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Black & Orange
** Winner of the 2010 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel **
Forget everything you know about Halloween. The stories are distortions. They were created to keep the Church of Midnight hidden from the world. Every October 31st a gateway opens to a hostile land of sacrificial magic and chaos. Since the beginning of civilization the Church of Midnight has attempted to open the gateway and unite with its other half, the Church of Morning. Each year they’ve come closer, waiting for the ideal sacrifice to open the gateway permanently.
This year that sacrifice has come. And only two can protect it. Martin and Teresa are the nomads, battle-hardened people who lack identity and are forever road-bound on an endless mission to guard the sacrifice. Their only direction is from notes left from a mysterious person called the Messenger. Endowed with a strange telekinetic power, the nomads will use everything at their disposal to make it through the night alive. But matters have become even more complicated this year. Teresa has quickly lost ground battling cancer, while Martin has spiraled into a panic over being left alone. His mind may no longer be on the fight when it matters most... because ever on their heels is the insidious physical representation of a united Chaplain Cloth.
"With BLACK & ORANGE, Benjamin Kane Ethridge raises a dark new voice that will send a shiver down your spine. Weird, creepy and unnaturally entertaining!" --Jonathan Maberry, multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning author of THE WOLFMAN and THE DRAGON FACTORY
"Black & Orange may be the most original treatment of Halloween I've ever read, a masterful pumpkin patch of style and structure that heralds the arrival of a major new talent in Benjamin Kane Ethridge. The pages drip with a unique energy that transports the reader to a weird, wild, and terrible world that's as giddy and frightening as a hayride on October 31st." -- Gregory Lamberson, author of JOHNNY GRUESOME and THE FRENZY WAY
"A remarkable novel, dark and imaginative and unique. It keeps the pages turning!" --Nate Kenyon, author of THE BONE FACTORY
"BLACK AND ORANGE begins like a train and just keeps rolling. Benjamin Kane Ethridge has crafted a dark, yet colorful fantasy, with vivid characters and some of the punchiest dialogue I have read in a long time. Trust me, this book belongs on your must-read list." --Rio Youers, author of MAMA FISH and OLD MAN SCRATCH
Forget everything you know about Halloween. The stories are distortions. They were created to keep the Church of Midnight hidden from the world. Every October 31st a gateway opens to a hostile land of sacrificial magic and chaos. Since the beginning of civilization the Church of Midnight has attempted to open the gateway and unite with its other half, the Church of Morning. Each year they’ve come closer, waiting for the ideal sacrifice to open the gateway permanently.
This year that sacrifice has come. And only two can protect it. Martin and Teresa are the nomads, battle-hardened people who lack identity and are forever road-bound on an endless mission to guard the sacrifice. Their only direction is from notes left from a mysterious person called the Messenger. Endowed with a strange telekinetic power, the nomads will use everything at their disposal to make it through the night alive. But matters have become even more complicated this year. Teresa has quickly lost ground battling cancer, while Martin has spiraled into a panic over being left alone. His mind may no longer be on the fight when it matters most... because ever on their heels is the insidious physical representation of a united Chaplain Cloth.
"With BLACK & ORANGE, Benjamin Kane Ethridge raises a dark new voice that will send a shiver down your spine. Weird, creepy and unnaturally entertaining!" --Jonathan Maberry, multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning author of THE WOLFMAN and THE DRAGON FACTORY
"Black & Orange may be the most original treatment of Halloween I've ever read, a masterful pumpkin patch of style and structure that heralds the arrival of a major new talent in Benjamin Kane Ethridge. The pages drip with a unique energy that transports the reader to a weird, wild, and terrible world that's as giddy and frightening as a hayride on October 31st." -- Gregory Lamberson, author of JOHNNY GRUESOME and THE FRENZY WAY
"A remarkable novel, dark and imaginative and unique. It keeps the pages turning!" --Nate Kenyon, author of THE BONE FACTORY
"BLACK AND ORANGE begins like a train and just keeps rolling. Benjamin Kane Ethridge has crafted a dark, yet colorful fantasy, with vivid characters and some of the punchiest dialogue I have read in a long time. Trust me, this book belongs on your must-read list." --Rio Youers, author of MAMA FISH and OLD MAN SCRATCH
422 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 12, 2011
20 people are currently reading
1581 people want to read
About the author
Benjamin Kane Ethridge
30 books235 followersBenjamin Kane Ethridge is the Bram Stoker Award winning author of the occult fantasy novel BLACK & ORANGE. He also wrote a master's thesis entitled, "CAUSES OF UNEASE: The Rhetoric of Horror Fiction and Film." Available in an ivory tower near you. Ben lives in Southern California. When he isn't writing, reading, videogaming, he's figuring out ways to keep from writing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
October 23, 2015
Two worlds, two churches. Midnight and Morning. Black and Orange.
Martin and Theresa are Nomads and have been for almost twenty years. Every Halloween they try to keep the Church of Midnight from sacrificing the Heart of the Harvest. Every time they fail, the gateway to the other world is weakened.
Things slip through.
That premise sounds great and I was really looking forward to this one. Groan! The action alternates between the Nomads - interesting, and the Church - annoying and dull. There was so much infighting, and power struggles and awkward sex scenes. If this soap opera shtick had been edited out, the main plot - the big showdown on Halloween night - would have been more compelling and scary, and the book would have been a nice, taut novella instead of 422 pages.
However . . . the ending is pretty good, and a new Nomad is introduced. , so I may just have to tune in for the sequel.
Martin and Theresa are Nomads and have been for almost twenty years. Every Halloween they try to keep the Church of Midnight from sacrificing the Heart of the Harvest. Every time they fail, the gateway to the other world is weakened.
Things slip through.
That premise sounds great and I was really looking forward to this one. Groan! The action alternates between the Nomads - interesting, and the Church - annoying and dull. There was so much infighting, and power struggles and awkward sex scenes. If this soap opera shtick had been edited out, the main plot - the big showdown on Halloween night - would have been more compelling and scary, and the book would have been a nice, taut novella instead of 422 pages.
However . . . the ending is pretty good, and a new Nomad is introduced. , so I may just have to tune in for the sequel.
January 13, 2012
This is a multi-story narrative that blends fantasy and horror in the tradition of Clive Barker, while at the same time producing a wild mythos of its own. Despite the contradiction, it's a Halloween novel that isn't a Halloween novel.
He has crafted together a very different style of horror novel, which oozes with originality and imagination and he has created an genre of his own here. The pages of this story took my attention as its an intelligent and complex horror novel. The talk of domains and other worlds bring back memories of the Dark Tower world created by Stephen King. All these qualities make it clear why it was awarded the Bram Stoker best first novel award.
Review here also.
He has crafted together a very different style of horror novel, which oozes with originality and imagination and he has created an genre of his own here. The pages of this story took my attention as its an intelligent and complex horror novel. The talk of domains and other worlds bring back memories of the Dark Tower world created by Stephen King. All these qualities make it clear why it was awarded the Bram Stoker best first novel award.
Review here also.
October 10, 2011
Oh. My. God.
I will never look at Halloween the same again.
This is a great novel. I order you to read this.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
I will never look at Halloween the same again.
This is a great novel. I order you to read this.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
May 23, 2012
I won this book in a giveaway.
I have to admit I was pretty disappointed. I opened Black and Orange, expecting a horror story, and instead found something else. The plot flipped between several sets of characters. Two represented good, and most of the others, evil. The "good" characters were mediocre and boring. I couldn't find it in me to care that they were the only ones capable of stopping the world's inevitable doom. The "evil" characters were even worse. They were all petty and consumed with sex and power struggles. I need some depth!!!!
The idea behind the story was actually pretty good! However, too much of the plot was taken up by pointless interactions. The world building needed some work too. What is the Old Domain? I need some back story please!
I will recommend this book to my brother in law. He has opposite taste from mine.
I have to admit I was pretty disappointed. I opened Black and Orange, expecting a horror story, and instead found something else. The plot flipped between several sets of characters. Two represented good, and most of the others, evil. The "good" characters were mediocre and boring. I couldn't find it in me to care that they were the only ones capable of stopping the world's inevitable doom. The "evil" characters were even worse. They were all petty and consumed with sex and power struggles. I need some depth!!!!
The idea behind the story was actually pretty good! However, too much of the plot was taken up by pointless interactions. The world building needed some work too. What is the Old Domain? I need some back story please!
I will recommend this book to my brother in law. He has opposite taste from mine.
January 10, 2011
My book, so I guess five stars is to make me feel good about myself. Haha. Please let me know what you think though!
March 12, 2011
A book to savor for its spine-chilling prose and plot- so original-so unique- I dare you to start reading Black & Orange by Benjamin Kane Ethridge and even try to put it down until the last brilliant page!!
AN OFFICIAL JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB MUST READ
RICK FRIEDMAN
FOUNDER- THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB
AN OFFICIAL JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB MUST READ
RICK FRIEDMAN
FOUNDER- THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB
September 26, 2012
This was a great Halloween time read! Original take on the Halloween mythos and very entertaining. The characters were well developed and the story drew me into its world. I recommend this one for an October novel to get you in the mood for the season. Very good!
October 7, 2011
This was a brisk little page-turner, and I've read far worse. If called upon to provide a cover blurb, that's what I'd provide. "I've read far worse! -- Gar" it would say, probably in an emblazoned star in the middle of some bad art involving an exploding pumpkin. There's a lot of exploding pumpkin moments in the closing chapters.
I got a kick out of how the world-shattering evil cult was composed primarily of crazy stupid fuck-ups completely lost in their own bullshit (they probably wouldn't use that as a cover blurb, although if I were looking at physical paper books and saw "I've read far worse starring crazy stupid fuck-ups completely lost in their own bullshit!" I might actually be more likely to read it; publishers, I know you're increasingly struggling these days, so take note!), and the reader gets the impression that the world would have ended on a Halloween thousands of years ago if that weren't always the case.
The main bogeyman of the story is a sort of smudged blurry mimeograph (he dated himself) of a copy of a copy of a copy of The Stand's Randall Flagg, only with funky contact lenses (or these days, cheap cgi) that could just about be calculated to help the sale of movie rights move along. Chaplain Cloth was in no way buyable as some sort of inhuman threat from the outer dark. I sort of pictured him as being played by Steve Buscemi trying to do menacing and mostly failing.
Our heroes are also basically crazy stupid fuck-ups completely lost in their own bullshit, but to a much lesser degree than the evil cultists of the Church of Midnight and Morning, so relatively speaking they appear competent. But when you can defeat the world-shattering eternal menace from the outer dark stalking the living macguffins you're chosen to protect on that year's Halloween by using a small amount of explosives that just catches said evil bogeyman from the outer inhuman dark by surprise, and your common supplies include a shitload of explosives to begin with...I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that just running most years till November 1st hits isn't the best use of your resources. Especially when Flagg^HCloth is realistically your only threat, because all the humans are, as established, crazy stupid fuck-ups completely lost in their own bullshit.
Also there were scattered first-person bits from The Messenger, the mysterious no one who guides our heroes in their quest. They're so scattered and pointless it makes me suspect they were fragments of some other draft entirely that either got thrown away, or never revised into.
Using the IMDB rating scale, best book ever. It was much better than Cats.
I got a kick out of how the world-shattering evil cult was composed primarily of crazy stupid fuck-ups completely lost in their own bullshit (they probably wouldn't use that as a cover blurb, although if I were looking at physical paper books and saw "I've read far worse starring crazy stupid fuck-ups completely lost in their own bullshit!" I might actually be more likely to read it; publishers, I know you're increasingly struggling these days, so take note!), and the reader gets the impression that the world would have ended on a Halloween thousands of years ago if that weren't always the case.
The main bogeyman of the story is a sort of smudged blurry mimeograph (he dated himself) of a copy of a copy of a copy of The Stand's Randall Flagg, only with funky contact lenses (or these days, cheap cgi) that could just about be calculated to help the sale of movie rights move along. Chaplain Cloth was in no way buyable as some sort of inhuman threat from the outer dark. I sort of pictured him as being played by Steve Buscemi trying to do menacing and mostly failing.
Our heroes are also basically crazy stupid fuck-ups completely lost in their own bullshit, but to a much lesser degree than the evil cultists of the Church of Midnight and Morning, so relatively speaking they appear competent. But when you can defeat the world-shattering eternal menace from the outer dark stalking the living macguffins you're chosen to protect on that year's Halloween by using a small amount of explosives that just catches said evil bogeyman from the outer inhuman dark by surprise, and your common supplies include a shitload of explosives to begin with...I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that just running most years till November 1st hits isn't the best use of your resources. Especially when Flagg^HCloth is realistically your only threat, because all the humans are, as established, crazy stupid fuck-ups completely lost in their own bullshit.
Also there were scattered first-person bits from The Messenger, the mysterious no one who guides our heroes in their quest. They're so scattered and pointless it makes me suspect they were fragments of some other draft entirely that either got thrown away, or never revised into.
Using the IMDB rating scale, best book ever. It was much better than Cats.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2012
Benjamin Kane Ethridge's novel, "Black and Orange", won the Bram Stoker Award for Outstanding Achievement in a First Novel (along with Lisa Morton's excellent novel, "Castle of Los Angeles")in 2010. Not surprisingly, the award was well deserved. "Black and Orange" is beautifully written, vividly imaginative, and stocked with characters you will not soon forget. For me, reading this novel was a true joy.
Halloween is approaching. The time of the Harvest is near. And the gateway--a barrier that prevents the horrors of the Old Domain from crossing into our world--is at its weakest. Chaplain Cloth wants to bust the gateway wide open, but he needs the Heart of the Harvest to accomplish his goal. It is up to the Nomads to protect the Heart and keep the gateway closed for another year.
While the above paragraph summarizes "Black and Orange," it hardly does the book justice. Mr. Ethridge has woven a complex and compelling story with enough subplots and twists to keep the reader guessing at what will happen next. The struggles of the Nomads, the two humans who have kept Chaplain Cloth at bay for over twenty years, is inspiring and tragic, making them both likeable and realistic. Cloth is terrifying and could easily stand with Randall Flagg and Hannibal Lecter as one of horrors iconic villains. You will also meet the Bishops of the Church of Midnight, scheming, avaricious men who ratchet up the story's conflict to dizzying heights. And those are just the principal characters; there are many others whom you will enjoy (and, ultimately, feel sorry for).
Mr. Ethridge's writing is evocative, so much so that I found myself reading slowly so I could savor the imagery and the pure, pristine style. For me, Ethridge's work is part Joseph Conrad, part Harlan Ellison, and part Clive Barker. It left me breathless.
From people who love scary stories to those who enjoy the art of writing, I highly recommend Mr. Ethridge's award-winning novel.
Halloween is approaching. The time of the Harvest is near. And the gateway--a barrier that prevents the horrors of the Old Domain from crossing into our world--is at its weakest. Chaplain Cloth wants to bust the gateway wide open, but he needs the Heart of the Harvest to accomplish his goal. It is up to the Nomads to protect the Heart and keep the gateway closed for another year.
While the above paragraph summarizes "Black and Orange," it hardly does the book justice. Mr. Ethridge has woven a complex and compelling story with enough subplots and twists to keep the reader guessing at what will happen next. The struggles of the Nomads, the two humans who have kept Chaplain Cloth at bay for over twenty years, is inspiring and tragic, making them both likeable and realistic. Cloth is terrifying and could easily stand with Randall Flagg and Hannibal Lecter as one of horrors iconic villains. You will also meet the Bishops of the Church of Midnight, scheming, avaricious men who ratchet up the story's conflict to dizzying heights. And those are just the principal characters; there are many others whom you will enjoy (and, ultimately, feel sorry for).
Mr. Ethridge's writing is evocative, so much so that I found myself reading slowly so I could savor the imagery and the pure, pristine style. For me, Ethridge's work is part Joseph Conrad, part Harlan Ellison, and part Clive Barker. It left me breathless.
From people who love scary stories to those who enjoy the art of writing, I highly recommend Mr. Ethridge's award-winning novel.
October 31, 2011
A descriptive horror that will blow you away. Pulling things from such genre books that I can't even begin to descript and explain you will be as shocked as I was with this horror. It was a pleasant twist and turn into the genre that gave me a breath of life that I needed. I love horror writers such as the infamous Stephen King and to say things were like that is a far stretch. I'm pleased to say that Benjamin Kane Etheridge has stepped into the world and made a name all for himself.
All you know about Halloween will be twisted and turned, but you can catch the subtle nuances and references to old world charm and cultures that helped to shape Halloween to what it was. I felt as if I was being given the culture shock I needed to leave me asking questions and wondering will there be more to this wonderful book. Given to me as a gift from my sister I was a little scepticle as often more times than not our tastes in some genre's stretch well away from each other where there are some we find and love deeply just alike. To read this book and find that I adore it as well as she did is an understatement. It is definately going on my shelf of to read again and again books.
The read was well and lengthy and it was the perfect read for bringing about this time of year. Especially since it is after all Halloween. With this being said and doing my best not to give a play by play and ruin all of the book for everyone I beseech you please pick it up and give it a read you will love it as much as I do if not more.
Happy Halloween!
All you know about Halloween will be twisted and turned, but you can catch the subtle nuances and references to old world charm and cultures that helped to shape Halloween to what it was. I felt as if I was being given the culture shock I needed to leave me asking questions and wondering will there be more to this wonderful book. Given to me as a gift from my sister I was a little scepticle as often more times than not our tastes in some genre's stretch well away from each other where there are some we find and love deeply just alike. To read this book and find that I adore it as well as she did is an understatement. It is definately going on my shelf of to read again and again books.
The read was well and lengthy and it was the perfect read for bringing about this time of year. Especially since it is after all Halloween. With this being said and doing my best not to give a play by play and ruin all of the book for everyone I beseech you please pick it up and give it a read you will love it as much as I do if not more.
Happy Halloween!
March 10, 2011
I have such a soft spot for horror novels. I tend to devour any I can get my hands on, but there's nothing I like less than one that's all about cramming as many descriptions of disgusting things as possible that has no imagination. Black & Orange is not a cookie cutter novel. In fact, it is one of the most imaginative books I have read in a long, long time.
Ethridge immediately draws you into his vision of Halloween, one that's not about trick-or-treaters and party-goers with too much black lipstick. Halloween is still a day that people look forward to, but for all the wrong reasons. People known as Nomads spend an entire year waiting for October 31st to come around so they can try to save the universe, while those in the Churches of Midnight and Morning must wait until that day to try to bring some of the Old Domain into the world, and in essence, destroy it. Black & Orange is part road trip, part horror film, part hell, but all of it is fantastic. The characters are not the stereotypical horror cliches, and they are all fleshed out and complicated, even the supporting ones. I wanted to root for all of them, even the bad guys, as twisted as that sounds. Each character has their own goals other than the main one at hand, and the ride they take to accomplish them twists and turns all the way up to the ending.
As if the words weren't enough, the book also has a few amazing illustrations, and it's safe to say every time I think of Halloween I'll see some of the creepy Children in my mind, just waiting to snap at anything that moves. Carving a jack o'lantern will never be the same again.
Ethridge immediately draws you into his vision of Halloween, one that's not about trick-or-treaters and party-goers with too much black lipstick. Halloween is still a day that people look forward to, but for all the wrong reasons. People known as Nomads spend an entire year waiting for October 31st to come around so they can try to save the universe, while those in the Churches of Midnight and Morning must wait until that day to try to bring some of the Old Domain into the world, and in essence, destroy it. Black & Orange is part road trip, part horror film, part hell, but all of it is fantastic. The characters are not the stereotypical horror cliches, and they are all fleshed out and complicated, even the supporting ones. I wanted to root for all of them, even the bad guys, as twisted as that sounds. Each character has their own goals other than the main one at hand, and the ride they take to accomplish them twists and turns all the way up to the ending.
As if the words weren't enough, the book also has a few amazing illustrations, and it's safe to say every time I think of Halloween I'll see some of the creepy Children in my mind, just waiting to snap at anything that moves. Carving a jack o'lantern will never be the same again.
October 20, 2012
I enjoyed this. I don’t think I’ve read a good horror novel in a long time. Not only is the book imaginative and dark, it’s very fast paced too. During the last half of the book, I could barely set the dang thing down, and I kept dreaming about vicious pumpkin people with sharp teeth in a dark world.
At first, I was worried I wasn’t going to like most of the characters, but the more I read, the fonder of them I became. In fact, I even became intrigued about the bad guys (which there are tons of) wincing a little when outrageous things happened to them. This book is a trip, and definitely a wild ride. I had no idea how the book would end, and I was definitely taken by surprise a couple of times.
My only criticism was the book is confusing. I could not always envision what was happening. There is some crazy stuff in this book, and I’m not sure exactly how it happened. Maybe I was just reading too fast, because I wanted to know what happens. I don't think it's just me though.
And just to let you know, this book doesn’t completely end. There’s no cliffhanger or anything like that, but there are definitely some unanswered questions. I’m figuring that Ethridge is planning to write a second book.
Anyway, I recommend this if your looking for some imaginative horror fantasy.
At first, I was worried I wasn’t going to like most of the characters, but the more I read, the fonder of them I became. In fact, I even became intrigued about the bad guys (which there are tons of) wincing a little when outrageous things happened to them. This book is a trip, and definitely a wild ride. I had no idea how the book would end, and I was definitely taken by surprise a couple of times.
My only criticism was the book is confusing. I could not always envision what was happening. There is some crazy stuff in this book, and I’m not sure exactly how it happened. Maybe I was just reading too fast, because I wanted to know what happens. I don't think it's just me though.
And just to let you know, this book doesn’t completely end. There’s no cliffhanger or anything like that, but there are definitely some unanswered questions. I’m figuring that Ethridge is planning to write a second book.
Anyway, I recommend this if your looking for some imaginative horror fantasy.
December 6, 2011
My Opinion:
I really enjoyed this book. I was captivated by it but, I wouldn’t say that this was a fast page turner. You had to pay attention. It made me enjoy the book. I was completely taken in by Teresa and Martin. They worked great as a team and you felt like you wanted to help them fight. Martin and Teresa are nomads or wanderers that have to prepare for a fight of good vs. evil every Halloween. What’s at stake is humanity. There is a church called the Church of Midnight that wants to open a portal to this world and bring darkness in. Our nomad heroes have to stop that from happening. This year it is harder because Teresa is sick with cancer from smoking cloves. I myself am not sure what cloves are but I can only imagine it is a type of or is a cigarette. As I have said this book is fantastic and really makes you think about the characters. I even enjoyed some of the “bad guys” and there are several different mini plots going on that you really need to keep up with or reread. I was also fascinated by the Priestess of Morning. She baffled me and had me hoping for her. It was a strange feeling to be in. All in all this book was great. I highly recommend it.
I give Black & Orange by B.K. Ethridge 5 of 5 stars.
I really enjoyed this book. I was captivated by it but, I wouldn’t say that this was a fast page turner. You had to pay attention. It made me enjoy the book. I was completely taken in by Teresa and Martin. They worked great as a team and you felt like you wanted to help them fight. Martin and Teresa are nomads or wanderers that have to prepare for a fight of good vs. evil every Halloween. What’s at stake is humanity. There is a church called the Church of Midnight that wants to open a portal to this world and bring darkness in. Our nomad heroes have to stop that from happening. This year it is harder because Teresa is sick with cancer from smoking cloves. I myself am not sure what cloves are but I can only imagine it is a type of or is a cigarette. As I have said this book is fantastic and really makes you think about the characters. I even enjoyed some of the “bad guys” and there are several different mini plots going on that you really need to keep up with or reread. I was also fascinated by the Priestess of Morning. She baffled me and had me hoping for her. It was a strange feeling to be in. All in all this book was great. I highly recommend it.
I give Black & Orange by B.K. Ethridge 5 of 5 stars.
January 24, 2011
Black and Orange is one of the most imaginative books I've ever read. This book chronicles the ultimate conflict of good versus evil and is populated with rich, fully drawn characters. The language is tight and simple which belies the heavy themes this debut novel tackles. There are some genuine laugh out loud moments and some painful ones as well. There are moments of horror, pain, and redemption and plenty of surprises. A few scenes may be too intense for the younger readers but any adult fan of horror the way it was meant to be- frightening, troubling, psychological, and real- will undoubtedly make this a prominent item on their bookshelf. The book leaves with the possibility of sequel and by gosh I hope there is one!
October 7, 2011
Pretty slow to start (like the first half). I waffled between 3 and 4 stars. Settled on 4 because this is definitely memorable. The Archbishop was probably my favorite (quirky). I'll have orange and black visions swimming through my head for a while.
Want to read
March 16, 2011those are my favorite colors!
June 28, 2011
I would have loved this book even if it wasn't written by my son. Ben has outdone himself with a classic horror story that begs for a sequel.
Currently reading
December 6, 2012im now on chapter 11 and so far its an amazing book i would recommend the book to all my friends still reading but again im really into this book, love it
October 26, 2013
Slow at first but after the 50% mark it really picked up and was a great read. It was like a scarry Halloween acid trip.
October 16, 2011
Solid debut, solid prose.
May 27, 2015
A different kind of Halloween horror novel. Puts me in mind of the Stephen King Gunslinger series.
October 8, 2021
2.3 / 5 ⭐️
Género: creo que entra mas que nada en fantasía y no tanto en terror así que a esta categoría le daré 3⭐️, estuvo bien dentro del género pero no da miedo.
Estilo de escritura: creo que este es uno de mis mayores problemas con el libro. El libro está en tercera persona pero tiene puntos de vista de muchos personajes que la verdad pues siento que no aportaban y solo hicieron el libro confuso. Además de eso a veces se alternaba con povs en primera persona y no te daba detalles de quien hablaba. Creo que el estilo de escritura sólo lo hizo más confuso y más lento de leer. 2⭐️
Trama: creo que la propuesta en la trama estuvo bastante bien, yo estaba bastante emocionada por leer el libro por la propuesta y por la problemática que nos presentaban pero honestamente siento que estuvo súper mal desarrollada y había mucho contenido que nada que ver. 3⭐️
Resolución de la trama: la resolución de la trama no tuvo sentido y se dio literalmente en las últimas 20 páginas del libro lo cual me desagrada bastante. 2⭐️
Personajes: honestamente sólo hubo un personaje en todo el libro que fue lo suficientemente interesante y relevante, y ni siquiera era un personaje principal. El resto de los personajes aunque había rasgos de la personalidad bien construidos (según cada quien) no hubo un desarrollo de personajes correcto y honestamente no eran lo suficientemente interesantes. 1.5 ⭐️
Explicación de su sistema: este, junto con el estilo de escritura, es uno de los criterios que siento que son más importantes para este libro y que más me decepcionaron, porque el libro está basado en un sistema de magia, en un sistema de un coven en donde tú esperarías que te describieran de dónde proviene la magia, cómo funciona la magia, quién tiene los cargos dentro de el aquelarre y para qué funcionan esos cargos, pero la magia es usada muy esporádicamente; no describen para qué funciona o cómo funciona y no está bien explicado el sistema mágico que creo que era una parte fundamental, sino es que la más fundamental del libro 2 ⭐️
Entretenido: pues estoy neutral dentro de esto porque está bien para matar el tiempo pero honestamente el libro más entretenido no es. 2.75⭐️
Predecible: sí y no, obviamente veía venir es el final pero no de la manera en que fue ejecutado así que me sorprendió como lo ejecutó, pero si me esperaba que pasara eso. 3.15⭐️
Recomendado: si quieren leer algo de Halloween y no tienen idea de que leer y quieren matar el tiempo, sí; pero así como que yo activamente lo recomendaría como de léanlo es un súper buen libro, no. 2.75⭐️
Velocidad de lectura: me tomó leerlo aproximadamente cuatro días, que es bastante regular para mí. No es rápido porque normalmente leo un libro en uno o dos días máximo, pero éste me tomó un poquito más de tiempo así que estuvo regular la velocidad de lectura. 3⭐️
Escenas de relleno: Hay bastantes escenas de relleno, diría yo que el 70% del libro es relleno. Tantos puntos de vista y tantas escenas que no vienen al caso hacen que el libro sea pesado y que aparte no aportan absolutamente nada a la trama, y por eso la resolución del conflicto se da en las últimas literalmente 20 páginas del libro. Yo opino que si hay bastantes escenas de relleno, que son sobre todo sexuales. Se concentra mucho en escenas sexual que no vienen al caso y que son un tanto perturbadoras. 1⭐️
Trigger Warnings: hace mención de sangre, muertes y torturas explícitas, relaciones sexuales, escenas sexuales con consentimiento dudoso, fluidos corporales en extremo, mención de órganos y partes internas del cuerpo humano.
Género: creo que entra mas que nada en fantasía y no tanto en terror así que a esta categoría le daré 3⭐️, estuvo bien dentro del género pero no da miedo.
Estilo de escritura: creo que este es uno de mis mayores problemas con el libro. El libro está en tercera persona pero tiene puntos de vista de muchos personajes que la verdad pues siento que no aportaban y solo hicieron el libro confuso. Además de eso a veces se alternaba con povs en primera persona y no te daba detalles de quien hablaba. Creo que el estilo de escritura sólo lo hizo más confuso y más lento de leer. 2⭐️
Trama: creo que la propuesta en la trama estuvo bastante bien, yo estaba bastante emocionada por leer el libro por la propuesta y por la problemática que nos presentaban pero honestamente siento que estuvo súper mal desarrollada y había mucho contenido que nada que ver. 3⭐️
Resolución de la trama: la resolución de la trama no tuvo sentido y se dio literalmente en las últimas 20 páginas del libro lo cual me desagrada bastante. 2⭐️
Personajes: honestamente sólo hubo un personaje en todo el libro que fue lo suficientemente interesante y relevante, y ni siquiera era un personaje principal. El resto de los personajes aunque había rasgos de la personalidad bien construidos (según cada quien) no hubo un desarrollo de personajes correcto y honestamente no eran lo suficientemente interesantes. 1.5 ⭐️
Explicación de su sistema: este, junto con el estilo de escritura, es uno de los criterios que siento que son más importantes para este libro y que más me decepcionaron, porque el libro está basado en un sistema de magia, en un sistema de un coven en donde tú esperarías que te describieran de dónde proviene la magia, cómo funciona la magia, quién tiene los cargos dentro de el aquelarre y para qué funcionan esos cargos, pero la magia es usada muy esporádicamente; no describen para qué funciona o cómo funciona y no está bien explicado el sistema mágico que creo que era una parte fundamental, sino es que la más fundamental del libro 2 ⭐️
Entretenido: pues estoy neutral dentro de esto porque está bien para matar el tiempo pero honestamente el libro más entretenido no es. 2.75⭐️
Predecible: sí y no, obviamente veía venir es el final pero no de la manera en que fue ejecutado así que me sorprendió como lo ejecutó, pero si me esperaba que pasara eso. 3.15⭐️
Recomendado: si quieren leer algo de Halloween y no tienen idea de que leer y quieren matar el tiempo, sí; pero así como que yo activamente lo recomendaría como de léanlo es un súper buen libro, no. 2.75⭐️
Velocidad de lectura: me tomó leerlo aproximadamente cuatro días, que es bastante regular para mí. No es rápido porque normalmente leo un libro en uno o dos días máximo, pero éste me tomó un poquito más de tiempo así que estuvo regular la velocidad de lectura. 3⭐️
Escenas de relleno: Hay bastantes escenas de relleno, diría yo que el 70% del libro es relleno. Tantos puntos de vista y tantas escenas que no vienen al caso hacen que el libro sea pesado y que aparte no aportan absolutamente nada a la trama, y por eso la resolución del conflicto se da en las últimas literalmente 20 páginas del libro. Yo opino que si hay bastantes escenas de relleno, que son sobre todo sexuales. Se concentra mucho en escenas sexual que no vienen al caso y que son un tanto perturbadoras. 1⭐️
Trigger Warnings: hace mención de sangre, muertes y torturas explícitas, relaciones sexuales, escenas sexuales con consentimiento dudoso, fluidos corporales en extremo, mención de órganos y partes internas del cuerpo humano.
July 11, 2019
Didn't finish this one. Couldn't take the style it's written in. Story sounds interesting but the way it's written stands in the way for me.
November 15, 2011
Black & Orange is a supernatural thriller.
Martin and Theresa are Nomads, protectors of "The Heart" and members of The Church of Morning. They fight on the side of good against the evil Church of Midnight.
Theresa is a middle-aged woman who has been diagnosed with cancer. She is tough as nails, loves to smoke clove cigarettes and is sometimes companion of Martin.
Martin is in his mid-thirties, impatient, frustrated and often messes things up, as in the case of the last Heart they were sworn to protect and failed in the mission.
"The Heart" is never known until it is needed. Usually it is somebody who doesn't realize they are the key to keeping the gates closed at Hallowe'en and each time the Nomads fail, the gate opens a little bit more, allowing the nasties to break free and wreck havoc upon the world. With money and time running out, the two are up against their toughest assignment yet for this is the year when something big is about to happen.
Chaplin Cloth is the priest of the Church of Midnight, he and his Bishops and parishioners are working against the good and will stop at nothing to use "The Heart" to their own advantage. The Bishops twist and turn their plots to ensure their advantage within the Churches hierarchy. Everyone has their own agenda but will they succeed in their individual quests or will it be the ultimate fall of their calling?
On October 31st every year an inter-dimensional time continuem space occurs which allows certain skilled folks to travel to the "Old Domain" where battles are waged for the control of good or evil. The Nomads have a telepathic power which they call the "Mantle" in which they can conjure elaborate invisible structures to help aid them in their mission. This year they are sworn to protect some children and the odds don't look good for them.
I found this book took a while to get into, it started out talking about Mantles and Old Domains and I felt like mayhaps I missed a book and this was the next in the series, but I was to soon learn that this was a debut novel by author, Benjamin Kane Ethridge. I am not a fan of assumptions and wish the author had taken a bit more time in his explanations of The Nomads powers, how they are affected and what their purpose is, before we read about them in confusion.
As well, I found the author didn't take the time to explain why "The Heart" was so important, I spent the first half of the book not really caring one way or the other who became champions of the aftermath. Martin and Theresa took forever to warm up to, they just wasn't much in the way of backstory that would make me care how they reacted to any given situation. I found Martin to be a bit callous and Theresa to be a complaining old lady.
I thought the machinations of the Bishops to be cliched and stereotypical of villains vying for power and acclamation. They just didn't hold any kind of fear within me as I read about their juvenile attempts at thwarting their master plan!
I liked the historical aspects of the story but they were infrequent and some of them were hidden in meaning. I loved that there wasn't too much gore and the comical one liners were a blast to read. I found myself chuckling a few times from the imagery the author didn't give but explained with a few witty phrases here and there. I enjoyed the wit that the characters would express and didn't mind the mild to moderate expletives involved with the story.
The ending is strong and wraps up nicely and I am sure that most people will find this a wonderful read, I tend to have a harder scale for reading than most, as I read a book or two a day and base my opinions on the backs and shoulders of those that came before. For a debut novel though, this definitely has some punch and with time I am quite sure that Benjamin Kane Ethridge will be an author that every horror genre reader will enjoy!
Truthfully, I think this is one of those books that would make a better movie, it had many aspects that were hard to pinpoint in words and I believe actions would say much more for the story!
Martin and Theresa are Nomads, protectors of "The Heart" and members of The Church of Morning. They fight on the side of good against the evil Church of Midnight.
Theresa is a middle-aged woman who has been diagnosed with cancer. She is tough as nails, loves to smoke clove cigarettes and is sometimes companion of Martin.
Martin is in his mid-thirties, impatient, frustrated and often messes things up, as in the case of the last Heart they were sworn to protect and failed in the mission.
"The Heart" is never known until it is needed. Usually it is somebody who doesn't realize they are the key to keeping the gates closed at Hallowe'en and each time the Nomads fail, the gate opens a little bit more, allowing the nasties to break free and wreck havoc upon the world. With money and time running out, the two are up against their toughest assignment yet for this is the year when something big is about to happen.
Chaplin Cloth is the priest of the Church of Midnight, he and his Bishops and parishioners are working against the good and will stop at nothing to use "The Heart" to their own advantage. The Bishops twist and turn their plots to ensure their advantage within the Churches hierarchy. Everyone has their own agenda but will they succeed in their individual quests or will it be the ultimate fall of their calling?
On October 31st every year an inter-dimensional time continuem space occurs which allows certain skilled folks to travel to the "Old Domain" where battles are waged for the control of good or evil. The Nomads have a telepathic power which they call the "Mantle" in which they can conjure elaborate invisible structures to help aid them in their mission. This year they are sworn to protect some children and the odds don't look good for them.
I found this book took a while to get into, it started out talking about Mantles and Old Domains and I felt like mayhaps I missed a book and this was the next in the series, but I was to soon learn that this was a debut novel by author, Benjamin Kane Ethridge. I am not a fan of assumptions and wish the author had taken a bit more time in his explanations of The Nomads powers, how they are affected and what their purpose is, before we read about them in confusion.
As well, I found the author didn't take the time to explain why "The Heart" was so important, I spent the first half of the book not really caring one way or the other who became champions of the aftermath. Martin and Theresa took forever to warm up to, they just wasn't much in the way of backstory that would make me care how they reacted to any given situation. I found Martin to be a bit callous and Theresa to be a complaining old lady.
I thought the machinations of the Bishops to be cliched and stereotypical of villains vying for power and acclamation. They just didn't hold any kind of fear within me as I read about their juvenile attempts at thwarting their master plan!
I liked the historical aspects of the story but they were infrequent and some of them were hidden in meaning. I loved that there wasn't too much gore and the comical one liners were a blast to read. I found myself chuckling a few times from the imagery the author didn't give but explained with a few witty phrases here and there. I enjoyed the wit that the characters would express and didn't mind the mild to moderate expletives involved with the story.
The ending is strong and wraps up nicely and I am sure that most people will find this a wonderful read, I tend to have a harder scale for reading than most, as I read a book or two a day and base my opinions on the backs and shoulders of those that came before. For a debut novel though, this definitely has some punch and with time I am quite sure that Benjamin Kane Ethridge will be an author that every horror genre reader will enjoy!
Truthfully, I think this is one of those books that would make a better movie, it had many aspects that were hard to pinpoint in words and I believe actions would say much more for the story!
December 14, 2011
This isn't a bad book. It just wasn't for me. Far too graphic and uncomfortable for my taste.
Read the full review at Working for the Mandroid
From the moment Black & Orange opens, the book jumps right into action and rarely slows down. Even the Nomads, who are supposed to wait around in a cheap motel for a few days until the Hearts of the Harvest are delivered to them, manage to make a compelling story while also demonstrating their power and building three dimensional characters out of Teresa and Martin.
Ethridge handles multiple storylines, weaving them in and out of each other, deftly and without it ever seeming to bog down the pacing. Towards the end, as some storylines merged together, a few of the smaller, less important character arcs seemed to get left behind, but by the end, all the characters seemed to have a satisfying ending. The final third of the book went non-stop with a small interlude as the figurehead of the bad guys, Chaplain Cloth,
There were, of course, things that I did not like, not because they were badly written but because of my own personal preferences. There are several very long and graphic sex scenes that involve brutal violence and disturbing imagery. I didn’t feel that it was necessary for character or plot development to go as far as Ethridge did, but that’s me being squicked out, not the author being a bad writer. There’s a character who I guess can best be described as a hermaphrodite that I felt uncomfortable reading about, not because the character was a hermaphrodite but rather the attitude and manner in which the character was formed and treated.
But there are some things I really did enjoy. Chaplain Cloth – the otherworldly being in charge of opening the portal between this world and the other – has an army of pumpkin-headed demons that are incredibly creepy and funny at the same time. The supernatural powers imbued in both sides, naturally in the nomads and through the consumption of special seeds by Church members, were interesting, different and well explained, both in conception and in action. The scraps of the other world that Ethridge offers are also very creepy and interesting, though I wish I could have spent more time in this weird twisted otherworld.
Other than the few things that disturbed me on a personal left, I think I was most disappointed in the lack of explanation behind who and what these Churches were, how they connected to our world and how this all began in the first place. There’s mention that Chaplain Cloth and his followers have been working on opening the portal for thousands of years, but how did it start? How did people from the Old Domain get to our world in the first place? Who is ultimately behind the church and pulling its strings? Everyone seems to have a master, but no one really picks up that mantel on the side of the bad guys.
Read the full review at Working for the Mandroid
From the moment Black & Orange opens, the book jumps right into action and rarely slows down. Even the Nomads, who are supposed to wait around in a cheap motel for a few days until the Hearts of the Harvest are delivered to them, manage to make a compelling story while also demonstrating their power and building three dimensional characters out of Teresa and Martin.
Ethridge handles multiple storylines, weaving them in and out of each other, deftly and without it ever seeming to bog down the pacing. Towards the end, as some storylines merged together, a few of the smaller, less important character arcs seemed to get left behind, but by the end, all the characters seemed to have a satisfying ending. The final third of the book went non-stop with a small interlude as the figurehead of the bad guys, Chaplain Cloth,
There were, of course, things that I did not like, not because they were badly written but because of my own personal preferences. There are several very long and graphic sex scenes that involve brutal violence and disturbing imagery. I didn’t feel that it was necessary for character or plot development to go as far as Ethridge did, but that’s me being squicked out, not the author being a bad writer. There’s a character who I guess can best be described as a hermaphrodite that I felt uncomfortable reading about, not because the character was a hermaphrodite but rather the attitude and manner in which the character was formed and treated.
But there are some things I really did enjoy. Chaplain Cloth – the otherworldly being in charge of opening the portal between this world and the other – has an army of pumpkin-headed demons that are incredibly creepy and funny at the same time. The supernatural powers imbued in both sides, naturally in the nomads and through the consumption of special seeds by Church members, were interesting, different and well explained, both in conception and in action. The scraps of the other world that Ethridge offers are also very creepy and interesting, though I wish I could have spent more time in this weird twisted otherworld.
Other than the few things that disturbed me on a personal left, I think I was most disappointed in the lack of explanation behind who and what these Churches were, how they connected to our world and how this all began in the first place. There’s mention that Chaplain Cloth and his followers have been working on opening the portal for thousands of years, but how did it start? How did people from the Old Domain get to our world in the first place? Who is ultimately behind the church and pulling its strings? Everyone seems to have a master, but no one really picks up that mantel on the side of the bad guys.
May 16, 2013
Benjamin Kane Etheridge has created an amazingly complex mythos for Black & Orange. There's the Church of Midnight, a mysterious organization whose goal is to unite with the Church of Morning located in the Old Domain, a place separate from the real world and filled with horrors.
Each Halloween there is a temporary opening between worlds and there are forces at work to make the opening permanent and another group whose goal it is to keep it closed.
To keep the portal closed is the job of two Nomads assigned to protect that year's Heart of the Harvest. If they fail and the Heart is captured then the opening between worlds grows closer to permanence. On the other hand, if the Heart is protected, the Church of Midnight must wait until next Halloween before trying again.
In order to assist in protecting the Heart of the Harvest, the Nomads are endowed with magical powers, specifically, the ability to create mantles, I think of these as magical apps.
Opposing them are members of The Church of Midnight. In addition to trying to locate the Heart of the Harvest, there is a good deal of in-fighting amongst the Bishops of the church. One of my favorite lines in the book concerns newly appointed Bishop Paul Quintana, "He'd even killed Justin, blew his best friend's head into vulture kibble, just to sit in this chair, just to say hello to her."
Black & Orange is challenging fare, but certainly worth the effort. It actually won the Bram Stoker award for best First Novel. One of the things that makes this story work so well is the way the writer breathes so much life into the people in the book. They're more than just characters moving through plot twists. Even though the subject matter is fanciful, they seem more like real people dealing with real issues.
I certainly wouldn't recommend Black & Orange for younger readers or the prudish, but if your up for an immersive read please do check this one out.
Each Halloween there is a temporary opening between worlds and there are forces at work to make the opening permanent and another group whose goal it is to keep it closed.
To keep the portal closed is the job of two Nomads assigned to protect that year's Heart of the Harvest. If they fail and the Heart is captured then the opening between worlds grows closer to permanence. On the other hand, if the Heart is protected, the Church of Midnight must wait until next Halloween before trying again.
In order to assist in protecting the Heart of the Harvest, the Nomads are endowed with magical powers, specifically, the ability to create mantles, I think of these as magical apps.
Opposing them are members of The Church of Midnight. In addition to trying to locate the Heart of the Harvest, there is a good deal of in-fighting amongst the Bishops of the church. One of my favorite lines in the book concerns newly appointed Bishop Paul Quintana, "He'd even killed Justin, blew his best friend's head into vulture kibble, just to sit in this chair, just to say hello to her."
Black & Orange is challenging fare, but certainly worth the effort. It actually won the Bram Stoker award for best First Novel. One of the things that makes this story work so well is the way the writer breathes so much life into the people in the book. They're more than just characters moving through plot twists. Even though the subject matter is fanciful, they seem more like real people dealing with real issues.
I certainly wouldn't recommend Black & Orange for younger readers or the prudish, but if your up for an immersive read please do check this one out.
October 18, 2011
I found this one in one of my Goodreads groups, just in time for Halloween. Black and Orange is Ethridge's first novel, and a very original one at that.
Black and Orange's basic plot is that every Halloween, the world's destruction as we know it and the staving off of the world's destruction are in the hands of two groups of incredibly damaged people. The ones wearing the white hats in the story are the Nomads, people with links to another dimension. Every Halloween, The Church of Morning (The black hat wearers) over in that other dimension tries to get things going with the Church of Midnight (More black hat wearers!) on this side to open the dimensional gates by destroying the Heart of the Harvest in one specially chosen individual in order to further weaken the dimensional fields and bring the two worlds together.
This time around, the removal of the Heart of the Harvest has an element that will hit the "EW!EWEWEWEWEW!!!" bone in your body.
Ethridge's character development is excellent. At no point does he take the easy way out with any of his characters, and the story shines even more for it. Barring one character in the book, all the characters are amazingly human, warts and all. This isn't meant to garner sympathy for some, or even any, of them. Hell, I found pretty much everyone in the book unlikable for one reason or another, but dammit if they weren't real.
Ethridge also needs to be commended for creating an underlying mythology for his story that is never fully explained, but only so far as to maintain an atmosphere of mystery and not just to leave a plot point dangling. For a first novel, this is overall an incredibly commendable work. Rating: Four out of five cracked-out monkeys.
Black and Orange's basic plot is that every Halloween, the world's destruction as we know it and the staving off of the world's destruction are in the hands of two groups of incredibly damaged people. The ones wearing the white hats in the story are the Nomads, people with links to another dimension. Every Halloween, The Church of Morning (The black hat wearers) over in that other dimension tries to get things going with the Church of Midnight (More black hat wearers!) on this side to open the dimensional gates by destroying the Heart of the Harvest in one specially chosen individual in order to further weaken the dimensional fields and bring the two worlds together.
This time around, the removal of the Heart of the Harvest has an element that will hit the "EW!EWEWEWEWEW!!!" bone in your body.
Ethridge's character development is excellent. At no point does he take the easy way out with any of his characters, and the story shines even more for it. Barring one character in the book, all the characters are amazingly human, warts and all. This isn't meant to garner sympathy for some, or even any, of them. Hell, I found pretty much everyone in the book unlikable for one reason or another, but dammit if they weren't real.
Ethridge also needs to be commended for creating an underlying mythology for his story that is never fully explained, but only so far as to maintain an atmosphere of mystery and not just to leave a plot point dangling. For a first novel, this is overall an incredibly commendable work. Rating: Four out of five cracked-out monkeys.
April 21, 2012
It is almost October 31st, the high holy day of the Church Of Morning and The Church Of Midnight. Separated for eons by the gateway between two worlds, this day is the sole chance each year to push the gateway open and reunite the churches into an one entity that can control all universes.
In order to force the gateway open and have it remain so, each year a Heart is chosen. The sacrifice of the Heart makes the gateway easier to open; October 31st is the day of the Hunt. But there are opposing forces that do not want to see the churches united in their evil purposes. The Nomads are charged with protecting the Heart each year. Nomads live off the grid, endlessly traveling to escape detection so that can perform their sacred duty each year.
There are also power plays within the churches. Bishops plot against bishops while Archbishops plot the overthrow of their peers on the other side. There are constantly shifting alliances, deception and subterfuge as each individual jockeys for power and position.
Benjamin Ethridge is a new name in horror, but Black and Orange indicates that he will be one of the masters. There is a fine line in horror, to be suspenseful and ratchet up the tension to a fever pitch while not going over the top. Etheridge balances on this line and never strays to one side or the other, creating a perfect pitch that leaves the reader breathless and eager to experience more. He also avoids the pitfall of making all the characters so obnoxious that the reader can't care much about what happens to any of them. Black and Orange is a great new entry into the world of horror, and highly recommended to readers who love this genre.
In order to force the gateway open and have it remain so, each year a Heart is chosen. The sacrifice of the Heart makes the gateway easier to open; October 31st is the day of the Hunt. But there are opposing forces that do not want to see the churches united in their evil purposes. The Nomads are charged with protecting the Heart each year. Nomads live off the grid, endlessly traveling to escape detection so that can perform their sacred duty each year.
There are also power plays within the churches. Bishops plot against bishops while Archbishops plot the overthrow of their peers on the other side. There are constantly shifting alliances, deception and subterfuge as each individual jockeys for power and position.
Benjamin Ethridge is a new name in horror, but Black and Orange indicates that he will be one of the masters. There is a fine line in horror, to be suspenseful and ratchet up the tension to a fever pitch while not going over the top. Etheridge balances on this line and never strays to one side or the other, creating a perfect pitch that leaves the reader breathless and eager to experience more. He also avoids the pitfall of making all the characters so obnoxious that the reader can't care much about what happens to any of them. Black and Orange is a great new entry into the world of horror, and highly recommended to readers who love this genre.
July 8, 2013
This book had heaps of potential, but far too many flaws. It's excellently written, and the central idea surrounding the real reason behind Halloween is really interesting. There's so much good stuff here, it could have been a great novel, but failed on several fronts.
Without giving too much away, there's a huge lack of explanation that's really needed to fully appreciate the story - what's the Old Domain? Why are the Churches of Midnight and Morning always against each other? Why are there only two defenders against hundreds in the Church of Midnight? And so on and so on.
It was really hard to engage fully with the story as there was so much that didn't make sense or wasn't well enough explored. The whole thing is a clear analogy for heaven and hell, god and the devil, basic good versus evil stuff, but it was all too nebulous and undefined.
There was also what seemed to be a lot of sexual wish fulfillment on the part of the author. I'm no puritan, but some of the sexual activity in the book seemed tacked on purely for titillation and there's one scene of sexual violence that seems completely unnecessary. The violence is both ways and largely consensual, but there was no real reason for it or an explanation of why it was important. Again, another example of something not w3ell enough explored in the story.
This is a great idea and excellent writing, but seriously could have used a few more drafts and edits to clarify the story.
Without giving too much away, there's a huge lack of explanation that's really needed to fully appreciate the story - what's the Old Domain? Why are the Churches of Midnight and Morning always against each other? Why are there only two defenders against hundreds in the Church of Midnight? And so on and so on.
It was really hard to engage fully with the story as there was so much that didn't make sense or wasn't well enough explored. The whole thing is a clear analogy for heaven and hell, god and the devil, basic good versus evil stuff, but it was all too nebulous and undefined.
There was also what seemed to be a lot of sexual wish fulfillment on the part of the author. I'm no puritan, but some of the sexual activity in the book seemed tacked on purely for titillation and there's one scene of sexual violence that seems completely unnecessary. The violence is both ways and largely consensual, but there was no real reason for it or an explanation of why it was important. Again, another example of something not w3ell enough explored in the story.
This is a great idea and excellent writing, but seriously could have used a few more drafts and edits to clarify the story.
May 17, 2016
I had a hard time getting through this book. I couldn't get my head around the setting and couldn't care about any of the characters. There's even a touch of magic that seemed out of place.
It was modern times but then you have two power structures fighting for control over the Portal. Portal to where? And what is the Old Domain? I'm assuming we're in the New Domain?
The two power structures were the Church of Midnight and the Church of Morning. A bunch of Bishops, Archbishops, Priestesses... I'm lost. And apparently they are on the same side?
So who are the "Good Guys?" Martin and Teresa. Neither one of them came off as really likable. For some reason, they are nomads and live out of their van. They go where they are told by letters left for them by a mysterious person they never meet. That is their calling. All so that on ONE NIGHT A YEAR, October 31, they are to protect the Heart of the Harvest. Which is a different person every year?
There just wasn't enough character building, world building, background explanations....
It was modern times but then you have two power structures fighting for control over the Portal. Portal to where? And what is the Old Domain? I'm assuming we're in the New Domain?
The two power structures were the Church of Midnight and the Church of Morning. A bunch of Bishops, Archbishops, Priestesses... I'm lost. And apparently they are on the same side?
So who are the "Good Guys?" Martin and Teresa. Neither one of them came off as really likable. For some reason, they are nomads and live out of their van. They go where they are told by letters left for them by a mysterious person they never meet. That is their calling. All so that on ONE NIGHT A YEAR, October 31, they are to protect the Heart of the Harvest. Which is a different person every year?
There just wasn't enough character building, world building, background explanations....
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