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Ashes
Not happening. Four hours pass while Lyle Logan holds his brother's corpse and pretends he’s the one not breathing.
Those responsible are dead. Only one reason to live now—vengeance.
Please. Lyle will do anything to alter reality. But he can’t. Instead he fills his stomach with ashes and unwittingly devours a myth.
I want to die. Guilt holds hands with grief. Lyle doesn’t care when authorities conclude that he committed the crime of Cain.
Acceptance. Lyle has no choice but to acknowledge the entity burning within.
When five stages lead to a precipice, Lyle takes the next step. So what he’ll lose his humanity and hold a miraculous creature hostage.
Resolution. Ashes to life, he will find a way to his brother.
Those responsible are dead. Only one reason to live now—vengeance.
Please. Lyle will do anything to alter reality. But he can’t. Instead he fills his stomach with ashes and unwittingly devours a myth.
I want to die. Guilt holds hands with grief. Lyle doesn’t care when authorities conclude that he committed the crime of Cain.
Acceptance. Lyle has no choice but to acknowledge the entity burning within.
When five stages lead to a precipice, Lyle takes the next step. So what he’ll lose his humanity and hold a miraculous creature hostage.
Resolution. Ashes to life, he will find a way to his brother.
254 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 24, 2011
10 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 7, 2011
The opening scene of this strange and yet mesmerizing saga was breathtaking. The blurring of reality when you lose someone close to you, the description of the raw emotions and the raw desert environment reflecting that despair and confusion, all was wonderfully rendered. The main character, Lyle, immediately drew me in with his sorrow and determination to do something – anything – to bring his twin brother, Myles, back from the dead.
When a bird appears, which instantly bursts into flame – Phoenix, bird of rebirth – I thought I had an inkling of where the story was going, but the author had a lot more in store than I'd imagined. When Lyle ate up the bird’s ashes, I knew that this was going to be a crazy ride.
And it was.
Written in Arlene Webb’s unique style, with a tight set of characters whose lives revolve around the deceased twin, Myles, and providing a heart-wrenching account of the lengths to which we can go in our hope to bring a beloved person back, this story is a true page-turner. A truly character-driven novel, focusing mainly on Lyle, the living twin, Renold, the deceased twin’s lover, and Bennu, the Phoenix who finds itself in a human body for the first time, it isn’t so much a whodunnit as a rite of passage, a story about coming to terms with one’s feelings, beliefs and acceptance of one’s own emotions and sexuality, weaknesses and strengths, as well as those of the people around you.
A caveat (and a few, minor spoilers): To my personal taste, the writing style is a little overdone and wordy at times, confusing to me as a reader, while the plot is quite straightforward. I didn’t quite understand why the Phoenix becomes obsessed with certain scents and why it is so attached to Renold, and why it accepts relatively easily to change from an asexual to a sexual being. It also wasn’t quite clear to me why the Phoenix’s language of choice is Arabic, given that it still swore by Ra and Isis – but that may have been explained somewhere and I missed it. In its many incarnations, given those were in Egypt or the surrounding countries, the phoenix would have had lots of opportunities to speak Arabic. Finally, although the solution and ending are satisfactory and very happy (not saying more as I don’t want to spoil this for the reader) – it was a little too perfect for me.
Then again, I can’t really complain about a happy ending, and I bet most readers prefer them to unhappy ones. Besides, Lyle goes through so much sorrow and madness in the story, that it feels fair that he should be happy in the end, even in the unorthodox way (at least by some standards!) that the story is resolved.
Published by MuseItHot, this book contains adult situations, including fairly explicit sex scenes and language. Not for the faint-hearted either (unless eating the ashes of dead buzzards and other beings doesn’t bother you). The focus, however, is not on sex or erotic love, but much more on affection and brotherly love. It is a story of healing and finding happiness.
To sum up, I enjoyed this story with its few but crazy twists and well-fleshed out characters, the realistic world settings and the love stories twining through it. Although I personally would have preferred a simpler and sparser writing style, this is a story I recommend to all who are interested in ancient myths, the human nature, and the power of belief and love.
When a bird appears, which instantly bursts into flame – Phoenix, bird of rebirth – I thought I had an inkling of where the story was going, but the author had a lot more in store than I'd imagined. When Lyle ate up the bird’s ashes, I knew that this was going to be a crazy ride.
And it was.
Written in Arlene Webb’s unique style, with a tight set of characters whose lives revolve around the deceased twin, Myles, and providing a heart-wrenching account of the lengths to which we can go in our hope to bring a beloved person back, this story is a true page-turner. A truly character-driven novel, focusing mainly on Lyle, the living twin, Renold, the deceased twin’s lover, and Bennu, the Phoenix who finds itself in a human body for the first time, it isn’t so much a whodunnit as a rite of passage, a story about coming to terms with one’s feelings, beliefs and acceptance of one’s own emotions and sexuality, weaknesses and strengths, as well as those of the people around you.
A caveat (and a few, minor spoilers): To my personal taste, the writing style is a little overdone and wordy at times, confusing to me as a reader, while the plot is quite straightforward. I didn’t quite understand why the Phoenix becomes obsessed with certain scents and why it is so attached to Renold, and why it accepts relatively easily to change from an asexual to a sexual being. It also wasn’t quite clear to me why the Phoenix’s language of choice is Arabic, given that it still swore by Ra and Isis – but that may have been explained somewhere and I missed it. In its many incarnations, given those were in Egypt or the surrounding countries, the phoenix would have had lots of opportunities to speak Arabic. Finally, although the solution and ending are satisfactory and very happy (not saying more as I don’t want to spoil this for the reader) – it was a little too perfect for me.
Then again, I can’t really complain about a happy ending, and I bet most readers prefer them to unhappy ones. Besides, Lyle goes through so much sorrow and madness in the story, that it feels fair that he should be happy in the end, even in the unorthodox way (at least by some standards!) that the story is resolved.
Published by MuseItHot, this book contains adult situations, including fairly explicit sex scenes and language. Not for the faint-hearted either (unless eating the ashes of dead buzzards and other beings doesn’t bother you). The focus, however, is not on sex or erotic love, but much more on affection and brotherly love. It is a story of healing and finding happiness.
To sum up, I enjoyed this story with its few but crazy twists and well-fleshed out characters, the realistic world settings and the love stories twining through it. Although I personally would have preferred a simpler and sparser writing style, this is a story I recommend to all who are interested in ancient myths, the human nature, and the power of belief and love.
January 18, 2012
In the aftermath of a brutal murder...what happens when a twin’s undying love, a lover’s practical tenderness, and a mythical creature collide? Arlene Webb’s emotionally wrought story not only describes (in rich imagery and detail), the answer to this question, but cleverly explores the depths of human...and supernatural love, at it’s most basic roots.
In the face of his devastating loss (the murder of his twin brother Myles), Lyle’s bitter wit and suicidal tendencies are tempered by Michael Renold’s, strong, practical, and tender nature as the two set out to find the murderer. Their quest is complicated by the fact that Beni, a phoenix, or mythical firebird, inadvertently ends up inside Lyle’s mind. Occasionally, I felt the murder investigation gets lost in the exploration of the variety of complex emotional relationships, and I found myself trying to reorient myself, but the characters were so well developed that that was a minor problem. I admit Michael Renold, the cop, was my favorite character, but in fact, who wouldn’t want a Michael Renold in their life?
At times quirky, humorous and poignant, Ashes is written in a fascinating style in which Ms. Webb capably pulls off a tricky and unusual POV trinity of souls within one person’s body. This alone had me turning the pages, to see what would happen next. Though there are definitely erotic overtones, the characters emotions are deeply felt and expressed.
Ashes is an intimate fantasy steeped in gritty modern day realism. Combined with a murder mystery, and featuring an array of interesting characters, this tale of renewal and rebirth is something entirely unique! I highly recommend this book, but keep sharp, this is not light reading.
November 1, 2011
Review by Ivelisse: As the story started I was intrigued, but as the story progressed I was confused. It starts off with Lyle in the desert caressing his dead brother Myles who was murdered. Out of the corner of his eye he sees a bird and then the bird burst into flames, a voice tells him to consume the ashes of the bird. As soon as he does this, things turn for the worse and he feels very ill and starts hearing a voice in his head. He comes across his twin brother's lover, Renold and together they decide to figure out who killed his brother, while Ren tries to keep his hands to himself since Lyle is not gay or bisexual. There were so many twist and turns it made it hard to keep up.
Come to find out it was an asexual firebird, a phoenix, Lyle consumed who had a craving for vanilla, at some point even went as far as to eat vanilla soap. They call the bird Benu, then it gets changed to Beni since they decide its a woman even though the entity has told them time and time again that it is asexual. Finally when I think I might have an idea what's going one, they find Myles' ashes and Lyle once again eats the ashes. Now he has the phoenix and his brother inside him. This is the part I got real confused, the author goes back and forth between the three so much I can't keep up. I do like the way the author expresses the characters feelings, reads more like poetry than a book at times. By the time I was half way done with the book, the main person of interest they thought might have killed Myles is now dead and then a few new characters get introduced. I finally gave up reading it when Ren finally has his way with Lyle who was really Beni at the time. I am a huge paranormal fan, but this one was a bit too much for me. I just could not make myself finish the story and that is a first for me.
Come to find out it was an asexual firebird, a phoenix, Lyle consumed who had a craving for vanilla, at some point even went as far as to eat vanilla soap. They call the bird Benu, then it gets changed to Beni since they decide its a woman even though the entity has told them time and time again that it is asexual. Finally when I think I might have an idea what's going one, they find Myles' ashes and Lyle once again eats the ashes. Now he has the phoenix and his brother inside him. This is the part I got real confused, the author goes back and forth between the three so much I can't keep up. I do like the way the author expresses the characters feelings, reads more like poetry than a book at times. By the time I was half way done with the book, the main person of interest they thought might have killed Myles is now dead and then a few new characters get introduced. I finally gave up reading it when Ren finally has his way with Lyle who was really Beni at the time. I am a huge paranormal fan, but this one was a bit too much for me. I just could not make myself finish the story and that is a first for me.
June 18, 2011
This is a great story about love in its many forms, but particularly about the love between two brothers. The plot twists and turns as Ms Webb draws us deeper and deeper into the lives of her characters. From a story that starts with a tragedy, you'd wonder how it could end happily, but it does in a unique twist. This is a book that will make you laugh, make you cry and make you sigh!
August 7, 2011
Arlene Webb creates fantastic worlds, draws you into them from the first page, and makes you believe in the unbelievable.
The death of a twin devastates his brother. Learning that an ancient phoenix has accidentally entered his body only complicates matters.
To give any more information would be a spoiler, so I'll simply say you should read this book for yourself! You won't be sorry.
The death of a twin devastates his brother. Learning that an ancient phoenix has accidentally entered his body only complicates matters.
To give any more information would be a spoiler, so I'll simply say you should read this book for yourself! You won't be sorry.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews