City of the Dead
Blurb:
Upon their return from the post-apocalyptic realm of future Earth, Edward and the remaining members of his group destroy the portal to keep a never-ending flood of zombies from wreaking havoc on Desolace. They are reunited with their ghostly friend, Amber, but have no weapons or supplies and are forced to return to the town of Loknar to seek help. After enlisting the aid of the town guard, and their new friend, Jasper, Edward leads the group toward his home town, the city of Elysia.
When they arrive, Edward is saddened to see his once great city has been decimated. The lone surviving elder speaks to Edward of an incursion by the forces of darkness, which seems bent on completely destroying the largest city upon Desolace. Sending Edward and his faithful followers on a mission to the south, they soon discover a small town, seemingly forgotten and uninhabited for a very long time.
Was it the work of the Black Knight and his minions which has left the city streets littered with corpses? If so, will they be able to stop his madness before it consumes Elysia and everything Edward holds dear to his heart?
When they arrive, Edward is saddened to see his once great city has been decimated. The lone surviving elder speaks to Edward of an incursion by the forces of darkness, which seems bent on completely destroying the largest city upon Desolace. Sending Edward and his faithful followers on a mission to the south, they soon discover a small town, seemingly forgotten and uninhabited for a very long time.
Was it the work of the Black Knight and his minions which has left the city streets littered with corpses? If so, will they be able to stop his madness before it consumes Elysia and everything Edward holds dear to his heart?
Excerpt:
Confusion swirled through his consciousness. The last thing he remembered was being lashed to a tree as the main course for an army of bugs. Had they detoured around him and gone after an alternate food source? He didn't think so, but why else would he still be here?
Just thinking about it made him itch, like the massive column of insects was crawling over his skin at this very moment. Realizing he could move now, George reached with one hand for his other arm to dig his fingernails into his flesh and peel it from his bones if he had to in order to quell the maddening sensation.
"No!" he screamed into the still dusk air as he watched his fingertips pass right through his arm. "This can't be!" Spinning around he came face to face with what was left of his body. Most of his flesh was gone, but there were still tiny fragments of tissue clinging to the skeletal frame which was bound tightly to the enormous oak. Tilting his head toward the sky George bellowed out in rage, vowing to pay the Black Knight back for what he had done to him. It was now just a matter of how and when he would exact his revenge upon his former master.
Just thinking about it made him itch, like the massive column of insects was crawling over his skin at this very moment. Realizing he could move now, George reached with one hand for his other arm to dig his fingernails into his flesh and peel it from his bones if he had to in order to quell the maddening sensation.
"No!" he screamed into the still dusk air as he watched his fingertips pass right through his arm. "This can't be!" Spinning around he came face to face with what was left of his body. Most of his flesh was gone, but there were still tiny fragments of tissue clinging to the skeletal frame which was bound tightly to the enormous oak. Tilting his head toward the sky George bellowed out in rage, vowing to pay the Black Knight back for what he had done to him. It was now just a matter of how and when he would exact his revenge upon his former master.
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Other titles by Lucian Barnes:
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About the Author:
I spent most of my youth in rural Ohio and began writing stories at an early age. Many of these early attempts at story-telling were inspired by mysteries, such as those found in the old Hardy Boys books and the cartoon antics of Scooby Doo. As I entered my teenage years I began to drift away from writing stories, instead picking up my pencil to compose lyrics for heavy metal songs because my new dream was to become a musician. That vision remained hopeful for many years after my high school graduation, but like most dreams of this nature it died out as I became older.
After working several menial jobs through the years that followed, my thoughts again began to turn toward writing books. Inspired by my favorite author, Stephen King, I took an online creative writing course and slowly began to develop my skills. In late 2010 I was given a violent shove, both by the job market (which was horrible to say the least, and still is) and by the persistent encouragement of close friends, to pick up my pen and begin writing again.
In early 2012 I gave birth (that's almost what it felt like) to my very first published book, Desolace. Finally having a completed novel in my hand was the best feeling in the world for me, giving me a sense of accomplishment I had waited a lifetime for. Since then it has gotten easier for me with each book I have published. Since the initial release of Desolace two more of my novels have been published and another has just been completed. This last work is the first book I've written outside of the Desolace Series, an occult horror novel titled Destined for Darkness. Also in production is my current novel, City of the Dead, which will be the fourth installment of the Desolace Series and is projected to be released in September of 2013.
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Twitter @LucianBarnes
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