Written by Scott Edwards It has to be difficult for orphans when they are growing up, not knowing where they came from. The search for their history can lead them in wildly different directions than they originally thought when they first set out on their quest, but once they find out about their origins, are they happy that they have done so? Knowing where you come from is something that many of us take for granted, but if we were put into the same situation, would we want to know about our family’s past, or would we be content following in the footsteps of our guardians? Sir James Monmouth has been traveling the world in the footsteps of his hero, Conrad Vane. Without knowing much about his history, Monmouth is looking to put the missing pieces together in his travels. Being brought up by a guardian when he was a young man, he tried to find someone different that he could emulate later in life, and after finding the diaries of Vane, he has never looked back. With his next trip taking him to England, James is looking for the old book store Vane spoke about in one of his adventures. After meeting the owner, Monmouth is invited to dinner and although the family seems nice enough, they seem to want the man to stop with his hunt for information on the old traveler. Being told that there was a dark side to Vane’s story that no one is willing to tell outright, Monmouth is more intrigued than ever on his hunt. Thanking the family for their hospitality, Monmouth moves on to the place where he is guaranteed to find some information, Vane’s old school. Meeting with the Dean of students, Monmouth is welcomed with open arms and given all of the access to anything that has a listing with Vane’s name on the grounds, but his quarters seem out of the ordinary. When arriving in his room that he will be staying in until his studies are done, Monmouth notices that the mirror will not show his complete reflection. Thinking that it has to do with the cold weather outside, he continues his hunt on information about the old adventurer. On the first night however, Monmouth has a hard time sleeping and follows the sounds of a weeping boy into the library. Not being able to pinpoint where the sound is coming from, he then discovers that he is not alone in the old building, but there is someone walking on the levels above him, wielding a lantern. Once again, Monmouth believes this is a normal person, perhaps the school's porter making his rounds, but when leaving the library, he finds that the only footprints in the snow are his own. As Christmas rolls around, Monmouth has received an invite from the Quincebridge family to be their guest for the holiday. With no family of his own to speak of, Monmouth decides to attend and finds that they are very happy to receive him. Although they do not have much information on Conrad Vane, they too try to deter his studies into the old man, saying that only evil follows what he has touched. When saying at their home, Monmouth falls ill and has to stay with them for some time. As the weeks turn into months, Monmouth wants to get back on his feet and continue his investigation of Vane’s life. But a letter comes in from a family friend that is out in the country informing him that there is possibly another person from his family line living in a further away town. With them having the last name Monmouth, James turns his gaze from the adventurer to a possible family member who may be able to tell him something of his original heritage. Susan Hill is able to suck you into the story by giving you some subtle scares before tying it all together in the end. Although you get detoured, just like your main character, you are not able to see what is hiding around the corner. I really enjoyed how this book starts to pull you in on this one main storyline but takes a different turn altogether once you think you have figured it out. I could almost feel the pain of Sir James as he is only trying to find out the truth about his hero, then his family, both elements in his life that have been lost in time, with nobody willing to give any insight. Stay Scared.
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Written by Scott Edwards Love can be a very powerful emotion, as it causes us all to do crazy things. When you are not able to control what it does to you, you can find yourself in more trouble than you have bargained for. But when you are able to keep it contained enough to not do anything foolish, you will find that its power can help you move mountains and anything else that stands in your way. Adam Senft, a writer, is looking to create this next masterpiece. After his first novel hit it big, he decided to pursue his new career. Although his following novels were not as successful as the first, he has gained plenty of followers that read his books religiously and with his wife’s help, he is able to concentrate purely on his writing and nothing else. Even though Tara is continuing to work to keep a steady flow of income coming into the household, she is proud of her husband and his success. But not everything in the household is as good as it seems. After Tara has suffered two miscarriages, the couple is moving further and further apart. With very little intimacy between them, spring is in the air and that always has an effect on people in their community. When walking his dog, Big Steve, Adam runs into one of his cute, young neighbors in the local forest. Thinking very little of the meeting, Adam starts to hear a Shepard’s pipe playing over the breeze, but what he sees next will change his life forever. Seeing his young neighbor servicing a statue satyr in the hollow, he sees the half goat, half man come to life right before his very eyes. Thinking he has lost his mind, Adam runs back home and tries to come up with some sort of explanation of what he has just witnessed, and deciding that his neighbor has a freaky side, he believes that she was experimenting with her new boyfriend in the woods. Not being able to get the sight out of his mind, Adam talks with his neighbors about what he has just seen, asking them if they knew anything about the young woman’s relationships. Although the men had no idea about her, they do come clean about not going near the woods at any cost, as it is a haunted place. Learning about a family that lived near the middle of the woods, the LeHorn’s seemed to get along just fine, but when news of the mother of the household being killed surfaced, the woods seemed to gain a mind of their own. With stories about hellcats, ghosts and trees moving on their own, the other men bide their time when entering the area. Although Adam did not know anything about the history of these woods, he did recall hearing something in the woods back in his teenage days when trying to get his date to give him some loving, now he fears that he knows what it was...the satyr. Before the men can get too drunk while talking about the woods’ tainted past, they notice a large amount of police activity down the street and come to find out that their neighbor’s wife has gone missing. Hearing the Shepard’s pipe play again, all of the men find themselves being aroused by the tune. After giving each other a hard time about the situation, they all go their separate ways when a new detective in the area comes knocking at their doors. Telling him what they know, the group is feeling good about themselves, but when going on a search through the woods to find the missing women, the place where the satyr once sat is now missing and the pathway has completely changed. Knowing something is not right about the situation, Adam has a crazy dream about the satyr standing outside of his window and playing his pipe. Although he believes it is just a dream, his wife had the same image in her head and when checking the backyard, and Adam is astonished to find hoof prints in the grass. When his neighbor Dale comes back with information about what the satyr’s purpose was in ancient times, the men figure out that they are in for a more dastardly fight, as the half man, half goat is able to woo women with its pipe and will take their affections at all costs. Dark Hollow follows Adam Senft and his friends as they try to figure out what is going on in the local woods. With all kinds of rumors flowing around about them being haunted, the men find out that it has a much more sinister past. With people losing their lives and going missing in these woods, the group finds out that it has to do with a farming family that lived there twenty years ago. Finding out the secret behind the LeHorn’s tragedy, the men start to understand what they are up against and try to come up with a way to end it before the satyr comes back into the neighborhood and takes their women as well. With their only clues being locked in an old chest in the abandoned LeHorn house, the forest starts to move in on them and will stop at nothing to delay the men’s passage back home, in order to let the satyr work his magic once again. This is a great read from author Brian Keene. I am a huge fan of his zombie stories and this is the first book of his outside of that genre that I have really gotten into. With the novel focusing on the relationships between the characters as much as the monster that is lurking in the woods, it is a great balance that keeps you intrigued until the end. With great interaction between the neighbors and laughs coming in handfuls, it is easy to picture yourself standing next to the group, as they seem to be just like your own friends. Stay Scared. Author M.C. Planck has a brand-new book out entitled, Black Harvest and we had the distinct honor of being able to sit down with M.C. and discuss his new book and the craft of writing. Nerds That Geek - What can you tell us about your new book 'Black Harvest', without giving anything away? M.C. Planck - It’s the last in the series, so many things are resolved. The stakes have gone up with every book – in the first one he’s responsible for several hundred peasant soldiers and by the fourth one he has the weight of a crown on his head – but this book reveals just how much is really on the line. It also contains a sentence I’ve been dying to write for ten years, which I can go ahead and tease you with – “I’ll have that second apple now.” I love that I can use a line like that to completely tie up my epic story, explain the reason for everything that’s happened, and make a literary allusion at the same time. Also, almost everyone gets their own happy ending – though not, perhaps, the ones you expected. NTG - What are you most excited for readers to discover in this story? M.C. - The answers to a lot of questions. The entire series is from a single character’s perspective; I like the close view this gives of the world, but it does mean that the protagonist (and the reader) only see the edges of the vast conspiracy that surrounds his existence. In this book he finally reaches a level where he can see all the gears turning and comes to understand the events he’s lived through. NTG - What is it that got you into creative writing? M.C. - I ran out of things to read. Seriously, I’ve read a staggering amount of books, and back in the days before the explosion of self-published ebooks created an inexhaustible wealth of literature, I just ran out of good SF&F. At some point I took a short-story writing class at community college. I cranked out a few pieces that I am still pretty proud of. Then I sat down to write a story about a paladin. But I found I was spending more time wondering what it would be like to live in that story than I was in writing the story. I was constantly talking to myself about what it would feel like to live in that world… and three months later I had a novel. Writing the stories down is the only way to get them out of my head. NTG - Is there a particular type of story that you're eager to write? M.C. - What is sometimes disparagingly called “competence porn.” That is, characters who are really good at what they do and very effective at solving problems. I’m not terribly interested in characters who make stupid decisions or simple mistakes. Instead, I want my drama and conflict to come from characters who do all the right things… and discover it still isn’t enough. (The Martian is an excellent example of this genre.) NTG - What's next for you after the release of 'Black Harvest'? M.C. - I have another SF book looking for a publisher right now – Orion’s dog, a sort of Frankenstein-ish story set amid climate change in contemporary Georgia. I love the main character, Angie Carmona, because she’s brilliant and strong and effective. She’s also the most complex character I’ve ever written. It’s kind of a depressing book, though, so it might be an acquired taste. I’m also working on another novel set in the World of Prime. This one takes place before the current series (as will become obvious when you finish Black Harvest) and is my version of the classic Disney tale: a princess trapped in a tower by a horrible monster. It’s also Arthurian, in that it’s about a young woman who finds her destiny. But most of all the story is driven by my desire to think about what it would actually feel like for a young woman to be raised in a tower guarded by a horrible monster, in world where people actually can be destined to rule. It will probably be called Princess of Iron, unless my wife thinks of a better title. To learn more about M.C.’s other works, or to purchase your copy of Black Harvest, visit his website, here. Written by Scott Edwards For some people, finding out where they have come from is one of the most important things for them to do as they would like to become an expert when it comes to their family’s legacy. Sometimes they find things out that leave them ashamed of what has been carried on in the family’s name but at the same time, they will do anything to change the way their family has been looked upon. Orphans have to do much more research to figure out their heritage, but once they do, they feel much more fulfilled as they never really had a chance to know any of their relatives. Joseph Barkeley, a rare book dealer and examiner and brother Bern, a priest, are both orphans who were moved to America after their father committed a murder/suicide in their home country of Romania. Joseph has made a fine name for himself, delivering some of the rarest editions that he can possibly get his hands on to some of the finest buyers. Running his shop online, Barkeley hardly ever gets to meet his clients face to face, but when he does, he sees their eyes lighting up upon his special deliveries. Receiving a phone call from Arthur Ardelean, Joseph is intrigued in what his next task will be. The original manuscript of Bram Stoker’s Dracula will be on display at the Chicago museum and the family is looking to auction it off. Arthur’s client is very interested in the rare edition and would like for Joseph to test its authenticity before he attempts to buy it. The second thing that Joseph is tasked with is to make sure that the missing chapters are included in the package. Not knowing what these two chapters would include, Joseph does his research on the famous Dracula novel along with Stoker himself to make sure that he is not going into the situation blind. Finding out that the original printings of this novel were all destroyed in a fire along with this being the only definitive work Bram Stoker ever published, Joseph is on his way to check out the manuscript. Upon his authentication process, Joseph finds that the two chapters deviated from what is in the novel he is reading today and they included a large battle leading to the defeat of Dracula, with names of places and directions to where crypts were kept. Satisfied with the results, Joseph’s client has him purchase the manuscript and deliver it to Romania by hand. Joseph, knowing his roots to a point is a bit frightened to return to his native land, but takes solace in the fact that he will be greatly rewarded for completing his task. He arrives and is escorted to Bran Castle (Dracula’s Castle) to meet with his new client and give advice on how to display his new purchase. Little does Joseph know that the man he is serving will require much more out of him than just delivery as a mystery starts to unwind about his origins and new master.
Stoker’s Manuscript follows Joseph Barkeley as he is tasked with finding the hidden grave of his new master’s wife. Dalca is wanting to find the resting place of his wife but is not able to go hunting and survey landmarks during the day, just like his father. Joseph keeps at his research to find the grave site, along with keeping his head attached when he cannot deliver the results Dalca requires. Being helped by a Gypsy woman in town, Sonia, Joseph finds that he is in for the ride of his life as he had never believed in the vampire lore before but is caught in the middle of it now. With finding out that his mother was also part of the group that he is serving, Joseph looks to find a way to protect himself, the adjoining town and possibly the world from a new outbreak of the undead. Finding allies is not an easy task in a distant land, but finding that Dalca has an enemy nearby, Joseph comes up with a plan to defeat them both. Author Royce Prouty hits a home run for anyone that has taken the time to do some background research on the lore of Dracula. As he runs through all of the myths surrounding the classic vampire, he also delves into the history of the main character, Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler) of whom the novel was written about. Tying together the history of a classical ruler with an intriguing storyline makes it just that much more believable. With a strong story and not too much bloodshed, this is great novel that could give you a little more information into the classical story of Dracula, along with a slight history lesson into where his story actually came to light. Happy reading. Written by Scott Edwards Over the years, I have always found that family reunions are anything but dull. After all, there are Uncles sitting back and talking about football, or what the government is doing wrong, and Aunts that enjoy catching up on the latest gossip from their different states and young cousins playing basketball in the back yard, talking about nothing of any importance. You think that these days could be the worst of times on occasion while growing up, but as you get older you learn to appreciate all that your family has to offer, make sure to treasure these times. The same thing is about to happen in a small house in Illinois, since the Elliot Family is planning a large family reunion for All Hallows Eve. Not being a normal family by any means, young Timothy is talking to his Great Grandmere about his family history after she rises from an ancient slumber. Although this may seem normal, Timothy’s Grandmere is a mummy who stays in the attic of the house and is only to be awakened upon special occasions. Knowing this, Timothy is allowed to bypass this rule, since the family is coming to town and they must all prepare for the festivities ahead. A family of Witches, Mummies, Gargoyles, Ghosts and anything else that goes bump in the night is coming to Illinois to celebrate this Halloween and all must be made perfect before their arrival. Timothy, a normal child who was left on the door step of this house years ago is still looking for his supernatural gift, and he is excited to see his extended family and hopes to find his true calling in this undead family. But problems persist as the family arrives, such as an Uncle that is not willing to put his wings away and cousins that are looking to visit insane asylums along with his Grandmother and Grandfather who will not put up with any mischief that the family will bring to town with them. From The Dust Returned is a fantastic telling of how family chooses to stay together as everything starts to hit the fan. Trying to find ways to keep the undead from being lost in a purgatory of sorts, the elders take the lead to find a place for any of the lost souls so they can survive and carry on. Cecy, a wandering witch, seems to take over the great tale as she is able to jump from one person's mind to another, and she is able to control them, offer them suggestions and most importantly, teach them how to dance. Cecy also has the ability to house the minds of lost spirits for a time, which comes in rather handy as fires take place on Hallows Eve. Another glorious read from Ray Bradbury. Taking the family dynamic and introducing a way of how the ‘others’ live just makes it fun. This novel takes you through several different stories involving how the family arrives, what happened in the past and what is happening in the present, from the perspective of each character. Not being able to hit on everything that this novel goes through, and just hitting on what I took to heart, Bradbury seems to have a love for his family gatherings, along with traditions. Two of the greatest things that should always be remembered for; is that your family loved you and did anything to protect you and that you taught people that tradition is more than love, it is one of the ways you can honor yourself, your family and most of all, others. Written by Scott Edwards The wild west may not have seemed too wild to some people, but when the truth comes out about why the migration took so long after the Civil War ended you would understand the resistance. Swillers, Hobgoblins and Werewolves roamed western territories after the war making it uncomfortable for the settlers to travel, much less find a place to live. That is where men like Uriah Zane come into play. A ghoul hunter of great notoriety in the west, even the ones he hunts know his name as he cleanses campsites, and clears out caves full of these cadavers. While a large prison had been constructed by the country's higher ups to house the really bad hobgoblins, the werewolves were truly the scourge of the west, they could be defeated, but if you killed one in human form, he would haunt you for the rest of your days. Hellsgarde was built for the worst of the worst and they always have room for more. Charlie Hondo is the legendary prisoner in this dungeon, a werewolf shipped over from Russia who was the leader of the Hell’s Angels before his incarceration. His reach is greater than anyone could have known, by having a Mexican witch on his side that helps to plan his escape from the awful prison. Werewolves changing in daylight and a fire breathing dragon hit Hellsgarde by surprise, springing Hondo so he can execute his next task, to become the most powerful of his breed. Zane has been on the heels of many of these types, always delivering on what he promised for the right amount of cash. Being a ghoul bounty hunter is far from glorious work, but it pays well. Zane always prefers to work alone, but when he hears about the breakout of Hellsgarde, he knows he will need to take on a partner or two to help with the hunt. He runs into Angel out in the Colorado Territory, but with a lot of history between them, they try to keep each other at arm’s length, but neither are able to control their bloodlust when it comes to a common foe. Angel is a loner as well, but a very strong, very attractive hunter and one of the few women who Zane can trust will make it back every time with her bounty. The two move west in search for Hondo and run into another old friend, Al Hathaway who may be a little slow, but is just as deadly as the other two. Dust of the Damned takes you back into the old west, where you have more to fear than just the Native Americans, you have a different and deadly breed running over the plains. Zane and friends take to the trail and try to locate these Hell’s Angels before they are able to find a way to become more powerful. Although the Hell’s Angels are run by Hondo, the witch Ravenna is truly in control of the group, increasing their powers, heightening their senses and providing protection from the sky in the way of a dragon. Meeting opposition at every path, Ravenna tells the group to keep it cool while in the towns so they do not get noticed, but once they run in to the James-Younger gang, she is unable to follow her own direction. Jessie James joins the fight and heads off with Zane’s crew to put an end to the terror the Hell’s Angels are trying to put together. Books like Dust of the Damned just make me smile. A retelling of history is always fun to get into and leaves you saying, ‘what if?’ This book does not fail in this aspect, by having the Union Army calling in the help of ancient evil to help win the Civil War and exploring what would happen once the war was over. Where would all of the ghouls go? Out west of course, where there is nothing to keep them from doing what they wanted to do all along, live and eat people. Author Peter Brandvold also gets you wrapped up with what outlaws would do if they did not want to get captured by the army, becoming ghoul hunters to keep money in their pockets and whiskey in their stomachs. The Wild West has never been so wild, and I hope it does not come back to bite us in the neck. Stay Scared and Happy Reading. Written by Scott Edwards Everyone should have fond memories of their parents, be it the help they provided you with over the years, the fun times you had as your father coached your baseball team, or your mother just teaching you how to do the laundry, so all of your socks don’t come out of the dryer with a pink color. It is your parents that make up these memories for you, even if you did not ask for them. Royce Bruyere is one of these parents that did not want to miss a second with his son Colt, using everything in his discretion to make sure his son turned out to be a great man when he got older. Now Royce was very well off in his financial situation, being able to capitalize on the internet bubble before it burst and he was going to make the most of it. Taking his son surfing was one of the highlights of his week living on the coast of California. If the waves were not big enough, Royce would watch the news and find out where he needed to go to make the day feel complete. On their latest trip to find the best surf, Royce and Colt fly down to Mexico and enjoy the day with great conversation and even greater waves. Although Royce had been told not to fly in the dark, he ignored this and took off when the day came to a close and headed back up the coast to San Diego. A strong wind hits the plane as they are landing, causing the plane to tumble down the runway. Colt is badly injured, but his father Royce is dead on arrival. Being very well off, Royce had signed up for Cryogenics, just in case he was taken before his time. The response time by the company he paid for this service is astounding, and it ends up changing his life forever. The year is 2047, thirty-five years since the crash. Royce awakens in a small white room with people in lab coats looking over him, speaking what he thinks is Chinese. Thinking that there is a joke being played on him, a young American lab tech named Alex takes pity on the man and explains what is going on. The world has changed, American soil from New York to the Mississippi River has been taken over by the Chinese. The restrictions that the Chinese have put into place have made it impossible to figure out what has happened on the other side of the continent. Besides that, Royce is now a medical anomaly, being the first person in the history of cryogenics to be revived. With this success, the Chinese plan to work on reviving more people, to show the world their medical dominance, and lack of foresight. Half of America being under China’s rule is only the first problem Royce gets to encounter in these future times. The second is much more troubling as three more people are revived from cryostasis and start biting their doctors. Cryonic gives you a look into the future as medical advances and world dominance are the primary worries for the hybrid country that is America/China. Royce gets thrown into a drastic situation as his new world is getting eaten up, person by person. Joining a group of Alex’s friends, Royce is able to see where technology has advanced in the future, but only in the medical side with lasers that can slice through human tissue like a hot knife through butter and faster healing techniques. As these biters get loose and the current government does not know how to cure them, the biters are shipped to different medical facilities across the globe. The infection gets out of hand, and only Royce and his group of survivors have an idea of how to stop it, but not being able to contact anyone due to the restrictions placed on their side of the river, they will need to fight to get across to America and pass their knowledge on. This is another zombie novel that is a joy to read. Author Travis Bradberry is able to play upon your fears of the nation being run over by another, then adding the threat of zombies to that puts you into a state of shock. Your main character Royce is as strong as he should be, fighting off the oppression of the Chinese, the zombies and taking lead of his group on his way to get back home. With the strong morals this man possesses, you will be cheering him on and hoping that nothing gets in his way as he fights with all of his heart to see what has happened to his family. Great zombie kills are also added in this novel, with the classic bullet to the head, but those that fight also have a bayonet attached to their rifles, along with a flesh cutting laser that seems to work wonders on the hordes of zombies that come their way. Just be happy we are still many years away from seeing what will really happen when someone gets out of cryogenic slumber, but once you hear on the news that Walt Disney is being defrosted, be ready to run! Written by Scott Edwards Who am I? Am I still me? Are these questions you should still be asking yourself after you take a vacation? I would hope not, but if you are, you must really need to get away, maybe a bit further than usual. This is the question a group of college friends have been left to ask themselves after a long-deserved vacation to Cancun. Upon their arrival to the resort, they are able to befriend a group of heavy drinking Greeks who go by Mexican names and a German named Mathias. Although the group does not know what to expect from these friendships, they are ready to just have a great time. Amy and Jeff, long time sweethearts from their early college days, are traveling along with Stacy and Eric, their love is by no means a long-term relationship, but enough to stay with each other and not sleep around. After their long and satisfying stay at the resort, Mathias comes to the group and asks if they have seen his brother recently. The group has not and remembers that a couple days prior the brother had hit it off with a very pretty local girl and had run off somewhere with her. Mathias had found a note along with a hand drawn map of the location where his brother should be. The group, still on their vacation high decide to go along with the German on a little adventure. When arriving at the location shown on the map, the group stumbles on to a little Mayan village on the outskirts. The locals do not seem to mind the outsiders in their village but keep a close eye on the group and their movements. They take pictures and try to communicate with the locals, but they only know some broken Spanish, and not enough to make sense with locals. Finding the correct path to what appears to be a dig site, the group moves to some bare earth and onto a hill that only seems to be covered by beautiful flowers. The group moves up to the plateau of this hill and notices the majestic view, along with the lack of any other plant life. Feeling a bit out of place, the group moves back down the hill, but is surprised to find a group of Mayans from the town, armed and guarding an invisible barrier, not allowing them to exit the ancient land. This is just the beginning of their problems, as they stumble across the body of Mathias’ brother who was shot in the chest and left to die on the hill. The group also finds an abandoned dig site, one devoid of people, but all of their belongings remain. Along with that, Pablo, one of the Greeks that decided to tag along on this adventure fell into a shaft and broke his back. But these are the least of their problems, for the hill has a secret of its own it is about to reveal. Welcome to The Ruins, one of the reasons I will never go down to Mexico for fear this will happen to me. Scott Smith has a fabulous imagination and is able to put it down on paper just the way he intends. This book is full creepy, disturbing and downright wrong thoughts of what would happen if you were left to die on a hill with a bunch of your friends. Worrying about the safety of your group, your future, lack of water, starvation, a group that will not let you leave, along with a hill that is able to…come alive, you worry for the group and what will be their best escape from this treacherous place. This is a fantastic read. Smith keeps the story flowing from their arrival to the hill, to when they all…well…let’s just leave it at that. With all that is going on with the group and their fight for survival, Smith is able to keep some moments of levity, that is until it all hits the fan. Pick up this book, make sure your plants are happy and watered and keep a light on. This book is guaranteed to take you places you never really wanted to go. Stay Scared and Happy Reading. Written by Scott Edwards Welcome to Catalina Island, home of solitude, wine mixers and missing persons. On Labor Day, Henry Cadmus, his wife Ruby and their daughter Moxie are on their way to visit his mother who has recently moved back to the island. Henry and his mother, although not being well off monetarily lived on the island for a short spell during his youth. After the two moved off of the island, Henry still tried to keep in correspondence with his mother. Although the two drifted apart and the letters were few and far between, his mother flat out just stopped responding to her only son. Returning to the island is not something that Henry wants to do thanks to all of the bad memories he has from his short stay during his youth, but with his new family along with him now, he figures that all of the bad things that happened were all in his head. Stopping to get something to eat at the local diner, Henry keeps his eyes and ears open for familiar faces and problems. One local woman that enters the diner is a real estate broker and when Henry hears her voice, he recognizes her as a girl that tormented him when he was a child. When they arrive at their hotel, they hear a private investigator named Arbuthnot asking about a missing person. Not really putting the pieces together yet, Henry is able to obtain directions to the Shady Isle Retirement Community to go and find his mother, just to make sure she is okay. That afternoon, Henry and Ruby take a hike out to Shady Isle. Finding a large gate in their way, Henry hits the button to get someone out of the buildings to come let them in. When no response comes, Henry and Ruby begin to make the long trek back to the hotel, but Henry is not done yet with his search for his mother. Stopping at the local police department, Henry is able to voice his distrust about Shady Isle, but it seems as if the officer that is taking the complaint is not interested. ‘People move out here for the solitude and quiet. If your mother wanted to talk to you, she would. Please be on your way.’ This does more than infuriate Henry, it motivates him to take action on his own, and what he will find will be far from what he expected. Terminal Island puts you into the eyes of Henry Cadmus as he tries to find out what has happened to his mother, along with battling his memories of what the island had done to him in his youth. Private Investigator Arbuthnot fills in not only as an advisor on Henry’s quest but assures the young man that everything that did happen to him on the island was real, and that Henry would never believe in any of it until seeing it with his own eyes. Ruby, Henry’s wife, tries her best to keep a handle on the situation with her husband, but she reaches a point where she thinks that he has completely lost it and needs some sort of medical attention. This is an interesting read to say the least. Most of the crucial parts of this book are written in flashbacks, and while I usually don't like those, they flow well with the story, so you understand what is going on and why it is happening. If you keep your eyes open, you will be able to see the ending coming, although they try to take a clever twist on it. If you are open to some disturbing imagery, a new god, Zagreus, along with a new religion that just seems flat out crazy, this book is for you. Written by Scott Edwards A young man is found crucified and decapitated with the mark of the Gemini on his left palm. The work of the Gemini killer is suspected by the police force, but this cannot be since the Gemini has been dead for over a decade. Lieutenant William Kinderman is called in to investigate the heinous crime. Kinderman is not alone in believing that there must be a reasonable explanation for this gruesome murder, but is unable to put his finger on it before leaving the scene of this gruesome murder, a boat house. William Kinderman is a highly regarded member of the police force, even though he is getting high up in his years of service and he is known for speaking his mind and saying what he believes before his mind has a chance to stop him. This earns him a reputation of being senile around the department, but even with this knowledge; Kinderman never lets it affect his work. Father Joe Dyer is fully aware of this quirk when it comes to the aging lieutenant, but never holds it against him. The two have been friends for many years and have always been able to find common ground to stand on, even when their respective religions cross paths. Suddenly, a new murder has been called in, a priest is found decapitated in his confessional, yet none of the parishioners seemed to see anything. Kinderman is called to the scene once again, only to find the same M.O. that the youth suffered in the boat house. Trying to wrap his head around the two murders of two completely different victims, Kinderman turns to his friend Father Dyer once again. The father is laid up in the hospital, but willing to help as always. The father receives a new doctor, Vincent Amfortas, who is ready to retire to pursue his studies in pain suppression, and a line of questioning from Kinderman makes the doctor a prime suspect, until the lieutenant sees a familiar face from his past... Blatty’s Legion takes you on a journey into the realm of faith, beliefs and possession. Kinderman is challenged by an unknown force that will put him at odds with his department, friends and family. Without knowing who or when an attack will be coming or who the intended victim will be, Kinderman has to look deep inside of himself and try to think as his foe would to protect the next target. Legion is a fantastic read, a thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. You get to see the world from the eyes of a disgruntled doctor, an aging lieutenant along with the spirit. When Kinderman asks the spirit its name and the response is, ‘Legion, for we are many’, the hair still sticks up on the back of my neck. The novel will keep you thinking up to the very end of who the killer really is and how the murders were managed by one individual, even if he were supposedly locked up while they happened. Stay Scared. |
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