Christian Read Christian Read i(A137288 works by)
Gender: Male
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1 y separately published work icon Dead City Christian Read , Canberra : Shooting Star Press , 2020 21010760 2020 single work novel horror

'The Library is destroyed.

'The worst has come to pass. The monstrous sorcereress Bernadette has revealed her final plan. Apophis, the god of chaos. destroyer of the sun, is coming. Lark’s oldest friend is dead and his allies in ruin. These are truly the end days.

'They say the cornered rat is at its most dangerous. Bettina, his muscle, now favoured by the lion deity, grows stronger and wilder every day. Scarlet has taken command of the few raged magicians and sorcerers as she can, but can Lark trust her?

'And out there somewhere, driven to madness, Jon the Hollow, in service to darkest forces, more lethal than ever. And out for Lark’s blood.

'But there’s a secret place, a City beneath the City, that holds the final answer Lark needs to defeat the ghosts of his past and the horror that’s coming.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 y separately published work icon The Eldritch Kid : Bone War Christian Read , Paul Mason (illustrator), Applecross : Gestalt Publishing , 2019 19377974 2019 single work graphic novel

'The Kid, a gunslinger sworn to Odin, the god of death and sorcery, and his partner, Ten Shoes Dancing, the Oxford educated Lakota shaman, are drawn into a feud between two paleontologists.

'The eerie severed head of the necro-paleontologist, Othniel, seeks revenge on his rival, the upstart woman Drinker, who has the bones of a rare dinosaur that would bring any scientist fame and fortune.

'But in a world where the dead can rise, even hundreds of millions of years later, grave-robbing monsters is powerful dangerous work. And this particular dinosaur was buried with a dark secret.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 y separately published work icon Snake City Christian Read , Canberra : Shooting Star Press , 2018 16785923 2018 single work novel horror

'Lark’s back in the City

'Back working as sheriff for the Library.

'Back from his time out with the ghosts. Aware now of who’s behind the last few years of hell. Bernadette, daughter of the Old Man, the cruelest, strongest sorcerer Lark ever went up against.

'Back, but not without wounds. His head ain’t what is used to be, demon scars riddling his brain and soul.  And the Library has enemies where allies were, no-one knows who’s who, and friends are thin on the ground.

'Then the killings start. High profile, ritual magicians are dying. Ancient Egyptian death magic is being toyed with, and sorting that mess out falls squarely on the already struggling Lark. There’s a profound crime happening, a plot a century in the making. And Lark is standing dead centre.'

source: Publisher's blurb.

1 y separately published work icon Karnak Christian Read , Michael Maier (illustrator), Applecross : Gestalt Publishing , 2017 19430714 2017 single work graphic novel

'Richard Karnak is a paranormal detective who owes as much to modern science as he does to black magic, using modern technology to defeat supernatural threats.

'A young woman named Cass just moved into a decrepit old house with her fiancé, Chang. They got the house for cheap and asked no questions.

'But there is something inside the house with them. Something terrible.

'Strange handprints on the wall and whistling in the night are just the beginning.

'Can Richard Karnak’s wonderful death science save the day?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 y separately published work icon Nil-Pray Christian Read , Applecross : Gestalt Publishing , 2017 18874459 2017 single work novel fantasy

'In a Gothic metropolis of the Dead, a necromancer learns that secrets never die.

'Nil-Pray is the city of the Dead, where those who cannot rest in the grave come to exist forever. Although even the Dead find reason for strife.

'In the wake of a terrible world war, the ancient, solitary nature of Nil-Pray must change.

'Edmund Carver, professional sorcerer, fleeing a foolish past, is employed as one of the few living ever allowed to enter the city. He must work closely with the ancient, eerie inhabitants as they seek to engage once again with the breathing world.

'As the Carnal and Spectral factions begin to war on each other, Edmund becomes the target of conspiracies, plots, and ancient ambitions of creatures sunk deep down in death.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 y separately published work icon Ghost City Christian Read , Applecross : Gestalt Publishing , 2016 10084829 2016 single work novel fantasy horror

'Lark messed with the Devil and paid the price.

'Exiled from The City, he’s wandering the land looking for safe haven. Without allies, friends, his old places of power, that seems real unlikely.

'So when he notices someone using his own personal sorcerous symbols, he can’t leave it be.

'Is someone looking for him? Or luring him into a trap? Or just stealing his best moves? Any which way, it’s nothing he can leave be.

'Now he’s in a small town, somewhere he’s never been before. But Crosscut is dying. Everyone is sick, nothing is well. Even the ghosts are feverish.

'And Lark is right where someone wants him. He’s made enemies his entire life, but the one who hates him most of all, he never even met.

'Lonely, desperate, Lark will have to face off with a magician who knows him well. A magician who hates him like poison. And something else, hidden down in the black earth, waiting.

'Lark’s never been this vulnerable. Which means he’s never been this desperate.

'Alone in a Ghost City.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 y separately published work icon Going Straight Is No Way To Die Unmasked : Going Straight Is No Way To Die; Unmasked Volume 1 Christian Read , Emily K. Smith (illustrator), Gary Chaloner (illustrator), Applecross : Gestalt Publishing , 2015 19431682 2015 selected work graphic novel

'Going straight is no way to die…

'…or so Simon and Nancy figured.

'Badasses with cool nicknames, cooler powers, they loved the dark side. Their names were in the papers, their crew was feared and they were deep in an evil love.

'But that was a while back. No one tells you what the dentist bill is like when a superhero hits you in the face. Or mad science budgets. Or jail time.

'These days, no big scores, no names in the papers, no costumes. Safe. Dull.

'But now there’s an opportunity. Come out of retirement. Big cash, big excitement.

'There’s just one problem. They’re crooks now, not villains. No costumes, no dramas.

'For Simon and Nancy, what’s the real score? Money, or action?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 y separately published work icon Unmasked #4 Christian Read , Gary Chaloner (illustrator), Applecross : Gestalt Publishing , 2015 19431526 2015 single work graphic novel

'The team is at each other's throats - who wants to be a criminal and who wants to be a villain?

'Simon's blood is up and he's looking to settle some scores, both in and out of his jail cell.

'Not everyone is walking away from this climactic final issue of Unmasked.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 y separately published work icon Unmasked #3 Christian Read , Gary Chaloner (illustrator), Applecross : Gestalt Publishing , 2015 19431459 2015 single work graphic novel

'Simon and Nancy are back with the crew, pulling heists like professional criminals.

'But even though they're making the fat money, it just doesn't have the juice they need. It doesn't have the thrill, or the daring or the drama. It doesn't give them the sweet, sweet opportunity to punch a supehero in the mother@&*!ing face!

'Not everyone is happy with their recklessness though. Cracks are forming between who is a criminal and who is a villain...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 y separately published work icon Unmasked #2 Christian Read , Emily K. Smith (illustrator), Applecross : Gestalt Publishing , 2014 19431405 2014 single work graphic novel

'Can a super-villain really go straight? Would they even want to?

'Former super-villains and now married couple working penny-ante jobs, Simon and Nancy keep it on the downlow. The only real links to their infamous past is dressing up for each other.

'But when a former high-up villain shows them how to be criminals, not villains, can they really resist the urge to slip back into the masks?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 y separately published work icon Devil City Christian Read , Applecross : Gestalt Publishing , 2014 10084739 2014 single work novel horror fantasy

'Bad times for Lark.

'Once, he used to work for the Library, the heaviest racket in a city filled with cults, magic and monstrosity.

'But a job went wrong. About as wrong as it gets and now he's alone and hunted by the freaks and sorcerers he used to police. And his old allies have turned their backs. The only one still talking to him is Bettina, the undead muscle girl who kicks heads for him and she's in her grave.

'Then a gig falls into Lark's lap. Some famous actress is getting stalked. By the Devil, she says. Easy money. 'There's no such thing as the devil'. That's what Lark thinks.

'He's wrong.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 y separately published work icon Unmasked #1 Christian Read , Emily K. Smith (illustrator), Western Australia : Gestalt Publishing , 2013 9313479 2013 single work graphic novel fantasy

'What happens when supervillains become mere criminals? Nancy Grace and Simon Van Zandt got out of the cape-game a few years ago. They were tired of the mad plans and getting their heads kicked in by a bunch of do-gooders. But when their old boss, the Duchess comes back and tells them they can still do jobs, they just can't wear the costumes, the money starts rolling in and times are good. The only problem? Nancy and Simon miss the masks more than they ever thought...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 y separately published work icon Unmasked Christian Read , Western Australia : Gestalt Publishing , 2013-2015 9313394 2013 series - author graphic novel
1 y separately published work icon Black City Christian Read , Applecross : Gestalt Publishing , 2013 10084621 2013 single work novel fantasy horror

'The City is rife with cults, covens and cabals. Broken-glass curses and occult rites in the back of bars. Magical symbols written in whisky and cigarette smoke. Ritual muggings and street-rat divination.

'Two cults have gone to war and unleashed something that doesn't belong here. Something old and wicked. Something that has found itself an apostle; a girl who spreads black magic across the city with graffiti she barely understands, unwittingly placing a curse on the entire town.

'Enter Lark.He used to police these kinds of wars for the Library, the biggest coven in town. But that was long ago, before he fell from favour.

'Now he works the fringes, selling his services for pocket-change and knowledge.

So when the new head of the Library, his ex-girlfriend Scarlet, approaches him to investigate these new conflicts, all he sees is a payday and an opportunity to prove himself to her again.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 y separately published work icon The Lark Case Files Christian Read , Applecross : Gestalt Publishing , 2013- 10084310 2013 series - author novel
1 y separately published work icon The Eldritch Kid : Whiskey and Hate Christian Read , Michael Maier (illustrator), Applecross : Gestalt Publishing , 2011 7057982 2011 single work graphic novel fantasy western

'An old West where every myth and monster and magic is real.

'Ten Shoes Dancing is a shaman of the Lakota people and an Oxford scholar. Riding shotgun on a group of pilgrims heading West, he encounters the dime novel hero known only as the Eldritch Kid. Famed as a hero and champion, sadly, the Kid isn't all he seems. But there's bad times coming for the convoy, sour ground to cross, and the price Ten Shoes will pay for the Kid's help might be too damn high.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 No Craft Christian Read , Andrew Richardson , 2009 single work short story science fiction
— Appears in: Flinch 2009; (p. 85-91)
1 y separately published work icon The Watch : Cathexes Christian Read , Paul Abstruse (illustrator), Cammeray : Phosphorescent Comics , 2007 10400304 2007 series - author graphic novel fantasy
1 y separately published work icon Witch King : Autobiography of a Dark Lord Christian Read , Paul Abstruse (illustrator), Cammeray : Phosphorescent Comics , 2005 7058189 2005 single work graphic novel fantasy

'On a shattered throne, sitting among the dead, rests the most powerful and arrogant sorcerer of the age. This is Gavriel, the Witch King, who has claimed his father's house with fire and death and spared not even his family, save for his eldest brother and a sister. He tells them of his quest for knowledge and power and of a coming threat against the world much greater than any imagined. He tells them the story of his life, of how he became the Witch King.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

2 y separately published work icon The Eldritch Kid Christian Read , Christopher Burns (illustrator), Cammeray : Phosphorescent Comics , 2004 10400177 2004 series - author graphic novel

'When the Kid and his amigo the Lakota Sioux Oxfordian Shaman, Ten Shoes Dancing, are hired by the Devilman Buer, they expect a simple job. Shut down a railway line construction site. But they know that Hell can never be trusted and more powers than Heaven oppose the inferno.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

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