Book Review – Rise Of The Darkness – Horror Addicts

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Mind Fog Review

The Chosen” by C. A. Milson

If you “believe” or whether you “enjoy” reading about demons, gathering of souls and the like “The Chosen” by C. A. Milson covers them in this tale of horror. Almost all the vices of man are included such as sex, smoking, drinking, murder and mayhem and the like. It even includes the “proverbial” religious connotations in whether the characters believe in “God” and his protection or demons and their villainous ways. There is so much going on in this novel that you must read it carefully and with an open mind.

The energy of the author is reflected very well in this tome. One could say that you would be on the edge of your seat waiting for the next melee to happen. Powers of energy from the author and the characters will keep you reading until the end.

*** 3 Stars
Anastasia Cassella-Young, Reviewer
Mind Fog Reviews

Review of Rise Of The Darkness by The Written Universe

Courtesy of The Written Universe. The original post can be found here.

The Chosen – Rise of the Darkness
by
CA Milson

Available through Amazon in hardcover or paperback.

In a nutshell: if you like stories where battles are waged between man and forces of the darker regions, then this book is for you.

CA Milson has crafted a well-paced story of man versus demonic forces, both intent on winning the day.

Our main characters are all paranormalists of some stripe, some really into the game and others with motives less than pure.

It all starts when Alex attends a seminar where fellow paranormal investigators are going to speak. We are introduced to Usher, a Cherokee Indian who has a gift for sensing the supernatural and Drake Winters, the All-American Boy who has taken to paranormal research.
Another personality in the paranormal world is discussed in the seminar, one Jamiesonn, who back in the 1700s established a cult and literally indulged in human sacrifice and all manner of atrocities until local townspeople where he lived put him to death in a variety of ways – yes, you read that right, ways…he pulled a Rasputin and just wouldn’t die and ended up literally disappearing before the crowds eyes…dead or not? You decide.
During the discussion at the seminar, it is posited that Jamiesonn survived and is merely biding his time to come back and take up his evil ways.
Drake declares he will be the one to send Jamiesonn to another plane of existence, but Alex doesn’t believe he can.

Drake and Alex form an uneasy alliance, neither one really trusting the other, and set out to find Jamiesonn and stop him. Before they can, an apparition appears and warns them off – and then the fun starts.

Demonic forces begin to run rampant…visions are seen and heard, death prevails, people are taken over by demons…blood runs.
Yet there is another force at work here in the form of a scroll that was found in some Mayan ruins which tells of the destruction of the greatest civilizations in history. The scroll contains the name of The One who will end the strife and preserve mankind.

It is from this point that Milson takes us on a frenetic ride of demons running amuck, forces of good opposing forces of evil, and Alex’s journey into the midst of this maelstrom.

Ultimately this is a story of good versus evil, playing out their epic battles in the midst of mankind who is usually woefully inept at handling a crisis like this.
Milson pens a story revealing how we as humans are sometimes asked to do some things we don’t think we can do to go towards the greater good.

My only complaint is there were a few set pieces in the book where I would have liked to see more detail. Don’t get me wrong, you get enough to know what’s happening, but I could see some places where Milson could have stood to add a little meat to his stew.

Milson says Stephen King is an inspiration and I have to admit there were times when I did notice the writing did bring to mind the style of a younger SK.

Take note – the story will continue in Bloodline of Darkness.
For more information on the sequel visit:

http://bloodlineofdarkness.info
For more information on CA Milson, visit: http://www.authorcamilson.com/

BookBanter Review

THE CHOSEN – RISE OF THE DARKNESS BY C. A. MILSON: Set in Australia, The Chosen – Rise of the Darkness is a story that can be told anywhere, in any country, on any planet, but it is a story that we are all familiar with; one of the war between good and evil, in a battle of power, might and magic, and the inevitable question of who will triumph?  In the small town of Winmont, the Ancient Legion has been awoken and will stop at nothing in its effort to destroy everything.  But in the balance of life and the world, there must be a good to fight the evil.  Alex Manning is The One – though he of course doesn’t know this at first – but in a world where the supernatural is an everyday existence that, if not respected, can take you life within a breath, he is the only one to stop this evil.  In this world knowledge is power: knowledge of the ways of the paranormal and how to fight them.  The question is whether the young Alex Manning will be up to the task of stopping the Dark Forces?

Milson’s style is a little unusual with head jumping and throwing the reader full into the story, providing little history or back story, but this kind of works for the story being told.  And while terms like “Dark Ones,” “The One,” and “The Elders” are cliché for a horror novel, Milson nevertheless has his own story to tell set in a world that is terrifying and threatening, where you just want to make sure you stay on the side of good, as those who are evil and twisted are beings you don’t ever want to meet.

Many thanks to Alex of BookBanter for the recent review.

THE CHOSEN – RISE OF THE DARKNESS BY C. A. MILSON:

Set in Australia, The Chosen – Rise of the Darkness is a story that can be told anywhere, in any country, on any planet, but it is a story that we are all familiar with; one of the war between good and evil, in a battle of power, might and magic, and the inevitable question of who will triumph?  In the small town of Winmont, the Ancient Legion has been awoken and will stop at nothing in its effort to destroy everything.  But in the balance of life and the world, there must be a good to fight the evil.  Alex Manning is The One – though he of course doesn’t know this at first – but in a world where the supernatural is an everyday existence that, if not respected, can take you life within a breath, he is the only one to stop this evil.  In this world knowledge is power: knowledge of the ways of the paranormal and how to fight them.  The question is whether the young Alex Manning will be up to the task of stopping the Dark Forces?

Milson’s style is a little unusual with head jumping and throwing the reader full into the story, providing little history or back story, but this kind of works for the story being told.  And while terms like “Dark Ones,” “The One,” and “The Elders” are cliché for a horror novel, Milson nevertheless has his own story to tell set in a world that is terrifying and threatening, where you just want to make sure you stay on the side of good, as those who are evil and twisted are beings you don’t ever want to meet.

Read the review on BookBanter

Book Review by Grammar Chic

The Chosen: Rise of the Darkness.

C.A. Milson.

Australia:  May 2009
304 pp.

Review by Amanda E. Clark, Editor-in-Chief, Grammar Chic, Inc.

Author C.A. Milson explores the line between good and evil in the new, thrilling page turner, The Chosen: Rise of the Darkness and introduces the reader into a terrifying world that will have you guessing until the very end. In his latest piece of work, Milson tells the story of Alex Manning, a man who finds himself entertaining a strange fascination with a powerful demon by the name of Jamiesonn and the town that will fall victim to the peril of this devil if someone doesn’t intervene. What Alex doesn’t know is that his draw to investigate this evil source of power is because he is being called by his destiny to stop the takeover of the world by warring factions of the underworld.

The story begins by introducing us to Alex as he is on his way to a supernatural society meeting where he is instantly intrigued by the story of the evil demon Jamiesonn. Approaching researcher Drake Winters, he asks to be involved in banishing the demon from the Earth. What Alex doesn’t understand is his involvement a siren song to his destiny as opposed to following a personal death wish. Alex learns of “The One,” a man foretold by the ancients who will walk the Earth and banish evil forces into hell to protect mankind. Unfortunately, the war that is brewing does not only involve Jamiesonn, but other evil beings that are locked into a power play against each other and against humanity. What Alex must decide is how to get rid of these competing beacons of evil before they find a way to get rid of him.

This is a wickedly entertaining read that starts with action from the first page and leaves you breathless until the very end. The fate of the future of humanity lies in Alex’s hands and Milson does an incredible job of developing characters and setting the stage. The book transitions from back and forth between various storylines, but does so in such a smooth manner that the reader is curious about all the angles of all the characters, regardless of good or evil.

Readers who enjoy Stephen King and Dean Koontz will appreciate the voice that Milson invokes in his tale. A delicious combination of fantasy and horror, The Chosen: Rise of the Darkness is at times full of blood and gore but also has the attributes of the spiritual and ultimately epic quest of a hero who is destined to become who he is meant to be. The classic struggle of the main character evokes the spirit of Tolkien and Katherine Kurtz as Alex Manning pursues his quest to become The One and save humanity from its destruction at the hands of villainous forces. Milson is an excellent study in not giving his main character an easy out or an abundance of accessible choices at his fingertips. The reader constantly wonders if inevitably Alex is going to be forced to make a deal with one of the forces of darkness that would be the lesser of two evils. On top of dealing with forces bigger than Heaven and Hell, Alex has to deal with treachery amongst his own. The book has the reader constantly looking over their shoulder, not sure who to trust.

The Chosen: Rise of the Darkness is a thrill ride from start to finish. Author C.A. Milson is a colorful writer with much imagination. Milson has done a great job of creating himself as a certifiable expert in the horror and fantasy genre. He speaks with the same tantalizing words that authors like King and Michael McDowell utilize, leaving a reader sitting on the edge of their seat or hiding under their covers. Milson is a fabulous example of what horror writing should be through his creative use of light versus dark, good versus evil and in the end will leave you guessing who is going to win. While some scenes are violent and bloody, there is balance through character development and the use of flashback in each of the individual stories to give the characters identity and personality.

The Chosen: Rise of the Darkness is the third book out in print by C.A. Milson. He is the author of other books in The Chosen series as well as the author of 26 short stories. Milson is fan of H.P. Lovecraft and found himself a home in the horror genre as a writer in 1989. Milson was born in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and has resided in the United States and New Zealand. He currently calls Russia his home as he creates and prepares his next novel.

Amanda Clark (Grammar Chic)

Princess Neve Reviews

Friday, January 30, 2009

Here is my preview.
The Chosen by C.A.MILSON

Preview:
From the first page of the book; it took my breath away and I am totally hooked.  Starting from Alex’s vision; the action is so straight to the point and hit’s the imagination. Not boring prolog that we never understands even if we read the whole book but a beginning to pull you inside the book.

The Chosen is a thrill ride from the first drop of ink.

Now how to turn a nervous person dealing with his own issues into a Hero?
This is what I am going to now after finishing the whole book.

Thanks to C.A.Milson for letting me reviewing his novel.

Princess Neve Reviews

FMAM Review

THE FMAM MOSTLY MYSTERY REVIEW is the place to come to find out what to read next.

Review by Cynthia Lea Clark, Psy.D., MHt

The Chosen
C.A. Milson
Amira Press
July 2008
$12.99, 204 pages
ISBN: 13-978-1934475815

Alex’s anxiety kept him from enjoying the seminar. But was it just anxiety or the three visions? By the third vision (which were all the same), Alex knew something was brewing, something terrible, something evil. The seminar, conducted by three gentlemen discussed entities and violence. When Alex looked at the one he felt most looked Native American, he grew icy cold. It unnerved him. Alex began to feel a presence stronger and stronger, yet as he scanned the crowd, no one else seemed to feel or sense it.

Drake one of the lecturers had told the attendees of the evil doings of Jamiesonn and his brush with the entity. But Alex saw it in a vision. He also saw the entity in the bar after the seminar. Why did it let Drake live? Why was it haunting Alex? What did it want? D

Drake gave Alex the report on Jamiesonn which led to more questions. Who is the One, Jamiesonn refers to?

Then in the city of Winmont the ritualistic killings begin. THE CHOSEN is a book about good and evil and friendships and betrayals. It is a supernatural jaunt through trust, learning, and growth. But things are not as they seem…to finad out why, read THE CHOSEN. CA Milson has crafted a story that bridges both the mysterious and the horror in a supernatural thriller.

On a scale of 1 to 5, I give it a 4.8.

Review by Jacquie ~ Calliope’s Coffee House

Review by Jacquie ~ Calliope’s Coffee House

ISBN: 978-1934475812
Publisher: Amira Press
Copyright © July 2008, C. A. Milson
Cover art by Mariya Krusheva © July 2008
Author Website: C A Milson
204 Pages, Paperback, Ebook
Genre: Horror, Supernatural

Visions, illusions, supernatural visitations, demons, angels… if that is what you want to read about, then this debut novel by C. A. Milson is packed to the page edges with them.

Alex Manning is seeing things, particularly malevolent things; the human race is under threat from demons who will enslave us all. There is something special about Alex and unfortunately the evil entities know it and decide to take steps. “The Chosen” is the story of his search for a way to fight for mankind’s deliverance from evil, and to keep from getting killed in the process.

The book is classed as supernatural/horror and it lives up to its genre. Initially I thought “I’ve been here before”, it was familiar and gave me that feeling of “I know what’s going to happen next”.

In my opinion the plot has elements of “The Second Coming” and “The Book of Revelations”. That and the author’s style put me in mind of some early Graham Masterton and Guy N. Smith novels. There is blood, possession, demons, sex, and of course there is also the one who must put his life and soul on the line.

A couple of chapters in though and the familiarity receded. The story took on a life of its own, and carried me right along with it. I was as unsure as Alex whether the visions were visitations or illusions or precognition. I was kept on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next and if anyone was going to come out of this unscathed.

I really did enjoy this story. The only downside I have is that it was too short. Please, next one, make it a bit longer!

Visit C. A. Milson’s blog where there is a chance to win an autographed copy of “The Chosen” click here