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A Blue Horizon
The Complete First Book!
The economy teeters on the edge of ruin as strange events invade the last metropolis capable of maintaining the balance.
An early rainy morning brings the inexplicable destruction of two metro trains, leaving nothing but questions behind for reporter Beau Bradley. Was it a terrorist attack or just an unfortunate accident? The answer could tip that balance and usher in an era of depression that the country may never recover from.
Bill Wyburn, former chief of Orchid, is drafted back into service to help find a solution to this unfolding puzzle. With his expertise, the covert military organization recruits Nick Miller, a battle-hardened captain, to lead a fresh squad of soldiers into the growing phenomenon, and search for the source.
Meanwhile, a lone survivor knows the truth.
Content
The book Strong language, violence, and copious coffee references. It DOES NOT A love story, a love interest, fornication of any kind, vampires, zombies, ninjas, pirates, cyborgs, teenagers rebelling against an elder society or magic wands.
The economy teeters on the edge of ruin as strange events invade the last metropolis capable of maintaining the balance.
An early rainy morning brings the inexplicable destruction of two metro trains, leaving nothing but questions behind for reporter Beau Bradley. Was it a terrorist attack or just an unfortunate accident? The answer could tip that balance and usher in an era of depression that the country may never recover from.
Bill Wyburn, former chief of Orchid, is drafted back into service to help find a solution to this unfolding puzzle. With his expertise, the covert military organization recruits Nick Miller, a battle-hardened captain, to lead a fresh squad of soldiers into the growing phenomenon, and search for the source.
Meanwhile, a lone survivor knows the truth.
Content
The book Strong language, violence, and copious coffee references. It DOES NOT A love story, a love interest, fornication of any kind, vampires, zombies, ninjas, pirates, cyborgs, teenagers rebelling against an elder society or magic wands.
340 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 3, 2016
About the author
M.R. Darling
3 booksM.R. Darling was born on the eastern seaboard of Canada, moving to the lush mountain air of Calgary in 2006. With a background in music, and creating short, interesting stories, it was a natural inclination to move on to longer prose. Writing a lot of condensed fiction over the years, along with a few aborted attempts at a full length novel, 2016 was the year to push it across the finish line. Requiring ten months to write, A Blue Horizon begins the Ashrealm series and his fulfillment of an aspiration, decades in the making.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 2, 2016
A Blue Horizon (Ashrealm: Book 1) by M.R. Darling.
*Mr. Darling provided me with a free copy of his book in exchange for an honest review.*
The story starts off with two commuter trains colliding. In the wake of the crash, we find out everyone on the train has been killed, leaving no evidence they were ever on the train except for a mysterious pile of ash.
Mr. Darling masterfully lays a tapestry of questions begging for answers. What is the cause of this unusual event? Is it a biological attack or something more sinister? Why does this phenomenon seem to be spreading? Why does everything that falls into its path--birds, insects, plant-life--disintegrate into ashes?
In pursuit of these questions and more are Nick Miller and Bill Wyburn. Nick is a battle-hardened captain tasked with leading a squad of men into the Ashrealm. Bill is the crotchety former head of The Shop--a private military contractor secretly funded by the government.
This books contains no glittery vampires and melanin-challenged zombies, and reads more like a government conspiracy novel with elements of mystery and the supernatural. That works really well for the book.
But, it wouldn’t be a complete review if I didn’t mention some of the drawbacks, or why I gave this a three star review. Why are these men special forces and not scientists? Also, the opening is long on ambient description, and short on action. Additionally, the author gives us too much information in the first chapter that it feels a little like I’m reading the last chapter first. However, I say, skip the few opening pages and jump right into the action. Trust me, if you stick with it, you are going to know much more about the Ashrealm.
*Mr. Darling provided me with a free copy of his book in exchange for an honest review.*
The story starts off with two commuter trains colliding. In the wake of the crash, we find out everyone on the train has been killed, leaving no evidence they were ever on the train except for a mysterious pile of ash.
Mr. Darling masterfully lays a tapestry of questions begging for answers. What is the cause of this unusual event? Is it a biological attack or something more sinister? Why does this phenomenon seem to be spreading? Why does everything that falls into its path--birds, insects, plant-life--disintegrate into ashes?
In pursuit of these questions and more are Nick Miller and Bill Wyburn. Nick is a battle-hardened captain tasked with leading a squad of men into the Ashrealm. Bill is the crotchety former head of The Shop--a private military contractor secretly funded by the government.
This books contains no glittery vampires and melanin-challenged zombies, and reads more like a government conspiracy novel with elements of mystery and the supernatural. That works really well for the book.
But, it wouldn’t be a complete review if I didn’t mention some of the drawbacks, or why I gave this a three star review. Why are these men special forces and not scientists? Also, the opening is long on ambient description, and short on action. Additionally, the author gives us too much information in the first chapter that it feels a little like I’m reading the last chapter first. However, I say, skip the few opening pages and jump right into the action. Trust me, if you stick with it, you are going to know much more about the Ashrealm.
December 22, 2016
Mr Darling should be very proud to have written such an excellent novel. From reading the author's notes on the final pages of the book, it seems that he has sacrificed a great deal to realise the completion of this work. This dedication shows through as a brilliant achievement.
The book benefits from an explosive start, hooking you in from the first chapter. The author makes the most of this with some excellent character building, interesting sub-plots and exceptional descriptive prose throughout. I would describe it as a thriller more than a horror, very much in the Steven King style, and would appeal to anyone who appreciates that type of novel.
As an author myself I am genuinely envious of his obvious talent, and if he could bottle it I would certainly buy some.
The book benefits from an explosive start, hooking you in from the first chapter. The author makes the most of this with some excellent character building, interesting sub-plots and exceptional descriptive prose throughout. I would describe it as a thriller more than a horror, very much in the Steven King style, and would appeal to anyone who appreciates that type of novel.
As an author myself I am genuinely envious of his obvious talent, and if he could bottle it I would certainly buy some.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews