The review can be found here on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.
Showing posts with label Shaun Jeffrey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shaun Jeffrey. Show all posts
Wednesday, 6 November 2013
First Review for The Lurkers in the Abyss
The review can be found here on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.
Monday, 30 April 2012
Dead World by Shaun Jeffrey
By Shaun Jeffrey
Published by Deshca Press 2012
£0.97 Kindle edition
Shaun Jeffrey has written an enjoyable romp through a post
Apocalyptic world years after a zombie holocaust has devastated civilisation.
Anna and her husband Isaiah live with their children in a tightly controlled
community inside a former prison, safe from the undead that prowl around the
outside world. Through a twisted theology the undead are regarded as gods
because they are seen as immortal and any attempt to destroy them is regarded
as heresy. Impoverished, living off what scraps of food can be produced inside
their dreary concrete world, strict controls are maintained on numbers. For
every birth there must be a counterbalancing loss in numbers. This is carried
out through the use of a lottery; the names included normally being those
amongst the elderly. The winner is honoured by being ejected into the outside
world to become one of the gods.
Anna has begun a guilt-ridden affair with Roman, a leading
priest. When she tries to end it Roman takes his revenge by falsely reading out
the name of one of her children as the winner of the next lottery. Even though
her young daughter believes she is being honoured, that she will become a god,
Anna is distraught. Roman lets her know what he has done, intending to use this
as leverage against her to resume their affair. This sets off a train of events
that result in catastrophe for most of the people in the community and
revelations about what has really happened as Anna escapes from their community
with her children in tow, and Roman, her husband and a band of enforcers set
out in pursuit.
This is a tense read, with plenty of action and credible
characters. And a world in which it is often hard to decide who the real
monsters are. Some humans have descended to cannibalism while others have
succumbed to greed, enslaving others or selling them off as food. It is a
harsh, cruel, merciless world in which there is little to hope other than to
live through another day.
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
Prism - June 2010
The finished copy of the next issue of Prism is going off in the post to the printers today. This is the second one I have done now and, I must admit, it's getting easier. And is still fun to do. This issue sees the return of Mark Morris's regular column, The Mark of Fear, and the start of a new column from John Llewellyn Probert. It also features an author interview with Shaun Jeffrey.
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Interviewing Shaun Jeffrey
I spent quite a bit of time last night interviewing the writer Shaun Jeffrey via email for the next issue of Prism.
It was an interesting experience, and Shaun was very cooperative, even though it went on till quite late! The beauty of this form of interviewing is it doesn't involve travel, phone bills and you have an accurate record of exactly what was "said". It also gives the interviewee time in which to consider their responses.
It was an interesting experience, and Shaun was very cooperative, even though it went on till quite late! The beauty of this form of interviewing is it doesn't involve travel, phone bills and you have an accurate record of exactly what was "said". It also gives the interviewee time in which to consider their responses.
Tuesday, 27 April 2010
The Kult - Shaun Jeffrey
I've just finished reading Shaun's dark, serial-killer novel, The Kult (Leucrota Press, California, 2009), and as endings go they don't come more action packed than this.
The story is about a police officer, Prosper Snow, who is put in charge of the investigation into the horrific murders stage managed by The Oracle, a psycopath who delights in making his victims suffer long and hard before they die, then lays out their bodies in macabre artistic displays, which he photographs. The only evidence the police have that any murders have taken place are these photographs, and the fact his victims have disappeared.
Enter The Kult, founded by a group of schoolboys years ago to protect themselves against bullies. If one of them was victimised, all of them would gang together to dish out on the spot retribution to the perpetrator. Back then, Prosper Snow was an overweight victim of schoolboy bullying - till The Kult put an end to it.
Now, married with a child, and a successful career in the police, he has all but forgotten about The Kult - till one of its members calls them together once more for help. Jerel's wife has been raped and savagely beaten by a gangster employed by a local notorious loan shark. Jerel wants revenge for what happened. He wants the rapist killed. In what looks at first like a clever twist, it's decided to make it look as if the man is yet another victim of The Oracle. Except, afterwards, The Oracle murders one of The Kult - and it soon becomes clear he intends to take his own revenge against them for masquerading as him.
Things quickly escalate, and Prosper's life becomes a complex nightmare of deceit and violence. All the things he has held dear are torn away from him, and the investigating officer becomes a criminal himself.
Shaun's writing is always terse and to the point, and his characters spring to life, making you feel involved with them. As for the acts of violence - there is an understated graphic quality to the descriptions of them that adds to the dark terror of the story. It is not always an easy read (some of the violence is pretty extreme), but I found the storytelling pulled me along towards a climax that contained a good number of twists in it.
Recommended.
I would add that this is the first book by Leucrota Press I have read and I'm impressed by the quality of the book itself. It's so good, in fact, the book still looks unread!
The Kult is now being filmed in the States.
And I'm looking forward to starting on Shaun's next book, Deadfall.
The story is about a police officer, Prosper Snow, who is put in charge of the investigation into the horrific murders stage managed by The Oracle, a psycopath who delights in making his victims suffer long and hard before they die, then lays out their bodies in macabre artistic displays, which he photographs. The only evidence the police have that any murders have taken place are these photographs, and the fact his victims have disappeared.
Enter The Kult, founded by a group of schoolboys years ago to protect themselves against bullies. If one of them was victimised, all of them would gang together to dish out on the spot retribution to the perpetrator. Back then, Prosper Snow was an overweight victim of schoolboy bullying - till The Kult put an end to it.
Now, married with a child, and a successful career in the police, he has all but forgotten about The Kult - till one of its members calls them together once more for help. Jerel's wife has been raped and savagely beaten by a gangster employed by a local notorious loan shark. Jerel wants revenge for what happened. He wants the rapist killed. In what looks at first like a clever twist, it's decided to make it look as if the man is yet another victim of The Oracle. Except, afterwards, The Oracle murders one of The Kult - and it soon becomes clear he intends to take his own revenge against them for masquerading as him.
Things quickly escalate, and Prosper's life becomes a complex nightmare of deceit and violence. All the things he has held dear are torn away from him, and the investigating officer becomes a criminal himself.
Shaun's writing is always terse and to the point, and his characters spring to life, making you feel involved with them. As for the acts of violence - there is an understated graphic quality to the descriptions of them that adds to the dark terror of the story. It is not always an easy read (some of the violence is pretty extreme), but I found the storytelling pulled me along towards a climax that contained a good number of twists in it.
Recommended.
I would add that this is the first book by Leucrota Press I have read and I'm impressed by the quality of the book itself. It's so good, in fact, the book still looks unread!
The Kult is now being filmed in the States.
And I'm looking forward to starting on Shaun's next book, Deadfall.
Sunday, 18 April 2010
Shaun Jeffrey's The Kult Optioned for Filming
Shaun Jeffrey's serial-killer novel The Kult has been optioned to be filmed by Gharial Productions. Shooting is due to start in September this year.
More details here: The Kult - the Movie
Congratulations, Shaun!
I am halfway through reading this book at the moment, and it is a no holds barred horror novel that features one of the most evil serial killers I have ever come across.
More details here: The Kult - the Movie
Congratulations, Shaun!
I am halfway through reading this book at the moment, and it is a no holds barred horror novel that features one of the most evil serial killers I have ever come across.
Monday, 12 April 2010
Deadfall by Shaun Jeffrey
Got a copy of the latest novel by Shaun Jeffrey through the post from him today. Looks very good and I look forward to reading it.
Published by Leucrota Press, it sells for £7.50 and is available on Amazon with free delivery in the UK:
Order Deadfall
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
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