I met Joseph Sale at a Indie Horror event and bought the book as I liked the look of the cover. I love a good cross over of genres: fantasy, dark fantasy and horror, and a little bit sci-fi. This has a little bit of everything.
Levi's a gamer and trying to win a contest in a game so he can pay for his father's surgery which will save him from dying of cancer. It dips between his real world and the world in the Game, which is full of backstory about the world and characters. I was reminded of Raymond E Feist books when reading this, with the world building within the game, and the quest-like storyline.
I loved Sale's way of putting things and how he so fluidly describes things in such short sentences, making them very visceral. There are many unexpected twists and turns with betrayals as well as loyalties, and I really enjoyed it. It was a fast read for me. I have already bought the second book in the series.
This really doesn't cover just this book, which is a short book, but the entire series. And to be fair, I started this series from a unique standpoint, having read only the prequel - In Quiet Courts - and a related short, Tender Morsels. I had no idea just how dark this was going to get, or exactly what was going on with the main character Doctor Blessing, but my word, what a compelling story.
The story starts when Doctor Blessing is called to a birth, and it's all going wrong, and when the mother dies, he takes the child - or creature - to look after and adopt. But this is no ordinary creature. The story is fast-paced and each chapter is either written in first person when it's Doctor Blessing or third person from other characters. It crosses over well and keeps the tension high.
I have read both Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock books, and Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, and Rollin's captures the style of writing and wording which reflects the world of Victorian London perfectly. It flows, and creates all aspects of it. Though this series is far darker and more horror-filled than any of their books.
I am not usually a vampire book or story lover, but Jack's writing is so good and places in London in the dark, London streets perfectly. It was completely immersive.
This is a completely gripping book, from start to finish, and right up my alley with being supernatural based horror. The main character, Angela is a 'spirit painter' which means she channels visions from beyond the veil through her art. But when they turn into images of horror, with one being identical to the real life death of a right wing TV presenter, things get very scary. Her sister, Becky, returns from Italy just in time to help her untangle what is going on.
I loved the setting, be British myself, and had a perfect feel of the British countryside. The characters felt very real, and it had a fast-paced, with a background of political narrative that's very satisfying. It had the right balance of horror and paranormal for me, which are my favourite cross overs, with a unique concept and twist.
Loved Most
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Loved it
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I couldn't put it down
Pyres
By
Kev Harrison,
What is this book about?
"Horror's Kev Harrison is on fire with his latest novel, Pyres, a blistering murder mystery with echoes of Dorian Grey that compels with its artistry as much as its political commentary. Set in the New Forest and conjuring ancient gods, Pyres is darkly revelatory. Definitely make this your next read."—Lee Murray, five-time Bram Stoker Award®-winning author of Grotesque: Monster Stories
Angela has been a spirit painter for years. Channelling the spirits as they commit memories to canvas through her: childhood pets, favourite holiday locations, and sprawling homesteads. But now, something has changed.
A stolen obsidian, a witch forced from her home, and a trail leading to corruption. Will retrieving her precious gemstone get Tricky killed?
Damn and blast! That rancid piece of excrement, Carter, has had her ransacked out of Clancy! How’s she going to get her obsidian back now?
When new-age witch, Tricky returns to her cottage to find it turned upside down, she knows her time in Clancy is over. After they burned her mother at the stake, Randolf Carter, head of the district, is spreading lies and suspicion about her kind. She has three days to leave or risk punishment. But it wasn’t just an ordinary ransacking – they were searching for something.
Using her gifts to trace the energy Carter’s lackeys left behind, Tricky spies a winged creature among them: a jackdaw. Swift and wily, it pinches her precious gemstone, a piece of black obsidian. But at whose bidding? Communicating with birds is a rare ability and she knows all who possess it.
Determined to get back what is rightfully hers, even though she can’t show her face in the district, Tricky makes a plan. But when it goes awry and she discovers what’s really going on, along with who has betrayed her, it takes all her strength and skill to survive.
Adept at manipulating energy and time as well as communicating with trees, Tricky’s drawn into something bigger than ownership of a gemstone, and learns that sometimes it pays to be a little bit tricky.
Dead Lake is the first book in a thrilling new dark paranormal fantasy series, set a few hundred years from now in a post-apocalyptic world. For those that enjoy new-age witches, strong female characters, including LGBTQ+, and dark dealings in a dystopian world, Tricky’s fast-paced adventures will capture the imagination.
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