Sepulchral Earth

Sepulchral Earth #1

by Tim Marquitz

Two years after the furious dead rose up to murder the living, the remnants of mankind face a brutal extinction. Wretched and broken, trading humanity for life, the survivors suffer under the inevitable shadow of death. Aided by friendly spirits, the necromancer Harlan Cole wages war against the merciless forces of the undead. Driven to bring peace to the souls of his wife and daughter, Harlan vows to return the dead to their graves, or join them trying.

Genres: Horror

50 pages, Paperback

First published February 26, 2010

About the author

Tim Marquitz is the author of the Demon Squad series, The Enemy of My Enemy series (Kurtherian Gambit) along with Michael Anderle, the Blood War Trilogy, co-author of the Dead West series, as well as several standalone books, and numerous anthology appearances alongside the biggest names in fantasy and horror. Tim also collaborated on Memoirs of a MACHINE, the story of MMA pioneer John Machine Lober.

"Horror becomes art when it flows from the pen of Tim Marquitz." ~ Bobby D. Whitney - BookWenches

"Witty, sarcastic and hilarious." Michelle - Publishers Weekly

Reviews

[Mihir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full Review originally at Fantasy Book Critic

ANALYSIS: Tim Marquitz had really surprised me with his 1st book Armageddon Bound, the twisted action and humourous monologues of the protagonist made it a refreshing change in the field of Urban Fantasy. When he told me about Sepulchral Earth, I was wondering as to what type of tale this would be and what the title heralds? As I read the blurb, I realized this was going to be a post-apocalyptic tale and I was very eager to see what Tim’s twisted mind came up with next.

To begin with Sepulchral Earth – The long Road is a novella/novelette (depending on how much you define the word count to be) based in a world wherein a gargantuan tragedy has occurred, nearly 2-3 years ago an event called as the Breach happened and the world as we have known ended! The dead didn’t stay dead much to Harlan Cole’s dismay. He lost his wife and child to the undead and since then has resolved to reconfigure the Breach and try to make world normal again.

When the story opens, the reader is dropped into this world and sees Harlan being pursued by something. Later on we find out about Harlan’s capabilities and his thoughts as he saves a trio of folks unlucky enough to be caught up with him. Through Harlan’s inner thoughts and discussions with the trio we come to find out about the world and the state which it is currently. The tale then takes Harlan as he tries to find his way towards his destination and then receives another shock when his train of thought collides with something else.

The story is very paced and action-filled. The reader though might be a bit disoriented in the start when they start reading as the characters converse and mention things which do not make sense, however as the story progresses, clues and snippets of conversation reveal the state of the world Harlan Cole survives in! The ending to this tale is momentous as there is a revelation of sorts. The story ends fittingly with Harlan wondering about his next move.

This is episode one of the entire story and hopefully should be complete in about 3-4 episodes, while Harlan Cole is no Frank Trigg (main character in Armageddon Bound). His struggles are no less grim. I thoroughly enjoyed this short story and Tim Marquitz continues to surprise by pulling out another worthy tale from his dark repertoire that he calls his imagination.

[Karen Sakariasen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me HOOKED from the very first sentence. I actually felt as if I were right there inside the book. There hasnt been a book that has hooked me in like this in a very long time. It is a short book and as I was reading I kept noticing it was getting closer to the end, which hooked me in even more! I kept wondering ..wow, how is this going to turn out , there arent many pages left !! I am now about to begin the 2nd book of the series ...you might not hear from me till its done :)

[Yolanda Sfetsos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man, I love this cover. And I'm not being biased because I think Jessica Lucero's art rocks. She knows how to put an awesome cover together. And I love the goriness and colours of Tim's cover. It certainly fits the story.

Harlan lives in a horrible world where the dead walk and spirits roam. He's a haunted man determined to find a way to end what's happened to the world, because it affects him on a very personal level--he lost his family because of it, and he can talk to spirits. On his travels he's found that not all spirits are the same and actually has the help of one in particular. Trying to outrun the corpses chasing after him, he stumbles on a house he believes to be abandoned. But it's not. And so begins his impossible adventure.

I read this novella in one sitting because I found myself swept away by the events. Tim's got a very smooth way with words, and it helped make this horrible world Harlan travels very vivid. So much that my stomach turned several times. lol. It's a highly imaginative story with a wicked sense of the macabre. Trust me, there are several scenes that will make you a little queasy... but in a good (horror) way. The action never lets up, and the story keeps you hooked until the end.

If you're into horror, with a post-apocalyptic twist, then you'll certainly enjoy this tale. I know I did. A lot. Can't wait to see how Harlan goes about completing his mission.

[Colleen Wanglund · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s been two years since the dead began to rise. They were pissed off and looking to murder any living humans they could find. Whatever survivors remain are struggling to stay alive by any means necessary. A necromancer, Harlan Cole is determined to set things right or die trying.
I literally read this 42-page book in just over an hour. I love post-apocalyptic zombie stories, and this one is no exception. I also enjoyed the added element of angry spirits….although they’re not all angry. Harlan is a necromancer who has a friendly spirit guiding him in his mission to “close the breach”, and his motivation is apparently the peaceful rest of his dead wife and child. This is the first installment in a series so we are only told so much, but it’s quite an excellent tease. There’s a great scene in a grocery store where thousands of maggots are manipulated by an angry ghost to attack Harlan. It was wonderfully descriptive and disgusting—I loved it.
I thoroughly enjoyed THE LONG ROAD. If Tim Marquitz continues to write the coming books in SEPULCHRAL EARTH as well as this one then he and Damnation will have quite a hit on their hands. The cover art by Jessy Lucero is fantastic. I highly recommend it to any horror fan.

Colleen Wanglund
6/9/2010

[Dave]

A great author, just not my style of novel. Now Demon Squad. I can't put those down.

[Beth · Rating 1 out of 5]

So. Many. Adjectives.