Descendant: An Occult Novel of the Liber Monstrorum

Just in time for the End of the World —

Descendant: An Occult Novel of the Liber Monstrorum

Descendant is a supernatural thriller filled with daring action, adventure, and artifice set against the backdrop of a very familiar world – but it is a world in which preternatural entities, clandestine magical orders, ancient bloodlines, and unholy alliances converge within the shadowed recesses of our darkest imaginings. Federal Agents Selina Wolfe and Martin Crowe are called in to investigate a series of bizarre deaths in a small rural community. What first seems to be a misadventure involving black magic and satanic ritual soon takes on even more deleterious overtones, as the agents become embroiled in a plot by a sinister cabal intent on unleashing Hell on Earth.

“Descendant is like the bastard lovechild of The X-Files,
H.P. Lovecraft, and Doctor Strange;
and I mean that in the most loving way possible.”
– Erik Smith, The Monster Librarian

“Descendant is up there at the top my favourite paranormal
investigation novels… the depth of occult knowldege
that has been intertwined into the story is vast.”
– Jim McLeod, Ginger Nuts of Horror

“Between ancient bloodlines, unholy alliances and
magical orders of great power, Freeman’s knowledge
of dark magic and its history shows throughout every page.”
– Rodney Carlstrom, The Sci Fi Guys Book Review

Available now via Createspace for only $9.99.

Coming soon to Amazon and Amazon Kindle.

Watch for the release of Shadows Over Somerset
and Keepers of the Dead in early 2013

The streets of Converse run red with blood

Descendant by Bob Freeman – $14.99

Finally, the big day has arrived – you can now put orders in through the Belfire Press website, or by using the CreateSpace site. Word is that Amazon.com will be updated within the next fifteen days (though Jodi says it usually only takes a day or two) and other sources will undoubtedly follow soon after!

Purchase from Belfire

Purchase direct from CreateSpace

UPDATED 8/24/10: Now you can purchase Descendant from Amazon

An Unimaginable Horror Stalks the Hoosier Heartland

Work up this morning to find this waiting on me. Let me tell ya, every day should begin so awesomely. Rhiannon did a fantastic job putting this together. To say that I’m pleased is an understatement…

But  it only gets better.

I’m excited to announce that Belfire Press has moved the release date for DESCENDANT up a full week… which means its official launch is — tomorrow, August 21. This news also means that today, August 20th is the last day for pre-orders and the last day to snag that nifty little FREE SHIPPING promotion (enter code FRI13 at checkout)

Head on over to Belfire Press and place your order now, or for those of you addicted to amazon, you can wait a week to snag it from their hallowed halls. Wait a week? Are you kidding me? Who can stand that kind of suspense?

More on Descendant

“True Magick has meaning, holds power and can be felt… If this is your first taste of Bob (Freeman)’s brew, prepare to be hooked. Knowledgeable beyond my vaguest hoping in such lore, he’s never dull. Bob tells a story that draws one in to accept this reality…” ~Steven L. Shrewsbury, author of Stronger Than Death

Descendant: A Wolfe & Crowe Investigation is an occult detective novel —  a supernatural thriller if you will. Coupled with a selection of short stories from the now defunct collection That Olde Black Magick, Descendant is rooted in a lifetime of serious study of the occult sciences, married with my fascination with dark fantasy and the horror films of my youth. Oddly enough, much of this novel is loosely (very loosely) based on real events, carefully refined and knitted into this body of fiction.

It is available for pre-order from the good folks at Belfire Press. That they have been an absolute joy to work with should be writ on banners and strung from the rafters. Jodi Lee and Louise Bohmer have worked diligently with me to ensure that Descendant is the best it could be, and my pre-readers — Barking Matt, Rusty, Sarah, Tracy, and my lovely wife Kim — pulled no punches.

Descendant kicks ass because they do.

Find out for yourself by ordering HERE.

Jacob agrees. Descendant is a devilishly good read.

DESCENDANT

DESCENDANT by Bob Freeman –including selections from the short story collection previously known as That Olde Black Magick!
$14.99

Someone… or something… is killing off the students of Converse High School.

“Hell is empty, and all the devils are here…”

Federal Agents Selina Wolfe and Martin Crowe are called in to investigate a series of bizarre deaths in a small rural community. What first seems to be a misadventure involving black magic and satanic ritual soon takes on even more deleterious overtones, as the agents become embroiled in a plot by a sinister cabal intent on unleashing Hell on Earth.

Wolfe and Crowe have been down this road before. As elite agents in the Federal Bureau of Investigations’ Paranormal Operations Division, they are tasked with confronting supernatural forces on the front lines of an ongoing battle between good and evil. Their mission is to investigate paranormal activity, eliminate any possible threats they might encounter, and, perhaps most importantly, produce a viable cover story to keep these unnatural occurrences a secret.

More information: Descendant by Bob Freeman

PRE-ORDER NOW!
Catalogue

Dark Magic Haunts the Hoosier Heartland

Death has come for the students of Converse High and Hell itself awaits the fallen.

Descendant, the latest novel from Bob Freeman, author of the Cairnwood Manor series, will be published this coming August by Belfire Press.

Ancient sorceries and diabolical machinations conspire to unleash Hell on Earth.

In the tradition of the occult detective thrillers of Algernon Blackwood and Dennis Wheatley comes a tale of black magic, demonic hosts, and sinister conspiracies.

Agents Selina Wolfe and Martin Crowe, in service to the Federal Bureau of Investigations’ Paranormal Operations Division, have faced down evil before, but never when the stakes were this high…

Descendant… coming soon from Belfire Press.

Even Jacob has taken time away from his Island adventures to become engrossed by this supernatural thriller. In fact, he feels right at home within its pages. The battle between good and evil strikes a chord with this one, and Descendant delivers…

DESCENDANT
August 2010
a supernatural thriller by
BOB FREEMAN

Brought to you by the good folk of Belfire Press

An Unexpected Visitor

An excerpt from DESCENDANT by Bob Freeman,
coming in August from Belfire Press

Betty gasped as Dr. Strunk hurriedly withdrew, fumbling with his pants that were all a jumble around his ankles. “I, uh… we were just…” the doctor stammered. He had his pants up and snapped, though his fly was still open, a bit of his shirt sticking out like a turtle’s head, curious as to what was about. He glanced toward Betty who had sunk back into the shadows, embarrassed and ashamed, he imagined. “Who…?”

“I understand that I might reacquaint myself with some of my dear and departed friends here,” the dark figure said, calmly. He walked along slowly, at home in the shadows. Strunk got the sense that he wasn’t using them as concealment… more like a lover, weaving in and out of the darkness in a perverse mockery of foreplay.

“I’m afraid you’ve come at a bad time, perhaps you could call and…”

“What’s this?” the figure said, ignoring the doctor. He picked up the book from the desk and turned it over in his hands. “The Other Bible,” he read, “edited by Willis Barnstone. Not the best collection of Apocrypha or Pseudepigrapha, but he did try. Have to spread the love, right?”

“Please, if you could just…”

“Let’s see,” the dark one continued, flipping through the pages, then pausing. He cleared his throat, “You were in Heaven but the mysteries were not revealed to you. You knew worthless ones, and in the hardness of your hearts you revealed these to women, and through these secrets women and men work much evil…”

“Please…”

“No light reading for you, huh Doc?”

“What do you want?”

“Oh, I think you know, Doctor Strunk,” the dark figure said. He returned the book to the desk and began walking toward the shrinking coroner. “I think you know.”

Descending into Darkness

I had planned to blog about Fringe: Jacksonville and Supernatural: The Song Remains the Same today, but an email from Belfire Press has changed those plans. The publication of my Occult Detective novel, Descendant, has been moved up from September to an August release date and they’ve requested the completed manuscript to began the arduous editorial process. So I need to spend the weekend poring over it one last time before dropping it into their very capable hands.

I will, of course, keep you updated on any and all developments as Belfire Press and I prepare to deliver to you this exciting glimpse into a world of magick and wonder, of gods and devils, angels and demons, and all manner of things that go bump in the night.

***

You can preorder a copy of Bob Freeman’s Occult Detective collection from Bandersnatch Books, That Olde Black Magick — featuring Special Agents Wolfe & Crowe, Landon Connors, Father Rainey, and more — by emailing  Rich and Scott at preorders@bandersnatchbooks.com.

***

Magick’s in the Air, Part Deux

Yesterday I teased you with the Table of Contents for my forthcoming collection: That Olde Black Magick, which is, as noted, currently available for preorder and set to be shipped quite soon from Bandersnatch Books.  So today I thought I might tease you a bit more by providing the first line of each entry in the collection…

Bob Freeman’s Magick: Someone asked me why I often spell magick with a ‘k’ attached.

The Devil’s in the Details: The sun was sinking low on the horizon and looking like a bloated corpse in a sea of blood.

Ashes to Ashes: Ingrid van Heflin slid wearily from the limousine and gazed up at the remarkable estate that stood perched atop Old Stone Hill.

The Cabin in the Woods: Kneeling before the altar, I was aware of being watched.

The Hour of the Wolf: Barry Silva was about as cool as they came, or so John and Travis Coulter thought.

A Murder of Crows: The dark figure knelt on the basement floor within a magically inflamed circle inscribed in the blood of the two corpses that lay waiting for the ritual to begin.

The Gathering of Shadows: Blue-white smoke from the near spent cowboy killer rose serpentine on the cold night air.

Queen’s Gambit: Father Rainey stared into the pernicious night and not for the first time questioned his faith.

The Soul Cages: The sun was gone, as was its natural discourse, having sunk beneath the horizon of the pine trees and low hills that stretched across Wabash County.

Samhain: A trail through the damp grass of the cemetery led toward the old oak that loomed over the east corner of the boneyard.

Fornicating Madness: Upon a still sea I conspire to murder

That Olde Black Magick is an Occult Detective Collection in the tradition of such classic works by Algernon Blackwood, Robert E. Howard, and Dennis Wheatley, with a bit of Katherine Kurtz thrown in for good measure. As I’ve discussed frequently on this site, it is a genre that I have been drawn to since childhood and I have attempted to create a cast of characters that can stand alongside the likes of John Silence, Adam Sincalir, and John Taylor, among a whole host of other notable occult detectives that have thrilled me and others over the years. That Olde Black Magick gives you a chance to peek behind the curtain, to gaze into the abyss of preternatural nightmares, and maybe… just maybe… you’ll look at the world a little bit differently when all is said and done.

Magick’s in the Air

That Olde Black Magick, currently available for preorder, will be shipping soon from Bandersnatch Books, so I thought I might tease you a bit with the Table of Contents…

Bob Freeman’s Magick
an Introduction by Steven L. Shrewsbury

The Devil’s in the Details

Ashes to Ashes

The Cabin in the Woods

The Hour of the Wolf

A Murder of Crows

The Gathering of Shadows

An Excerpt from DESCENDANT
Queen’s Gambit

The Soul Cages

Samhain

Fornicating Madness: A Poem

***

That Olde Black Magick is an expression of my heartfelt love for the Occult Detective genre and is a roadmap of the treacherous paranormal landscape through which my writing now carries me. These are the tales of the Liber Monstrorum, of multiverses filled with complex preternatural intelligences and their interactions with mortal man, of heroes and villains, gods and demons, and of those who light a candle in the dark… Venturing into these realms requires a sturdy heart and a faith born of trial and error. These stories have been a thrill to write and I trust that they will in turn thrill you as well…