Duncan P. Bradshaw's #Hexagram - Review

My thoughts
This book...wow! It's an amalgamation of a horror novel, historical fiction and an end-of-the-world tale. I loved it!

This line in the book's description..."We are all made of stars." Turns out, the Incas were the keepers of this arcane knowledge and when an important ritual fails in their time, we are taken through a timeline of places and people seeking the truth, all planning to use the knowledge for their own ends.

At first, I didn't quite know what to think, but as the book progressed from the Inca Empire through an 18th century shipwreck, on to the American Civil War to Jack the Ripper's England and finally from the Bahamas in the 80s to present day England, I was taken on an incredible journey of historical and pop culture references with a good amount of gore thrown in. Believe me, if you're not fond of gore, you won't want to read this. Yet, it's necessary to tell the story. It really is.

Much more than just a mere horror novel, Hexagram also tells a story with a message. As I'm writing this, and thinking about what I read, I am reminded of David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas (which I loved as well). This quote near the end of the book really struck a chord with me:

"Look what we do as people. We've spent our entire time killing each other and everything else on this planet. We invented religion so that people can kill other people who believe in something different, or to offer some hint of better things when you've gone through your entire life serving those with power. It's bullshit. We're supposed to evolve as a species, yet it feels like all we do is go backwards. We find new and inventive ways of killing each other and ruining the planet..."

So true...and so apropos to the current state of our world.

So, as I said, so much more than just a horror novel, this one really makes you think. I like books that make me think, and books that present, and pull off, an original idea. This is that book and it's very much a must-read.

About the book
Their lands plagued by invaders, the Inca resort to an ancient ritual. By harvesting star dust from people, they hope to accumulate enough to raise the sun god, Inti, and reclaim their lands.

Yet when the collection is interrupted, it sets in motion events which will rattle human history.

Six stories. Six different time periods. One outcome.

We are all made of stars.

When an ancient Inca ritual is interrupted, it sets in motion a series of events that will echo through five hundred years of human history. Many seek to use the arcane knowledge for their own ends, from a survivor of a shipwreck, through to a suicide cult.

Yet…the most unlikeliest of them all will succeed.

About the author

Duncan P. Bradshaw lives in the county of Wiltshire, nestled around the belly button of southern England, with his wife Debbie, and their two cats, Rafa and Pepe. During the day, he is a mild mannered office goon, doing things which would bore you, if he was forced to tell you. At night, he becomes one with a keyboard, and transforms his weird and wonderful thoughts into words, which people, like you, and me, can read.

Why not pop over to his website,http://duncanpbradshaw.co.uk/ or give him a like over on Facebook,https://www.facebook.com/duncanpbradshaw or read his ravings on his blog,http://duncanpbradshaw.blogspot.co.uk/

Praise for Hexagram

“Hexagram is a visceral journey through the dark nooks and crannies of human history. Lovecraftian terror merges with blood sacrifices, suicide cults and body horror as Bradshaw weaves an intricate plot into an epic tale of apocalyptic dread.” – Rich Hawkins, author of The Last Plague trilogy

“A rip-roaring boy’s own adventure yarn. This novel contains multitudes, and the sheer scale and breadth of the story is exhilarating. A glorious, unhinged thrill ride.” – Kit Power, author of GodBomb!

Praise for Bradshaw’s Writing

“Duncan Bradshaw has a fantastic writing style. He gets you engrossed in the characters from the very outset. His mix of comedy and horror and real life are superb.” – Confessions of a Reviewer

“The true genius of Duncan P. Bradshaw is the rollercoaster ride of words and expressions. I have never seen an author go from the depths of dark and gore to laugh out loud all within the same paragraph.” – 2 Book Lovers Reviews

“Remember, you’ve now willingly plunged yourself into the mind of Duncan Bradshaw. You’re completely at the mercy of his strange imagination and all the eccentric oddities that his curious mind can conjure up.” – DLS Reviews

“Bradshaw is able to weight the horror set pieces with a dry humour and plenty of laugh out loud moments.” – UK Horror Scene

“One of the first things that I did after reading The Black Room Manuscripts,was to go out and buy Class Three by Duncan Bradshaw. I just found his writing in Time for Tea to have this gleeful kind of undertow to the carnage he wrought on his tea drinkers and wanted to see what his writing was like in a longer format.” – Ginger Nuts of Horror

Buy the book

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Sinister Horror Company Website