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Veins
Fleeing from what should have been a perfect crime, four crooks in a black Mustang race into the Pennsylvania highlands. On the backseat, a briefcase full of cash. On their tail, a tattooed madman who wants them dead.
The driver calls himself Axle. A local boy, he knows the landscape, the coal-hauling roads and steep trails that lead to the perfect hideout: the crater of an abandoned mine. But Axle fears the crater. Terrible things happened there. Things that he has spent years trying to forget.
Enter Kwetis, the nightflyer, a specter from Axle’s ancestral past. Part memory, part nightmare, Kwetis has planned a heist of his own. And soon Axle, his partners in crime, and their pursuer will learn that their arrival at the mine was foretold long ago . . . and that each of them is a piece of a plan devised by the spirits of the Earth.
The driver calls himself Axle. A local boy, he knows the landscape, the coal-hauling roads and steep trails that lead to the perfect hideout: the crater of an abandoned mine. But Axle fears the crater. Terrible things happened there. Things that he has spent years trying to forget.
Enter Kwetis, the nightflyer, a specter from Axle’s ancestral past. Part memory, part nightmare, Kwetis has planned a heist of his own. And soon Axle, his partners in crime, and their pursuer will learn that their arrival at the mine was foretold long ago . . . and that each of them is a piece of a plan devised by the spirits of the Earth.
260 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2008
1 person is currently reading
249 people want to read
About the author
Lawrence C. Connolly
6 books11 followersLawrence C. Connolly’s books include the collections This Way to Egress, whose titular tale of psychological horror was adapted for the Mick Garris film Nightmare Cinema; and the Bram-Stoker-nominated Voices, which features Connolly’s best stories from The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Twilight Zone, Year’s Best Horror, and other top magazines and anthologies of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. A third collection, Visions, was praised by Publishers Weekly for featuring an eclectic mix of “entertaining and satisfying” SF.
His new novel, Minute-Men: Execute & Run, is a globetrotting adventure from Caezik Science Fiction that combines elements of military science fiction, gaming, and medical suspense to deliver a thrilling reinvention of the superhero genre. It’s based on a concept developed by brother Christopher Connolly.
He is also the writer of Mystery Theatre, a podcast produced by Prime Stage Theatre, who premiered his adaptation of Frankenstein in 2022. His latest commission, a play based on the life and works of Edgar Allan Poe, opens in November 2025 at Pittsburgh’s New Hazlett Theatre.
To learn more and stay up to date, please visit: lawrencecconnolly.com
His new novel, Minute-Men: Execute & Run, is a globetrotting adventure from Caezik Science Fiction that combines elements of military science fiction, gaming, and medical suspense to deliver a thrilling reinvention of the superhero genre. It’s based on a concept developed by brother Christopher Connolly.
He is also the writer of Mystery Theatre, a podcast produced by Prime Stage Theatre, who premiered his adaptation of Frankenstein in 2022. His latest commission, a play based on the life and works of Edgar Allan Poe, opens in November 2025 at Pittsburgh’s New Hazlett Theatre.
To learn more and stay up to date, please visit: lawrencecconnolly.com
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
April 14, 2015
I won this book in a giveaway and it was surprisingly a fast read for me. The story was easy to follow even with all the crazy action and constant explosions mixed in. I'm giving this book 3 stars because one of the characters really got under my skin. Without giving anything away, he kept repeating one word..... over.. and over again throughout the whole book. BUT! I did enjoy the book overall and I am very happy to have it in my collection.
April 12, 2010
Parts of the story were riveting, and parts were horribly sloppy. I picked this up at a book event some time ago, and finally got around to reading it.
Two things drove me crazy while reading this book.
The first is that the author spends pages and pages explaining the physics of gasoline explosions, correcting the impressions that Hollywood gives in too many movies. Then, in a later chapter, he blends an urban legend and similar Hollywoodish descriptions to create a gasoline explosion that just doesn't work. Really. They debunked this one on Mythbusters. If his gasoline explosion worked, no one would be safe in a gas station, ever, and they would be blowing up on a daily basis. In fact, everything in the book seems to be highly flammable, including latex paint. Latex paint? Really? That would be remarkable news to the paint companies...it took me only a few seconds to look it up. Why didn't the author or the editor?
The second is the Native American spirits. They inhabit a stretch of land that has been devastated and strip mined by evil industrialists. It's so bad that a former mountain has been turned into a big hole in the ground. Apparently, that was okay with them, as they never interfered, except perhaps to kill one Native American miner near the end of the mine's usage. Instead, they expend energy to influence three generations of their own followers in order to prevent someone from reclaiming the mine land and turning it into a resort and casino. Maybe it's just me, but that didn't make a lot of sense.
As a caper story, it had good moments, but since Reddy was such a cartoonish idiot, it was hard to empathize with the thieves, and that's important in a good caper story. The other characters were far more believable.
On the good side, the book is a very quick read that really does have a lot of action. The ways in which the caper goes wrong are interesting twists. The interaction with the supernatural is awkward in spots, which is unfortunate.
Two things drove me crazy while reading this book.
The first is that the author spends pages and pages explaining the physics of gasoline explosions, correcting the impressions that Hollywood gives in too many movies. Then, in a later chapter, he blends an urban legend and similar Hollywoodish descriptions to create a gasoline explosion that just doesn't work. Really. They debunked this one on Mythbusters. If his gasoline explosion worked, no one would be safe in a gas station, ever, and they would be blowing up on a daily basis. In fact, everything in the book seems to be highly flammable, including latex paint. Latex paint? Really? That would be remarkable news to the paint companies...it took me only a few seconds to look it up. Why didn't the author or the editor?
The second is the Native American spirits. They inhabit a stretch of land that has been devastated and strip mined by evil industrialists. It's so bad that a former mountain has been turned into a big hole in the ground. Apparently, that was okay with them, as they never interfered, except perhaps to kill one Native American miner near the end of the mine's usage. Instead, they expend energy to influence three generations of their own followers in order to prevent someone from reclaiming the mine land and turning it into a resort and casino. Maybe it's just me, but that didn't make a lot of sense.
As a caper story, it had good moments, but since Reddy was such a cartoonish idiot, it was hard to empathize with the thieves, and that's important in a good caper story. The other characters were far more believable.
On the good side, the book is a very quick read that really does have a lot of action. The ways in which the caper goes wrong are interesting twists. The interaction with the supernatural is awkward in spots, which is unfortunate.
July 28, 2011
I'm not sure why, if the Kwetis could directly intervene in human affairs, there needed to be so much dependence on human agents. Aside from that, it was fast-paced. It probably could have worked as a straight crime drama, without any of the supernatural elements.
February 20, 2011
SPOILERS
Darkly brooding and at times baffling, Veins by Lawrence C. Connolly lands in a unique genre somewhere between rural fantasy and legend. There’s no use trying to categorize this one; readers can only open the novel and read it. And then read it again, fascinated by the twisting plot that curves and folds like the road on which it’s set.
A trio of thieves in need of a driver recruit Axle, a down-on-his-luck body shop owner with a restored Mustang. A few thousand dollars will rescue Axle’s business and the crime they’ve planned is so smooth, it shouldn’t land any of them in trouble, much less jail. But of course the gentleman named Murphy intervenes, as well as a legendary creature known as Kwetis, the nightflyer. Now they’ve got the cash, but Axle is pushing his muscle car through the back roads of western Pennsylvania, with a V10 Viper on their tail and a tattooed, maniacal Native American wannabe shooting at them
Being a local boy, Axle knows all the back roads. He cuts through a trailer park into the perfect hiding place—an old, abandoned strip mine. It used to be a mountain; now it’s a crater, and his father, killed before his birth in a mining accident, still rests there. Only the most drastic emergency can force Axle to the crater. Things happened there years ago, frightening and confusing him, things he’s convinced himself didn’t happen.
But Kwetis knows they did. Described as “part ancestral memory and part nightmare,” Kwetis intends to recruit Axle to a path chosen for him by the spirits of the Earth, a path called the oohaate. All of them—Axle, his partners in crime, their pursuers, and the Earth itself—have ordained roles to play along that twisting path, with their lives and their deaths.
In constructing Veins, Connolly made use of intertwining time lines (Star Trek couldn’t have done it better) and multiple story levels. The result is a convoluted plot that folds back onto itself, and onto the realistic but not necessarily likeable characters.
Connolly’s writing is elegant and mesmerizing, a suitable vehicle for the plotline. Occasional touches of poetry in the descriptions (“A gibbous moon lay in the tree’s branches, glowing through brittle leaves, mottling the forest floor with silver light”) provide a graceful counterpoint for the punchy action exposition (“Axle downshifted as he hit the bend, burning rubber through a sideways skid, putting the bend between them and the Viper”).
All in all, Veins is a powerful and hypnotic ride, best saved for a long, uninterrupted weekend, as there’s no convenient pause point throughout the entire story. This reviewer read it in one hit.
And for the aficionado, the publisher also offers a T-shirt and soundtrack.
Darkly brooding and at times baffling, Veins by Lawrence C. Connolly lands in a unique genre somewhere between rural fantasy and legend. There’s no use trying to categorize this one; readers can only open the novel and read it. And then read it again, fascinated by the twisting plot that curves and folds like the road on which it’s set.
A trio of thieves in need of a driver recruit Axle, a down-on-his-luck body shop owner with a restored Mustang. A few thousand dollars will rescue Axle’s business and the crime they’ve planned is so smooth, it shouldn’t land any of them in trouble, much less jail. But of course the gentleman named Murphy intervenes, as well as a legendary creature known as Kwetis, the nightflyer. Now they’ve got the cash, but Axle is pushing his muscle car through the back roads of western Pennsylvania, with a V10 Viper on their tail and a tattooed, maniacal Native American wannabe shooting at them
Being a local boy, Axle knows all the back roads. He cuts through a trailer park into the perfect hiding place—an old, abandoned strip mine. It used to be a mountain; now it’s a crater, and his father, killed before his birth in a mining accident, still rests there. Only the most drastic emergency can force Axle to the crater. Things happened there years ago, frightening and confusing him, things he’s convinced himself didn’t happen.
But Kwetis knows they did. Described as “part ancestral memory and part nightmare,” Kwetis intends to recruit Axle to a path chosen for him by the spirits of the Earth, a path called the oohaate. All of them—Axle, his partners in crime, their pursuers, and the Earth itself—have ordained roles to play along that twisting path, with their lives and their deaths.
In constructing Veins, Connolly made use of intertwining time lines (Star Trek couldn’t have done it better) and multiple story levels. The result is a convoluted plot that folds back onto itself, and onto the realistic but not necessarily likeable characters.
Connolly’s writing is elegant and mesmerizing, a suitable vehicle for the plotline. Occasional touches of poetry in the descriptions (“A gibbous moon lay in the tree’s branches, glowing through brittle leaves, mottling the forest floor with silver light”) provide a graceful counterpoint for the punchy action exposition (“Axle downshifted as he hit the bend, burning rubber through a sideways skid, putting the bend between them and the Viper”).
All in all, Veins is a powerful and hypnotic ride, best saved for a long, uninterrupted weekend, as there’s no convenient pause point throughout the entire story. This reviewer read it in one hit.
And for the aficionado, the publisher also offers a T-shirt and soundtrack.
December 7, 2010
Have you ever watched a movie or tv show, where a specific event was being told from different perspectives? You know... each of the characters had seen the same thing, but had different point of views. That was how this book was written, several perspectives woven together for a much larger purpose...Destiny.
In the beginning, I found the prologue to be a bit confusing, but as the story went on, I began to see threads of its reasoning. A heist was planned by a motley group (Spinelli, Tejay, and Reddy), but they needed a fast driver with a reliable muscle car. Axle needed the money to save his business and get his head above the financial waters. It seemed like a quick and easy job for the money. But, you know what is said about something being too good to be true or about the best laid of plans...The job goes fatally wrong and in that moment, everything changes. Axle began to remember his great-grandmother's teachings and soon realized, his destiny had already been mapped out by his powerful ancestrial spirits, who had thier own agendas.
The characters were richly developed, with crediable personalites and believable circumstances. But, I didn't feel a personal connection. In truth, I felt like I was being told the tale instead of experiencing the journey. Although, I confess, there was a brief moment, when I could relate to Tejay, a woman pissed off and scorned and all that...
I felt the premise was brilliant. The author created a parallel world very much like our own. And like our world, something that should have been simple... wasn't. Isn't that the way it usually is? Some of the characters had to deal with the consequences of thier choices and actions, while others came to the haunting realization, they were nothing more than pawns for a higher purpose. I love that the author provoked the imagination with spiritual and psychological elements. The idea of not controlling one's own destiny, but being the pawn of something larger was something to ponder.
Overall, this book will intrigue the mind and stimulate the imagination. The supernatual is subtle, the suspense is thrilling, and the action is explosive. Unfortunately, while the charcters were wonderfully written, I felt disconnected from them somehow. There was no personal connection for me to make them more engaging. This was the first book in the Vein Cycle series and could be read as a stand-alone. However, it gave the impression that this book represented a small moment in a much larger picture. I hope to learn more about that larger picture and perhaps connected with the characters in the next installment, Vipers.
In the beginning, I found the prologue to be a bit confusing, but as the story went on, I began to see threads of its reasoning. A heist was planned by a motley group (Spinelli, Tejay, and Reddy), but they needed a fast driver with a reliable muscle car. Axle needed the money to save his business and get his head above the financial waters. It seemed like a quick and easy job for the money. But, you know what is said about something being too good to be true or about the best laid of plans...The job goes fatally wrong and in that moment, everything changes. Axle began to remember his great-grandmother's teachings and soon realized, his destiny had already been mapped out by his powerful ancestrial spirits, who had thier own agendas.
The characters were richly developed, with crediable personalites and believable circumstances. But, I didn't feel a personal connection. In truth, I felt like I was being told the tale instead of experiencing the journey. Although, I confess, there was a brief moment, when I could relate to Tejay, a woman pissed off and scorned and all that...
I felt the premise was brilliant. The author created a parallel world very much like our own. And like our world, something that should have been simple... wasn't. Isn't that the way it usually is? Some of the characters had to deal with the consequences of thier choices and actions, while others came to the haunting realization, they were nothing more than pawns for a higher purpose. I love that the author provoked the imagination with spiritual and psychological elements. The idea of not controlling one's own destiny, but being the pawn of something larger was something to ponder.
Overall, this book will intrigue the mind and stimulate the imagination. The supernatual is subtle, the suspense is thrilling, and the action is explosive. Unfortunately, while the charcters were wonderfully written, I felt disconnected from them somehow. There was no personal connection for me to make them more engaging. This was the first book in the Vein Cycle series and could be read as a stand-alone. However, it gave the impression that this book represented a small moment in a much larger picture. I hope to learn more about that larger picture and perhaps connected with the characters in the next installment, Vipers.
July 5, 2014
Disclaimer: I was a student of Lawrence Connolly’s at Seton Hill University in the Writing Popular Fiction Program.
Veins (2008) is the first book in the Veins Cycle (trilogy), which also includes Vipers (2010) and Vortex (release date 2014). It begins with a series of premonitions, and then proceeds to unfold the foretellings. Connolly weaves words with the skill of a master, keeping the reader on the edge from chapter to chapter. Along the way, we meet a cast of intricately detailed characters. They read real, as if you could meet them tomorrow in a local shop. My favorite is a self-reliant soldier who lives in the wilderness and works for a rich Russian.
This book touches the reader on a visceral level with familial tales of love and loss that are never trite or cliché, but that feed into the masterful unfolding.
The element of speculative fiction that Connolly threads throughout the story works to not only inform the reader of lost myth, but to symbolize elements of reality that all of us recognize: avarice, pride, sloth. I believe the reader will be able to relate, in some way, to the process of dramatic unraveling that lays bare the fundamental principles of life. But it is up to the readers to discover them for themselves.
Veins (2008) is the first book in the Veins Cycle (trilogy), which also includes Vipers (2010) and Vortex (release date 2014). It begins with a series of premonitions, and then proceeds to unfold the foretellings. Connolly weaves words with the skill of a master, keeping the reader on the edge from chapter to chapter. Along the way, we meet a cast of intricately detailed characters. They read real, as if you could meet them tomorrow in a local shop. My favorite is a self-reliant soldier who lives in the wilderness and works for a rich Russian.
This book touches the reader on a visceral level with familial tales of love and loss that are never trite or cliché, but that feed into the masterful unfolding.
The element of speculative fiction that Connolly threads throughout the story works to not only inform the reader of lost myth, but to symbolize elements of reality that all of us recognize: avarice, pride, sloth. I believe the reader will be able to relate, in some way, to the process of dramatic unraveling that lays bare the fundamental principles of life. But it is up to the readers to discover them for themselves.
July 16, 2009
I bought this book because it was the right thing to do, supporting a small publishing house and all. I didn't expect to really get into it; it wasn't my kind of book. I'm not into horror (though I like dark fantasy), I don't seek out supernatural Native American premises, I don't particularly like crime stories. This was a purchase for karma, nothing more.
That said, I give this book four stars.
Perhaps I'm not as clear on the current literary definition of horror, but I didn't find the gory wallowing I usually associate with the genre. Instead, Connolly blends supernatural and mundane explanations for the book's events and, while unpleasant accidents do happen, keeps the narrative focused on the plot.
Characterization is good. Though I roundly despised most everyone we met, they were real enough that I did despise them, rather than feeling indifferent.
The end did not quite satisfy me, but that may be because of one of my existing biases, mentioned above. Fans of the genres may feel otherwise.
All in all, this was surprisingly enjoyable for a "good deed" purchase, and I recommend others consider it as well.
That said, I give this book four stars.
Perhaps I'm not as clear on the current literary definition of horror, but I didn't find the gory wallowing I usually associate with the genre. Instead, Connolly blends supernatural and mundane explanations for the book's events and, while unpleasant accidents do happen, keeps the narrative focused on the plot.
Characterization is good. Though I roundly despised most everyone we met, they were real enough that I did despise them, rather than feeling indifferent.
The end did not quite satisfy me, but that may be because of one of my existing biases, mentioned above. Fans of the genres may feel otherwise.
All in all, this was surprisingly enjoyable for a "good deed" purchase, and I recommend others consider it as well.
November 5, 2014
I wasn't sure about this book when I started reading. Connolly introduced supernatural characters, which really isn't my thing. However, I got very interested in the story when, Axle, the main character, was drawn in to a crowd of crooks who wanted to commit a robbery in the country side of Pennsylvania. I enjoyed how that part of the story unfolded and the excitement and action of the actual robbery and get away. I couldn't put the book down. However, at one point during the get away, Connolly's story becomes more to do with the supernatural and spirits of Axle's past. At that point, I stopped reading the book. As I stated, I' not interested in that subject matter. Therefore, I have no idea how the book ends or how or if Axel and the crooks escape.
I have received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I have received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 6, 2014
VEINS will pull you in within the first few pages and take you on a fast paced ride through the entire story. You will feel as though you are sitting right next to the main characters in the mustang on the back county roads of Pennsylvania. The author paints a vivid picture of the coal region in the Northeast with a twist of mythical Indian lore. The fantasy character and dream sequences are as real as the landscape and back roads. I liked the crime-mystery aspect of this fantasy thriller and read this book in one afternoon, there was no place to pause. You will find you self-wanting more when you finish the book
“I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.”
“I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.”
December 16, 2015
You can read my full review here: http://devinsbookhub.com/2015/02/vein...
Great book! I won a copy from a Goodreads giveaway and I'm so glad I did! They weren't kidding when they say it's a non-stop thrilling action ride. I was hooked from page one and couldn't put the book down at all. The descriptions, style of writing, and illustrations throughout were perfect. Now to order the next two books in the series!
Great book! I won a copy from a Goodreads giveaway and I'm so glad I did! They weren't kidding when they say it's a non-stop thrilling action ride. I was hooked from page one and couldn't put the book down at all. The descriptions, style of writing, and illustrations throughout were perfect. Now to order the next two books in the series!
March 5, 2015
VEINS is a stylish start to what promises to be a wholly original series, and I'm excited to see what comes next. The novel is a well-crafted mix of a heist-gone-wrong and dark magical realism. It's gritty noir yet has immaculate description. CONNOLLY expertly switches through multiple character's POV's, rooting the reader in a tense story while weaving in some fascinating back story. One thing is certain about THE VEINS CYCLE: it's going to be full of surprises.
November 28, 2020
Veins is in turns lyrical and gutterally blunt. A simple sounding story, it is made into something greater than the plot by the skill of the author. Mashing literary fiction with thrillers and the supernatural leads to a disconcerting but compelling feel that drives you through the book, and leaves you knowing that its world continues.
Even if you do not.
Even if you do not.
May 7, 2016
Recieved from a Goodreads Giveaway
I couldn't follow this book from page 1. Things were thrown at me, leaving me thinking "Wait, what? What is this? Who is that?" Usually books give a bit of background, especially when it's the first in a series, but I didn't find that in this one. I didn't really care for this book at all.
I couldn't follow this book from page 1. Things were thrown at me, leaving me thinking "Wait, what? What is this? Who is that?" Usually books give a bit of background, especially when it's the first in a series, but I didn't find that in this one. I didn't really care for this book at all.
November 15, 2014
What a fun ride! I was happy to get the word that I had won the drawing for this book. I found the premise interesting and the story did not disappoint. The author brings the characters to life and weaves the threads of the story artfully. This book sets up a longer tale to be told. I look forward to reading the next in the series.
Read
January 15, 2011That was definitely not my cup of tea.
I'm sure there will be people who like this kind of books.
I will not give a rating because I don't know how to rate a book which was not bad but I did not like it.
Anyway I will not read the sequels.
I'm sure there will be people who like this kind of books.
I will not give a rating because I don't know how to rate a book which was not bad but I did not like it.
Anyway I will not read the sequels.
Read
November 16, 2008Supernatural easy read for YA and adults
Set in Western PA
Set in Western PA
February 20, 2009
Great mystery/suspense story set in southwestern PA about a heist gone bad. Wonderful characters and a plot with a twist that will keep you on the edge right up to the end.
June 11, 2010
Fast-paced read. Kind of a dark fantasy meets caper, set in Western PA.
November 21, 2014
A little hard to follow towards the end but a good read. Fast paced and exciting
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews