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Ghost Drums
The vampire, Lazarus Kalon, is intent upon stealing the power of a shape shifter, a shaman of the Kwakiutl people. Yet, as Lazarus moves in on the shaman and the Kwakiutl village, another supernatural being comes into play, a demon with his own agenda for the Kwakiutl and who is very aware of Lazarus' presence and intent.
Now, tormented by this supernatural being and the mystery of a haunted and deserted village, Lazarus must confront this demon and his own rationale for the shape shifter’s blood.
Ghost Drums is a dark fantasy that seamlessly blends traditional vampire lore with native mythology.
Now, tormented by this supernatural being and the mystery of a haunted and deserted village, Lazarus must confront this demon and his own rationale for the shape shifter’s blood.
Ghost Drums is a dark fantasy that seamlessly blends traditional vampire lore with native mythology.
16 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 20, 2003
14 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Dean Cole
3 books9 followersMatt Cole was born in a Vancouver, British Columbia in 1967. He earned an undergraduate degree in kinesiology at the University of British Columbia and a graduate degree in exercise physiology the University of Victoria. He has worked as a kinesiologist since 2000.
During his college and university years, Matt scratched his creative itch in screenplay and short fiction workshops along with speculative fiction studies. In his free time, he enjoys red wine (or the nectar of the Gods as he believes it to be), reading fantasy fiction and graphic novels, and devouring dark chocolate. He can be found wondering bookstores and comic book shops, attending film festivals, drinking craft beer at the local pub, as well as competing in local IPSC competitions. You may also find him at the gym if he ever gets his ass in gear and gets back at it.
Matt currently lives Coquitlam British Columbia. He was married in 2002 and divorced in 2009 and was in a relationship with another crazy woman between 2016 to 2017. He survived them both these ordeals, albeit not entirely unscathed. He currently has neither a partner nor a pet but is on the lookout for a captivating individual and worthy creature to fill these roles.
His author site and blog is http://mattcoleonline.com/
During his college and university years, Matt scratched his creative itch in screenplay and short fiction workshops along with speculative fiction studies. In his free time, he enjoys red wine (or the nectar of the Gods as he believes it to be), reading fantasy fiction and graphic novels, and devouring dark chocolate. He can be found wondering bookstores and comic book shops, attending film festivals, drinking craft beer at the local pub, as well as competing in local IPSC competitions. You may also find him at the gym if he ever gets his ass in gear and gets back at it.
Matt currently lives Coquitlam British Columbia. He was married in 2002 and divorced in 2009 and was in a relationship with another crazy woman between 2016 to 2017. He survived them both these ordeals, albeit not entirely unscathed. He currently has neither a partner nor a pet but is on the lookout for a captivating individual and worthy creature to fill these roles.
His author site and blog is http://mattcoleonline.com/
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 27, 2012
Matt Cole’s “Ghost Drums” is the perfect short story for a dark fall evening when the wind is moaning and a branch scraps across the window glass. In general, I don’t really like to read short stories, but there is always an exception to the rule and Cole’s story is one. “Ghost Drums” is the story of Lazarus Kalon, who seeks to increase his already substantial powers by drinking the blood of a powerful shape shifter.
Set in 1878 in British Columbia, the antihero is Lazarus, a very old and very powerful and power hungry vampire. He is almost obsessed with stealing the power of a shape shifter, a shaman of the Kwakiutl people, who he encountered a month before. But he senses that there is another supernatural being, one that haunts the Kwakiutl people, and one who has become very aware of Lazarus’ presence just as Lazarus is aware of him. The tension mounts; things are never quite as easy as they seem. As the tension between the vampire and the demon builds, the question is: “Who is the hunter and who is the prey”?
Matt Cole’s “Ghost Drums” is a beautifully descriptive work with strong diction that makes the reader want more. Still, Cole creates a compelling story with interesting characters and plenty of strong sense imagery which creates a strong mood and suspense for the reader. His plot is solid and moves quickly which helps make an excellent night of reading in the “dark and sinister” fantasy genre. I wished the story had been longer and fleshed out even more. Additionally, the ending was a little confusing; I found myself especially wondering about the young savage girl: “What every happened to her?” Regardless of my minor complaints, Matt Cole’s “Ghost Drums” is an intriguing story and well worth the time to read.
Set in 1878 in British Columbia, the antihero is Lazarus, a very old and very powerful and power hungry vampire. He is almost obsessed with stealing the power of a shape shifter, a shaman of the Kwakiutl people, who he encountered a month before. But he senses that there is another supernatural being, one that haunts the Kwakiutl people, and one who has become very aware of Lazarus’ presence just as Lazarus is aware of him. The tension mounts; things are never quite as easy as they seem. As the tension between the vampire and the demon builds, the question is: “Who is the hunter and who is the prey”?
Matt Cole’s “Ghost Drums” is a beautifully descriptive work with strong diction that makes the reader want more. Still, Cole creates a compelling story with interesting characters and plenty of strong sense imagery which creates a strong mood and suspense for the reader. His plot is solid and moves quickly which helps make an excellent night of reading in the “dark and sinister” fantasy genre. I wished the story had been longer and fleshed out even more. Additionally, the ending was a little confusing; I found myself especially wondering about the young savage girl: “What every happened to her?” Regardless of my minor complaints, Matt Cole’s “Ghost Drums” is an intriguing story and well worth the time to read.
July 6, 2012
Vampires, shape shifters, ghosts and more.
Set in British Columbia, during the late nineteenth century, Ghost Drums is the story of Lazarus Kalon, who seeks to increase his already substantial powers by drinking the blood of a powerful shape shifter.
This is the second story I have read of Matt Cole’s and I was glad to find that his wonderfully embroidered prose is also evident in this nicely crafted tale. Scenes are deliciously set and the atmosphere perfectly dismal, the ideal setting for such a dark and creepy exploit.
This book remains both beautifully descriptive whilst never losing pace – a feat to be applauded.
I believe this is one of two stories by Matt Cole with the same protagonist and I will definitely be getting my hands on the other one soon. Lazarus is a perfectly nasty creature, ready for a series of grim adventures. Excellent stuff.
Set in British Columbia, during the late nineteenth century, Ghost Drums is the story of Lazarus Kalon, who seeks to increase his already substantial powers by drinking the blood of a powerful shape shifter.
This is the second story I have read of Matt Cole’s and I was glad to find that his wonderfully embroidered prose is also evident in this nicely crafted tale. Scenes are deliciously set and the atmosphere perfectly dismal, the ideal setting for such a dark and creepy exploit.
This book remains both beautifully descriptive whilst never losing pace – a feat to be applauded.
I believe this is one of two stories by Matt Cole with the same protagonist and I will definitely be getting my hands on the other one soon. Lazarus is a perfectly nasty creature, ready for a series of grim adventures. Excellent stuff.
January 7, 2019
Ghost Drums is an odd vampire story by Matt Cole. I admit I just didn't get this one. For one I was not a big fan of how it was written and it evolved around just this vampire Lazarus who wants to "evolve" by taking advantage of another paranormal being, in this case some shapeshifting demon. The whole story seemed a tad pointless in my eyes and ends in nothing?
It is a short story and the pace is a tad faster, as expected. There is however not a whole lot to the story, unlike in most short stories where the author tends to cram a lot into the story.
I admit this story was just a lost cause on me, but hey it is a shorter story so feel free to give it a try.
It is a short story and the pace is a tad faster, as expected. There is however not a whole lot to the story, unlike in most short stories where the author tends to cram a lot into the story.
I admit this story was just a lost cause on me, but hey it is a shorter story so feel free to give it a try.
July 9, 2012
This is the perfect short story on a stormy afternoon for those of us that like traditional vampire myths with a bit of a twist.
Originally published in 2003, I had discovered it while sitting in some office or bar, or coffee shop while leafing through some esoteric magazine. Quickly jotting down his name in my moleskin. A few years later I ran across his name again,same story. I just really dug the vampire, Lazarus.
Matt Cole writes shorts with a very non-sparkling vampire named Lazarus. His writing has strong, dark and solid allegory, balancing the traditional vampire myth with Native British Columbian myths. Having grown up a bit south of there in the Pacific Northwest, I appreciated it even more. Totem poles are more than a thing of wonder and beauty in the middle of the park, they have huge symbolic meaning within the Native religion.
In the perfect length of a short, in my opinion, he is able to throw at you such strength and power blending both, I even wonder if it can successfully be a novel. Maybe I do not want it to be, since I love good solid short stories. When I discovered it for my Kindle I quickly gobbled it up and discovered there are two more with Lazarus. This is a vampire that I can “sink” my teeth in!
Originally published in 2003, I had discovered it while sitting in some office or bar, or coffee shop while leafing through some esoteric magazine. Quickly jotting down his name in my moleskin. A few years later I ran across his name again,same story. I just really dug the vampire, Lazarus.
Matt Cole writes shorts with a very non-sparkling vampire named Lazarus. His writing has strong, dark and solid allegory, balancing the traditional vampire myth with Native British Columbian myths. Having grown up a bit south of there in the Pacific Northwest, I appreciated it even more. Totem poles are more than a thing of wonder and beauty in the middle of the park, they have huge symbolic meaning within the Native religion.
In the perfect length of a short, in my opinion, he is able to throw at you such strength and power blending both, I even wonder if it can successfully be a novel. Maybe I do not want it to be, since I love good solid short stories. When I discovered it for my Kindle I quickly gobbled it up and discovered there are two more with Lazarus. This is a vampire that I can “sink” my teeth in!
October 22, 2012
"Ghost Drums" by Matt Cole is a very unusual and wickedly creepy tale of the supernatural. Narrated by an undefined creature of the night, it carries us through the ghostly history of a primitive people who no longer exist, yet have not left this plane of existence.
In addition to that, there is another undefined creature of the night at play here, which happens to also be a shape-shifter. Consequently we never know when that creature is part of the current action, or if it is off in the jungle somewhere biding its time.
The desired outcome of the action is never very clear, neither to us, nor to the narrating character. Nevertheless, it is clear there really are no "good guys" in this tale... just differing degrees of "bad" guys.
It is easier to just read this story than to describe it, so I will simply say it was a fascinating short story, one I heartily recommend to fans of paranormal fiction, horror, shape-shifters, monsters of the night, ghost tribes, or any other permutation of the macabre. Get this book! You will enjoy it, as long as you don't try to read it just before going to bed for the night. You won't get a good night's rest.
In addition to that, there is another undefined creature of the night at play here, which happens to also be a shape-shifter. Consequently we never know when that creature is part of the current action, or if it is off in the jungle somewhere biding its time.
The desired outcome of the action is never very clear, neither to us, nor to the narrating character. Nevertheless, it is clear there really are no "good guys" in this tale... just differing degrees of "bad" guys.
It is easier to just read this story than to describe it, so I will simply say it was a fascinating short story, one I heartily recommend to fans of paranormal fiction, horror, shape-shifters, monsters of the night, ghost tribes, or any other permutation of the macabre. Get this book! You will enjoy it, as long as you don't try to read it just before going to bed for the night. You won't get a good night's rest.
December 10, 2012
I already read and loved The Blood of Cowards so it was only natural to read another story by the author. Ghost Drums proved a satisfying read as well, though imho it is not as elaborately and carefully written, which is my only criticism here. I wonder if Ghost Drums was written before The Blood of Cowards, which would show nicely a great improvement in the author's writing skills.
Ghost Drums contains much more action and some paragraphs appeared crowded, so that I wished the author would have used more words and pages to enfold the story more detailed and with patience. I can only repeat my plea for a full-length novel on the adventures of Lazarus Kalon...
Again, we are presented with a simple but original idea: can a vampire acquire the powers of a shapeshifter by drinking his blood? The solution provides not only an answer to this question, but also a neat twist in the outcome.
(I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review)
Ghost Drums contains much more action and some paragraphs appeared crowded, so that I wished the author would have used more words and pages to enfold the story more detailed and with patience. I can only repeat my plea for a full-length novel on the adventures of Lazarus Kalon...
Again, we are presented with a simple but original idea: can a vampire acquire the powers of a shapeshifter by drinking his blood? The solution provides not only an answer to this question, but also a neat twist in the outcome.
(I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review)
June 10, 2013
To be quite honest, I didn't like this book as much as I thought I would. I really liked the vampire character and the setting. However, I think it needed more dialogue, a spell check and maybe a back story about Lazarus. All in all it was OK.
July 11, 2012
Beautifully written with plenty of imagery and suspense. I wish I could have learned more about Lazarus but all and all it's a very entertaining read, worth every penny!
Want to read
November 23, 2012Kindle free download 11/22/12.
January 12, 2013
Another great short story about Lazarus!!
December 28, 2013
Didn't realize it was a short story. A vampire in 1890's North America discovers an abandoned Native American village and finds the reason for it's abandonment. Needs editing for word usage.
July 7, 2014
This was a good sort story.
The characters were interesting and the plot was good.
This book was a good reading.
The characters were interesting and the plot was good.
This book was a good reading.
May 28, 2015
wish it was longer; I enjoyed the storyline and wish it was fleshed out more.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews