Revenge

by Gabrielle Faust, Solomon Schneider

When Marcus Glenfield committed suicide, he took his place among the Legions of Hell as the Demon of Regret. When he learns that the Prince of Wickedness, Belial, is planning to take his former fiancé, Brenda, as his consort, Marcus’s newfound belief in a second chance is quickly shattered in a fit of all too human rage. Incensed by the new demon’s disrespectful hostility, Belial plunges Marcus into the deepest pits of Hell. But Lucifer has other plans for Marcus. For in the tormented lands of Purgatory, a strange and powerful uprising has gathered to form a new plane of existence—one that would break the ancient caste system of Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, Limbo and Earth, thwarting both God and Satan’s permanency within the universe. Not only have these brash metaphysical pirates kidnapped the powerful child born of Brenda and Belial’s union, they have also guided Marcus out of the prisons of Hell to their new realm. When they promise Marcus freedom in return for his help, he realizes that he will have to choose a side. But can he find one that he can truly believe in? "This clever and ambitious novel follows Marcus Glenfield who, after committing suicide, takes a grunt's position in Hell, harvesting souls for Lucifer as the Demon of Regret. Driven by an intricate and political plot line involving Marcus, his ex-girlfriend and a demonic love triangle, this novel is not a terrifying read but an inebriating, descriptive journey into the nether regions of dark fantasy. Addictive as, er, hell." — Rue Morgue Magazine “REVENGE is an epic tale of cosmic proportions. The perfect mixture of horror and lyricism, REVENGE is a spellbinding read that will ensnare you with its spiraling cyclones of horror and beauty and keep you turning the pages.” — The Austin Post “REVENGE is the perfect horror fantasy! It is beautifully written & amazingly evil.” — Michael Vampire, Vampires Everywhere! “REVENGE is horror fantasy at its very magical, truly frightening, lyrical and sewn-through with a thread of hope. Gabrielle Faust & Solomon Schneider are two of the most exciting horror writers in the business.” — Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author, DUST & DECAY and DEAD OF NIGHT

Genres: Supernatural, Horror, Paranormal

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Acclaimed horror author Gabrielle Faust is best known for her vampire series ETERNAL VIGILANCE. Her previous work has also included three collections of poetry, BEFORE ICARUS, AFTER ACHILLES, CROSSROADS and THE BEGINNING OF NIGHTS, the novella REGRET, the celebrated dark fantasy adventure novel REVENGE, the HIGH STAKES vampire anthology and the novel THE LINEAGE. Her work has appeared in the sites SciFi Wire, Fatally Yours, Examiner, Doorways Magazine and Fear Zone, as well as various anthologies and magazines. She was the Guest of Honor at the Queen of the Damned Vampire Ball in 2008. In 2009 she was a Special Guest of the Endless Night Festival in New Orleans and was crowned "New Orleans Vampire Royalty" by the Vampire Lestat Fan Club at the Tru Blood & Gold vampire ball alongside Charlaine Harris. Faust is currently a Staff Writer for Gothic Beauty Magazine and owner of both the Nightshade Vmapire Boutique and Nightshade Publications. She was the primary graphic designer for the 2011 World Horror Convention and maintains the position as co-crewchief for the International Housing Program for the SXSW Music Festival. In 2011 Faust was awarded the Texas Social Media Award by the Austin American Statesman. More information about Gabrielle Faust and her work can be found on her website www.gabriellefaust.com.

Reviews

[Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lyrical rich and very well written story, cerebral and creative, a world the likes of H.P Lovecraft and Clive Barker could have conjured up and penned.
If the mundane physical world is too drab to keep up with, well then prepare yourself for a lyrical treat as this novel will transport you to other domains from the mortal realm to the periphery of hell. Walk on the wild side with the workers of Lucifer, demons to be exact.
One main protagonist finds himself in the service of Lucifer and is made into a demon and a taker of souls to the Beast. He learns the demon way and envisions himself climbing the demon ladder to a higher ranking position. Indeed he finds himself in a more complexed conundrum amidst an uprising of sorts, some want the balance of power to be tipped. Angels and demons, heaven, hell and purgatory in particular are about to be in a battle and shaken up.
The two authors of this story have really done well in creating a world we cannot see filled with rich detail and history into a darkly lyrical, horror fantasy work of art of epic proportions.
The praise on the cover was so right on cue, believe and savour this magical treat.


Review also @ my webpage.

[FesterEsther · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revenge is the curious result of a collaboration between Gabrielle Faust (author of the Eternal Vigilance series) and Solomon Schneider (author / singer / songwriter). I have never been the biggest fan of books penned by two authors, but Faust and Schneider have done a seamless job of creating a world that is horrific and full of depth. It comes across as a somewhat more concise cousin of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods (a book I both loved and hated for many, many reasons).

Revenge (2012) by Gabrielle Faust and Solomon SchneiderThe writing, while a little heavy with metaphors, flowed easily and the descriptions brought the impossible to life. Each character that Marcus meets adds to the story and I felt like little was wasted in the progression of the plot. It was unique and I thankfully did not feel a sense of deja-vu that comes with reading many new books these days. I can promise that this is one story that horror fans will not have experienced before in some form. Being a fan of Dante’s Inferno, I rather enjoyed a new visit to Purgatory and Hell.

Marcus is a compelling character and drives the story forward. It was almost impossible to hate him, as there are aspects to him that I could relate to.

Revenge is not just for those who love horror. While it may not be mainstream fiction, it has elements that will aid its appeal to a wider audience. Fans of fantasy will surely enjoy this and I will not be surprised if Revenge achieves cult status, especially given the current trend in fiction for the morbid and bizarre.

I would say more, but I feel the more unprepared you are, the more enjoyment you will get out of reading this novel.

See this and more horror revies at Life After Undeath.

[Life After Undeath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revenge is the curious result of a collaboration between Gabrielle Faust (author of the Eternal Vigilance series) and Solomon Schneider (author / singer / songwriter). I have never been the biggest fan of books penned by two authors, but Faust and Schneider have done a seamless job of creating a world that is horrific and full of depth. It comes across as a somewhat more concise cousin of Neil Gaiman's American Gods (a book I both loved and hated for many, many reasons).

The writing, while a little heavy with metaphors, flowed easily and the descriptions brought the impossible to life. Each character that Marcus meets adds to the story and I felt like little was wasted in the progression of the plot. It was unique and I thankfully did not feel a sense of deja-vu that comes with reading many new books these days. I can promise that this is one story that horror fans will not have experienced before in some form. Being a fan of Dante's Inferno, I rather enjoyed a new visit to Purgatory and Hell.

Marcus is a compelling character and drives the story forward. It was almost impossible to hate him, as there are aspects to him that I could relate to.

Revenge is not just for those who love horror. While it may not be mainstream fiction, it has elements that will aid its appeal to a wider audience. Fans of fantasy will surely enjoy this and I will not be surprised if Revenge achieves cult status, especially given the current trend in fiction for the morbid and bizarre.

I would say more, but I feel the more unprepared you are, the more enjoyment you will get out of reading this novel.

I give Revenge 8 out of 10 and will be investigating other work by Faust. Her post-apocalyptic vampire series, Eternal Vigilance, looks right up my dark, shadowed alley.

Many thanks to the authors for providing us with a review copy of this book.

[KayBee's Bookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

After being plagued by vivid and disturbing dreams compliments of the Demon of Regret, Marcus is tricked into committing suicide. He then becomes the demon of regret. As he attempts to acclimate to his new title and the duty of reaping souls, he learns that the prince will take Brenda as his wife. The prince approached her in human form and presented her to the devil for approval as his concubine. They have a child that is the key to another realm that appears to be like Eden and several entities want to cause unrest in this new realm to which Marcus is sent. Those in the new realm offer him freedom in return for his help. Eventually, a battle ensues and well you will have to read it find out the outcome.

This story dealt with several emotions regret, hatred, despair, fear all while weaving multiple plots into one hopeful ending. You will notice the story is rich in religion and mythology. The authors do a great job of creating a vividly written horror. It took me a bit to get into the story because this is not my usual read. However, you cannot deny the talent that the authors displayed here in the horrific world that they created. Horror lovers will find this work thrilling and one they cannot put down.

[Larry Atchley Jr · Rating 5 out of 5]

After struggling with the emotions of regret, despair and anger that drive Marcus to commit suicide, he finds himself in Hell. He soon ends up taking over the job of the demon of regret, harvesting ripe souls from the earthly plane, and trying to claim his ex-girlfriend Brenda's soul and save her from Satan's second in command, Belial, who wants her for his own devices. But Lucifer has even bigger plans for Marcus and conscripts him into a war against the supernatural beings that have dared to create a new realm of existence beyond the control of God or Satan. What follows is a mind-reeling traipse through Hell, Heaven, Purgatory, Limbo, and a new Eden-like plane where powerful entities seek to upset the balance of power between God and his angels and the Devil and his army of fallen angels and demons. The writing is rich with mythology and laden with beautifully written metaphors and passages of powerful prose. You won't want to put it down all the way until the mind blowing ending.

[Mark Burkett · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading her vampire trilogy Eternal Vigilance, I was already a big fan of Ms. Faust's work and I was excited to get my hands on a copy of Revenge, and my excitement was well justified! Revenge is a beautifully and intelligently written tale, part horror, part epic adventure, of a man caught in a war between heaven and hell, and a couple of other planes of existence as well. The visuals in the book, be they mundane as a city street or mind shaking as vistas of hell that would make Dante a little skittish, are so beautifully described and detailed, they stayed with me long after putting it down. The characters as well, be they good, bad, or more often deep in the grey areas in between, are fully fleshed out and real, no matter how 'unreal' they are.
Anyone that fancies themselves a horror reader needs to experience this fantastic novel!