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Titan's Song #1
She Kills
THE LEVIATHAN... An ancient evil with unspeakable appetites has been reaching across the veil between worlds, searching among those with powerful psychic gifts for someone strong enough to become his newest disciple... And now, at last, he has found her...
THE CHOSEN... Simone Copeland, a young woman trying to outrun her troubled past, returns to her hometown in the mountains of rural Virginia, hoping to regroup and start over. But there's something unusual about Simone, something that sets her apart from 99.9% of the human race, and now she's been singled out by a horrible malevolent force. Soon she will experience the initial harbingers of her new destiny - urges to commit acts of unthinkable violence; urges she can barely resist. And unless she can find a way to cope, it's only a matter of time before she loses control and does something completely unforgivable.
This is the first stage. Simone is becoming...
THE MAGE... Malcolm Thackery, an agent for a secret order of powerful occult practitioners, is sent to investigate a colleague suspected of dabbling in forbidden magics, and stumbles onto evidence of a horrifying conspiracy.
As he tries to get to the bottom of things, Malcolm will soon find himself in very hot water indeed, with gods meddling in his business, and horrors beyond imagining waiting just out of sight...
THE BATTLE... The stakes are high and time is running out.
Will Simone manage to calm the storm of violence building inside her? And will Thackery survive long enough to discover the truth and come to her aid?
Or will both be overwhelmed by the cunning machinations of a terrible evil from an alien realm that completely defies human understanding?
Dark Gifts is the first book in author Jacob Stanley's Titan's Song series. The story blends visceral horror in the vein of authors such as Clive Barker, Stephen King, and Richard Laymon, with creepy eldritch fantasy inspired by classic pulp magazine writers like H.P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith. Readers who enjoy violent macabre fiction with a strong fantasy element should find a lot to like in this intense supernatural thriller.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:> The Titan's Song series is an ongoing work of serialized fiction. It's basically like a TV series in book form. Each episode moves the story further along and unravels more of the mystery. An omnibus titled The DARK Chronicles, which collects the first 4 books of this series at a discounted price, is now available for purchase.
THE CHOSEN... Simone Copeland, a young woman trying to outrun her troubled past, returns to her hometown in the mountains of rural Virginia, hoping to regroup and start over. But there's something unusual about Simone, something that sets her apart from 99.9% of the human race, and now she's been singled out by a horrible malevolent force. Soon she will experience the initial harbingers of her new destiny - urges to commit acts of unthinkable violence; urges she can barely resist. And unless she can find a way to cope, it's only a matter of time before she loses control and does something completely unforgivable.
This is the first stage. Simone is becoming...
THE MAGE... Malcolm Thackery, an agent for a secret order of powerful occult practitioners, is sent to investigate a colleague suspected of dabbling in forbidden magics, and stumbles onto evidence of a horrifying conspiracy.
As he tries to get to the bottom of things, Malcolm will soon find himself in very hot water indeed, with gods meddling in his business, and horrors beyond imagining waiting just out of sight...
THE BATTLE... The stakes are high and time is running out.
Will Simone manage to calm the storm of violence building inside her? And will Thackery survive long enough to discover the truth and come to her aid?
Or will both be overwhelmed by the cunning machinations of a terrible evil from an alien realm that completely defies human understanding?
Dark Gifts is the first book in author Jacob Stanley's Titan's Song series. The story blends visceral horror in the vein of authors such as Clive Barker, Stephen King, and Richard Laymon, with creepy eldritch fantasy inspired by classic pulp magazine writers like H.P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith. Readers who enjoy violent macabre fiction with a strong fantasy element should find a lot to like in this intense supernatural thriller.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:> The Titan's Song series is an ongoing work of serialized fiction. It's basically like a TV series in book form. Each episode moves the story further along and unravels more of the mystery. An omnibus titled The DARK Chronicles, which collects the first 4 books of this series at a discounted price, is now available for purchase.
105 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 24, 2015
About the author
Jacob Stanley
16 books28 followersJacob Stanley is a speculative fiction author from northeast Georgia. He developed an interest in horror and fantasy at an early age, reading everything from old pulp fiction works by Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard to horror epics by Stephen King and Robert McCammon. Eventually his interests branched out to include a huge number of writers from all the fantastic genres, including names as diverse as Clive Barker, Octavia Butler, C.S. Lewis, Robert Jordan, George R.R. Martin, Anne Rice, and Haruki Murakami.
In his early 20s he became obsessed with cinema and got caught up in the dream of the new indie film boom of the 90s. His first actual attempts to write fiction were all screenplays that he wrote over the next 10 years or so. During that time he watched every movie he could find, from the classic works of masters like Alfred Hitchcock and John Ford, to the strange creations of David Lynch and Luis Buñuel. His fascination with extremes eventually made him a fan of numerous cult filmmakers, including Lucio Fulci, Roger Corman, and Russ Meyer.
His books are an attempt to distill all these diverse influences from the worlds of literature and cinema into a rich soup of epic-horror-science-fantasy weirdness.
In addition to writing, he's also been a guitarist since the age of twelve. In his spare time does a lot of reading, and enjoys hanging out with his family and pets.
In his early 20s he became obsessed with cinema and got caught up in the dream of the new indie film boom of the 90s. His first actual attempts to write fiction were all screenplays that he wrote over the next 10 years or so. During that time he watched every movie he could find, from the classic works of masters like Alfred Hitchcock and John Ford, to the strange creations of David Lynch and Luis Buñuel. His fascination with extremes eventually made him a fan of numerous cult filmmakers, including Lucio Fulci, Roger Corman, and Russ Meyer.
His books are an attempt to distill all these diverse influences from the worlds of literature and cinema into a rich soup of epic-horror-science-fantasy weirdness.
In addition to writing, he's also been a guitarist since the age of twelve. In his spare time does a lot of reading, and enjoys hanging out with his family and pets.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 11, 2015
I got this book in exchange for an honest review by the author. So I went into this book pretty blind, not knowing exactly what it was or what genre it was meant to be. I still have not decided that. This book was just ok for me.
In this story we have Simone moves back to her hometown after making some wrong choices in her life. She gets to her hometown and receives a gift from her estranged relatives that is supposed to be some kind of lucky charm, only the lucky charm is not all that lucky when Simone discovers changes within herslf.
I feel like this had an interesting plot, but I don't feel like it has been played out completely yet. The synopsis talks about unconventional choices that Simone makes, yet we get no backstory on her for us to see what kind of lifestyle she lived that would force her to relocate. Although the book warns of sexual situations, I found a particular scene in the beginning of the book to be unnecessary and redundant. The story could carry on fine without it. I did not find it to be a key element for the story. I also felt the story was very unrealistic which is fine, but this world was hard to imagine it's existence so it was hard to really get into the story. I do find the writing style to be very fluid and easy to follow. Simplicity was definitely a good attribute for this story.
The time frame in this book is also unidentifiable to me. I could not figure out if it was a present world or a futuristic world. There were things that were spoke about that are of our world today and then on the other hand it seemed like some other things were more futuristic. I think the world building is ok, it just needs better explanation.
As for the characters, well I did not like any of them at all, they lacked depth, however it may be because it is a first book in the series and maybe the characters would grow throughout the series. The problem I had with the characters is that their characteristics were not believable or better yet their species. I could not grasp what they were at all, and this I feel is because of the lack of backstory on them. I think perhaps in future installments it would be helpful to get a bit more information on them.
I am not sure who I could recommend this book to because there are many different elements that makes the genre a bit unclear. I think it leans more towards urban fantasy which could explain why it was just ok for me since I struggle with any type of fantasy books. So those who like urban fantasy may enjoy this book.
In this story we have Simone moves back to her hometown after making some wrong choices in her life. She gets to her hometown and receives a gift from her estranged relatives that is supposed to be some kind of lucky charm, only the lucky charm is not all that lucky when Simone discovers changes within herslf.
I feel like this had an interesting plot, but I don't feel like it has been played out completely yet. The synopsis talks about unconventional choices that Simone makes, yet we get no backstory on her for us to see what kind of lifestyle she lived that would force her to relocate. Although the book warns of sexual situations, I found a particular scene in the beginning of the book to be unnecessary and redundant. The story could carry on fine without it. I did not find it to be a key element for the story. I also felt the story was very unrealistic which is fine, but this world was hard to imagine it's existence so it was hard to really get into the story. I do find the writing style to be very fluid and easy to follow. Simplicity was definitely a good attribute for this story.
The time frame in this book is also unidentifiable to me. I could not figure out if it was a present world or a futuristic world. There were things that were spoke about that are of our world today and then on the other hand it seemed like some other things were more futuristic. I think the world building is ok, it just needs better explanation.
As for the characters, well I did not like any of them at all, they lacked depth, however it may be because it is a first book in the series and maybe the characters would grow throughout the series. The problem I had with the characters is that their characteristics were not believable or better yet their species. I could not grasp what they were at all, and this I feel is because of the lack of backstory on them. I think perhaps in future installments it would be helpful to get a bit more information on them.
I am not sure who I could recommend this book to because there are many different elements that makes the genre a bit unclear. I think it leans more towards urban fantasy which could explain why it was just ok for me since I struggle with any type of fantasy books. So those who like urban fantasy may enjoy this book.
August 26, 2015
Jacob Stanley can write. His style is sharp and edgy and makes for easy reading. In this novella, he has constructed a fascinating world of gods, demons, powerful beings from beyond current time and space who co-exist but are largely unknown to your normal human. Fortunately we get to meet two characters in this introduction to a larger work who are definitely not normal.
First there is Malcolm Thackery who is - well I'm not sure what you would call him - but he works in a semi-casual capacity for an organization called "The Order" who are part guardians and part police force and he has "special" gifts. Reminded me in away of Harry Dresden - likable and laid back.
Then there is Simone who is also not normal. She is having serious personality problems, headaches and illusions/visions plus an appetite for violence that she struggles to control.
I liked the story so far, but as a reader I'd much prefer to have seen at least a partial resolution in the plot. I know it's part of a series, but it just seems unfinished.
That said, fans of the genre may well be prepared to put up with the cliffhanger ending until the next installment.
First there is Malcolm Thackery who is - well I'm not sure what you would call him - but he works in a semi-casual capacity for an organization called "The Order" who are part guardians and part police force and he has "special" gifts. Reminded me in away of Harry Dresden - likable and laid back.
Then there is Simone who is also not normal. She is having serious personality problems, headaches and illusions/visions plus an appetite for violence that she struggles to control.
I liked the story so far, but as a reader I'd much prefer to have seen at least a partial resolution in the plot. I know it's part of a series, but it just seems unfinished.
That said, fans of the genre may well be prepared to put up with the cliffhanger ending until the next installment.
July 15, 2015
I received a free book copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.
I finished it in a day and I absolutely loved it. The characters are well developed and you start to actually feel for them and get annoyed by them in equal parts. The magical system and mythology are remarkably well thought out and that fact in itself pushes the story forward.It is like a mixture between the Dresden Files and Charles Stross Atrocity Archives. I can't wait for the next installment in the series.It has tremendous potential and I highly recommend it to all lovecraftian fans out there.
I finished it in a day and I absolutely loved it. The characters are well developed and you start to actually feel for them and get annoyed by them in equal parts. The magical system and mythology are remarkably well thought out and that fact in itself pushes the story forward.It is like a mixture between the Dresden Files and Charles Stross Atrocity Archives. I can't wait for the next installment in the series.It has tremendous potential and I highly recommend it to all lovecraftian fans out there.
June 12, 2015
I received a free copy of this book for an honest, non-reciprocal review.
There are several good ideas in this book, but I don’t think they’re all brought out as well as they could be. The book deals with parallel worlds, and demons or beings that seem to be able travel between them. The story concentrates on two people in our plane of existence: Simone Copeland is a young woman who receives an unexpected package one day containing a sort of family heirloom. It’s a small stone pyramid which slowly starts turning her into a violent demon-type creature, known as a Darklord. The other central character is Malcolm Thackery, a detective for the Order of Merlin, an organization which investigates these beings, and tries to stop their attempts to enter into our world from the other universe where Titans rules.
Considering how short this book is (about 135 pages; it’s volume one of a serialized novel), there is almost no time spent on character development: we are dropped in on these two people and shown them involved in crazy, violent episodes, but we don’t really have a chance to start caring about what happens to them by the time the story ends.
On a positive note, there are a couple of well-described scenes where Thackery faces off against a pretty disgusting “being” or where Simone lets her inner demon out for a snack. The author, Jacob Stanley, shows he has the chops to set up and describe the supernatural violence that goes on. The problem is that not only don’t we know enough about these characters as people to care about what happens to them, we also know nothing about their powers or that of the beings they’re facing off against, so we don’t know if they’re in any real danger. This tends to dissipate the tension or suspense from the scene, because no matter how bad things get the author can extricate any character from danger when he feels like it by literally pulling a surprise out of his coat pocket.
Several of my complaints will probably disappear as the rest of the books come out. The characters will start to feel like real people, and we’ll have a better idea of what they can or can’t do, as well as what they’re up against. I realize that it can’t be easy to write a serialized novel, where the readers are only given small tastes of what’s to come, while still being given enough to make them want to come back. This is the challenge that Jacob Stanley has taken on for himself and the further installments of Titan’s Song will show if he’s up to it.
There are several good ideas in this book, but I don’t think they’re all brought out as well as they could be. The book deals with parallel worlds, and demons or beings that seem to be able travel between them. The story concentrates on two people in our plane of existence: Simone Copeland is a young woman who receives an unexpected package one day containing a sort of family heirloom. It’s a small stone pyramid which slowly starts turning her into a violent demon-type creature, known as a Darklord. The other central character is Malcolm Thackery, a detective for the Order of Merlin, an organization which investigates these beings, and tries to stop their attempts to enter into our world from the other universe where Titans rules.
Considering how short this book is (about 135 pages; it’s volume one of a serialized novel), there is almost no time spent on character development: we are dropped in on these two people and shown them involved in crazy, violent episodes, but we don’t really have a chance to start caring about what happens to them by the time the story ends.
On a positive note, there are a couple of well-described scenes where Thackery faces off against a pretty disgusting “being” or where Simone lets her inner demon out for a snack. The author, Jacob Stanley, shows he has the chops to set up and describe the supernatural violence that goes on. The problem is that not only don’t we know enough about these characters as people to care about what happens to them, we also know nothing about their powers or that of the beings they’re facing off against, so we don’t know if they’re in any real danger. This tends to dissipate the tension or suspense from the scene, because no matter how bad things get the author can extricate any character from danger when he feels like it by literally pulling a surprise out of his coat pocket.
Several of my complaints will probably disappear as the rest of the books come out. The characters will start to feel like real people, and we’ll have a better idea of what they can or can’t do, as well as what they’re up against. I realize that it can’t be easy to write a serialized novel, where the readers are only given small tastes of what’s to come, while still being given enough to make them want to come back. This is the challenge that Jacob Stanley has taken on for himself and the further installments of Titan’s Song will show if he’s up to it.
July 15, 2015
This is like a punk horror book, with many bizarre and inexplicable events that suddenly arise and cause graphic devastation to its victims. As well, this book does not have an ending in the sense that the immediate matters are resolved, but rather asks you to check out the next book in the series.
There are two main characters, each operating in his or her own life as it were, and confronted by demonic activity. They both know they're confronting paranormal evil forces, but we don't get to see why they're involved or how. The introduction of the small scale pyramid artifact at the beginning explained some of the magic power, but this wasn't expanded upon.
A few of the scenes in this book are quite graphic and it was hard for me to read through them. I think there should be warning in the sales information for this book posted by the author as a civil duty, and there is one on the Goodreads site where this book is displayed, but it could be more highlighted.
While this is not my usual read, I do appreciate the writing in well-crafted horror novels. However, here, the incidences were too bizarre and random without any feeling or reasoning within the characters for me to care anything about them. The book also chose to not reveal the ultimate agenda of the shadowy and sinister forces at work making it a little frustrating for a reader who may want some explanation (perhaps in the next book in the series). The good thing about this was the fast-paced, minimalist writing style that makes it quick, gratuitous read.
There are two main characters, each operating in his or her own life as it were, and confronted by demonic activity. They both know they're confronting paranormal evil forces, but we don't get to see why they're involved or how. The introduction of the small scale pyramid artifact at the beginning explained some of the magic power, but this wasn't expanded upon.
A few of the scenes in this book are quite graphic and it was hard for me to read through them. I think there should be warning in the sales information for this book posted by the author as a civil duty, and there is one on the Goodreads site where this book is displayed, but it could be more highlighted.
While this is not my usual read, I do appreciate the writing in well-crafted horror novels. However, here, the incidences were too bizarre and random without any feeling or reasoning within the characters for me to care anything about them. The book also chose to not reveal the ultimate agenda of the shadowy and sinister forces at work making it a little frustrating for a reader who may want some explanation (perhaps in the next book in the series). The good thing about this was the fast-paced, minimalist writing style that makes it quick, gratuitous read.
June 28, 2015
The title is grabby. The writing is solid, vivid and strong. The horror it points to immediately pulls the reader into a paranormal scenario and doesn't let go until the end. We get a sense of author authority as we are taken on imaginative and surprising twists.
Simone has headaches, which often include hallucinations. She thinks she has a brain tumor, though doctors deny it. The good-luck family heirloom she is given doesn't help. The episodes worsen. However it appears she is destined, not for death, but for connection to a malevolent power that urges her toward bestiality. Can she resist, or will she surrender to what seems her destiny?
The story ends abruptly, leaving the reader with questions and no answers.
Most of the time we are in Simone's head, but we're introduced to Thackery, who, we expect, will be the male lead in the following book. We assume his role will be to help her ultimately to escape an evil end. Will he succeed? We won't know until further along in the series.
'To be continued' comes too soon for me. The story in this book involves the creation of Simone's dilemma. It's more like a tunnel opens to her dark future, and that's it. Sort of a short story feel. I'm more into novels and like some resolution before the book ends. Otherwise I feel manipulated and betrayed. However the character development and intensity of the story can draw in fans who will eagerly follow the series.
Simone has headaches, which often include hallucinations. She thinks she has a brain tumor, though doctors deny it. The good-luck family heirloom she is given doesn't help. The episodes worsen. However it appears she is destined, not for death, but for connection to a malevolent power that urges her toward bestiality. Can she resist, or will she surrender to what seems her destiny?
The story ends abruptly, leaving the reader with questions and no answers.
Most of the time we are in Simone's head, but we're introduced to Thackery, who, we expect, will be the male lead in the following book. We assume his role will be to help her ultimately to escape an evil end. Will he succeed? We won't know until further along in the series.
'To be continued' comes too soon for me. The story in this book involves the creation of Simone's dilemma. It's more like a tunnel opens to her dark future, and that's it. Sort of a short story feel. I'm more into novels and like some resolution before the book ends. Otherwise I feel manipulated and betrayed. However the character development and intensity of the story can draw in fans who will eagerly follow the series.
April 30, 2016
Within the first three sentences, I knew that was going to enjoy the experience of a well-crafted read.
SHE Kills – is a cross between the Exorcist and Warehouse 13. It is a mixture of the occult, mythology and adventure thriller.
In Titan’s Song, the first act (in a four-part series) is set.
The cast of characters includes;
Simone. She’s a sultry junk food junkie who has moved back home with her mother. Simone has a history of headaches that precipitate odd visions and she’s about to have a meet-up with The Great Father.
Malcolm Thackery is a big boned, be-gadgeted occult investigator who has something horrid lurking in his veins.
And Myra ─ she is an orange-eyed, black woman with an eat-your-heart-out kind of style. “Looking directly into her eyes is like peering through windows that open up on some fiery corner of hell.” She’s got an unusual taste for liver and she thinks Simone looks a lot like her mother.
The title sums up this part of SHE.
SHE Kills – is a cross between the Exorcist and Warehouse 13. It is a mixture of the occult, mythology and adventure thriller.
In Titan’s Song, the first act (in a four-part series) is set.
The cast of characters includes;
Simone. She’s a sultry junk food junkie who has moved back home with her mother. Simone has a history of headaches that precipitate odd visions and she’s about to have a meet-up with The Great Father.
Malcolm Thackery is a big boned, be-gadgeted occult investigator who has something horrid lurking in his veins.
And Myra ─ she is an orange-eyed, black woman with an eat-your-heart-out kind of style. “Looking directly into her eyes is like peering through windows that open up on some fiery corner of hell.” She’s got an unusual taste for liver and she thinks Simone looks a lot like her mother.
The title sums up this part of SHE.
March 18, 2016
Jacob Stanley is a pretty unique writer. I found this first episode of the Titan's Song serial to be quite refreshing overall. The author's matter-of-fact style of writing is easy to sift through, his descriptions are to the point and set the scene very well. My favorite aspect of She Kills definitely had to be the more mysterious sections of the story...such as when Simone "fell" below in an unorthodox way only to then have an amusingly strange conversation with a person that she didn't even believe existed. And the ending; that's how you do a proper tease and payoff at the same time, in my humble opinion. That was just some fun/crazy/exciting stuff right there. Talk about making the reader want more of what's to come! Will read the second entry in this series. Without a doubt.
May 31, 2015
This book was recommended to me by a friend, and it was way better than I expected. I love the two main characters, especially Thackery. The story is quite involving, something you don't find that often in straight up blood and guts horror. The fantasy element is also there. So I found a lot to like here, and look forward to future episodes/books in the series. I don't often like serials, but this one was an exception. Short, like all serial novels, but I didn't feel cheated by the length. Can't wait for volume two.
June 10, 2015
“She Kills” is a spellbinding story of magic in modern times. The author weaves a web of intrigue around a girl with a checkered past, to bring her into a world fraught with things she does not believe in. A simple seeming object sets her off on this journey into darkness.
Her cousin send her a small stone pyramid in the mail. With a single touch it sets off a series of events that come to a conclusion rapidly, but lead well into continuing the story.
I can’t wait for the next book in the series.
Four stars because I felt the story could have and should have been longer.
Her cousin send her a small stone pyramid in the mail. With a single touch it sets off a series of events that come to a conclusion rapidly, but lead well into continuing the story.
I can’t wait for the next book in the series.
Four stars because I felt the story could have and should have been longer.
May 27, 2015
This is an interesting start to the story. The setting is well thought out and original (none of your average vampires and werewolves), characters have depth to them and feel alive. The book/episode is too short, though, and left me salivating for more. Oh, and P.S.: this is a dark urban fantasy, with blood and guts hanging out of it :)
June 1, 2015
She Kills was a very pleasant surprise. I really appreciate how unique the creatures and magic is in this, it's very refreshing. The characters are also really interesting with many layers. The story was compelling and I can't wait for the next installment. Highly recommended.
May 18, 2017
WOW!
This story was incredibly interesting. I finished it in a few hours. No breaks. I recommend you give this series top priority on your reading list.
This story was incredibly interesting. I finished it in a few hours. No breaks. I recommend you give this series top priority on your reading list.
March 3, 2017
This is not a stand-alone in any sense of the word.
February 6, 2017
Good Story
We are introduced to two main characters, Simone and Thackery. The book's title states that there will be "Horror" and "Dark Fantasy". The author delivers this but I don't think the storyline was very well developed. As usual with a series, the ending leaves a lot to be desired. I'll probably read the next book out of curiosity.
We are introduced to two main characters, Simone and Thackery. The book's title states that there will be "Horror" and "Dark Fantasy". The author delivers this but I don't think the storyline was very well developed. As usual with a series, the ending leaves a lot to be desired. I'll probably read the next book out of curiosity.
February 9, 2016
A nice start to a potential series. I enjoyed this novel. It is a good start but it is not too long. You would expect longer for this kind of a genre, and there are a couple of head scratching moments in the story that you have to just kind of read past. Still a very quick and enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews