Tuesday, September 15, 2015

*Summer Blog Hop* Wolves of the Northern Rift by Jon Messenger

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Title: Wolves of the Northern Rift
Author: Jon Messenger
Genre: Steampunk/Mystery
Published: March 10, 2015
Pages: 303

Synopsis

In a world of science, magic is an abomination. 

Magic is an abomination. It spread from the Rift, a great chasm hundreds of miles long that nearly split the southern continent in two. The Rift was a portal, a gateway between their world of science and the mythological world of magic. 

On the northern continent of Ocker, King Godwin declared that no magical monstrosity would be allowed within their borders. The Royal Inquisitors were formed to investigate reports of mystical occurrences and, should they be found, to destroy them. 

Inquisitor Simon Whitlock knows his responsibilities all too well. Along with the apothecary, Luthor Strong, they’ve spent two years inquiring into such reports of magical abominations, though they’ve discovered far more charlatans than true magical creatures. When assigned to investigate Haversham and its reports of werewolves, Simon remains unconvinced that the rumors are true. What he discovers in the frozen little hamlet is that the werewolves are far more real than he believed; yet they’re hardly the most dangerous monster in the city.

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Excerpt

“Luthor, dear chap, how many of these so-called supernatural occurrences have we investigated thus far?”

Luthor shrugged. “Six? Seven? Let’s see, there was the vampire of Dormuth Castle.”

“Which turned out to be merely a political coup against the seated governor.”

“The swamp creature.”

“A large lizard, to be sure,” Simon replied, “but hardly supernatural in origin.”

Luthor counted on his fingers. “The rising dead, the mischievous pixies, the ravenous hound, and the Grand Wizard of Templeton.”

“Lest you forget the mummy in the catacombs,” Simon added. “All debunked as charlatans.” He sighed and rested his elbows on the table. “When I took this position, I imagined myself as a stalwart defender of the crown, keeping our kingdom safe against the invading magics of the southern continent. Instead, I’m exposing fraudulent wizards who are no more adept at magic than a common circus juggler.”

“The threat from the south is real, no matter the false reports we’ve received thus far.” Luthor removed his glasses and wiped the lenses with a handkerchief. “The Rift exists; it tore its path right through the center of their continent, nearly splitting it in two. Because of it, mystical creatures of all sorts plague their land. You may be unimpressed with the assignments we’ve been given to date, but we’re keeping our kingdom safe. It only takes one of the magic creatures to slip past our borders to cause panic throughout the lands.”

Simon sighed and sat back. He knew the dangers of the Rift. It had been twelve years since the Rift first appeared, tearing through the Kingdom of Kohvus. They had felt the earthquakes hundreds of miles to the north, within their own kingdom. Simon had only been a young man then, barely into his teens, but he remembered the horror stories of creatures of legend crawling from the Rift. The magic it had introduced was a contagious toxin that infected first Kohvus, and then neighboring lands. They had closed their own borders, severing trade and tourism with the southern continent, but they lived in constant fear that the same mystical nightmares could reach past their borders.

“Tell me more about this report of werewolves,” he said flatly.

About the Author

Jon Messenger (Born 1979 in London, England) serves as a United States Army Major in the Medical Service Corps. Since graduating from the University of Southern California in 2002, writing Science Fiction has remained his passion, a passion that has continued through multiple combat and humanitarian deployments. 


















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