A Murder Country - Hardcover

Brandon Daily

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1908483679 ISBN 13: 9781908483676

Publisher: Knox Robinson Publishing Ltd, 2014

Synopsis

The nineteenth century looms just a few years away, bringing with it the belief in progress and a new world. But for Josiah Fuller, William Corvin, and the Rider in the Appalachian backwoods and small towns of the late nineteenth century, there is nothing but a world where bloodshed is paid for in blood, and violence is the ultimate law of the land. When seventeen-year-old Josiah Fuller comes home to find his parents hanged and mutilated and the family house burned to the ground, he sets off to find the man responsible for their murders and avenge their deaths. His journey takes him through new towns and wildernesses he has not seen before. He meets people who show him the realities of living in a violent world, forcing Josiah to decide what is most important to him: vengeance or grace. Years after running away from home as a young boy, William Corvin returns with his new bride to take over the family's coal mining operation. Though he is haunted by the violence of his past, he sets out to live a peaceful life and start a family there. However, Corvin's hopes of peace are challenged when a horrible act of violence causes him to revert back to the man he once was. After being visited by an angel in a dream years earlier, the Rider has become a man with violence in his blood, believing himself to be appointed by God to collect the souls of sinners. He travels around on his horse, killing whoever he feels is deserving of God's wrath and vengeance. These three men move along their own individual paths, their stories intersecting with one another, continually searching for an understanding of the violent world in which they live and their own actions within that world. The novel examines the power and fragility of belief and conviction within humans, showing how one small act often leads to consequences that reach far beyond anyone's imagining.

About this title

Review

Finalist, Georgia Author of the Year Award, First Book, 2014 "In 'A Murder Country', author Brandon Daily has crafted a dark and beautifully written story of death and violence in a mystical landscape of tortured souls struggling with their innermost desires and demons. Daily's style is reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy at his finest, but with twists and turns that make this work uniquely his own. An excellent read!" -- William Rawlings, author of "A Killing on Ring Jaw Bluff" "Brandon Daily's mastery of language is simply staggering. I am in awe of his talent. This is the kind of book you have to put down every few pages and ask yourself did I really just read that? Can language really be that beautiful? But the pure poetry of the words is a seeming contradiction: Because what we have here is the most malignant depiction of humanity I've ever encountered. A humanity that can escape neither its own original sin, nor the brutal God who requires that man pay for that sin, in blood, throughout an endless cycle of pain. But it's not without hope. A sliver of it, anyway. Not without the promise of rebirth. The chance to try again. Brandon Daily is interested in writing only about the things that matter most: Life and Death, Sin and Salvation, Time and Creation, Being and Nothingness. A Murder Country is an existential, primordial fable. You will hear this novel compared to the work of Cormac McCarthy. You're going to hear that a lot. And it's true, Daily is mining a dark American seam. He's of a tradition that starts with Hawthorne, and on to Poe, to Dickinson. From Melville, to Steinbeck, to O'Connor. And yes, to McCarthy. And now beyond. You must read this book. But steel yourself." --Grant Jerkins, author of "A Very Simple Crime" "'A Murder Country' is a beautifully written, razor sharp historical thriller. The prose is so assured and powerful, the characters so vivid and fully formed that it's hard to believe this is a first novel. You won't be able to put it down." -- David Bell, author of "Never Come Back"

About the Author

Brandon Daily was born and raised in southern California. In 2012, he and his wife moved to central Georgia, where he now teaches high school English and Literature. He holds an M.A. in American Literature and has worked as an adjunct professor and freelance editor. Brandon's short fiction has been published in several online and print magazines, and his one act play South of Salvation was performed and won first prize in the CAST Players One Act Play Festival in 2012.

Edition details

• Publisher: Knox Robinson Publishing Ltd
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1908483679
• ISBN 13: 9781908483676
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 210