It has been almost five years since the incident in Kabul. Since the magic stirred within him and the stories began. Fleeing the army, running from the whispers, the guilt, and the fear he was losing his mind, Carver fell into addiction, dragging himself through life one day at a time.
Desperation has pulled him back to Afghanistan, back to the heat, the dust, and the truth he worked so hard to avoid. But there are others, obsessed with power and forbidden magics, who will stop at nothing to learn the truth of his gifts. Abducted and chained, Carver must break more than his own rules if he is to harness this power and survive.
John Carver fled 15 years of British SRR military service because of an incident in Afghanistan. Living mostly off the grid he fights addiction and ignores the apparitions of the men who died under his command. A large debt needing paid back to a loan shark sends John back to the one place he never wanted to go again: Kabul. And that’s where the nightmares begin again.
Mackenzie Cartwright, an Australian nurse in Kabul doing relief work is kidnapped for a power she doesn’t believe she possesses. She tries to escape but hasn’t managed to succeed when she meets John. Two heads are better than one, right? They better hope so.
There’s something about John that I had to keep reading. Not that the writing isn’t good, because it is good. But John. What is going on with him? What are his demons? Or ghosts in this case. What happened in Kabul? Why are there rumors about him, why is he running from what happened (whatever that is), and why is he seeing and hearing dead people? So many whys! I needed answers!
But wait, there’s more! Mackenzie is introduced and her scary story is told also. Then they dovetail and answers start coming fast and furious. I was enthralled. I didn’t want to stop reading, so I didn’t. I read this story, on and off (stupid real life bullshit interrupting my reading), in one day. There’s plenty of mystery, danger, action, and suspense in this. The characters are relatable and engaging. The plot flows along at a fast clip and the feelings it provokes are many and varied. If you like military guys using their skills, a female protagonist who is inventive, strong, and a quick thinker, paranormal powers to be explored, and villains who want them at whatever the cost, then look no further. This book has an ending, but it keeps open the possibility of future books. Would I read those? Damn right I would.
Graham Austin-King was born in the south of England and weaned on broken swords and half-forgotten spells. A shortage of these forced him to consume fantasy novels at an ever-increasing rate, turning to computers and tabletop gaming between meals.
He experimented with writing at the beginning of an education that meandered through journalism, international relations, and law. To this day he is committed to never allowing those first efforts to reach public eyes.
After spending a decade in Canada, learning what 'cold' really means, and being horrified by poutine, he settled once again in the UK with a seemingly endless horde of children.
To date he is the author of five novels, drawing on a foundation of literary influences ranging from David Eddings to Clive Barker.
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Great review. I'd read future books too, Carol! I enjoyed the adventure so much that I've got the audiobook on my wishlist.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteOoooh! I bet the audio is great!
I think you're the first person to mention that the ending leaves it open to more books! That's interesting!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see them going around finding more people with powers and forming a team. But then I'm a Marvel junkie. lol
Delete