Tales of a Blood Earth (A BLOOD SKIES short story) [Kindle Edition]

Steven Montano (Author)

Book Description

In the time after The Black, humans battle against the onslaught of the vampire armies of the Ebon Cities.

In a desolate patch of remote wasteland, a young woman named Rooke, part of a group of prisoners held by the corrupt prison wardens called The Revengers, struggles to stay alive. Ordered to unearth a terrible chamber of ancient power and hounded by once-frozen vampire savages, Rooke's journey into darkness will reveal forgotten secrets of the conflict that has brought The Black to our world.

But will Rooke survive long enough to tell anyone?

This newly compiled edition also features new cover art and a sneak preview of Book 3 in the BLOOD SKIES series, "SOULRAZOR", coming March of 2012!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Steven Montano started writing at the age of 18 and never really stopped. A graduate with distinction from the University of Colorado at Boulder, Steven took his Creative Writing degree and became an accountant, instead. He still hasn’t figured out why.

Now, Steven writes the Blood Skies series. His wife runs a popular online yarn shop, and his kids just drive him crazy. They all live in a rain shelter in Washington State.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

*****Check out the Blood Skies series*****

BLOOD SKIES 

BLACK SCARS

SOULRAZOR

CROWN OF ASH

THE WITCH'S EYE

Each just $3.99! 

Book 6, CHAIN OF SHADOWS, coming Fall/Winter 2013!

Product Details

• File Size: 185 KB
• Print Length: 51 pages
• Publisher: Darker Sunset Press (December 3, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B006HOZTJK
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #304,488 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome February 10, 2013

By Booger

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Very descripted. You get a good idea of the landscape, the creatures and everything going on. Awesome book. Going to read them all

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A real sense of danger and magic July 30, 2012

By Chantal Boudreau

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Steve has an interesting way of setting a stark, grim scene. The choppy sentences in the opening chapters capture the drudgery and single-mindedness of Rooke's situation quite well, bold and to the point. As a prisoner slave, her thoughts are focussed on doing as she is told and trying to minimize her suffering. Then we discover that her task is to unearth a vampire, which they do, many of them in fact,and the story leads us down a darker path from there, one complicated by warlocks, Revengers, and a very special throne. Eventually, Rooke goes through a change that I hadn't predicted.

I liked the story quite a bit but I prefer storylines that are grim and brooding, so it fit well with my tastes. I also don't care how much passive voice is used, although I think the flow would have been a bit better with a few more transitional phrases and conjunctions, at least once past the introduction of the tale and description of Rooke's predicament. For those who are more particular about writing style (style-Nazis would cringe at the number of sentences beginning with "It was...") or don't draw as much pleasure from the bleak plot, they might not see as much appeal in this. If you fit those descriptions, this story's not for you.

I, however, felt that this was an intriguing sample of Montano's work and I definitely want to read the second story offering as well as the Blood Skies novel. The characters are well-defined, the imagery is striking without being overbearing, and the tone is deliciously primal. If you enjoy these elements and a real sense of danger and magic, you'll enjoy this tale.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Dark and evocative April 1, 2012

By Lynette Aspey

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm glad to have found this short story. I have not read the "Blood Sky" series, but when I'm feeling in a "hellish" mood, I know where to come. Dark, evocative and detailed, this is a worthy 4* story. My one "argh!!" is that the author swapped POV characters on me, just as I was committed. I hope he writes some more "Tales of Blood Earth" shorts to make it up to me. In summary, a great intro into this poor, tortured world and some mightily interesting characters. Good work.

More About the Author

Steven Montano fell out of the sky one day and landed behind an accountant's desk. Rather than write novels about his experiences in an alternate post-apocalyptic world besieged by vampires, he decided to reconcile accounts and calculate journal entries. He still writes in his spare time.

Visit Steven's official website, bloodskies.com