Burn, Beautiful Soul
By: William J. Donahue - Cosmic Egg Books, $19.95
Description: Basil the demon king has come to a crossroads. He has grown tired of life underground and regretful of the atrocities he has committed to maintain his hold on power.
Wanderlust leads him to the surface, to live freely among humans.
Considering the state of the world, most humans seem unfazed by his arrival - but not all.
A religious zealot with murderous intentions and a vengeful biker gang seek his end!
Verdict: Wow! Simply wow! Burn, Beautiful Soul is a book that not only reads well, but lends itself to providing the readers mind with some rather vivaciously described levels of detail; ones that not only provide said reader with a vivid picture of what is happening on the page, but instills it into the psyche so that they stay with you throughout the thoroughly engrossing read.
Chock full of gorgeously created, all be they horrific demons living in the underworld just below us ordinary, everyday folk, the life in the small town up above where Basil, the Demon King, escapes to for a short break from his boredom is (much like us mere human mortals) same shit, different day!
Donahue’s portrayal of darkness and the horrible and sheer horror that exists below us at all times, lay in deep contrast with the very normal, uber mundane day-to-day living that the town of Beak, NE is noted for.
Sure, I understand that for the detailed analysis of shock and awe to exist when talking about both states, that some form of pure perfection has to co-exist for both sets of entities (albeit that one is unknowing of the other), but here Donahue separates the two to picture perfect perfection.
Not to give too much away, but now that Basil has joined the living, so to speak, and many of the human characters he now interacts with are brought to the fore of the narrative, is it going to be possible that such a horribly demonic entity could become somewhat likable, to both the townsfolk and the readers alike?
I mean, maybe, just maybe he’s not that much more different than the rest of us? That said, the author also does a splendid job of coloring in some of the human characters so hazily that you might start to despise a few of the much more than the actual real demons!
About the Author: When he’s not writing fiction, entertaining his cats, or wandering quietly in the woods, William J. Donahue works as a full-time magazine editor and features writer. He lives in a small but well-guarded fortress somewhere on the map between Philadelphia and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Official Book Purchase Link
www.JohnHuntPublishing.com