The Sea of Ash

By: Scott Thomas

Narrated by: Leeman Kessler

A fresh take on cosmic horror....

A Victorian Englishman summons a strange puppet-like being to an old Colonial Inn. A doctor returns from the Great War and discovers a mysterious naked woman at the edge of the Atlantic.

A contemporary collector of arcane books retraces the steps of these other men - adventurers who sought out the mysteries of neighboring dimensions.

In The Sea of Ash, Scott Thomas takes us along as three men from three different centuries experience the wonders and horrors of an unknown New England.

Never had the universe felt so vast, and I so small within it. I had, through circumstance, been made aware of something, but of what? Something either too horrible or too beautiful for humans to know.

©2009 Scott Thomas (P)2016 Lovecraft eZine Press

Very well done. Wish it was a bit longer

It all started with a strange, beautiful naked girl on the beach. Like it usually does. Then it all got weird. Like it is wont to do.

3 men over 3 centuries try and unbury the secrets that lay beyond. Only more mysteries are revealed.

Believe the hype

If you’ve looked up what this story is about, chances are that you most likely found your way to this title because you heard about it on a podcast (like lovecraft ezine or this is horror); This also means you’ve likely heard/read that one of the main reasons this story was re-published as a stand-alone item in both digital & print format is because of the insanely high praise it received from one the best editors of Weird Fiction & Cosmic Horror working today: Mike Davis (yes, the same one from the lovecraft ezine podcast, keep up).

I was cautiously optimistic about this one when I read that Mike Davis declared it one of the best stories he’s EVER read. Full stop. Not that I don’t love a lot of the same literary horror titles that Mike Davis does, I do. But I definitely disagree with so many of his opinions towards all kinds of modern horror fiction — from film to TV to the obnoxiously large amount of new Lovecraft-obsessed-anthologies every other day.

So my point is that for someone who loves weird fiction & cosmic horror — but usually doesn’t share the same affection for a lot of the content in those literary landscapes as Mike Davis aka this book’s biggest fan & the guy who made it possible for us to enjoy it in this newly formatted release — I was surprised to discover that it’s everything you’ve heard it is AND MORE.

Believe the hype.

Fantastic wierd fiction

I really enjoyed this short work. it was clearly influenced by some of the greats of weird fiction / Victorian ghost stories / cosmic horror (i.e. Lovecraft, James, Etc.) without being just another pastiche. there are a number if very arresting and unsettling images found throughout and it is all tied together nicely at the end. Highly recommended and an author to keep an eye on

so much potential

wtf was this? The journals alone would've made this decent. You fumbled the catch. performance was mediocre too

Simply the best book I've listened to in years.

Where does The Sea of Ash rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Absolutely at the top. This story grabbed me from the first chapter and then kept my attention throughout. It is the most wonderful and imaginative thing I've "read" in years.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Sea of Ash?

The book is set up as little vignettes told chapter by chapter. So, even though you're listening to a narrative strung throughout, each chapter acts as its own little adventure. There is literally some new and memorable moment in every chapter, but for me, nothing will beat the doctor dropping a sinker tied to fishing line through a dimensional hole in a dead baby's face... Or the narrator visiting the Spirito Macchina... or the tiny lump that begins growing in the center of Doctor Pond's chest... or, or, or...

Which character – as performed by Leeman Kessler – was your favorite?

Definitely Vincent Banchini. Leeman's entire performance is nothing short of stellar, but he seems to have mentally cast Patrick Warburton as Banchini, and it is a thing of hilarious beauty.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not only did I want to, I actually DID, and when I was finished, I listened to it all over again.

Any additional comments?

This story is a treasure, a wonder, a gift from its creators to the world. Thomas wrote something weird and wonderful, full of characters with unique voices, and Kessler met the challenge head on. This was a match made in heaven. I can't wait for the movie!

really enjoyed

I think Fractured Harry would be a good focus for a collection of short stories.