Uncomfortably Dark Book Reviews
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Red Station
By Kenzie Jennings
Red Station is another Splatter Western published by Death’s Head Press. If you have not yet heard of these books from Death’s Head, you really should take the time to pick one up and read it. I have loved each one that I have read so far, and Red Station is just one more shining example of excellence.
This story follows a weary band of travelers on a stagecoach, on their way to their respective new lives in the American frontier. This leg of their journey will see them to a halfway house of sorts, where they will rest for the night, enjoy a hot meal, and warm beds, before they set off on the final leg of their journey. As you might imagine, the travelers are tired, sore, and hungry after so long in the cramped quarters of the rickety coach as it bounces along the dirt and dust of the prairie.
They spend the hour or so of their journey chatting with each other as they begin to look forward to their rest stop for the evening. There is a doctor who is searching for a missing friend, a young pair of newlyweds on their way to join family out west and an elegant young woman named Clyde, in a beautifully made red dress.
Clyde seems to be the most mysterious of the set with the doctor running a close second behind her. The newlyweds are just honest to goodness kind folk with a baby on their way and their lives ahead of them. Clyde and the doctor both have seen more and experienced more and their mannerisms and reluctance to share too much tells us that there is much more to be discovered.
Once at the rest stop, a massive homestead owned by a friendly German family with two young daughters, things begin to go awry, as the family are not as nice as they seem. Before dinner is over, the long anticipated restful night unfolds into an evening of blood, gore, and pain. Chaos strikes from all directions as the weary travelers try to survive “Red Station.”
I will say that for my personal preference, I would have liked a bit more backstory on the travelers and the German family as well but that does not distract from the overall story. I was left with a few questions, but I do hope that maybe Kenzie Jennings will share another part of this story with us sometime in the future, because I can easily see a second or third installment.
I am giving this five out of five stars for a remarkable story, lots of action and gore, some unexpected twists and turns and one hell of an enjoyable read.
The Night Silver River Run Red
By Christine Morgan
In her take on the splatter western, Christine Morgan crafts a tale about a once prosperous small town called Silver River. The once booming town has dwindled to just a few dozen townsfolks trying to survive. A traveling sideshow of sorts has come through and set up tents about a mile away and the town is buzzing with the most activity it has seen in a long time.
As curious kids will do, sneaking out to see the show is far too tempting of an idea to keep them home, minding their parents. As they make their way to the sideshow to see (The oddities! The marvels! The freaks!) for themselves what the fuss is all about, something much nastier is headed their way, along that moonlit path. Silver River is not prepared for the night that is about to unfold!
Christine Morgan hit it out of the park with this one. There isn’t anything this story does not have! You want gore? You got it! You want monsters, creepy creatures, sideshow freaks, carnies, and dwarves? You got it! How about a notorious outlaw gang destroying everything in their path? Sure, got that too!
Do you want one hell of a good time? You will want to pick this up and read it right away! This is yet another Splatter Western from Death’s Head press and I really must advise that everyone needs to read these books! They are fun as hell to read, colorful, fast, gory, and just a crazy good time.
Five stars for this due to the overwhelming amounts of fun, chaos, murder, and mayhem in this tale. This was my first story by Christine Morgan, and I can guarantee it won’t be my last!
The Untaken
by Bekkie Pate
“The Untaken” by Bekki Pate is not your typical alien abduction tale. While this fell a bit out of my normal reading preference, I was pleasantly pleased by the mix of sci-fi, horror and government conspiracy that made this story work so well.
The story opens with a family in distress. A well-meaning mother that is facing some type of mental illness, her concerned sons and a daughter-in-law who has just given birth. The household is clearly strained, the young mother exhausted and family relationships are clearly under pressure. Something sinister seems to be haunting this family’s lives, but what or why is left unclear.
At the heart of the story is Charlie, a young woman who is no stranger to alien abduction. As in, they take her, often. In fact, it’s almost a daily occurrence for her and her friend, Ed Sutton. Despite this oddity to their lives, they both maintain normal lifestyles. They work, they maintain their homes, they hunt down stories of other alien abductions and try to help and learn whatever they can, in order to better understand their own circumstances.
As Ed and Charlie begin to unravel some leads, things begin to happen that lead to a most spectacular story that spans continents and several years. I do not give spoilers in my reviews so I will just leave you with my final thoughts. If you read any type of sci-fi story based on aliens in any capacity, then you will love this book. If you love a good horror story with a ton of intrigue, then you will also love this book.
The writer did an excellent job of writing characters that you care for, family relationships that are real and genuine and gives you a reason to love or hate them. The story is one hell of an emotional ride with a large amount of truly terrifying moments thrown in for good measure. Kudo’s to this new writer for putting out such a fantastic book.
Four out of Five stars for “The Untaken!”
Hunger on the Chisholm Trail
by Mike Ennenbach
This is not your typical horror story! Nor would it qualify as your Grandaddy’s western.
Welcome to the Splatter Western! A new style of horror brought to you by Death's Head Press.
I’m talking gore, murder, mayhem, fear and more fun than a bucket of rattler’s in an outhouse! This is an excellent tale woven around a small group of cattle drivers and the simple folk of a town in Texas, along the Chisholm Trail. There is intrigue, a bit of romance, a whole lot of action and a horrifying bid for survival.
In this tale, a group of cattle drivers run into a bit of bad luck out on the Chisholm Trail. When the weary men stumble across a gory scene not too far from the trail, they can’t begin to fathom what type of beast could have left such a mess of death and decay in its wake.
Tensions ramp up as they settle in for the night and before too long, a brawl breaks out between two cattle hands. Chaos ensues, Wild West style, but something more is waiting up the trail.
Meanwhile, in the little town of Duncan, the people have welcomed a stranger that has made quite a stir with his talk of strange tales, and evil among men. The sheriff and the stranger form an unlikely friendship while they wait for the new sheriff and the cattle drivers to make it to town.
The saloon girls and shop owners are excited for the cattle drivers to get there and are looking forward to a few days of new men and fresh money. But something vile and evil has other plans for these simple folks.
Something older than the Wild West, something they’ve never seen before, and it’s hungry!
Step right up and try your luck on the Chisholm Trail! It’s sure to please your twisted senses.
Five out of Five stars for this excellent read.
A Savage Breed
Patrick C. Harrison, III
This is my second review of a Splatter Western tale from Death’s Head Press. Author, Patrick Harrison, III, brings a full gauntlet of terror, gore and fear into his Wild West tale of settler life gone wrong, deep in the American frontier. This story was fun to read and disturbing at the same time.
The setting is spot on, the language has that genuine Old West feel and there are characters to both love and to hate. This story is full of action, gunfights, barroom brawls and epic showdowns!
The feared Tate Gang is about to be put to death, per the fullest extent of the law, when they pull off a shocking escape that would have made Houdini proud. The three brothers Tate and their two other outlaws make their escape into the mountains with a kidnapped Indian woman in tow.
Meanwhile, grizzled mountain man, James Haggard comes home to find his wife and child dead in a most gruesome scene. Distraught with rage, he vows revenge on every Indian he can find, unwavering in his assumption of who committed the atrocious acts.
Nearby, a wild young lass by the name of Elizabeth Hughes decides to make her way out into the world. Elizabeth is not your typical frontier girl; with a mouth fouler than an outlaw and an excellent shot to boot, she is cut from a different cloth.
As they all travel on their different paths, they soon come to realize that something else lives in these hills. Something terrible hunts at night and there’s fresh meat in its territory.
The tale weaves an intricate narrative around these characters, the Indians that inhabit the land and their stories, and the ultimate showdown in the mountains of Barrier Ridge.
Five out of Five stars for this fantastic tale!
CERBERUS RISING
Ennenbach. Harrison. Miller
Five Stars!
So much to say about this amazing collection of stories by three talented writers. Each author wrote three stories for this volume, in which they excel at horrifying, terrifying, and astonishing the reader. The collection centers around three specific prompts, Cabin Fever, Letters, and Chaos. As you would assume, each writer had to pen a story that incorporated one of those specific themes. The result is Cerberus Rising, nine novelettes of terror that take you on journeys down some very dark pathways.
Let’s start with Ennenbach, the poet, his verses are unparalleled and his every word oozes with raw emotion and intention. Nothing is left to chance with this author, not a bit of filler to be found within any of his pages as he draws you in to his tales of woe and horror.
In his first story, “Fifty Words For Writer’s Block-A Decline”, he brings you inside the mind of a poet. A poet who considers his success a fluke, once a poetic genius, he is now brought to his poetic knees by a strange request from a reporter. A poet who once could write about anything, at any time, suddenly cannot write a single word. He seeks out solitude and isolation to write his next collection of poems, which must include the poem for the reporter that only needs to start out with a specific line. The tale pulls no punches as it details the decline of the poet and his once prolific talent.
The second tale, “Baptized by Lethe” details the life of a young co-ed as she settles into college life, feeling far too isolated and alone than she should. Ennenbach quickly brings her emotions into play as the lonely girl struggles with her feelings and with making new friends. Weird letters begin to appear, and her mental state begins to drift as dreams and strange occurrences take over much of her life. This story is beautifully written and becomes a story within a story as it takes you on a lonely journey.
Ennenbach’s third tale is an all-out horrifying tale titled “The Incident at Barrow Farm”. This story hits shockingly close to home and achieves much of the horror by the reader simply realizing how realistic it truly is, how possible it is. The horror contained within the tale itself is just a bonus. I loved every word of this story as it plays out at the Barrow Farm, as the small-town police try to deal with the reality of multiple murders within the confines of their small town along with other atrocities that the reader will never see coming. The details and the emotional toll this story packs will leave you breathless and wishing for more. If you happen to know these writers, you will love this story for other reasons. I will leave you to discover those reasons for yourself.
Moving on to author Patrick C. Harrison, III or PC3, as he is listed in the book, I have nothing but admiration for his story telling skills. His stories are well-written, original, entertaining and downright twisted. His first tale in the book, “Insides Out” draws you in with a gruesome scene laid out all around the house of the main character in the book. The tragic tale sucks you in as he describes what occurred on that horrible Thanksgiving Day and the days after. The gruesome account of the tragic day hits you like a gut punch as you slowly begin to visualize and understand the horrible scene being painted for you. I loved everything about this sick, and twisted, Thanksgiving tale. I thought it was brilliantly written.
Harrison’s next story “Blame Jonathan Swift” was a swift descent into hell paved by a road with good intentions. By the time I realized what was happening, I was hooked and beyond amused. The horror was real, the writing beautifully done, and the rambling confession of the poor mis-guided soul in the story was as believable as Poe’s earnest madman in the “The Tell-Tale Heart”. I loved everything about this story, from beginning to end. You will not see the end coming, which is how brilliant horror is to be written. Harrison delivers an epic punch to the gut with this one.
The final story penned by Harrison is called “Taking The Loop”. I hate giving away too much of any story and this one is so well done that all I want to say is kudo’s to Harrison. You will need to read this for yourself, dear reader, from beginning to end and then probably one more time. This was a terrifying story, full of blood, gore, fear, anxiety and anguish. I don’t know what rabbit hole Harrison was down when he wrote this, but it’s one hell of a ride.
Author, Chris Miller, is every bit as talented as the other two authors in this book. His stories shine with his own unique style and are well-written and deliberate. He sets the tone beautifully in just a few sentences before leading you into a story that will leave you breathless with fear and wanting more.
His first story in the collection spoke directly to the doomsday prepper hidden deep within my heart. “Into the Light” details the sad state of affairs of a family that has been living in an underground bunker for the last ten years. The father insists on keeping his family safe inside the bunker for as long as he can, telling them repeatedly that the surface is not safe. The son begins to rebel against the father, hoping to prove to his family that everything is okay. I felt this one in my soul, their despair and anguish. The constant tension that they exist in, their need to survive and endure. Read this with the lights on.
Miller offers up a second tale with “The Final Correspondence of Thomas Baker Wolfe”. In this tale, I was transported back in time to Victorian times. This story reminded me of the dark gothic style stories I used to read, and Miller may very well have been channeling Lovecraft with the cosmic horror contained in this story. It drips with horror and madness and will leave you quite chilled and awestruck by the time you finish. The descriptions alone of the tragedy that befell Thomas Baker Wolfe will paint such images inside your brain that they will be seared there for quite some time. Nothing more to say on this except bravo! This was a favorite of mine in the collection.
In the final tale, “Day 69”, Miller delivers a kick straight to the head with his terrifying tale of a mundane trip to the grocery store right in the middle of the Covid-19 quarantine and panic. This will leave you uncomfortable and writhing in your chair from the realism. I was in awe of how realistic the images were, how the entire scenario went down and how utterly spot-on the highly emotional situation played out. Everyone will relate to this story on a very personal level and the horror is undeniably real.
This is a great collection to own, to read and to gift. I loved every word of it, and I look forward to reading much more from each one of these authors. Get “Cerberus Rising” today! Five out of Five Stars.
The Devil's Due: Nothing Is As It Seems
Published by Valhalla Books
The Devil’s Due is an excellent collection of 13 short stories, each one written by talented authors. Published by Valhalla Books and edited by Adam Messer, this collection carries one continuous theme throughout, deals with the devil. While there is a theme, none of these stories are anything like the others. Each carry a weight all their own, with a tragic tale to tell.
“In the Black Rock” by Alledria Hurt, an overall bad day beginning with a fender bender sets off a chain of events that cannot be undone. “Face It” by Carol Gyzander was a tragic tale involving a husband grieving his wife’s fatal illness as doctors continue to tell him there is nothing more to be done. I found this story to be the most gut-wrenching out of the collection. This story will not play out like you think it might. In fact, it is nothing like many of you are already thinking, as you nod along thinking, ah yes, that sort of deal makes sense.
Another ominous tale with tragic undertones caught my attention, “The Plan” by Josh Vasquez. A plan for revenge plays out with the most curious of twists. I did not see this ending coming, not by a long shot. This story carries a powerful punch as it ends, making you wish that there were more pages to turn. I loved every word of this exceptional story.
One more great tale, out of 13 great tales, is “Here Comes Mr. Herribone” by Tim Jeffreys. This story truly creeped me out with its disturbing tale. One half of a comedy duo, Jim Game, is still standing after a tragic accident that claimed the life of a long-time friend, Tommy. Clearly haunted by grief and sadness without his long-time partner that played a character named Mr. Herribone in their act, Jim’s tale begins a slow descent into madness and despair. The tone of this story stayed unsettling and disturbing throughout the entire tale.
The final tale is written by Adam Messer, the editor and founder of Valhalla books and it is an intriguing tale about a Djin. “The Known and True History of the Djin” is an epic short story that tells the tragic backstory of a Djin, or genie, if you will. the legend of the Djin has always fascinated me and I loved this unique take on the creature. Everything about this story was perfectly executed, from the set-up all the way through to the bitter end. The character is relatable, as are his circumstances and the legend that it details is superbly written.
The Devil’s Due: Nothing Is As It Seems is a perfect collection of horror, despair, sadness, and the overall human condition as told by its authors. It is a perfect name, as none of these stories are what they seem. All 13 stories are well deserving of their place in this collection. Each one is remarkable and will leave you wanting more.
I strongly recommend this collection to any horror fan, buy it today. Add it to your shelf, buy one for a friend. They will thank you for it. 5 out of 5 stars.
Ghosts of Quad Cities
by Michael McCarty and Mark McLaughlin
Just finished reading this book about paranormal events and ghostly occurrences that have happened in or around the Quad City region in Iowa and Illinois. The region is made up of five cities, surprisingly enough, not four as the name suggests. Those cities include Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa and Moline, East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois.
This was a very well researched and well-written collection of events that have taken place over the years, within the Quad cities, and includes a lot of historical data about the cities and the buildings in which the events occur. Some of what you will learn about is the haunting of Hotel Blackhawk in Davenport, Iowa, the occurrences at City Hall and within the Oakdale Cemetery. The book also explores a whole host of other places within Davenport including the Rock ‘N’ Roll Mansion and the Phi Kappa Chi Frat House.
It moves on to the Abbey Hotel and Central Avenue in Bettendorf, Iowa. It details the fascinating history of the Abbey Hotel as a former monastery, built to house the sisters of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, or the Carmelite Sisters. The original structures contained 116 rooms and contained a crypt below the chapel's altar. 13 of the sisters were buried in this crypt upon their death. The monastery became the Abbey Hotel in 1992 and later became an addiction treatment center. Rumors of paranormal activity have been noted for decades, including cold spots and whispering voices.
Other locations include the Riverside Cemetery in Moline, Illinois and the John Looney Mansion in Rock Island. I enjoyed the historical tour of the Quad cities as given in this book and liked the pictures that were included as I am a fan of old architecture. I will note that this book does not try to prove or disprove the validity of the hauntings but rather just details the accounts as they were given. The authors leave it up to the reader to make their own judgements.
Overall, a solid quick read for the history buffs out there. 4 out 5 stars for me.
Lost Girl of the Lake
by Joe McKinney and Michael McCarty
This is a new novella by Michael McCarty and Joe McKinney which tells a tale of a young boy and one eventful summer that he spent in Livingston, Texas on a family vacation. A boy who happens to be a descendant of a family snake handlers that lived in the nearby Gaitlinville, a now abandoned village, that was founded by his great-great-grandfather.
The tale is told from the perspective of the now grown, Mark Gaitlin, as he remembers it. One hot summer night, shortly after the family had settled into their cabin at the resort, he wanders off from the clubhouse party to get some fresh air as boys will do. Not to mention the fact that he was clearly bored silly, being 15 and having no one his age around.
He encounters a young girl in a lake, that is completely nude, who encourages him to join her. Naturally, being a young male teen, he does indeed join her in skinny dipping in the lake. The girl is quiet but beautiful and he spends the time in the water, staring at her while she swims languidly. A clumsy move on his part scares her away before too long and she leaves him in the lake.
Confused and feeling slightly foolish, he tries to chase her and apologize but she vanishes. A few days pass and he waits to see her again. His nights pass with weird dreams of snakes, old woman, the old village and the girl. Then he has another encounter with the quiet girl. She appears at his window, calling for him to follow her. When he does so, the experience will leave him forever changed.
This was an interesting little tale as told by an old man fondly remembering his youth and those experiences that made him a man. While the story is not scary by any stretch, it is mysterious and intriguing.
The final experience is never fully explained which leaves one to wonder what the point of it was or the why behind it, but it is well-told and has a nice campfire feel to it.
3.5 out of 5 stars for me.
We Bleed Orange and Black
31 Fun-Size Tales for Halloween by Jeff C. Carter
Just finished reading We Bleed Orange & Black, 31 Fun-Sized Tales for Halloween by Jeff C. Carter. This was a fun collection of short stories, just right for the season. While the entire collection is not exactly family friendly, there are quite a few tales in the book that you can share with your kids over some apple cider, hot cocoa and smore's, or while gathered around that fall campfire. They are sure to squeal in delight as trouble befalls a young greedy lad in "Take One" or shiver with chills as "The Dentist" reveals his true motive behind his tons of candy-giving and good natured smile.
One of my favorites was the creepy tale of the village executioner in "All Gallows' Eve" as he goes about his work for the day. Something is really wrong with the folks in an unusually quiet small town in "The Silent Parade". This one left me uncomfortable for sure and a bit squeamish. "The Cobra Effect" was a great ole time mystery feel until it suddenly takes on a much darker tone. I loved this one and was a bit disappointed when it ended.
Overall, four stars for being a solid well-written book, even if a bit short in length. It was a fun read and just right horror lovers that just like a bit of fright and not too much gore. I would read another collection by this author but hope he considers a full-length novel as several of these tales would have been great as stand-alone novels.
Reviewed by C. Nola
Watchers by Craig Priestley
Book Review
Just finished reading this novel by new author Craig Priestley. Watchers is his debut novel and is well-written with an original concept. The characters are relatable but could have a bit more depth to them, which the author does strive for but falls just a bit short. The result leaves a few questions lingering in the air after the conclusion of the story.
The main character, Charlie, is dealing with some grief issues and while deeper issues are hinted at, those are never resolved or mentioned again later on in the story. His relationship with his best friend is more relatable and I feel like everyone knows a guy like Steven, a bit of a shallow but loyal friend who is more of a womanizer than anything. Loves the beer, the wine and the women more than anything else in his life. A deeper back story for him is not provided or implied and his purpose in the book is mostly to play this singular role.
The story revolves around a group of beings known as the Watchers who are not human but appear to be human in physical form, however, they are more static electricity or radio frequencies more than anything. Each Watcher is assigned a human to look out for, to observe their behavior and I assume to gently guide them along their intended path, but Charlie’s watcher begins to see signs of corruption amongst her kind.
The corrupted watchers begin to heavily influence their humans to commit all kinds of criminal and horrific acts upon their fellow humans. She begins to appear to Charlie with the intent of helping him as she believes he has a greater purpose in the battle against the corruption.
The story follows this couple as the world begins to implode on itself as more corrupted watchers begin controlling their human and soon all hell breaks loose and the world is at war, with each other, even as the corrupted watchers battle the good ones. The corrupted watchers seek to end humanity as the good ones fight to save it. Charlie and his watcher battle their way to the final showdown in America, not knowing if their combined efforts will be enough to save humanity.
Overall, this novel was well-written if a bit slow. The plot is very original but there were so many other avenues that could have been expanded upon but were instead sort of jumbled together, making the passage of time very hard to follow. The story does leave a lot of loose ends which I personally found a bit disappointing but it also leaves room for a sequel, which might have been the intent. While this book would not make my top ten list for the year, it was interesting enough that I would read a second novel by this new author. I would love to see how his writing grows over time.
Review posted on Amazon and goodreads.
The Ash by Dan Soule
Book Review
The Ash
I recently had the privilege of talking to author Dan Soule, who offered me the chance to review his newest novel, “The Ash”, for the website. Naturally, I said yes, being a fan of all things’ horror. I had no idea what to expect for this novel but the moment I saw the front cover, I was hooked! I love a good front cover and not all horror covers can convey the true level of horror that you may find inside, but this cover came close! What I found inside was a non-stop roller coaster of action, terror and unspeakable horror!
The story starts out with Constable Jim Castle sitting in his police car, coming to terms with his recent divorce, or rather the finalization of said divorce. He had received the final letter in the mail that morning and was now mourning the loss of his marriage, missing his son and trying to assess where it all went wrong when a pick-up truck comes flying past him. He sets off in pursuit at a high rate of speed, hoping that they do not crash when he sees something streaking across the sky that lands with a supersonic boom in a nearby town.
As the shockwave races towards them, slamming into both the fleeing truck and Jim’s police car, the world he once knew, changes in an instant. With no idea of what is happening, no working communications and no help in sight, Constable Jim does what he is trained to do. He gets out of his car, approaches the wrecked Ford and tries to help his once fleeing suspects. Arresting them no longer really on his mind, he begins trying to provide first aid to the injured men, who turn on him and hold him at gunpoint.
As they force him to help the man that is the most injured, discussion comes into play about what hit them, what came from the sky and what was happening? Not knowing if it was a missile or an aircraft, worrying about the fallout becomes a concern and they begin to look for shelter. Constable Jim is now being held hostage, and also becomes a guide for the three armed and volatile criminals as they begin limping their way towards a nearby farm.
Just as they reach the farm and its cantankerous owner, a heavy, thick ash begins to fall from the sky. The once bright afternoon sky now looks like nightfall as the ash grows thicker by the minute. The men seek refuge inside but soon something steals away the body of their fallen mate, Loz. The more volatile of the criminals, Keegan, orders everyone outside to search for the body, but by now the ash is more than two feet deep. The Constable and farm owner, Digby, start searching along with the other men when something races towards them from under the ash and takes another man down right in front of them. The men take off running towards the farmhouse as their fallen mate can be heard screaming as his bones crunch beneath the ash.
Something horrible is in there, buried under the deep drifts of ash, like snowdrifts from hell. Something with tentacles, something not from their neck of the woods, and something intent on killing anything in its path.
What started as a hunt for refuge to wait out a possible fallout turns into an all-out bid for survival as the men try to fight off whatever monster lies hidden in the ash.
All Constable Jim wants to do is get back to his family. Between fighting off the men holding him at gunpoint and fighting whatever that thing is outside, his chances are growing slim and the ash is growing deeper.
Get your copy today at Amazon to find out what lies within The Ash!
Book Review
Plane Walker by C.P Dunphey
Plane Walker is an intelligent book. It is not a fast paced book intended to merely tell a story or entertain you on a rainy night. This book is finely crafted, aged to perfection like the finest cognac and it goes down the gullet as such, sophisticated and smooth with a pleasant slow burn in the pit of your stomach as it lingers.
This is literature, at its finest, meant to be savored, not devoured in the space of hours, but drawn out over time, allowing you, the reader, ample time to ponder over the concepts, to immerse yourself fully in the psyche of the character that is Lazarus, to experience the heightened levels of thought that he experiences as he finds himself experiencing the chaos that is his journey that almost defy explanation or reason. Lazarus is the main character of this story, and he is on a journey to find his daughter, at any cost. The story takes place in the future, a vastly different future than our own, with advanced technology, high level concepts in both religion and humanity and highly advanced intelligence.
C.P. Dunphey has crafted a masterpiece in Plane Walker, both in its use of language and in its concepts. It is science fiction at its most pure combined with literary tools at their highest level of definition. C.P. forces words to convey brilliant new meanings at their most sublime use; he forces the reader to accept that they are in the unknown and must learn this new thought process in order to make sense of their journey along with Lazarus. By the end of the third chapter, the reader has to fully accept and fall in love with the language that is so beautifully constructed, that part of them could weep for the intellectual satisfaction that it brings, while the other parts stand and applaud what is truly a fine tale that could have been crafted by an artist such as Poe.
Simply put, if your soul is thirsty for something more than your average thriller or mystery; if your mind begs for higher stimulation, and thought provoking concepts, read Plane Walker, and then read it again. Then discuss it over dinner, a gourmet dinner of nine courses, each one paired with a fine wine that delicately teases the tongue with a myriad of flavors, with guests that have also read Plane Walker so that you each may ponder and muse over the beauty that was found within. Dine slowly, my friends. Savor each bite as the chef has truly outdone themselves, solely for your pleasure.