Book Review of Crimson Shadow By Nathan Squiers
Book
Synopsis:
Crimson
Shadow
By
Nathan Squiers
Xander Stryker wants to die.
Ever since witnessing his mother's murder at
the hands of his abusive stepfather when he was a boy, he has spent every day trying
to reach that goal. But every night he's denied the death he craves.
When his eighteenth birthday approaches, an
unforeseen chance for change is offered when his life is plunged into chaos and
he's dragged into a supernatural world of vampires and other creatures of
darkness. Caught in the depths of this new reality, mysteries of his
supernatural lineage begin to unravel and Xander is given the ultimate choice:
Continue on with his wretched life or begin a
new one as the vampire he was always meant to be.
Unfortunately, the supernatural world can be
just as unforgiving and brutal as any other and Xander's choice is met with
disastrous consequences. Now, with the chaos of the new world pressing down on
him, his past reemerges and once again threatens to crush him. Will Xander be
able to use his new strength to conquer his fears, or will he succumb to his
own bloody darkness...
... and allow it to finally destroy him.
Book Excerpt:
"I'M NOT
YOUR GOD DAMN SON!" Xander shrieked, bracing himself for the familiar
agony of Kyle's belt. His eyes flew open as he shot upright. Sweeping some
strands of hair from his sweat-soaked brow, his panicked heart finally settled
in his chest as he saw that he was not at the mercy of his stepfather.
Instead, his
entire first period class stared at him.
Somebody up front
snickered as others turned to whisper to their neighbors. Feeling his face
redden, Xander did his best to ignore his peers and took a deep breath.
"Stryker!"
Xander
cringed and watched as Mister Nimbe navigated his way from the chalkboard
towards him. In a lot of ways seeing the portly teacher calmed him. Letting out
a slow breath, he reassured himself of the truth:
Kyle was dead.
". . .
enough, Stryker!"
Hearing his name,
Xander snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at Mister Nimbe.
"Huh?"
The
teacher's jaw shifted before he slapped a heavy palm down on the desktop.
Xander stared at him, continuing to ignore his peers as they gossiped and
laughed.
He didn’t want
this kind of attention.
"Don't play
games with me, you little punk!" Mister Nimbe's voice was hard though he
spoke softly, "The next time you decide to act up in my class, it's your
funeral!"
A girl sitting
nearby cackled, "That’ll be the day!"
There was another
bout of laughter.
Xander forced
himself not to look away from Mister Nimbe, who seemed to bask in the approval
of his class. Unable to handle another moment of the humiliation, he snatched
his backpack by the strap and pulled it with him as he stood from his desk and
hurried for the door. Behind him he heard Mister Nimbe yell after him, but he
was already too far out the door to hear it or care.
"Fucking
assholes!" Xander spat. The burning in his cheeks had spread and now his
entire body felt hot with his growing rage.
You need to calm down. Trepis said.
Xander shook his
head at the advice. He let out a growl and threw a balled fist into a nearby
locker; a jolt of magical energy following through. Withdrawing his hand he saw
that he had nearly torn the metal off its hinges. He smirked at the results and
started walking again.
Trepis sighed, Was that really necessary?
"Is any of
this really necessary?" He
retorted.
Trepis, after an
airy sigh, went silent.
Xander nodded to
himself, satisfied that the voice in his head was finally done criticizing him
and continued down the hall. Gripping the pack of cigarettes in his pocket, he
turned onto the East Wing, dragging the fingers of his left hand across the
rows of lockers as he walked.
Going to see Stan?
"You know
it." Xander said as he turned another corner and stopped just before the
cafeteria, pushing open the door labeled "TEACHERS LOUNGE" without
hesitation.
An old coffee
machine to his right gurgled and belched its greeting as a fresh batch of
sludge dripped into a carbon-stained pot. Nearby, a wild-haired woman who
Xander recognized as one of the English teachers sat with a crossword puzzle
while an over-caffeinated math teacher grunted something about a failing sports
team. Reaching blindly for his cup of coffee, he knocked it onto his crotch and
swore as steam rose from his pants.
As expected,
neither noticed Xander as he walked in.
Unable to wait
any longer, he retrieved a cigarette and began working to light it. The
worn-out lighter sparked uselessly.
"Damn
it!" Xander said, scowling at the lighter before tossing it into the
trash.
"Need a
light?" Stan's voice emerged from the corner of the lounge.
Xander smiled,
"Would you?"
"Hey!"
the coffee-stained teacher frowned at Xander, "You're not supposed to be
in--"
The man's eyes
went dull, followed soon after by the woman's, before both stood and walked out
the door, closing it behind them as they did.
Once they were
alone, Xander turned towards his friend and smirked, "You're going to have
to teach me how to do that."
Stan's
dirty-blonde hair shifted as he shook his head. "Xander, Xander, Xander...
it's not even second period." he scolded as he held out his hand.
Xander watched as
the cigarette sparked and magically ignited and he was rewarded with a rush of
flavor. He smiled and took a long drag before taking it between his fingers and
sitting beside his friend.
"Had the
dream again."
Stan nodded, his
blue-green eyes going solemn, and leaned his head back.
Xander thought
for a moment that he might offer Stan a cigarette as a joke, but thought better
of it. Stan always said that the things were a poison and putting those
substances in your system was like allowing your own personal Trojan horse into
your body time and time again.
Scowling, Stan
turned his head towards him, "What are you going to do with your life,
Xander? I see the potential, but..." he sighed then, shaking his head.
Xander didn't
take his eyes from the floor, "Maybe Yin will take me tonight. Then I
won't have to worry about where I'm going, right?"
Stan rolled his
eyes, "I doubt you're going to find your escape in the barrel of that old
revolver tonight. Or tomorrow... or even the day after that." He chuckled,
"I mean, if I seriously thought you were in any danger I'd have had you put
away long ago."
"So why
haven't you?" Xander allowed his eyes to shift in Stan's direction.
Stan shrugged,
"It's that whole potential thing I was talking about. You're not worth
much to the world in a padded cell."
Xander scoffed,
"Wouldn't say I'm worth much to the world at all!"
"Or maybe
you just don't see that potential yet." Stan curled his lip.
Xander frowned,
"Then can you tell me what's going to happen?"
Stan shook his
head, "I’ve told you before: the future can't be seen. It hasn't been
written yet."
"But you
must know something!" Xander did what he could to hide his aggravation,
but his lingering rage and growing confusion became too much and the wall
groaned against the magical energy and cracked under the pressure.
Stan sighed,
"I know that I'm tired of
mending this damn wall!"
Xander nodded,
"Sorry."
He had lost count
of all the times his friend had used his magic to fix what he had broken with
his own. This time wasn't any different:
Stan focused on
the wall; his eyes narrowing with the same intensity they'd shown when lighting
Xander's cigarette. After a silent moment, the pieces of cracked plywood
shifted and cracked as they bonded together and the drywall reformed, leaving
the wall looking good as new. When it was done, he went back to staring at the
ceiling. "How's Trepis?"
"He's...
still Trepis."
Stan tilted his
head and gave him a skeptical look, "Trep?"
Doing fine. Trepis answered in Xander's head, Kid's just being a brat.
Both Stan and
Trepis laughed.
Xander frowned.
"Oh, stop
being so sensitive!" Stan gave him a few hard pats on the back; his energy
stinging like lightning under his skin before it spread like a sweet drug
through his system. "You can't take everything so seriously!"
Xander smiled
against the bizarre sensation and leaned into the couch, "Yea,
right." He tried to mask the sarcasm in his voice.
Stan, ignoring
Xander's attitude, stared back up at the ceiling, "So what do you want for
your birthday?"
Xander sighed and
took another long drag, not stopping until he'd burned up the cig to the filter
and blowing the smoke out slow. "I want freedom, Stan."
Author
Information:
Nathan
Squiers (The Literary Dark Prince) is a resident of upstate New York where he
lives with his loving fiancé and two demonic beings that have, for the time
being, chosen to disguise themselves as cats (incredibly demanding and
out-of-control cats).
Living
day-by-day on a steady diet of body modification and potentially lethal doses
of caffeine, he often escapes reality through novels, comics & manga, movies,
and (of course) his own writing. When he's not immersed in the realm of fiction
(be it his own or someone else's), he can be found in the chair of a piercing
studio/tattoo parlor or reacquainting himself with the real world.
Book Review:
A new
take for me on the vampire legend. Different
types of vampires and a different manner of creating new vampires. Nathan Squiers has created a unique culture
of mythological creatures who live in the “real” world and yet are not quite
part of it.
I am
not typically a fan of vampire novels because of either the horror factor or
the cheesiness factor, however Crimson Shadow manages to walk the fine
line of being suspenseful without being a horror book and a fun read without
being cheesy. I enjoyed the unique
aspects and appreciated the thread of sameness that helped me connect to the
characters based on the past myths I have read.
Easy to
read, engaging, and different enough to peak my curiosity and hold my interest,
I give this book 4 out of 5 clouds
