Alan Baxter

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About Alan Baxter
Alan Baxter is a British-Australian, multi-award-winning author of horror, supernatural thrillers, and dark fantasy. He’s also a martial arts expert, a whisky-soaked swear monkey, and dog lover. He creates dark, weird stories among dairy paddocks on the beautiful south coast of NSW, Australia, where he lives with his wife, son, hound and other creatures.
He is the author of several novels, including the Alex Caine trilogy, Bound, Obsidian and Abduction, The Balance duology, RealmShift and MageSign, the urban horror noir novel, Hidden City, and the horror/crime thriller Devouring Dark. He’s also written several novellas, including the cosmic horror thriller The Book Club, the supernatural noir Eli Carver novella series, Manifest Recall and Recall Night, with a third volume on the way, and the wildly popular gonzo horror novella, The Roo. A new collection of five interconnected horror novellas, The Gulp, came out this year.
Alan has also had more than 80 short fiction publications in journals and anthologies in Australia, the US, the UK, France, Germany and Japan, including The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Daily Science Fiction, and many others. Alan has two volumes of collected short fiction, Crow Shine and Served Cold.
At times, Alan collaborates with US action/adventure bestselling author, David Wood. Together they have co-authored the short horror novel, Dark Rite, four action thrillers in The Jake Crowley Adventures, and the Sam Aston Investigations giant monster thrillers Primordial and Overlord, with a third in that series due any time now.
Alan has been an eight-time finalist in the Aurealis Awards, an eight-time finalist in the Australian Shadows Awards and a seven-time finalist in the Ditmar Awards. From those shortlistings he won the 2014 Australian Shadows Award for Best Short Story (“Shadows of the Lonely Dead”), the 2015 Australian Shadows Paul Haines Award For Long Fiction (“In Vaulted Halls Entombed”), the 2016 Australian Shadows Award for Best Collection (Crow Shine), and the 2019 Australian Shadows Award for Best Collection (Served Cold). He is also a past winner of the AHWA Short Story Competition (“It’s Always the Children Who Suffer”). Alan’s first collection, Crow Shine, also made the preliminary ballot for the 2016 Bram Stoker Award (TM) for Best Collection.
Read extracts from his novels and novellas, and find free short stories at his website – www.alanbaxter.com.au – or find him on Twitter @AlanBaxter and Facebook, and feel free to tell him what you think. About anything.
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Blog postThere’s a great group on Facebook called Books of Horror. Honestly, it’s almost all I do on FB these days, and it makes the whole site a lot more worthwhile. Apart from being one of the most friendly and supportive groups on there, it’s an absolute treasure trove of great book recommendations. One of the members there, Charlie Salt, started posting some truly definitive lists of the group’s recommendations, organised by genre, subject, etc. Rather than risk them being lost in the ever-rolling3 weeks ago Read more
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Blog postThis post is going to be self-indulgent! The Aurealis Awards are Australia’s premiere genre fiction awards. Celebrating all forms of fantasy, science-fiction and horror, they’ve been around since 1995. It’s no lie to admit that ever since I started writing seriously, I’ve coveted one. They really are the pinnacle of peer-recognition outside of the obvious […]
The post I WON AN AUREALIS AWARD! appeared first on Alan Baxter - Warrior Scribe.
1 month ago Read more -
Blog postWhile chatting to some friends about Dungeons & Dragons recently we started talking about our own jobs as a D&D character class. It was kinda fun to think about how the main stats of a D&D character sheet would apply to our gigs. Because I’m a massive nerd, I started thinking about it in more detail and writing it down. And here’s what I came up with for Writer as a D&D Character Class.
All D&D characters have 6 primary stats, so let’s start with those:
STR1 month ago Read more -
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Blog postBLIND EYE MOON are the best band in the world. At least, that’s true in the fictional world of Gulpepper. They first appeared in “The Band Plays On” in THE GULP, and they get another turn later on in THE FALL. A lot of people started talking about how the band should have their own line of merch, like a real band. It seemed like a fun idea. So I designed a band logo (with some valuable help from my friend, Dennis Lum – thanks, Dennis!) The logo is what you see there on the left.
I’ve2 months ago Read more -
Blog postThe cat is out of the bag! I am so excited this news is finally being released. I’ve been sitting on this amazing thing, sworn to secrecy, for more than two years! My story “In Vaulted Halls Entombed” has been adapted into an amazing animation for the new season of the Netflix Original Series, LOVE, […]
The post Love, Death + Robots S3, featuring ME! appeared first on Alan Baxter - Warrior Scribe.
2 months ago Read more -
Blog postSallow Bend has an AMAZING cover. Look at it! (Click on it for a bigger version.) This is my my 8th full-length solo novel, and my first full-length solo novel since 2018. I’m so excited for it to be out in the world, and now it has this superb jacket by Francois Vaillancourt. You can read the first three chapters here to whet your appetite. The book is coming out through Cemetery Dance Publications in August 2022, so look out for pre-orders around July.
Something old and deadly has a2 months ago Read more -
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Blog postEverything is coming up Gulpepper lately and I couldn’t be happier or more proud. Firstly, the second book of Tales From The Gulp, The Fall, is out today! Go grab it, please!
It’s worth bearing in mind that this isn’t so much a sequel as a continuation. The Gulp contains 5 interconnected novellas, each one a standalone story, but across all five you can see a bigger story unfolding. The Fall is also a set of 5 novellas, again each one stands alone as a story in its own right, but3 months ago Read more -
Blog postTo celebrate the release of The Fall, I’ve got a special offer for Aussies. If you buy paperback copies of both The Gulp and The Fall together, you can have free shipping. So you get both books, both signed, and sent directly to your house for $49.90. Make sure you select Australia Shipping or it’ll charge you an extra $10. (If you’re not in Australia and want signed copies, click here.)
Aussies: If you’re keen, click here! I’m afraid I can only offer this in Australia because po3 months ago Read more -
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Blog postI was teaching a qigong class this morning and, obviously, my phone is on silent while I do that. But from the corner of my eye I kept seeing it flash with notifications. So during the break, I had a quick look in case someone from school was trying to reach me about my kid […]
The post Holy shit, I’m a 3-time finalist in the 2021 Aurealis Awards! appeared first on Alan Baxter - Warrior Scribe.
3 months ago Read more -
Blog postI was very happy when Clan Destine Press asked me if I’d like to edit together an anthology of horror stories for them. I said, “What about supernatural horror and crime, combined?” and they said, “Fuck, yes!” Thus was the concept for Damnation Games born. It’s no secret to anyone that I’m a huge fan of Clive Barker – his work has influenced mine more than anyone else. So yes, the name is a nod to the debut Clive Barker novel, The Damnation Game. But that’s only a tiny hint at what will hopef3 months ago Read more
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Titles By Alan Baxter
Includes "In Vaulted Halls Entombed" featured in the Netflix Original Series Love, Death & Robots.
"Alan Baxter is Australia's master of literary darkness." — This Is Horror
Collected together for the first time ever, these sixteen provocative and intensely chilling tales by multi-award-winning-author Alan Baxter venture into the depths of the darkest and most shadowy places where unspeakable horrors are the predators and we the willing prey.
Prepare for an always terrifying, frequently heartbreaking journey in multiple stages, each piece echoing Alan Baxter’s unique voice that effortlessly blends horror, fantasy and the weird with elements of the dark fantastique, resulting in an unforgettable volume of fiction.
Praise for Served Cold:
“Step into the ring with Alan Baxter, I dare you. He writes with the grace, precision, and swift brutality of a prizefighter. Served Cold is a stellar showcase for his talents. If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading him yet, start here!” — Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author of Ararat and The Pandora Room
“In Served Cold Alan Baxter shows off his impressive versatility and range with a host of stories that mix old school terrors with very now concerns. At turns creepy and visceral, Baxter delivers the horror goods.” — Paul Tremblay, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of A Head Full of Ghosts and The Cabin at the End of the World
“Alan Baxter’s Served Cold is a feast for readers, who will push back from the table wanting more!” — John F.D. Taff, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of The Fearing and The End in All Beginnings
Proudly presented by Grey Matter Press, the independent home of multiple award-winning and Bram Stoker Award-nominated titles.
Grey Matter Press: Where Dark Thoughts Thrive
Strange things happen in The Gulp. The residents have grown used to it.
The isolated Australian harbour town of Gulpepper is not like other places. Some maps don’t even show it. And only outsiders use the full name. Everyone who lives there calls it The Gulp. The place has a habit of swallowing people.
A man enjoying early retirement makes the mistake of visiting The Gulp.
A fishing boat crew find themselves somewhere entirely unexpected.
A farmer has an argument with his wife that turns violent and then entirely catastrophic.
A Venture Scout troop from Enden travel a little too far on their bush excursion.
Everything that’s been getting stranger than usual in The Gulp begins to run completely out of control.
Five more novellas. Five more descents into darkness.
Welcome to The Gulp, where nothing is as it seems.
“If you’re a fan of one town horror anthologies with a best of 80s vibe (like anything from Castle Rock or Josh Malerman’s Goblin) then you really should get yourself some ‘Tales from the Gulp‘ by Alan Baxter.” – Sarah Pinborough, bestselling author of BEHIND HER EYES
Strange things happen in The Gulp. The residents have grown used to it. The isolated Australian harbour town of Gulpepper is not like other places. Some maps don’t even show it. And only outsiders use the full name. Everyone who lives there calls it The Gulp. The place has a habit of swallowing people.
A truck driver thinks the stories about The Gulp are made up to scare him. Until he gets there.
Teenage siblings try to cover up the death of their mother, but their plans go drastically awry.
A rock band invite four backpackers to a party at their house, where things get dangerously out of hand.
A young man loses a drug shipment and his boss gives him 48 hours to make good on his mistake.
Under the blinking eye of the old lighthouse, a rock fisher makes the strangest catch of his life.
Five novellas. Five descents into darkness. Welcome to The Gulp, where nothing is as it seems.
PRAISE FOR THE GULP:
“If you’re a fan of one town horror anthologies with a best of 80s vibe (like anything from Castle Rock or Josh Malerman’s Goblin) then you really should get yourself some ‘Tales from the Gulp‘ by Alan Baxter.” – Sarah Pinborough, bestselling author of BEHIND HER EYES
“…filled with relentless tension.” – Hellnotes
“A gifted horror writer pulls terror out of the everyday. Alan Baxter is one such author, and this collection is a masterly concoction.” – Clare Rhoden in Aurealis Magazine
“Baxter’s book is a clinic on how to tell a tale of horror. Baxter builds a unique and intricate history of his world that is wonderful, horrifying, deep, and unique. I can’t wait for you all to read it! …order a copy for yourself and visit the town of Gulpepper…hopefully you survive the trip.” – Grimm Deathwish at Horror Fuel
“Alan Baxter has created a stunning collection of small town horror that perfectly blends tones and themes of The Twilight Zone, Stranger Things, Castle Rock, The X-Files and Twin Peaks – in an Irresistible concoction of the weird and macabre, small town horror has never had it so good” – Ross Jeffery at Storgy Magazine
"Welcome to The Gulp, a town of eldritch terrors, disturbing mysteries, and pulpy horror at its absolute best. Vividly created and authentically Aussie, these novellas are delicious fun for fans of the genre. Prepare to revel in them, but beware... they will creep into your dreams." - Joanne Anderton, award-winning author of The Bone Chime Song & Other StoriesPRAISE FOR ALAN BAXTER:
“Alan Baxter is Australia’s master of literary darkness.” – This Is Horror
“Alan Baxter is an accomplished storyteller who ably evokes magic and menace.” – Laird Barron, author of Swift to Chase
"Baxter delivers the horror goods.” – Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts
“Alan Baxter is one of the best horror writers in the business.” – Kealan Patrick Burke, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Turtle Boy, Kin, and Sour Candy
“Step into the ring with Alan Baxter, I dare you.
The world's greatest theme park has a new main attraction!
When on old friend calls for help, Sam Aston returns to the home town he tried to leave behind. It soon becomes apparent there is something loose in the rainforest, and everybody wants a piece of it. Aston and adventure television show host, Jo Slater, find themselves in a race against local criminal elements, environmental extremists, and mysterious mercenaries to find the creature before it kills again. Sam enlists the aid of his old rival, park ranger Rusty Crews, and Ned King, a naturalist with a flair for self-promotion, who would like nothing better than to find the perfect main attraction for Crocalypse, his new bio theme park.
Crocalypse - An action-packed monster thriller with bite!
Adventure, Science Fiction, and Horror converge in the Sam Aston Investigations series by the USA Today Bestselling author of Loch and the Australian Shadows Award winning author of The Roo!
Praise for The Sam Aston Investigations!
“Crocalypse is Jurassic Park on steroids!” Melissa Bowersock, Author of the Lacey Fitzpatrick and Sam Firecloud Mystery Series.
"The team who took aquatic terror to new depths are turning their talented attentions to caves deep below the Antarctic ice, where ancient carvings and strange symbols have been found, as well as a potentially invaluable crystalline energy source... it's is part At the Mountains of Madness, part The Thing, part Aliens… it’s another summer blockbuster waiting to happen, full speed ahead and damn the special effects budget. Also, no sheep were harmed in the making of this book (that I know of)." Christine Morgan, The Horror Fiction Review
"A great adventure story mixed with a creature feature! A book that grabbed my attention early and held on!" Brian's Book Blog
Renegade marine biologist Sam Aston is back for a second outing in what is shaping up to be a must-read aquatic adventure series! Danger and intrigue lurk both above and below in this action-filled, white-knuckle romp with a breathtaking conclusion!- Rick Chesler, author of Sawfish
“Everything you’d want from a monster story – great characters, a remote location and a creature with bite! Mixing history and lore with science and action, David Wood and Alan Baxter have penned a thriller that is hard to put down.” Jeremy Robinson, author, Island 731
“Bone-cracking terror from the stygian depths! A creature thriller that is both intelligent and visceral. I could hear the Jaws soundtrack playing on repeat, although that might have been my heart pounding.” Lee Murray, author, Into the Mist
“One of the best, the most thoroughly delightful and satisfying, books that I've read in quite some time. A serious out-of-the-park type of home run hit.” Christine Morgan, The Horror Fiction Review
Sometimes, the legends are true.
When eccentric billionaire, Ellis Holloway, hires renegade marine biologist, Sam Aston, to investigate the legend of a monster in a remote Finnish lake, Aston envisions an easy paycheck and a chance to clear his gambling debts. But he gets much more. There is something terrible living beneath the dark waters of Lake Kaarme and it is hungry.
As the death toll mounts, Aston faces superstitious locals, a power-hungry police chief, and a benefactor’s descent into madness as he races to find the legendary beast of the lake.
Adventure, Science Fiction, and Horror converge in the Sam Aston Investigations series by the USA Today Bestselling author of the Dane Maddock Adventures and the Australian Shadows Award winning author of The Roo!
Praise for the Sam Aston Investigations!
"Everything you'd want from a monster story – great characters, a remote location and a creature with bite! Mixing history and lore with science and action, David Wood and Alan Baxter have penned a thriller that is hard to put down." Jeremy Robinson, author of Island 731
"Bone-cracking terror from the stygian depths! A creature thriller that is both intelligent and visceral. I could hear the Jaws soundtrack playing on repeat, although that might have been my heart pounding." Lee Murray, author of Into the Mist
"One of the best, the most thoroughly delightful and satisfying, books that I've read in quite some time. A serious out-of-the-park type of home run hit." Christine Morgan, The Horror Fiction Review
"As Adventure Thrillers go, you can't go wrong with Wood and Baxter!" The Grim Reader
"The team who took aquatic terror to new depths are turning their talented attentions to caves deep below the Antarctic ice, where ancient carvings and strange symbols have been found, as well as a potentially invaluable crystalline energy source... it's is part At the Mountains of Madness, part The Thing, part Aliens… it's another summer blockbuster waiting to happen, full speed ahead and damn the special effects budget. Also, no sheep were harmed in the making of this book (that I know of)." Christine Morgan, The Horror Fiction Review
"A great adventure story mixed with a creature feature! A book that grabbed my attention early and held on!" Brian's Book Blog
"Renegade marine biologist Sam Aston is back for a second outing in what is shaping up to be a must-read aquatic adventure series! Danger and intrigue lurk both above and below in this action-filled, white-knuckle romp with a breathtaking conclusion!" Rick Chesler, author of Sawfish
A lost book holds the secret to eternal life.
Archaeologists excavating a mass grave in a historic New York City cemetery make a gruesome discovery: stacked like cord wood are skeletal remains going back decades, but all have one thing in common. Each skull bears a hole in the exact same location. When their friend is murdered investigating this bizarre discovery, Jake Crowley and Rose Black set off in search of the killer. Their path will take them to abandoned hospitals, hidden chambers, and into the depths of the strange world that lies beneath New York City in search of Edgar Allan Poe's secret journal.
Praise for David Wood and Alan Baxter
“Blood Codex is a genuine up all night got to see what happens next thriller that grabs you from the first page and doesn't let go until the last.” Steven Savile
“Rip roaring action from start to finish. Wit and humor throughout. Just one question - how soon until the next one? Because I can't wait.” Graham Brown
“A page-turning yarn. Indiana Jones better watch his back!”Jeremy Robinson
“A a story that thrills and makes one think beyond the boundaries of mere fiction and enter the world of 'why not'?” David Lynn Golemon,
“A twisty tale of adventure and intrigue that never lets up and never lets go!” Robert Masello
“A fast-paced storyline that holds the reader right from the start,. and a no-nonsense story-telling approach that lets the unfolding action speak for itself.” Van Ikin
“With mysterious rituals, macabre rites and superb supernatural action scenes, Wood and Baxter deliver a fast-paced horror thriller.” J.F.Penn
“Wood and Baxter have taken on the classic black magic/cult conspiracy subgenre, chucked in a toxic mix of weirdness, creepshow chills and action, and created a tale that reads like a latter-day Hammer Horror thriller. Nice, dark fun.” Robert Hood
What lurks beneath the ice?
Marine biologist Sam Aston is hired to explore a series of subterranean caverns deep beneath the Antarctic. Somewhere within this lost world of magnificent caverns and underground seas lies a source of limitless clean energy, but something guards this treasure. As enemies bent on obtaining this world-changing resource for themselves close in from above, Aston and his team plunge further into the depths, and discover they are not the first to come this way...and thy are not alone.
As the death toll mounts, Aston and his companions are forced to uncover secrets hidden far beneath the ice. Danger lurks at every turn as they face the deadly threat of the Overlord!
Adventure, Science Fiction, and Horror converge in the Sam Aston Investigations series by the USA Today Bestselling author of Loch and the Australian Shadows Award winning author of The Roo!
Praise for the Sam Aston Investigations
"The team who took aquatic terror to new depths are turning their talented attentions to caves deep below the Antarctic ice, where ancient carvings and strange symbols have been found, as well as a potentially invaluable crystalline energy source... it's is part At the Mountains of Madness, part The Thing, part Aliens… it’s another summer blockbuster waiting to happen, full speed ahead and damn the special effects budget. Also, no sheep were harmed in the making of this book (that I know of)." Christine Morgan, The Horror Fiction Review
"A great adventure story mixed with a creature feature! A book that grabbed my attention early and held on!" Brian's Book Blog
"Renegade marine biologist Sam Aston is back for a second outing in what is shaping up to be a must-read aquatic adventure series! Danger and intrigue lurk both above and below in this action-filled, white-knuckle romp with a breathtaking conclusion!" Rick Chesler, author of Sawfish
"Everything you'd want from a monster story – great characters, a remote location and a creature with bite! Mixing history and lore with science and action, David Wood and Alan Baxter have penned a thriller that is hard to put down." Jeremy Robinson, author of Island 731
"Bone-cracking terror from the stygian depths! A creature thriller that is both intelligent and visceral. I could hear the Jaws soundtrack playing on repeat, although that might have been my heart pounding." Lee Murray, author of Into the Mist
"One of the best, the most thoroughly delightful and satisfying, books that I've read in quite some time. A serious out-of-the-park type of home run hit." Christine Morgan, The Horror Fiction Review
"As Adventure Thrillers go, you can't go wrong with Wood and Baxter!" The Grim Reader
A quiet English village harbors a dark secret.
Trying to escape his past, veteran Jake Crowley takes a teaching position in the village of Market Scarston. But his slow rehabilitation is interrupted when a group of students are apparently attacked by Black Shuck, the legendary demon dog, and Crowley attracts the attention of a secret society dating back to the days of the Roman Empire. See how it all began for Jake Crowley and Rose Black in this prequel novella, SANCTUM!
Praise for David Wood and Alan Baxter
“A genuine up all night got to see what happens next thriller that grabs you from the first page and doesn't let go until the last.” Steven Savile
“Rip roaring action from start to finish. Wit and humor throughout. Just one question - how soon until the next one? Because I can't wait.” Graham Brown
“A page-turning yarn. Indiana Jones better watch his back!”Jeremy Robinson
“A a story that thrills and makes one think beyond the boundaries of mere fiction and enter the world of 'why not'?” David Lynn Golemon,
“A twisty tale of adventure and intrigue that never lets up and never lets go!” Robert Masello
“A fast-paced storyline that holds the reader right from the start,. and a no-nonsense story-telling approach that lets the unfolding action speak for itself.” Van Ikin
“With mysterious rituals, macabre rites and superb supernatural action scenes, Wood and Baxter deliver a fast-paced horror thriller.” J.F.Penn
“Wood and Baxter have taken on the classic black magic/cult conspiracy subgenre, chucked in a toxic mix of weirdness, creepshow chills and action, and created a tale that reads like a latter-day Hammer Horror thriller. Nice, dark fun.” Robert Hood
Alex Caine has been suffering the weight of the world, and some days it's hard to even get out of bed. Alone one night, a band of Fey overwhelm him and steal him away from the mortal realm. Silhouette, desperate to save her lover, calls in Armour, but the organization seems reluctant to help.
Claude Darvill, his fragile alliance with Alex at an end, is still searching for the remains of his father, Robert Hood. In frozen wastes of Iceland, Darvill is driven by a deep-burning grudge and a need for revenge. His efforts are backed by all the considerable resources of Black Diamond Incorporated.
Silhouette must overcome her greatest fears and use all her skills to locate Alex. Even if she can find him, that's just the start of their problems.
In this third Alex Caine book, sequel to Bound and Obsidian, old enemies and new share a common goal. Alex Caine hates to be the center of attention, but he and Silhouette need to pull together as the world is threatened once more, and only Alex can save it.
Enlisted into a clandestine operation to head off an impending doom foreseen by the Seers, and pursued by a deadly enemy, Alex Caine is caught in a vortex and pulled through to a strange lost city, isolated in the void,
Trapped in a place removed from everything they know, ruled by a hierarchy of monsters, Alex must find a way to escape OBSIDIAN.
"If Stephen King and Jim Butcher ever had a love child, it would be Alan Baxter!"- Smashdragons
Some doors should never be opened.
When Rose Black’s sister goes missing, she once again calls upon Jake Crowley for help, but the two get more than they bargained for. The search takes them on a twisting journey, where danger lies at every turn. From ancient pyramids to lost cities, deadly cultists and conspirators lie in wait as Jake and Rose navigate depths few have dared on a pulse-pounding search for the ANUBIS KEY!
Praise for David Wood and Alan Baxter
"A genuine up all night got to see what happens next thriller that grabs you from the first page and doesn't let go until the last." Steven Savile, author of SILVER
“Mixing history and lore with science and action, David Wood and Alan Baxter have penned a thriller that is hard to put down.” —Jeremy Robinson, author of Island 731
“Bone-cracking terror from the stygian depths, Primordial explodes off the page!.” –Lee Murray, author, Into the Mist
“One of the best, the most thoroughly delightful and satisfying, books that I've read in quite some time. A serious out-of-the-park type of home run hit.” —Christine Morgan, The Horror Fiction Review
“A sinister tale of black magic and horror – not for the faint hearted.” - Greig Beck, bestselling author of Beneath the Dark Ice and Black Mountain
“With mysterious rituals, macabre rites and superb supernatural action scenes, Wood and Baxter deliver a fast-paced horror thriller.” -J.F.Penn, author of the bestselling ARKANE thriller series
"Wood and Baxter have taken on the classic black magic/cult conspiracy subgenre, chucked in a toxic mix of weirdness, creepshow chills and action, and created a tale that reads like a latter-day Hammer Horror thriller. Nice, dark fun."
Robert Hood, author of Immaterial and Fragments of a Broken Land: Valarl Undead
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