Tag Archives: the Four Horsemen

A Reverse ‘View – A View into Mercy – #BookReviews Backwards

06 Monday Jul 2020

Posted by in The Mercy Series

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So here it is…the very first (Possibly ever!) Reverse Book Review where the reader reviews the book and then is interviewed by ME….and YOU! Yes, thats right, you can ask any questions you like about the book(s) and Chad will be happy to answer them.  So lets get right to it, shall we?

Chad R Slabach Jr
Misericorde (Mercy Series Book One)
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!

Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2020…..Cynthia A Morgan wrote the Dark Fey trilogy and I loved that…this is a very different sort of book. For one, it’s slower paced and the work of a very talented author who has time (there are 3 more books to come in the series) to let the story unfold, to allow the reader to know and understand the characters, times, environments. She is patient and assured – 2 words I would hesitate to use to describe most anything culturally. We are raised on soundbites and fed headlines, but this book/series is, especially the more I think about it, so difficult to adequately distill into a short synopsis. It’s spiritual and human. It’s violent and tender. It’s desperate and deeply hopeful. I can’t wait to see where she takes us from here.

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Who is your favorite/least favorite character and why?
My least favorite is easy: Sauvage. In a space that is forgetting any resemblance of gentleness or care, his absolute lack of humanity is repulsive.
My favorite has been Chevalier or Levesque for the same reason. As I raged at their apathy and unwillingness to DO SOMETHING, I knew why they didn’t (or couldn’t.) They did for the same reason we stand idly by while the least of us are utterly taken advantage of and great violence is inflicted. Morgan couldn’t have known the specific political/social landscape when she wrote it, but this story is perfect for us, now. I guess it’s perfect for any time, because we are too often Chevalier or Levesque and not enough Tzadkiel and Lourdes. (As it turns out, why I love them is that they DID finally DO SOMETHING and I am proud of them, and it gives me hope for us, for me.)

What surprised you about the story that you didn’t expect
In my reviews I talk about your patience. It’s shocking to me that this story is given such beautiful space to breathe and be exactly what it is. It feels much less like a contrived product driven by bells and whistles and more like a living breathing organism. Then when the bells and whistles do come, they are genuine and unforced and we discover that we actually care deeply for these characters. It’s like we’re watching lives unfold and not just an event.

What are you hoping to see happen as the story moves forward?
Of course, I hope they find their way home and that they can heal from the tremendous amount of pain they’ve suffered. I don’t know if I can hope for anything other than Death to ride, it sounds like that is written so it shall be done. I just hope they all find peace. I love a happy ending (whether there can be a complete one with Death is doubtful.)

Which scene has lingered with you the most? Why?
The 2nd rape/abuse scene at the campsite was horrible and not something I will soon leave behind. It was much more impactful than the 1st (though the act itself is so vile) because I had grown to love them. I read it through tears, with an upset stomach. The visceral reaction I had was surprising…actually, I was absolutely sure the abuse wouldn’t happen. Absolutely sure! And then it did, written so descriptively it was REAL, and I barely kept from throwing up in horror. I still can’t move on.

Does the story remind you of any other books/movies?
There’s nothing like this.

Did you disagree with any of the characters decisions and why?
I think the disagreement was in the complete breakdown in human kindness and civility, like “how can they do that???” But I know, I know. It’s a mirror of what we can become and an invitation to become something more of what we were created to be.

Did you get any message / positive inspiration from the story?
The invitation I mentioned previously, and the quote, “May we show our thankfulness through kindness and appreciate our blessings through generosity,” has become the subject in a series I am teaching in our faith community and has been quoted often in my life. We should all aim so high.

If you could ask the author anything about the book, what would it be?
How does it end???? And How COULD you DO THAT to HER???????????

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Clandestine (Mercy Series Book Two
5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning!!!
Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2020 

 

Chad Slabach is a friend I’ve known for twenty+ years.  If you are a long time follower of my blog, he was the inspiration for The Burning Question series.  He is the leader of a non-denominational faith community based in south-central PA as well an as avid music fan and writer.  You can find Chad on his WordPress Blog The Bridge Faith Community. 

I’d like to Thank Chad immensely, not only for his enthusiastic support, but for taking time out of his busy schedule to read and review The Mercy Series AND to provide his insights in this Reverse View 🙂

~Morgan~

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Amazing Original Artwork by the following Exceptionally Talented Artists:
Telyuka

Lee Jun at DeviantArt.com

Yoon Sanghyuk

Jelena Pjevic

aenaluck on Deviant Art

Angel of Mercy- #Fantasy #WIP #Teaser

11 Thursday Jul 2019

Posted by in The Mercy Series

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My current WIP Angel of Mercy just passed 100K words today!  I’m really excited because none of my previous 3 books even came close to that many. No diss to Dark Fey, I love my trilogy, though I do often wish I could go back and add more to the story, but right now I’m focused entirely on Angel.  What is this new story about?  I’m so glad you asked….

Its a Post Apocalyptic Fantasy Romance. It tells the story of life after the first 3 Horsemen, Pestilence, War and Famine, have ridden. In the 4th Era after the Great Cataclysm, (roughly 400 years in the future) the final horseman, Death, is caged and waiting on the Archangel of Mercy to release him. Tzadkiel has been sent to earth in human form to find one human who still understands Mercy. He has been given 100 years, after which Death must be released. With only 4 years remaining, he finds her; a servant named Lourdes, but they must escape the harsh dictatorship of the Eminent Protectorate and find a place of sanctuary before the appointed hundred years are spent and Death is freed from the abyss.

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Intrigued?  Me too!  So in honor of this momentous occasion I’m sharing a short teaser too!

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Her moan drew him out of the dark well of agony he had become so accustomed to and he opened his eyes to look around uncertainly.  He thought he had heard speaking, but could not combat the heavy darkness pulling him downward; yet this soft sound drew him back. Surely it had not been a manifestation of his mind.  Had it?  Was this sound some indication that his mind was attempting to disengage from his tortured body?  Was it like the screams he had heard only moments ago, just a figment of his imagination? Had it been only moments ago or had he slipped into unconsciousness and they had actually been nothing but a dream?  Or perhaps days ago?

His thoughts were a tangle of pain and confusion that made him doubt himself, but then another soft noise beside the table captured his full attention.  Was it crying?  Was it an animal that had found its way into the chamber or had the young servant returned? His thoughts spun for a moment as he considered. Was this even the same day as when he had seen her?  He had no point of reference; his memory was a disjointed haze of anguish, torment, and severing isolation that fragmented his thought into pools of jagged darkness.  They spun slowly, reaching for him, drawing him inward and the quiet calm at its center was irresistible.

He closed his eyes again.

Silence deep and soothing.

Stillness.

“You do not need to suffer this.”  A deep, resonant voice filled the obscurity surrounding him. It encircled his essence like spiraling water, pulling him up from the pit into which he had fallen.  He was himself again, vibrant and strong, the spiritual embodiment of mercy in its purest form. Turning slowly, he searched the blackness for the one who spoke.

“I know.”  His voice echoed as well.

“They only hurt you because you allow it.”  Again, the deep voice echoed into the gloom.  He nodded distractedly, the sensation of the absence of pain euphoric.

“I know.”  The diffuse light surrounding him shifted from golden-white to murky red.

“I wait.” He suddenly understood. It was the one behind him, waiting to be released, waiting for him to be satisfied that there were no longer any living souls of mercy left among the lost throng of humanity, but he wasn’t convinced this was true.  Not yet.  He repeated himself more assertively.

“I know.”

“Time grows short.”  He understood this as well.  He had been given 100 years.  If a single soul could not be found in so vast a stretch of time, then it would be accepted that none remained and the final Horseman, Death, would be released. He had waited all this time, but was obviously growing impatient.  Squaring his shoulders, Tzadkiel pierced the darkness with his deep violet gaze and spoke formidably.

“100 years has been appointed and I shall not be rushed.”  Slowly the murky-red haze diminished back into darkness as a low growl acknowledged the final Horseman’s acceptance that he would continue to wait.

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~Morgan~

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Beautiful Original Artwork by aenaluck

#WorkInProgress – Angel of Mercy – A #PostApocalyptic #Psychological #Romantic #Fantasy #Mystery?

10 Sunday Mar 2019

Posted by in The Mercy Series

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Two brief excerpts from my current – well, one of two current – Works In Progress. Not entirely sure how to categorize it yet, maybe you can tell me…Its set in the future, AFTER the beginning of the Biblical Apocalypse. It’s about mortals and Immortals, Hate and Love, Fear and Romance. Yes it will have STEAM, Violence, Spirituality and a hint of Dsytopian flair. It tells the story of life after the first 3 Horsemen, Pestilence, War and Famine, have ridden.  In the 4 Era after the Great Cataclysm, the final horseman, Death is accompanied by the Archangel of Mercy, who is sent to find at least one person among those who remain who is merciful.  He has been searching for almost 100 years….

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Year 96 of the 4th Era after the Great Cataclysm: Le Bastion de la Résolution, – Marçais, Olde France

She was only a scullery maid. Nothing. No one. She was as unimportant as the scraps she cleaned up and just as forgettable. She had been her entire life and nothing would ever change that. She knew it and she expected nothing. Ever since she was five years old she understood that those around her were far better than she. Her life was trivial and meaningless; she accepted it.

Those she served were as far above her as she was above the barn rats. Her betters were interesting, beautiful, wealthy, and above all, powerful. When they spoke, others rushed to serve; where they wished to go, others made way. They were inaccessible and inescapable. Officers of the Eminent Protectorate and their families, they outranked even the nobles of the land and none questioned them. The Eminent Protectorate were the elite of society and to serve them was a privilege most could only dream of in a world where poverty was common-place, where being healthy was a rare distinction among the masses of Mortal Plague, and where Time had stopped……..

Every night she could hear the screams. Harrowing, they kept her awake many long nights while she leaned from her small window in the servant’s tower desperately trying to locate their source, but the stone walls of the bastion sent echoes pealing in all directions. They broke her heart, at first, but after many weeks of hearing them she’d grown accustomed to the noise. It wasn’t so much that they didn’t affect her anymore, but she accepted them, just as she accepted her own plight. The Eminent Protectorate could not and would not be questioned about them, or about anything they did, so whoever the poor soul was, they were doomed to bear whatever was happening without any more hope of rescue than she might wish for. Less. ……

Year 86 of the 4th Era after the Great Cataclysm: The Coast of Calais, Olde France

He stood on the vast ocean shore, his back to what was left of a once vibrant land as his brilliant, violet gaze searched the empty miles of gray ocean. His essence listened for any sign of life, a heartbeat remaining among the silence of the deeps, but not a single pulse broke the deathly hush. Pestilence had done his job too well. Nothing remained. All that was once beautiful, colorful and diverse was gone.

The thought pained him and he closed his eyes, bowing his head to mourn what had been sacrificed and all that had been lost. No terns cried upon the ocean breeze; no laughing gulls sang praise to the skies, there was only the sound of the waves rushing and breaking upon the rocky shore and the hollow moan of the wind. Without wings to dance upon it, the air itself seemed barren and grief-stricken. Without the song of the lark to cheer the entrance of the day or the carol of the robin to serenade the evening, the entire earth grieved in heavy silence. The ruddy glimmer of the late day sun, slowly fading into a crimson haze, played through the lengths of his blonde hair and sparkled across the perfection of his features. Standing there at the beginning of such a vast emptiness, he was the most beautiful sight for countless miles.

Behind him, a thunder of hooves pounded across the beach and the curses of men accosted the quietness.  He did not turn to face them as they formed a perimeter around him, barricading him against the sea, nor did he immediately answer when they demanded to know who he was; instead, he closed his violet eyes and sighed wearily.  Nothing had changed, even after three horrifying cataclysms had shaken the foundations of the world; hate, suspicion and fear still ruled those who remained.

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I welcome your thoughts and feedback 😉

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~Morgan~

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Beautiful Original Artwork by Jules-Joseph-Augustin Laurens (top) and by aenaluck.deviantart.com (bottom)