Pale Shell: Book One: Part I

by Frank Torrent

In the black heart of a seventh-century dungeon, a nameless monk stands witness to an endless night. Branded a heretic, he is plunged into a waking nightmare of imprisonment that spills with visions so vivid they fray the edges between madness and truth.

Within this crucible of silence and despair, haunting memories whisper of betrayal, lost love, and an inevitable ruthless fate — illuminating the hidden corridors of the monk’s inner empire. With every passing moment, he grapples with unsettling philosophical revelations, questioning the very nature of divinity, existence, and the inexorable passage of time.

Darkly poetic and deeply moving, Book One challenges readers to confront the stark brutality of medieval captivity, interwoven with sinister reflections on comparative theology, notions of reality, and life’s fleeting fragility. Ghostly shapes shiver in the flickering torchlight. Chains rattle, and death hovers—both elusive and ever-present. In the depths of melancholy and reverie, this gripping narrative traces one monk’s relentless quest for meaning amid hopelessness, revealing a strange resilience in the face of utter annihilation.

Part one of three—the first layer of chaos peeled back.

82 pages, ebook

Published March 15, 2025

About the author

Frank Torrent is an author deeply inspired by the Strum and Drang literary movement (translating to "Storm and Stress"), and infuses elements of intense emotion within his work while also emphasizing a connectedness to nature. While his works focus primarily on the Horror genre, much of his writing blends with Literary Fiction, Philosophy, and Speculative Fiction. His early years were marked by the labors of land and sea, as well as an introspective solitude immersed in the quiet company of books. Guided by a fascination for storytelling, Frank pursued formal studies and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing. He now devotes his free time to creative interests, as often as he can between work hours.

His first work, Pale Shell, is the first book in a series he is writing.

You may find more updates on the publisher's website or IG: @pavor_art_house

Reviews

[Haly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frank Torrent writes with such beautiful prose it is like music for the eyes. His writing is so full of haunting, descriptive words that meld into one another like a somber symphony.

Pale Shell is Part One, Book One of a larger work of fiction that Torrent will continue to build upon. I received a free copy for which I thank Mr. Torrent, Pavor Art House publishing and Amazon.

I also noticed that the cover was designed by Mr. Torrent. He seems to be a talented individual.

I will anxiously wait for further installments of Pale Shell. The first 82 pages have me hooked.