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Absolom Rex
Roman prefect, Pontius Pilate, is sent on an unwilling errand for Caesar; subdue the Judean province and establish undisputed roman rule. But dangers from religious zealots and political scheming are nothing. A nightmare being; only whispered of in the ancient tales of the Greeks, reveals itself. As the world he once knew shatters, Pontius must decide; do battle with the malevolence, or flee.Absolom Rex is a unique work in the world of the horror genre. When most books depend on the shock value of a beheading or use of insanity as a primary character trait, Absolom Rex, draws inspiration from the roots of the genre, where the environment sets the mood of a story, dialogue drives the characters and their development forward, and proper description puts the reader into the scene for maximum emotional impact.Absolom Rex also draws inspiration from actual historical accounts, providing a believable setting for otherwise supernatural occurrences and characters. What makes Absolom Rex truly unique is the subtle warping of historical fact into riveting and entertaining fiction.Absolom Rex will entrance and entertain both history buff and casual reader alike. Preview available at Smashwords.com.
- GenresHorrorHistorical
165 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
3 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
K.L. Coones
7 books9 followers"Horror used to terrify me. Some of that Asian stuff still does. I’ll never watch The Ring again…"
Ever the non conformist…his first book, Absolom Rex , he decided to publish as an e-book and see if he could market it himself. So on top of being a writer, he is also an entrepreneur and marketing professional. It makes for a confusing description when people ask him what he does. In addition to his horror novels, K.L. also writes the Darkwater Adventures Guild series for young readers.
Some of his favorite authors from growing up are John Bellairs, Mark Twain, Washington Irving and R.A. Salvatore.
"The first book I ever read cover to cover was Spell of the Sorcerers Skull by John Bellairs in JR High."
From a small Texas town, K.L. spent some time living in Los Angeles. His welcome, a white knuckle 19 hour ride through deserted deserts and twisting mountain roads ending in a 4 am slash and burn through traffic on the 10 with cars everywhere.
While in L.A. he braved the Devil’s Punchbowl with stalwarts mates, drove out to the middle of nowhere to watch the stars fall from the sky, relearned to drive stick (yeah, in the middle of L.A., so now you know he is insane…) and resumed training in the martial arts. A surfer, he has felt the zen that comes from hanging ten all day and he has played the part of the pesky reporter when he wrote for a local Halloween haunt blog called, CreepyLA.com. He currently contributes short stories for Darkmediacity.com's #Fridayfrights and flashfriday.org's #fridayflash.
"I really missed the old gothic story telling and I want to bring it back. I would describe my writing style as a cross between Mark Twain and Edgar Allen Poe…"
He has since moved back to Texas with his dog Sid (at least for the time being). He’s an 80's movie and music lover and the thing that he likes most about a woman is her voice… When not banging away on a keyboard he’s scheming of ways to get himself to a new campsite for the weekend, hiking with friends and his dog, contributing to darkmediacity.com,or getting thrown around in a dojo by people in black suits.
Oh, and a large telescope just arrived in the mail, bigger is better...
Ever the non conformist…his first book, Absolom Rex , he decided to publish as an e-book and see if he could market it himself. So on top of being a writer, he is also an entrepreneur and marketing professional. It makes for a confusing description when people ask him what he does. In addition to his horror novels, K.L. also writes the Darkwater Adventures Guild series for young readers.
Some of his favorite authors from growing up are John Bellairs, Mark Twain, Washington Irving and R.A. Salvatore.
"The first book I ever read cover to cover was Spell of the Sorcerers Skull by John Bellairs in JR High."
From a small Texas town, K.L. spent some time living in Los Angeles. His welcome, a white knuckle 19 hour ride through deserted deserts and twisting mountain roads ending in a 4 am slash and burn through traffic on the 10 with cars everywhere.
While in L.A. he braved the Devil’s Punchbowl with stalwarts mates, drove out to the middle of nowhere to watch the stars fall from the sky, relearned to drive stick (yeah, in the middle of L.A., so now you know he is insane…) and resumed training in the martial arts. A surfer, he has felt the zen that comes from hanging ten all day and he has played the part of the pesky reporter when he wrote for a local Halloween haunt blog called, CreepyLA.com. He currently contributes short stories for Darkmediacity.com's #Fridayfrights and flashfriday.org's #fridayflash.
"I really missed the old gothic story telling and I want to bring it back. I would describe my writing style as a cross between Mark Twain and Edgar Allen Poe…"
He has since moved back to Texas with his dog Sid (at least for the time being). He’s an 80's movie and music lover and the thing that he likes most about a woman is her voice… When not banging away on a keyboard he’s scheming of ways to get himself to a new campsite for the weekend, hiking with friends and his dog, contributing to darkmediacity.com,or getting thrown around in a dojo by people in black suits.
Oh, and a large telescope just arrived in the mail, bigger is better...
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 28, 2012
As a huge fan of historical and dark fiction, I was delighted to find them so perfectly blended in Absolom Rex. The detailed descriptions and captivating characters had me immersed in ancient Rome from the very first chapter and throughout the rest of the book. Well-placed tension and twists make this a great page turner and will leave you eager to read more from K.L. Coones.
March 11, 2020
This was better than I expected. I got it as a free kindle ebook and didnt think much of it until one day I opened it on my phone and was drawn in. Ancient Roman civilization and vampires. Fun fun. Well written, easy quick read.
September 4, 2012
Overall: I was completely prepared for this story to get a mediocre rating up until about 70% read. The middle of this book really suffers from an identity crisis as the book shifts from a historical fiction to a paranormal novel. The ending, however, was nothing short of awesome. I’m so thrilled that I pushed through and finished this novel, because it ended up being very entertaining and dark. But, was it really necessary to hurt the poor kitty cats? PETA does not approve of this novel!
Characters: Pontius didn’t begin as an evil man and I liked how complex he was. Even as he committed the most inhumane acts, you couldn’t help but pity him and his predicament. He has a very human reaction to his encounter with Jesus and though it might appear blasphemous to Christians, I think the author’s creative freedom with the historical events involving Jesus was done respectfully. I believe that all the words Jesus spoke were taken directly from the bible. Pontius’s relationship with his wife is very touching and genuine. He is so devoted to her and its very Romeo and Juliet at times. Not what you’d expect from a monster. Surprisingly, Claudia was Pontius’s complete opposite in personality and if anyone had morals in this novel, it would be her. I also liked Anticus, who had more common sense than anyone else.
Plot: It begins as a retelling involving the crucifixion of Jesus from Pontius Pilate’s POV. After Jesus dies, Pontius ends up losing everything of value to him. This is where the novel really lags and as a reader I’m really confused to what the plot is. The characters feel in limbo for couple chapters. There are a few characters that do things that don’t make much sense at the time. Pontius is on a downward spiral and everything he does only makes his situation worse.
I wish that the first part of the novel was shorter or at least had more hint of the paranormal. By the time Jesus died (spoiler?), I was bored. It took pages for the story to get my attention again. The novel becomes pretty amazing after the word “Absolom” makes an appearance. Lots of dead bodies. I liked the romantic twist at the end. I haven’t been this in love with an evil vampire since Lestat.
Ending: If you love dark vampires and Romeo and Juliet romances, then you will love this ending. I only wish the entire story was this captivating. This is a 3 1/2 star book, but for sites that don’t allow half stars I’ll give it a 4.
Characters: Pontius didn’t begin as an evil man and I liked how complex he was. Even as he committed the most inhumane acts, you couldn’t help but pity him and his predicament. He has a very human reaction to his encounter with Jesus and though it might appear blasphemous to Christians, I think the author’s creative freedom with the historical events involving Jesus was done respectfully. I believe that all the words Jesus spoke were taken directly from the bible. Pontius’s relationship with his wife is very touching and genuine. He is so devoted to her and its very Romeo and Juliet at times. Not what you’d expect from a monster. Surprisingly, Claudia was Pontius’s complete opposite in personality and if anyone had morals in this novel, it would be her. I also liked Anticus, who had more common sense than anyone else.
Plot: It begins as a retelling involving the crucifixion of Jesus from Pontius Pilate’s POV. After Jesus dies, Pontius ends up losing everything of value to him. This is where the novel really lags and as a reader I’m really confused to what the plot is. The characters feel in limbo for couple chapters. There are a few characters that do things that don’t make much sense at the time. Pontius is on a downward spiral and everything he does only makes his situation worse.
I wish that the first part of the novel was shorter or at least had more hint of the paranormal. By the time Jesus died (spoiler?), I was bored. It took pages for the story to get my attention again. The novel becomes pretty amazing after the word “Absolom” makes an appearance. Lots of dead bodies. I liked the romantic twist at the end. I haven’t been this in love with an evil vampire since Lestat.
Ending: If you love dark vampires and Romeo and Juliet romances, then you will love this ending. I only wish the entire story was this captivating. This is a 3 1/2 star book, but for sites that don’t allow half stars I’ll give it a 4.
August 15, 2012
Absolom Rex is an exciting blend of history and horror. In fact, it is essentially a historical fiction story for about 2/3rds of its length. Set in the Roman Empire around the time a significant event occurred (33 A.D. hint hint), Pontius Pilate is up to his laurel wreath in religious turmoil, family illness, and violent supernatural weirdness. When his life is totally upended and the hammer of judgment falls, that's when Absolom Rex really kicks into high-gear.
Being a supernatural horror story, there are several elements that will be familiar to horror fans, but K.L. Coones' unique choice of setting and political intrigue keeps Absolom Rex from being just another splatter-fest. In fact, it could be considered "revisionist historical supernatural horror." You'll just have to read it to find out what I mean...
At around 60,000 words, Absolom Rex is considered a novella, and this is one complaint that I have. Sometimes the story seemed to progress a little too quickly, and I found myself getting whiplash on a few occasions. "Wait...what?" Absolom Rex could have easily been a 100,000 word epic novel, and that would have allowed the characters to develop more fully, I think. I would have also liked to have seen a bit more of the emotional toll on the protagonist, who seems to accept the bizarre happenings a little too easily. There were moments of emotional trauma but overall, it was hard to really feel what the characters felt. However, a secondary character's descent into madness is done exceptionally well.
Absolom Rex reads very quickly and there's hardly a dull moment. I happily recommend Absolom Rex to fans of all genres, and I'm looking forward to the excursion in the strange mind of K.L. Coones.
Being a supernatural horror story, there are several elements that will be familiar to horror fans, but K.L. Coones' unique choice of setting and political intrigue keeps Absolom Rex from being just another splatter-fest. In fact, it could be considered "revisionist historical supernatural horror." You'll just have to read it to find out what I mean...
At around 60,000 words, Absolom Rex is considered a novella, and this is one complaint that I have. Sometimes the story seemed to progress a little too quickly, and I found myself getting whiplash on a few occasions. "Wait...what?" Absolom Rex could have easily been a 100,000 word epic novel, and that would have allowed the characters to develop more fully, I think. I would have also liked to have seen a bit more of the emotional toll on the protagonist, who seems to accept the bizarre happenings a little too easily. There were moments of emotional trauma but overall, it was hard to really feel what the characters felt. However, a secondary character's descent into madness is done exceptionally well.
Absolom Rex reads very quickly and there's hardly a dull moment. I happily recommend Absolom Rex to fans of all genres, and I'm looking forward to the excursion in the strange mind of K.L. Coones.
September 2, 2012
Starts off like typical historical fiction set in the Roman empire, but then, after Jesus is handed over for crucifixion, everything goes poltergeist. Some of the writer's style is quite good: the reader sees the Egyptian haircuts, hears the oars hitting the water. But vampires ain't my genre, so I'm not sure what to make of Pontius-Pilate-goes-Dracula.
There is an implication that Cassius Chaerea, Caligula's assassin, was possibly a eunuch. The interesting detail used to describe this character is taken from Suetonius' Lives of the Caesars.
There is an implication that Cassius Chaerea, Caligula's assassin, was possibly a eunuch. The interesting detail used to describe this character is taken from Suetonius' Lives of the Caesars.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews