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The Axe
Time doesn’t work the way you think it does.
2018
After a successful social justice hack and a sexy night of celebrating, Micah arrives home to a gift left outside his apartment door. An Axe, that when touched causes Micah to lose time and allow other people to use his body. After one of such events, Micah returns to his body, blood covered and holding The Axe, with police knocking on the door. Micah has to use his hacker skills to evade the police and a corporation hell bent on controlling The Axe, all while unraveling the secrets of the gift.
1810
In the woods of western Canada, something is stalking and devouring people. Entire settlements have been abandoned, the residents missing. The people refer to the monsters as Demons. Mehall, a demon-hunting nomad, has returned home, leaving a trail of dead Demons behind her. By her hands and her Tomahawk, she continues killing the creatures even as she begins having visions from the future.
3015
The Circle, an oppressive governing religion, is trying to insight an AI genocide while also releasing a plague on the universe to control its people. Life is as normal as it can be for Miko, a social outcast and data broker. While on a routine data delivery gone bad, Miko is chased to the galaxies edge, where she is confronted by a mysterious ship that leads Miko on a mission to stop The Circle itself.
All three lives are more interconnected than they know.
One thing wants them all dead.
The Infection
One thing binds them all together.
The Axe
2018
After a successful social justice hack and a sexy night of celebrating, Micah arrives home to a gift left outside his apartment door. An Axe, that when touched causes Micah to lose time and allow other people to use his body. After one of such events, Micah returns to his body, blood covered and holding The Axe, with police knocking on the door. Micah has to use his hacker skills to evade the police and a corporation hell bent on controlling The Axe, all while unraveling the secrets of the gift.
1810
In the woods of western Canada, something is stalking and devouring people. Entire settlements have been abandoned, the residents missing. The people refer to the monsters as Demons. Mehall, a demon-hunting nomad, has returned home, leaving a trail of dead Demons behind her. By her hands and her Tomahawk, she continues killing the creatures even as she begins having visions from the future.
3015
The Circle, an oppressive governing religion, is trying to insight an AI genocide while also releasing a plague on the universe to control its people. Life is as normal as it can be for Miko, a social outcast and data broker. While on a routine data delivery gone bad, Miko is chased to the galaxies edge, where she is confronted by a mysterious ship that leads Miko on a mission to stop The Circle itself.
All three lives are more interconnected than they know.
One thing wants them all dead.
The Infection
One thing binds them all together.
The Axe
- GenresScience FictionHorror
Kindle Edition
Published January 1, 2021
8 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
Vaughn Ashby
19 books44 followersVaughn Ashby is the bestselling horror author of Tethered, Brightness Falls, & The Axe. He’s also a multi-view YouTube creator, & wannabe Podcaster.
Ash, or Uncle Ashby to you, holds degrees in Body Head Separation, Spacial Realignment, & Family Member Seducing Time Travel from the schools of Netflix, Blockbuster, & The Local Cinema. Vaughn also recently completed his Masters in Sci-fi Horror writing from the school of YM, better known as Your Mom.
Before being dragged into the world of writing kicking and screaming, he was a simple bearded human male with poor spelling skills. He was, and this is just true, not a robot, definitely not a human killing robot, with plans of wiping out the human race through writing complex plots that involve adult humor and sexiness.
Vaughn has watched multiple Masterclasses by Aaron Sorkin, Neil Gaimen, Margaret Atwood, & Gordon Ramsey, though not all the way through. He’s also the Winner of the Aurora Wasteland award, for being the only writer to write in that Literary Universe, which he created.
His passions include Whiskey, Tattoos, Movies, Writing, & Horror.
Find out more about Vaughn at VaughnAshby.com
Ash, or Uncle Ashby to you, holds degrees in Body Head Separation, Spacial Realignment, & Family Member Seducing Time Travel from the schools of Netflix, Blockbuster, & The Local Cinema. Vaughn also recently completed his Masters in Sci-fi Horror writing from the school of YM, better known as Your Mom.
Before being dragged into the world of writing kicking and screaming, he was a simple bearded human male with poor spelling skills. He was, and this is just true, not a robot, definitely not a human killing robot, with plans of wiping out the human race through writing complex plots that involve adult humor and sexiness.
Vaughn has watched multiple Masterclasses by Aaron Sorkin, Neil Gaimen, Margaret Atwood, & Gordon Ramsey, though not all the way through. He’s also the Winner of the Aurora Wasteland award, for being the only writer to write in that Literary Universe, which he created.
His passions include Whiskey, Tattoos, Movies, Writing, & Horror.
Find out more about Vaughn at VaughnAshby.com
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 5, 2022
Sooooo ..... after being locked out of my Kindle app I've decided to have a bit of a clean up in my various "Books Read" lists. First cabs off the rank are my DNF pile. If I DNF'd it and have absolutely NO intention of reading it again, I'm changing my rating to 1 🌟 and deleting it off my Kindle. Life is too short at my age for crappy books!!
Original Review:
This is a 2.5 star read.
I tried, I really did, but this is a DNF at 40% for me. It quite simply exceeded my ability to absorb it's weirdness and mindfuckability. My brain sincerely hurt trying to wrap itself around the very original premise of this book.
Original Review:
This is a 2.5 star read.
I tried, I really did, but this is a DNF at 40% for me. It quite simply exceeded my ability to absorb it's weirdness and mindfuckability. My brain sincerely hurt trying to wrap itself around the very original premise of this book.
November 6, 2020
Title: The Axe
Author: Vaughn Ashby
Format: Audio
Narrator: Sarah Sokol
Genre: Horror, Comedy, LGBT, time travel
Standalone: Yes
Part of a Series: Part of the Aurora Wasteland
POV: Mehall, Miko and Micah
Steam Level: Some
5/5
The Axe is the second book I've read by Vaughn Ashby. The Axe is a smart book with three interconnected characters and from different times. Nothing is as it seems and everything is connected. I like that this book makes you thing and connect dots and I enjoyed the quick glimpse into the other Vaughn Ashby book I've read.
I received this audiobook for free from StoryOrigin. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Author: Vaughn Ashby
Format: Audio
Narrator: Sarah Sokol
Genre: Horror, Comedy, LGBT, time travel
Standalone: Yes
Part of a Series: Part of the Aurora Wasteland
POV: Mehall, Miko and Micah
Steam Level: Some
5/5
The Axe is the second book I've read by Vaughn Ashby. The Axe is a smart book with three interconnected characters and from different times. Nothing is as it seems and everything is connected. I like that this book makes you thing and connect dots and I enjoyed the quick glimpse into the other Vaughn Ashby book I've read.
I received this audiobook for free from StoryOrigin. This is my honest and voluntary review.
November 9, 2020
I received this book at no charge.
The Axe is an epic story running from the 19th to 44th century. The characters are well developed during the book. The time frame slips back and forth following the various characters in their roles. The Axe in my opinion does an admirable job of relating a story spread over 25 centuries. The technology is explained well without overloading the reader unnecessarily. It’s always clear as to who and when the story is following, a weakness of time jumping fiction IMHO. This book was a pleasure to read the ending was fulfilling. I recommend this book with no reservations.
The Axe is an epic story running from the 19th to 44th century. The characters are well developed during the book. The time frame slips back and forth following the various characters in their roles. The Axe in my opinion does an admirable job of relating a story spread over 25 centuries. The technology is explained well without overloading the reader unnecessarily. It’s always clear as to who and when the story is following, a weakness of time jumping fiction IMHO. This book was a pleasure to read the ending was fulfilling. I recommend this book with no reservations.
July 14, 2020
This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believeable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believeable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review
December 2, 2020
Wow I loved this book. There is some pretty cool stuff in here. I love how deep you can paint the picture. So many different pieces that all came together at the end. I received this audiobook at no cost to me for an honest review.
August 10, 2021
“The Axe” is a chilling, engaging novel. It is a great read and the shifts of point of view are handled masterfully! I was worried that the multiple-character POV across 3 different time periods might be confusing. I was wrong. Vaughn carried this off well. It was surprisingly easy for me to keep track of who and what was going on. Despite the premise, there is a sense of believability in the plot.
The characters are interesting and diverse, with AI, humans and demons having unique voices and places in the story. There are of course “collateral damage” characters --- a good serving of blood and guts as you would expect from a story cantered around a murdering Axe.
The storytelling is superb, with intriguing twists and turns & unexpected plot surprises. Vaughn says it is a stand-alone story that you can easily follow on its own, or read “Tethered” & “Brightness Falls” before this one. I hadn’t read either of those before “The Axe”. I could follow the plot with no problem & now have 2 more to add to my To Be Read list.
“The Axe” ends on a cliff-hanger. You won’t get a tidily wrapped up package that explains it all. It leaves you wanting to read another in the series.
This is a book I’d recommend highly, but with an “insomnia warning”: It is hard to put down. It will pull you in and you may find yourself staying awake late each night to read it to see what happens next.
Horrors and thrillers are maybe my 3rd favourite genre to read, one I enjoy reading from time to time. Vaughn Ashby has shot to the top of my favourite authors in this genre.
The characters are interesting and diverse, with AI, humans and demons having unique voices and places in the story. There are of course “collateral damage” characters --- a good serving of blood and guts as you would expect from a story cantered around a murdering Axe.
The storytelling is superb, with intriguing twists and turns & unexpected plot surprises. Vaughn says it is a stand-alone story that you can easily follow on its own, or read “Tethered” & “Brightness Falls” before this one. I hadn’t read either of those before “The Axe”. I could follow the plot with no problem & now have 2 more to add to my To Be Read list.
“The Axe” ends on a cliff-hanger. You won’t get a tidily wrapped up package that explains it all. It leaves you wanting to read another in the series.
This is a book I’d recommend highly, but with an “insomnia warning”: It is hard to put down. It will pull you in and you may find yourself staying awake late each night to read it to see what happens next.
Horrors and thrillers are maybe my 3rd favourite genre to read, one I enjoy reading from time to time. Vaughn Ashby has shot to the top of my favourite authors in this genre.
July 10, 2020
An odd collection of teasers to wet your whistle! You can only guess where this leads!
December 5, 2020
I received this book free of charge from the author and the kind folk at Storyoriginapp.com in exchange for an honest review.
After starting this book (my first venture into the realm of Vaughn Ashby), I can sat that it was a "different" book that I found hard to sink my teeth into (and this is one of the few books that I tried to start reading but found that I was not able to stay interested in it enough to finish).
One of the the parts of the book that I found to be disconcerting when I tried to read it was the capitalization of "The Axe" and "The Tomahawk", as if these were proper nouns (and as such pushed me a little further away from wanting to finish this novel).
Another thing that I found disconcerting about this book was actually not in the book itself, but was in one of the five star reviews on Goodreads.com (that I can't really comment on until that point that I have read the entire book) is that if a book is being marketed to specific genres of the literary community based upon the how a particular reviewer saw the book (ie: Genre: Horror, Comedy, LGBT, time travel) as opposed to leaving the description of the book to a general genre and letting the reader the opportunity to make up their own mind where they thought a particular novel fell.
I am willing to try to read this book at another time to see if maybe it was just one of those books that I couldn't get into at the time (five out of six five star reviews on Goodreads.com (save for the gratuitous plug by the author....natch) can't be all wrong).
As I did not (yet) finish this book, I can only give it two stars out of a possible rating of five.
As with all reviews, this is only my five cents worth.
As with all reviews, this is only my five cents worth.
After starting this book (my first venture into the realm of Vaughn Ashby), I can sat that it was a "different" book that I found hard to sink my teeth into (and this is one of the few books that I tried to start reading but found that I was not able to stay interested in it enough to finish).
One of the the parts of the book that I found to be disconcerting when I tried to read it was the capitalization of "The Axe" and "The Tomahawk", as if these were proper nouns (and as such pushed me a little further away from wanting to finish this novel).
Another thing that I found disconcerting about this book was actually not in the book itself, but was in one of the five star reviews on Goodreads.com (that I can't really comment on until that point that I have read the entire book) is that if a book is being marketed to specific genres of the literary community based upon the how a particular reviewer saw the book (ie: Genre: Horror, Comedy, LGBT, time travel) as opposed to leaving the description of the book to a general genre and letting the reader the opportunity to make up their own mind where they thought a particular novel fell.
I am willing to try to read this book at another time to see if maybe it was just one of those books that I couldn't get into at the time (five out of six five star reviews on Goodreads.com (save for the gratuitous plug by the author....natch) can't be all wrong).
As I did not (yet) finish this book, I can only give it two stars out of a possible rating of five.
As with all reviews, this is only my five cents worth.
As with all reviews, this is only my five cents worth.
September 30, 2021
The most compelling thing about The Axe is the concept. In execution, it felt all over the place as it jumped from one character’s perspective to another.
It’s the third book in the Aurora Wasteland literary universe that I’ve read and it’s the one I enjoy the least. While they all work as standalone novels, the other two had subtle nods and similarities that made it clear they were from the same universe. While The Axe had very little of that. More than anything, it left me confused over how it fits into the world.
I went into this book excited, after having listened to Tethered and Brightness Falls. While this book was enjoyable overall, it really didn’t capture my attention like the other two did.
The narration was excellent, the narrator made all of the characters feel alive and real. There weren’t any Audible hiccups which is always a nice thing.
Overall, I recommend the book, but it’s nothing overly special.
NOTE: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a digital review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval.
It’s the third book in the Aurora Wasteland literary universe that I’ve read and it’s the one I enjoy the least. While they all work as standalone novels, the other two had subtle nods and similarities that made it clear they were from the same universe. While The Axe had very little of that. More than anything, it left me confused over how it fits into the world.
I went into this book excited, after having listened to Tethered and Brightness Falls. While this book was enjoyable overall, it really didn’t capture my attention like the other two did.
The narration was excellent, the narrator made all of the characters feel alive and real. There weren’t any Audible hiccups which is always a nice thing.
Overall, I recommend the book, but it’s nothing overly special.
NOTE: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a digital review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval.
May 3, 2021
Don't let the cover fool you into thinking this is a horror novel (like I did), because it isn't. Instead, it is a cyberpunk/sci-fi time warp trip.
It starts out with three main characters from three different time periods, all interconnected by an axe. This axe appears to take control of the user/owner and its purpose is to kill "the infected". But, who is in control? What is the infection? What is true and what is a horrible nightmare?
I admit to getting lost in all the time jumps and different iterations of some of the characters. Since each of them seem to be able to jump from body to body, it was hard trying to keep track of the story. Even after listening to the whole book, I'm still not sure what I read or what the end result of the story actually was. There was a lot of technical/cyberpunk type stuff in a lot of the book (which also lost me along the way).
The narrator did a good job and kept me listening. I was given the chance to listen to the audiobook version through Story Origins and chose to review it.
It starts out with three main characters from three different time periods, all interconnected by an axe. This axe appears to take control of the user/owner and its purpose is to kill "the infected". But, who is in control? What is the infection? What is true and what is a horrible nightmare?
I admit to getting lost in all the time jumps and different iterations of some of the characters. Since each of them seem to be able to jump from body to body, it was hard trying to keep track of the story. Even after listening to the whole book, I'm still not sure what I read or what the end result of the story actually was. There was a lot of technical/cyberpunk type stuff in a lot of the book (which also lost me along the way).
The narrator did a good job and kept me listening. I was given the chance to listen to the audiobook version through Story Origins and chose to review it.
May 20, 2021
I was given this story for an honest review.
The story was pretty good. I liked the world building and the characters. It grabbed my attention from the beginning and kept me on the edge of my seat.
But it's a 3 star story because the story really needs another round of editing and error correction.
word misuses: to for too; haul for hull; too for to; tern for turn; kneck for neck; seem for seam; pail for pale; there for their . . .
grammar problems: apart instead of a part ("Was she somehow apart of The Axe company?"); "becoming more and fuzzier;" "the floor below his feet were cold."
At 55 such errors (that I highlighted), I gave up and quit counting. it was a pretty good story, but the problems were distracting.
The author is a good story teller, I'll give him that. This could easily be a 5-star story if the majority of the errors were fixed.
The story was pretty good. I liked the world building and the characters. It grabbed my attention from the beginning and kept me on the edge of my seat.
But it's a 3 star story because the story really needs another round of editing and error correction.
word misuses: to for too; haul for hull; too for to; tern for turn; kneck for neck; seem for seam; pail for pale; there for their . . .
grammar problems: apart instead of a part ("Was she somehow apart of The Axe company?"); "becoming more and fuzzier;" "the floor below his feet were cold."
At 55 such errors (that I highlighted), I gave up and quit counting. it was a pretty good story, but the problems were distracting.
The author is a good story teller, I'll give him that. This could easily be a 5-star story if the majority of the errors were fixed.
June 23, 2022
I was never really certain what genre this book was supposed to be. It is about equal parts horror, time travel, sci-fi and paranormal. I had some trouble keeping track of the action early on but that became less of a problem as I got deeper into the book. Other readers gave up on the book citing the confusing plot and I have to admit that I see their point, but I stuck with it hoping for a big reveal to wrap things up in a nice neat bow at the end. I didn't find that but there is a conclusion of sorts.
This series may not be every reader's cup of Joe but it does have a certain appeal to those who enjoy non-traditional horror. There are no true villains here, but no true heroes either. This is an acquired taste.
This series may not be every reader's cup of Joe but it does have a certain appeal to those who enjoy non-traditional horror. There are no true villains here, but no true heroes either. This is an acquired taste.
December 20, 2020
This is a solid, interesting story with good characters. I didn't find the time jumps difficult to follow, even when they happened in the middle of a chapter. I did get confused about the places every now and then. This book needs a proofreader and a hard edit to clean up some stuff, then it would be a 5 star book.
May 28, 2021
An extremely convoluted saga but it did keep me engaged.
Dark in many areas with the occasional light breaking through.
Overall I enjoyed the complexity of the plot.
Dark in many areas with the occasional light breaking through.
Overall I enjoyed the complexity of the plot.
May 30, 2021
This book was amazing! I loved the storyline, the characters and the narrator was fabulous.
June 20, 2021
Ashby just keeps getting better, The Axe is a thinking persons style of book, if you are into this genre, then the axe is for you
September 27, 2021
This book is a time-travel sci-fi horror that has a rapid pace that will keep you guessing. -It is a mind trip. ---While part of the -Aurora -Wastelands, it can be read as a stand-alone.
April 24, 2022
Great story with one heck of a concept. Amazing idea for a story and very well done!
December 25, 2021
The most compelling thing about The Axe is the concept. In execution, it felt all over the place as it jumped from one character’s perspective to another.
It’s the third book in the Aurora Wasteland literary universe that I’ve read and it’s the one I enjoy the least. While they all work as standalone novels, the other two had subtle nods and similarities that made it clear they were from the same universe. While The Axe had very little of that. More than anything, it left me confused over how it fits into the world.
I went into this book excited, after having listened to Tethered and Brightness Falls. While this book was enjoyable overall, it really didn’t capture my attention like the other two did.
The narration was excellent, the narrator made all of the characters feel alive and real. There weren’t any Audible hiccups which is always a nice thing.
Overall, I recommend the book, but it’s nothing overly special.
NOTE: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a digital review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval.
It’s the third book in the Aurora Wasteland literary universe that I’ve read and it’s the one I enjoy the least. While they all work as standalone novels, the other two had subtle nods and similarities that made it clear they were from the same universe. While The Axe had very little of that. More than anything, it left me confused over how it fits into the world.
I went into this book excited, after having listened to Tethered and Brightness Falls. While this book was enjoyable overall, it really didn’t capture my attention like the other two did.
The narration was excellent, the narrator made all of the characters feel alive and real. There weren’t any Audible hiccups which is always a nice thing.
Overall, I recommend the book, but it’s nothing overly special.
NOTE: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a digital review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews