A mixed bag of extracts, news, reviews and comments on things I've seen or read recently.
Dark Hoard
A unique dark fiction anthology edited by Nick Button
Dark Hoard is an enthralling anthology of contemporary fiction. It comprises 20 stories and poems, written by both professional and new authors from around the world. The book is a graphical banquet from cover to cover - including original design work, paintings and illustrations throughout, making Dark Hoard a truly unique and collectible publication.
June 2010; I just finished reading this and I have to say, its definitely unique and enthralling. The stories and poems are all of a high standard and even my own humble effort didn't feel out of place. The artwork is amazing and the quality of the publication is nothing short of a revelation. I was expecting a magazine or at the most a book style formatt but when it arrived in the post, I realised it was so much more. It smells, feels and looks like a graphic novel and the layout of the pages and fonts are innovative and all in keeping with the style of each story. I'd say all the stories were great but if I had to choose one or two, it would be The Broken Egg Timer and The Transformation Sickness, both writeen by A J Kirby. If you want to see why I'm such a fan of this anthology, or just love a good thought provoking read in a great new formatt, go buy this. Its worth every penny.
© 2010 Dereliction of Duty
A novel by Daniel McKeown
How much can one day change someone's life?
Troy Davies, a deep-cover FBI agent in Russia, uncovers a terrorist attack against America. Before he can report back to his superiors, his cover is blown and he's forced to go on the run. In New York City, Peter Hunt wakes to the sound of his phone ringing. Surprised to hear his former boss, Hunt soon learns that his old company need his help. As he returns to the office for the first time in a year, he uncovers a startling conspiracy that threatens the lives of thousands. Sergeant-Major Jack Carlos and Master-Sergeant Julio Gyle are inexplicably removed from war-torn Afghanistan and shipped home to the States. Abandoned with no weapons in a jungle facility, they are soon engulfed in scenarios which test their patriotism to the extreme.
May 2010: This is only the second thriller I've read and so far at 200 pages in, I'm liking it immensely. The characters are realistic and believable and the plot storms along at a good pace and keeps me guessing all the way. The novel is the first in a series and is available through Lulu. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys tense action and a twisting plot so if that you, follow the link above and buy it!
©2010 To Stand With Angels
A novel by C J Gabriel
For seven years she's fought her demons, but now a stranger has arrived and the real battle is about to begin…
I want to take you on a journey...
Come with me to a place that exists in the past, but thrives in the imagination.
I will show you the Old West as you have never seen it before.
It is a place where outlaws freely roam the Territory, terrorizing the innocent and preying on the weak... where lonesome bounty hunters scour town, moutain, and desert, not for wanted criminals, but for the unspeakable horrors that stalk in the moonlight... a place where you never can be sure if the townsfolk are mere mortals, or demons with the faces of men...where beautiful saloon girls are created deceptions; spell-weavers with blood on their hands and Death in their mouths... and vampires, werewolves, and shape-shifters are not all-powerful beings, but mere servants to the Evil that controls the vast Plains.
It is an Old West where the human race's only hope for survival rests on three unwitting Elementals, a jaded bounty hunter, one family who holds the key to Evil's undoing , and a young child who is destined to one day rise against a mighty Foe...
May 2010: I havent had a chance to read much of this yet. Waiting till I have enough pennies to buy the print version. Its available as an ebook for anyone who likes to read on the computer and the snippets I have read are fantastic. If you like your horror with a twist of gothic romance, then this is definitely for you. For a novel, its written in a very visual way which for me is great, being a visual artist. The author has managed to create a rich and detailed world and some interesting characters. More comments on the story later...
©2010 Fallen Earring
A blognovel by Duane Pescice
prologue
As in the old saw about the kingdom and the nail, things often depend on chains of circumstance. The more tenuous the link, the more tangential the connection, the more likely that something interesting can happen. Often the smallest event, the tiniest detail, can cause the largest change as the ripples spread outward.
Science theorizes about parallel worlds, about a multiverse, where each daily event can spawn whole new continua in a bewildering panoply of possibilities. Perhaps it is so. Maybe that's where the missing sock or that pen you had a minute ago end up at.
It's possible that, one night in the early 1970s, an earring fell to the floor. A young man, overwhelmed by drink and the pills he took to help him sleep, rolled over in bed to look at it, retched, and spewed the contents of a bottle of red wine onto the carpet. He went back to sleep and lived through that night.
May 2010: Read the first instalment of this so far and its very good. An interesting premise and a great sense of quiet humour in the tone. I dont want to say too much about this for fear of spoiling the fun so if anyone is interested in a novel set in an alternative world where the possibilities are worlds away from what they are here, follow the link above and enjoy.