City of the Lost

by Stephen Blackmoore

Overview

Joe Sunday has been a Los Angeles low-life for years, but his life gets a whole lot lower when he is killed by the rival of his crime boss-only to return as a zombie. His only hope is to find and steal a talisman that he learns can grant immortality. But, unfortunately for Joe, every other undead thug and crime boss in Los Angeles is looking for the same thing.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780756407025
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	01/03/2012
Series:	Eric Carter Series
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	1,125,328
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.06(h) x 0.62(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Stephen Blackmoore is a pulp writer of little to no renown who once thought lighting things on fire was one of the best things a kid could do with his time. Until he discovered that eyebrows don't grow back very quickly.

He is the author of the urban fantasy novels CITY OF THE LOST, DEAD THINGS and BROKEN SOULS.

His short stories and poetry have appeared in Plots With Guns, Needle, Spinetingler, Thrilling Detective, Shots, Demolition, Clean Sheets , Flashing In The Gutters and a couple of anthologies with authors far better than he is.

You can even stalk him on Twitter (@sblackmoore) or check out his website at http://stephenblackmoore.com.

What People are Saying About This

Victor Gischler

Blackmoore's gritty, hardboiled approach to the supernatural is right on the money. A genre-blending fun-house thrill ride that will likely be hailed as the debut of the year. (Victor Gischler, Author of Go-Go Girls Of The Apocalypse)

Seanan McGuire

The gritty streets of City Of The Lost are filled with snappy dialog and fascinating characters, as well as a rollercoaster of a plot that doesn't slow down from beginning to end. This is the zombie crime novel we didn't know we were all waiting for. (Seanan McGuire, author of Discount Armageddon)

John Hornor Jacobs

For a debut author, Stephen Blackmoore knows perfectly well how to snatch up his readers and barrel away with them from page one. In Joe Sunday, he's created the perfect hard-boiled anti-hero - an inexorable protagonist who's short on tongue-wagging and long on visceral brutality, yet is totally sympathetic due to his singular narrative voice. Oh, yeah. He's also dead. City Of The Lost is one hell of a fast and thoroughly enjoyable ride. The perfect book for fans of crime noir, urban fantasy, and horror. One of my favorite reads of the year. (John Hornor Jacobs, author of Southern Gods)

Chris F. Holm

The funhouse reflection of LA Blackmoore conjures is at once vibrant, seedy, and mysterious — streets so mean, they feel as though plucked straight from Chandler's DT nightmares. City Of The Lost effortlessly blends the grit with the fantastical, and paints a world in which magic is to be feared — but not nearly so much as the people behind it. (Chris F. Holm, author of Dead Harvest)

Chuck Wendig

Bruja, demons, bloodsuckers, the living dead and bucketloads of bloody magic — you'll find all of those in City Of The Lost, but the real magic is how Blackmoore deftly breathes secret supernatural life into the City of Angels. This is an auspicious debut that's at turns violent, hilarious, and tragic. Can't wait make a return trip to Blackmoore's voodoo version of L.A. (Chuck Wendig, author of Blackbirds)

Caitlin Kittredge

City of the Lost is the best kind of paranormal noir: gritty, breakneck-paced, and impossible to put down. Joe Sunday is a new antihero to watch, and the next installment can't come soon enough. (Caitlin Kittredge, author of The Iron Thorn)

Editorial Reviews

"The gritty streets of CITY OF THE LOST are filled with snappy dialog, and fascinating characters, as well as a rollercoaster of a plot that doesn't slow down from beginning to end. This is the zombie crime novel we didn't know we were all waiting for."
— Seanan McGuire, author of DISCOUNT ARMAGEDDON

"CITY OF THE LOST is the best kind of paranormal noir: gritty, breakneck-paced, and impossible to put down. Joe Sunday is a new antihero to watch, and the next installment can't come soon enough."
— Caitlin Kittredge, author of THE IRON THORN

"Bruja, demons, bloodsuckers, the living dead and bucketloads of bloody magic - you'll find all of those in CITY OF THE LOST, but the real magic is how Blackmoore deftly breathes secret supernatural life into the City of Angels. This is an auspicious debut that's at turns violent, hilarious, and tragic. Can't wait make a return trip to Blackmoore's voodoo version of L.A." 
— Chuck Wendig, author of BLACKBIRDS

"For a debut author, Stephen Blackmoore knows perfectly well how to snatch up his readers and barrel away with them from page one. In Joe Sunday, he's created the perfect hard-boiled anti-hero - an inexorable protagonist who's short on tongue-wagging and long on visceral brutality, yet is totally sympathetic due to his singular narrative voice. Oh, yeah. He's also dead. CITY OF THE LOST is one hell of a fast and thoroughly enjoyable ride. The perfect book for fans of crime noir, urban fantasy, and horror. One of my favorite reads of the year."
— John Hornor Jacobs, author of SOUTHERN GODS

"The funhouse reflection of L.A. Blackmoore conjures is at once vibrant, seedy, and mysterious - streets so mean, they feel as though plucked straight from Chandler's DT nightmares. CITY OF THE LOST effortlessly blends the grit with the fantastical, and paints a world in which magic is to be feared - but not nearly so much as the people behind it."
— Chris F. Holm, author of DEAD HARVEST

From the Publisher

"The funhouse reflection of L.A. Blackmoore conjures is at once vibrant, seedy, and mysterious - streets so mean, they feel as though plucked straight from Chandler's DT nightmares. CITY OF THE LOST effortlessly blends the grit with the fantastical, and paints a world in which magic is to be feared - but not nearly so much as the people behind it."

Chris F. Holm

"For a debut author, Stephen Blackmoore knows perfectly well how to snatch up his readers and barrel away with them from page one. In Joe Sunday, he's created the perfect hard-boiled anti-hero - an inexorable protagonist who's short on tongue-wagging and long on visceral brutality, yet is totally sympathetic due to his singular narrative voice. Oh, yeah. He's also dead. CITY OF THE LOST is one hell of a fast and thoroughly enjoyable ride. The perfect book for fans of crime noir, urban fantasy, and horror. One of my favorite reads of the year."

John Hornor Jacobs

"Bruja, demons, bloodsuckers, the living dead and bucketloads of bloody magic - you'll find all of those in CITY OF THE LOST, but the real magic is how Blackmoore deftly breathes secret supernatural life into the City of Angels. This is an auspicious debut that's at turns violent, hilarious, and tragic. Can't wait make a return trip to Blackmoore's voodoo version of L.A."

Chuck Wendig

"CITY OF THE LOST is the best kind of paranormal noir: gritty, breakneck- paced, and impossible to put down. Joe Sunday is a new antihero to watch, and the next installment can't come soon enough."

Caitlin Kittredge

"The gritty streets of CITY OF THE LOST are filled with snappy dialog, and fascinating characters, as well as a rollercoaster of a plot that doesn't slow down from beginning to end. This is the zombie crime novel we didn't know we were all waiting for."

Seanan McGuire

City of the Lost is fast paced, funny, scary, at times charming, and I couldn't put it down.

My Bookish Ways

A zombie crime novel with fascinating characters and a brilliantly written plot... This is one wild ride that I would love to take again.

Rex Robot

Take a shot of noir, a shot of supernatural, a shot of mystery, add a dash of levity. Shake. Serve neat and you've got City of the Lost, Stephen Blackmoore's exciting debut novel.

The Qwillery

A brash, gory zombie tale filled with just about every magical being imaginable.

RT Book Reviews

Stephen Blackmoore could be the illegitimate lovechild of James Ellroy and George Romero - zombie noir at its bloody best!
— barnesandnoble.com, Explorations

Paul Goat Allen

A remarkable debut, L.A. noir with eye-bulging refinements, from a poet and short-story writer who says of himself: "As a writer he strives to be a hack. Hacks get paid. He's not sure if hacks talk about themselves in the third person, though. That might just be a side effect of his meds." Joe Sunday, bad knees, weary resignation and all, is a leg-breaker for English gangster Simon Patterson when his buddy and partner-in-crime Julio Guerrera starts acting weird in a bar, then rips his own throat out with a busted bottle. Seems that Simon sent Julio to steal a McGuffin from Chicago mobster Sandro Giavetti. Soon Joe confronts Giavetti, who strangles him. Joe wakes up to find he's in perfect health--except he's now room temperature and doesn't need to breathe. Giavetti, too, is immortal. "Well, maybe not so much Fountain of Youth as Fountain of Not Staying Dead." The only drawback as far as Joe is concerned is that he falls apart zombie-style every 24 hours and needs to chomp living flesh in order to return to being healthily undead. Oh, and the fact that the McGuffin, an egg-shaped gemstone, has vanished, and lots of folks want it. The basically indescribable plot involves said McGuffin and encounters with, among other beings, a mysteriously well-informed but unforthcoming femme fatale, a lecherous demon who tends bar in his own private universe, a do-gooder Latina bruja who wants to help homeless vampires, a diabolical Nazi wizard and a midget with teeth like a shark. A head-shakingly perfect blend of zombie schlock, deadpan wit, startling profanity, desperate improvisation and inventive brilliance.

Kirkus Reviews