The Kinsman, Still Extant #2, was a wonderful surprise. And I can’t tell how it was a wonderful surprise, because god damned spoilers. You’ll just have to trust me on this one. Anyway, I finished The Nightcrawler and dove right into The Kinsman. My thanks to Sheppard for sending me a review copy! I think they’re best read in quick succession. This way you’ll really get the emotional impact. I know I did. The only problem is, story #3 is not yet published and I could easily read this series in weekly instalments.

Right off the bat, I felt that there was a different vibe with The Kinsman. I mean, Sheppard still delivers the same edge of the seat moments and things that make horror a horror. The characters are solid, like one can expect from a Sheppard book, but in The Kinsman, the prose, the writing somehow felt new. Fresh. More inspired and lyrical. Particularly when it came to setting the scene and describing the vistas through our characters’ eyes. I enjoyed this new feel a lot. Like, a lot!

Ohhh, I wish I could tell you exactly what made this book amazing, but god damned spoilers! It’s not bloody fair!

The Kinsman is set in the same collapsed sociaety as The Nightcrawler. The dangers that come out in the darkness are the same, except in The Kinsman we get a way up close and personal look at them. The survival element is truly cranked up to the ‘go now or die’ and our main characters have to make decisions in the blink of an eye, determining their fates.

Again, Sheppard has used the external dangers to their utmost possibilities, as well as the human factor. In this story there is a focus on shoving aside personal turmoil for the good of another. Keeping it together for the sake of survival, because there is definitely a heavy layer hanging in the air over our characters that will surely crack at some point. And, boy, are those revelations going to be fighting for the number one spot over the deadly creatures.

So, if you’re looking for your next horror reads, I am happy to suggest you check our P.A. Sheppard’s Still Extant series. That’s some reading that gives you more than escaping the terrifying. You’ll get to enjoy the best of people, the worst of people. And, you may also learn some survival skills in the process *taps nose.