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The Shadowless: The Affliction Cycle
Are you afraid of the dark?
Invisible monsters dwell in shadow. After the end of the world Dr. Swaggart knows a demon has infected mankind’s last shelter. He knows of a but that means going down the mountain. In the dark. And with a damaged oxygen tank.
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Earth’s surface is a wasteland
After E-Day, only a few hundred humans remain alive, living inside a government-funded apocalypse bunker. Its miles of subterranean corridors are so well lit that not even a shadow remains. Mankind is terrified of what lives in the dark... and Deep inside of shelter Ark I, the lights have begun to fail.
Dr. Swaggart, a drug-addicted hermit, must team up with the last of humanity's survivors and restore life support before the mysterious, invisible creatures destroy the last remnant of mankind. With the help of a disabled man possessing a third-grade IQ, the research scientist must activate the lights and power to the oxygen recyclers before any of the darklings access the facility's nuclear self-destruct system.
The Affliction Cycle (Bloodguilt, Before Tomorrow Burns, and The Devil Inside) is available in paperback or hardcover. Read this book with the lights on!
Get it now... before it gets you.
Invisible monsters dwell in shadow. After the end of the world Dr. Swaggart knows a demon has infected mankind’s last shelter. He knows of a but that means going down the mountain. In the dark. And with a damaged oxygen tank.
--------------------------
Earth’s surface is a wasteland
After E-Day, only a few hundred humans remain alive, living inside a government-funded apocalypse bunker. Its miles of subterranean corridors are so well lit that not even a shadow remains. Mankind is terrified of what lives in the dark... and Deep inside of shelter Ark I, the lights have begun to fail.
Dr. Swaggart, a drug-addicted hermit, must team up with the last of humanity's survivors and restore life support before the mysterious, invisible creatures destroy the last remnant of mankind. With the help of a disabled man possessing a third-grade IQ, the research scientist must activate the lights and power to the oxygen recyclers before any of the darklings access the facility's nuclear self-destruct system.
The Affliction Cycle (Bloodguilt, Before Tomorrow Burns, and The Devil Inside) is available in paperback or hardcover. Read this book with the lights on!
Get it now... before it gets you.
415 pages, Paperback
Published October 8, 2021
2 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Christopher D. Schmitz
128 books247 followersChristopher D Schmitz is the author of fiction and nonfiction as well as a regular blogger.
Following completion of his first fantasy novel in the early 2000s he began working on lots of short fiction in order to refine his craft and went on to publish many pieces from 1,000-15,000 words in a variety of genres and outlets as writing exercises. Putting fiction away for a while, he pursued post-graduate work where he received a new appreciation for nonfiction, wrote Why Your Pastor Left, and then returned to his love for fiction, writing several new books.
Schmitz attained a Biblical Studies degree and a Youth Ministry minor from Trinity Bible College in 2003 and went on to gain a Masters of Arts in Religion from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in 2014.
Other: he is generally known as a decent guitarist and played/sang in a rock band for several years. Schmitz is also an ungraded bagpipe player and has been known to pop up in random places and play them--sometimes while dressed as a pirate... because normal is boring.
Following completion of his first fantasy novel in the early 2000s he began working on lots of short fiction in order to refine his craft and went on to publish many pieces from 1,000-15,000 words in a variety of genres and outlets as writing exercises. Putting fiction away for a while, he pursued post-graduate work where he received a new appreciation for nonfiction, wrote Why Your Pastor Left, and then returned to his love for fiction, writing several new books.
Schmitz attained a Biblical Studies degree and a Youth Ministry minor from Trinity Bible College in 2003 and went on to gain a Masters of Arts in Religion from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in 2014.
Other: he is generally known as a decent guitarist and played/sang in a rock band for several years. Schmitz is also an ungraded bagpipe player and has been known to pop up in random places and play them--sometimes while dressed as a pirate... because normal is boring.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 31, 2022
I don't usually write reviews but really wanted to for this one. I bought this book from the author while I was at Twin Cities Con this year. The author and I had a quick nice chat and I bought The Shadowless: The Affliction Cycle. Having just completed it, I have to say that I really enjoyed it.
Things I liked:
The main character Swag develops as a person through the story and you feel this as it develops. You feel his struggles, doubts, and fears.
The story is a great combination of post-apocalyptic horror with a helping of science and the perfect seasoning of religion/faith.
Morality is a significant theme in this book and it made me think "Where do you stand?" even after I finished reading.
An antagonist that is truly terrifying.
Things I thought could be better:
I wanted a bit more world building. Specifically, around the entity detection/tracking/capture technology. I found myself wanted to know more about the Baconator (love the nickname), Hermes, and the science.
There were a few editing errors that ruined the flow for me.
I wanted to get to know some of the other characters better. I would have loved to see more about how Ricky, Michelle, and Father came to be and what they were thinking.
Overall, the good far outweighs the bad and I highly recommend this novel to anyone who likes post-apocalyptic horror or someone who likes fictional stories that make you question things like science vs. religion, the morality of "the greater good", and makes you question "what would you do?" Thank you Christopher Schmidtz for closing out my 2022 with a banger of a good read.
Things I liked:
The main character Swag develops as a person through the story and you feel this as it develops. You feel his struggles, doubts, and fears.
The story is a great combination of post-apocalyptic horror with a helping of science and the perfect seasoning of religion/faith.
Morality is a significant theme in this book and it made me think "Where do you stand?" even after I finished reading.
An antagonist that is truly terrifying.
Things I thought could be better:
I wanted a bit more world building. Specifically, around the entity detection/tracking/capture technology. I found myself wanted to know more about the Baconator (love the nickname), Hermes, and the science.
There were a few editing errors that ruined the flow for me.
I wanted to get to know some of the other characters better. I would have loved to see more about how Ricky, Michelle, and Father came to be and what they were thinking.
Overall, the good far outweighs the bad and I highly recommend this novel to anyone who likes post-apocalyptic horror or someone who likes fictional stories that make you question things like science vs. religion, the morality of "the greater good", and makes you question "what would you do?" Thank you Christopher Schmidtz for closing out my 2022 with a banger of a good read.
October 24, 2025
Makes you reconsider those dark corners of your house at night
December 8, 2024
“Nearly 3.5 years past earths extinction day and the remaining inhabitants of planet earth are safely in bunker Ark 1. One lonely hermit in the bunker with a dark past and the most random group of people are left to fight off the entities that caused this dooms day in the first place. When the bunker starts to fail, and fear of the entities returns even in the safe bunker, it’s up to the most unlikely people to keep everyone safe.”
I loved this book. I wasn’t sure going into it, horror isn’t something I usually pick up. Not because I dislike it but because I’m pretty picky. This book definitely lived up to my expectations though. I loved the pacing and layout. It starts off after the doomsday and then sprinkles flashbacks in throughout. This was 3 books in 1, and the second part (book 2) focused entirely on the before leading up to extinction day. I thought this was cool, and it gave more information on what was happening as well as help build the suspense. I loved the characters (although I hated some as well)
The author did a really good job writing a complex story, hitting all the science/apocalyptic points and making this super believable as well. Entities are 10x more frightening than zombies and I appreciate that. I loved how the author included little snippets of Christianity in as well which fit this story perfectly.
All in all this was a really riveting read and I’m glad I picked this up. This could be a tough read for some, so check content warnings, as the bad characters are clearly written to be bad but they don’t hold back on how awful they are and how messed up this entire situation was.
I loved this book. I wasn’t sure going into it, horror isn’t something I usually pick up. Not because I dislike it but because I’m pretty picky. This book definitely lived up to my expectations though. I loved the pacing and layout. It starts off after the doomsday and then sprinkles flashbacks in throughout. This was 3 books in 1, and the second part (book 2) focused entirely on the before leading up to extinction day. I thought this was cool, and it gave more information on what was happening as well as help build the suspense. I loved the characters (although I hated some as well)
The author did a really good job writing a complex story, hitting all the science/apocalyptic points and making this super believable as well. Entities are 10x more frightening than zombies and I appreciate that. I loved how the author included little snippets of Christianity in as well which fit this story perfectly.
All in all this was a really riveting read and I’m glad I picked this up. This could be a tough read for some, so check content warnings, as the bad characters are clearly written to be bad but they don’t hold back on how awful they are and how messed up this entire situation was.
April 7, 2023
I give up. This is a bloody awful novel. I wanted to like it so much. The concept is interesting and I love a good post apocalyptic novel but this is not it. This novel needs so much work. The grammar is atrocious. For example, using 'when' instead of 'than'. And adverbs. They're everywhere. I just can't.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews