-Files as well as The Man in the Charcoal Suit in Reflections in the Dark, lurks in the shadows. Hardin’s wife, Margaret, is being supported by Dr. Jonah Whitaker, a colleague and friend of her late husband.

Later, as Whitaker leaves the cemetery, someone follows him in a black Cadillac sedan until they’re both parked on the same street in the dark. They listen in on Whitaker’s phone conversation with his ex-wife, and we know he’s struggling emotionally and financially, as he’s late with his child support for his son, Anthony. In fact, we discover that Jonah Whitaker is a deeply flawed protagonist, but we can’t help but follow him with anticipation of his otherworldly journey.

A Mystery That Keeps Deepening

The next day, Whitaker is late to his job in the archaeology department at the University of Chicago. As he sifts through his mail, he finds a letter from Dr. Thomas Hardin, postmarked the day after he died. It contains three keys and information Whitaker determines is a property identification number. He’s perplexed as to why he’s received this stuff now.

The mystery deepens as Jonah drives to the property identified in Hardin’s note, where he finds a shed out in the middle of nowhere. The three keys unlock two padlocks on a chain-link fence’s gate, which surrounds a shed, and a padlock at the base of the shed. Next, he encounters a combination lock and remembers Hardin’s note, which contains the combination.

When he finally enters the shed, there’s only a table in the centre of it. Inside is a small brown book containing Hardin’s handwriting—a diary. When Whitaker opens the journal, we learn that Hardin had discovered something unfathomable in May 1969.

Where The Day the Sky Died Shines

The tone, structure, and pacing of this book are excellent. Garman clearly did a fair bit of scientific research, and his use of geological language is convincing. He’s also a master at describing surreal, dream-like landscapes and keeping us guessing about what’s really going on.

In fact, I was happy to read this book on Kindle, as I had to look up various scientific geological terms. When you highlight the word, Kindle provides the meaning, and I learned many new words. I was particularly impressed by how well Garman wrote Chapter 16, which is about the scientific observations recorded by Hardin and Dr. Robert Modell about the anomalies in the geology in the area of Chile they were investigating in 1968.

That said, as an editor, if I had one note to give the author (who am I? David Lynch?) about this story, I would say don’t use the adjective quiet to describe a noun that the adjective makes no sense for as a descriptor. For example, weight isn’t quiet. Efficiency isn’t quiet. Signs don’t fade quietly. They just fade. He uses the word quiet or quietly 89 times in this story. Appropriate synonyms would have kept me from noticing this. But perhaps other readers won’t.

A Story That Lingers

The Day the Sky Died captured my attention at all times. However, the ending threw me for a total loop. I mean, it was like tripping over a rock and falling off a cliff! It wasn’t what I expected at all. That’s all I’m gonna say.

Ultimately, this book didn’t take me where I thought I was going, but often that’s the best kind of tale. Although I discovered nine X-Files Easter eggs, nothing was as it seemed, and I hate to tell you, but we still don’t know if the truth is out there. Still, I would certainly recommend The Day the Sky Died for lovers of speculative fiction or a good mystery.

Additionally, I love that Jason offers his readers a Suggested Listening playlist on Spotify that he used to write this novel in the back matter of the book.

As I turned off the light for the night, my ears rang for over thirty minutes, so it took me quite a while to fall asleep. This is the power of a story that lingers.

I truly believe that Jason Garman has a promising future as a storyteller, and I can’t wait for his next book!