Author: Angela J. Townsend
Published: July 21st, 2015
Publisher: Crimson Tree Publishing
Genre: Horror
Content Warning: Violence
Recommended Age: 13+
Synopsis: When Tom Doherty first laid eyes on the lighthouse he knew it was damned.
An advertisement lured him to the island, offering a job renovating the old lighthouse and ramshackle buildings. What he didn’t know was that he was the only applicant. None of the locals wanted the job – no one dared.
Isolated and alone, Tom soon discovers why. Messages from disembodied voices; ghostly visitations and escalating horrors draw Tom deeper into the island’s evil past—a darkness that forces Tom to unbury the truth and bring demons of his own into the light.
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The Forlorned upcoming movie release information can be found on IMDb at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4294968/?
Excerpt:
The trap stood in the entryway of the kitchen, smeared with a thick glob of Peanut Butter. Tom sat in the living room and waited for it to spring. He’d take the rat to the opposite side of the island and release it. At midnight, he gave up and climbed into the chair by the fire. The tightness in his body relaxed and sleep overtook him.
Tom was awakened by his shivering only an hour after dozing off. He peered outside his frosted window. There must be a cold front moving in.
He added more wood to the fire and shivered under the quilt. The temperature continued to drop. He could see his own breath come in puffs of steam with every exhale. Exhausted and still shivering, Tom finally dozed again.
Deep asleep in the middle of the night Tom struggled, fought to move, but couldn’t. His eyes refused to open.
A sinister presence loomed over him, trapping him under like a heavy fish net, constricting his every movement, only inches from his face. Icy breath pelted his forehead.
Tom’s eyes snapped open. His chest seized with panic. He was no longer in the chair. He struggled to hold himself upright. Cold, fog-laden night burned his lungs with each gasping breath. His bare feet froze onto cold, wet wood. The crash of thunder and flash of lightning took turns adding to the torment of the night.
As if waking up from a bad dream, Tom stood on the deck of a strange ship. The massive vessel leaned forward and back, driving hard through the waves. Wailing winds and icy sleet tore at her ravaged sails, creating an eerie flapping noise. Tom’s heart pounded. Muffled voices of men shouted over the storm.
A shot rang past his head.
He struggled to wake himself from the nightmare but couldn’t.
Somewhere in the dark a man yelled, “Hold tight!” The sea rose and a wave washed over the ship.
Wrenched off his feet, he landed hard on the deck. He slid to the opposite side of the ship and grasped the edge of a rail just in time to avoid being washed overboard. A hot flash of pain seared in his back.
Tom rolled over and saw the men loading grape and canister shot into cannons lined up along the deck. Scrambling to his feet, he bolted to a man busy loading another round into one of the large guns.
“Who are you?” Tom shouted.
The man looked directly at him but didn’t seem to hear. Angry at being ignored, Tom shouted again, “What’s going on?”
The man looked past him.
Tom ran to the other side of the ship to avoid the salt-stiff rigging as it crashed to the deck. He realized the crew couldn’t see him.
A flash of lightning struck near the rear of the ship and he saw the pursuer, a massive frigate. Her great prow sliced through boiling black waters. An English flag boldly whipped back and forth atop her mast. Daggers of ice hung from her gun ports.
Someone grabbed his arm. He tried to wrench it away, but the hand held fast. He looked into the eyes of a young mast-hand.
“What ship is this? Where am I?” Tom yelled.
Lightning struck again, and the young man turned into a bloated corpse. The flesh fell away from his raw bones. A grape shot wound appeared in his forehead.
“It was hell, Tom. Don’t forget us. Come find us, Tom. Come find us.”
The Platypires' Reviews for The Forlorned
Let me start off by saying that I had no idea this book was horror. I signed up based solely on my opinion of the cover. I thought, "Hmm, this looks interesting," and signed up. It wasn't until someone else's review popped up in my Facebook news-feed that I realized it was horror. Mind you, this was in the middle of the night the first night I was reading the book. I quickly realized the genre on my own shortly after the prologue, and by this time I was already getting creeped out. I debated waiting until daylight to continue reading, but I had already started it and I wanted to see how the story would pan out.
I liked Tom. He seemed like a level-headed kind of guy and the fact that he remains on that island despite everything that keeps happening takes guts. I probably would have run screaming from the place the first night there. But the goal he has keeps him from running, and it's obvious he cares a great deal for his father if the thought of achieving his goal is the only thing that keeps him from running.
Unfortunately, I didn't have time in the light of day to keep reading, so the second night found me picking up the book again, against my better judgement. I scared quite easily when dealing with the paranormal. I won't bore you with the reasons, but let's just say I was spooked enough that I kept checking my dark surroundings periodically, just to be on the safe side.
I do feel that the plot built up quite nicely, but the ending was a tad bit lackluster. I had expected a more dramatic ending than the one given, but the details given were vivid all throughout the book, and the ending was no exception. I just wish the ending had been longer and not so rushed. I did enjoy this book, despite being scared and jumping at all the creaks in the night. The Forlorned gets 4 Platypires!
It's a fast read, and it's interesting. I really enjoyed how everything was connected.
My biggest issue is I had no emotional reaction to anything, and I'm a highly emotional reader. I felt no sense of fear, and I'm a spaz that is afraid to turn the lights off in the bathroom at night. I do believe this would have been more accurately labeled if it was under "paranormal" instead of "horror"
About the Author:
Angela resides on a ranch, in rural Northwestern Montana, with her two children Levi and Grant.
Follow Angela Townsend at:
Amazon Author Page | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | Blog
Giveaway
- A bookmark swag pack,
- winner’s choice of any Clean Teen Publishing eBook,
- and a $15 Amazon gift card.