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Authors Jacob & H.P. Holo

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Space Opera

Disciple of the Dead – Released!

October 23, 2015 by holojacob Leave a Comment

Disciple of the Dead Cover small

Book 3 of the Seraphim Revival is now on sale in in paperback and eBook!

H.P. and I are immensely pleased to announce the release of the third and final book in the Seraphim Revival trilogy. This series has really been a labor of love from start to finish, and we’re very excited to finally have the full trilogy out there.

Fueled by the Soul. Hunted by the Dead.

In an empire ruled by the honored dead, seraphs are the ultimate weapons. Fueled by the pilot’s very soul, these colossal humanoid war machines are unstoppable in battle. Only a few possess the gift to control such craft, and those men and women are prized above all others.

Seth Elexen and a small group of elite pilots have tracked the renegade Veketon to the far side of the galaxy. With only one ship and a single squadron of seraphs, they alone must face the tyrant within the heart of his growing power.

But Veketon is no easy mark. Through perverse sciences, he has been reborn as a pilot of terrifying power, and Quennin S’Kev, a woman Seth abandoned for all the wrong reasons, stands by his side and will defend him to the death.

Now Seth has one final desperate chance at success, but in order to get to Veketon, he must be willing to kill the only woman he has ever loved.

The Seraphim Revival trilogy is complete!

Disciple of the Dead brings everything together for one huge, thrilling conclusion. The stakes are massive, the villains have all the advantages, our heroes are in over their heads, and the nearest help is on the other side of the galaxy.
But something is about to change … something no one expects … something so small and yet so huge at the same time, and it will finally give Seth and the others the fighting chance they so desperately need.
While Disciple of the Dead has all the blistering action found in the earlier books, it is also a very personal story of love and loss. These characters are put through the wringer, and they come out changed, not all of them for the better. If you think you know how the trilogy will end or who will live and who will die, think again, because this book comes packed with shocking twists and world shattering reveals.

Welcome back to the Seraphim Revival. 🙂

Subscribe to the Holo Writing Newsletter to receive updates on our current and future books.

Filed Under: Holo Books Tagged With: Disciple of the Dead, Giant Robots, Novel, Science Fiction, Seraphim Revival, Space Opera, Writing

Baker’s Dozen – Book Review

October 10, 2015 by hpholo Leave a Comment

Jacob and I went to LibertyCon in Chattanooga, TN this June!  (This article is WAY LATE because life.) Anyway, LibertyCon is notable for being more reader- and author-oriented than other conventions in the area…which means that I ended up coming home with approximately 90,000 books to read and likely review.
libertyconbooks
I am already exhausted just thinking about that. (Since this article is late: still exhausted.)
First on my pile was Baker’s Dozen: 13 Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories by Scott W. Baker.
bakersdozenFirst off, the cover does this book a real disservice. I love its visual pun, but nothing about a carton of a dozen plus one eggs screams sci-fi, and had I not encountered the author at a signing, I’m pretty sure I might never have picked it up.
I’m glad I did, though, because it’s a fun sampler platter of short stories. Baker divides the anthology into Space Opera, Urban Fantasy, Near Future SF, and Zombies. The best stories are found later in the book, but overall it was worth the $8 print cost.
Admittedly, I was a little underwhelmed by several of the early stories. While the point of a short story is, of course, to be short, a lot of the early entries in this anthology feel too short. Either they end just when they feel like they’re getting started, or the end brings a dark, abrupt twist that makes the story feel abbreviated.
Really, though, this complaint stems from the fact that I wanted to see more of each featured world. “Chasers,” a space opera about pilots who race to refuel spaceships, had the potential to be one of my favorites and could have expanded into a great action drama, but succumbed to one of the aforementioned dark, abrupt endings. “Ten Seconds,” a contemporary fantasy about a bullied child who can see ten seconds into the future, was another that, while ending happily, also ended just as I was getting excited to continue it.
When your main complaint about an author’s writing is that you want more of it, though, it’s not a bad thing.
In this anthology, Baker is at his best when he’s writing quirky humor or putting fantastic spins on modern settings. “Faerie Belches,” about a child who, well, hears fairies belch, is a fun read with some interesting twists. (Given the stories’ similarities, I pictured the characters from “Ten Seconds” and “Faerie Belches” belonging to the same universe and kind of hope that the author will turn this into a complete children’s novel.) “Excuse Me,” about a man who travels back in time every time he farts, is amusing for its concept alone, while “ZFL” is a hilarious look at a zombie football game from the perspective of its commentators.
There’s intriguing drama in many of the late stories, too, though, and I think a lot of these could support complete novels as well. “Secondhand Rush” was a particular favorite; it follows a man who performs daring, even foolish stunts, all for the purpose of selling the digitized memory of performing them to disembodied human minds stored in computers, which is straight up cool even before you consider that the man suffers Multiple Sclerosis (and all the conflicts that implies). “Thinking Out Loud” is an intriguing multi-point-of-view look at a psychic experiment being performed on prisoners; “How Quickly We Forget” is a haunting look at the actions of a memory-removal technology company; and “Call Me Z,” while humorous in places, is largely a look at what happens when a zombie fanboy (in a world where zombies can be domesticated) encounters his first zombies.
The contents of Baker’s Dozen may be too short for my taste, but the volume’s best stories and the sheer variety of material included make it worth a try. Recommended!

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Book Review, Science Fiction, Space Opera, Urban Fantasy, Zombies

Throne of the Dead – Released!

September 12, 2015 by holojacob Leave a Comment

Throne of the Dead Cover small

Book 2 of the Seraphim Revival is now on sale in in paperback and eBook!

H.P. and I are very happy to announce the release of the second book in the Seraphim Revival trilogy. A ton of hard work has gone into this trilogy, and it is so rewarding to finally put it out there for people to read.
So, this is the “hump” book, right? The book in the middle of the trilogy. Typically, that means it’s the slow one that spends a lot of time building things up for the finale, right? Well, to that I ask … why? Why does the book in the middle of a trilogy have to be the slow, boring one? Answer: It doesn’t!
Throne of the Dead takes the fast-paced giant robot action of the first novel and kicks it up even further. Alliances will splinter. Characters will fall. World-shaking reveals hit fast and hard. In short, things happen in this book.
I wouldn’t have it any other way, and I think you’ll agree with me. 🙂

Coming in a few short months …

Disciple of the Dead Cover small

The final books is on its way! All seraphs launching 2015!

Subscribe to the Holo Writing Newsletter to receive updates on our current and future books.

Filed Under: Holo Books Tagged With: Disciple of the Dead, Giant Robots, Novel, Science Fiction, Seraphim Revival, Space Opera, Throne of the Dead, Writing

Seraphim Revival – Book 3 Cover Art!

July 3, 2015 by holojacob Leave a Comment

Disciple of the Dead holo writing small
In an empire ruled by the honored dead, seraphs are the ultimate weapons. Fueled by the pilot’s very soul, these colossal humanoid war machines are unstoppable in battle. Only a few possess the gift to control such craft, and those men and women are prized above all others.
The incredibly talented Adam Burn has completed the third and final Seraphim Revival cover for Disciple of the Dead!
Normally, here’s the part of these art reveals where I talk a little about what or who is on the cover … only I can’t this time. Astute observers who have already finished the first book may recognize that the giant robot on the cover is not a seraph, but other than that … yeah, sorry. I can’t talk about what it is. I can’t talk about who the pilot is. And I certainly can’t talk about that really tall tower in the background. Trust me, if this series interests you, you’ll enjoy it more if you discover it for yourself. 🙂

What is the Seraphim Revival?

This is a story of Intense Mech Combat. The seraphs represent the absolute pinnacle of combat technology. Fueled by the pilot’s own soul, seraphs are capable of drawing upon almost limitless power. The relationship between pilot and machine is symbiotic to the point where any boundaries between them vanish. In a sense, the pilots become their seraphs. Clashes between them are brutal contests where willpower matters just as much as hardware.
This is a story of the Living Ruled by the Dead. Here is a society where the preserved minds of the deceased exercise absolute authority over the living. Seraph pilots are extremely rare, and therefore incredibly valuable. Not everyone, dead or alive, has their best interests in mind.
This is a story of Honor and Betrayal. The best way to take out a seraph is with another seraph, but the gift to command such a craft is hereditary. Many pilots share common bloodlines, and when sides are chosen, some divides fall in the worst possible places.

All seraphs launching 2015!

Subscribe to the Holo Writing Newsletter to receive updates on our current and future books.

Filed Under: Holo Books Tagged With: Cover, Disciple of the Dead, Giant Robots, Novel, Science Fiction, Seraphim Revival, Space Opera, Writing

Bane of the Dead – Released!

June 25, 2015 by holojacob Leave a Comment

Bane of the Dead Cover small

 In an empire ruled by the honored dead, seraphs are the ultimate weapons. Fueled by the pilot’s very soul, these colossal humanoid war machines are unstoppable in battle. Only a few possess the gift to control such craft, and those men and women are prized above all others.

Jack Donolon is the most powerful pilot in existence, a hero of Earth with a mind fractured by his seraph. On the far side of the galaxy, he uncovers a terrible truth about the seraphs and their pilots. Now he must return on a mission no one will understand, to face and kill the people who once called him friend and comrade.

But the death he will bring is insignificant next to the destruction that will follow, should he fail …

Book 1 of the Seraphim Revival is now on sale in in paperback and eBook!

H.P. and I are extremely excited to finally be releasing this trilogy. The seed for this series started a long time ago in my mind, and it is incredibly gratifying to finally see the first book realized in physical form with beautiful cover art by Adam Burn. With the Seraphim Revival, readers are in for one wild, action-packed ride. Not only do we have giant robots tearing up the place, but there are so many twists and turns in these three novels that I can’t even begin to describe what happens in the third book without dropping massive spoilers. So, it’s probably for the best if I don’t say anything else. 🙂
For now, I’ll simply leave you with this.

Coming in a few short months …

Throne of the Dead Cover small

 Book 2 is on its way! All seraphs launching 2015!

Subscribe to the Holo Writing Newsletter to receive updates on our current and future books.

Filed Under: Holo Books Tagged With: Bane of the Dead, Giant Robots, Novel, Science Fiction, Seraphim Revival, Space Opera, Throne of the Dead, Writing

Seraphim Revival – Book Spine Art!

May 11, 2015 by holojacob Leave a Comment

Seraphim Revival Spine Art - small
“My duty remains clear, even after all that has happened.”

In an empire ruled by the honored dead, seraphs are the ultimate weapons. Fueled by the pilot’s very soul, these colossal humanoid war machines are unstoppable in battle. Only a few possess the gift to control such craft, and those men and women are prized above all others.

The Seraphim Revival book trilogy is one step closer!

The highly skilled Adam Burn has done it again! Above you can see artwork for the spines of the Seraphim Revival paperback editions, which will form the whole image once all three books are placed together.

Featured in this striking art is the mighty seraph of Seth Elexen, the prodigy. Despite first piloting a seraph as a mere child, his background is an anomaly, having descended from none of the bloodlines his people cultivate to breed pilots. Even his namesake comes from his adoptive father, who was the previous generation’s most powerful pilot, and whose death Seth was at least partially responsible for during a critical battle twenty years ago.

Despite this, Seth has not only survived decades of ceaseless combat, but thrived thanks to an unflinching and indomitable will. In combat, he utilized an aggressive, fast-paced fighting style that takes full advantage of his agility. Eschewing ranged weaponry almost entirely, he assaults his foes with an unending blitz of quick strikes.

A simple man at heart, Seth greatly prefers the purity and clarity of combat to the murky machinations of his people’s leaders, but this single-minded focus leaves him vulnerable to the very plots he so despites.

Seth makes his first appears at the beginning of the trilogy in Bane of the Dead.

What is the Seraphim Revival?

This is a story of Intense Mech Combat. The seraphs represent the absolute pinnacle of combat technology. Fueled by the pilot’s own soul, seraphs are capable of drawing upon almost limitless power. The relationship between pilot and machine is symbiotic to the point where any boundaries between them vanish. In a sense, the pilots become their seraphs. Clashes between them are brutal contests where willpower matters just as much as hardware.
This is a story of the Living Ruled by the Dead. Here is a society where the preserved minds of the deceased exercise absolute authority over the living. Seraph pilots are extremely rare, and therefore incredibly valuable. Not everyone, dead or alive, has their best interests in mind.
This is a story of Honor and Betrayal. The best way to take out a seraph is with another seraph, but the gift to command such a craft is hereditary. Many pilots share common bloodlines, and when sides are chosen, some divides fall in the worst possible places.

You mentioned a trilogy of books.

Yes I did. And they are …
Book 1 – Bane of the Dead
Book 2 – Throne of the Dead
Book 3 – Disciple of the Dead

All seraphs launching 2015!

Subscribe to the Holo Writing Newsletter to receive updates on our current and future books.

Filed Under: Holo Books Tagged With: Bane of the Dead, Cover, Disciple of the Dead, Giant Robots, Novel, Science Fiction, Seraphim Revival, Space Opera, Throne of the Dead, Writing

Seraphim Revival – Book 2 Cover Art!

April 4, 2015 by holojacob Leave a Comment

Throne of the Dead cover art - small
“I don’t need eyes to see.”

In an empire ruled by the honored dead, seraphs are the ultimate weapons. Fueled by the pilot’s very soul, these colossal humanoid war machines are unstoppable in battle. Only a few possess the gift to control such craft, and those men and women are prized above all others.

The Seraphim Revival book trilogy is heading this way!

The very talented Adam Burn has produced another beautiful image for the Seraphim Revival trilogy, and I have to admit, I really really really like this one! Here you can see the cover art for the second book Throne of the Dead that showcases one of the pilots.

Pictured in the artwork is Tesset Daelus, the blind empath. Kidnapped as a child and experimented on in secret, Tesset only has empty pits where her eyes should be. But this deliberate mutilation has forced her to develop a sense unique to seraph pilots. She can perceive her surroundings with surprising clarity and can even see into the souls of those around her.

In combat, Tesset is a formidable stealth specialist, striking without warning and then vanishing without a trace. She lacks the brute strength to go face-to-face with most foes, but this hardly matters when they can’t even see her coming. Outside of combat, Tesset still struggles with her new role as a pilot, having been freed from captivity only a few short years ago. Seraph pilots are typically raised from youth, but she found herself thrust into their martial way of life as an adult.

Tesset makes her debut appearance in the second book, Throne of the Dead, and may show up in the third … if she survives. 🙂

What is the Seraphim Revival?

This is a story of Intense Mech Combat. The seraphs represent the absolute pinnacle of combat technology. Fueled by the pilot’s own soul, seraphs are capable of drawing upon almost limitless power. The relationship between pilot and machine is symbiotic to the point where any boundaries between them vanish. In a sense, the pilots become their seraphs. Clashes between them are brutal contests where willpower matters just as much as hardware.
This is a story of the Living Ruled by the Dead. Here is a society where the preserved minds of the deceased exercise absolute authority over the living. Seraph pilots are extremely rare, and therefore incredibly valuable. Not everyone, dead or alive, has their best interests in mind.
This is a story of Honor and Betrayal. The best way to take out a seraph is with another seraph, but the gift to command such a craft is hereditary. Many pilots share common bloodlines, and when sides are chosen, some divides fall in the worst possible places.

You mentioned a trilogy of books.

Yes I did. And they are …
Book 1 – Bane of the Dead
Book 2 – Throne of the Dead
Book 3 – Disciple of the Dead

All seraphs launching 2015!

Subscribe to the Holo Writing Newsletter to receive updates on our current and future books.

Filed Under: Holo Books Tagged With: Bane of the Dead, Cover, Disciple of the Dead, Giant Robots, Novel, Science Fiction, Seraphim Revival, Space Opera, Throne of the Dead, Writing

Seraphim Revival – Book Trilogy Reveal!

February 23, 2015 by holojacob 3 Comments

Bane of the Dead cover art - small

In an empire ruled by the honored dead, seraphs are the ultimate weapons. Fueled by the pilot’s very soul, these colossal humanoid war machines are unstoppable in battle. Only a few possess the gift to control such craft, and those men and women are prized above all others.

Jack Donolon is the most powerful pilot in existence, a hero of Earth with a mind fractured by his seraph. On the far side of the galaxy, he uncovers a terrible truth about the seraphs and their pilots. Now he must return on a mission no one will understand, to face and kill the people who once called him friend and comrade.

But the death he will bring is insignificant next to the destruction that will follow, should he fail …

The Seraphim Revival book trilogy is on its way!

That’s right. A whole trilogy! And it’s not like you’ll have to wait years to read the conclusion. All three books are well past the 1st draft stage. Our goal is to polish-polish-polish the entire series like crazy and then release all three books THIS YEAR!
UPDATE: Book 1 has been released!
UPDATE: Book 2 has been released!
We’re very excited about this new series. Both H.P. and I have been toiling on these manuscripts for the past several months, refining them to the level of quality you, our readers, deserve. We may be self-published here at Holo Writing, but we take the quality of our manuscripts very seriously.
As you can see, the highly talented Adam Burn has been hard at work producing gorgeous cover art for the trilogy. Here you can see one of the true stars of the books: the mighty seraphs!

What is the Seraphim Revival?

This is a story of Intense Mech Combat. The seraphs represent the absolute pinnacle of combat technology. Fueled by the pilot’s own soul, seraphs are capable of drawing upon almost limitless power. The relationship between pilot and machine is symbiotic to the point where any boundaries between them vanish. In a sense, the pilots become their seraphs. Clashes between them are brutal contests where willpower matters just as much as hardware.
This is a story of the Living Ruled by the Dead. Here is a society where the preserved minds of the deceased exercise absolute authority over the living. Seraph pilots are extremely rare, and therefore incredibly valuable. Not everyone, dead or alive, has their best interests in mind.
This is a story of Honor and Betrayal. The best way to take out a seraph is with another seraph, but the gift to command such a craft is hereditary. Many pilots share common bloodlines, and when sides are chosen, some divides fall in the worst possible places.

You mentioned a trilogy of books.

Yes I did. And they are …
Book 1 – Bane of the Dead
Book 2 – Throne of the Dead
Book 3 – Disciple of the Dead

What about Humanity Machine? Where’s that book?

Humanity Machine Front Cover - SmallI have good news and news (which is really neither good nor bad). The good news is that Humanity Machine will be released. Eventually. The novel is now a very polished 3rd draft, and it’s coming out one way or another.
I honestly wish we could publish the book now, but here comes the neither-good-nor-bad news.
How the novel will be published is a bit of an open question. Actually two open questions. I know that’s horribly vague, but to say anything more at this time would be premature. There are some potentially exciting opportunities here, and the delay comes from H.P. and I taking the time to explore them properly.
So, yes. Humanity Machine will be coming out. You can count on that.

When is the Seraphim Revival trilogy coming out?

Our goal is to release the complete trilogy this year. All seraphs launching 2015!
Subscribe to the Holo Writing Newsletter to receive updates on our current and future books.

Filed Under: Holo Books Tagged With: Bane of the Dead, Disciple of the Dead, Giant Robots, Humanity Machine, Novel, Science Fiction, Seraphim Revival, Space Opera, Throne of the Dead, Writing

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