Synopsis

It is the duty of the Vanguard to protect the world from unseen demonic forces.

But what if the organization falls to corruption? Their reformation is up to Cato, a disgraced former member who discovers many of the elite using their powerful positions and martial skills for ill-gotten gains rather than fulfilling their true purpose: aiding mankind in a secret war against their eternal foe.

Aldous is a Vanguard who fell from grace after being stricken with vampirism by a mysterious figure known as the White Lady. His increasingly vile appetites are tolerated because his knowledge as an alchemist is vital in the Vanguard’s battle against the demons. When those desires lead to the abduction of the woman Cato loves, Cato wages a one-man war against Aldous and his werewolf henchman.

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Praise

“While This World of Love and Strife will reach horror audiences, it also should be included in fantasy and thriller library collections as a strong example of the strengths that can emerge from a story that embraces different genres with powerful characters and scenarios that are unpredictable and engrossing.- D. Donovan, Midwest Book Review

“The thrills build and build and never let up. The characters feel like real people. Even the vampires and werewolf! Best of all was the protagonist. He starts as kind of an eccentric and a bit of a jerk, but by the end I couldn’t get enough of him. I highly recommend this book for people who don’t mind horror with a heaping dose of action.”- John Martin, Amazon

Guest Review by Nora

This book really intrigued me and kept me guessing! ‘This World of Love and Strife,’ by Shawn Mackey is a one-of-a-kind novel that takes all of the best elements of horror and combines them with a thriller.

The fictional world of Lumina City is such a powerful and vivid atmosphere that, as I was reading, I kept forgetting that it wasn’t a real place—despite the fact that it’s full of demons, vampires and werewolves, of course.

What a world that Mackey has created, and what an interesting plot to set these characters into! The story centers around Cato, a former member of an organization responsible for expelling demons. The organization is called the Vangaurd, and they have members in high political positions all over the world. The Vangaurd’s job is to stop demons from getting into people’s head and controlling their thoughts.

Cato left the organization after a civil war split them apart, and went into hiding, but he still has a bounty on his head from the Vangaurd. Which makes things difficult, because Cato has just received a vision from a disembodied voice that convinced him that humanity is in grave danger.

Further complicating things is the fact that the woman that Cato loves has recently been captured by a vampire. The vampire is another former Vanguard member named Aldous whom Cato has a personal vendetta against.

This book is a wild ride and one that has to be read to be believed. Mackey’s writing is superb and his grasp of plotting is everything a reader could want in a horror novel.

The different character perspectives kept the story fresh and provided a lot of insight into the story that might have otherwise been lost with something so ambitious. This is an incredible five star book in what might seem like an unassuming package. Don’t miss this one!

Excerpt

Maggie went inside, suppressing the urge to run up the stairs, her limbs jittering in anxiety. She stopped at the top floor, bracing for something terrible. Nancy was dead, and if her intuition proved true, Cato wouldn’t survive the night. She continued down the hall, dreading each step. At Cato’s door, she was about to knock, then reached for the knob instead. It was locked.

“Cato,” she said quietly, rapping her knuckles against the door. “It’s me, Maggie. Can you open up?”

After waiting a few minutes, she called his cell phone to see if he was actually home. From the other side of the door, she heard it vibrate against the hardwood floor.

“Hello?” he answered, so low she could only hear him over the phone.

“Open the door, Cato. I’m outside.”

Within a minute, he unlocked the door. Maggie waited for him to open up. A few seconds later, she heard a loud thump, prompting her to barrel inside the room. Cato lay in a heap, pale and trembling. She closed the door, locking it behind her, and then ran to his side.

“What happened?” she asked, feeling his forehead. It was cold.

“I saw it,” he mumbled. She grabbed him by the face and got in close.

“Open your eyes. Look at me!”

“Maggie?” he said, blinking heavily. He shot upward with a gag. She helped him to the toilet, where he continued to wretch, but didn’t vomit.

“Tell me what happened. What did you see? Was it Nancy?”

“Everyone,” he said. When he didn’t elaborate, she shook him.

“Come on, damn it!”

“You have no idea how dire things are. We’re all fucked.”

“Cato,” she screamed, shaking him harder. She slapped him lightly across the cheek. “Snap out of it.”

“How can I begin to explain it to you? You wouldn’t even believe me.”

“Say it in your own words. I’ll figure the rest out.”

“You were a nurse, right?” he asked with a grunt, leaning against the bathroom wall. She noticed a gash on his forehead.

“Almost. A nurse’s aide,” she said, looking through his medicine cabinet. It was filled with empty bottles of unlabeled pills. She tossed them one by one into the garbage, searching for disinfectant.

“You understand how prevalent bacteria are.”

“You certainly don’t. I found bandages. Got rubbing alcohol?”

“Not anymore.”

“Then this will have to do,” she said, sticking a bandage on his wounded head after a light wash with soap and water. It wasn’t very deep. “What about bacteria?”

“Evil seeps into this world as pervasively as bacteria. Like diseases, it takes on forms—”

“What are you babbling about?”

“I thought you wanted to listen?” he snapped. She lapsed into silence, and he continued: “As nurse, you’ve got plenty of protocols to adhere in order to prevent bacterial infections. The same goes for evil, only the procedures are much more difficult. It takes more than surgical gloves and disinfectant to stop Nergal. Plentiful food won’t save you from Pazuzu and frugality isn’t enough to fend off Mammon. These demons, billions of them, maybe trillions, are more pervasive than bacteria. Their influence can’t be understated. They squash human will to such a degree, I doubt we’re any more than golems for these creatures. I can’t even trust my own thoughts.”

“These creatures,” Maggie said, feigning calm. She was aghast by the nonsense he spewed, but the concern for him trumped it enough to humor him. “You call them creatures. Can you see them?”

“They manifest all over the world. I’ve killed some before. So has Reggie, unless he lied.”

“Reggie never told me about this.”

“He hasn’t seen what I’ve seen.”

“Explain.”

“I saw Hell,” he said, then after a long pause: “Human souls cling to the bottom like dead insects, and the ones with the courage to escape are battered down by a legion of demons. It’s going on right now and will continue for all eternity. I’ll never know a moment of peace ever again.”

“It sounds horrible. Do you remember what happened before this?”

“No.”

“I saw an ambulance and police cars at Nancy’s apartment. Do you know anything about it?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“The only thing I’m sure of is what I saw, and what I’m going to do from here on. There’s a spiritual sickness that needs curing. I won’t let my soul stay bound. I’m going to destroy Hell.”

“That’s a—” she started, but didn’t know how to finish. Cato closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall. “Cato, are you okay?”

“No.”

“What can I do for you?”

“Save yourself. Don’t trust me to do it for you.”

“How?”

“To start, stop viewing things through the eyes of the world. Someone told me that a long time ago, and I didn’t listen. I’ll never do that again.”

“Who?” she asked. He covered his face with his hands and let out a groan. There was a sad tinge to it. Maggie considered probing further, but it was best not to agitate him. Nothing good ever came from questioning Cato’s past. She crawled forward and caressed his head. “Let’s go to sleep.”

“That’s a good idea,” Cato said, standing. He nearly stumbled into Maggie. She helped support him to his bed, tucking the blanket in and pulling it over him, then laying by his side.

“Will you tell me about Nancy in the morning?” she asked. He nestled his head on her shoulder and muttered something incoherent. Rather than ask him to clarify, Maggie closed her eyes. She was exhausted, and rather than linger in this maddening night, closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.

About the Author

Living in New Jersey for all his life, Shawn Mackey has been writing since childhood. Though his favorite genre is horror, he has a deep appreciation for fantasy influenced by mythology and science fiction that questions the modern world and its future.

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Giveaway

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This giveaway ends on July 23, 2022 midnight, pacific time.

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