Welcome to my blog and my stop on the tour for Deadly Ground.
Description of Deadly Ground by Thomas W. Starbuck and Judy Belshe-Toernblom
'Deadly Ground' – a riveting story about the human race under threat, with a rare DNA condition providing a second chance for humanity. A fast-paced novel that reads like an apocalypse movie with a biological viral disease, some romance, and aliens in the mix, centered on the unforgettable human main character AB, who becomes the hope for humanity’s regeneration.
By author Thomas W. Starbuck, whose storyline for “Deadly Ground” was adapted and written by Judy Belshe-Toernblom.
Praise for Deadly Ground by Thomas W. Starbuck and Judy Belshe-Toernblom
“Great concept…makes you think. Could history be repeating itself? Fast read. Anxious for the sequel.”- Peggy Holder, Amazon
“A really good book and definitely a page-turner. I really liked the characters which is so important to me when I read a book. And the story really makes you think a lot about the things that are going on around us throughout the world. This was a different type of book than I normally read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This book has something for so many readers’ interests – some fantasy, some romance, some sci-fi. It’s also a quick read. I’m looking forward to the author’s sequel to ‘DeadlyGround’.”-Amazon Customer
You can find out more about the book and authors here:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Excerpt:
Deadly Ground
T.W. Starbuck, Author
AB exhaled
the words, “Not by the hair of my chinny chin . . .”
And then he
passed out. He had survived himself and an attack of coyotes.
Days later
and looking like a bad case of mummy wrapping, AB was still alive. He had
wrapped his ribs by laying cloth on the floor and rolling over it. His face had
healing scabs, and his arms were bandaged. He was a mess, but alive. However,
he had added to
his look a gun holster with a
loaded gun.
Now limping,
he was using Vi’s pink cane to lean on as he raked through some of the burned
rubble in his house. As he searched through the ashes, he found some small
egg-like objects. When he cracked them open, he saw that they were the
remainders of his burned family albums. There in his bandaged hand, he held his
memory treasures of family’s and friends’ pictures. He looked at each one for a
very long time, trying to make the memory come alive.
There were pictures of his
college days with Clayton, the band they were in. Family pictures of himself as
a boy and his brother.
As he pushed
away more of the ash, he found the cover of the book of poems by Edna St.
Vincent Millay that his mother had read to him as a child. Only the cover had
survived.
He flipped
the cover over. The inscription on the cover could still be seen. To Adam,
may each morning bring you as much joy as you bring me. Love, Mom.
AB held the
cover to his heart and cried. He had lost so much, and could find no reason to
live, and yet he was still alive.
As he got
up, his cane hit a box under the rubble. It was the metal box that his antique
Dragoon pistols were in. He dusted off the box and opened it. The guns were
dirty but still intact. He ran his hand over the barrel of one of the guns. He
spit-shined it a bit. He then removed a bag filled with bullets from the box
and loaded the gun. He spun the chamber a few times, and then he looked down
the barrel. He slumped his shoulders. Depression had reached its peak. Nothing
to look forward to and too much effort to even regain what he had.
AB slowly
walked out on the half-burned deck and sat in his smoke-singed chair, gun in
hand. AB was very much a man on the edge. He was no longer afraid to die. He
put the gun to his head and scratched his head with it. He sat and looked at
Winnie’s grave.
“You sure
look peaceful, old girl—I miss you.”
The sound of
gunfire from the antique gun echoed in the empty skies.
Lying dead
was a coyote that had been trying to dig up Winnie’s grave.
“I told you,
you sons of-a bitch to leave her alone. I’ll leave you there you as a reminder
for your flea-bitten buddies.”
AB stared
once again at Winnie’s grave. He got up and took the gun with him into the
house. He walked over to the mantle and took Clayton’s vase off the shelf. He
sat down on the couch and looked a long time at the vase. Then he went back
outside and brought the vase with him. He sat back down in his chair, still
holding the vase; and talking to Clayton, he said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t look
for survivors longer, buddy. I’m just so tired and so lonely. I’m beat up.
I’m not brave enough to live
this solitary life. I want to be with you all and my family.”
He put the
gun to his head and began to shake and cry. He gritted his teeth and said,
“Don’t cry, you jackass—there’s no one to miss, and no one to miss you.”
He steeled himself for the
impact.
“This is the
better way.”
He pulled
the hammer back. His body shook as his finger tightened on the trigger.
Suddenly, a
brilliant light flashed across the sky. It hovered long enough for AB to see
that it was a spacecraft of sorts.
My thoughts:
I enjoyed this little book. At 157 pages and with such a compelling storyline, this is a fast read. The author pulls you into the story with the descriptive language and then gives you interesting characters; all the while moving you into the thick of things with the threat to the entire human race.
It's a page-turner! It's a make-you-thinker!
I wasn't sure about AB as the main character's name, but then upon learning that it was actually Adam, I started to wonder...then the chimera angle, and I wondered some more...
Well done! A fastpaced, multifaceted read. I am so pleased to have had the opportunity to participate in the tour, and I am looking forward to the next book!
I'm so glad uyou enjoyed 'Deadly Ground'! Thanks for hosting.
ReplyDelete