Trey Stone's Blog

It’s done! The second era of the Mistborn series is over – and what an ending it was.

The Lost Metal carries on a few years after the third book – where Wax and Wayne fought to uncover dark secrets and weird conspiracies, leading them to discover new places, new peoples, and more unanswered questions in the search for The Bands of Mourning. Now, in a world that’s grown larger and more mysterious since their last adventures, there’s something else brewing on the horizon: war.

It’s difficult to say too much about this fourth and final book without spoiling anything, but let’s just say I really enjoyed the premise of the main “quest”. Everyone’s grown into their respective roles over the course of the last three books, and I particularly love Steris’ and Marasi’s archs. Steris’ perhaps most of all, as the political mastermind she’s become as Wax’ right hand and wife.

While I enjoyed the book and I’ll always be a fan of the Mistborn series, I felt the book dipped a bit in the middle. I think I felt the same about the second book in this second series, but there’s just something about it that fail to captivate me as much as the first trilogy. Maybe it’s the steampunk setting that’s replaced the more ancient fantasy vibe of the first three books, maybe it’s just maybe headspace these last few months, but anyway…

The book redeems itself toward the end though, and it delivers a fantastic conclusion to the series. I recently came across a post on social media saying that Sanderson’s next series in the Mistborn universe – Ghostbloods, I think it’s called – won’t hit shelves until 2027, which honestly is almost too long to wait. Good thing he’s written a ton of other stuff I can enjoy while I wait.

What excites me most about this series is how it ties into what came before, the first era and the first trilogy. The way it’s woven in history, religion, and mythology is masterfully done – and those parts are really, really fun to read. Which is also why I’m looking forward to the next set of books – there’s going to be some much more to build on now.

Anywho – I’ve finally finished the Mistborn series and I can honestly say I’m a Sanderson fan through and through. What a ride it’s been – he’s definitely high up there on the list of the world’s best authors these days. Maybe ever.

Have you read the Mistborn series yet? Anything else by Sanderson that you’d recommend, or other authors with series that have amazed you recently? Let me know in the comments!

And as always, please check out all my books and stories below. If you’re into psychological horror, crime thrillers, or science-fiction and fantasy, you’ve come to the right place! Bye for now!

Find all my books and stories here

Trey Stone’s Books

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Are you a horror author? We need more short stories!

I’m curating an anthology in development by Something or Other Publishing and we need more submissions. Check out the official call for stories below, and see if your writing is a good fit.

Moerk Skog: the Dark Forest

This project is a horror and dystopian-themed anthology idea in development by author Trey Stone. It seeks to become an experience that scares, frightens, and disturbs, using short fiction to keep readers turning the page and causing them to keep their lights on at night. If you have a story inspired by things that go “bump” in the night or worlds where tragedy has occurred (or is occurring), this collection is for you.

This anthology can accommodate 3,000-5,000 words in length, formatted in 12 pt Times New Roman font, and a Word document is preferred—no poetry, screenplays, or fan fiction. Previous publication is alright if the writer still retains the rights for publication.

So what are you waiting for? Maybe you’re the author we’re looking for!

https://soopllc.com/anthology-program/

And as always, please check out all my books and stories below. If you’re into psychological horror, crime thrillers, or science-fiction and fantasy, you’ve come to the right place! Bye for now!

Find all my books and stories here

Trey Stone’s Books

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An incredible real-life account of life in the Arctic.

Nord For Det Øde Hav – or North Of The Desolate Sea, if you prefer the translation is the story of Liv Balstad’s nine year long adventure in Longyearbyen, Svalbard where she lived and worked as a radio hostess, wife, mother and in support of her husband, the governor of the archipelago at the time.

She had a huge variety of roles at his side, probably many more than I can remember and mention here, but she helped govern the community, hosted visitors almost continously – both officials, but also friends, family and others – and her time spent up there appears to have been a constant adventure.

Longyearbyen is a former coal mining company town, founded on John Munroe Longyear’s mining site after the Norwegians bought it off him and built up the town in and around the valley. And yes, they named it after him. It has since then grown to become an international little society full of research, exploration, and education. It has slowly grown out of being a mining-based company town, and this year the last Norwegian coal mine was officially closed.

I want to emphasis again that this is a real-life account, these are her memoirs, and the reason I wanted to read this is because I’m living up here now. I lived here for a couple of years between 2019-2022, and I’m back now. There’s something very fascinating about reading the history of a place you know and live in. Sure, a lot has changed since Liv lived here in the ’40s and ’50s, but still, so much of it is so recognizable and still here for me to experience. I can walk the roads she walked, take in the views she describes and breathe the air she breathed (you know what I mean).

Her account is incredibly detailed. The book is long, describing everything from daily life, dinner parties, official responsibility, terrible disasters that claimed countless lives, but also the good, fun, festive things that happened in between. Sure, it’s a bit of a heavy read consider it’s age (published in 1956), but it’s still surprisingly good.

I’m not sure there’s an English translation (I read the original Norwegian), but if there isn’t that’s a shame. Because the adventures detailed in this tome, in one of the most remote places in the world, at the edge of the world at 78 degrees north are incredible. Highly recommended if you like memoirs and real-life accounts of historic people – but perhaps particularly if you’re only dipping your toes into the genre. This is a great place to start.

Have you read anything exciting lately? Found a new favorite author? Anything you’d recommend? Let me know in the comments!

And as always, please check out all my books and stories below. If you’re into psychological horror, crime thrillers, or science-fiction and fantasy, you’ve come to the right place! Bye for now!

Find all my books and stories here

Trey Stone’s Books

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Haha! I messed up big time!

Ok, so that’s a weird way to start a book review, I know. Let me start over:

Confession by Michael Cordell is a legal thriller following lawyer Thane Banning on his latest case: defending a young sex worker who’s accused of murdering a high profile football coach. The kicker? She looks to be guilty as all hell.

So where did I mess up?

This is the third book in the series! *cue sitcom laugh track*

Not that it matters – this is still a standalone book in the series, and you don’t need to have read the previous books to pick up what’s going on and what’s happened so far. To be fair, all of that backstory is perfectly laid out in a way that gives you a grasp of how Thane has become the man he is and what he’s been through, without feeling forced.

The only problem is I have the two other books, and planned to read them in order. *cue laugh track again* Honestly, I should have picked up on it and put this book down and started the first, but I was too invested. Oh well.

Because this book is good. Great, in fact! It pulled me in immediately, and I loved every minute of it. Cordell writes in a captivating, but easy-to-grasp way, and his book is seasoned with so much detail and intrigue that I suspect he has background in the legal field – or he’s just a damn good researcher.

So, I’m definitely going back and reading the other books. I love the genre, legal thrillers have always captivated me and Cordell is up there with the best of them. If you’re anything like me, I highly recommend it.

Have you read anything exciting lately? Found a new favorite author? Anything you’d recommend? Let me know in the comments!

And as always, please check out all my books and stories below. If you’re into psychological horror, crime thrillers, or science-fiction and fantasy, you’ve come to the right place! Bye for now!

Find all my books and stories here

Trey Stone’s Books

Subscribe to my mailing list for news and exclusive deals

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It’s finally here – my next book, A Death Worth Living is out now!

Buy today at Inked In Gray

A Life Relived

Jacob, dead at twenty and feeling robbed of what he thought would be a long and fruitful life. He’s met by a mysterious figure whose job it is to guide him through his memories and into whatever comes next.

Yet, the figure seems . . . familiar. As Jacob recounts his memories — some good, some bad, and some forgotten — he comes to the realization that he could have done some things differently. His guide, who calls themself Eran, tells Jacob that he can change one thing, and only one thing about his past, if he dares

A Death Worth Living by Trey Stone

A Death Worth Living is an introspective novella about life, death, sorrow and remembrance. What if you were given the opportunity to go back through your life and change it all – would you do it?

For me, it’s a deeply personal book, semi-biographical and largely built on my own experiences and memories. Every single character is based on someone close to me, some family, some friends, some people who came and went. Honestly, it was a need for self-reflection that made me start writing this, and the emotional release and catharsis it gave me made me see it through to the end. I’m very excited (and a little bit nervous) to share it with the world, but I hope that it can give to you some of what it gave to me.

So please, go check it out today at Inked In Gray. It would mean the world to me.

And as always, please check out all my books and stories below. If you’re into psychological horror, crime thrillers, or science-fiction and fantasy, you’ve come to the right place! Bye for now!

Find all my books and stories here

Trey Stone’s Books

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So, we meet again, Silmarillion – my nemesis of books.

I’ve read The Silmarillion once before, sometime less than ten years ago. I was very excited to finally give it ago, having read both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit sometime before this. Unfortunately, I made one horrible mistake.

I picked it up as an audiobook.

Don’t get me wrong – I love audiobooks. It gives me the opportunity to read books when I don’t really have the ability to look at a page or screen, to experience exciting worlds and magical stories while I’m doing mindless tasks at work, or when I’m out running or commuting.

At the same time, The Silmarillion is in my opinion a horrible format for an audiobook.

Not because it’s not an awesome book, just because of the way it’s written. You see, The Silmarillion is a mix of an encyclopedia and the bible. It tells the whole history of the origin and creation of Tolkien’s massive universe, from beginning to end, and thus lists an absolute f***ton of characters, place names, events, lineages, nations, and how they’re all connected to each other.

You probably see my issue now, with reading it (for the first time) in audiobook format. I couldn’t follow a single thing, couldn’t keep track of any characters, or understand what in the world was going on. It probably didn’t help that most characters who are related have very, very similar names. Hell, even the ones who aren’t, often do as well. I still followed through and finished it (which I realized in hindsight I probably shouldn’t have), and by the time I finally finished it I was more frustrated than anything else.

But now, I’m super glad I read it again! Because The Silmarillion is an absolutely epic book. The epicest of epics. The way it’s written, with all the who’s who, and where they come from, what they built, which wars they fought, and who won is fantastic to read about (as long as you pay attention). I was mesmerized with the story from page one, and didn’t really recognize my old opinion of it anymore.

The Silmarillion is more than a book, more than a story, it’s an experience.

I grew up with the Lord Of The Rings – that is, the movies by Peter Jackson. I’ve always loved fantasy and science-fiction and when I first saw those movies I was hooked. I loved that universe – still do! And reading The Silmarillion now, 25 years later, with half a lived life on my shoulders and a stronger, growing love for the genre, it was fantastic to experience the book again – and love it.

Honestly, even if you’re not a fan of Tolkien, but love fantasy and reading excellent books, you should give it a shot. It’s heavy, long and parts of it feel unnecessary and drawn out – I’m not gonna lie – it’s still a very unique experience. I felt like I said good bye to an old friend by the time I was done.

Oh, and by the way, because I’m sure some of you are wondering – yes, both the events of The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings come up in The Silmarillion. They make up maybe the last 5% of it. I feel like that maybe puts into perspective how much more there is to this incredible universe.

So there you have it: in short, an excellent, incredible fantasy book. Highly recommended.

Have you read The Silmarillion? What did you think – did you love it or hate it? Prefer Tolkien’s other works? Let me know in the comments!

As always, please check out all my books and stories below. If you’re into psychological horror, crime thrillers, or science-fiction and fantasy, you’ve come to the right place! Bye for now!

Find all my books and stories here

Trey Stone’s Books

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Darkness is rapidly descending over the Arctic, and it’s been a hectic last few weeks.

While I’ve been whittling away at a future novel and working on the release of my upcoming novella, A Death Worth Living, the sun has slowly been dipping below the horizon. These days we lose about 20 minutes of daylight every

day, and around the 26th of October the sun won’t rise above the horizon again until February. Honestly, I love it, and I can’t wait until we descended into total darkness and the polar night envelopes us completely, sometime around mid-November. There’s something calm and soothing about it that just brings a stillness to my soul.

I’ve been so mesmerized by this coming darkness that I completely forgot about another project my publisher and I have been working on – the audiobook version of my 2023 psychological horror novel, At The Gate – and now it’s finally here!

At The Gate follows the story of Joseph Podwall, a miserable and sorrowful travel writer who checks into The Gate with one simple mission – to not make it out alive. But mysterious happenings and the disappearance of another guest keeps Joseph from his battle against his inner demons, and he disappears down a rabid hole of the unbelievable. Days go missing, people are acting strange, and nothing is what it should be.

The audiobook is read by the talented Edward Baker, who brought The Gate to life in a way I can’t even describe. The narration is incredible and the book sounds amazing, and I’m very excited to finally share it with all of you. It’s going to be the perfect read for the Halloween season.

Check out At The Gate on Audible Today

Also – my publisher is currently offering promo codes for the audiobook if you’re interested in reviewing the book. So please, if you have a book blog, post about books you love on social media or write reviews – get in touch! I’d love to get a copy into your hands.

At The Gate by Trey Stone

And as always, please check out all my books and stories below. If you’re into psychological horror, crime thrillers, or science-fiction and fantasy, you’ve come to the right place! Bye for now!

Find all my books and stories here

Trey Stone’s Books

Subscribe to my mailing list for news and exclusive deals

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It’s finally here! My next book – A Death Worth Living – releases on 28 October and I finally get to share the beautiful cover art with you.

Pre-order today at Inkedingray.com

A Life Relived

Jacob, dead at twenty and feeling robbed of what he thought would be a long and fruitful life. He’s met by a mysterious figure whose job it is to guide him through his memories and into whatever comes next.

Yet, the figure seems . . . familiar. As Jacob recounts his memories — some good, some bad, and some forgotten — he comes to the realization that he could have done some things differently. His guide, who calls themself Eran, tells Jacob that he can change one thing, and only one thing about his past, if he dares

A Death Worth Living by Trey Stone

I’m very excited to finally share this book with you. I’m super happy with how the cover came out – it really tells you so much, without really giving anything away – and I can’t wait to hear what you all think of this next one.

Thanks again for being a reader – your support means everything to me.

And as always, please check out all my books and stories below. If you’re into psychological horror, crime thrillers, or science-fiction and fantasy, you’ve come to the right place! Bye for now!

Find all my books and stories here

Trey Stone’s Books

Subscribe to my mailing list for news and exclusive deals

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My next book, a spec-fic/Bangsian fantasy novella titled A Death Worth A Living, is due out in just about a month – and boy am I excited!

So excited in fact, that I’m offering to get it in your hands four weeks early!

My publisher and I are currently inviting eager readers to sign up for ARCs – Advanced Review Copies – for those especially interested in diving straight into my new book.

A Death Worth Living is a speculative fiction about a boy who dies, far too early, but finds himself with the opportunity to relive parts of his memories. Honestly, he has no choice, and once he gets going, he’s not even sure he likes it.

What follows is an exploration of life, death, family, friendships, love, tragedy, and grief, and a search for the meaning of all those things that suddenly disappear when everything fades to black. It’s a biographical and self-exploratory book, and I’m really proud and excited to share it with all of you.

If this sounds like something you’re interested in, sign up for an ARC through my publisher’s website right here.

Otherwise, you’ll have to wait for the official release – 28 October.

Thanks again for being a reader – I’m very excited to hear what you think of this next one!

And as always, please check out all my books and stories below. If you’re into psychological horror, crime thrillers, or science-fiction and fantasy, you’ve come to the right place! Bye for now!

Find all my books and stories here

Trey Stone’s Books

Subscribe to my mailing list for news and exclusive deals

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And we’re back! Another fantastic book by the great Brandon Sanderson.

I wrote in my last review of a Sanderson book, the prequel to this, that I found Shadows Of Self to be the weakest book in the whole Mistborn series so far (other than perhaps only Secret History). I was a little worried that perhaps this book would follow along the same path but I’m happy to report that my worries were completely unfounded – because this book is great!

Again we follow Wax, Wayne, Steris and Marasi, but this time we see the gang split up. After a kandra makes contact with Wax, trying to recruit him to investigate the existence of an ancient artifact and a missing kandra spike, only to have Wax refuse, Marasi decides to help instead. It’s only later that Wax decides to follow along, after a disturbing photograph reveals that his long-lost sister might be involved.

Much of the book is very familiar to any reader of the Mistborn series, and if you’ve read the first two books in this second quadrilogy, then you’ll know exactly what you’re getting into. However, what I really loved is that the gang moves out of familiar territory when they travel to the town of New Seran. Finding themselves away from home and their daily comforts, the stakes really ramp up fast – and there’s a whole array of new mysteries, intrigue and conspiracies on the line.

I particularly loved how much new and exciting world-building Sanderson crammed into this book. There are new places like mentioned above, but also new technologies, magics, and perhaps most exciting, new people. I thought I had a pretty good grasp on the lay of the land and how the Mistborn universe worked, but Sanderson never fails to throw spokes in the wheel and change things up. And it’s really, really cool to read.

I wasn’t that excited to carry on with the Mistborn series after I finished the last book, and I took some time away from steampunk fantasy to read some non-fiction and to sit down with the first Hannibal Lecter book, Red Dragon, among other things. But now I’m definitely hooked again, and I can’t wait to carry on with the fourth and final book!

Have you read the Mistborn series yet? Anything else by Sanderson that you’d recommend, or other authors with series that have amazed you recently? Let me know in the comments!

And as always, please check out all my books and stories below. If you’re into psychological horror, crime thrillers, or science-fiction and fantasy, you’ve come to the right place! Bye for now!

Find all my books and stories here

Trey Stone’s Books

Subscribe to my mailing list for news and exclusive deals

SubscribeSubmitting form

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