fantasy | CW Hawes

Good Storytelling in 2021

2021 — it was a good year for reading. I got reacquainted with old friends and met a number of new ones.

All told, I read 110 works of fiction and non-fiction. The breakdown is:

44 novels/novellas
54 novelettes/short stories
6 screenplays
6 non-fiction

Of those 110 works, 43 were by indie authors. Which makes for 39%.

Eleven storytellers stood out above the rest. Below is a brief explanation of their outstanding merits.

Matthew Cormack

The Piranha Pandemic: From Small Acorns is Cormack’s third book chronicling the events of the Piranha Pandemic. The first two are Don’t Dream It’s Over and Ganbaru.

Cormack’s strengths as a storyteller are his realistic post-apocalyptic worldbuilding, and his vividly realistic characters.

James Patterson once said about himself that he was a lousy writer, but a good storyteller.

Mr Cormack is both a good writer and a good storyteller. Quite honestly, there are few writers who can touch him. He’s that good.

James Vincett

Vincett is one of the very few writers who can give Matthew Cormack a run for his money.

Vincett’s storytelling transports us to highly imaginative worlds. He puts us into exciting space operas that we don’t want to leave.

As of now, he has 3 series going: the Hominim Union, the Independencies, and the Far Frontiers. The books in all three are fabulous. Take a look at his Amazon page.

Suffice it to say, I’ve bought and read all his books and will buy anything he publishes in the future because he knows how to tell a great story. And I love a great story, with memorable characters.

Neil Mosspark

Mr Mosspark burst on the scene a couple years ago and then vanished. Which is a shame. He’s an engaging writer. An imaginative writer. He has, though, left a number of works on Amazon — which is good for us. I recommend you get them.

His Sand Fall Trilogy is survival science fiction. Crash landed on a desert planet, can a ragtag group of humans survive when everything is against them? Very much worth your money and time to read. Pick it up on Amazon.

John F Leonard

John F Leonard tells horror stories which are subtle in nature. The spookiness and the terror hit you after the fact.

Call Drops involves a phone that works, but shouldn’t. The story is about choices and consequences. The ending will get you.

A Plague of Pages explores ownership and vengeance. Hold onto your socks.

Mr Leonard tells good stories. I look forward to reading more of his work in 2022. Pick up his books on Amazon and let them give you goosebumps.

Andy Graham

Andy Graham writes atmospheric horror. His prose is literary. And his stuff is so scary I have to be in the right frame of mind to read it.

His book A Demon Risen is terrifying. Plain and simple. It’s also the third or fourth book of his that I’ve read. And every one is terrifying. Get them at Amazon.

Just remember: his books are best read while the sun is shining.

Terry Newman

A number of years ago I read Detective Strongoak and the Case of the Dead Elf. It was a magical blend of humor, hardboiled detective fiction, and fantasy. And I loved it.

Nicely Strongoak is a dwarf. He’s also a detective and a shield for hire. And he’s one of the most fascinating characters I’ve come across in a long time. Sam Spade meet Terry Pratchett.

Last year I read The King of Elfland’s Little Sister and Dwarf Girls Don’t Dance, the latest books in the Nicely Strongoak series, and was not disappointed.

The books are hilarious, suspenseful, and engaging murder mysteries. All set in a highly imaginative fantasy world. Get over to Amazon for some super great fun.

Lisette Brodey

I’ve read 3 books by Ms Brodey, the latest being The Waiting House; which is a fine example of literary fiction blended with magical realism, humor, and a bit of fantasy.

Ms Brodey’s storytelling is characterized by the vivid and memorable characters that she tells us about. And it’s what keeps me coming back to her fiction. After all, characters are the thing. Pick up a copy of The Waiting House on Amazon.

Garrett Dennis

Port Starbird is my kind of murder mystery. The book is laid-back, cerebral, touched with humor, transports you to the world of the detective, and introduces you to a whole lot of new friends.

I was only partway through Port Starbird, the first of the Storm Ketchum mysteries, when I fell in love with the world Mr Dennis had created and bought all the books. I’m looking forward to reading more of Storm Ketchum’s world this year. And you can get in on his adventure’s via Amazon.

KD McNiven

Ms McNiven writes fast-paced action adventures. One of her most fascinating characters is Detective Brock Scanlin. He’s a hard as nails police detective, yet he’s human. All too human. And that’s what makes Blood Alley and Blood Pool so good. Climb aboard the Brock Scanlin roller coaster today.

Richard Schwindt

Richard Schwindt is no stranger to this blog. I’d buy his grocery list, his writing is that good.

In The Death of Brenda Martin he has tied together all of his various fictional worlds. Quite a feat.

Schwindt is an artist who gives us a world we can see, touch, smell, taste, and feel. He blends mystery, monsters, and real life problems with panache. Enter his world. You won’t regret it.

Caleb Pirtle III

Caleb Pirtle has been writing and telling stories his entire life — and it shows. His fingers dance across the keyboard with the grace and power of a Baryshnikov.

What is undoubtedly the most powerful novel I read in 2021 came from his genius: Last Deadly Lie. The book is a tale of lies, lust, deceit, power, and destruction.

The setting is a church community. But this is not a religious novel. It’s the story of people. People who crave power and control and what they will do to get it and exercise it — no matter the setting, no matter the cost. It’s a tale of lust and secrets and the lies that are told to mask a person’s true intentions.

Last Deadly Lie. A powerhouse of a novel. One you will not forget. Get it from Amazon if you dare.

That’s my cream of the crop for 2021. I’m eager to see what delights 2022 with reveal.

Comments are always welcome. And until next time, happy reading!

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For the Weekend 7

I’m back with more considerations for your weekend reading.

As you know, if you are a regular reader of this blog, I think reading is the best entertainment. It’s not only fun, but reading fiction stimulates the brain in a way watching TV and movies doesn’t. So reading is fun and good for you. We all want healthy brains. No one looks forward to senility.

First up is a cozy mystery by bestselling Texas author Linda Pirtle.

Scrabbled Secrets (The Games We Play, Book 4)

A long and winding road it is to get to the bottom of this mystery. But amateur sleuth Lillian Prestridge (with a little help from a ghost?) is literally up to the task as she drives her motorhome across the middle of the US and into Canada.

There are thrills and spills a plenty in this cozy mystery that isn’t perhaps so cozy! And you’ll learn a whole new way to play Scrabble, too.

If you like cozies, and perhaps a bit of grit, this one’s for you!

You can find it on Amazon!

Or maybe your tastes run to good old epic fantasy. The classic battle between good and evil. If so, you might want to consider another fellow Texan’s book for your reading pleasure: Michael Scott Clifton’s Escape From Wheel (Conquest Of The Veil, Book 2).

This classic tale of good vs evil gets personal in a hurry. Alexandria discovers she must marry Rodric. And bad old Rodric is in league with some big time baddies.

But Alexandria has other ideas. She leaves town on a winged horse. Escaping your fate, though, is never easy.

There’s magic galore in the magical world of Meredith, both good and evil. Which means it’s a good place to get your fantasy fix.

You can find Escape from Wheel on Amazon!

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

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For the Weekend 6

Fifty-Seven Years and Fifty-Seven More

From the guy who blew the whistle on the Watercolor-Industrial Complex, and exposed the monsters roaming Canada and the Caribbean, comes Fifty-Seven Years and Fifty-Seven More.

Yes, Richard Schwindt tells us about his travels through time past and time future. For Fifty-Seven Years and Fifty-Seven More is a memoir like no other.

After all, who but Schwindt was given the chance twice to live 57 years, starting at age 20, as a millionaire. And knowing all about his 60-something life, would he be able to do life better starting out as a 20 year old? No spoilers from me. You’ll have to read the book and see for yourself if he was successful or not.

Fifty-Seven Years and Fifty-Seven More will make you laugh, and make you cry. But most of all, the book will make you think about life — your life — and how you can live it better. And that’s very much worth the cost of admission.

But then all of Richard Schwindt’s books are worth the money and the time to read them. His fiction is top drawer entertainment, and his self-help non-fiction is drawn from his many years of experience as a social worker and therapist.

Fifty-Seven Years and Fifty-Seven More is another great addition to his oeuvre. So don’t wait. Spend a few bucks. The price is less than a Starbuck’s.

You won’t regret it! Pick it up at Amazon!

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HP Lovecraft and Robert E Howard

Reading has been a huge part of my life. And quite frankly still is. Long before I developed an interest in music, I was reading.

Don’t get me wrong. I very much enjoy music. But I was a reader long before I was a music aficionado.

When I was a kid I frequently got to spend the whole day at my grandparents’s place. My grandmother used to insist that my brother and I take a nap in the afternoon. I suppose she just wanted us out of her hair for an hour or two.

I’ve never been a napper, and I used that “quiet time” to read. I’d rummage around in my uncle’s books and find something to occupy my time. Some of the books, maybe most of them, weren’t age appropriate. But they were there and nobody said I couldn’t read them.

One of the books I treasured was Groff Conklin’s Omnibus of Science Fiction. The book was published in 1952, the year I was born, and has some absolutely fabulous stories within its covers. And it was in the Omnibus where I discovered HP Lovecraft, through his story “The Color Out Of Space”; an amazing tale of sci-fi horror.

Years later, I picked up the Beagle Books reprinting of the Arkham edition of HPL’s works and discovered HPL in full.

My introduction to Robert E Howard occurred somewhat after my purchase of the Beagle HPL paperbacks in the early 1970s.

A friend of mine at the time mentioned that he thought one of the scariest stories ever written was Howard’s “Pigeons from Hell”.

Intrigued, I went out and bought the Lancer paperback The Dark Man and Others, which contains “Pigeons from Hell” and 14 other fantastic journeys into the weird.

I fell in love with Howard. “Pigeons from Hell” is not only an excellent example of Southern Gothic, it is indeed one of the spookiest stories I’ve ever read.

There is an ongoing debate as to which of the two is the real master of weird fiction. In the circles that I traveled in, Lovecraft was acknowledged as the master. However, being the iconoclast that I am, I held out for REH. My argument was that at their very best the two were equal.

However, of the two, I argued that REH was consistently better than HPL. The overall quality of Howard’s weird fiction is higher than that of Lovecraft.

I realize my position is a minority view. And I think the debate ultimately boils down to one of taste.

When Lovecraft was on top of his game, he was the master of slowburn, atmospheric weird fiction. And there is none finer.

There’s nothing slowburn about Howard. He was the quintessential man of action. His finest weird tales are replete with action.

There’s also the differences in the main characters of the two writers. Lovecraft’s narrators often exist on the edge of sanity. They are not known for their physical prowess, and are often bookish intellectuals. Even their names tend to be unknown, or little mentioned.

Howard, on the other hand, wrote about vibrant characters. Characters that were full of life. Characters, even the women, that were physically and emotionally strong. King Kull, Conan, Solomon Kane, Bran Mak Morn, Red Sonja. Perhaps this was the case because Howard wrote in series, or at least conceptualized his heroes and heroines as series characters. Lovecraft did not. His main characters for the most part make sole appearances, with the implication that they will not survive. And they don’t. We usually never see them again.

In some ways, my Pierce Mostyn series tips the hat to both of these giants of weird fiction. There is the slowburn, but there is also action. Pierce Mostyn is something of a fusion of HPL and REH. And in that perhaps he’s all CWH.

I owe a lot to HP Lovecraft and Robert E Howard. The two giants of weird fiction. Both have influenced my approach to the genre, and how I think it should be written. And if Pierce Mostyn comes across to readers as a fusion of those two giants, I will be very satisfied.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

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My 2018 Reading Recap

Today begins a new year. So I thought I’d recap some of the excellent books and stories I read in 2018.

I’m loathe to rank the books I read, and I definitely don’t like to single one out as the Best of the Year. Mostly because tastes change and what I put on top today, I might put in the middle tomorrow.

That being written, 2018 was a banner year because I discovered many wonderful writers and even more truly fabulous books and stories.

What I thought I’d do is look over the 43 novels and novellas, the 5 short story collections and 37 individual short stories, and the 8 books of non-fiction I read and give some a shoutout. Good reads with which to load up your ereader for 2019.

Quite a few of the books I read in 2018 I’ve already promoted on Twitter, featured as my Book of the Week on Facebook, or written reviews for this blog. The rest are waiting for their turn in the limelight.

As a reader, I don’t usually finish a book that isn’t holding my attention. I’m 66 and there are too many good books out there to waste time on the bad ones. After all the actuarial tables aren’t on my side.

I also don’t bother with books touted as bestsellers or award winners. Mostly because the disappointment factor is very high with those books. I’ve discovered true gems amongst the books that are not bestsellers and amongst those that have garnered no awards.

Success is largely a matter of luck, and generally has nothing to do with talent. In writing, as in life, persistence is the key.

Now on to the books!

Secrets of the World’s Best-Selling Writer by Francis L and Roberta B Fugate. This is the best book on writing I’ve ever read. And I’ve read quite a few. The book is about the writing career of Erle Stanley Gardner, the creator of Perry Mason. The Fugates had access to the vast archive of Gardner’s notebooks, letters, and papers. The writing advice comes straight from Gardner himself — and the book is full of wisdom. Every writer who is serious about selling his or her work should have this book. And readers interested in the creative process, should also have this book. It’s a treasure trove.

I love short stories and short novels. Too often long works are filled with unnecessary padding — stuff that doesn’t contribute much, if anything, to the story.

However, I did read a couple of hefty tomes in 2018. And neither one had any flab. They were:

Church Mouse by RH Hale

Don’t Dream It’s Over by Matthew Cormack

I’ve previously extolled (and will continue to do so) the virtues of Church Mouse. It’s a powerful novel with exceedingly well-drawn characters. A very memorable read. A modern day classic.

Note: Due to Amazon’s anti-small author policies, Church Mouse is not available in the Amazon US store. The links take you to Ms Hale’s website and from there you can purchase the book at the vendor of your choice.

Don’t Dream It’s Over is one of the best post-apocalyptic novels I’ve ever read. Matthew Cormack, with a deft hand, paints us a world that is not nice — but wherein lies much hope. Hope for a better future than what we might have gotten in the old world.

The book is also one of the most in depth character studies I’ve ever read. You have to read Kazuo Ishiguro to find something similar. An excellent, excellent read.

Now on to the shorter stuff!

In 2018 I made the acquaintance of quite a number of new (to me) writers. Some of these were:

Richard Schwindt

Joe Congel

Seabury Quinn

Stephen A Howells

Ernestine Marsh

Ray Zacek

Simon Osborne

Andy Graham

Zara Altair

Mark Carnelley

John Paul Catton

These men and women will provide you with many hours of great reading pleasure. So let’s look a bit further and see what kind of pleasure they will bring.

Richard Schwindt has 10 works of fiction (by my count) and I’ve read 8 of those works. He’s an entertaining writer, who delivers good mysteries and occult detective tales, along with imaginative fantasy and paranormal reads. His books are infused with humor, and always give me food for thought.

To start, check out Herkimer’s Nose and Fifty-Seven Years (written under his Will Swift byline). Great reads by a great author!

Joe Congel writes traditional private detective mysteries. His books and stories give a nod to the Golden Era of the mystery, while at the same time being very modern reads. If you like the old school mystery, you’ll like Joe Congel’s Tony Razzolito!

The late Seabury Quinn was a very prolific writer during the pulp magazine era. His first published story was in 1918 and his last (I believe) was in the early 1950s. He wrote across many genres, but is best known for his stories in Weird Tales magazine. He was that magazine’s most popular author, and I can see why. The occult detective Jules de Grandin is his most well-known character.

Stephen A Howells has one book published to date, and in my opinion it is a big time winner. The Garden of Jane Pengelly is part ghost story, part love story, part fantasy, and part magical realism. And it is all wonderful! Mr Howells can tug at your heart strings, so have the tissue box handy. You will love this book.

Ernestine Marsh is the queen of the bitingly satirical comedy novel. Agonising is a look at our foibles and how ridiculous we as a species are at times. Ms Marsh wades in with no holds barred and pulls no punches. I laughed with every page I read. I can’t wait to read the sequel, In Agony Again. Voltaire move over.

The work of Ray Zacek can be darkly humorous, or satirical, or just plain dark. I like his stories very much. My favorite to date is Daguerreotype. The tale is a haunting exploration of our dark side and the risk of indulging it. Treat yourself to Mr Zacek’s work. You won’t regret it.

Simon Osborne’s post-apocalyptic novel, Off Grid, begins with an alien invasion — and the aliens don’t want us around. The rest of the book is a story of survival, planning for the future, and deciding how to get rid of the aliens so we have a future. Off Grid is well-written and just plain good.

In the two works by Andy Graham that I’ve read, he gives us wonderfully dark tales. Stories that explore the unseemly part of our psyche and of our soul. An Angel Fallen is especially powerful and memorable. Do check out his work. You won’t be sorry.

Zara Altair writes mysteries set in Ostrogoth Italy a couple decades after the fall of the western Roman Empire. Argolicus is a retired Roman bureaucrat who gets involved in solving murders — in a culture where murder is not a crime! Give the Argolicus mysteries a try. Start with The Peach Widow.

Mark Carnelley has written an intriguing post-apocalyptic book, The Omega Chronicles, where only one person survives the disaster. What would you do if the survivor was you? Definitely worth your time.

John Paul Catton’s work is remarkable for its inventiveness. Tales from Beyond Tomorrow, Vol 1 is a short story collection that explores a variety of themes. A writer decidedly outside the norm. Take a read!

Now on to a few authors who are no stranger to this blog.

If you have a penchant for stories that have the qualities of a fairy tale, then Sarah Zama’s The Frozen Maze is for you. Quite good!

Jack Tyler’s work makes a strong contribution to the good old-fashioned adventure yarn. However, the book that has impressed me the most is his epic fantasy novel, The Stone Seekers. Mostly because it isn’t a Tolkien ripoff. It’s fresh and creative. The book breathes new life into a sub-genre that is filled with hack writing. Do check out The Stone Seekers.

Mannegishi by Ben Willoughby is an inventively dark take on a Native American legend. If you like horror, you’ll like Mannegishi. And all of Willoughby’s other horror tales.

It is no secret that I am very fond of the work of Crispian Thurlborn. And his latest story, Exit, does not disappoint. Thurlborn’s work is imaginative and at times difficult to categorize. It’s often darkly humorous, and written in a style that would make Dickens envious.

Exit is a story that would have made a stunning episode on The Twilight Zone. It’s a good example of dreampunk (you know, Alice in Wonderland) — and it is simply fabulous. Can we actually change our lives? Or are we doomed to live them forever on repeat? Read Exit and then try to answer those questions.

So that’s my reading recap for 2018. Now on to 2019. I’m currently reading Frank Belknap Long’s early Cthulhu Mythos novel The Horror from the Hills. And I’m looking for some good writers to explore this year. If you have suggestions, let me know.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

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A Bump In The Night

Good Books You Probably Never Heard Of – Part 9

A Bump in the Night by Crispian Thurlborn
https://amzn.to/2KBx666

We think life can be difficult. But being dead has its own problems.

Mr Snaggle and Mr Snuffle, those Arbitrators of the Quick and the Dead, have a new problem on their hands: their good friend, Mr Bump (that fellow who ferries folks across the river to the realm of the dead), is fading. Fading from being a ghost to being truly dead. And if Mr Bump goes, who’s going to do the ferrying?

This is a ginormous problem and Mr Snaggle and Mr Snuffle are doing their darnedest to help their friend. Seemingly, though, without success. That is, until little Penny shows up.

Crispian Thurlborn’s A Bump in the Night is a ghost story. It’s an urban fantasy tale. It’s a literary think about the meaning of life — and death. It’s a book that is at once humorous and serious.

In a style that would make Dickens envious, Thurlborn tells us a story we won’t soon forget. The tale lingers there on the edge of your mind, just like… Well, just like a ghost.

And while A Bump in the Night isn’t a Christmas story, it does have ghosts and the themes in the book go very well with “peace on earth, goodwill towards men”.

Crispian Thurlborn is one of my favorite authors. If you haven’t read anything by him, let me say his writing is on par with that of the best writers writing today.

Do yourself a favor and get a copy of A Bump in the Night. You won’t be sorry, and you may just find yourself putting the book in your pile to read again.

Comments are always welcome; and, until next time, happy reading!

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Ben Willoughby

Good Books You Probably Never Heard Of – Part 7

I’m back with Good Books You Probably Never Heard Of. And today we’re not looking at one book. We’re looking at one remarkable author.

Ben Willoughby and I met on Twitter, and I’m glad we did. His horror books have provided hours of scary, spooky, and at times hilarious entertainment.

He is also the very talented artist who is responsible for the awesome book covers of my Pierce Mostyn series.

In addition to writing horror, Ben has written a high fantasy novel, Gods on the Mountain, and is working on The Zeppelin Lords dieselpunk trilogy.

It is his horror tales, however, I want to highlight in this post, for they are the books I’ve read and thoroughly enjoyed. So without further ado, let’s take a look at Ben Willoughby’s Reign of Terror.

Mannegishi is based on a Cree Indian legend. The small people, the Mannegishi, play pranks on people. They’re tricksters. And at first Jonathan Banks wonders if perhaps he hasn’t had the misfortune of drawing the attention of the Little People. But then things start taking an ugly turn, and so does the story. Highly recommended.

Daddy’s Girl is a ghost story you won’t easily forget. Alex never knew her father. He died when she was very young. However, through the stories about him, she learned he was a warm and loving person, and was a devoted father who loved her very much. When she goes off to college she discovers what a father’s love truly means. And woe to those who threaten Daddy’s Girl. You don’t want to miss this story.

The House That Homed is a hilarious dark comedy. And Willoughby handles the comedy and terror with equal aplomb. You just might never want to be home alone again. Thoroughly entertaining.

Raw Head is another tale based on Native American legend. A serial killer is brutally murdering children. And events cause Susie to fear that the child she is carrying may be the next victim. Can the killer be stopped? What if the killer isn’t human? An emotionally powerful tale.

Deadly Whispers is a dark comedy that takes a whole new look at Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, or ASMR. And let me tell you, that look is both chilling, and funny. Very funny, in fact. There’s also a love story. Horror, humor, and love. A combination guaranteed to creep you out and warm your heart at the same time. And the ending? Well, I never saw that one coming! Very highly recommended.

If you are looking for horror tales that are well-written and come from a very fertile imagination, look no further than Willoughby’s books. They’re superb.

If you are a writer in need of a book cover, I highly recommend Ben Willoughby. He understands book covers. You can get in touch with him on Twitter.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

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The Stone Seekers

Good Books You Probably Never Heard Of – Part 4

A couple, three years ago I ran into Jack Tyler on a now defunct steampunk forum. We’ve kept in touch over the years. He’s a very interesting fellow and you can read his thoughts about books and life on his blog.

I read and reviewed Beyond the Rails a couple years ago. It’s a good book. I have the other two in the series and look forward to reading them.

However, I think the book that is truly the winner in Jack’s oeuvre is The Stone Seekers.

Over the years, I’ve drifted away from fantasy because, for the most part, the corporate publishers gave us nothing but Tolkien pastiches that weren’t anywhere near as good as the original. Or magic that just didn’t make sense because it was inconsistent.

If I see the words elf, or dwarf, that’s it. The book goes back on the virtual shelf. Or if I see pointy ears, the same — back on the shelf it goes. With very rare exception. The same goes for magic.

As a result, I was very surprised — pleasantly surprised — not to find even a smidgen of Tolkien in The Stone Seekers. There is magic, but it is well done.

Tyler has given us a new world of quests and high adventure. He’s given us new beings that are unique and mythic. Along with his straightforward and good storytelling.

In fact, I think The Stone Seekers could be turned into at least a trilogy, if not a series. And I think we readers would like that. But first, we need to get Mr Tyler some sales and reviews. The book is currently only 99¢. You can spend a buck on far worse than Jack Tyler’s book and not get the lasting satisfaction and enjoyment provided by The Stone Seekers. The book would also make for a fabulous movie.

The story line is a standard quest plot. Nothing new there. Where The Stone Seekers shines is in the well-drawn characters and the world that Tyler has created. The characters are complex, but not overly so. The world is richly drawn, but description doesn’t bog down the story.

As I stated above, Tyler is a good storyteller. He gives us enough so we keep on reading, right to the end. Where I, at least, was filled with sadness that there was no more.

The Stone Seekers is very much worth your time and money. The book is good old-fashioned fun and very satisfying entertainment.

Comments are always welcome, and, until next time — happy reading!

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An Angel Fallen

Good Books You Probably Never Heard Of – Part 3

Somewhere in the social media world I ran into Andy Graham. From that encounter, I went on to read his novella An Angel Fallen. And I’m glad I did.

Graham is a superb writer. His command of the language, as well as his knowledge of literature, and his skill at telling a story — all add up to one fabulous read.

An Angel Fallen must be experienced. To try and tell the story in brief would do it an injustice. And the story is about justice. And retribution. And sacrifice.

An Angel Fallen could very well be the ultimate coming of age story. Even though it’s much more than that. It is a philosophy of life masquerading as a story — one that is haunting and stays with you long after you’ve read it.

I do not understand why this gem is not selling like the proverbial hot cakes. Because it needs to be. It’s that good.

What I didn’t realize is that An Angel Fallen is Book 2 of the Dark Fiction Tales series. So I went ahead and bought the first book and am looking forward to reading it.

Don’t miss this superb writer. His star, and ours, is rising.

Comments are always welcome, and, until next time, happy reading!

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