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Scourge of Elders
Jacqueline Lupica is screwed.
After crashing her transport vessel in the one place on Earth no human must go, she’s the only survivor, left to fend for herself against the creatures lurking outside her ship. She’s also the incompetent, privileged daughter of the Lupica Corporation’s founder, Miriam; the one responsible for supplying the resistance with the tools necessary to fight back against the alien threat suffocating the planet.
She is, unfortunately for them, a woman worth saving.
Meanwhile, a crew tasked with rescuing civilians and repelling extra-terrestrial incursions has been left caring for a young survivor, Susannah, after a mission gone awry. Together, the resistance must train their new arrival for combat, utilize the power bursting from an untapped nightmare dimension, and rescue Lupica before she succumbs to the Scourge.
After crashing her transport vessel in the one place on Earth no human must go, she’s the only survivor, left to fend for herself against the creatures lurking outside her ship. She’s also the incompetent, privileged daughter of the Lupica Corporation’s founder, Miriam; the one responsible for supplying the resistance with the tools necessary to fight back against the alien threat suffocating the planet.
She is, unfortunately for them, a woman worth saving.
Meanwhile, a crew tasked with rescuing civilians and repelling extra-terrestrial incursions has been left caring for a young survivor, Susannah, after a mission gone awry. Together, the resistance must train their new arrival for combat, utilize the power bursting from an untapped nightmare dimension, and rescue Lupica before she succumbs to the Scourge.
410 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 18, 2022
1 person is currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Thomas E. Staples
6 books13 followersThomas E. Staples is a university graduate in Writing and English Literature.
With a love of both horror and comedy, they often smash the genres together very irresponsibly to see what happens. They have published multiple short stories since 2015 and started writing books, too, apparently, consisting of the following:
A PENDLETON CASE
1. The Case of the Giant Carnivorous Worm
2. The Mystery of the Mutant Water Devils.
STANDALONE
- Scourge of Elders
- Kill the Heart
They can be reached on Twitter - @MrTEStaples.
With a love of both horror and comedy, they often smash the genres together very irresponsibly to see what happens. They have published multiple short stories since 2015 and started writing books, too, apparently, consisting of the following:
A PENDLETON CASE
1. The Case of the Giant Carnivorous Worm
2. The Mystery of the Mutant Water Devils.
STANDALONE
- Scourge of Elders
- Kill the Heart
They can be reached on Twitter - @MrTEStaples.
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 15, 2022
Wow, just, wow!
THIS BOOK, THE TENSION, THE BATTLES!
Yes, I have to shout about it.
The characters themselves are incredible, they're relatable, and even when they're being little shits you're cheering for them.
I love it and I hope desperately there's a next one, it's that good.
THIS BOOK, THE TENSION, THE BATTLES!
Yes, I have to shout about it.
The characters themselves are incredible, they're relatable, and even when they're being little shits you're cheering for them.
I love it and I hope desperately there's a next one, it's that good.
August 18, 2022
I was given a free copy of SCOURGE OF ELDERS for the purpose of this review by the author.
And I sure am glad I was!
SCOURGE OF ELDERS is a guns-blazing, swords-slicing, monster-fighting adventure, but with enough character to make it much more than a simple slasher or popcorn-novel. Even the AI machines have character and agency to invest you in their story, despite their faceless entities.
Not just diverse in its morbid creatures and crazy world-building (though not from England myself, I picture this book to be an apt description of present-day London), SCOURGE OF ELDERS boasts a diverse cast from all walks of life, and is both female-empowering and LGBTQIA+-friendly.
Staples flirts with LITRPG elements, mixing in clever mechanics and wording to give the Resistance fighters a bit of a video-game feel—something I wholeheartedly enjoy.
Above all the gore and battles, though, Staples’ humor shines through. I found myself often laughing out loud at some of the outlandish words coming from certain characters’ mouths and in the prose and narrative.
While this is not Staples’ debut, he is an up-and-coming author to watch, and you would do yourself a favor by reading this beautiful amalgam of monsters, blood, and character.
And I sure am glad I was!
SCOURGE OF ELDERS is a guns-blazing, swords-slicing, monster-fighting adventure, but with enough character to make it much more than a simple slasher or popcorn-novel. Even the AI machines have character and agency to invest you in their story, despite their faceless entities.
Not just diverse in its morbid creatures and crazy world-building (though not from England myself, I picture this book to be an apt description of present-day London), SCOURGE OF ELDERS boasts a diverse cast from all walks of life, and is both female-empowering and LGBTQIA+-friendly.
Staples flirts with LITRPG elements, mixing in clever mechanics and wording to give the Resistance fighters a bit of a video-game feel—something I wholeheartedly enjoy.
Above all the gore and battles, though, Staples’ humor shines through. I found myself often laughing out loud at some of the outlandish words coming from certain characters’ mouths and in the prose and narrative.
While this is not Staples’ debut, he is an up-and-coming author to watch, and you would do yourself a favor by reading this beautiful amalgam of monsters, blood, and character.
September 11, 2022
What an absolute video game of a book. Seriously, this thing reads like Paul Verhoeven made a DOOM adaptation directly after Starship Troopers. Thomas Staples is one of my favorite creators or creatures (is that cheesy sounding? I don’t care) and Scourge of Elders is filled with creatures that reminded me why, I mean seriously, check out that winged bear bat thing on the cover! In so many ways, horror that takes place in the future, in a space setting, always works better for me when it’s set up as a team of people going to rescue someone, like in Aliens. But here we are, that set up, mixed perfectly with the setup of the original Alien; this book has both big set pieces with creatures coming at you from every direction, and a quiet reserved set up on the other side with one woman trying to survive in a crashed ship. The perfect blend of Science Fiction, Horror, and Creature Feature with a loud side, and a side that feels like a survival horror game. K thx.
July 29, 2022
Full disclosure: I know Thomas through Twitter and I was given an ARC (Advanced Reader/Review Copy) of this book for free, by request. I will be purchasing a paperback copy on release. None of these things influenced my review in any way.
When Thomas announced that he was releasing a new sci-fi action/horror novel, I was thrilled. I was already a fan of his previous works (The Case of the Giant Carnivorous Worm, The Mystery of the Mutant Water Devils) so I knew I was going to enjoy this one. I was not prepared, however, for how much I would enjoy it.
SCOURGE is, in my opinion, a showcase of what Thomas does best. It’s magnificently paced, giving readers just enough time to breathe between scenes of intense action and gooey, gory horror without ever falling into a sleepy lull. The worldbuilding and necessary information is richly, yet carefully distributed throughout, allowing us to unpack it as we go along. Each character is full and vibrant in their own right, and -- as is very appropriate for this story -- there are no “disposable” members on this team. With unique voices, motivations, and dreams, even the so-called side-characters feel like real people.
It should be mentioned that there are gross parts. Thomas has a way of handling gore that I admire; he never goes so over-the-top that it either turns my stomach or dulls the impact of further grossness -- he has the fine line of using just enough descriptive text, tempered with humor, down to an art form. That said, if you don’t like reading about monsters getting goo-ified or people getting injured, this probably isn’t the book for you. If you do, though, you’re in for a real treat.
What really makes this book fun, however, is the way it reads like an action/adventure video game. I have read other books which tried to achieve this effect, and in my opinion Thomas has done a phenomenal job subtly immersing the reader in this kind of environment. While the story itself has nothing to do with video games, it absolutely could be made into one, and more than once I found myself wishing I could experience the world of SCOURGE in that sort of interactive way. This comes as no surprise, though, as Thomas himself is well-versed in the gaming world and even has a podcast (Stuck in a Lift) about videogame appreciation. Regardless, it’s a brilliant tool to keep the action lively and colorful throughout the novel, and it’s relatable whether or not the reader is a gamer as well.
Overall, Scourge of Elders is a wild ride from start to finish. It’s fast-paced, action-packed, female-positive, LGBTQIA+-friendly, and also somehow manages to be touching when it isn't talking about exploding monsters. Fans of Mass Effect, Halo, and other action/adventure sci-fi games or films should really enjoy this, as should anyone who appreciates horror with a humorous bent. I can’t wait to see if Thomas has more tales from the SCOURGE universe in store for us, and I sincerely recommend giving this book a read!
When Thomas announced that he was releasing a new sci-fi action/horror novel, I was thrilled. I was already a fan of his previous works (The Case of the Giant Carnivorous Worm, The Mystery of the Mutant Water Devils) so I knew I was going to enjoy this one. I was not prepared, however, for how much I would enjoy it.
SCOURGE is, in my opinion, a showcase of what Thomas does best. It’s magnificently paced, giving readers just enough time to breathe between scenes of intense action and gooey, gory horror without ever falling into a sleepy lull. The worldbuilding and necessary information is richly, yet carefully distributed throughout, allowing us to unpack it as we go along. Each character is full and vibrant in their own right, and -- as is very appropriate for this story -- there are no “disposable” members on this team. With unique voices, motivations, and dreams, even the so-called side-characters feel like real people.
It should be mentioned that there are gross parts. Thomas has a way of handling gore that I admire; he never goes so over-the-top that it either turns my stomach or dulls the impact of further grossness -- he has the fine line of using just enough descriptive text, tempered with humor, down to an art form. That said, if you don’t like reading about monsters getting goo-ified or people getting injured, this probably isn’t the book for you. If you do, though, you’re in for a real treat.
What really makes this book fun, however, is the way it reads like an action/adventure video game. I have read other books which tried to achieve this effect, and in my opinion Thomas has done a phenomenal job subtly immersing the reader in this kind of environment. While the story itself has nothing to do with video games, it absolutely could be made into one, and more than once I found myself wishing I could experience the world of SCOURGE in that sort of interactive way. This comes as no surprise, though, as Thomas himself is well-versed in the gaming world and even has a podcast (Stuck in a Lift) about videogame appreciation. Regardless, it’s a brilliant tool to keep the action lively and colorful throughout the novel, and it’s relatable whether or not the reader is a gamer as well.
Overall, Scourge of Elders is a wild ride from start to finish. It’s fast-paced, action-packed, female-positive, LGBTQIA+-friendly, and also somehow manages to be touching when it isn't talking about exploding monsters. Fans of Mass Effect, Halo, and other action/adventure sci-fi games or films should really enjoy this, as should anyone who appreciates horror with a humorous bent. I can’t wait to see if Thomas has more tales from the SCOURGE universe in store for us, and I sincerely recommend giving this book a read!
August 16, 2022
Scourge of Elders is a pulpy, gory, humans vs monsters sci-fi horror story which grabs hold of you at the beginning and won't let go until the end.
With a good dose of the mood of Starship Troopers, combined with an altogether more British type of humour, our heroes rampage through blood-spattered battles with the various beasts of the scourge as pretty much the whole world succumbs to the invasion.
All this would be quite enough to enamour me to the book, but below the rapid-fire plasma blasts and wise cracks, there are moments of back story, skilfully delivered around pivotal moments for the characters they concern, which give this more depth and result in the highs and the devastating lows hitting with far more force than if the characters were the simple, 2D future soldiers they might otherwise have been.
My first Staples book, but not my last. Check this one out.
With a good dose of the mood of Starship Troopers, combined with an altogether more British type of humour, our heroes rampage through blood-spattered battles with the various beasts of the scourge as pretty much the whole world succumbs to the invasion.
All this would be quite enough to enamour me to the book, but below the rapid-fire plasma blasts and wise cracks, there are moments of back story, skilfully delivered around pivotal moments for the characters they concern, which give this more depth and result in the highs and the devastating lows hitting with far more force than if the characters were the simple, 2D future soldiers they might otherwise have been.
My first Staples book, but not my last. Check this one out.
August 16, 2022
SCOURGE OF ELDERS has been a long time coming.
I love it a great deal, and, as usual, I'm putting this little review here so you can see the content warnings for this book ahead of purchasing it, and decide whether or not said content is suitable for you or someone you might share the book with.
I love it a great deal, and, as usual, I'm putting this little review here so you can see the content warnings for this book ahead of purchasing it, and decide whether or not said content is suitable for you or someone you might share the book with.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews