The Cornerstone by Anne C. Petty Review for Journalstone Publishing

About the Book

How do you catch a banshee? But more importantly, if you succeed, how can you hope to survive the ordeal? The consequences of such dark magic are high, and if you try to let go once you’ve got that tiger by the tail, it may cost your very soul!

Atlanta is a cosmopolitan, theater-going city that supports its fair share of the arts. But when a small theatrical company takes on the production of Christopher Marlowe’s famous play, Dr. Faustus, in the century-old Janus Theater, things don’t go as planned. Unexplained stage effects appear as cast members disappear, accidents seem more than coincidence, and an earthquake splits a busy downtown thoroughfare. Oh, and did we mention the rumored ghost in the basement? 

Paramedic Claire Porter thinks her volunteer prompter’s job with the company will give her some relief from her stressful day job, and it is fun, at first. But as they say, the Devil is in the details.

About the Author
Writer, editor, publisher, anime/manga addict. Tastes run toward the dark side.

Anne Petty (Ph.D. in English, Florida State University) has over 30 years’ experience in the wordsmithing field as teacher, author, editor, and publisher.

Anne explores myth, legend, and the world of J.R.R. Tolkien in her online blog and her published non-fiction writing—Tolkien in the Land of Heroes (2005, a Mythopoeic Society Award Finalist), Dragons of Fantasy (2nd ed. 2008), and One Ring to Bind Them All (2nd ed. 2001). Chapters in anthologies include contributions to Modern Critical Views (2000); Tolkien Studies (2004); More People’s Guide to J. R. R. Tolkien (2005); Tolkien and Shakespeare (2007); Good Dragons Are Rare (2009); and Light Beyond All Shadow (2011).

Anne also writes dark urban fantasy/horror fiction. The first novel in her Wandjina series was Thin Line Between (2005), and the follow-up novel, Shaman's Blood, is due out later in 2011. Recent short stories include “The Veritas Experience” published in The Best Horror, Fantasy, & Science Fiction of 2009 (Absent Willow Review). Another story, “Blade,” received Honorable Mention in AWR’s 2010 Best Horror, Fantasy, & SciFi competition.

Anne is an active member of the Horror Writers Association, the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, the Mythopoeic Society, and the Tolkien Society. She is a founding member of the Tallahassee Writers Association and is a regular presenter at writers’ conferences and pop-culture conventions such as Dragon-Con in Atlanta. In 2006, she founded Kitsune Books, a small press specializing in literary novels, short story collections, book-length poetry collections, and literary criticism. Kitsune Books authors have won Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards from the Florida Book Awards and the Florida Publishers Association.

My Thoughts
Scene 1 starts in the 16th century, Elizabethan England with John Dee, counselor to the Queen, along with Monsieur C who conspire with a witch,Radha O Braonain, to see if they can capture a banshee...the theory is that if they can do this they can live forever.
Fade out to modern day Atlanta Georgia...the Janus Theatre where the  Mummer's Theatrical Company is rehearsing for the play, The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus, written by Christopher Marlowe about a man whovsells his soul to the devil for power and knowledge.
The primary character is Claire Porter who is a paramedic by day and volunteers with the Mummer's Theatrical Company at night. Things start happening that don't make sense and Claire starts to question the things around her...to the point that her own life and those around her are in danger.
The author blends Celtic mythology with the creepy story of Dr. Faustus to make for a thrilling and suspenseful story. A real page turner...I loved it.

I received a copy of this book for review and was not monetarily compensated for my review.

http://journal-store.com