David C. Cassidy (2)

***The Kindle copy of this book was purchased with my own funds with no expectations of a review on the author's part.****

Cassidy's The Dark will draw you in, and leave you spellbound in a world tinged with madness.

In the sleepy, snow-bound town of Keys Corner, something ancient and eldritch is once more on the prowl, luring in new victims, and tormenting old ones with nightmare turned reality. For Kelan, it begins with meeting a boy out of time, with the seductive call of the Run, a snowy show more slope not to be sledded by the faint of heart.

For Harmon, it is a call that hearkens back to a sins of necessity and to a staggering loss. For others, such as Susan, Kelan's mother, and Eric, his brother, and passers-through such as Fran, Pedersen, and the Four-Pack, they are secondary and tertiary players, tapped because they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

To me, Harmon's story was the most terrifying, because it dealt with the super-sensitive topic of eyes. I've lost one, and book and cinema scenes involving eyes in any connotation is enough to make me shiver in fear. Here's your fair warning, folks. If you are sensitive about eyes, like me, be prepared. The eye theme carried through from Harmon to Ellis's story, though the themes of 'the watcher in the woods', and eyes in general were persistent throughout the book.

Despite the creepy eye theme, I was hooked from the start. I devoured the story, wanting to learn what this being was....is... I was not disappointed. show less

"Given the choice, he shouldn't have played Fosgate's Game.
Given the choice . . . he should have taken death."

These opening lines had me. Everything that followed did not disappoint. Thanks to the talented David C. Cassidy's visual writing style and attention to detail, I felt like I was hunkered down in front of the television, absenting depositing popcorn into my mouth while spellbound by a classic black-and-white Alfred Hitchhock film. Good stuff.

In my review for Velvet Rain, I referred show more to Cassidy as a master puppeteer, due to his ability to elicit strong emotion from his readers. Fosgate's Game is further testament of his skill to capture his audience and move them through scenes like chess pieces. Cassidy also proves how versatile his writing voice is. Where Velvet Rain's characters are primarily small town folk in Iowa with limited education, Fosgate and Chadwich represent England's upper-crust. Cassidy pulls off this portrayal swimmingly. Fosgate is a very dignified killer.

I highly recommend this superb novella to anyone who enjoys suspense, Alfred Hitchcock films, The Twilight Zone, and exceptional writing. show less

Man on the run Kain Richards possesses the ability to turn back time; His creator, David C. Cassidy, plays his readers like a master puppeteer. My emotions are still reeling from this exceptional dark, disturbing, and deeply moving tale.

It was the passionate reactions from Velvet Rain reviewers that had piqued my interest. "Dean Koontz would be proud of this writer..." "reveals the evils of humanity ... the demons hidden under human flesh." "Beware: This is a horror story!" -- who wouldn't show more be curious, or forewarned? I'll be frank. I don't usually read this genre. I've read one Stephen King novel and said never again. Velvet Rain was my once more.

Cassidy weaves this dark tale with vivid, rock-solid prose. He has a very visual writing style. Scenes unfold on paper like frames in a film. If I could, I would have read with my eyes shut. Cassidy pulls no punches; he plows the reader between the eyes. The violence is revolting and senseless, although it's clear where Cassidy stands. He shows his view through his protagonist, Kain, a good man who knows only too well that monsters live, breathe, and prey among us. Velvet Rain is an examination of the depravity and degradation that stains our human history.

I recommend this novel to:

Horror and Dark Fiction fans. Velvet Rain will be an excellent addition to your collection, from a writer whom I predict you'll hear much about in the future. You'll love how Cassidy disturbs you.

I DO NOT recommend this novel to:

Anyone under the age of 18, due to explicit violence, upsetting topics, and profanity. I also don't recommend this novel to the squeamish or to anyone who would be deeply affected by scenes involving child sexual abuse or grisly, detailed torture. Imagine the torture scene in Braveheart being described indepth.

If you're squeamish but decide to take on Velvet Rain anyway, brace yourself to become Cassidy's marionette. The magnificent puppeteer that he is, he will shock, enrage, and move you to tears. Don't say I didn't warn you. show less

Chess- the royal game, where a sly tactician can hone their skills. It is a game of wits, requiring a quick, clever mind to master. And in Fosgate's Game, by David Cassidy, chess has truly become 'the most dangerous game', as lives are put on the line.

The story is told from the perspective of Chadwick, a companion of sorts to a maladjusted man name of Fosgate. Fosgate has acquired a most rare artifact, a chess set dated to the time of thrpe Tepes rulers of Wallachia. No ordinary chess set is show more this (where're the Warehouse 13 agents when you need them?). In fact, it might rightly be considered Lucifer's chess set.

One night, as a storm rages outside, Fosgate challenges his companion to a game. There's only one catch. Each player must put an identifying item connected to a specific person inside two receptacles, one for each player. Still benign, yes? Not so much, for this is an otherworldly chess set. Whomever comes out victor will visit death upon the person tied to their receptacle.

Over several months, Fosgate forces his companion to play many more games of devilish chess. But Chadwick is a true strategist, able to think many moves ahead, and he lays a cunning trap for his opponent. Springing the trap brings both players, and readers, face to face with fear itself.

Fosgate's Game was my first introduction to Cassidy's work, and I devoured it in a few short hours. If you are a Lovecraft or King fan, you're certain to enjoy this book! show less