The Night Eternal

The Night Eternal is a dark Arabian fantasy inspired by the writings of William Hope Hodgson, Clark Ashton Smith and the Arabian Nights, with a little bit of Lin Carter thrown in for good measure. It was also inspired by the books put out by editor Lin Carter as part of his Ballantine Adult Fantasy series. From the introduction by Simon Clark: The novel begins, as you will soon see, with the imagery and style of an Arabian fairy story. But swiftly it becomes a visceral action tale where scimitars flash and entrails spill bloodily to the floor. From there, we follow Khalik, our adventurer hero, as he embarks on his disturbing odyssey through ‘the Demonic Realm known as The Night Eternal.’ Deliciously opulent imagery, eroticism and a swiftly unfolding plot carry the reader away on enchanted wings to mystery and excitement. Not in a long while have I read anything as vivid as this. I could almost smell the incense from smouldering frankincense, hear the beat of dragon skin drums, and feel the heat of another sun, in another kingdom, in another time… The novel has the poetic resonance and ambitious scope of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress (1678). And it contains, as both John and Steve readily acknowledge, flavours of the iconic authors William Hope Hodgson, Clark Ashton Smith and Robert E. Howard. But to suggest it’s a pastiche of that trio’s output is simply not true. The Night Eternal is a vibrant, image-rich work of such visionary power that I found myself holding my breath as I turned the pages.

About the Author

Steve Lines has been running Rainfall Records since 1990 and Rainfall Books (with John . Ford) since 2002. He has written several short stories, some in collaboration with John B. Ford and others. He is the house illustrator for Rainfall Books and has produced artwork for over one-hundred chapbook covers. He has also produced illustrations for Hippocampus Press, Centipede Press, Lindisfarne Press and others. He is a musician and has released CDs with Stormclouds, The Doctor's Pond and more recently The Ungrateful Dead (with John . Ford.) John B. Ford has written many short stories which have appeared in anthologies and fanzines around the world. He is also the author of such books as Dark Shadows on the Moon (Hive Press) Tales of Devilry & Doom (Rainfall Books), The Evil Entwines (Hardcastle Books), and The Haunted Ocean (Rainfall Books). He is also the driving force behind the band The Ungrateful Dead, which he fronts with Steve Lines, and is vocalist, lyricist and songwriter. They Are working on their fourth album Dali's Brain at the moment.

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