Hibernaculum

by Kim McDougall

Murder, betrayal and desperate love. Three tales that turn fantasy on its head.

Hibernaculum
A post-apocalyptic thriller with bite.

Safari business is booming. Inside the Dome, people feast, create, laze. Most are content in the self-contained ecosystem. The builders of the Dome are long dead. Their great-great-grandchildren keep tellings of the Wild alive, but stories have rotted to mystery, then to legend. A few discontents walk the perimeter of the Dome gazing into the horizon. They know the wheat fields, forests and mountains are fake. They all know. The false vista is a comfort except to those who burn to know what truly lies beyond. Those find tiny holes, gaps in waste control and ventilation. Their defection endangers everyone and the Grand Duke vows to plug the holes with the bodies of deserters.
Still the Wild calls.

Luminari

For the Vampire that has everything. Devon is not one of the Chosen. He will not live forever in the arms of his undead lover, Rosalie. But he can give her the gift of sunshine. He will risk his life, his sanity and his blood for the Luminari. Will it be worth it?

Barbegazi
When the White Death calls, who will answer? Etien changes the day he faces the White Death. His body is broken, but his spirit awakens. When his family's curse manifests inside him, he leaves his birthright for the ice-encrusted mountains where he both fears and hopes to meet the mythical icemen, the Barbegazi.

Fans of classic fantasy themes such as dystopia and paranormal romance, will love the original spin Kim McDougall puts on these tropes by injecting them with fresh new lore, atmosphere and quirky characters.

This book is a collection of three short stories. Each story ranges from 7,000 to 10,000 words.

75 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 27, 2016

About the author

If Kim McDougall could have one magical superpower, it would be to talk to animals. Or maybe to shift into animal form. Definitely, fantastical critters and magic often feature in her stories. So until she can change into a Griffin and fly away, she writes dark paranormal action and romance tales. Kim is also passionate about fiber art, photography, children’s literacy, rescue animals, nature, and genre-bending fiction. She also writes for children under pen name Kim Chatel.

Reviews

[Rhonda Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three Unrelated Short Stories

I loved the first two short stories. They are unrelated in characters or world. Both stories, at their heart, are about love. Not romance, rather, how far would you go for the one you love. The stories are shocking and thought provoking. While very short, they said just exactly what was needed to be said. I liked the third story but probably would have rated it 4, not 5. I had hoped for a more heroic ending, particularly with the war his father faced. But it was still a good story. So what was it about, at its heart? To me, accepting change, change you do not want. Giving up your life long expectations and overcoming anger and grief.
I did not like the blurb to the book. It told me little about what the stories were about. I can understand that it must have been a difficult blurb to write. When the stories are so short, talking about the storyline may be too much of a spoiler. Reviews did not help. But I had read many of the authors other books and loved them so decided on faith to give this one a try. Glad I did.

[Ronel Janse van Vuuren · Rating 1 out of 5]

The titular story has promise and an interesting premise. The dystopian world was interesting enough and what was driving Cross was clear enough, but some of it felt forced (Mindy flirting with him, the nakedness to tempt him, etc.). And the grammar errors leapt from the page… I didn’t read the other two stories because this one was merely okay.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting short story