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Regret
Humanity is renowned for placing the blame for their most unspeakable actions in the palms of their "demons." It would seem that for every crime, every indecency there is a minion of the Underworld assigned to it. The lucky ones balance precariously on the edge of damnation, always managing at the last minute to halt their impending doom. The unlucky ones succumb entirely or, in Marcus Glenfield's case, find themselves following a much darker path than they ever could have imagined. After a strangely brutal twist of fate, Marcus becomes his own inner demon, that of the Demon of Regret. As he begins his new life as a tempter and collector of mortal souls, his path of damnation unfortunately crosses with that of Sonnellion, the Demon of Hatred, Cresil, the Demon of Slovenliness, Vetis, the Tempter of the Holy and finally Belial himself, the Prince of Wickedness. Through each of his interactions, Marcus gleans valuable insight into the purpose of his fellow demons within the greater hierarchy of existence, assisting his personal mission to collect the one soul that continues to preoccupy his every thought. However, will the wisdom of Hell's ancient minions be enough to save him from a deadly encounter with Belial or does Hell have another plan for Marcus altogether?"Regret" by Gabrielle Faust is a dark and haunting work, crafted with mood and elegance. Ms. Faust is a talented storyteller, and not to be missed." -- New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Heather Graham"Gabrielle Faust's Regret is just about perfect. It's a modern day cosmology, a demonic game of cat and mouse, and another winner from of horror's most accomplished voices. Treat yourself to Regret, and pain never felt so good. -- Joe McKinney, author of Dead City and Apocalypse of the Dead
- GenresHorror
Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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About the author
Gabrielle Faust
32 books315 followersAcclaimed horror author Gabrielle Faust is best known for her vampire series ETERNAL VIGILANCE. Her previous work has also included three collections of poetry, BEFORE ICARUS, AFTER ACHILLES, CROSSROADS and THE BEGINNING OF NIGHTS, the novella REGRET, the celebrated dark fantasy adventure novel REVENGE, the HIGH STAKES vampire anthology and the novel THE LINEAGE. Her work has appeared in the sites SciFi Wire, Fatally Yours, Examiner, Doorways Magazine and Fear Zone, as well as various anthologies and magazines. She was the Guest of Honor at the Queen of the Damned Vampire Ball in 2008. In 2009 she was a Special Guest of the Endless Night Festival in New Orleans and was crowned "New Orleans Vampire Royalty" by the Vampire Lestat Fan Club at the Tru Blood & Gold vampire ball alongside Charlaine Harris. Faust is currently a Staff Writer for Gothic Beauty Magazine and owner of both the Nightshade Vmapire Boutique and Nightshade Publications. She was the primary graphic designer for the 2011 World Horror Convention and maintains the position as co-crewchief for the International Housing Program for the SXSW Music Festival. In 2011 Faust was awarded the Texas Social Media Award by the Austin American Statesman. More information about Gabrielle Faust and her work can be found on her website www.gabriellefaust.com.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 5, 2012
A little over a year ago, I blogged about wanting to read this novella, due in part from the giant bestial worm emblazoned on the cover. The idea of a character becoming a demon of regret was also interesting. As a Buffy fan, I really dug the revenge demons that appeared periodically in that show, so I was curious as to how a regret demon might operate. Well, considering the grim and bare-knuckles approach Gabrielle Faust uses, it might not be something I'd ever see in a Buffy episode, but it was definitely an intriguing read.
Marcus' life has fallen apart. He's stuck in a dead-end cubicle job and his mood has been getting darker and darker. One day he snaps--big time. The consequences of that mount up in his mind, coupled with the disintegration of his relationship with his live-in girlfriend, hit a tipping point when a demon enters his life and gives him the means to end his own life. That's just where the story starts, though. It's what happens after that veers into the really dark territory.
Marcus is essentially recruited to become a demon of regret, as part of a hierarchical army of demons that roam the earth preying on humanity. After getting a glimpse of Hell courtesy of the demon who turned him, he starts his journey by revisiting his old apartment where he had ended his life. Despite being dead--and a demon--people seem to have no trouble seeing him most of the time, including people who knew him. That part of the story threw me at first, because one character in particular seemed entirely too complacent with the notion that a dead guy is moving back into his apartment. The inevitable explanation does satisfy, though. As well, his favorite easy chair, one of the only things in his living days that ever gave him any solace acts as a kind of beacon in directing him towards the souls of those susceptible to his influence.
The pace of the book is pretty even, though the exposition felt heavy at times with a lot of dwelling inside Marcus' head as he deals with his own regrets, then his fascinations with others' regrets. All necessary, I suppose, in establishing the mood and character, but it felt heavy at times. The real meat of the story is in his interactions with the demons and the humans he winds up haunting. I appreciated the dark humor sprinkled in as a disgruntled office worker winds up serving in a version of Hell that appears to have even more macabre office politics. The gradual erosion of his humanity after he dies was achieved quite well, too.
Gabrielle has a real knack for showing the human-side of the demon world, and I'm eager to see how she continues Marcus' story, as there is a novel-length sequel out this year called Revenge. Hey, maybe she'll have a twisted take on those revenge demons from Buffy lore, though I think it will hit a more menacing note.
Marcus' life has fallen apart. He's stuck in a dead-end cubicle job and his mood has been getting darker and darker. One day he snaps--big time. The consequences of that mount up in his mind, coupled with the disintegration of his relationship with his live-in girlfriend, hit a tipping point when a demon enters his life and gives him the means to end his own life. That's just where the story starts, though. It's what happens after that veers into the really dark territory.
Marcus is essentially recruited to become a demon of regret, as part of a hierarchical army of demons that roam the earth preying on humanity. After getting a glimpse of Hell courtesy of the demon who turned him, he starts his journey by revisiting his old apartment where he had ended his life. Despite being dead--and a demon--people seem to have no trouble seeing him most of the time, including people who knew him. That part of the story threw me at first, because one character in particular seemed entirely too complacent with the notion that a dead guy is moving back into his apartment. The inevitable explanation does satisfy, though. As well, his favorite easy chair, one of the only things in his living days that ever gave him any solace acts as a kind of beacon in directing him towards the souls of those susceptible to his influence.
The pace of the book is pretty even, though the exposition felt heavy at times with a lot of dwelling inside Marcus' head as he deals with his own regrets, then his fascinations with others' regrets. All necessary, I suppose, in establishing the mood and character, but it felt heavy at times. The real meat of the story is in his interactions with the demons and the humans he winds up haunting. I appreciated the dark humor sprinkled in as a disgruntled office worker winds up serving in a version of Hell that appears to have even more macabre office politics. The gradual erosion of his humanity after he dies was achieved quite well, too.
Gabrielle has a real knack for showing the human-side of the demon world, and I'm eager to see how she continues Marcus' story, as there is a novel-length sequel out this year called Revenge. Hey, maybe she'll have a twisted take on those revenge demons from Buffy lore, though I think it will hit a more menacing note.
March 1, 2011
I didn't read this book, but one of my very competent reviewers did. Here's the URL: http://www.thedeepening.com/horror/20...
June 1, 2011
Would have been five stars, but the finale was a bit off. Highly recommended read though.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews