Murderer's Sky

by P.D. Allen

Under shattered skies, fifty-seven illegal immigrants are murdered outside of the town of Heater, Arizona, a dying town in a dying civilization. Their deaths in a ritual sacrifice awaken Sheriff Elliot Pierce, Father Albert Hayne, pregnant survivor Maria Diaz and all of the people of Heater to an evil as abhorrent as what is happening in the sky overhead, an evil that is linked to what is happening in the sky, to their fate and to the fate of the entire world.

Murderer's Sky is the first book of the speculative, dystopian horror trilogy Under Shattered Skies. Set in a world not too different from our own, a world where humanity has passed the point of no return in its exploitation of the planet, a world where the monster threatening the future of life on this planet is the sociopathic inclination of its dominant species. Is there still a chance to save it all? Perhaps, but only if we can overcome isolationist tendencies and achieve a new degree of empathy with the world in which we live. Can that happen? Or are we damned to commit suicide by ignorance? Find out in Under Shattered Skies.

Genres: Horror, Dystopia

305 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 9, 2012

About the author

PD Allen has seen the publishing industry from many angles, as an editor, proofreader, typesetter and a sales clerk in a book store. But first and foremost, he is a novelist. With the publishing industry in turmoil due to the rising popularity of ebooks, he has chosen to throw his hat in the ring as an indie author.

PD has led a dynamic and adventurous life. He bicycled the Rocky Mountains, traveled the country as a wandering minstrel, and took degrees in geology, earth science and mathematics. Some consider him an authority on energy issues. His work has been referred to in the US Congress, and in the Australian and French Parliaments.

Yet his greatest talent has always been storytelling. He writes fiction in longhand, with a pen and paper, and then types the handwritten manuscripts into document files for proofing and editing.

Twelve years ago, he had the good fortune to find his soul mate, Elizabeth Anne Pfeiffer (ne Lovan). Elizabeth is an angel who has stood by his side through the best and worst, and has always believed in him, even when he did not believe in himself. He must have done something good, to have such a wonderful person as his partner.

PD Allen is currently at work on Quantum Meditations, which now number over 1,700 and counting. The first volume of Quantum Meditations is forthcoming from Balboa Press, a division of Hay House.

Reviews

[Elaina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murderers Sky begins innocuously enough- a priest summoned to a mother’s home, the local sheriff giving him a ride- but all is not as it seems. Overhead the sky is sickly and ominous and there are rumours of a terrible massacre out in the desert.

We come to know this priest with the soul of a musician and we travel with the sheriff into the jaws of hell. We meet a mother trying to help her challenged son- a boy who paints prophetic images of doom. We follow two boys who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, witnesses to terrible atrocity. We meet a woman about to give birth, the only survivor of a holocaust.

And then there are those with ulterior motives. Drug smugglers and people peddlers, soldiers without conscience, and their leader, a creature from the darkness. And the first inkling of what and who caused the changes to the atmosphere comes to the fore; this is long-term manipulation. And what, pray, is up at that church raising a safe house?

Every character is well-rounded and the tale flows with ease, holding the intense interest of this reader. Woven into and throughout is the ages-old struggle between what is good and what is evil- an enlightening experience in this silent, hot and dry context. A well-structure tale; PD Allen is a born storyteller.

I recommend Murderers Sky to anyone who enjoys depth in characters, a strange adventure, science and the supernatural- these factors are cleverly woven to form a tapestry that appears normal…yet isn’t. My only gripe is that Murderers Sky ended too soon! But the stage is set, and we know our characters now…and I cannot wait to read the next volume: Dæmon Sky. May it be soon.

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 5 out of 5]

PD Allen has given the reader a world filled with fear and horror, but hope is in the making.

Read full review in the 2012 October issue of InD’tale Magazine.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having loved the author's first book, "Complete Tales of da Yoopernatural," (I still remember certain scenes vividly) I was eager to acquire this one and get started. It only took about two pages to be completely hooked. I started while on vacation and read the entire time and far into the night, leaving others to do the driving. PD Allen has a gift for drawing in the reader, giving tantalizing hints of horrors about to unfold, then changing direction and taking us somewhere completely different, creating varied threads that I'm sure will mesh at some climactic point. In this way, Shattered Skies reminded me of Stephen King's The Stand.

For some reason, I didn't quite catch the fact that this is book one of a trilogy, so I read on, seeking answers, only to find my appetite whetted for book two, which is available, so I'll be picking that up right away, and from what I understand, book three is nearly out as well.

Character development is stellar: this is required for me to like a book. I can't enjoy a story that fails in this area. I will give warning that there is one extremely disturbing scene. It did not dampen my enthusiasm for reading on, however. At least not for very long. It is horror, after all, and speculative.

Highly recommended.

[Matt Braymiller · Rating 2 out of 5]

I so wanted to like this. The premise grabbed me and I really liked the folksy way it started. But the book really needs an editor's touch. The spelling errors and stiff dialog made the reading laborious. The scene with the religious fanatics group pushed the suspension of disbelief further than it would tolerate being pushed. I made it half-way and did not want to go any further, so I decided it would be best to set it aside. I may return later to make another attempt at finishing.

[Ashley Bernier · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author did a fantastic job in writing this novel. I think everyone should read it!!