The Dark Horde

by Brewin

1989, rural Victoria, Australia. Something is preying upon the township of Howqua Hills. Brian Derwent, head of the local Police Station, must simultaneously grapple with the investigation, his disintegrating personal life and unseen forces that are not of this world.

Part thriller, part crime-fiction, all supernatural horror, The Dark Horde tells of the return of an ancient evil that is neither stoppable nor comprehensible...

Genres: Horror

288 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2012

About the author

Brewin' (with or without the apostrophe) is the pseudonym of Andrew Drage. Based in Melbourne, Australia, he graduated from La Trobe University in 1998 with a first-class degree, majoring in zoology, philosophy and statistics. He has worked as an editor and designer for five titles in the highly acclaimed Gamebook Adventures interactive fiction series, a Senior Research Scientist at the Insectarium of Victoria and has over twenty years’ experience as an IT developer and analyst.

Brewin is the author of Infinite Universe, a science-fiction gamebook, Evermore: An Introduction, a philosophical fantasy novel, and the award-winning supernatural horror/thriller The Dark Horde.

Reviews

[Sherry Fundin · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Howqua Hills, the Dark Horde descends in a flurry of blood and guts, filling the night with terror and horror.

Sergeant Brian Derwent awoke with a killer headache and a call to respond to a murder. Happy Sunday to him.

Barney and Frank Weston were found ripped apart.The injuries could not have been done by a human.I was reading along and I thought - No. What? That can't happen.

Brian kept having visions, passing out, and getting injured during his dreams. What the Hell? Demons? Werewolves?

Danny was just a kid who was picked on, tortured and bullied by other kids. Why did it seem like Brian and Danny were the only ones seeing and hearing the Horde?

Disclaimer: I received this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

The Horde were an unknown life form? They loved the terror and helplessness of the people. Like a killer whale playing with a baby seal. They would literally tear them limb from limb, like a little kid pissed off at her play dolls. They laughed at the silly humans. You couldn't trust the Horde. Will you be next?

The Dark Horde Brewin

[Angie ~aka Reading Machine~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so not what I was expecting at all. I mean I read the blurb for the book and thought good concept I'll read that. From reading the blurb to actually reading the book became so much more than an ordinary book at all. From the first page to the last I was hooked into this story and everything that I was made to feel. At times the book could be very in your face unpredictable, page turning because you just had to know what happens next, sometimes you were left in the dark with the horde, and other times you were left so speechless at what was being said. I liken this book to some of the great horror and thriller masters such as Stephen King and Clive Barker. From the beginning you just knew that the book was going to be dark, full of suspense, mystery, horror, and be affected psychologically. Here is just a taste of what you can expect while reading this book: Darkening room... Growing darker. Light fades... Shadows merge. Evil lurks... Creeping closer. A sudden chill...Grips my soul. Am I conscious? All is dizzy. Where is body? Mind is bending. Something's calling...Overwhelming. Falling into darkness...Never-ending.

This book was masterfully crafted. All the storylines were woven in such a way that you always wanted to root for the underdog yet wasn't always sure that they would win but most definitely knew it was possible they could lose. The characters were shown to have flaws, unpredictable, courage, rage, sometimes hope, bullied, and eager for something to happen. I certainly hope you take the adventurous task of reading this wonderful book. I look forward to the next adventure this author presents me. Enjoy!

[Join the Penguin Resistance! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another 12 Star of 5 Novel!


Well, I’ve seen “reader’s hooks,” that nebulous ability and task of an author to solidly grab readers and pull them into the tale, come and go-but seldom have I seen a reader’s hook as powerful as this one! I can’t imagine any reader “closing” the book after the first page and walking away-not even if the room was afire. This is not to mention the first chapter, which had my hair standing on edge and me jumping to tiptoe on the bed just in case the story was real-so the creature wouldn’t catch me too. Now THAT is one powerful mode of storytelling. I shall now be on the lookout for any fiction by “Brewin” and ready and eager to be devoured-hmm, I mean to devour the story.

What an eye and ear for setting and description! What a great use of characterization! But even more importantly, this author rocks with his approach to horror and suspense. I am totally thankful I read this one IN THE DAYTIME!

[Laura Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Come Dark Horde remember, and once more be!
We are as one, as many are we,
Become one, once more be.

From the opening page to the horror driven end, this story had me riveted. I became a part of it.
Howqua Hills is under siege by something. Monster, demon, alien, being from another dimension, who knows? They have been waiting, but no more! Out of the shadows they come, the Dark Horde. Hungry for flesh, they thrill to feel our terror and revel in our pain. Able to manipulate our minds, they invade our dreams, taunting us with heart-pounding nightmares. What do they want? Trust me, you don't want to know.
I read this book in one sitting and finished in the wee hours. I was worried the horde would invade my dreams. Maybe because I was sleep-deprived, I don't remember dreaming. However, there are many more nights to come.
Brewin is a master at making you afraid of the dark. I suggest you sleep with a flashlight!

[Maryann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary:
1989, rural Victoria, Australia. Something is preying upon the township of Howqua Hills. Brian Derwent, head of the local Police Station, must simultaneously grapple with the investigation, his disintegrating personal life and unseen forces that are not of this world.

Part thriller, part crime-fiction, all supernatural horror, The Dark Horde tells of the return of an ancient evil that is neither stoppable nor comprehensible.

Review:
This was definitely a horror story, it was graphic and gory. The story is interesting until the end, which I didn't like. I enjoyed the different characters, Brian and Danny and the doctor and how they fit in the story. I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could.. I just didn't like the ending.

[Majanka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/reviews/...

In the first few pages of The Dark Horde, there’s already enough horror and bloodshed to fill an entire episode of The Walking Dead. Barney and Frank Weston, two seemingly normal fellows, are found ripped apart. And whatever or whoever has done this to them, sergeant Brian Derwent is convinced it’s unlike anything or anyone they’ve ever come across. Roughly awokened from a nightmare-filled sleep and with a killer headache, he heads out to investigate the murders. Because of the reader witnessing the murder first hand, the reader gets thrown into the action right away. From the very first page, it’s wham! bam! boom! fights, action, blood and gore. I was a little concerned about that – most stories that start with such a high level of action seem to die out soon, and then have a mediocre plot moving forward – but not so in The Dark Horde. The action stays solid from page one till the end.

One of our main characters, Brian, the sergeant, starts having terrifying visions about the approaching Dark Horde. Except he doesn’t know what it is – besides that it isn’t human. He starts investigating the murders, unwillingly putting himself right in the middle of the danger. Brian is as flawed as a character can get – he even borders on being unlikeable. Yet for some reason that makes him more intriguing, more real, more human, and I felt more invested in this character than I would’ve thought possible.

Then there’s Danny, our other protagonist. He’s just a little kid who gets bullied by the other kids, which instantly made me feel for him. I so badly wanted him to have a happy ending, to escape the madness about to happen. But evil makes no distinction between the good of heart, and the bad… So Danny is put in the middle of everything, in the same fashion as Brian is, but here because he’s the target of these creatures.

And what exactly is the Dark Horde? It’s a question never answered. At first, I thought werewolves, which would’ve been sort of lame, but with their supernatural speed and strength, it could’ve been. But as some of their more demonic powers were touched upon, I began thinking demons. I’m still not entirely sure – guess that’s something for each reader to make up for themselves.

This book’s strength is in its setting, the imagery, the unsettling atmosphere that starts right in the beginning and becomes more gloomy with every passing page. The evil tormenting the small town is relentless, unforgiving, and everywhere. Impossible to escape, and as a reader you start to experience this claustrophobic feeling as well.

The book’s greatest flaw perhaps is the more technical side of the writing. There is some repetitiveness, and some sentences lead to rather loose ends. There are also some minor grammar errors. If you’re a grammar nazi, you might be annoyed by this, but I could easily look past them to focus on the story itself.

If you’re a fan of horror, the unknown, and everything scary, check out The Dark Horde. I thought it was an impressive, intriguing read.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://jerseyguyscanread.blogspot.com...

Honestly, I don't really even know where to begin with this book. There were a lot of strengths and a lot of weaknesses to this horror story set in rural Australia, and it's difficult for me to decide which are more important to me in writing this review. My ambivalence lends itself very easily to my 3 out of 5 star review of The Dark Horde.

Well, the lack of comprehensiveness of this story is very evident in its ability to create many different questions, and not provide an answer for a single one of them. This story was one that I was reluctant to read late at night, as my imagination produces very vivid dreams (or in this case, it would be nightmares), and the plot was very fast paced and interesting. However, this is one of the few books where I feel like there just wasn't enough character and plot development.

From Brian and his 'family' to Vincent and his friends to Dr. Dawson and everyone else, a very wide plethora of characters are introduced to us by Brewin. So many, in fact, that it was difficult to keep track of everyone. Especially since people kept dropping like flies once the Dark Horde showed up (you know, in the first chapter). It's hard to start empathizing with characters when everyone starts dying, you get tired of getting emotionally invested in a character just to see them crumble in the next chapter. This is a particular shame in The Dark Horde, because the characters are almost all relatable, if not likable.

I don't know, I'm not big on description and setting and stuff, which is probably why I like teen/young adult novels that are geared toward an entire demographic of ADHD individuals, but I just felt lost throughout this story. The perspective/story line changed with almost every single chapter (mostly because the character that the chapter focused on died more often than not), and it was difficult to keep track of who was alive, who was being talked about, and just what the hell was actually happening.

Sometimes, not knowing what's going on is a plus (see the original Amityville Horror if you don't agree). In this case, I just felt like it made the story very confusing and hard to truly enjoy. The conclusion especially just left me with more questions than ever. It seems like that was the point, but at the same time I just ended up frustrated that I didn't know what the hell had happened the entire story, and how the characters ended up after the book. And yes, I love getting to make my hypotheses about what happens to the characters when the book ends. But, I just couldn't in this case because I had no idea what happened. I think a little more information regarding this mysterious Dark Horde (and their relation to humanity) would have made things a little more enjoyable.

[Rachel Tsoumbakos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aussie Horror at its Finest!

When I first started reading The Dark Horde, I was a little concerned that the action started too early on. There was no set up, no character definition, just wham! Bam! Now you're dead! The next time I had a chance to think about characters was two days later when I put the book down. This book is action-packed from the very first sentence. I dare the reader to try and put it down before the end.

Brewin does an excellent job of creating dark imagery and suspenseful, edge of your seat drama. I found myself time and again turning pages in both dread and excitement as I searched for answers in this gruesome tale. This book is what I love so much about horror stories penned by Australians. The often safe formula of horror is shaken up with Brewin's introduction of the grotesque Dark Horde. These creatures are evil in its most purest form.

Each character in this book is flawed. They are often unlikeable. Is this a bad thing? Hell no! These characters are believable because of those flaws. You feel their pain because of these flaws. You can imagine your self in this scenario because of their faults. Each loss of life becomes your own personal misery because they are bought to life by the author in all their glory and not just the pretty pieces.

Now, for the faults. This section is for those people who judge a good book not on the ability to drag you along in the tale and to be immersed in the tale fully, but on the punctuation and grammar. This section will be short and sweet. Occasionally the author repeats concepts, which in a few places caused the story to loose speed. There is also a little too much information shared at times. As a reader, the concept has been alluded to and can be grasped, but Brewin can over-reinforce the point, which is not always needed.

Overall, I really LOVED this book. It scared me senseless and now (also being an Aussie), I find the urge to never go bush again!

[Laura *Little Read Riding Hood* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me start by saying I don't scare easily. I generally only watch scary movies, my favorite of all time is Event Horizon, if you've never seen it, you really really should. Anyway, I digress ... like I was saying I don't get scared easily. Especially when some equates gore for scary. Which this book does. So as I was reading, safe and cozy in my house, during the day, with my soon to be hubby in the other room, it didn't affect me. I seemed a little cheesy. B-movie cheesy. Maybe even drinking game with your friends cheesy.

Of course then I decided to pick it up at night during a storm with soon to be hubby out of town for the night. And that my friends is how this book needs to be read. It got significantly better when I was able to put myself in it. The story itself is pretty bland, but the writing is what gives it life. For me to enjoy it, I had to set the mood myself.

Maybe it is just me, but I like some back-story to help develop the plot. You never find out where the horde comes from or what exactly they are. You do get some information on the characters, and how the horde came to be in our world, but not until close to the end. So don't hold your breath for that. It isn't that awe-inspiring. Like I said, the plot left me wanting.

But after I finished it, I couldn't sleep and had to pick something else up. Of course that ended up being an anthology where dolls helped kill people, but that is a story for another post. What is wrong with me that something like that helped me sleep better?

All in all, this books gets 3.5 out of 5 stars. Not for the story, but for the writing, and the fact that, toward the end it actually did creep me out.

I would recommend this book if you liked to be creeped out by blood and gore and things that go unexplained.

[Mark Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book! At first, I wasn't sure if I'd like a book in this genre ... it can be kind of hard to pull off. My worry was that the scary wouldn't be very scary, what with the plethora of creepy horror books out there riddled with zombies, vampires and werewolves. Even if the rest of the plot outside the terror is entertaining, it can be a let down when your bad guy isn't very bad.

Not so the case here. The Dark Horde doesn't fail to turn up the spooky and terrifying. And it's not just gore and violence. There's a story and characters here that you're interested in and care about and you want to see what happens next.

I gobbled the book up and would like to see more!

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an extremly fast paced story right off the bat! Although not a genre I regulary choose, I am glad I did. High action, lots of killing crasy scary creatures. I also shared this book with my nephew and he ate it up!! loved it.

Thank you very much Brewin for sending it to me and good luck with future writings, your well on your way!

Julie

[Keith CARTER · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful and fast paced horror novel. Chock full of violence and blood it never becomes a parody. Set in the late 80s in Victoria Australia something is stalking the residents of Howqua Hills and the head of the local police has to stop The Dark Horde. Highly recommended.

[Tony Parsons · Rating 3 out of 5]

4/9/1989, Victoria, Australia Howqua Hills. Barney Weston (father), Frank Weston (24, Barney’s son), & Henry Anthony Wilcox (Frank’s mate) were enjoying a friendly game of scrabble when suddenly, a huge, hairy dog faced figure creature with sharp talons tossed a bloodied head on to the game table.
Frank grabbed a scoop plumb-axe by the fireplace, but they all knew the creature was out to kill,
The beast tore the axe out of Frank’s grip & smashed him over the head.
Frank ran outside & jumped into his 1973 Holden HQ Kingswood but the creature was right there.
Henry threw a makeshift Molotov cocktail at it. As Henry ran through the burning doorway there were more beasts waiting for him.

Sr. Sergeant Brian Derwent (Howqua Hills PD) kissed Sasha (GF) as his cell rang.
Brian separated from Julie (ex-wife/mother), & hadn’t seen their 2 children: Samantha Derwent (daughter/sister) & Howard Derwent (son/brother) for a while.
Constable Robert Harrington (Howqua Hills PD) said there’s a situation down at the Weston farmhouse.
The Country Fire Authority found the house was nothing but charred remains, & 2 mutilated bodies were found & no killer.
Sergeant Douglas McDougall, Constable James Irving, & Constable Lisa Klopski (30+), had already arrived.
Constable Harrington greeted Sergeant Derwent when he arrived at the crime scene.

The Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) canvased off the area.
Oberon Grammar School. Principal Lucas Prescott came to speak with Mrs. Wendy Farell (teacher).
Howqua Hills. Royal Hotel Main St. Jason, Aaron, Bruce, & Vincent, were eating & reminiscing about their school days.
News Centre Six newsflash about the fire at the Weston farm.
The creature was coined the Dark Horde.
Howqua Hills District Hospital Highett St. A-Wing # 7. Sister May Kennedy is taking care of Danny Malone (student).
Principal Lucas Prescott went to see how he was getting along.
Institute of Forensic Pathology S. Melbourne, Australia. John Taylor (mortuary tech) watched as Dr. David Dawson (forensic pathologist) examined the 2 remains of Barney Weston & Frank Weston.
Dr. Bernard Russell (psychiatrist, MD) came to see Danny Malone.
Harold Malone & Margaret Malone (parents) listened to his psych evaluation.

4/13/1989, Detective Superintendent Warren Bailey (CIB Homicide) came to ask a few questions to those doing the Weston investigations.

I do not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing free books from publishers & authors. Therefore, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one.
readers. It may be offensive or have potential adverse psychological effects on the reader. If you are especially sensitive to this type of material, it is strongly advised not to read any further.

An awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very professionally written supernatural horror book. It was quite easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a large description list of unique characters, settings, facts etc. to keep track of. This could also make another great supernatural horror movie, an animated cartoon, or better yet a mini-TV. It wasn’t as creepy as I hoped so I will only rate it at 3/5 stars.

Thank you for the free author; Polybius Books; Ignis; Goodreads; MakingConnections; Making Connections discussion group talk; PDF book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)

[Alexandra Hunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The following review is based off of a Reviewer Copy I received for my Kindle.

For as long as I can remember, there has been a place in my heart for scary stories. Being the coward that I am this has caused me to spend many a night curled up in my bed under blankets with all of the lights on in my home.

So when I picked up the The Dark Horde by Brewin, I was not let down. This book managed to hit me where it hurts at every single point. Not only was it just scary it was creepy and at certain points it made me feel uncomfortable. All three of these are great assets in supernatural horror, and help this book stand out from the many others I have read.

The other aspect that really stood out to me was the rhythm of the writing. The narrative switches between the main story (in normal text) and observations of characters and the demons (in italics). This did wonders to the flow of the text giving the entire novel a catchy rhythm making it super easy to get sucked in to the story.

Yet this book was not without a few weaknesses. The author throws many different characters at the Reader and very few of them have distinct voices. I found that I was getting characters confused and had to backtrack a bit to figure out who was who and how they were related to other characters. This made it hard for me to care about the characters. Danny though (a young boy at a Boarding School) did manage to win my heart over and I really hoped to see him victorious despite all of the odds.

The other weakness was the ending of the novel. It ends on an ambiguous note, which I do like with my horror novels, but the build up to the ending is a little bit rushed. The pacing before the final few chapters is really well done, but it feels like a switch flicks at the end and the author just wanted to story to be done with.

Overall, I found The Dark Horde a great read and Brewin shows extreme potential and I hope to read more of his work. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed The Strain (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60...) or has a soft spot for slasher flicks.

[Lisa Llamrei · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1989, in Howqua Hills, Australia, three farmers are attacked by ... something. The carnage discovered by police officers the next morning raises questions about who, or what,is stalking the residents.

The reader is dropped into the middle of the action right from the first paragraph. And it never stops. The entire book is fast-paced, heart-stopping action. The human characters are well drawn, and beautifully flawed. I didn't always like them, but I always believed them.

Where the book loses me is the portrayal of the dark horde itself. We never find out exactly what they are - they resemble werewolves, but they're not. And we never find out why they're attacking humans, which leaves the impression that they're just mindlessly rampaging. I prefer my villains to be as complex and believable as my heroes.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay book. It held my interest to the very end, but I didn't like the ending. Overall tho, a entertaining read.

[Mirvan. Ereon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost done. Review soon to follow.

[Beca · Rating 1 out of 5]

An ugly, unpleasant story with no likable characters, no real point, and no real purpose. I deleted the e book the moment I read the last word. Best skipped.