Elvira Crashes Mary Shelley’s Monster Weekend This July

Elvira crashes Mary Shelley’s monster weekend, beginning an epic journey through horror history, stalked by the most terrifying nightmare to ever walk the Earth. (No spoilers!) Writer David Avallone (Bettie Page, Doc Savage, Twilight Zone) and Dave Acosta (Doc Savage) bring you the thrills, chills and double-entendres in the first chapter of this four-issue miniseries!

Played by actress-writer Cassandra Peterson, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark has carved out a niche in popular American culture that is sure to endure for decades to come. Elvira’s reign now spans thirty-five years and includes two nationally syndicated television series, two feature films (Elvira, Mistress of the Dark and Elvira’s Haunted Hills), an IMAX movie and two motion control rides. She has appeared in National ad campaigns for Pepsi and Coors, recorded five music CDs, written four books and licensed over Four Hundred products including pinball machines, action figures, guitars, three comic book series, a beer, wine, soda pop, perfume, slot machines and the best-selling female costume of all time.

Writer: David Avallone
Art: Dave Acosta
Genre: Horror
Publication Date: July 2018
Format: Comic Book
Page Count: 32 pages
ON SALE DATE: 7/11/2018

Click here to order your copy: https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/viewProduct.html?PRO=C72513026871601011

The Ultimate Guide To The Amazon Warrior

Unleash your inner warrior and celebrate 75 years of Wonder Woman™ with this ultimate must-have guide. Featuring all-new text, this complete compendium showcases comics and key storylines from the very beginning up to the modern day. It’s a need-to-read for fans of the sword-wielding warrior, featuring artwork and analysis that packs a justice-loving punch.

https://www.dk.com/us/9781465460721-dc-comics-wonder-woman-the-ultimate-guide-to-the-amazon-warrior/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Pop%20Culture_Wonder%20Woman_05192017&utm_source=adestra

MORE ALPHA AND OMEGA THAN ONE BOOK COULD HOLD- ‘ORIGINS & ENDINGS VOLUME TWO’ DEBUTS

A cutting edge Publisher of Genre Fiction and New Pulp, Pro Se Productions is known for publishing works that take a particular concept and push it to its limits. The latest release from Pro Se is no different, a second volume of two focusing on two of the most popular stories in any character’s canon-the first and the last. ORIGINS AND ENDINGS VOLUME TWO is now available in print and digital formats.

“It’s not often,” says Tommy Hancock, Editor in Chief of Pro Se Productions, “that we have a collection that demands two volumes that come out nearly at the same time. The response to ORIGINS & ENDINGS, however, demanded just that. This two book collection illustrates an interesting dynamic, showing of course the differences, but also amazingly the similarities in both types of tales. Origins and endings share a lot of thematic ties and the authors in this two volume collection show that extremely well.”

Every Story Has A Start and Finish. And, for every story, those are two different tales. One of Origin, of birth and promise. Of beginning something and the beauty of the path it will follow. And One of Ending, of finality and completion. Of laying to rest all that had been before one last time.

ORIGINS & ENDINGS VOLUME TWO set of such stories as written by some of today’s best Genre Fiction authors, including C. S. Humble, Christopher Robin Negelein, Tony Garcia and Michael Krog. Some tales are the opening of a great salvo, of action and adventure yet to come and others are the last note, the ringing knell of legends and secrets passing away.

Watch heroes and villains discover themselves while adventurers and explorers give their all to be who they are. ORIGINS & ENDINGS VOLUME TWO. From Pro Se Productions.

With a thrilling cover by Larry Nadolsky and logo design and print formatting by Antonino Lo Iacono and Marzia Marina, ORIGINS & ENDINGS VOLUME TWO is available now at Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1541117824/ref=sr_1_4… and Pro Se’s own store at www.prose-press.com for 10.00.

The second volume of first and last stories is also available as an Ebook, designed and formatted by Lo Iacono and Marina for only $2.99 for the Kindle at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NBNRAKJ/ref=sr_1_3… and for most digital formats via Smashwords at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/691655.

Crowd Funding Kicks Off For"Sharkasaraus"

A crowd funding campaign has kicked off for creature feature graphic novel "Sharkasaraus".The story follows a pair of star-crossed lovers; the rebellious emo son of Paleontologist falls for promiscuous daughter of a widowed creationist. After they accidentally awaken a prehistoric tunneling dino-shark, they must evolve their ideological difference or succumb to the inevitable jaws of Sharkasaurus. The campaign is taking place on Kickstarter.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1730968307/sharkasaurus/description

The Last Day of Delta Green On Kickstarter

The explosively successful Kickstarter for Delta Green: The Role-Playing Game ends on October 29, 2015.

More than 2,300 backers have unlocked dozens of new projects for Delta Green, the award-winning modern-day setting of Cthulhu Mythos gaming. Here’s a look at what we’ve done, what’s to come, and how you can get your piece of it. But you have to act fast.

This project has funded dozens of books and downloads. Here are the biggest. Each of these books will be a full-color hardback between 160 and 320 pages long. The Handler’s Screen will be made of sturdy boards with an accompanying paperback book.

DELTA GREEN: THE ROLE-PLAYING GAME—AGENT’S HANDBOOK: Complete game rules; character creation; tips on playing specialized occupations such as federal agents and military operators; equipment and vehicles; sample characters; combat, Sanity, and Bonds; between-mission “Home” events; and more. Written by Dennis Detwiller, Chris Gunning, Shane Ivey, and Greg Stolze.

DELTA GREEN: THE ROLE-PLAYING GAME—CASE OFFICER’S HANDBOOK: An expanded core book that includes everything in the Agent’s Handbook plus chapters on creating scenarios; running campaigns and customizing the setting; creating and customizing Cthulhu Mythos tomes, monsters, spells, and alien artifacts; cults, factions, and threats; and more. Written by Dennis Detwiller, Adam Scott Glancy, Chris Gunning, Kenneth Hite, Shane Ivey, and Greg Stolze.

HANDLER’S SCREEN WITH QUICKSTART KIT: A sturdy, landscape-oriented screen. Includes a quickstart guide to the rules, sample characters, and a short starter scenario. Written by Shane Ivey and Bret Kramer.

IMPOSSIBLE LANDSCAPES: A sourcebook and campaign of Delta Green confronting Carcosa and the King in Yellow. Written by Dennis Detwiller with Daniel Harms, Robin Laws, and John Scott Tynes.

CONTROL GROUP: An introductory campaign built to ease new groups into Delta Green: The Role-Playing Game. Written by Greg Stolze.

DEEP STATE: A sourcebook detailing the projects and companies that spun off from Majestic-12 in the War on Terror. Written by Dennis Detwiller, Adam Scott Glancy, Chris Gunning, Kenneth Hite, and Shane Ivey.

PISCES: A sourcebook detailing the UK’s fraught paranormal program and Delta Green operations overseas. Written by Adam Crossingham, Adam Scott Glancy, Giles Hill, and others.

THE FALL OF DELTA GREEN: A Gumshoe RPG of Delta Green in the 1960s. Written by Kenneth Hite (Trail of Cthulhu, Night’s Black Agents) and published by Pelgrane Press.

One last book—our final goal

If the fundraiser hits $340,000, it unlocks one more full-color hardback book:

FALLING TOWERS: A campaign and sourcebook dedicated to Delta Green in New York City and its war against the infamous cult called the Fate. Written by Dennis Detwiller, Daniel Harms, and Shane Ivey.

Backers’ best options

Visit Delta-Green.com for a detailed breakdown of the optimal pledges.

http://www.delta-green.com/2015/10/the-last-day-of-delta-green/

Do you want just the free downloads for the minimum cost? Do you want the Agent's Handbook? The Case Officer's Handbook? The Fall of Delta Green? Do you want EVERYTHING? You have one day to make it happen.

Or go straight to Kickstarter to back Delta Green: The Role-Playing Game now.

Crowd Funding Kicks Off For "The Berzerk Death Dealer"

THE BERZERK DEATH DEALER IS A VISUALLY OUTSTANDING ROCK N' ROLL STYLISH ACTION COMIC!
THE BERZERK DEATH DEALER is an over the top, ultra stylish action gore fest written and created by Vishal Rajput. KILLER features: A Gothic style similar to the epic film THE CROW fused with a punk rock look, brutal John Woo style gun action,  and Vicious hand to hand combat in the vein of the Anime FIST OF THE NORTH STAR. 

 Young Diablo is one bad-ass dude that is armed to the teeth with his scythe guitar and punk rock guns killing in style with his loyal dog, Rockabella. As the number one assassin for the Demon Clan, he's got 99,999 heads to prove it. He can smoke a joint in one puff, drain a beer bottle in one gulp, and talk trash better than anyone. When he gets going, his blades sing, his fists fly, and his enemies' heads explode.

His demonic master, Basilisk, has plans for Diablo -- but everything changes when Diablo discovers his humanity after saving the life of a young mother. Now Basilisk is out to destroy Diablo, with the help of a new protégé -- Amon, a ruthless assassin formed from the souls of 1,000 serial killers.

 I first began following the project when it was initially set to be a feature film that would use mind-blowing, stylistically amazing concepts and special effects to create this killer story. You can read my interview with Vishal about his passion and vision for The Berzerk Death Dealer here: Dealing In Death And Anime: My Interview With Director Vishal Rajput  . The crowd funding campaign is taking place over on Indiegogo.com. 

Ogres Of The Hickory Cottage Book 1 By Char Goes Live

For Immediate Release

An Equal Opportunity Employer

The Hickory Cottage Book Exchange has begun revising their policy in the hiring of Ogres Boris and Lon. Since the two Ogres started working at the Ponchatoula used bookstore, three children and ten cats have been reported missing.

Book seller Charley is caught in a maze of books, murder and betrayal. To stay one step ahead of the law, she must betray two friends in order to protect her employees Boris and Lon, which happen to be two ogres who have a magical connection to Charley are at the center of a maelstrom involving murder and magic.

Char’s story is based on her experiences at her family’s used bookstore The Hickory Cottage Book Exchange located in a small town in Louisiana. The inspiration for her story came from a tale she told children who misbehaved in her bookstore. In this book the “tale” comes to life in the two main characters of two eight foot tall Ogres who work and live in the attic of the bookstore.

The characters in her story are based on her imagination and past customers who supported her book store through the years. Certain names have been changed to protect the innocent. Fans of Char’s blog and radio show Charred Remains will recognize certain names as the story unfolds.

Ogres of the Hickory Cottage is the first in a planned serial from the author. Char has been an indie horror reviewer for the past four years. Her passion for the horror genre and all things indie led to her being published in the 2012 anthology Dark Light published by Crushing Hearts and Black Butterflies and again in the 2013 follow up Dark Light 2 anthology.

Her serial can be categorized as urban fantasy with hints of mystery and horror. In her world humans co-exist with ogres, witches, ghosts, demons, tree spirits and other things that go bump in the night and blend in the daytime.

Monday-June 30^, 2014 Ogres of the Hickory Cottage will launch on Amazon.com. For more information about Ogres of the Hickory Cottage and future releases, book launch party event, please visit and sign up for her newsletter at her author’s facebook page Or her Charred Remains FB page.
The book link on Amazon: Ogres Of The Hickory Cottage

First Look At Star Trek Enterprise: Tower Of Babel

Star Trek: Enterprise: Rise of the Federation: Tower of Babel, an original Enterprise novel by Christopher L. Bennett, will arrive in stores and online in late March via Simon & Schuster/Pocket Boosk. StarTrek.com has an exclusive First Look at the cover and a plot synopsis straight from the publisher. 

The United Federation of Planets has weathered its first major crisis, but its growing pains are just beginning. Admiral Jonathan Archer hopes to bring the diverse inhabitants of the powerful and prosperous Rigel system into the Federation, jump-starting the young nation's growth and stabilizing a key sector of space. Archer and the Federation's top diplomats journey to the planetoid Babel to debate Rigel's admission…but a looming presidential race heats up the idealogical divide within the young nation, jeopardizing the talks and threatening to undo the fragile unity Archer has worked so hard to preserve.

Meanwhile, the sinister Orion Syndicate recruits new allies of its own, seeking to beat the Federation at its own game. Determined to keep Rigel out of the union, they help a hostile Rigelian faction capture sensitive statesecrets along with Starfleet hostages, including a young officer with a vital destiny. Captain Malcolm Reed, Captain T'Pol, and their courageous crews must now brave the wonders and dangers of Rigel's many worlds to track down the captives before the system is plunged into all-out war.

Rise of the Federation: Tower of Babel will run 368 pages long, cost $7.99 and be available as both a mass market paperback and eBook. Pre-order today at Amazon.com.

Three New Clips For “The Legend Of Hercules”

Three new clips have been released that show why Kellan Lutz as Hercules is the hottest thing ever. Check ‘em out below and get ready for some epic ass kickin’ on a mythological scale. “The Legend Of Hercules” is due out January 10 2014. The film is directed by Renny Harlin and also stars Scott Adkins, Gaia Weiss, Roxanne McKee, Liam McIntyre and Jonathan Schaech.

In Ancient Greece 1200 B.C., a queen succumbs to the lust of Zeus to bear a son promised to overthrow the tyrannical rule of the king and restore peace to a land in hardship. But this prince, Hercules, knows nothing of his real identity or his destiny. He desires only one thing: the love of Hebe, Princess of Crete, who has been promised to his own brother. When Hercules learns of his greater purpose, he must choose: to flee with his true love or to fulfill his destiny and become the true hero of his time. The story behind one of the greatest myths is revealed in this action-packed epic - a tale of love, sacrifice and the strength of the human spirit.

Cover Design For Christopher Rice’s The Heavens Rise

The cover design for Christopher Rice’s The Heavens Rise has been released. The book comes out October 15th which is the same day, mother’s -famed writer Anne Rice –  sequel to The Wolf Gift comes out. That book has been titled The Wolves of Midwinter.

New York Times bestselling author Christopher Rice returns to New Orleans in this supernatural novel featuring a group of teenagers who find themselves with mysterious and dangerous powers.

Deep in the swamps outside of New Orleans, Niquette Delongpre and her family uncover a well on their property—a well that has roots all the way down into the soils of the Mississippi River. A well that brings ancient things to the surface—things that should have stayed buried.

When Niquette is exposed to a small parasite, it triggers in her mysterious and dangerous powers. As she tries to come to grips with these new abilities and what they might mean for her future, she realizes that she is not alone. Someone else, someone who was exposed to the same mysterious parasite during a clandestine visit to the swamp Niquette would rather keep secret, also is discovering his new talents, and he’s not as nice as she is...

Excerpt:
"My name is Niquette Delongpre and on the night before my mother’s forty-seventh birthday, my entire family vanished without a trace. Everyone assumed the swamp swallowed them. They were wrong. The real story begins weeks earlier, in the very soil of the place we called Elysium, which means 'final resting place for the heroic and virtuous.' An ironic name, given that the secret unearthed there has the potential to change the course of human history."

Luminous Worlds By David C. Kopaska-Merkel

Book Worth Reading:

Check out this book of poetry by David C. Kopaska-Merkel. The collection is twenty years of life, science and mystery expressed through modern poetry that creates mystical journeys that blend science with soul. Currently being released through Dark Regions Press. Check it out!















Sample Of Kopaska-Merkel’s poetry

She's in the ice

By David C. Kopaska-Merkel

18 May 2009
Seemed like a good place
for the stolen mind
it needs to stay cool
and hidden
so we dug a room inside
an icy moonlet
and, well, we thought she was
comatose but maybe
she was simply exhausted
how else to explain
the haunting voices
her voices, that we hear
in every cable, every laser,
everything that passes through that moon
Who knew the switching station on one side
and the dormant mind on the other
could shake hands,
but they did
Now she's transmitting
copies of herself everywhere
netdogs have caught them all
so far but it's just a matter of time
we had to do something before,
you know, she found us
so it wasn't hard to steal enough explosives
to nudge the moonlet
In a few days
you'll need to duck
expect unusual weather:
a myriad hailstones
infected with her name

Edge Of Infinity Sci-Fi Anthology

Book Worth Reading:

The sci-fi anthology Edge Of Infinity releases November 27th thanks to Solaris Books.

"One small leap for a man, one giant leap for mankind."
 
Those were Neil Armstrong's immortal words when he became the first human being to step onto another world. Edge of Infinity is an exhilarating new hard SF anthology that looks at the next giant leap for humankind: the leap from our home world out into the Solar System.

Set to feature stories by Peter F. Hamilton, Hannu Rajaniemi, Alastair Reynolds, Daniel Abraham & Ty Franck, Stephen Baxter, Elizabeth Bear, Pat Cadiganm Gwyneth Jones, Paul McAuley, Sandra McDonald, An Owomoyela, Bruce Sterling, Peter Watts and Walter John Williams. Edge of Infinity is hard SF adventure as its best and most exhilarating.

check it out here!

Clockwork Dolls By William Meikle

Book Worth Reading:

William Meikle’s Clockwork Dolls releases on January 29th from DarkFuse. The novella explores the almost supernatural and transcendent possibilities of the true power and construct of the human mind. From the brain and all that lies within is there more than just the simple mass induction of chemical reactions that create sustainable function. Or is there more to it. Some unseen intelligence at work that may provide those age old answers to man’s questions.

Does all human passion, all memory, all imagination come merely from the chemistry in our brains, like the movements of a clock follow from the arrangement of its cogs and wheels? Are we just clockwork dolls? Or is there an organizing principle at work, something we can ask for answers to the important questions of existence... something that might answer?

Dave Burns has asked.

Now he, and his friends, might not live long enough to understand the reply.

Mark your calendars and check it out here! also you can read an excerpt from the novella at the Darkfuse site.

Push Comes To Shove By J.L. O’Faolain

Book Worth Reading:

Arriving October 15th from Dreamspinner Press comes J.L. O"’Faolain’s novel Push Comes To Shove. Super-powered superhero Push and his human partner, Scratch, have been best friends and roommates for years. Push is the gay poster child for the Real-Life Superhero Association. Unfortunately, Scratch is straight, which makes Push’s suppressed feelings for him problematic—but not as problematic as their next assignment.

Push and Scratch’s job: rehabilitating Wrath, a recently released super-villain, complete with super powers of his own. It’s not easy to trust someone who used to be on the other side, and Wrath’s presence creates just the wrong kind of friction. When a bank-robbing practical joker throws a wrench in their plans and leads them on a wild chase across the southern United States, Push, Scratch, and Wrath have to leave their baggage behind and work together. But there are more secrets and danger awaiting them, and super powers may not be enough. Available as an eRead or Paperback.
check it out here!

My Review Of Shine By Jeri Smith-Ready

Shine is the third and final novel in the Shade Trilogy from Jeri Smith-Ready and a powerful ending it was. The story of Aura Salvatore is truly on epic adventure with some very intense and terrifying exclamations which suck the ready in completely. Where book two takes a calming breath with minor fluctuation in drama book three goes full out suspense in it’s approach. There are only a few moments were this story takes pause to allow the characters a moment of emotional reflection. For the most of Aura as well as Zachary’s journey to find safety from the DMP while seeking answers about themselves they encounter some moments of truly terrifying exploits.

Put together the Shade Trilogy speaks to events of the last decade with a clear cadence. There are striking parallels to the world in which Aura and Zachary are apart of that mirror modern events and fears that lie only above a whisper within Western society today. Shine is a great climactic finish to a very haunting and poignant love story where young people face so much more conscious affirmations than previous generations faced as they step out into the world to find their own way. The story and struggles weaved within Shade than rise to a fevered, nail-biting finish is one of truly creative confluence of metaphysical and emotional prevalence. The Shade series is a ghost story amplified with it’s mystical and imaginative backdrop where both real life and spiritual acknowledgment are forced to coexist. I truly enjoyed this trilogy written by Jeri Smith-Ready and relish the exploration of her other works.

Osama By Lavie Tidhar

Book Worth Reading:

Lavie Tidhar’s highly-praised and BSFA Award-nominated novel Osama is being published in paperback in October.
The outspoken and controversial Israeli-born author delivers the most exciting, daring and sensitive, fictional engagement with the post-9/11 era. Tidhar was in Dar-es-Salaam during the American embassy bombings in 1998, stayed in the same hotel as the Al Qaeda operatives in Nairobi, and narrowly avoided both the 2005 London, King’s Cross and 2004 Sinai attacks – all of which has informed this vital book.The critical reception of Osama has been nothing short of astonishing – making it a must-read novel for both genre and mainstream readers.
 
In an alternate world without global terrorism, a private detective is hired by a mysterious woman to track down the obscure creator of the fictional vigilante, Osama Bin Laden...
His identity slowly fragments as he discovers the shadowy world of the Refugees, ghostly entities haunting the world in which he lives. Where do they come from? What do they want? Joe knows how the story should end, but is he ready for the truths he will uncover... or the choice he will have to make?
 
check it out here!

My Review Of “Shift” Book Two In The Shade Trilogy

Jeri Smith-Ready’s “Shift” is the second novel in the young adult trilogy “Shade”. The story continues the supernatural reality that is our world after a cosmic change makes ghosts common place. It follows the life of post Shifter Aura Salvatore. This second novel manages to grab that intensity and emotion that the first novel builds and carry it further into the complexity of a world fighting to deal with ghosts and young people as crucial aspects of a functioning society. After all only persons born after the shift-16 or 17 years in the trilogy’s time space can see the departed which makes them necessary to create a realistic melding of the dead into a living world. A story that could be a perfect metaphor for many of todays social issues that are under scrutiny. What adds to the suspense of “Shift” is the expanded story of the DMP and the British counter-part MI-X. The organization responsible for handling all affairs dealing with human/paranormal coexistence.

In this second installment the events that unfold create an atmosphere of darker, more surreal fears and outcomes for the heroine and those around her. There is more answers to fascinating questions brought up in the first novel that make the story seem eternally epic. However not enough to give the impression that the story can only go so far because as the novel propels the misadventures of Aura’s life forward even more questions and fears arise giving new blood to the characters and their situation. There are a few aspects of “Shift” that seem to lull with the stereotypical world of a teenager that for me personally as an adult seemed to make the story drag but this trilogy is intended for the young adult/teen audience. Incidentally it is the same frustrations I held toward “Twilight Saga”. I have to say that this does have any real impact on the novel because just as the story seems to wane in thrills from an ordinary teenage life the suspense soon rushes back into the book even stronger. Plus the climactic end that creates the epic cliffhanger moment for the reader is beyond intense. I actually gasped and felt a bit frustrated or was it appalled at the ending. Maybe it was simply devastation because the ending was big. Thankfully though third in this supernatural trilogy is already at my nightstand and ready for me to find out how the life of Aura Salvatore ends, whether it be tragic or triumphant I can not wait. I still stand with my argument that not all young adult/teen novels are only good for that group and hold well to an even greater audience appreciation. I love this story and I am invested in these kids welfare! Not to mention finally finding out the great revelations surrounding the “Shift”.

25 cent Rocket Ship To The Stars By G.O. Clark

Book Worth Reading:

G.O. Clark is the author of six chapbooks of poetry.  25 cent Rocket Ship to the Stars includes thirty-five science fiction poems.

His poems, stories, and book reviews have been published in numerous journals since 1979. He lives in Davis, CA in a mobil home with his cat Ariel.

Signed Poetry Collection

check it out here!

For The Long Run By Elizabeth Noble

Book Worth Reading:

Elizabeth Noble’s For The Long Run comes out September 12th from Dreamspinner Press and is on my wishlist. So mark your calendars for this book worth reading!

Description:
After being bullied into the closet by his conservative senator father, Jay Molloy reconciles himself to a life of one-night stands instead of the loving D/s relationship he craves. When he meets the man of his dreams, trained Dom Eric Keger, all Jay dares to hope for is a quick fling. Eric has other ideas. He’s been hired by Jay’s father to run security at the family’s hunting resort, but now he has his heart set on Jay.
When murder victims begin to turn up at the resort, Eric and Jay start an investigation, but chasing down the killer proves less frustrating than dealing with Jay’s abusive, homophobic father. Exploring their new relationship would be hard enough on their own, but Eric and Jay also have to deal with politics, Jay’s fake fiancée, and a murderer who may be something more than human.

Check it out here!

My Review Of Shade By Jeri Smith Ready

Jeri Smith-Ready’s Shade was released in May of 2010 and is the first novel in the supernatural series. It is aimed at a young adult/teen demographic. My cousin asked me if I knew of the series and offered to send me a copy to read. I love to read and when the topics are centered in the same universe as my supernatural/sci-fi/horror obsessed world then it is like cotton candy on a sunny spring day at the amusement park! The story centers on a group of friends trying to cope with being teenagers, their future and friendships and life after “the shift” a time when the ghosts once only visible to a few mediums throughout the world now are visible to a growing majority making the spirits an active part of society. In return making the new breed of seers crucial and necessary tools for a proactive government. Ah for me this the quintessential issue that pulled me into this melancholy world as seen through the eyes of the teenager. Not that the book is depressive but the concept of a world where young people, the first generations after the shift are not only dealing with the intensity of hormonal not-yet-fully mature social awkwardness, but also forced to cope with a world flooded with the spirits of the departed. That doesn’t even begin the depth that this story idea unfolds with ease and mystification.

As this book begins the characters read like any other young adult novel filled with adults who just don’t get it and kids on the verge of everything with an epic exhaustiveness. That is the typical teenager, filled with so much potential for awesome-ness and yet bound by a tragic sense of despair.  Anyway back to the book. Ready takes on this world of new normality that has altered the way the world runs with a sweet, mindful appreciation pulling us into the story casually and seductively. You actually want to know these characters as they deal with daily affairs of school, rules, and a government flooded future forward propaganda on a global scale. In this world it is mostly the teenagers and children that are forced to really  carry the burden of life surrounded by ghosts. Ghosts that are now secondary citizens with limited but accepted rights as most human beings. I am being elusive in my description of this plotline because I do not want to spoil it for any future readers. Anyway the novel is easy to read and relatable even to adults especially if you love supernatural drama storylines that both drift through your mind softly and take you to the brink of dark intensity in waves.

For me the novel manages to mesmerize with the ideas surrounding the concept of New Age practice displayed in a very scientifically grounded way that makes sense of the metaphysical world without over complicating or sounding to officially descriptive or explanative. It allows for questions to rush through your head as you begin to understand things like “shades”, “Black-boxed” areas, the power of red, and the beauty of violet. For me it held a soft sentimental and universally spiritual feel much like Ghost Whisperer brought to television. The similarities are very few though in only that both stories emphasize on the passing on of the departed as opposed to the angry spirit that transforms to something unrecognizable and dangerous. Don’t let this relaxed description of the story misguide you in any way. There are some dark and intense moments within Shade and the story is definitely a steady built to a more sinister story that is hinted to within these pages. All of which combine to create a great literary ride into a world that is truly supernatural. The first novel is only the tip of the mystical apex that will rise to a grandiosely metaphysical climax. The novel is easy to read and flows perfectly as you learn about the characters and what life is for them and how the world after “the shift” has evolved. I definitely enjoyed this novel and I am hooked on the lives and progression of these characters. Definitely read Shade if you haven’t yet. Now I am on to book two of the series- Shift.

Jeri Smith-Ready