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Soulless Light
Haunting in my desires
Thrilled by what is flawed.
I see now that which before could not be seen.
The gray matter of us all
The soul
The light
The sparkle of the infinite night.
Seeking only to be heard
cause we are all dead or dying.
And there in lies the truth of that
which I am buying.
I'm gonna live forever
in the dark of night.
Alive but dead
Dead but alive
Does it even matter?
I'm lost now in a day dream
of my own creation.
Living
And
Dead
Am I the soulless light?
A young love destroyed, an entire village murdered. The year, 1363-the plagued ravaged the land in every corner of Great Britain accept one lonely isle called The Isle of Ely. The bishop, sure the village had consorted with the devil sent his Templar Knights to investigate. Their hearts thirsted for blood. They killed every living person in the village.
Julia's soul, so angered by the actions of the knights, is given a power in death she did not posses in life. She must decide if revenge is worth the price she will pay.
Thrilled by what is flawed.
I see now that which before could not be seen.
The gray matter of us all
The soul
The light
The sparkle of the infinite night.
Seeking only to be heard
cause we are all dead or dying.
And there in lies the truth of that
which I am buying.
I'm gonna live forever
in the dark of night.
Alive but dead
Dead but alive
Does it even matter?
I'm lost now in a day dream
of my own creation.
Living
And
Dead
Am I the soulless light?
A young love destroyed, an entire village murdered. The year, 1363-the plagued ravaged the land in every corner of Great Britain accept one lonely isle called The Isle of Ely. The bishop, sure the village had consorted with the devil sent his Templar Knights to investigate. Their hearts thirsted for blood. They killed every living person in the village.
Julia's soul, so angered by the actions of the knights, is given a power in death she did not posses in life. She must decide if revenge is worth the price she will pay.
- GenresHorror
64 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 4, 2011
About the author
Joann Buchanan
3 books82 followersJoann H. Buchanan is a mother of five children, and has a wonderful husband who supports her passion for the written word. She owns a small audiobook company named Empire voices. Empire Voices creates audiobooks. You can stop off at www.empirevoices.com for more information.
Her upcoming releases include Shine, After Dark book 3 in The Children of Nox series, and Empires Lost book 1 Keleigh.
She is in two anthologies, Horror in Bloom and Hidden in Your World.
For more information about After Dark, or the blog tour for After Dark please visit www.joannhbuchanan.blogspot.com, or www.facebook.com/JoannHBuchanan. To arrange a book signing or interview, contact her representatives at 541-813-1113 or joannhbuchanan@gmail.com
Her upcoming releases include Shine, After Dark book 3 in The Children of Nox series, and Empires Lost book 1 Keleigh.
She is in two anthologies, Horror in Bloom and Hidden in Your World.
For more information about After Dark, or the blog tour for After Dark please visit www.joannhbuchanan.blogspot.com, or www.facebook.com/JoannHBuchanan. To arrange a book signing or interview, contact her representatives at 541-813-1113 or joannhbuchanan@gmail.com
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 8, 2012
Julia & Joseph is an everlasting love. When they are all attacked & killed, Julia's soul isn't at rest. She gains a power of being able to destroy the ones that killed her family and friends and will still get the eternity with the one she loves. Joann Buchanan did an excellent job on this. I would love to see a follow up of it and with her next book coming out, I know it will be just as wonderful as this one was.
Merged review:
Julia & Joseph is an everlasting love. When they are all attacked & killed, Julia's soul isn't at rest. She gains a power of being able to destroy the ones that killed her family and friends and will still get the enternity with the one she loves. Joann Buchanan did an excellent job on this. I would love to see a follow up of it and with her next book coming out, I know it will be just as wonderful as this one was.
Merged review:
Julia & Joseph is an everlasting love. When they are all attacked & killed, Julia's soul isn't at rest. She gains a power of being able to destroy the ones that killed her family and friends and will still get the enternity with the one she loves. Joann Buchanan did an excellent job on this. I would love to see a follow up of it and with her next book coming out, I know it will be just as wonderful as this one was.
September 27, 2011
Soulless Light is an engrossing, engaging, scary, bloody, and unfortunately short tale of what happens when you mess with the wrong soul. Set in a village in 1363 (I'm sure a wonderful time to be alive) it's what happens with the soul of a murdered young woman, Julia, takes revenge on a rapacious mob of Knights Templar. The only thing a horror fan could wish for is perhaps more. The novella is over far too quickly. Very well written (but with a couple of anachronisms) and an exciting read. Horror fans will love it and I (not a horror fan) liked it a lot. A good first effort from Joann H. Buchanan. It will be great to see what she could do with a novel-length story.
October 27, 2011
I thuroughly enjoyed Soulless Light and recommend it to the lovers of the popular paranormal genres as well as those who enjoy a good suspense/thriller. This book does borderline on mild horror as well. I wholeheartedly awarded Soulless Light 5 stars because not only is it a fantastic story/plot line but the writer did a fantastic job when she weaved this tale.
January 4, 2012
I am really loving novellas lately. There is something so satisfying in being able to read an engrossing story in one short sitting. Soulless Light is a tale of vengeance. Pure and simple. It takes place in 1363 and is about the grave injustice done to a young girl, her village, and those she loved. It tells the story of Julia, a girl who is training to be a midwife, who has found love in a young boy named Joseph. After her village is wrongly accused of witchcraft and destroyed, Julia does not go quietly into the light - she seeks revenge on the cruel destroyers of those dear to her heart and avenges the death of her beloved Joseph. I admit the book was a bit too gruesome for me at times, and it is certainly not a story for the faint of heart, but I can’t let that take away from the incredible writing skills the author displays in this novella. Soulless Light contains very descriptive and extremely intriguing details that kept me absorbed until the very end. You can’t help but champion Julia in her thirst for revenge. I’ll definitely read more of Joann Buchanan’s works based on the talent she shows in Soulless Light.
I won this book courtesy of I'm A Book Shark. A huge thank you to Mickey and Joann Buchanan for the awesome giveaway.
This review was originally posted at: A Belle's Tales
I won this book courtesy of I'm A Book Shark. A huge thank you to Mickey and Joann Buchanan for the awesome giveaway.
This review was originally posted at: A Belle's Tales
December 21, 2011
Last week I was finally able to read Soulless Light, a novella written by Joann H. Buchanan. Right from the start I was hooked. From the first page you are transported to 1363 in the life of Julia, a woman who was studying to be a midwife in her village. The Templar Knights ride into town and destroy everything Julia holds dear. I do not want to give too much away, because this book is well worth the read, but if you’ve ever wished you could tear the eyes out of those that have wronged you, then you will certainly find kinship in this story.
What I want to say more than anything about this book is the depth of emotional anguish the writer is able to portray for Julia. Her whole life is turned upside down in a heartbeat and you can feel the emotions rising in her with each howl of anger, every breath of despair. I also enjoyed her message that the supposed good of the world can actually be tainted with the evil of the messenger and when this evil festers on those around them there is only one thing to do: engage in wickedly destructive retribution.
A fantastic story that reads so fast you are done before you realize it. You could imagine subsequent novellas going into details about the land after all has been said and done.
What I want to say more than anything about this book is the depth of emotional anguish the writer is able to portray for Julia. Her whole life is turned upside down in a heartbeat and you can feel the emotions rising in her with each howl of anger, every breath of despair. I also enjoyed her message that the supposed good of the world can actually be tainted with the evil of the messenger and when this evil festers on those around them there is only one thing to do: engage in wickedly destructive retribution.
A fantastic story that reads so fast you are done before you realize it. You could imagine subsequent novellas going into details about the land after all has been said and done.
January 29, 2012
4.5 Stars
This was a fantastic short story, I just so wished it was longer.
I am quickly becomming a fan of this author. Her other work "I Am Wolf" is one of my all time favourite books.
Souless light is beautifully written. It tells the tale of the Templar Knights going to a peaceful village and causing chaos resulting in mass murder. The protagonist, Julia will not accept death. She deminds revenge and justice for all the people who died, including the man she loved.
I will not spoil this by going any further into the story. What I will say, is buy this book, sit somewhere quite and let Ms Buchanan pull you into her world. You won't regret it.
This was a fantastic short story, I just so wished it was longer.
I am quickly becomming a fan of this author. Her other work "I Am Wolf" is one of my all time favourite books.
Souless light is beautifully written. It tells the tale of the Templar Knights going to a peaceful village and causing chaos resulting in mass murder. The protagonist, Julia will not accept death. She deminds revenge and justice for all the people who died, including the man she loved.
I will not spoil this by going any further into the story. What I will say, is buy this book, sit somewhere quite and let Ms Buchanan pull you into her world. You won't regret it.
February 5, 2012
I don't know if this was just "not my kind of story" or if it was the "jumping around" but I couldn't drag myself along enough to finish this short story.
December 31, 2012
Joann Buchanan’s short story “Soulless Light” brought out questions of what one would do if they lost everything they loved within a few minutes.
Joann’s story is set in the 1300’s when the Knights Templar thought they were doing the righteous work of God under an ambitious Bishop when he had chased after “evidence” of witchcraft, thus they would “purge” villages. During the plague, one village had been protected from illness, so it was under their scrutiny.
Meanwhile, Julia had grown up in this cozy, friendly, God-fearing village where she had helped Ruth, a mid-wife, bring life into the world. Julia had fallen in love with Ruth’s son, Joseph. They were to marry within a month.
Suddenly, their happiness was hi-jacked by these “knights” who started off by killing the village priest. They pillaged, burned, raped and murdered the villagers as they claimed to be purifying the village from evil. Even small children were not spared.
Julia watched Joseph die before her eyes and her sister Rowena was tortured to death. How many of us would jump at the chance of revenge if it were offered to us after the death of our loved ones, even in spite of the high price? Julia is offered something that could change her forever. She could take the chance to punish these wicked knights. But what would become of her in the end? Can one with that much blood on her hands ever find redemption?
We find ourselves cheering for Julia and for justice. Joann forces us to question how delicate our lives are when one minute we are innocent, happy and planning for beautiful futures, and then suddenly life changes without warning. When life changes, how does it change us? And how will these changes affect life and those around us? Is vengeance worth it in the end? Will Julia ever find any peace?
I highly recommend “Soulless Light.” It is entertaining, enlightening and quite chilling. Joann is a superb storyteller!
Joann’s story is set in the 1300’s when the Knights Templar thought they were doing the righteous work of God under an ambitious Bishop when he had chased after “evidence” of witchcraft, thus they would “purge” villages. During the plague, one village had been protected from illness, so it was under their scrutiny.
Meanwhile, Julia had grown up in this cozy, friendly, God-fearing village where she had helped Ruth, a mid-wife, bring life into the world. Julia had fallen in love with Ruth’s son, Joseph. They were to marry within a month.
Suddenly, their happiness was hi-jacked by these “knights” who started off by killing the village priest. They pillaged, burned, raped and murdered the villagers as they claimed to be purifying the village from evil. Even small children were not spared.
Julia watched Joseph die before her eyes and her sister Rowena was tortured to death. How many of us would jump at the chance of revenge if it were offered to us after the death of our loved ones, even in spite of the high price? Julia is offered something that could change her forever. She could take the chance to punish these wicked knights. But what would become of her in the end? Can one with that much blood on her hands ever find redemption?
We find ourselves cheering for Julia and for justice. Joann forces us to question how delicate our lives are when one minute we are innocent, happy and planning for beautiful futures, and then suddenly life changes without warning. When life changes, how does it change us? And how will these changes affect life and those around us? Is vengeance worth it in the end? Will Julia ever find any peace?
I highly recommend “Soulless Light.” It is entertaining, enlightening and quite chilling. Joann is a superb storyteller!
November 23, 2011
3.5 Stars
Erm, ok, this was good, I liked the whole innocent life taken leads to a demonic entity hell bent on seeking revenge, to ending up the way she did. (I'm not giving that away. You'll have to read it!) I have gripes though. This writer is obviously very talented, and this has so much potential, but its waaaaay tooooo short!! Also, although the descriptive writing was amazing, there was just too much of it. So much so, that I couldn’t envision things the way I normally do when reading. Everything was given to me and left no room for my own imagination to kick in. There were far too many similes and in the end I got sick of them. Also towards the end, the writing was a little repetitive. I lost count of how many times I was told the ground was no longer green, but now stone. This writer has a gift and can suck you in, but then goes into things far to much and I admit, I ended up skimming through the last five and a half pages just to see how things ended. The PDF version is only 23 pages.
It’s unique, I’ll definitely give it that, but I think it needs to be longer and less descriptive, and leave out a lot of the unnecessary similes. After all, isn’t the whole point of reading a book to allow the reader to slip into another world. One half created by the author, the other by the reader.
I loved Julia, simply for how her mind worked after her death. Mine would definitely work the same. It’s just a shame that I couldn’t spend more time with her and get to know her more. That would have been beneficial.
I read this in less than an hour, just whilst having a cup of tea and a break from writing myself. It’s left me confused because whilst I’m slightly annoyed with it and got fed up like I said earlier, I also can’t stop thinking about it.
Erm, ok, this was good, I liked the whole innocent life taken leads to a demonic entity hell bent on seeking revenge, to ending up the way she did. (I'm not giving that away. You'll have to read it!) I have gripes though. This writer is obviously very talented, and this has so much potential, but its waaaaay tooooo short!! Also, although the descriptive writing was amazing, there was just too much of it. So much so, that I couldn’t envision things the way I normally do when reading. Everything was given to me and left no room for my own imagination to kick in. There were far too many similes and in the end I got sick of them. Also towards the end, the writing was a little repetitive. I lost count of how many times I was told the ground was no longer green, but now stone. This writer has a gift and can suck you in, but then goes into things far to much and I admit, I ended up skimming through the last five and a half pages just to see how things ended. The PDF version is only 23 pages.
It’s unique, I’ll definitely give it that, but I think it needs to be longer and less descriptive, and leave out a lot of the unnecessary similes. After all, isn’t the whole point of reading a book to allow the reader to slip into another world. One half created by the author, the other by the reader.
I loved Julia, simply for how her mind worked after her death. Mine would definitely work the same. It’s just a shame that I couldn’t spend more time with her and get to know her more. That would have been beneficial.
I read this in less than an hour, just whilst having a cup of tea and a break from writing myself. It’s left me confused because whilst I’m slightly annoyed with it and got fed up like I said earlier, I also can’t stop thinking about it.
May 29, 2012
Okay, when I got an offer for this book, I was tickled pink.I mean it looked so awesome. What drew me to the book was the cover. The cover was very interesting.
Now being that this was a very short story, which consisted of only being 29 pages on my nook, I was surprised. The poem was very nicely done and aroused my interest.
I felt that the story moved very nicely. I wished there had been more build up in the back story. We are suppose to believe that she had this great love which is explain in a nice way, but sometimes it lacked the oomph which I'm use to in a full length novel, but for the purposes of this it works.
The language is pretty well done. Visually this woman has a way with words that is very pretty. I suppose for what this book was about a young woman who was wronged and had terrible things happen, it was okay. I felt that everything was done quickly and a little rushed. Really the woman needs to make this a full length novel.
The story could have been more fleshed out. Overall a very quick read. Enjoyable for the most part. It needed more meat to the story. If you want something quick to read, this would suit you.
Rating: Four Hearts
Now being that this was a very short story, which consisted of only being 29 pages on my nook, I was surprised. The poem was very nicely done and aroused my interest.
I felt that the story moved very nicely. I wished there had been more build up in the back story. We are suppose to believe that she had this great love which is explain in a nice way, but sometimes it lacked the oomph which I'm use to in a full length novel, but for the purposes of this it works.
The language is pretty well done. Visually this woman has a way with words that is very pretty. I suppose for what this book was about a young woman who was wronged and had terrible things happen, it was okay. I felt that everything was done quickly and a little rushed. Really the woman needs to make this a full length novel.
The story could have been more fleshed out. Overall a very quick read. Enjoyable for the most part. It needed more meat to the story. If you want something quick to read, this would suit you.
Rating: Four Hearts
June 1, 2013
Horrifically Outstanding!
"Soulless Light" by Joann Buchanan is a fast paced horrific masterpiece that will give you chills unlike any other! It is a clear warning to all that you must be careful what you wish for - because you might just get it.
Julia is growing up in a small village in the early 1300's and has began an apprenticeship with the village midwife, Ruth, when she meets Ruth's son, Joseph. As the story unfolds, so does the romance between Julia and Joseph, until one day the Templar Knights ride into the village and Hell walks the Earth.
A must read for any horror fanatic!
"Soulless Light" by Joann Buchanan is a fast paced horrific masterpiece that will give you chills unlike any other! It is a clear warning to all that you must be careful what you wish for - because you might just get it.
Julia is growing up in a small village in the early 1300's and has began an apprenticeship with the village midwife, Ruth, when she meets Ruth's son, Joseph. As the story unfolds, so does the romance between Julia and Joseph, until one day the Templar Knights ride into the village and Hell walks the Earth.
A must read for any horror fanatic!
May 9, 2013
Loved the dark premise! It was piece written when the Templar Knights rode on and terrorized villages in the name of God. There was plenty of bloody violence and gore.
I also loved that this story ended with a happy ending. It pretty much pointed toward love being eternal despite the MCs choice becoming the deliverer of death. There were times this story had me on edge of my seat. Its a nice short read.
However, I would've liked to have had more dialogue with the other characters and I would've liked to have had a little more story on the MC before the tragedy struck.
I also loved that this story ended with a happy ending. It pretty much pointed toward love being eternal despite the MCs choice becoming the deliverer of death. There were times this story had me on edge of my seat. Its a nice short read.
However, I would've liked to have had more dialogue with the other characters and I would've liked to have had a little more story on the MC before the tragedy struck.
April 20, 2012
This was just ok for me. I was glad it was a novella as I do not think I could have finished it if it was a full length book. Even though it was a novella, I should still connect to the characters in the story and I did not in this case. Maybe it was because it was such a short story but I felt the author spent too much time on the aftermath of the death and not enough time letting the reader get to know the characters.
December 6, 2012
A very strong story is badly weakened by horrible editing. This would have been a solid 4-4.5 star read, but the editing was so bad it lost a whole star. The typos alone nearly made me give up on this piece. "A pale of water" was one of the more notable.
But if you can slog past that, this is an excellent bit of horror set during the Plague. When the Templars destroy young Julia's village, she is chosen to avenge them. And very gruesomely she does, too.
But if you can slog past that, this is an excellent bit of horror set during the Plague. When the Templars destroy young Julia's village, she is chosen to avenge them. And very gruesomely she does, too.
February 21, 2013
10*s. I purchased this book from Amazon and in return ready to give an honest review.
This is way different then what I am used to reading from Joann Buchanan. This is a horror filled love story that will terrify yet intrigue you to wanna read more. Its a MUST read 18+ story that will enlighten your horror side and capture your heart and soul for the love story it entails. Thank you, Joann Buchanan, for a horror story that shocked and terrified me!!
This is way different then what I am used to reading from Joann Buchanan. This is a horror filled love story that will terrify yet intrigue you to wanna read more. Its a MUST read 18+ story that will enlighten your horror side and capture your heart and soul for the love story it entails. Thank you, Joann Buchanan, for a horror story that shocked and terrified me!!
April 2, 2016
Another amazingly well written book by the marvel that is Joann Buchanan. I picked this book up and literally couldn't put it down until I finished it an hour later. I was so engrossed in it, I actually walked into a wall. My roommate, who has vastly different taste in books then I do, loved the book as much as I did. Keep em coming, Joann!!
January 6, 2012
cant wait
May 8, 2012
A very dark fantasy.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews