A Mind Imprisoned Is The Greatest Of Hells.
1853. South China Sea. While on patrol between the Opium Wars, the crew of the steam frigate HMS Charger pursues a fleet of pirates that have been terrorizing the waters surrounding Hong Kong.
But now the hunters have become the hunted. Something else has come to the South China Sea, something ancient and powerful and malevolent. Now, the crew of the Charger must face their worst nightmares in order to survive the terrible creature they come to know as the Darkstar.
A Song For The Void is a haunting, terrifying historical horror novel that will keep you turning the pages and jumping at the shadows.
Fans of HP Lovecraft, Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, or other authors of surreal fantasy and horror will enjoy "A Song For The Void".
A Mind Imprisoned Is The Greatest Of Hells.
1853. South China Sea. While on patrol between the Opium Wars, the crew of the steam frigate HMS Charger pursues a fleet of pirates that have been terrorizing the waters surrounding Hong Kong.
But now the hunters have become the hunted. Something else has come to the South China Sea, something ancient and powerful and malevolent. Now, the crew of the Charger must face their worst nightmares in order to survive the terrible creature they come to know as the Darkstar.
A Song For The Void is a haunting, terrifying historical horror novel that will keep you turning the pages and jumping at the shadows.
Fans of HP Lovecraft, Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, or other authors of surreal fantasy and horror will enjoy "A Song For The Void".
There is a quiet on the sea that speaks to the hole which rests in the center of our souls. When one stands on the deck of a ship, gazing up at the night sky while far removed from the artificial lights which illuminate the world of man, one is able to finally witness the extraordinary vastness of the universe in full measure.
An ocean of light and dark spread out above, scattered as far as the eye can see to the horizon, and extending further into the depths of space than the human mind can comprehend.Ā Standing exposed like that before all of raw eternity, it is impossible not to consider how lonely we are as a species, set adrift through the endless, uncaring void of space on our precarious little ship of rock and water and earth.
Quiet moments like those beg to be filled.Ā Whenever I was at sea, I would fill them with music; my violin would stretch its notes out across the wide, unfeeling waters, desperate to connect with something, anything out there in the dark.Ā
It is an act of faith, I suppose, to string a song out into the void, born out of a desperate desire to find confirmation that what I feel, or even that what I am, is real, and not merely an illusion fabricated by a delusional mind.
Sometimes, the song is cheerful.Ā Sometimes, the song is triumphant.Ā Sometimes, the song is sad.Ā But better a sad melody than no melody at all.
That is the key.Ā To express oneās being, to shout to the heavens that something lives and breathes, to sing to the universe the song of what it means to be alive and aware of oneās own existence.
I play those notes now across the dark waters that surround me.Ā I play them to chase away the hollow dread for myself and my few companions who have survived the terrible course of events which has just transpired.
Iām still not sure what I saw on the nameless island we leave behind us, lost and mysterious in the South China Sea.Ā Iām still not sure itās even me who sits and tells this tale.Ā But the tale is all I have for you.
Let me sing for you now my own song for the void.Ā It is a song of darkness and light, of madness and mystery, of terror and love and violence and triumph.Ā Perhaps it will strike a chord.Ā Perhaps it will merely amuse.Ā Nevertheless, it is my song, and all that I have to offer, to you, or to the universe.
In 1853 on the high seas, during the height of the Opium Wars, a strange comet, lacking a tail, is seen. The celestial body will have an incredible influence over the crew of the HMS Charger, a modern ship pursuing a group of pirates. A doctor with a tragic past, who is struggling with personal demons, will face horrors never before imagined and must use his own experience to pierce into the truth of the strange happenings that surround him.
A Song for the Void is cosmic horror at its finest. The narrative is pulse-pounding and the characters are well developed, three-dimensional people, that the reader cannot help but be interested in. Horrors abound and stakes are high and deadly. At the same time, the historical aspect of the novel is well played and the perfect setting for this type of tale. Horror on the high seas in the vein of the Cthulhu mythos works extremely well here due to the deft handling of the subject matter by author Andrew Piazza.
The pacing is brilliant as the tale starts with exciting chase and battle scenes and it ever increases, making the stakes higher and the outcome more dangerous for the heroes at every turn. The evil faced in the book is well crafted and ominous. There are scenes in the book that will give the reader nightmares. When it comes to horror a reviewer can give no higher compliment than that. This book will scare you. If you love horror, that, after all, is the point.
This is a masterful page-turner that delights and surprises as well as horrifies. It ends with a wholly satisfying conclusion that is pitch-perfect for the story.
If you are a lover of cosmic horror or strange tales by the likes of H. P. Lovecraft and Clive Barker, you won't find a better book out there than A Song for the Void. It's cinematic in scope and personal in the narrative. This is a must-read for any horror fan looking for a story that knows how to scare.