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The Empty Chest: Lockhart and Teague
The morning after committing a heinous crime, Leo Lockhart awakens tormented by the beating of his own clockwork heart. To silence his mechanical conscience, Lockhart must redeem himself in the eyes of his creator, and make amends to the man he recently left beaten to a pulp in the city's clockwork underground. Not an easy task since the grimy pickpocket has recently turned up dead, with the heart carved from his chest. With no recourse but to seek redemption on his own terms, Lockhart sets out to avenge his old enemy, and to silence the ceaseless ticking that is slowly driving him mad.
Lockhart's only suspect in the crime is Avelyn Teague, a man pledged in mind and body to the cult of the an elite cabal of hedonistic warlocks who traded their souls for privilege, luxury and power. Yet when Teague rescues him from a slow and agonizing death in a prison cell, Lockhart is brought reluctantly into the warlock's employ. But can a man whose true allegiance lies with a decaying demon God from beyond the fringes of reality ever really be trusted? Lockhart doesn't think so.
But as Lockhart begins to unravel a conspiracy which will take him from the blood-slicked clockwork of the underground, where survival is precarious and mutant rats are hungry for human flesh, to the glittering crystal towers of the Temple, where a mask of opulence conceals a corruption that extends to the deepest heart of the city of New Artax, he must decide once and for all whether to call his new patron friend or foe.
An riveting steampunk adventure story that weaves together elements of pulp horror, mystery, and dystopian fiction.
Lockhart's only suspect in the crime is Avelyn Teague, a man pledged in mind and body to the cult of the an elite cabal of hedonistic warlocks who traded their souls for privilege, luxury and power. Yet when Teague rescues him from a slow and agonizing death in a prison cell, Lockhart is brought reluctantly into the warlock's employ. But can a man whose true allegiance lies with a decaying demon God from beyond the fringes of reality ever really be trusted? Lockhart doesn't think so.
But as Lockhart begins to unravel a conspiracy which will take him from the blood-slicked clockwork of the underground, where survival is precarious and mutant rats are hungry for human flesh, to the glittering crystal towers of the Temple, where a mask of opulence conceals a corruption that extends to the deepest heart of the city of New Artax, he must decide once and for all whether to call his new patron friend or foe.
An riveting steampunk adventure story that weaves together elements of pulp horror, mystery, and dystopian fiction.
146 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 7, 2017
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January 6, 2022
New Artax is one of the most epic cities ever seen through a mind’s eye. As imaginative and captivating as the elf city of Rivendell, the sunken city of Rapture from the video game Bioshock, or the Emerald city of OZ at the end of the yellow brick road. It is an intricate jewelry box of a world. Elegant and beautiful on the surface with a dark and dangerous underground.
Magic elements, moving parts and unique, dynamic characters make this story riveting. I'm following this author on all platforms because I can't wait for the next book in this series.
Magic elements, moving parts and unique, dynamic characters make this story riveting. I'm following this author on all platforms because I can't wait for the next book in this series.
Displaying 1 of 1 review