ASMSG Scifi Fantasy Paranormal Emagazine March 2014 | Page 46

Book Description:
A young curandera, a medicine
woman, intent on uncovering the
secrets of her past is forced into a lifeand-death battleagainst an evil
Archbishop. Set in the mystic land of
Aztlan, the Unholy is a novel of
destiny as healer and slayer. native
lore of dreams and visions, shape
changing, and natural magic work to
spin a neo-gothic web in which
sadness and mystery lure the
unsuspecting into a twilight realm of
discovery and decision.

Review The Shepherd by
Travis Luedke Offers
Hope to Weary Horror
Fans
M Joseph Murphy

About the Author: Paul DeBlassie III,
Ph.D., is a psychotherapist and writer
living in his native New Mexico. A
member of the Depth Psychology
Alliance, the Transpersonal
Psychology Association, and the
International Association for Relational
Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, he
has for over thirty years treated
survivors of the dark side of religion.
SoulCare, his professional consultation
practice is devoted to the tending of the
soul. One of the few therapists writing
fiction with a healing emphasis, Dr.
DeBlassie has been deeply influenced
by the surreal beauty and natural magic
of the mestizo myth of Aztlan.
My Review:
The first thing I have to say about
THE UNHOLY is that I am excited
for this new take on fantasy. The
merging of magic and Native
American healing is unique and fresh.
DeBlassie’s main character, Claire, is a
joy to read as she finds her way through
the human and her ancestral world all
the while trying to avoid the evil
sorcerer that murdered her mother.
The character that stood out to me
most was Elizabeth. Her anger and
plight touched me while giving me a bit
of a creepy feeling.
DeBlassie knows how to bring on the
suspense. 5 Stars.
Purchase The Unholy here.

46 | P a g e

Travis Luedke’s The Shepherd offers
hope to horror fans weary of the pale,
recycled horror populating the current
market.
One of the coolest things as a reader is
finding a new author and watching him
grow. In the 80′s, I was was lucky
enough to discover Dean Koontz
before he hit it big. I watched as he
improved with each novel until he
became the household name he is
today.
I get the sense that Travis Luedke is on
the same path. The Shepherd is his
newest novel and it is definitely his
strongest. The plot is tightly woven,
wasting no space on unnecessary filler.
The lead character, Mike Evans, has a
crystal clear voice. Readers will get a
sense of his personality from the first
page.
He’s 16 from a less-than-ideal home
who meets a mysterious young girl
named Nadia who changes his life.
There is more to Nadia than meets the
eye. There is a twist in the middle which
I won’t spoil for you. Thankfully, unlike
so many other writers, Luedke does not
bash you over the head with clues. The
secret is fun and completely obvious
only upon reflection. Much like the
twist in The Sixth Sense, I was

expecting the story to go one way. Then
it went somewhere completely different.
I couldn’t be happier.
A word of caution, the book has a
warning about mature subject matter.
Luedke has chosen to write Mike Evans
in a very realistic way. There are
copious amounts of profanity, violence,
and sexual situations. Many may be
offended by the language even though it
is realistic based on the character.
Though classified as Young Adult, this
book has nothing in common with
Harry Potter, Twilight, or Hunger
Games. The Shepherd is not
appropriate for young children
(although many could argue that
Hunger Games isn’t appropriate for
young children, either).
I chose to read The Shepherd as a
straight horror story. It reminds me
very much of a good Richard Laymon
story. If you’re a horror fan and not
familiar with Richard Laymon, I
strongly recommend you check him
out.
Laymon was called “Stephen King
without a conscious” (Dan Marlowe).
Dean Koontz said of Laymon “No one
writes like Laymon, and you’re going to
have a good time with anything he
writes.” When Richard Laymon was at
his best, he mixed sexuality, tension,
and the supernatural better than anyone
else.
Travis Luedke is a fine successor to
Laymon although he never devolves in
to the pure pornography Laymon was
prone to.
This is Luedke’s 5th publisher novel. If
he continues to improve his craft at this
pace, I’m very interested to see where
he will take us in the future.
Purchase The Shepherd Here.

Review – Initio by Alyssa
Auch
Kristin Pulioff