No Man's Land: Horror in the Trenches

by C.M. Saunders, Greg Chapman (Illustrator)

The Somme Offensive, 1916. Harry Doyle is a young, overawed British infantryman struggling to come to terms with the insanity of war. His main objective is staying alive, and getting back home to his family in one piece. But his hopes begin to diminish when he realises the full extent of the misery and destruction around him. And the German war machine isn't the only thing he has to worry about. Something else is preying on his friends and comrades in the trenches, picking them off one by one. Something no amount of military training can prepare him for.

Proceeds from this book will be donated to the Help for Heroes foundation.

This book contains descriptions of graphic violence and is not suitable for minors.

Genres: Horror

87 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2016

About the author

Christian Saunders, a constant reader who writes fiction as C.M. Saunders, is a freelance journalist and editor from south Wales. His work has appeared in almost 100 magazines, ezines and anthologies worldwide including Fortean Times, the Literary Hatchet, ParABnormal, Fantastic Horror, Haunted MTL, Feverish Fiction and Crimson Streets, and he has held staff positions at several leading UK magazines ranging from Staff Writer to Associate Editor. His books have been both traditionally and independently published, the latest release being Tethered on Terror Tract Publishing.

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

WW1 killing action on the fields of France in the little strip of carnage- filled, mud, sludge and lunar like crater pock marked hell found between the two front lines known as 'no-man's land'.

When a terror dream suddenly becomes a deadly patrol - filled with hell dogs and super-humans...a nightmare, never to be forgotten.

A great little story, but the ending was a little predictable, straight forward and rather too nice, but which could easily have been transformed into a tale with a twisted and contorted, mysterious and shockingly spell-binding ending. However, still a pleasurable outcome.

Did Harry and I fall asleep on duty? - time to wake up, take stock and...remember to live and enjoy!

Rating: 4.1 war-torn, gore-filled, bloody stars.

[Join the Penguin Resistance! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: NO MAN'S LAND: HORROR IN THE TRENCHES by C. M. Saunders

Told as a series of continuing vignettes, NO MAN'S LAND relates the experience of Harry Doyle, a young Welsh soldier in the First World War. As terrifying as are the usual horrors of any war, Harry and his cohorts face additional horrors of an implacable nature. Harry is a wonderful protagonist, because he's not a one-dimensional fearless hero, but rather he is a true human, fearing, loyal, emotional, introspective. NO MAN'S LAND is a literate and vivid narrative of an ugly war, a war which for Harry Doyle and his fellow soldiers extends beyond the boundaries of consensus reality.

[Darren Dilnott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superbly atmospheric war horror. Dark, supernatural references to the Nazi occult. Excellent characterisation, and solid story which emphasizes the actual true horror of the trenches.

[Thomas Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was gripped from start to finish by Private Harry Doyle's plight in the trenches of the Great War. As if war itself wasn't horrific enough, members of Harry's company are regularly disappearing on routine patrols. After his best friend Dewi goes missing, Harry agrees to go on a patrol with his Sarge that will likely end in death. But he must know what happened to his mate and the others in no man's land. I feel that this is a great setting for this kind of story and Saunders included many details that served to augment the story and make the reader feel even more invested in the action. I also feel that the cover by Greg Chapman is superb, high quality and really catches the style of the novella. I will certainly be seeking more by Saunders in the future.

[J.A. Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always loved books that focus on the true horrors of war, and this novel was fantastic. One of my favourite lines was: "That was what war did. It made devils out of angels."

Saunders takes the reader right into the WWI trenches with infantryman Harry Doyle. The description of the terrain, the smells, the feeling of the ever-present damp chill, all capture the horrors of being in the trenches. But the story doesn't stop there!

As we follow Doyle out on patrol, which has been a one-way trip for the other members of his infantry, new terrors arise. For days Doyle has been listening to the swirling rumours of German super soldiers and hell hounds, and now he'll come face-to-face with the dangers that lurk in No Man's Land.

I highly recommend this book, and I know I will be re-reading it in the future.

[Caroline Lockwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly good story

I was hooked from the first page. The details led me to be able to see through Harry's eyes. It's a real page turner. I'd recommend this story to everyone.

[Jason Sandeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was gripping enough to put me there, as if I were right beside the lad. I wish the story were longer, I definitely wanted more.

[Jefrois · Rating 4 out of 5]

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Good book.

If you like horror; which I do not like.
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[Shae R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely something to get behind if you're interested in a war related genre. Kept the questions going throughout the whole read and was overall easy to follow.