Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    A Feral Darkness
    Unavailable
    A Feral Darkness
    Unavailable
    A Feral Darkness
    Ebook376 pages4 hours

    A Feral Darkness

    By Doranna Durgin

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    "The mystery and fantasy slowly draw together, bonded by supreme characterization, to make for a story which is almost impossible to put down."
    --Reviewers Bookwatch
    ~~~~

    As a child, dog-loving Brenna Fallon naívely invokes an ancient Celtic deity to save her beloved hound--and inadvertently anchors the new-found power at a spring on her family's farm.

    She doesn't know she's also left an opening for a far more malevolent force.

    Years later, thanks to the actions of several angry young men, Brenna discovers the terrible potential of that gateway. With a devastating plague unfolding abruptly around her, she must depend on her wits, a stranger she doesn't trust, and a mysterious stray dog who becomes more than just a faithful companion as she struggles to drive back the threat of a modern Black Death.

    Welded by a desperate sacrifice, woman, man, and dog face the feral darkness together.
    ~~~~

    "If you are looking for a book that has paranormal elements and some romance, is expertly written with wonderful characters and has a smooth pace that leads up to a climatic finish, A FERAL DARKNESS is the book for you and it is not to be missed."
    --The Romance Reader's Connection

    "This is a very smart, well-woven book, with an initially cranky but ultimately endearing hero and a thoroughly satisfying ending."
    --Mary Jo Putney, bestselling author of the The Rake

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDoranna Durgin
    Release dateAug 6, 2010
    ISBN9781452473918
    Unavailable
    A Feral Darkness
    Author

    Doranna Durgin

    Doranna Durgin spent her childhood filling notebooks first with stories and art, then with novels. After obtaining a degree in wildlife illustration and environmental education, she spent a number of years deep in the Appalachian Mountains. When she emerged, it was as a writer who found herself irrevocably tied to the natural world and its creatures - and with a new touchstone to the rugged spirit that helped settle the area, which she instills in her characters. Dun Lady's Jess, Doranna's first published fantasy novel, received the 1995 Compton Crook/Stephen Tall award for the best first book in the fantasy, science fiction and horror genres; she now has fifteen novels of eclectic genres on the shelves and more on the way. Most recently, she's leaped gleefully into the world of action-romance. When she's not writing, Doranna builds author web sites, wanders around outside with a camera and works with horses and dogs - currently, she's teaching agility classes. There's a Lipizzan in her backyard, a mountain looming outside her office window, a pack of agility dogs romping in the house and a laptop sitting on her desk - and that's just the way she likes it.

    Read more from Doranna Durgin

    Related to A Feral Darkness

    Related ebooks

    Fantasy Romance For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      100-WORD-STORY COMPETITION Winners

      Aug 16, 2022

      We’ve been delighted by the huge response to our 100-word-story competition. The entries have flooded in thick and fast during the past few months, but while we’ve enjoyed reading every story, only a few can come out on top! You, our readers, voted t

      5 min read

    • Article

      The Witch Finders

      Jul 16, 2020

      Beth pulled her cloak tightly around her. It was the very last day of October and the air was damp and chill. Dead autumn leaves lay in deep piles in the woods and smoke curled into the night air from her cottage. Not far to go now. She bent her head

      4 min read

    • Article

      Two Poems

      Jan 1, 2021

      Light delimits the darkness as snowgives shape to the silence of winter trees.Above a rooftop, the shadow of illness hoversindistinguishable from the wraithsof common chimney smoke.Strip skin from flesh, flesh from boneto behold the comical, adumbrat

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Bridle

      Oct 10, 2021

      Saliva pooled on her tongue beneath the rusty depressor. She endured a constant urge to swallow, afraid of choking on her own fluids. The taste of metal and blood are so akin, it is easy to mistake one for the other. This early in the day, blood was

      11 min read

    • Article

      Foxes

      Jun 15, 2019

      What’s worth happening happens in deep woods. Or so my daughter tells me. Her plotlines: In the deep woods someone is chasing, someone else is getting hacked. Hatchets are lifted, brought downdowndown. Men stutter blood onto snow. A cast of animals—s

      17 min read

    • Article

      The Primeval Comic Book

      Aug 1, 2017

      The Primeval Comic Book
      8 min read

    • Article

      Announcing The winners Of Our FLASH CONTEST

      Feb 29, 2020

      I sever the first two fingers of my left hand on a Tuesday. They fall to the ground at my feet, causing a momentary confusion as I wonder what tree has dropped this odd fruit. Then I see the crescent scar left behind by a fish hook and know that thes

      8 min read

    • Article

      Euthanasia

      Aug 10, 2023

      On a frigid December morning, Hank Sanders stomped the caked mud off his worn boots and entered Discount Hardware. He couldn’t shake his cousin’s remarks. Put her down, he’d said. The words had rolled so effortlessly off his lips, as if her life mean

      11 min read

    • Article

      'The Hazel Wood' Has Few Uses For Enchantment

      Jan 30, 2018

      In Melissa Albert's dark take on fairy tales, 17-year-old Alice has spent her entire life on the run from her family legacy: a terrifying mythical world created by her grandmother, a famous author.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Rose - Tinted Glasses

      Nov 10, 2021

      From the corner of her eye, Becca watched a small pack of drunk pixies adding salt into her grandmother’s bone china sugar pot. The sugar pot was the oldest thing in the house, even older than grandmother herself. There would be hell to pay if it bro

      12 min read

    • Article

      Retriever of Souls

      Nov 25, 2021

      What they don’t say is that, sometimes God will call you to the wilderness, gesture toward the trees, and then, hang back and wave you on alone. —“Prayer for the Wretched Among Us” from The Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded At nig

      18 min read

    • Article

      The Dogs Say No

      Feb 8, 2023

      HERE I am standing in our home field getting soaked yet again. I am wearing pyjamas, wellies and the first hat I grabbed as I came out, my Great-Uncle Martin’s giant pith helmet, a sort of wearable umbrella, if a shameful reminder of my family’s colo

      2 min read

    • Article

      Four Poems

      Jan 1, 2023

      1. Wine-makers say it’s the complex flavorcreated by the singular terrain of place: the kinds of minerals in the soilfiltered through the soft pulse and coil of earthworms; the curl of fog that snakesaround blushed grapes like wisps of smoke; the tas

      6 min read

    • Article

      Sweet Fantasy

      Nov 20, 2021

      Sweet Fantasy
      8 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for A Feral Darkness

    4/5

    58 ratings20 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      I finished reading this half an hour ago and still feel that I am coming down from the high. This book has everything - good writing (first and foremost!); great characters that you can empathise with, flaws and all; ambivalent characters whose motivation is only gradually revealed; hovering menace that is at first all the more threatening because it is unidentifiable; supernatural elements that meld credibly with the real world; moments of deep tragedy (reading the final one, I heard myself squeak "No!"); and a thoroughly satisfying conclusion. Highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      A great read, highly recommended!A must read for any dog lover who also likes Paranormal/Fantasy elements, hard to put down once you start, with engaging characters, plenty adventure and suspense. I don't give five stars to just anything, the book was impressive and memorable.I received a free copy from Library Thing in return for an unbiased review, but I wouldn't have regretted buying it for full price.
    • 5/5
      A Feral Darkness by Doranna Durgin is an intriguing novel of a woman who sacrificed a lock of hair to Mars Nodens to extend the life of her dog, thereby becoming more in tune with dogs. She has a job as a pet groomer and events turn menacing when she hears of a pack of feral, rabid canines is looming near her town. There is a dash of romance, paganism, and excitement to make this a thoroughly enjoyable read.
    • 4/5
      I found more in this book than I had expected; it was a fun, moderately-paced read, with enough romance to be sweet, enough horror that I regretted starting it at night, and enough magic that I went looking for more. Durgin definitely makes my reading list from now on -- though not as bedtime tales.
    • 4/5
      A Feral Darkness is an interesting novel of a woman coming into her own. Stuck in a dead-end job, letting life happen, a stray dog and a mysterious man come into her life. Christianity vs paganism, good vs evil. A good read.
    • 4/5
      Caveats up front. This review is based on a review copy of the epub. Second I am not a dog person. I'm sure that for someone that likes dogs the story would have additional appeal. That said I still quite enjoyed the story. A Feral Darkness is subtle about its fantasy. The focus is on the main character, a young woman who has let life and the person she wants to be slide out of her fingers. Her character development comes naturally and with satisfaction. Much off the story, including the romance, seems rushed. As if a few chapters were cut out. This rushing is the only real negative of the story itself. The counter point to this it's that by rushing the romance the story and more importantly the character do not revolve around her romantic relationship. She is identified by who she is and not who she has.Doranna's voice as author is clear and pleasant. I recommend checking out her other books and to especially keep an eye out for her shirt stories. many of them connect at least tangentially to her novels. No significant editing mistakes and the epub is clean and well formatted.
    • 4/5
      If you know your dogs, you'll enjoy A Feral Darkness. My knowledge of dogs is limited to 'dog', 'German Shepherd', 'puppy', and 'those damned dogs from The Boys from Brazil'. I may be able to tell a Poodle from a Dalmatian, may recognize something scruffy as an Irish Wolfhound, and something tall as a Great Dane (or small horse), but most of the canine species mentioned in A Feral Darkness are beyond me (but only a short Wikipedia search away). Nonetheless, that didn't put me off.As as young girl Brenna Fallon invoked an ancient Celtic god to save her dog from dying by offering her hair. The dog lived beyond its intended years but in the end dies nonetheless, and she buries him near her 'shrine' where she had made the offering all those years before. In later years this sacred area becomes defiled and the dark side turns its attention to it. Add to that a strange man and a strange dog, and you've got a story to love.
    • 2/5
      This was not quite my speed. Although for its genre it may be a quality publication. There is an immense amount of imagery and storyline to follow and the reader can become quickly engrossed in the plot.
    • 5/5
      This romance novel has integral elements of the supernatural, all told in a detailed, realistic, entertaining manner. Our hero, Brenna, is a more-than-competant dog groomer. She works at Pets! for Roger, an unsympathetic manager, who, as the story begins, arranges for a new dog trainer, Gil Masera, to start giving lessons in the shop. Brenna lives on a farm near town, with her Red-Tick hound, Sunny, and a stray Cardigan Corgi named Druid, who had appeared at her door a muddy mess, complete with collar and tags, but no findable owner.As a child, Brenna had prayed to Mars Nodens at a spring near an oak tree for her old dog to live even longer. She'd read about the ancient deity who had an affinity for dogs, and it seemed to have worked. When he did finally pass away, she buried him near the spring. When she backtracked Druid, the stray dog, the beginning of his mud-spattered trail appears to be that spring.The book follows Brenna's tribulations with the Pets! manager, the dog trainer, her mostly absent family, and some mysterious and even supernatural experiences, to a satisfying conclusion. The author does an excellent job making the people and the animals realistic, and weaves in the supernatural elements well. I enjoyed the book enough that I read it at one sitting.
    • 3/5
      A dog groomer and her adopted faithful Welsh Corgi reluctantly pair with a mysterious dog trainer to understand and battle an evil coldness, which is a manifestation of a pagan god awakened by reckless teens years ago. The neighbor is trying to harness the god, who is located in a spring on the dog groomer's lands. I had a hard time understanding what this coldness was and why it was evil, because it seems to also protect her at times. Confusing. But I liked the characters and the Welsh Corgi.
    • 4/5
      A Feral Darkness is a tightly written, nicely plotted story with engaging characters and an interesting setting. Our heroine, a dog groomer, finds herself battling an evil force, a cabal of secret dog fighters, and a new strain of rabies with the aid of a Basque dog trainer and a mysterious Corgi that shows up at her doorstep. Well worth the read!
    • 5/5
      A Feral Darkness by Doranna Durgin is the best of the ARC I've received. The story caught my interest in the beginning and held it. The was maybe a little part in the middle where the pacing slowed a bit, but overall a great story. The descriptions of working at a large chain store were spot on, as were the behaviours of the dogs, and their descriptions. Having a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, I really could get into the Cardigan Welsh Corgi. The characters were well drawn with a lot of dimensions to them. The romance part wasn't sappy at all. The ending was very satisfying.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this book (despite having a phobia of dogs!)The characterisation is subtle and perfectly done; Brenna is realistic and likeable, her personality growing organically from the background she is given. The people around her are equally well drawn and nuanced, as are the pets. The plot progressed at a comfortable pace, neither rushing nor dragging, and the supernatural revelations unfolded gradually. Really, I couldn't fault it at any point!
    • 4/5
      I picked this one up on the recommendation from a friend. There were no expectations on my part, and the first chapter had me really confused. There was a lot of jumping around in time and I wasn't sure who I was supposed to be focused on. I almost stopped reading, but I'm glad I didn't.

      Once the background info was set down through those 3 (?) short (thank goodness they were short!) scenes the story settled down to one timeline and one character. That's when I was able to find my footing and enjoy the story. I enjoyed the things I learned about dog grooming. Perhaps this is because I've been trying to groom my own dog for the last year. However, the story really come alive with the creep factor and the supernatural elements. Even the romance felt barely there compared to the dark force haunting Brenna, her land, and ultimately all of humanity.
    • 4/5
      Weird. I would have sworn I'd read this before, but nothing was familiar - so I guess I merely admired the cover? I like Durgin, I've read a good many of hers, somehow I must have missed this one. A very rich story, more or less in her usual vein - magic invading a relatively normal life, with an animal (a Welsh Cardigan dog, almost well-portrayed on the cover) as the initial vector. But while the magic is the driving force, the more interesting part of the story to me is Brenna's philosophical insights, into the world and into herself. She's been walked all over by her family all her life - under this new impetus, she finds ways of applying her usual stubbornness and standing up for the right (mostly of animals, occasionally of herself) to her family. She's also trying to balance a Presbyterian upbringing with having apparently summoned a Roman/Celtic god...some fascinating concepts being dealt with there. Great characters - Brenna, Iban, most definitely Druid; the secondary characters, too, have depth and roundness (Emily, Elizabeth, many more). Great story, glad I read it. I'm going to check her oeuvre and make sure I haven't missed any others... Oh yay, there's a (short story) sequel! Hair of the Dog - got it in the anthology The Heart of Dog.
    • 4/5
      At the age of nine Brenna Fallon sacrificed her hair to a god of dogs she read about in a magazine article in the hope of saving her dogs life. It seems she was more successful than she realised and now years later forces with darker aims are stirring in the area.Nicely done with low key magic this contemporay fantasy romance while not wildly original came at things in a way that kept my interest.
    • 5/5
      Feral Darknessby Doranna DurginBrenna Fallon is a dog person. When she was nine years old, she read about an old God called Mars Nodens. Upset that her beloved old dog was dying, she found a place on her family farm where the elements aligned with the ancient places that Nodens was worshiped. Offering up a heartfelt prayer to save her dog’s life, she also offers the thing most important to her: She cuts off her hair with her pocket knife and her faithful hound lives a remarkably long time.Years later, a group of drunk young men break through the pasture fence and tear through the pasture on their ATV’s. They foul the spring and the old dog’s gravesite. They tear up the ground, and kill a rabbit injured by the tires of their machines. Their actions awaken a violent darkness that will affect the lives of everyone in this rural community.Brenna is now working as a groomer at a large pet store. She’s harassed by a bullying manager, a dismissive brother and a new employee who all seem intent on belittling her skill and professionalism. When her friends and clients begin to talk of a feral dog pack and the specter of a rabies outbreak, Brenna finds herself fighting an evil born of both greed and a supernatural malevolence.I don’t give five star ratings lightly. This novel deserves it. When I’m sitting at work with my eReader strategically placed next to my keyboard so I can snatch another page or two during slow moments, I know I’m on to something good. Can’t-put-it-down good. What I liked: Durgin knows how to build suspense. The plot ebbs and flows with unseen threats followed by lulls, circumstantial evidence, grief and joy. It builds to a satisfying standoff that kept me up way past my bedtime. The characters are realistic. Brenna, her friend Emily, her boss Roger, her asshole brother and the suspicious new dog trainer, Gil Masera. Even the dogs, Sunny and Druid, are important characters. I was particularly delighted by the mystery game of “who’s the villain?” that kept me riveted.Another thing I appreciated is the obvious care the author took to get the details right. Every small thing from grooming procedures to dog handling to modeling good firearm safety speaks of her attention to detail. I could easily see this little upstate rural farmstead clearly in my mind. What I disliked: Very little, and it speaks to why this is a fantastic book. There were a few points where I wanted to grab the protagonist by the shoulders and shake some sense into her. But that’s the whole point, isn’t it? Humans beings are human, and when I get so invested in the story that I feel like jumping in? Yeah. Five stars.I’m guessing the author got her copyright released for digital versions and is putting some of her backlist into the digital market. I’m glad she did, otherwise I would have missed it. It’s a little gem that will be a great addition to your eBook collection.I’d recommend this book to dog lovers who enjoy a tale full of magical realism and a little romance with some Celtic paganism on the side.
    • 5/5
      If you like spine-tingling paranormal stories that will keep you on the edge of your seat from page one until the end, then A Feral Darkness by Doranna Durgin is the book for you.The story of Brenna Fallon, a 29-year-old dog groomer who has a ‘way’ with dogs, and what happens when a feral dog pack is reported in her area, she begins to lose some of her special ‘way’ with her canine friends, and a strange man, Gil Masera, and a strange dog, Druid, come into her life.A riveting tale of mysterious, demonic forces from beyond – a malevolent power that was unleashed by the wild ramblings of a bunch of teenagers when Brenna was yet young; a force that is now demonstrating its power with a vengeance, A Feral Darkness combines the suspense of Cujo with the paranormal drama of Carrie, with a healthy dollop of steroids thrown in for good measure.Durgin is a master of the bizarre twist, weaving romance and superb characterization in with mystery and suspense, leading the reader on a serpentine journey through the darkness of fantasy and fear with a skill that is unmatched in the genre. She makes the characters come alive, fully fleshed, with warts and all. Villains have a trace of redemption, and heroes have mud on their shoes – they become real people that we can identify with, in situations we can only imagine in vodka-induced nightmares.Five stars to Durgin for a tale well told.
    • 5/5
      Doranna Durgin has a way of making her stories come alive. Her characters are people I would like to get to know. Brenna is a dog groomer with a connection to dogs. She has had this connection through a special spring on her land and through an event that took place there when she was nine. In her job she is overworked and underappreciated and on top of that there is rumor of a wild dog pack killing pets in the neighborhood with one of Brenna’s dogs killed. Eventually there is indication that magic is afoot and evil magic at that. Iban Mesera, a dog trainer of Basque origin, appears on the scene and with his knowledge he and Brenna deal with people and magic and animals and in the process fall for one another. I liked that Brenna was a hard worker and that she was not a pushover. I also liked that the relationship was not all smooth sailing and grew naturally in a rather unnatural situation.
    • 3/5
      As a fantasy/sci-fi fan and a dog person, I enjoyed reading A Feral Darkness. The narrative is engaging and the characters are real. Doranna Durgin is clearly someone who spends a lot of time with animals. Her characterization of the dogs is particularly excellent. Redbone coonhound Sunny reminds me of an old family pet while stray corgi Druid seems like he could walk right off the page and into our lives. I wish I could give this book 4 stars, but I have to subtract one star because the ending felt rushed and did not tie up all the loose ends.