David Dalglish currently lives in rural Missouri with his wife Samantha, daughter Morgan, and dog Asimov. He graduated from Missouri Southern State University in 2006 and currently devotes himself to perfecting his craft. He spends his free time playing racquetball and watching PBS with his daughter.

Website: http://ddalglish.com

https://www.createspace.com/3431019

anthology    apocalylpse    assassin    assassins    creature    dagger    dalglish    dance of cloaks    daniel arenson    dark fantasty    dark fantasy    david dalglish    david mcafee    dungeons and dragons    elf    elves    end of the world    epic fantasy    fantasy    fantasy adventure    fantasy adventure swords sorcery    fantasy battle    fantasy magic    fantasy series    haern    halforc    halforcs    horror    magic    monster    necromancy    orc    orcs    paladin    paladins    redemption    salvatore    shadowdance    short stories    sword and sorcery    thief    thieves    underworld    volcano    watcher    wizards   

• The Resurrection of Deacon Shader on April 13, 2010
  
  The Resurrection of Deacon Shader is a novel of gradually enlarging scope, so that while the beginning may stumble and stutter, nearing its end I was beyond impressed. Themes of Christianity are interwoven throughout, and conflicting with the ideals, desires, traditions, and actions of the many main characters. Deacon himself is often immature. He struggles with his desire for sex and his vow for abstinence, as well as his ability to kill while seeking a non-violent way of life. Far more important to me, though, was the story. What starts out as an isolated series of events taking place in a single town slowly expands into entire nations, alternate worlds, the history of time, and heaven itself. I cannot help but be reminded of Stephen King's The Dark Tower series, not just in the interweaving of time epochs and worlds but also in the author's sheer fearlessness. Under no circumstances was I able to predict the next chapter, let alone the end of the book, and for that alone I would recommend it. Still, the book is not perfect. The book ends with a clear and obvious need for a sequel, and opens far too many questions to have a satisfying feel. The beginning is exceptionally rough compared to the later portions. It wasn't until about 20% in that everything settled down, the characters were in place, and the story finally kicked into high gear. Flashbacks can be confusing, especially in earlier portions where the story is still searching for firm ground. There's a few errors sprinkled throughout, like missing quotation marks and erroneous use of commas, but for the most part they never rise above nuisance level. Early on, there is a scene where the author tells of the destruction of the old world by the unleashing of dreams. Prior to this, my optimism for the book was low. After a vision of dragons thrashing planes, buildings toppling to creatures of nightmares, and whole civilizations falling in the span of days, my whole outlook changed. No matter the flaws, a fascinating story of enormous potential awaited, and that taste kept me going. By the time heaven was under assault by demons and the villain had revealed his intentions of unmaking all of existence, there was no stopping my turning of the pages.