Holy fuck of god how incredibly spooky.

I'm reading Deathstalker War by Simon R. Green, a bit of science-fiction-action fluff.  It's just mind-candy, and I'm fond of it; helps me kill time on the subway.  Now if you'll excuse me, I'm about to give away a mild-sized portion of the book.

At one point, the rebels need to land on a certain planet to find a certain tactician.  Don't trouble yourself over the details.  The planet was originally a lump of rock, terraformed to be a resting place/therapy planet.  Basically, the grass is always green, the air is always sweet, and the sun is always smiling.  (Literally; they have a holographic projector or somesuch.)  The rebels encounter a couple of toys on the way.  My first thought was, "Okaaay... they're on a planet... with toys.  This is exceedingly silly.  And why is this planet named Haceldama, the Field of Blood?"

Then Mssr. Green began describing the scenery.  An exerpt, from when they walked into the Welcome Station:

The eerie silence hung about them like a shrouas they passed from room to room.  The wooden furniture had been broken apart and the pieces tossed aside, like so much kindling.  Some of it had been used to start fires, but they hadn't taken.  There were children's paintings on the walls, damaged by smoke and heat, and curling at the edges.  Some were splashed with blood.  ...  But for all the damage and destruction, the fires and the smeared bloodstains, still the bright colors dominated the rooms, as though the rebels were walking through a violated and abandoned nursery.

He goes on to describe why the planet had been renamed:  Basically, a group of evil AIs had come in and reprogrammed the automaton toys, who then rose up and killed the humans.  I don't know if this taps into my supposed maternal instinct, or childhood memories, or some silly group consciousness babble like that, but this part of the book is freaking... me... out.

I have a little mousie that sits on my bookcase, yknow?  I think I'm going to throw it away now.