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Grey
The Guf stands empty. The last human soul in all of existence has been stolen by the Devil and his children, the Seven Deadly Sins, and humanity’s end is in sight. With no other choice, God enlists Heaven’s hatchet man—an entity called Grey that is neither angel nor demon—to retrieve the soul and save the world.
157 pages, Hardcover
Published August 1, 2024
31 people want to read
About the author
Ian Rogers
119 books197 followersIan Rogers is the author of the award-winning collection, Every House Is Haunted. His novelette, “The House on Ashley Avenue,” was a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award and is currently being adapted into a feature film produced by Sam Raimi. His debut novel, Family, was published by Earthling Publications. He is also the creator of the Black Lands series. The first book, Sycamore, was published by Cemetery Dance Publications.
Ian's short fiction has appeared in several publications, including Tor.com, Cemetery Dance, Broken Pencil, and Shadows & Tall Trees. His work has been selected for The Best Horror of the Year and Imaginarium: The Best Canadian Speculative Writing.
Ian lives with his wife and two cats in Peterborough, Ontario. For more information, visit ianrogers.ca.
Ian's short fiction has appeared in several publications, including Tor.com, Cemetery Dance, Broken Pencil, and Shadows & Tall Trees. His work has been selected for The Best Horror of the Year and Imaginarium: The Best Canadian Speculative Writing.
Ian lives with his wife and two cats in Peterborough, Ontario. For more information, visit ianrogers.ca.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 3, 2024
Dark horror comedy, irreverent religious fantasy, or futuristic supernatural noir? You don't have to decide. This one has it all: quirky dialogue, a flawed protagonist (Constantine meets John Wick meets American Gods), nasty twists (not the baby! not the baby!), trips to Hell and voyages to Heaven, cinematic bursts of violence, an eerie yet strongly fatalistic atmosphere- but mostly just good old non-stop action and supernatural fun! Our antihero, Grey, is taken from Limbo and sent to an epic quest to fix the dried-up world of the future - what follows is a supersized, colorful, rude attempt to restore the sinister upsetting of the cosmic order! For anyone who enjoys action-packed metaphysical tales with tongue-in-cheek wit, all set in a bleak future, there's plenty to soak up in this wickedly delicious book!
August 31, 2024
A really interesting noir take on Heaven and Hell with a fascinating lead character and an unusual mystery to solve. Very impressive
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
November 6, 2025
Heaven vs. Hell - and one bad-ass sarcastic SOB. He's not light. He's not dark. He's smack dab in the middle. He's GREY. Read this.
January 18, 2025
So, what do you get if you get John Constantine, smoosh him up with John Wick and then add a little bit of Garth Ennis religious irreverancy? Well, you get Grey, the main protagonist of Ian Rogers’ noirishly violent dark fantasy book, which also happens to be called Grey.
Told from the first-person perspective, we are introduced to Grey as he muses on his time in limbo, informing us that Limbo is like being stuck in a waiting room with nothing but Michael Bay films to watch on a crappy dvd player.
Whilst mulling over his current predicament, where Grey finds himself banished to the absolute boredom of Limbo due to the fact that he can’t get into heaven because he does not repent of his sins, and hell doesn’t want him.
Visited by the Metatron, he is told that God needs Grey’s services and due to the fact that last human soul has been stolen from the Guf, and that she wants him to find it. After a visit to the Guf, it becomes obvious that the main culprit for the theft is Lust, one of the seven deadly sins and daughter of Lucifer.
Whilst investigating, the trail leads him to earth and finally to Hell.
I have to say that I really enjoyed this tale. Besides being a metaphysical fantasy involving angels and demons, Rogers also mixes in a dystopian tale in which humans are at the end point due to climate changes and an unknown reason as to why the human race cannot procreate any more and no children are being born.
The pace of the story is fast as Grey brawls his way through the realms of heaven, earth and hell. Fighting angels, demons and a few humans as well. The ending of the book really took me by surprise, but when I reflected on it, there was a natural progression throughout the story.
This is a really good book that I thoroughly enjoyed. There’s lots of violence and irreverent fun about the nature of heaven and hell. In addition to that, you can tell how good a book is when you immediately go looking for other works by the author.
Told from the first-person perspective, we are introduced to Grey as he muses on his time in limbo, informing us that Limbo is like being stuck in a waiting room with nothing but Michael Bay films to watch on a crappy dvd player.
Whilst mulling over his current predicament, where Grey finds himself banished to the absolute boredom of Limbo due to the fact that he can’t get into heaven because he does not repent of his sins, and hell doesn’t want him.
Visited by the Metatron, he is told that God needs Grey’s services and due to the fact that last human soul has been stolen from the Guf, and that she wants him to find it. After a visit to the Guf, it becomes obvious that the main culprit for the theft is Lust, one of the seven deadly sins and daughter of Lucifer.
Whilst investigating, the trail leads him to earth and finally to Hell.
I have to say that I really enjoyed this tale. Besides being a metaphysical fantasy involving angels and demons, Rogers also mixes in a dystopian tale in which humans are at the end point due to climate changes and an unknown reason as to why the human race cannot procreate any more and no children are being born.
The pace of the story is fast as Grey brawls his way through the realms of heaven, earth and hell. Fighting angels, demons and a few humans as well. The ending of the book really took me by surprise, but when I reflected on it, there was a natural progression throughout the story.
This is a really good book that I thoroughly enjoyed. There’s lots of violence and irreverent fun about the nature of heaven and hell. In addition to that, you can tell how good a book is when you immediately go looking for other works by the author.
October 31, 2024
This was my first book by Rogers, but it won't be my last. This is a quick read. A novella consisting of comedy, horror, God and the Devil, the 7 Deadly Sins (as demons). It takes place in limbo in heaven and in hell.
This is a wild ride about a person( not really but wearing an old, used human body) in limbo, directed by God to find the last human soul that has been stolen by someone or something. Without this soul, the human race will come to an end, and with them, the end of the entire world.
This book is fun. It's violent. It's basically everything!
It's so hard to pigeonhole this book. Give it a try. It's a quick read, but it's good.
This is a wild ride about a person( not really but wearing an old, used human body) in limbo, directed by God to find the last human soul that has been stolen by someone or something. Without this soul, the human race will come to an end, and with them, the end of the entire world.
This book is fun. It's violent. It's basically everything!
It's so hard to pigeonhole this book. Give it a try. It's a quick read, but it's good.
January 5, 2025
What a thoroughly enjoyable entertaining romp through the underworld!
April 9, 2025
This was an odd duck and as I am writing this first few words I still don't know what I should rate it. Allow me to explain the premise. This book was told in the first perspective about someone that is called "Grey" and is stuck in Limbo (the place between Hell & Earth). And it's an interesting choice now that I think about it. White = Good ; Black = Evil - alas Grey = Both\Neither.
So he was tasked by Metraton by God to discovered a stolen soul. Btw - God is a woman. He goes to earth , in the near future and things are not that good. Death is everywhere, no children have been born for 20 years now (Children of Men vibes) and chaos is everywhere. THe author tries to explain that without kids being born, society would collapse which makes sense. I don't care about your sexuality or stance in the baby department but a society without offspring will never work - if you don't have to think about the future, and countries work that way, evolution would stop, work would stop, we as a species would stop - unless you are a selfish, obnoxious and entitled jerk - or not.
Grey goes to Las Vegas, then to hell then to Vegas trying to uncover what is happening and who did what. It's a little mystery. I don't believe it's a critique or hateful comment on Christianity but something that uses religion to make it fun and trying to make sense on all the quirks within - which exist in all religions.
In the end we never really know if this was the God Plan or not.
The author tries to break the fourth wall several times with comic reliefs and there is a lot of comedy moments. Some funny, some not that funny. It has been done over and over and over...
So, in my opinion, it's a good short novella\short novel. I don't know if this is a good vision of Ian Rogers writing and stuff. I know he is has a couple of other novels out there like Family and Every House is Haunted or even Sycamore. I may buy one more - after my read what I own. For now I am going to rate this 65/100
So he was tasked by Metraton by God to discovered a stolen soul. Btw - God is a woman. He goes to earth , in the near future and things are not that good. Death is everywhere, no children have been born for 20 years now (Children of Men vibes) and chaos is everywhere. THe author tries to explain that without kids being born, society would collapse which makes sense. I don't care about your sexuality or stance in the baby department but a society without offspring will never work - if you don't have to think about the future, and countries work that way, evolution would stop, work would stop, we as a species would stop - unless you are a selfish, obnoxious and entitled jerk - or not.
Grey goes to Las Vegas, then to hell then to Vegas trying to uncover what is happening and who did what. It's a little mystery. I don't believe it's a critique or hateful comment on Christianity but something that uses religion to make it fun and trying to make sense on all the quirks within - which exist in all religions.
In the end we never really know if this was the God Plan or not.
The author tries to break the fourth wall several times with comic reliefs and there is a lot of comedy moments. Some funny, some not that funny. It has been done over and over and over...
So, in my opinion, it's a good short novella\short novel. I don't know if this is a good vision of Ian Rogers writing and stuff. I know he is has a couple of other novels out there like Family and Every House is Haunted or even Sycamore. I may buy one more - after my read what I own. For now I am going to rate this 65/100
February 10, 2025
I'm torn about this one, because I actually think this is an incredible premise and a really interesting plot, but I just did not love the delivery. I think the comic style of writing is overdone in a way that didn't suit the story. I would have liked it better if it took itself more seriously and were fleshed out into a longer work.
April 14, 2025
This book is a lot of fun and it's full of the same kind of humour that I loved in Gavin Dillinger's 'An Exploration of Existential Indifference in a Void of Confidence'. Grey is summoned by Metatron to fix a biblical problem, and chaos ensues. It's a real hoot!
December 27, 2024
Good story that leaves you thinking about the state of our world. Definitely worth the read.
April 14, 2025
This novella is a whole load of fun - stakes of a biblical proportion (literally), an impending apocalypse, and a lot of twisted humour!
May 14, 2025
Need more Grey!
September 20, 2024
3/5 stars. It was fine.
A John Constantine type protagonist with a biblical task. Mayhem ensues.
A little too cutesy for my tastes. It was a nice homage to Good Omens and other genre lit if that’s what the author was going for.
A John Constantine type protagonist with a biblical task. Mayhem ensues.
A little too cutesy for my tastes. It was a nice homage to Good Omens and other genre lit if that’s what the author was going for.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews