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Beyond the Vale
There's no rest for the weary in the afterlife: We all must earn our passage to the next world -- or pay the ultimate price.
Logan Leonard comes to his senses with his memory full of holes, and a half-familiar woman asks him if he remembers how and why he died. She tells him he must earn his passage to the next level, leads him through doorways to impossible places with surreal landscapes and bizarre inhabitants, and sends him into pictures that are portals to his past. Logan meets his spirit guide in the form of a friendly dog, finds and then loses the woman of his dreams, and battles a madman who has enslaved the entire populace of the afterlife world.
Then shadows come to claim Logan, and suddenly the stakes are his own immortal soul--and the souls of everyone he loves. All he has to do to earn his passage is rescue the woman of his dreams, defeat the shadows and their master, and correct the mistakes he made that ruined his life. If he fails, everyone will burn.
Because the punishment for failure is a one-way ticket to Hell.
Awarded 2017 Top 20 Best Indie Book
Logan Leonard comes to his senses with his memory full of holes, and a half-familiar woman asks him if he remembers how and why he died. She tells him he must earn his passage to the next level, leads him through doorways to impossible places with surreal landscapes and bizarre inhabitants, and sends him into pictures that are portals to his past. Logan meets his spirit guide in the form of a friendly dog, finds and then loses the woman of his dreams, and battles a madman who has enslaved the entire populace of the afterlife world.
Then shadows come to claim Logan, and suddenly the stakes are his own immortal soul--and the souls of everyone he loves. All he has to do to earn his passage is rescue the woman of his dreams, defeat the shadows and their master, and correct the mistakes he made that ruined his life. If he fails, everyone will burn.
Because the punishment for failure is a one-way ticket to Hell.
Awarded 2017 Top 20 Best Indie Book
- GenresFantasy
285 pages, Paperback
Published November 5, 2019
1 person is currently reading
4 people want to read
About the author
Kerry Alan Denney
20 books173 followersKerry Alan Denney aka “The Reality Bender” is the multiple award-winning author of seven published novels and numerous short stories. Denney blends elements of suspense, thriller, horror, scifi, fantasy, supernatural, paranormal, and various ways the world ends in his work: speculative fiction at its wildest and craziest. With glee and a touch of madness, he writes reality-bending thrillers even when the voices don’t make him do it. His protagonists are his children, and he loves them as dearly as he despises his antagonists … even when he has to kill them.
Denney's newest novel STALKING GIDEON CAIN, a psychological thriller, is coming from thewordverve inc. on May 21, 2021.
Denney lives in Stone Mountain, Georgia with Gypsy Dancer, his remarkably exuberant and eternally high-energy fur-ever companion. He is currently training Gypsy to be a therapy dog and writing his next thriller … and deciding who to kill in it.
For more wackiness, visit www.kerrydenney.com
Write Kerry at kerrydenney(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Denney's newest novel STALKING GIDEON CAIN, a psychological thriller, is coming from thewordverve inc. on May 21, 2021.
Denney lives in Stone Mountain, Georgia with Gypsy Dancer, his remarkably exuberant and eternally high-energy fur-ever companion. He is currently training Gypsy to be a therapy dog and writing his next thriller … and deciding who to kill in it.
For more wackiness, visit www.kerrydenney.com
Write Kerry at kerrydenney(AT)gmail(DOT)com
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 20, 2017
Logan isn’t sure if he’s dreaming, dead, or simply finally lost his marbles. There’s a woman he should know, a personal history he should know, and all he has is a blank in his head. There are doors that lead to impossible geography and photos that could never have been taken. However, crazy or not, something is clearly very wrong – and like it or not, Logan has apparently been elected general saviour of the world.
Beyond the Vale is one of those books where you spend the first few chapters just as confused as the protagonist, trying to figure out what’s going on. The author succeeds in conveying that utter disorientation particularly realistically in this book. However, coming out of that disorientation, you will pretty much perforce be very keyed in on the characters in the plot; Logan’s development through the book is a key theme and provides a lot of food for thought, especially since his development is all you find out about him until the latter stages of the book, where some of his missing past comes to light. The storyline is richly layered, and provides more thinking material the deeper you choose to delve into it. Definitely something to pick up for all the fantasy fans out there.
Reviewed for By Rite of Word.
Beyond the Vale is one of those books where you spend the first few chapters just as confused as the protagonist, trying to figure out what’s going on. The author succeeds in conveying that utter disorientation particularly realistically in this book. However, coming out of that disorientation, you will pretty much perforce be very keyed in on the characters in the plot; Logan’s development through the book is a key theme and provides a lot of food for thought, especially since his development is all you find out about him until the latter stages of the book, where some of his missing past comes to light. The storyline is richly layered, and provides more thinking material the deeper you choose to delve into it. Definitely something to pick up for all the fantasy fans out there.
Reviewed for By Rite of Word.
December 23, 2017
what is beyond ...
This book was nominated for one of my Best Indie Titles of 2017 awards on my author blog, and I was honored to already have read the book before the nomination. What is beyond is intriguing and very mysterious. Logan is one of those characters I won't soon forget, nor will I forget his adventure beyond life. He is on the adventure of a lifetime, more like after-life time and some things just fit, and others are so outrageous but could possibly be what is lurking beyond. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and it was very well written. The characters, not just Logan, but the entire ensemble had meaning and depth, and things are not always as they seem, and that's what makes this story grand.
This book was nominated for one of my Best Indie Titles of 2017 awards on my author blog, and I was honored to already have read the book before the nomination. What is beyond is intriguing and very mysterious. Logan is one of those characters I won't soon forget, nor will I forget his adventure beyond life. He is on the adventure of a lifetime, more like after-life time and some things just fit, and others are so outrageous but could possibly be what is lurking beyond. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and it was very well written. The characters, not just Logan, but the entire ensemble had meaning and depth, and things are not always as they seem, and that's what makes this story grand.
December 24, 2017
“Beyond The Vale” is the tale of Logan Leonard’s afterlife. Yup, our main character is dead, though he doesn’t remember how, or why, or much else really. All he knows is that in order to “earn his passage”—aka, get out of this in-between place—he needs to remember what happened, what led him to this place, and find a way to bring salvation to the other tortured souls in this land. If Logan fails, then everyone fails, everyone goes to Hell. So, you know, no pressure. This book reminded me a lot of “What Dreams May Come” mixed with “A Christmas Carrol” (tis the season after all), with a few animal guides for good measure. It was a fun ride, with a really powerful message that caught me completely off guard!
Why this book reminds me of “What dreams May Come” and “Christmas Carrol” should be pretty obvious: guy dies, he has to relive moments of his past to recover who he was in order to move on to “the next level” in this case, heaven. But he is guided by animal spirit guides and spunky women who make him see the places in his life where he “went wrong” in a very Scrooge kind of way, where the question becomes: is there a way to make up for these misdeeds? Or, as Logan is dead, is it too late? None of this, by the way, is a bad thing! But because this book deals with the afterlife, it is going to talk about some heavier topics about death that come in full force around 60% in, so know that going in. These topics surprised me, and while I enjoyed the discourse surrounding them, I can see why it may be unsettling for some readers.
Let’s talk about that for a second. I liked the book best when it was looking back on Logan’s life and giving a hard look at the events and choices that shaped him. These are the powerful moments of the book, watching lives spiral in very real, and tragic ways, was the most interesting—and best written—portions of the book. I can’t go into more detail because more would be a spoiler, but I will say that Denney writes a very poignant perspective of God, free will, and who our souls belong to. Really, I cannot rave enough about those sections, it’s very well written and very visceral in a lot of the descriptions, so bravo, Mr. Denney!
So why isn’t this a 5 star review from me? Mostly because of Logan’s time in the afterlife. Everything comes together at the end very nicely, but the journey getting there was sometimes confusing. To me this is best embodied in the main antagonist and the “woman of Logan’s dreams”. As soon as Logan meets the villain, he is immediately distrustful, immediately convinced that this person is evil, but has no evidence of that, or any real reason to think that, so his feelings and drive to save the people he encounters felt forced. And while a lot of characters felt and sounded very similar to Logan—I’m looking at you, Bob, Kelly, and Ashley—some of them didn’t seem to hold much of a purpose, which made me wonder why they were included to begin with as their connection to Logan, and his connection to them, was never properly explained to the reader. This is particularly striking with the woman Logan sees and decides is the woman he’s been chasing all his life. Why does he need to find her? Who is she? Who was she to Logan in the living world? No clue… Which was disappointing, because that could have been more interesting if it had been explored in more depth.
The afterlife realm, split as it was between a bizarre island nation and the picture portal room where Logan regains his memories, didn’t feel as connected as I would have liked. The villagers plight felt so separate from what Logan needed to learn and discover that I struggled to understand how they connected to the memories Logan needed to recover. The only connection there seemed to be was that they needed help, and only Logan could help them earn their passage to the place they were meant to go. A sweet and harrowing journey to be sure, but had it been tied more purposely, in my opinion, to the things Logan needed to uncover, then this would have been a much more powerful story. As it is, I’m still not sure what the happy island villagers were supposed to represent to Logan, same with most of the characters actually, outside of Bob, Jessica, and Kelly (kind of) to be honest.
But it was a fun read, and I so enjoyed the sections where Logan has to really look at his life, that, come the end of the book, and with how nicely everything fell together, I am forgiving most of the other minor issues I have. Just because of the subject matter and the cursing that Logan tends to do, I don’t think this would be great for young readers, but the spiritual sections on God, heaven, and hell are so good, I think anyone interested in a more spiritual fantasy read will really enjoy this, which is why I am giving it a solid 4 stars! And thank you to the author for providing me with a copy to review!
Why this book reminds me of “What dreams May Come” and “Christmas Carrol” should be pretty obvious: guy dies, he has to relive moments of his past to recover who he was in order to move on to “the next level” in this case, heaven. But he is guided by animal spirit guides and spunky women who make him see the places in his life where he “went wrong” in a very Scrooge kind of way, where the question becomes: is there a way to make up for these misdeeds? Or, as Logan is dead, is it too late? None of this, by the way, is a bad thing! But because this book deals with the afterlife, it is going to talk about some heavier topics about death that come in full force around 60% in, so know that going in. These topics surprised me, and while I enjoyed the discourse surrounding them, I can see why it may be unsettling for some readers.
Let’s talk about that for a second. I liked the book best when it was looking back on Logan’s life and giving a hard look at the events and choices that shaped him. These are the powerful moments of the book, watching lives spiral in very real, and tragic ways, was the most interesting—and best written—portions of the book. I can’t go into more detail because more would be a spoiler, but I will say that Denney writes a very poignant perspective of God, free will, and who our souls belong to. Really, I cannot rave enough about those sections, it’s very well written and very visceral in a lot of the descriptions, so bravo, Mr. Denney!
So why isn’t this a 5 star review from me? Mostly because of Logan’s time in the afterlife. Everything comes together at the end very nicely, but the journey getting there was sometimes confusing. To me this is best embodied in the main antagonist and the “woman of Logan’s dreams”. As soon as Logan meets the villain, he is immediately distrustful, immediately convinced that this person is evil, but has no evidence of that, or any real reason to think that, so his feelings and drive to save the people he encounters felt forced. And while a lot of characters felt and sounded very similar to Logan—I’m looking at you, Bob, Kelly, and Ashley—some of them didn’t seem to hold much of a purpose, which made me wonder why they were included to begin with as their connection to Logan, and his connection to them, was never properly explained to the reader. This is particularly striking with the woman Logan sees and decides is the woman he’s been chasing all his life. Why does he need to find her? Who is she? Who was she to Logan in the living world? No clue… Which was disappointing, because that could have been more interesting if it had been explored in more depth.
The afterlife realm, split as it was between a bizarre island nation and the picture portal room where Logan regains his memories, didn’t feel as connected as I would have liked. The villagers plight felt so separate from what Logan needed to learn and discover that I struggled to understand how they connected to the memories Logan needed to recover. The only connection there seemed to be was that they needed help, and only Logan could help them earn their passage to the place they were meant to go. A sweet and harrowing journey to be sure, but had it been tied more purposely, in my opinion, to the things Logan needed to uncover, then this would have been a much more powerful story. As it is, I’m still not sure what the happy island villagers were supposed to represent to Logan, same with most of the characters actually, outside of Bob, Jessica, and Kelly (kind of) to be honest.
But it was a fun read, and I so enjoyed the sections where Logan has to really look at his life, that, come the end of the book, and with how nicely everything fell together, I am forgiving most of the other minor issues I have. Just because of the subject matter and the cursing that Logan tends to do, I don’t think this would be great for young readers, but the spiritual sections on God, heaven, and hell are so good, I think anyone interested in a more spiritual fantasy read will really enjoy this, which is why I am giving it a solid 4 stars! And thank you to the author for providing me with a copy to review!
March 11, 2018
This book is hard for me to categorize. Part fantasy, part redemption, part spiritual, but always mind-blowingly awesome!
I have seen the author, Kerry Alan Denney, described as a "reality bender" and this book certainly lives up to that description.
The MC, Logan Leonard, is dead (or so he believes). He arrives at what he believes is the afterlife and meets a young woman named Jessica, who seems familiar. She gives him a pendant which can grant him three Time-Outs and tells him to choose a door. Then, Logan's adventure begins.
Is he in Heaven? Is he in Hell? Or is he really lying in a bed in an insane asylum? Any of those things appear to be a possibility. I found myself writing down many quotes from the book for future reference. Some of my favorites:
"In life, we forge the chains that bind us in the afterlife."
"Death isn't dying and dying isn't death."
"Would we truly live if we knew how we were going to die?"
"Your soul belongs to your maker. When the final journey is done, it's His to do with as he chooses. Always has been, always will be, and there's nothing we can ever do to change that."
This book is one that I will definitely read again and again. I especially loved the last half of the book, when Logan finally "remembers" what happened during his life to get him to the place we find him. Truly thought-provoking and very entertaining, no matter what your religious beliefs might be.
I will be adding Mr. Denney to my list of favorite authors. And, I loved the dog, Ringo!
I have seen the author, Kerry Alan Denney, described as a "reality bender" and this book certainly lives up to that description.
The MC, Logan Leonard, is dead (or so he believes). He arrives at what he believes is the afterlife and meets a young woman named Jessica, who seems familiar. She gives him a pendant which can grant him three Time-Outs and tells him to choose a door. Then, Logan's adventure begins.
Is he in Heaven? Is he in Hell? Or is he really lying in a bed in an insane asylum? Any of those things appear to be a possibility. I found myself writing down many quotes from the book for future reference. Some of my favorites:
"In life, we forge the chains that bind us in the afterlife."
"Death isn't dying and dying isn't death."
"Would we truly live if we knew how we were going to die?"
"Your soul belongs to your maker. When the final journey is done, it's His to do with as he chooses. Always has been, always will be, and there's nothing we can ever do to change that."
This book is one that I will definitely read again and again. I especially loved the last half of the book, when Logan finally "remembers" what happened during his life to get him to the place we find him. Truly thought-provoking and very entertaining, no matter what your religious beliefs might be.
I will be adding Mr. Denney to my list of favorite authors. And, I loved the dog, Ringo!
December 30, 2017
Beyond the Vale is about Logan. Logan has died, but doesn’t remember how.
This book was fun, whimsical, and a bit surreal. However, it was not my cup of tea. I found Logan’s character to be a bit lacking. He was supposed to be a really funny guy, but he came across more like that uncle that’s stuck in the seventies who’s constantly trying to be funny, but fails. The repeated pop-culture jokes and cliched sayings fell flat on this reader (me). Because I didn’t connect with the main character, the rest of the story didn’t quite reach me.
The characterization didn’t feel very full. The characters came and went, but none were very deep. The setting felt rushed. The world around Logan was shifting as he explored the afterlife, as he learned lessons of compassion and helped people and whatnot – but I never felt grounded in the where.
It felt kind of like a story that was being rushed to get to the punch line faster. The journey didn’t feel built up enough or fleshed out enough for my liking. It never really explained anything – there was plenty of action, but it never slowed down to complement that action with some character-mind narration.
I gave Beyond the Vale a 3 out of 5 because while the plot unfolded with whimsy and fun and humor, the humor didn’t sit well with me and I would have liked more character and background and depth. Of course, I’ve got high standards anymore. And while I didn’t think it was the best book I’ve read, you might!
If you’re a fan of fantasy and humor, definitely check this book out. (It reminded me of a movie that Seth Rogen might do. If you’re a fan of him, give this book a gander.)
This book was fun, whimsical, and a bit surreal. However, it was not my cup of tea. I found Logan’s character to be a bit lacking. He was supposed to be a really funny guy, but he came across more like that uncle that’s stuck in the seventies who’s constantly trying to be funny, but fails. The repeated pop-culture jokes and cliched sayings fell flat on this reader (me). Because I didn’t connect with the main character, the rest of the story didn’t quite reach me.
The characterization didn’t feel very full. The characters came and went, but none were very deep. The setting felt rushed. The world around Logan was shifting as he explored the afterlife, as he learned lessons of compassion and helped people and whatnot – but I never felt grounded in the where.
It felt kind of like a story that was being rushed to get to the punch line faster. The journey didn’t feel built up enough or fleshed out enough for my liking. It never really explained anything – there was plenty of action, but it never slowed down to complement that action with some character-mind narration.
I gave Beyond the Vale a 3 out of 5 because while the plot unfolded with whimsy and fun and humor, the humor didn’t sit well with me and I would have liked more character and background and depth. Of course, I’ve got high standards anymore. And while I didn’t think it was the best book I’ve read, you might!
If you’re a fan of fantasy and humor, definitely check this book out. (It reminded me of a movie that Seth Rogen might do. If you’re a fan of him, give this book a gander.)
February 19, 2018
This was a fantastic read. Very original and creative. The characters were developed in depth. The story had a steady pace that captured your attention and held it throughout the book. Kerry has brought a very creative story to life with his smooth writing style. I can't say I have read anything like it before. This book is a must read.
December 28, 2017
Logan, is dead. While that isn't entirely clear to him for several chapters, he's found himself in a surreal place, dealing with disappearing doors, a woman he's sure he used to know, the woman from his dreams, and a memory he can't seem to find. While he wades his way through the crazy, he finds he has to "earn" his passage to the next stage of existence.
As he remembers bits and pieces of his life and the events that led to his death, he has to help heal others stuck in this weird purgatory as well. If he fails, everyone is damned to hell. What a place to be trapped in, hu?
With a compelling message behind a twisting story, this book is sure to be a hit for any fantasy fans. With an interesting spin on what happens after you die, some Catholic aspects thrown in, and some snarky humor, this is certainly an entertaining read. While the writing style wasn't quite my taste, I enjoyed the story overall, and would recommend it to others.
I'm thankful to the author for the chance to read and review his newest release.
*I was given a complimentary eCopy of this book, from the author, to read in exchange for an honest review.
~Rose
@Desert Rose Reviews
January 30, 2019
Incredibly imaginative tale with a lot of heart to it. Reminds me a little of Mr. Dean Koontz!
December 9, 2018
I read this awhile back before becoming an active member of the Goodreads community. At the time I enjoyed it but it was not my top Denney book. In retrospect, this is very memorable with scenes I can still visually recall after all this time. I think it has taken the top spot of his work thus far on my shelf.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews