Let's go ahead and add this book as yet another contender for Best Book of the Year.
Genre - Horror/Vampire/History
Year Published - 2018
Published by Darker Worlds Publishing
Length - 394 pages
Written by +Thomas S Flowers
Plot Summary:
In the year 2044, reporters from the Public Relations Ministry gather at the home of Benjamin Harker, the last surviving member of the Harlem Hellfighters.
At the age of 144, he is the oldest recorded man alive. Hidden among them, Clyde Bruner is looking for a different kind of story.
Across the United States, despite the Great Walls and patrol drones built to keep America secure, something has found its way in. And now towns are vanishing during the night.
Entire populations, gone. Only to return after the sun sets, changed, unholy, and lethal. And whatever this evil is, its spreading west.
According to a bedtime story Bruner’s grandfather told him when he was a boy, Benjamin Harker has seen this before. He’s faced this scourge. Fought this evil. Survived them. Killed them.
From the trenches of the Great War to the jungles of Vietnam to the sands of Iraq, Harker will search his past to save our future. But as each city light extinguishes across the country, is there no time left to stop what's coming?
Review:
Before I review the book, how about the cover? I love this cover - it gets my vote for best book cover of the year. Simple yet terrifying! (for the curious, the cover is by author +Michael Bray)
Thomas S. Flowers (author of Lanmó, The Incredible Zilch Von Whitstein, and Planet of the Dead) has created a riveting story reminiscent of my favorite book of 2016 - Brett McBean's The Awakening. (Reminiscent as to the style of storytelling)
Rich in character development, this is a character-driven story. Being completely honest, I will say that the "horror" within the story is minimal, but when it is there, it is pulse-pounding! (If the Intro to the story doesn't rivet you to the edge of your seat, I don't know what will.)
I thoroughly enjoyed how Flowers takes us back and forth in time, through the memories of the main character, Benjamin Harker. They are kick-started with music from the era that he is remembering. (Brilliant)
Another unique aspect that Flowers has come up with (aside from the surprising revelation of King Tutankhamen) is that his nosferatu/vampires feed off of the mass bloodshed of war. (a very interesting concept)
Flowers has written a truly immersive story that puts you directly into the setting and into the shoes of the characters. Superbly done!
Rating: 5/5 Skulls
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