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Beyond Sunlight
Melanie Brace was an ordinary human being with ordinary problems. One day she decides to visit one of her favorite jazz clubs, not knowing that fate has an encounter in store for her beyond her strangest and wildest dreams. After meeting a handsome, mysterious stranger with incredible musical talent, Melanie's heart once again tries to believe in love at first sight. Until the stranger informs her that she has a terminal cancer and is living on a borrowed time. Not knowing what to believe and how to react to such a bizarre and disturbing revelation, Melanie visits her physician and her worst fears are confirmed.
When she contacts the mysterious stranger again and demands an explanation, he admits to her that he is a vampire, a part of the ancient immortal race called Urtama, species that appeared and existed in parallel evolution among the humans. Melanie's denial and confusion soon turns to interest and affection until one of their dates has been brutally interrupted by a pair of robbers. The stranger kills them in cold blood but Melanie is mortally wounded. She wakes up in a hospital with a clear memory of what happened but no heartbeat. Her body temperature is twenty degrees below that of normal human and her fangs and claws are testament to the new life flowing in her veins. But like all vampires she must now live among the unsuspecting humans, hiding in the shadows beyond sunlight.
When she contacts the mysterious stranger again and demands an explanation, he admits to her that he is a vampire, a part of the ancient immortal race called Urtama, species that appeared and existed in parallel evolution among the humans. Melanie's denial and confusion soon turns to interest and affection until one of their dates has been brutally interrupted by a pair of robbers. The stranger kills them in cold blood but Melanie is mortally wounded. She wakes up in a hospital with a clear memory of what happened but no heartbeat. Her body temperature is twenty degrees below that of normal human and her fangs and claws are testament to the new life flowing in her veins. But like all vampires she must now live among the unsuspecting humans, hiding in the shadows beyond sunlight.
478 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 18, 2021
About the author
David Crane
95 books6 followersDavid Crane read history and English at Oxford University before becoming a lecturer at universities in the Netherlands, Japan, and Africa.
He is the acclaimed biographer of Scott of the Antarctic and of Edward Trelawny, companion of Byron and Shelley. He also wrote The Kindness Of Sisters, an account of the relationship between Byron's widow and his sister-in-law, who bore his child. His book, Empires Of The Dead, about Fabian Ware and the building of the First World War cemeteries, was shortlisted for the 2013 Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction.
He lives in northwest Scotland.
There is more than one author by the name David Crane on Goodreads
David Crane: Video Game Designer
David Crane: Screenplays
He is the acclaimed biographer of Scott of the Antarctic and of Edward Trelawny, companion of Byron and Shelley. He also wrote The Kindness Of Sisters, an account of the relationship between Byron's widow and his sister-in-law, who bore his child. His book, Empires Of The Dead, about Fabian Ware and the building of the First World War cemeteries, was shortlisted for the 2013 Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction.
He lives in northwest Scotland.
There is more than one author by the name David Crane on Goodreads
David Crane: Video Game Designer
David Crane: Screenplays
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 12, 2021
Vampire life may be fascinating and fun, but there is so much more that goes on than what meets the eye. From a first glance, who wouldn't want superhuman strength, speed, and unrealistic abilities. If there is a choice to crossover and join the creatures of the night, would you take that offer or die as a human? Only a question each of us can answer for ourselves, aside from whether or not vampires' existence is reality.
In "Beyond Sunlight: A story of the vampire Melanie Brace," author David Crane introduces his readers to a beautiful woman illustrator from New York during the peak of her accomplishments in life. Standing at 5'5", 29-year-old Melanie Brace was finally passing the ceiling of her career. Her drawings are bringing in more clientele from word of mouth; her life is good. Her taste for a calming vibe led her to the Nightfall Jazz Club to enjoy talented individuals who share their instrumental skills with the patrons. This particular night introduced her to a new musical talent named Martin Dubios, who made her immediately flustered. She will soon learn what he's capable of when he, unfortunately, approaches her with unsettling news about her health. Who would've thought vampires existed amongst us, no one, not even Melanie.
With a new perspective lens of life, there is much to learn and discover. Understanding runs thick with each breath taken because one cannot return to the ordinary things life provides. A world of problems occurred for Melanie because she became a new name added to many's hit list. Remaining closer to Martin allowed her to learn everything as a student under the protection of her mentor and friend. The character development between Melanie and Martin blossoms into a next-level romance with passion and love while protecting Melanie. Other individuals add to the elements of surprise and complication, granting readers the opportunity to witness everything unfold.
Melanie and Martin seem like a duo who share more than just physical chemistry, but the love for each other is simply beautiful. As a fascination with vampire folklore, I was excited to read this book to uncover how much new information I learned about them. The author's writing style is what pulls you in from the first couple of pages, leaving you at the edge of your seat to know what happens next. A modern-day vampire book depicted in one of America's largest urban cities; highly recommended for science-fictional lovers.
In "Beyond Sunlight: A story of the vampire Melanie Brace," author David Crane introduces his readers to a beautiful woman illustrator from New York during the peak of her accomplishments in life. Standing at 5'5", 29-year-old Melanie Brace was finally passing the ceiling of her career. Her drawings are bringing in more clientele from word of mouth; her life is good. Her taste for a calming vibe led her to the Nightfall Jazz Club to enjoy talented individuals who share their instrumental skills with the patrons. This particular night introduced her to a new musical talent named Martin Dubios, who made her immediately flustered. She will soon learn what he's capable of when he, unfortunately, approaches her with unsettling news about her health. Who would've thought vampires existed amongst us, no one, not even Melanie.
With a new perspective lens of life, there is much to learn and discover. Understanding runs thick with each breath taken because one cannot return to the ordinary things life provides. A world of problems occurred for Melanie because she became a new name added to many's hit list. Remaining closer to Martin allowed her to learn everything as a student under the protection of her mentor and friend. The character development between Melanie and Martin blossoms into a next-level romance with passion and love while protecting Melanie. Other individuals add to the elements of surprise and complication, granting readers the opportunity to witness everything unfold.
Melanie and Martin seem like a duo who share more than just physical chemistry, but the love for each other is simply beautiful. As a fascination with vampire folklore, I was excited to read this book to uncover how much new information I learned about them. The author's writing style is what pulls you in from the first couple of pages, leaving you at the edge of your seat to know what happens next. A modern-day vampire book depicted in one of America's largest urban cities; highly recommended for science-fictional lovers.
August 27, 2021
It has been said that you should be careful of what goes bump in the night. Beyond Sunlight by David Crane is a nice, mature, installment into the long running world of vampires. We are privy to the thoughts and feelings of a newly turned vampire, Melanie Brace, as she regales us with the story behind her changing and the life she lives afterwards. Told mostly through chapters that read like journal entries, come into this world where the vampires roam.
The story is quite well written with just enough narrative and just enough dialogue. Reading it as an eBook there are some formatting issues and small typos that are annoying, but they don’t detract from the story overall. There is something in this book for everyone: romance, action, subterfuge, secret societies, and corrupt organizations. The book encompasses Melanie’s first year as a vampire and goodness, does a lot happen. Melanie gets wrapped up in quite a lot, but she works through it smoothly. It helps that she isn’t alone, that she isn’t turned and then abandoned as sometimes happens. It’s also nice that she is an adult and meets Martin, the vampire that turns her, in an adult setting. Too many vampire-related stories are either targeted towards youth or are overtly sexualized. For all intents and purposes, Melanie is a normal woman who meets a slightly abnormal man and lives just like that.
Melanie starts off as a strong and independent female lead. There are some clichés that plague the novel: terminal illness, kidnapped family or friends, getting coerced into cooperating with a questionable organization in order to save your loved ones. There is no painful, plot-moving love triangle which is very nice. But there is a whole lot of action and content that happen if this book is supposed to cover a single year. Yes, it’s fiction, but the journal entries make it seem more realistic, so this sort of clashes. It would have been better if it was meant to cover more time.
Beyond Sunlight by David Crane is a very good vampire book that has something for everyone. It’s a single book and not part of a series, which is good, but it would have been nice if it stretched more than one year. The characters are well defined, and the common tropes aren’t too obvious. It’s an excellent little read for anyone who picks it up.
The story is quite well written with just enough narrative and just enough dialogue. Reading it as an eBook there are some formatting issues and small typos that are annoying, but they don’t detract from the story overall. There is something in this book for everyone: romance, action, subterfuge, secret societies, and corrupt organizations. The book encompasses Melanie’s first year as a vampire and goodness, does a lot happen. Melanie gets wrapped up in quite a lot, but she works through it smoothly. It helps that she isn’t alone, that she isn’t turned and then abandoned as sometimes happens. It’s also nice that she is an adult and meets Martin, the vampire that turns her, in an adult setting. Too many vampire-related stories are either targeted towards youth or are overtly sexualized. For all intents and purposes, Melanie is a normal woman who meets a slightly abnormal man and lives just like that.
Melanie starts off as a strong and independent female lead. There are some clichés that plague the novel: terminal illness, kidnapped family or friends, getting coerced into cooperating with a questionable organization in order to save your loved ones. There is no painful, plot-moving love triangle which is very nice. But there is a whole lot of action and content that happen if this book is supposed to cover a single year. Yes, it’s fiction, but the journal entries make it seem more realistic, so this sort of clashes. It would have been better if it was meant to cover more time.
Beyond Sunlight by David Crane is a very good vampire book that has something for everyone. It’s a single book and not part of a series, which is good, but it would have been nice if it stretched more than one year. The characters are well defined, and the common tropes aren’t too obvious. It’s an excellent little read for anyone who picks it up.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews