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Waters of
Darkness
by
David C. Smith
and Joe Bonadonna
Cover by Dawne
Dominique
“One of the better New Pulp titles is,
interestingly, a novel whose authors represent both the mid-Twentieth-Century
and the New-Millennial pulp eras. This novel, Waters of Darkness, is collaboration
between David C. Smith, one of the best authors to emerge during the 1970s
pulp-paperback explosion, and Joe Bonadonna, one of the best writers to emerge
in the New Pulp era. Waters of Darkness proceeds smartly . . . and as the
horror grows ever grimmer and more triumphant the plot takes several surprising
twists and turns. But even their final, unexpected journey through a remote
jungle of South Africa may not save the few surviving pirates . . . If you’re looking for superior swashbuckling
pirate adventure in the mode of Captain Blood, Black Terence Vulmea, and Queen of the Black Coast, you’ll find
Smith and Bonadonna’s Waters of Darkness
to be just the red meat and heady rum you’re craving.” — Cynthia Ward, Amazing Stories Magazine.
The time is circa 1640 AD.
The main character is Angus “Bloody Red”
Buchanan, a pirate of the West Indies who sails east across the Atlantic, to
the Indian Ocean and the island of Madagascar, in search of new plunder and
loot. With him on his Spanish galleon, the Raven, is his first mate and closest
friend, Mose Cooper, an educated runaway slave from the American colony of
Louisiana. Sailing alongside them aboard her own ship, the Witch of the Indies,
is Buchanan’s partner and the love of his life, Katherine O’Toole, also known
as Crimson Kate.
During their voyage they encounter the
Servants of Dagon on the Isle of Shadow, an ancient ship of zombie sailors, do
battle with French, Dutch and Arab corsairs, and tangle with a 1000 year-old
Persian sorcerer who serves the aforementioned Philistine god of the sea.
Man-eating phantoms, a beautiful demoness, assorted devils, dinosaurs, and
creatures from the bowels of Hell will all threaten Buchanan, Kate and Cooper
before their tale is done and told. There’s plenty of action, romance,
betrayal, humor, drama and tragedy on this venture. There’s plenty of sword
play, sorcery and battles at sea as Buchanan and company wade hip-deep in blood
and brine towards a final confrontation with the Undying Wizard.
This is high seas adventure in the
tradition of Rafael Sabatini. This is an Errol Flynn pirate movie crossed with
Robert E. Howard, with a little H.P. Lovecraft, and Conan Doyle’s The Lost World to spice up the rum. All
you need is a Wolfgang Korngold film score. So climb aboard as Bloody Red
Buchanan, Big Mose Cooper, and Crimson Kate set sail upon Waters of Darkness, an old-fashioned pirate fantasy of swords,
sorcery, and the supernatural.
Waters of Darkness is published by
Damnation Books/Caliburn Press, and is available worldwide in paperback, Kindle
and Nook editions
You can read Cynthia Ward’s review in its
entirety at Amazing Stories, online: http://amazingstoriesmag.com/2013/06/if-youre-fond-of-sea-fights-and-demon-lairs-a-review-of-waters-of-darkness-by-david-c-smith-and-joe-bonadonna/
#swordandsorcery #heroicfantasy #pirateadventure #supernatural
#occult #horror
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