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Dale Young
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The Darklands: A Haunting Tale of the Afterlife Kindle Edition

by Dale Young (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 203 ratings
See all formats and editions
Meet Barlow McSwain, an average man from Ruin Creek, NC whose midlife crisis is about to lead him to a dark and horrifying place.

Barlow’s strange journey begins when he narrowly avoids a head-on collision with a truck while riding his brand-new motorcycle. As he sits on the side of the road trying to calm his nerves, a man driving a red El Camino pulls up and invites him to have a drink at a saloon that he owns just up the road. At first Barlow doesn’t think much about the man in the meticulously-restored classic car, but when he gets back on the road and continues his journey into the mountains he starts to get the sinking feeling that something is just not right.

On his way to the saloon he stops at a gas station that appears to be from a bygone era. There he meets Velton, the gas station attendant who rides a 1947 Knucklehead Harley. But there is something strange about Velton that Barlow can’t quite put his finger on. And later, when he arrives at the saloon and meets Lucy, the bartender and driver of the El Camino, Barlow begins to realize that despite what he might have thought, the near-miss he had with the truck might not have been such a near-miss after all.
***
Infused with healthy dose of dark humor and satire, and set against a vivid backdrop of the author’s version of Hell, The Darklands is a haunting tale of the afterlife played out in a bizarre landscape populated by the souls of the damned. Follow along the winding backroads with Barlow and Candy, a racy hitchhiker he meets along the way, as they ride through the eternal night while searching for the reason they were dealt such a horrific twist of fate.

Will they find a way out, or will they suffer the same fate as the rest of the condemned souls and be forced to ride the ghost-infested roads of The Darklands forever?
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  1. Print length
    152 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    June 10, 2016
  5. File size
    1731 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dale Young was born in North Carolina. His family has deep roots in the Blue Ridge Mountains, a dark and spooky land where superstitions about the dead run deep. The ghost stories and tales of wandering spirits passed down through his family over the years caused him many sleepless nights and inspired him to become a writer at an early age. Dale writes horror and paranormal suspense novels set in the American South, where the souls of the dead seldom rest in peace. His novels are available in ebook format for Kindle as well as paperback. You can find him on Goodreads, Facebook and on Twitter @niner8books. Visit Dale’s website at dalejyoung.com and subscribe to his blog to receive posts about Southern ghost folklore as well as notices of upcoming book releases and special discount offers.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01E2S53MA
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Niner 8 Books (June 10, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 10, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1731 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 152 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 203 ratings

About the author

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Dale Young

Dale Young

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Dale Young was born in North Carolina. His family has deep roots in the Blue Ridge Mountains, a dark and spooky land where superstitions about the dead run deep. The ghost stories and tales of wandering spirits passed down through his family over the years caused him many sleepless nights and inspired him to become a writer at an early age.

Dale writes horror and supernatural suspense novels set in the American South, where the souls of the dead seldom rest in peace. His novels are available in ebook format and in print. Visit Dale’s website at dalejyoung.com and subscribe to his blog to receive posts about Southern ghost folklore as well as notices of upcoming book releases and special discount offers.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
203 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Fritz
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Cool Book
Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2018
Verified Purchase
The premise of the book is great and the story line very well though out. The characters are interesting and you begin to are about ten two main characters. When Lucy discovers that Barlow really shouldn't be there, but his ex-wife and former best friend should be. The results are hysterical with a final good twist.

I really enjoyed ready this story and found it hard to put down. Although the characters were unbelievable they were believable. For what he was, Lucy was a lovable character. I found this book enjoyable and even amusing at times. I would highly recommend it.
One person found this helpful
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C. Hunter
4.0 out of 5 stars Weird But Cute
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2018
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Who would have thought that a book about hell could possibly be cute? But it was. That and weird. But I did enjoy it. And how is it possible for a story about hell have a happy ending? But it does and it made me smile. There is some profanity, but come on, it is about the devil, after all.
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Michael A Monarch
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!
Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2019
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Enjoyed this book very much. Sent to Hell, Barlow gets to
ride his Harley all he wants, drink all the beer and whiskey
he wants, while having a beautiful, sexy woman as his
companion. Please, send me to Hell!
Lucy is more of a mob boss than a horned monster, and his
punishments and favors are fair.
Nice to see Barlow's cheating wife got her due when she
met her demise.
The Twilight Zone meets dark comedy meets Lucifer (the tv
show). Highly recommended!
One person found this helpful
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K. Jump
3.0 out of 5 stars Take a ride into the Darklands
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2023
Verified Purchase
A satirical story about the afterlife and what happens to a soul that ends up in hell, or more specifically a land of the dead known as the Darklands. The writer introduces us to a wide range of interesting characters, including our protagonist, Barlow, a basically likable fellow who bites the bullet while taking a ride on his brand-new Harley. That gets Barlow thrown in with the biker crowd in hell, where his basic decency makes him stick out like a sore thumb. Fortunately for Barlow he soon meets Candy, a pretty girl who ended up in the Darklands because she slit her own wrists, and she's happy to teach him the rules he needs to live by now that he's dead. Naturally the devil himself has a starring role in the story, and while the writer portrays him as a tough and dangerous boss, Lucy (as he's known in the Darklands) is written a little more sympathetically than is usually the case. (One probably shouldn't read too much into that since this is a humorous piece.) The author gives us some fun dialog and several entertaining adventures as Barlow learns the ropes of the afterlife, and even a few thoughtful philosophical touches here are there. The story is kind of a one trick pony, though, and after a while the narrative becomes sort of repetitive. The biker trope starts to wear thin and there aren't many new wrinkles once the basic plot gets established. The constant vulgarity is a little annoying as well (yes, its hell, but still) and it would have been nice to learn a little more about the history of the Darklands and how other sides of hell might work. The story does come to a good climax with a somewhat unexpected twist, but said twist really isn't very believable. Despite these flaws, however, I did enjoy THE DARKLANDS and may return sometime, and I'd be very willing to check out other books from the same writer in the future. Recommended for readers who like satire, very dark humor, and who can tolerate a lot of cursing.
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Adam Mahler
5.0 out of 5 stars Yo this was so awesome
Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2022
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What a great retelling of the afterlife. I enjoyed seeing all the modern interpretations of mythology and lore. Very well done.
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Karen Darling
4.0 out of 5 stars Is there really a life after death.?
Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2020
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I did not dislike any part of the story. It was very interesting in an odd sort of way.
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Vicki Crosby
5.0 out of 5 stars I loved the ending and really did not find anything that ...
Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2018
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This is one of those books I didn't want to put down, but then I was upset because the book was done. I loved the ending and really did not find anything that needed improved. The book was action from the start.
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William Beckhoff
5.0 out of 5 stars I would give it a 15 if I could....
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2019
Verified Purchase
I absolutely loved this story. As a world traveler and a Biker of many years this story just spoke to me and brought back so many memories.
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Top reviews from other countries

LovesBooks
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in Canada on July 17, 2018
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Creepy good read.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Good
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 26, 2018
Verified Purchase
Very well written almost believable life and death two of the greatest mysteries I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and look forward to more
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