Carrion by Graeme Cumming

Val Penny ♦ November 14, 2020 ♦ Leave a comment

It is my great pleasure to join the blog tour run by Love Book Tours @lovebooksgroup #lovebookstours for the new novel, Carrion by Graeme Cumming @GraemeCumming63

The Blurb

CHOOSE YOUR WORDS CAREFULLY. WORDS HAVE POWER.

A sheet of black filled his vision as hundreds of birds dived at the cottage, pointed beaks thrust forward. From this angle, he couldn’t see many of them striking it, but the few he did see held nothing back as they hammered into the shutter. The scale of the attack was beyond anything he’d seen or heard of. And bloodied casualties littered the ground: skulls shattered, wings broken, innards spilling from them. The fact that so many of them continued with the onslaught in spite of this filled him with even more dread.

Salin has always wanted an adventure and, when the opportunity presents itself, he grabs it with both hands, taking his friends along for the ride – whether they want to or not.

With strange lands come strange creatures that stand between them and their goal. And that goal is the same for someone else, a man who believes the prize is worth every sacrifice – especially when the sacrifices are made by others.

The future is about to change. But who for?

The Excerpt

Prologue

His master’s current home was large and undoubtedly comfortable, but the messenger knew his place: outside, huddled in the cold night air. He took shelter in the nearby wood, using a tree trunk as a windbreak while he waited patiently.

There was no indication anyone lived here. The rocky outcrop was less than thirty feet from the edge of the wood, so trees shielded it from the view of anyone passing by. Even if someone ventured closer, all they’d see would be a large hollow forming a cave in the rock face. The entrance to the chamber his master used could only be found if you stepped into the cave and felt around the shadowy edges of the right-hand wall.    

The messenger had never been inside. He was only a servant and expected to be treated accordingly. A vital tool, he would be maintained to keep him sharp – fed, watered, rested – but not pandered to in any way.

Of course, any stranger who happened along would almost certainly be distracted from the cave by the hulking creature slumbering just outside. Through the trees, it might go unnoticed, its colouring blending well with the surrounding greenery. But this close it’d be hard to miss.

Even though he knew his master needed the information he carried, and that the beast was under his master’s control, the messenger still felt apprehensive in its presence. Its stillness was unnerving, and its sudden appearance offered no comfort at all. The master kept a string of horses ready for the journey that lay ahead of him, but they’d moved as far from the animal as their tethers allowed. The messenger preferred to keep his distance as well.  

Overhead, dark clouds were gathering. A storm could be on its way. The messenger took no notice. If it rained, he would use the overhanging leaves for shelter. His overriding objective was to be there when his master returned, and he’d remain in place as long as necessary.

Dusk drifted into darkness. The clouds passed, and the messenger spent the night cold, but dry.

The Author

Graeme Cumming lives in Robin Hood country, and has spent most of his life immersed in fiction – books, TV, movies – turning to writing his own during his early teens.  

With his interests in story-telling sparked by an excessive amount of time sitting in front of a black and white television, his tastes are varied.  Influences ranged from the Irwin Allen shows (Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, etc.) to ITC series (The Saint, The Champions, Randall and Hopkirk (deceased) and so many more), so the common theme was action and adventure, but crossed into territories including horror, fantasy and science fiction as well as crime and espionage.

 This diverse interest in fiction continued with his reading and his discovery of the magical world of cinema.  As a result, his stories don’t always fall into a specific genre, but will always maintain the style of a thriller. 

When not writing, Graeme is an enthusiastic sailor (and, by default, swimmer), and enjoys off-road cycling and walking.  He is currently Education Director at Sheffield Speakers Club.  Oh yes, and he reads (a lot) and loves the cinema.

Buy Link  –https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08774Y72T/?ref=exp_kellysloveofbooks_dp_vv_d