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Dirge: A Novel
Dirge: A Novel
Dirge: A Novel
Ebook284 pages4 hours

Dirge: A Novel

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

3/5

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WHAT’S MORE FRIGHTENING THAN DEATH?

Sterling Davis is careening through his hedonistic life of drugs, sex, and money headlong, leaving a dust trail of decadence behind him. On his path of debaucheries, Sterling begins a carnal game of seduction with a secret admirer that takes him from heavenly pleasure to hellish pain...and unlocks a door to evils he never knew existed, unspeakable horrors that send him spinning into a macabre world where a grisly game of terrors awaits him...
And so begins Sterling’s descent into the heart of darkness...

A harrowing journey through a treacherous wasteland. A torturous struggle for survival. Surrounded by endless savagery, cruel barbarity, and the most lurid of temptations. To save himself from damnation Sterling Davis will have more than hell to pay...

Dirge is a terrifying, edge-of-your-seat thriller that takes you on a heart-stopping ride from the dizzying heights of ecstasy to the bowels of hell itself.

YOU’RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT...

LanguageEnglish
Release dateDec 19, 2012
ISBN9781301812165
Dirge: A Novel
Author

Grant Palmquist

Grant Palmquist is the author of the science-fiction novel Azure and four horror novels: A Song After Dark, Permanent Winter, Dirge, and The Seer. His short stories have appeared in Chizine, Dogmatika, and Underground Voices.

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Reviews for Dirge

Rating: 2.9615385 out of 5 stars
3/5

13 ratings7 reviews

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  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Let me be very honest - I couldn't make myself finish this book. The main character is truly disgusting. I powered through that part to where he finds himself somewhere between death and hell with his soul mate. At this point I had read over half of the book without enjoying it. I finally decided that I have far too many good books on my shelf waiting to be read to spend any more time on this one. The theory behind the book is interesting so others may enjoy the 'mystery' waiting to be revealed.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    When I started reading [Dirge] by [Grant Palmquist] I was wondering where he was going. I read [Azure] and enjoyed the characters and plot. This was just a telling of a male with no heart or soul who used up women like I drank water.Then the story takes a turn and I realized it was setting the scene for the rest of the plot. As the idea is about changing your life through struggle and finding your soul. No religious stuff here just spiritual. I like how I went from hating the main character and enjoying his suffering to hoping he succeeds. I would recommend this book to my ADULT friends. Emphasis on adult.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book started great. I was lost quickly into Sterling's world. Then it switched over to some crazy otherworld or limbo type place and I kept losing interest. Some of that world was interesting but some of it it was very violent and bloody. It was a good read just a little gory towards the end.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    We are supposed to dislike the protagonist of Dirge ... which is a good thing because Sterling is thoroughly unlikeable. A spoiled, emotionless, entitled stalker who takes home a new girl each night simply because he can. His ex-girlfriend has been reclassified in his mind as the one who got away and he now spends evenings calling her, sneaking up to her house to watch her through her window and feeling sorry for himself for having lost her. And then he dies.The story and the storytelling are much like something you might see in a creative writing class. Many of the character's voices - Sterling, Moloch, and Hesper- sound almost identical. Perhaps that's the point as we are venturing into a purgatory of a story with every character meant to be some facet of the protagonist.The story moves along quickly and the writing is certainly decent, but I found the story too one-note for me. Some scenes lingered much, much longer than they needed to and the character's sudden desire to be a good person was unbelievable. Not a terrible book, but not one of my favorites.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I have to admit I really didn’t like the first third of this book. The hedonistic lifestyle got incredibly boring to read about from my personal point of view but when Sterling’s circumstances changed the book suddenly got more interesting to me. I didn’t like all the gratuitous violence but it did seem to fit in the general theme of the book. I did however like the ending as it seemed like a darkness had lifted and hope prevailed.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a story of a man that enters the netherworld after an unfulfilling life. All he is searching for is somebody he can whole-heartedly love. Along the way, he meets with a series of trials, tribulations and difficult challenges. Many are set in his path to deceive him but, will they succeed? Just when you think the book is finished, it's not over yet. Will he find his soulmate? If he does, what will become of them. Read it and you will find out. The story line flows smoothly and the characters are so believable, they may even remind you of someone you already know. Kudos to the author.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I received this book as part of the Early Reviewer program. DIRGE follows Sterling Davis, a single man living it up with fast cars, big bucks, and lots and lots of hot women. Unfortunately this leads to his demise and begins the second part of the book where he has to navigate the afterlife to get another chance! I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author!

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Dirge - Grant Palmquist

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