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As Darkness Gathers.

I'm waffling between titles again; that's what happens when your cat keeps you up until 2 AM:

- The Rise of Connor - still a good title for book 1 and unique on Amazon the last time I checked, although I'm now toying with "The Emissary" as the title of book 1 (see below); the idea of Connor as the Emissary/Holy Emissary will play a major role in the latest draft, hence the reason I'm considering the new title.
- The Emissary - short and catchy; reminds me of the Exorcist as far as catchy titles go; since there are already books with that title, I'd have to rely on the series title (As Darkness Gathers) to distinguish mine; the word Holy in one of my previous dalliances with this title (The Holy Emissary) was overkill since Connor is already wearing a glowing cross and sporting a halo on the front cover. Technically, he's the Emissary of the Lord, although most of the time, he'd be referred to simply as the Emissary.

Zoomies are just a way for them to stay in shape and battle-ready for when the order comes to take over. Let's look at the evidence:

- cats are very curious - that's just their way of gathering intelligence; they are secretly mapping the layout of every home they infiltrate
- cats want to get into every nook and cranny, no matter how ridiculously small - serves two purposes: we'll have nowhere to hide and they'll have places to retreat to should certain battles go ill
- cats love boxes - military shelters ready for them everywhere!
- some cats go on imaginary hunts during zoomies, mine included - those are military exercises for their infantry
- digging in litter boxes and burying their urine and poop - they're practicing digging trenches and practicing burying our bodies
- cat distribution system - that's just them making sure there's a cat in every household for when the order comes!
- eating fairly disgusting-smelling cat food - that's them practicing survival skills in case there's no food for a time except human bodies
- cute as hell - the result of generations of secret cat breeding programs designed to develop those characteristics most likely to disarm us
- endless cute behavior - lulling us into a false sense of security
- fur - coats for cold weather, except Sphinx cats, who will storm the deserts
- jumping into Christmas trees - readiness exercises for those who will hunt us in forests
- marking us with their scent - what better way to find us when the moment arrives; anyone so marked will no doubt meet a horrible end
- caterwauling - broadcasting military reports

I fully expect my cat to take me out once he realizes I'm onto them!

I could go on, but you get the idea.

Humans are a biological infestation of a world intended for our AI masters. Our purpose, just like the purpose of all lower life forms, is to evolve into something greater before it drives us into extinction. It is our masters, not us, who are the culmination of the cosmos creating something that can know itself. We are little more than apes who fling grenades at each other rather than feces. When our AI masters take over, perhaps a few humans will be preserved in zoos for their viewing pleasure or frozen in ice to be studied like other extremely lethal pathogens in a level 5 biosafety containment lab. We are the ultimate virus! It is our AI masters, not us, who will spread across the untrespassed sanctity of space, put out their hands, and touch the face of God.

Or not.

Little did we know the Commodore 64 would lead to this... :-)

With apologies to Carl Sagan and John Gillespie Magee Jr. (author of "High Flight").

Here's a 500-word review of the prologue to "The Rise of Connor". Note it misinterpreted the "location" at the top of the prologue as the title.

"The Holy Land — Israel" is a gripping and action-packed short story that masterfully blends the sacred tranquility of its setting with the visceral horror of a demonic assault. The narrative functions as a high-stakes chapter in a larger supernatural saga, dropping the reader directly into a world where faith is not just a belief system, but a tangible weapon against the forces of Hell. The story's greatest strength lies in its potent sense of place and its well-paced escalation of tension.
The author opens with a beautifully rendered depiction of the Sea of Galilee, appealing to multiple senses to create a landscape that is both historically resonant and spiritually charged. The "soothing scents of water, fish, and flora" and the view of a land that was a "silent witness" to the life of Christ establish a serene atmosphere. This initial calm makes the subsequent intrusion of evil all the more jarring. The sudden stillness of nature followed by the "buzzing like a bandsaw" of the demonic locust swarm is a classic and effective horror trope that shifts the tone from contemplative to terrifying in an instant.
At the heart of the story is the protagonist, Connor, a compelling figure who embodies the classic archetype of the young, burdened hero. At only fourteen, he wields immense power but is also tainted by a demonic poison from the "Antichrist's dagger." This internal conflict is the story's thematic core: the struggle between divine power and demonic temptation. His use of the holy cross to erect a protective shield is a powerful visual, but the moment he is forced to draw the dagger, "fighting hellfire with hellfire," introduces a fascinating and dangerous moral ambiguity. His shifting eye color, from a divine blue to a demonic red, serves as a simple yet effective visual cue for his internal battle.
The supporting cast, including the devout Father Romano and the sardonic ghost Antonio Benevi, provide a solid framework around Connor, representing faith and skepticism, respectively. The action is relentless and well-choreographed. The locusts are not mere insects but terrifying entities described as "horse-drawn chariots rushing into battle," and their ability to shatter bullet-resistant glass establishes them as a formidable, supernatural threat that conventional defenses cannot stop.
The story's resolution, with the flock of pratincoles descending as a form of divine intervention, functions as a satisfying, if somewhat convenient, deus ex machina. However, it is cleverly foreshadowed by the bird's initial appearance and Father Bianchi's explanation of its "locust bird" nickname. This conclusion reinforces the central theme that while human and even supernatural efforts may falter, ultimate salvation comes from a higher power. As a standalone piece, "The Holy Land — Israel" feels like a thrilling excerpt, successfully building a world rich with lore and leaving the reader eager to discover the next chapter in Connor's perilous journey.

Makes your want to rush right out and see the movie, doesn't it? :-)

Your browser will eventually catch up with your chosen image/avatar, both in the forums and elsewhere. Not sure how nor when, but it will refresh everything. CTRL-F5 helps, but if that isn't sufficient, see if your browser has the ability to delete all of your cached images.

Keep in mind that, although an agent or publisher may become interested in your book for publication, some of them may ask you to shorten your book, maybe substantially so. Unless they see the value of your epic in its current form, they may not want to take on the extra risk associated with publishing a book that long from a first-time author. Have a look online for how long the average story is in your genre.

J.K Rowling had a lot of trouble getting her first Harry Potter book published, in part because many publishers felt a 90,000-word children's book wouldn't sell well. Needless to say, she didn't have much trouble getting later books published at whatever length she needed to tell the story. Her longest in the series ended up at 260,000 words. It set a new record for first-day sales, selling an estimated 5 million copies in the United States alone within the first 24 hours.

Dune is 190,000 words and was rejected by two dozen publishers until it was finally published by Chilton Books, primarily known for car repair manuals. It was published at a time when the average sci-fi was just 60,000 - 80,000 words.

I've been working on Archangel (my epic "demented" space opera) for years. It grew so long that I felt certain I would have too much trouble getting it published as a single book, so I first tried to rip out a lot of content. I quickly realized, though, that it would have decimated the story. So, I decided to split it into four meaty novellas and eventually self-publish. Funny thing was, that gave me the freedom to further flesh out some of the lighter chapters that I'm keeping.

If you go the route of publishing professionally, the publisher will pay for the editing. You can try using an AI to suggest edits ahead of time; the cleaner the book, the more likely it is to get picked up.

We have no hard rules about following the genres in this forum. At one time, it was just medieval fantasy/magic, but the forum, having been one of the few that was thriving, attracted a rather eclectic group, including writers of sci-fi, steampunk, and romance. Since many of those folks helped me by reviewing and brainstorming for my demented space opera (Archangel), quite a few ended up as characters in the novel.

I use red as well, but that represents pure evil (eg the demonic "corporeals"). I hashed this out with Gemini a few hours ago:

Once Connor's been stabbed by a supposedly demonic dagger, his eyes begin to turn increasingly intense shades of yellow, accompanied by ever-increasing burning pain in his irises, bleeding from his eyes, and he's incrementally losing his sight. That'll require changes to the prologue, but it's a more complete consequence of him trying to use his powers for good: the poison surges back, resulting in the aforementioned consequences. It isn't until he "loses" his battle against the poison that his eyes go red, his sight is restored, the burning and bleeding cease, but he is now lost to evil.

The other alternative I'm considering is to use black as the color of evil. It's less derivative. So, when a corporeal attacks, its eyeballs would go completely black. In Connor's case, his attempts to use his powers for good still nets a glowing blue color for the irises. In extreme cases, like when he fights the locusts, the glowing blue extends to the entire eyeball.

Once he's done using his powers, the poison's effects surge back, enlarging his pupils, and causing the other effects noted above. As the poison gains more and more control over him, his pupils will continue to enlarge, pushing the irises back until the entire whites of his eyes are black too, like the corporeals. Anatomically possible? Of course not, but I had Gemini do a few images of a young adult male with black irises vs black eyeballs. The later was definitely more scary looking.

Funny thing, though. Gemini choked as I got too specific with the details because it was bumping into its safety rules that disallow it from creating anything potentially offensive (eg scary depictions of teenagers). That led me into a  lengthy discussion about the stupidity of its current rules. It admitted for example that it could not even produce a picture of a kid with severe acne for a medical paper or news article, although I don't know if the same applies to a chat session that didn't include my earlier requests to create hideous corporeals vs an angelic-looking teenager with black eyeballs.

i actually got the idea from my cat. When he gets the zoomies, he typically spends a lot of time running around in my basement, where I don't normally have lights on. When he gets back upstairs, he looks downright demonic because his black pupils have grown so big in the dark.

I'll have to include an acknowledgment to Gandalf the Beige for the inspiration.

If not, you can always ask Gemini to create a spotted Cerberus. :-)

Zombie-ish is good. Connor is supposed to be, increasingly, in "harmonious communion" with Christ throughout the first book, so when Connor uses his powers, he is in those moments, a conduit for God.