REVIEW: Beneath Ash and Bone by D. Alexander Ward

In the mood for something period, dark, and chilling? I might have just the thing for you…

Sheriff Sam Lock is a man who prides himself on his logical thinking and pragmatism, so different from his father who had been sheriff before him. But in the winter of 1860, when he is summoned to the Crownhill estate to investigate the report of a missing child, he has no idea how far from logic he’ll have to go to uncover the truth.

Beneath Ash and Bone begins with Sheriff Lock’s introduction to the Crownhills, a wealthy family whose power and prestige has set them apart from their neighbors, and kept their dark secrets safe for years. At the house known as Evermore, he meets Charlotte, the daughter of Horace Crownhill, and aunt of the missing child. As he begins the search for William, the missing boy, he attempts to ignore the burgeoning attraction he feels for Charlotte, and the disquiet he feels at Evermore.

The tale moves quickly from the mundane events of searching through a blizzard for William, to the strange and almost unbelievable things he finds in the plantation house itself. Hidden passageways lead to dark secrets tucked away in the attic, and to horrible truths long concealed in the past. Soon, Sheriff Lock must admit there is more to Evermore than meets the eye, and he’ll go through his own version of hell before solving the mysteries that brought him here.

Beneath Ash and Bone  by D. Alexander Ward is available at Amazon in Kindle or paperback. The writing is descriptive, the characters intriguing, and there are places in the story that genuinely gave me chills. At 172 pages, it’s a fairly quick read, but it will pull you in and drag you all the way to the end, never quite knowing if you’ll be able to escape.

Review of Thorns, Hearts and Thistles…

Rose Blackthorn’s poetry collection, Thorns, Hearts and Thistles, envelopes readers in a gothic retelling of painful memories and sorrowful recollections.

Stephanie Wytovich, Poetry Editor for Raw Dog Screaming Press, reviews my poetry collection Thorns, Hearts and Thistles over at [Nameless] Digest…

Review of Seal Team 666, by Geno Mortensen

Seal Team 666 by Weston Ochse, reviewed by Geno Mortensen

I have a personally autographed copy of Seal Team 666 by Weston Ochse. I have read it once and I know that a review of it would be a great thing to do. This will not be an easy thing for me to do.
When I read the book, I got lost in the story. What I mean to say is, I felt like I was a part of the story. The things that were happening were going on around me. I was not just an observer. I was part of the fun and, sadly enough, confusion and chaos. There were times when I didn’t know the lingo that was being used, but it was explained to me.
Overall, I would recommend this book very highly to anyone. Especially anyone who has any kind of a military background.

Seal Team 666 is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Indiebound.

 

Another great review for Equilibrium Overturned…

THE HORROR BOOKSHELF just posted a wonderful review for the Grey Matter Press anthology Equilibrium Overturned.

RATING: 5/5

“EQUILIBRIUM OVERTURNED is the newest anthology from the stellar team at Grey Matter Press and focuses on stories that are a blend of horror, science fiction and dark fantasy… Choosing a favorite from this anthology is almost impossible.

“I have been raving about Grey Matter Press’ books for a while now on The Horror Bookshelf and that trend will continue with EQUILIBRIUM OVERTURNED. Grey Matter Press is hands down one of the best publishers of dark fiction and the quality of their books makes each one of them an absolute must-own.”

The reviewer goes on to single out some favorites, including “The Final Testimony of Molly Ryder” by Jeff Hemenway, “Martial Law” by JG Faherty, “Through the Ghostlands” by Rose Blackthorn, “Wombie” by Martin Slag, “The Alamo Incident” by Sean Eads and “Sunrise” by Tony Knighton.

Read the complete review at THE HORROR BOOKSHELF. And leave them a comment, sharing your thoughts.

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All the contributors to EQUILIBRIUM OVERTURNED deserve the credit for this, the fifth bestselling volume of horror from Grey Matter Press in less than ten months. They include Jeff Hemenway, John Everson, JG Faherty, Rose Blackthorn, Geoffrey W. Cole, S.G. Larner, Martin Slag, Roger Jackson, Sean Eads,Stephen Vessels, Jay Caselberg, Tim Waggoner, Josh Vogt and Tony Knighton.

Equilibrium Overturned – New 5 Star Review at Amazon

 Excellent as always!, July 15, 2014

By

David_S.

This review is from: Equilibrium Overturned: The Heart of Darkness Awaits (Kindle Edition)

Equilibrium Overturned is another fine release from Grey Matter Press.  The opening story ‘The Final Testimony of Molly Ryder‘ sets the perfect tone for this book.  This story really turns you upside down, followed by Amnion which is a fantastic tale of the search for the fountain of youth.  Martial Law is chilling tale with a great twist to the usual Zombie fare.  One of my favorites is Through the Ghostlands by Rose Blackthorn.  She paints a chilling and bleak landscape and writes a great story.  The Collected Sylvia, Volumes 1 to 1388 is really unique and fun.  These five stories comprise the first third of Equilibrium Overturned and set the book off to an incredible start…

Check out the whole review here.

Review of Tim Lebbon’s WHITE at Shock Totem…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My review of Tim Lebbon’s British Fantasy Award-winning novella White is now up at Shock Totem. Also included with this re-release of the novella is the short story Kissing at Shadows which originally appeared in Cemetery Dance #36.

 

 

Review for ALIEN: Out of the Shadows

My review of ALIEN: Out of the Shadows by Tim Lebbon is now live on Shock Totem Publications site. Take a few and go check it out! (the book, as well as the review!)

EULOGIES II reviewed by The Ginger Nuts of Horror…

A great review is now available at The Ginger Nuts of Horror website, edited by Christopher Jones, Nanci Kalanta and Tony Tremblay. Jim Mcleod has some nice things to say about this anthology, and mentions my story The Lilac Hedge in particular.

CELLAR DOOR reviewed on Shock Totem…

A great review now up at Shock Totem for CELLAR DOOR, edited by Shawna L Bernard and including a bunch of wonderful poems, stories and artwork from a talented array of authors and artists. I’m proud that my story “Pressed Flower Memories” and poem “Beneath Yellow Roses” are part of this amazing anthology.

Coming Soon… Eulogies II: Tales from the Cellar

“These editors  really know their stuff.  Many of the writers here are new to me, and  that’s good.  Because they’re so good.  These are fresh, diverse, vibrant voices, strong enough to  more than contend with the powerful old hands in attendance.  The Stoker  Awards need to take a long, hard look at EULOGIES II.  And so do you.”                         –Jack Ketchum

“…here, for your enjoyment, are thirty-two terrific tomes of horror,  thirty-two trips into the Cellar of the Mind by way of time, place, and circumstance.  Don’t bother taking a candle with you. These authors will cheerfully blow it out  for you, and then watch for you in the darkness.

– Elizabeth  Massie

http://www.horrorworld.org/e2.htm