Rend the Dark by Mark Gelineau, Joe King

Rend the Dark by Mark Gelineau, Joe King ISBN-13: 9781944015022 Paperback: 78 pages Publisher: Gelineau and King Released: Oct. 15, 2015

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, My Take:
The village of Groveland Down is safe from the dark creatures of legendary times. A Warden investigating recent disappearances expects to find human bandits as the cause. He spots the signs of something far worse, though: creatures of nightmares that can hide among humans by wearing our skin. He calls in the Order of Talan, whose warriors can clearly see or sense the Demons of the broken night.

Ferran and Mireia use their abilities to hunt these Demons to protect humankind. They willingly face death to protect strangers who don't always believe the Demons still exist. Evil lurks in or near the village, yet Ferran and Mireia can't spot any Demons among the villagers. The monsters are horrible enough in their true forms, but not knowing when evil might strike might be worse...


My Review:
The authors designated this story as both fantasy and horror genre. I don't normally read horror stories, but I liked their other stories so much that I decided to give this short story/novella a chance.

Rend the Dark is a high-suspense fantasy with a dark, monster theme and heroic characters. The suspense was built through ever-increasing danger and the character's reactions to facing the horror of the Ruins (demons, monsters). The world-building was worked naturally into the story so the reader understands what's going on but without slowing down the action or breaking the tension.

The characters were developed enough that we can understand why each reacted to the situation the way they did. Their reactions differed and showed each as an individual. Though faced with a dangerous and overwhelming situation, they each find--in their own way--their courage and a reason to fight on.

There was no sex or bad language. There was some gore, but the sense of horror was conveyed more by the characters' reactions than by dwelling on gruesome descriptions. Overall, I'd recommend this quick read to fans of monster stories and darker-themed, high-suspense fantasy.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.