Joseph Nassise
Author of The Heretic
About the Author
Series
Works by Joseph Nassise
Urban Allies: Ten Brand-New Collaborative Stories (2016) — Editor; Contributor — 75 copies, 6 reviews
Dust & Shadow 3 copies
Down Among The Bosnian Dead 2 copies
Money Well Earned 1 copy
Dawn Patrol 1 copy
Associated Works
Voyager: A Science Fiction and Fantasy eBook Sampler From Harper Voyager US (2014) — Contributor — 7 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1968-04
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Fordham University
- Occupations
- writer
- Organizations
- Horror Writers Association
Novelists Inc. - Agent
- Robert Diforio (D4EO Literary Agency)
- Short biography
- Joe Nassise is an American writer and the author of several novels, including the internationally bestselling Templar Chronicles trilogy (HERETIC, A SCREAM OF ANGELS, A TEAR IN THE SKY) , as well as a fiction collection (SPECTRES AND DARKNESS) and assorted short stories found in such works as MASQUES V, CHTHULIAN SINGULARITY, and LOST ON THE DARKSIDE.He is a former president of the Horror Writers Association, the world’s largest organization of professional horror writers, a two time Bram Stoker Award and International Horror Guild Award nominee, and a life and creativity coach.
Born and raised in Boston, he currently lives in Arizona.Novels
The Lost Tomb. Toronto: Gold Eagle/Worldwide Library, 2009(forthcoming)
Yin & Yang. Toronto: Gold Eagle/Worldwide Library, 2009 (forthcoming)
The Book of Coming Sorrows.Munich: Droemer-Knaur, 2010 (forthcoming)
Witches’ Hammer. Munich: Droemer-Knaur, 2009 (forthcoming)
Eyes to See. Munich: Droemer-Knaur, 2009 (forthcoming)
Die Schatten. Munich: Droemer-Knaur, 2008
Der Engel. Munich: Droemer-Knaur, 2007
Der Ketzer. Munich: Droemer-Knaur, 2007
Heretic. New York: Pocket Books, 2005.
Riverwatch. Rome: Gargoyle Books, 2005. Bram Stoker Award and International Horror Guild Award nominee
Riverwatch. New York: Pocket Books Books, 2003. Bram Stoker Award and International Horror Guild Award nominee
Novellas and Collections
More Than Life Itself. United Kingdom: Telos Publishing, 2006.
Spectres and Darkness. Los Angeles: Medium Rare Books, 2002Short Fiction
"Becoming Michael" forthcoming in Monster Noir
“Siren Call,” forthcoming in The Cthulhu Singularity.
“Becoming Michael,” forthcoming in Holy Horrors
“Money Well Earned,’ 2007 Legends of the Mountain State
“Saintkiller,” Masques V. Gauntlet Press, 2006.
“Roadside Memorials,” Lost on the Darkside. Roc, 2005
“Dawn Patrol,” Book of FInal Flesh. Eden Studios, 2004Comics/Graphic Novels
Candice Crowe - 6 issue mini-series, Arcana Comics, Canada, 2008
“EPIC” - special format graphic novel, Hatfield Innovative Studios, 2008
HERETIC - 6 issue mini-series, Markosia Comics, UK, 2007
Role-Playing Game Supplements
The Sentinel’s Bible - players sourcebook for The Seventh Seal role-playing game, Creative Illusions, 2003
Non-Fiction
Contributor to On Writing Horror: A Handbook from the Horror Writers Association. New York: Writer’s Digest Books, 2006
Cemetery Dance issue #39 and #50 - Nationality
- USA
- Places of residence
- Phoenix, Arizona, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- Arizona, USA
Members
Reviews
Sam Dalton lost his wife and is now on the verge of losing his daughter to an incurable illness of unknown origin (although maybe we can figure out the source considering what happens in the book). Add to that he has apparently lost his faith in God and is willing to switch teams if it will mean that his daughter will be spared, even if it means killing innocent people in the process. A big price for a bigger payoff, right?
Why don't people ever remember that the Devil never plays fair?
A show more very short but powerful depiction of a man who has lost it all learning that it is still possible to make a bad situation much worse. show less
Why don't people ever remember that the Devil never plays fair?
A show more very short but powerful depiction of a man who has lost it all learning that it is still possible to make a bad situation much worse. show less
The Heretic covers familiar territory. Secret Order of Templars working from the shadows to protect humanity. Vatican cover-ups. A rogue agent who is the only person in the order capable of stopping the evil that has been awakened. Evil cult hell bent upon, well, raising Hell. In the hands of a lesser writer, this would have been a boring “been there, done that. Got the t-shirt” exercise.
Nassise, however, brings much needed energy and excitement to the otherwise mundane (mundane for show more urban fantasy plots, anyway) storyline. His writing style is concise, hard-hitting, and designed to keep the plot moving forward at an almost breakneck pace. Reading The Heretic is very much like sitting through a big budget summer action film. There is just enough intrigue to keep the reader engaged, but not so much that the story becomes a convoluted mess (as often is the unfortunate case with this sort of story!). The Heretic is a perfect balance of action and mystery wrapped in a handsome bow.
There are two minor points that irritated me (though neither point is a “deal breaker” regarding whether or not you will enjoy the story overall).
The first is that some character behavior just felt inconsistent with the way the characters were described. Nassise puts a lot of thought into describing scenes and setting up his characters, which made some of the inconsistent behavior actually stand out more. Right in the opening, we’re introduced to a character that is described as having exceptional situational awareness and training. And not more than a page later, the guy absently steps in front of a bus. I completely understand that people do in fact do this (and I also realize that this was supposed to be a little foreshadowing). But the juxtaposition between how the character was described versus how he acted was jarring. There is a lot of this throughout the story, and I’m not sure if it is deliberate to force a response from the reader or inadvertent. In either case, it is sometimes distracting.
The second is that there are no women in this book that don’t end up dead (and even then, I only noticed two of any note). I’m not a crazed feminazi that demands central characters must be female or that all books are required to have strong female role models. I don’t read speculative fiction at my age looking for role models. I read to be entertained. But the absence of any women, even in minor roles, was strange. Particularly for an urban fantasy. I actually went back through my Kindle version and did a search for female pronouns, just to see if I may have skimmed over something. I’m completely fine with all of the central characters being male, particularly considering the plot. But the absence of even minor, secondary characters of the female gender was glaring. show less
Nassise, however, brings much needed energy and excitement to the otherwise mundane (mundane for show more urban fantasy plots, anyway) storyline. His writing style is concise, hard-hitting, and designed to keep the plot moving forward at an almost breakneck pace. Reading The Heretic is very much like sitting through a big budget summer action film. There is just enough intrigue to keep the reader engaged, but not so much that the story becomes a convoluted mess (as often is the unfortunate case with this sort of story!). The Heretic is a perfect balance of action and mystery wrapped in a handsome bow.
There are two minor points that irritated me (though neither point is a “deal breaker” regarding whether or not you will enjoy the story overall).
The first is that some character behavior just felt inconsistent with the way the characters were described. Nassise puts a lot of thought into describing scenes and setting up his characters, which made some of the inconsistent behavior actually stand out more. Right in the opening, we’re introduced to a character that is described as having exceptional situational awareness and training. And not more than a page later, the guy absently steps in front of a bus. I completely understand that people do in fact do this (and I also realize that this was supposed to be a little foreshadowing). But the juxtaposition between how the character was described versus how he acted was jarring. There is a lot of this throughout the story, and I’m not sure if it is deliberate to force a response from the reader or inadvertent. In either case, it is sometimes distracting.
The second is that there are no women in this book that don’t end up dead (and even then, I only noticed two of any note). I’m not a crazed feminazi that demands central characters must be female or that all books are required to have strong female role models. I don’t read speculative fiction at my age looking for role models. I read to be entertained. But the absence of any women, even in minor roles, was strange. Particularly for an urban fantasy. I actually went back through my Kindle version and did a search for female pronouns, just to see if I may have skimmed over something. I’m completely fine with all of the central characters being male, particularly considering the plot. But the absence of even minor, secondary characters of the female gender was glaring. show less
This book sucked me in right from the beginning and held me there until the very end. The only thing I didn't like about this book was putting it down.
While The Heretic is about the Knights of Templar, a religious order, it is not preachy and does not force any particular belief on readers. The Heretic is nonstop action, a paranormal thriller filled with the intricacies of relationships, struggles with faith, love, vengeance and duty. The writing is vivid, the characters made me care and the show more plot kept me on edge. I can't wait to read the second book in this trilogy! show less
While The Heretic is about the Knights of Templar, a religious order, it is not preachy and does not force any particular belief on readers. The Heretic is nonstop action, a paranormal thriller filled with the intricacies of relationships, struggles with faith, love, vengeance and duty. The writing is vivid, the characters made me care and the show more plot kept me on edge. I can't wait to read the second book in this trilogy! show less
Steampunk, alternate history WWI, fighting the Kaiser’s zombies, oh, don’t forget the Bloody Dead Baron...what’s not to like? The answer is not much in the first volume of Joseph Nassise’s The Great Undead War.
By the Blood of Heroes is the first volume and it kicks the series off to a great start. The war in the trenches has ground to a stalemate after the Germans invented the zombie gas which reanimates the fallen soldiers and turns them into barely controllable shock troops. show more Scientists on both sides continue to work on inventions and experiments designed to give their side a decisive edge to win the war. An American ace gets shot down behind enemy lines. This pilot holds a little known secret which could prove devastating to the Allies if discovered, so a rescue mission deep behind enemy lines must be undertaken. Working to stop the effort is the infamous Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron.
This is a very inventive and very entertaining book. Interesting characters on both sides along with dirigibles, steampunk inventions, and mad scientists all in a richly populated and detailed world. The action moves along briskly from start to finish with plenty of surprises along the way. Looking back, there are a surprising number of set pieces. From the trenches, to the battle in the air, to POW camps, to experimental research facilities, to airships and trains. The amount of detail and action crammed into this book is impressive. The only thing that felt a little rushed was the backstory between the downed pilot and the leader of the team sent to rescue him. Hopefully this can be expanded a bit more in future novels.
There is a certain amount of suspension of disbelief required and maybe a thing or two that don’t bear close examination, but all-in-all this is a very well thought-out and fun adventure. There were a number of things that could have been glossed over in the hope that the reader would just accept them, but the author went to the trouble of providing a plausible explanation for most of them. That attention to detail added to my appreciation of the story. I am looking forward to the continuation of this series. Highly recommended.
I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book. show less
By the Blood of Heroes is the first volume and it kicks the series off to a great start. The war in the trenches has ground to a stalemate after the Germans invented the zombie gas which reanimates the fallen soldiers and turns them into barely controllable shock troops. show more Scientists on both sides continue to work on inventions and experiments designed to give their side a decisive edge to win the war. An American ace gets shot down behind enemy lines. This pilot holds a little known secret which could prove devastating to the Allies if discovered, so a rescue mission deep behind enemy lines must be undertaken. Working to stop the effort is the infamous Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron.
This is a very inventive and very entertaining book. Interesting characters on both sides along with dirigibles, steampunk inventions, and mad scientists all in a richly populated and detailed world. The action moves along briskly from start to finish with plenty of surprises along the way. Looking back, there are a surprising number of set pieces. From the trenches, to the battle in the air, to POW camps, to experimental research facilities, to airships and trains. The amount of detail and action crammed into this book is impressive. The only thing that felt a little rushed was the backstory between the downed pilot and the leader of the team sent to rescue him. Hopefully this can be expanded a bit more in future novels.
There is a certain amount of suspension of disbelief required and maybe a thing or two that don’t bear close examination, but all-in-all this is a very well thought-out and fun adventure. There were a number of things that could have been glossed over in the hope that the reader would just accept them, but the author went to the trouble of providing a plausible explanation for most of them. That attention to detail added to my appreciation of the story. I am looking forward to the continuation of this series. Highly recommended.
I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 42
- Also by
- 6
- Members
- 1,248
- Popularity
- #20,555
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 62
- ISBNs
- 92
- Languages
- 3
