Polyphemus

Zachary Ashford, Darklit Press

$30

Paperback

In stock
Ready to ship

QTY:

English

01 September 2023

When lead vocalist of Polyphemus Stephen Oaks’s near-fatal on-stage overdose leaves them under pressure from their label, the band’s remaining members must find a new vocalist, pick up the pieces and forge on without him.

Unfortunately, he’s fresh from rehab and desperate to reunite with his old band, In fact, he’s so desperate that he’ll bargain with dark forces and sacrifice everything – and anyone!

After the final encore is played and the house lights come down, there is no telling who will remain or who they’ll be in allegiance to. For Polyphemus, obsession costs far more than mere murder.

"A blood-soaked tale of compulsion and agony."

-Aron Beauregard, Splatterpunk Award-winning author of Beyond Reform and Playground

“This book is one hell of a ride. Ashford writes as easily about friendship, jamming, and obsession as he does about Faustian deals gone wrong and gore. His voice is assured and accessible, drawing you in; before you know it, you’re three hours past midnight and two hundred pages in. Polyphemus is tragic, compulsive, and wonderfully laced with allusions to Greek myth and death metal. I swear you can hear the screaming vocals and thudding bass while you read. Highly recommended.”

-Geneve Flynn, Bram Stoker and Shirley Jackson Award-winning author, editor, and poet

A dark foray into a blackened world where Ashford drags the reader in one direction, fully knowing the horrors that await in all directions. Polyphemus is uncomfortable, compelling and perfectly depraved.

-Steve Stred, Splatterpunk-Nominated author of Sacrament and Mastodon

“This book is a swirling maelstrom of culty, cosmic darkness, wrapped in a smokey haze of crushing death metal and I loved every bloody second of it.”

-Kev Harrison, author of The Balance and Below

"Polyphemus is a robust tale of addiction, masculinity, demons, and heavy metal. A big and brutal horror novel. Read it."

-Mike Thorn, author of Shelter for the Damned and Darkest Hours

"I devoured this book in a matter of hours. I was hooked by the depiction of death metal so authentic that I could HEAR the riffs! The deeply psychological and unflinchingly bleak portrayal of demonic influence and avarice was a wonderful train wreck to behold. One of the best books of the year!"

-Valkyrie Loughcrewe, author of Crom Cruach

“An unflinching odyssey into the abyss, where the seasons change but the ambitions, vices, and weaknesses of doomed humans don’t. Zachary steps up his damnation game and impales decorum on the twinned horns of hallucinatory horror and heavy metal with the demented glee of a diehard fan. Crank Polyphemus to eleven and count yourself lucky if you make it out of the pit in one piece.”

– Matthew R. Davis, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author of Midnight in the Chapel of Love and The Dark Matter of Natasha

“Polyphemus is a dark deliverance into a world of death metal, Faustian deals and the cost of fame.”

-Leanbh Pearson author of Bluebells

“Aggressive. Throaty. Distorted. Let the screaming begin.

Zachary Ashford’s POLYPHEMUS employs metal music as the very blood running through these pages. From the opening riffs to the twisted fade out on the last page. Every chapter hits harder than the last, the rhythm pounding in our ears, as we watch old friends come back together; some fighting their demons, while others embrace them. Ashford’s mastery of language rivals great lyrical composers while creating characters that will live on with us long after they leave the stage.

I sorely need an encore.”

-James Sabata, award-winning screenwriter, podcaster, and author of Fat Camp.

"A darkly realized heavy metal nightmare that takes an unflinching look at the cost of fame and the lengths the worst- and best- among us will go to achieve and maintain it. For anyone who's spent time in 'the scene,' the real horror may not come from the Mephistophelean elements but how well Ashford has captured the psychology of the banality of a very particular type of evil endemic to the entertainment world."

-Preston Fassel, IPPY Award Winning Author of Our Lady of the Inferno and Beasts of 42nd Street

By: Zachary Ashford, Darklit Press
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 19mm
Weight: 485g
ISBN: 9781738705474
ISBN 10: 1738705471
Publication Date: 01 September 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Reviews for Polyphemus

"This book is one hell of a ride. Ashford writes as easily about friendship, jamming, and obsession as he does about Faustian deals gone wrong and gore. His voice is assured and accessible, drawing you in; before you know it, you're three hours past midnight and two hundred pages in. Polyphemus is tragic, compulsive, and wonderfully laced with allusions to Greek myth and death metal. I swear you can hear the screaming vocals and thudding bass while you read. Highly recommended. -Geneve Flynn, Bram Stoker and Shirley Jackson Award-winning author, editor, and poet. ""A blood-soaked tale of compulsion and agony.""-Aron Beauregard, Splatterpunk Award-winning author of Beyond Reform and Playground A dark foray into a blackened world where Ashford drags the reader in one direction, fully knowing the horrors that await in all directions. POLYPHEMUS is uncomfortable, compelling and perfectly depraved.-Steve Stred, Splatterpunk-Nominated author of Sacrament and Mastodon ""This book is a swirling maelstrom of culty, cosmic darkness, wrapped in a smokey haze of crushing death metal and I loved every bloody second of it.""-Kev Harrison, author of The Balance and Below ""Polyphemus is a robust tale of addiction, masculinity, demons, and heavy metal. A big and brutal horror novel. Read it.""-Mike Thorn, author of Shelter for the Damned and Darkest Hours ""I devoured this book in a matter of hours. I was hooked by the depiction of death metal so authentic that I could HEAR the riffs! The deeply psychological and unflinchingly bleak portrayal of demonic influence and avarice was a wonderful train wreck to behold. One of the best books of the year!""-Valkyrie Loughcrewe, author of Crom Cruach ""An unflinching odyssey into the abyss, where the seasons change but the ambitions, vices, and weaknesses of doomed humans don't. Zachary steps up his damnation game and impales decorum on the twinned horns of hallucinatory horror and heavy metal with the demented glee of a diehard fan. Crank Polyphemus to eleven and count yourself lucky if you make it out of the pit in one piece."" - Matthew R. Davis, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author of Midnight in the Chapel of Love and The Dark Matter of Natasha ""Polyphemus is a dark deliverance into a world of death metal, Faustian deals and the cost of fame."" -Leanbh Pearson author of Bluebells ""Aggressive. Throaty. Distorted. Let the screaming begin. Zachary Ashford's POLYPHEMUS employs metal music as the very blood running through these pages. From the opening riffs to the twisted fade out on the last page. Every chapter hits harder than the last, the rhythm pounding in our ears, as we watch old friends come back togethe"