The Dark Is A Cold Lonely Shadow
A Warning For Readers & Parents
Embedded Files
Note: "FrostWalker", "The Sarcophagi" and "K" are separate and are strictly 18+
NOTE: The books are getting darker. Everything is vetted by the boss, who is now eleven years old. But only one scene has been removed because it was too dark!
The scenes being cut out or toned down are the most disgusting, frightening and disturbing scenes imaginable for an 11 year old boy! They contain:
Romance, Kissing, Love, Embarrassment, Cringe, Yucky Stuff!
[Taken From Start Of 'Anomaly Book 1' ]
[Taken From Start Of 'Anomaly Book 1' ]
Anomaly
Anomaly
“not in agreement with something else and therefore not satisfactory”
- agreement with something else?
- who decides what is satisfactory?
Anomaly [plural noun: anomalies]
something that deviates from: standard / normal / expected
peculiarity, abnormality, inconsistency, deviation, quirk, aberration, freak, exception, divergence, eccentricity
outlier, edge case { note.highlighted; ref.statistical anomaly; ref.anomalous anomaly }
Anomaly[historian] { species.historian; class.derogatory; ref.the calm }
an offensive and derogatory term
an individual who fails to find or maintain ‘the calm’ {ref.emotional detachment }
an individual prone to ‘emotional bleeding’ {ref.emotional bleeding }
Anomaly[astronomy] { s.astronomy; ex.anomalous orbit; ref.anomalous equinoctial }
the angular distance of a planet or satellite from its last perihelion or perigee as observed from the central body (eg. the sun)
a celestial body deviating from its expected path
Anomalous Anomaly { species.historian; species.aegis; ref.database; ref.list; ref.[redacted] }
── [CRITICAL: SECURITY BREACH!] ──
[INSUFFICIENT CLEARANCE. THIS SECURITY BREACH WILL BE LOGGED!]
there is no evidence that any such “Anomalous Anomaly” list(s) / database(s) exist
Book 1 Contains:
Book 1 Contains:
A Bizarre Mix Of: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Comedy, Horror, Nonsense and Darkness, with different writing styles.
Mild curses and language - Swear words used sparingly only when the situation warrants it.
Violence, Death & Killing - Toned down, but there is fighting, fight scenes, and people die.
Injury Detail - Toned down.
Multiple Mental Health Issues, PTSD, Suicide, Dissociative Amnesia, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Self-Harm, Depression, the list goes on. This is the main concern and thing readers might want to consider!
To Repeat: Suicidal Tendencies / Depression / Self-Harm - It gets very dark!
Kissing, Love Pentagrams & Romance - There are NO detailed sex scenes!
Alcohol & Substance Use, and Abuse - It is there but not gratuitous and done in a way that shows that addiction and abuse are not good things.
Bunnies Dancing With Butterflies Under Rainbows - We offset to try to make it humorous. We tackle subjects, and we can be cruel, but remember, we have written over 2,000,000 words. You might be surprised as to how things turn out in the end.
ADHD - Such a broad sweeping statement, and this is not an "issue" in so many cases. Anomaly (and two of our favourite characters) are based entirely on this theme. A lot of study and research has gone into this! See "Anomaly" and "TDIACLS"
LGBXTHFR6++X4+NA+WHATEVER - Why should you be categorised? We can't all be neatly popped into a little box and say, "That's where I fit!" Though if you want to be popped in a box, feel free! That's your decision! But what if we change our minds? Who should we be? Who decides? You do! Be whoever you want to be! We love you all the same. We don't put you in a box! Exult in being whoever you want to be! The books cover this in detail. If you don't like freedom, don't read the books! See "Shadow Falls", "TDIACLS" and "Anomaly".
Sexism:
Sexism:
We discussed this in detail up front, and after a while agreed that our strongest and favourite characters are (for the most part) all female! Those females that might initially seem weak, or seem to follow a stereotype, hold your judgement! The strongest and most powerful heroes are most definitely female. However we'd like to reassure the male readers that despite any initial (and later) misconceptions, we think there is a balance. Don't worry, some of the best characters are also male!
In fact, some are both male and female, or neither, or couldn't care less, or swap between the two as they feel like it, or make up their own sex, or... who cares?
Be whatever you want to be! Be whoever you want to be! If there are any criticisms, we will send you the story of "Shadow Falls!"
When the scales tip one way, you might be surprised at the strength of some of the [INSERT WHATEVER HERE] characters and how they turn things around! This isn't a battle between the sexes! There is no battle between the sexes! This is a battle between good and evil!
Parents and readers should consider whether this is appropriate for younger children! This is aimed more at young adult and adult audiences.
[SPOILERS] An explanation of the project. This is so much more than just a series of books. It is being used to teach a vast array of skills, but also as a discussion point for challenging real-world topics/issues positively. That may not become obvious until much later in the book(s); however, in writing these books, my son understands the topics (and that what might originally be assumed by the reader might not be the case).
Warning! Complete And Utter Nonsense...
Warning! Complete And Utter Nonsense...
The general consensus from feedback is "A Little Less Conversation And More Action Please", to quote a specific reviewer. The rework will contain more fighting, violence and weirdness. The creator and manager of "The Dark Is A Cold Lonely Shadow" project is 11 years old. He specifically sets the tone for the majority of it, and where his co-author breaches a threshold he is not comfortable with, it is reigned in/toned down/cut/moved out to a future book (or goes to "The Sarcophagi"). This is mostly the romance and yucky kissing parts, not the violence or other topics!
However the books do cover a number of challenging topics and issues. We have discussed these issues in a positive way as part of a learning process. We have considered them, and we have the advantage that we know what happens later on. Without that context and discussion, it might cause confusion or distress to younger/sensitive children.
We think this is on a similar level to watching The Lord of the Rings, which covers most of these topics, and based on that, we might vaguely recommend that readers are aged 12+. But that is a guess! This is all new to both of us.
The Sarcophagi
18+
Protecting The Children!
As part of writing TDIACLS, we realised that on several occasions I was "going too far", as my son put it. This was, in part, deliberate, as we used darker subjects as a discussion point, and I knew that by the time my son was old enough, he'd be pushing to make things darker. This project started when he was five years old, and even years later, he asked me to reintroduce something that was too much for him at the time, but now he understood. But there was a disjoint. He knew I was holding back, and when I went on a little "side-rant" and said that he couldn't read what I'd written, he understood my frustration. He was brilliant and said to me, "Do something for yourself!" And I loved him all the more.
The Sarcophagi was born...
So we agreed I would have my side-project, where I could go to the extreme (and I went to the extreme). It is a project he inputs into, and we discuss, but where I can unleash my darker side. He is NOT allowed to read it. I explained the project to him. I explained "Central / Detritus", and he inputs into the world design / AI / theme/ characters /whatever. We discuss it, but he understands why I won't let him actually read it, even if he knows the general theme.
However the theme is the same. There is one core fundamental in our books!
Good vs Evil / Protecting The Children!
Two of the core characters are children (even if they aren't introduced in Book 1, they are the true heroes). Another two of the core characters are in "K", where it goes back to explain their childhood. It hurts. I cry a lot while writing it! I shelved it for six months as I couldn't write it! It is brutal!
That said, if you have seen or read anything like Hanna (film or series) / Sucker Punch / La Femme Nikita, or a dozen other similar, it's really pretty tame. It is just not for children!
"Falling Outside the Normal Moral Constraints"
Reference: [Iain M Banks - Surface Detail]♥️
Special Circumstances.
Abominator Class
General Offensive Unit
[Picket]
"Sadistic. Borderline eccentric and very slightly psychotic."
Falling Outside The Normal Moral Constraints
Falling Outside The Normal Moral Constraints
The Sarcophagi (18+) Book 1 - FrostWalker (18+) K (18+++)
A portion of all profits will be dedicated to children's charities.
The creator of TDIACLS influenced The Sarcophagi in terms of background, character design, technology, world building, storyline, ending, and plot. He helped design the backdrop and came up with some brilliant ideas. He has NOT been allowed to read or been involved with the darker scenes!
Writing sections of the series, I was in tears. I shelved it for 6 months because I was so disturbed by what I was writing. I may have read some sections a dozen times, but I still cry when I read them again. Some sections make me feel physically sick. It is shock tactics, but there is a reason behind it, unlike another Scottish author who writes trash to shock. That simple, he's scum writing for scum, and using shock tactics with no morals behind it. I try to do better, but that won't be obvious until much later in the series.
I'm most definitely NOT talking about Iain M Banks, who had a moral backbone. I love Iain M Banks, and he heavily inspired TDIACLS and The Sarcophagi! He writes some hard-hitting and disturbing books, but they are brilliant. Surface Detail made me feel physically sick at times and call me weak, but just as I did when writing The Sarcophagi, I had to take a break from reading it. It is without a doubt one of my favourite books of all time, and yet I've only read it twice. It's a bit like Schindler's List and The Shawshank Redemption. Both brilliant, with a moral backbone, but I'm not in a hurry to watch either of them again.
The Sarcophagi starts silly, but at points it is utterly brutal and sickening! It might seem gratuitous, sexist, and it might play on stereotypes. The Sarcophagi will offend people, especially those who don't read through to its conclusion.
A portion of any profits from The Sarcophagi will go to children's charities. We focus on protecting children, and in this case, brutally hammer that message home. One of our first steps when creating the project was agreeing on a theme. Good vs Evil. Education, protection and support for our children! We fight for the children!
[REMOVED FOR NOW - COMPLETE REWRITE UNDERWAY - 2026]
Chapter 0 [REMOVED FOR NOW]
Low quality prototype of Chapter 0
The first location [SECRET] created in Minecraft
Chapter 0 [REMOVED FOR NOW]
We fight for the children!
You might think that children are safe in this day and age. The entire concept of "K" is based on a twist of a real event that prompted me to study it in great detail, and the findings made me physically sick! I was horrified! "K" may be an over-exaggeration, and taken to the extreme, but it's not far from the truth on what could easily be done, and elements of it are already fact.
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