Title: The Seven Hungers: Brine Council
Author: Morgan Quaid
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Horror
Book Blurb:
Heed the Brine song, for the Old Gods have returned, and the world will drown in brine and darkness. On the back of his confrontation with the Crimson King, formerly disgraced Crown sorcerer, Ambrose Drake, is sent to picturesque Port Douglas to investigate a curious emergence. Still reeling from his recent elevation to Regional Director, Drake and his companions are confronted by something ancient and hungry which has clawed its way out of the briny depths.
Drake must meet this challenge while struggling to control the powerful Sovereign who resides within his flesh, a Hungerborn being that threatens to tip the balance and send Drake and his companions to a watery death. Brine Council is a fast-paced, urban fantasy thriller with horror elements throughout. Fans of The Dresden Files, The Laundry Files, Constantine, and Hellboy will love this second book in The Seven Hungers series.
Excerpt:
He sits with his head pulled back, wearing a painful grimace that somehow manages to be smug. Delicate metal filaments hang a few inches from his temples, glowing with amber light as the mind scour does its work. Etheric power pulses through the room as disgraced Agent Adam Taylor spasms beneath the abrasive touch of the scour. He bellows in agony, spit frothing at the corners of his mouth.
"Anything useful yet?" I ask, turning to the newly appointed Director Karen Winter.
She shakes her head, dark features harboring a heavy scowl, arms crossed as we watch through a one-way mirror.
"Nothing yet. He seems to have been acting alone."
"Isolated from the others?"
"It looks like it. He was contacted initially via a series of dreams while he was on assignment in LA a few years ago. He only ever met in person with one Hungerborn, a Craven named Jinks who acts as a translator and mediator for the local enclave."
I nod, sifting through her words. "I'm guessing you picked up this Jinks?"
"We did. As we speak, he's having his mind scoured at our LA office. We should have the results soon. With any luck he was a conduit for more Agents than just Taylor."
The mind flay does its work and former Agent Taylor lets out a howl of agony. His chest heaves as he sucks in breath, desperate to escape the attentions of the mysterious device current plumbing the depths of his mind.
"Brings back memories," I offer, realizing that I've been clenching my teeth for the past few minutes.
Winter nods.
"I does, but I don't have any sympathy for this bastard. He deserves everything he’s getting, and more."
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Author Biography:
Morgan Quaid is a writer of speculative fiction, specializing in comics, graphic novels, short stories and fast-paced, first-person novels. Quaid’s writing tends to blend concision and fast-moving plots with epic sci-fi/fantasy themes, creating stories that often have more in common with film rather than traditional novels.
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