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In 59 AD, as the Celt horde on Anglesey succumbs to Roman aggression, war goddess Fey grants Lucan Mac Aliester his wish—life. Lucan soon discovers that it is not his Druidic people the bargain elevates, but himself.

20 tales of action, suspense, intrigue and terror set in the Majestic Universe by the author of Nocturnal Vacations and Depths of Savagery. "His dark and primal passion explodes in vicious tales. Likened to the timeless author Robert E. Howard's barbarism, Steven L. Shrewsbury is the reincarnated Howard." -Peggy Jo Shumate aka Brutal Dreamer, Eternal Night Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror

"Depths of Savagery is a collection of 13 tales of barbaric heroic fantasy. Through tales involving ancient Celts, Vikings, other-worldly Crusaders, and Confederate Guerillas, the human animal is dissected to the bone..." Click for more info.

Nocturnal Vacations, by Steven L. Shrewsbury. "Dack Shannon, albino agent from secret intelligence cabal Majestic Services, is exiled to a remote locale and dispenses ruthless justice as he sees fit..."

DeathGrip: Legacy of Terror, spanning the globe with tales of ancient horror. "PREORDER NOW! 18 mind-blowing stories by an international cast of authors revolving around the theme of ancient horrors! Shipping October 2003!"

"Herman Melville said it best when he proclaimed that every path eventually leads to the sea. For it is the sea that holds our most sacred and terrifying fears, yet it also holds a glorious mysticism over us as a race, an attraction so strong that most of us flock to beaches, river banks, creeks, and lakes at every opportunity to stare out into the vast blueness and wonder: what's out there?"

"Grimoire de Solace is a dark fantasy anthology by 15 writers, with illustrations by 15 artists. A vast array of stories covers many settings and themes, with elements of horror, romance, mystery, action, and everything in between. A must for readers of the fantasy genre."

"In the world of The Blackest Death things are never what they seem and a trip down a lonely stretch of highway, through the shadow-rooms of a darkened house at the edge of the woods, or through the inhuman imagination might just bring you face to face with your worst possible nightmare come true..."

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Godforsaken Review

Godforsaken
by Steven L. Shrewsbury
ISBN 1-933016-10-8
2005, 262 pages, soft cover, $15.95
Behler Publications
http://www.behlerpublications.com/

As I read through the first chapter of Godforsaken, I couldn't help being reminded of Jack Whyte's impressive series, The Camulod Chronicles, another work that examines the struggles between Rome and the early Britons.

But it's not long before Shrewsbury's book leaves this territory behind and strikes out on its own. As the book opens, it is 59 A.D. and Celtic warlord Lucan Mac Aliester and his forces are battling the Romans on the Island of Anglesey, off the coast of Wales.

As the going gets rough, Lucan calls on the goddess Fey for assistance. She protects him, but his force is routed by the Romans and his wife is killed. The Romans also burn down the people's sacred grove and kill as many of the Druids as they can run to the ground.

Lucan sets off for Rome, ostensibly on a diplomatic mission but with the true intention of getting revenge. As it turns out, when he arrives he is forced into the gladiatorial arenas to fight. By this time Lucan has already had a few run-ins with Fey and various other gods, has lost one of his eyes and has gained a few godlike powers of his own.

Lucan becomes one of Rome's mightiest gladiators and it is here, in the arena, that he meets the Apostle Paul and learns of Christianity and the Tree of Life. Lucan continues to defeat all comers, but a treacherous reversal of fortune lands him in one of the Emperor Nero's prisons. Before long Fey and Lucan's son Thorn show up to spring him and Lucan joins up with the remnants of his old fighting force. Rather than set out for home, Lucan and his men sail for Asia Minor. Along the way they are accosted by a Roman ship but emerge victorious and have a few more unpleasant interactions with the gods.

The rest of this relatively short novel find Lucan and company marauding and pillaging as they move north, hoping to find colder climes that are more suited to their temperament. As they do, they meet with a variety of unsavory obstacles, including a nasty shaman and the rather spooky Temple of Ashtaroth.

At this point, Fey spirits Lucan away to the netherworld and Shrewsbury ties things up in rather nifty fashion by revealing who Lucan and certain members of his group really are. It's a nice little twist and maybe a more attentive reader would have seen it coming long before I did, but enough said about that. This is a little surprise that's best left to the reader to discover for themselves.

4 Alien heads out of 5.

—William I. Lengeman III/Apex Magazine

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