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Kevin J. Howard was born in Mission Viejo, California, moved to Seattle at the age of twenty-one, and now lives in Puyallup. He hand wrote his first novel in the fifth grade and has been writing ever since. His first published novel, Faithful Shadow, is a return to the classic horror novel. Since writing Faithful Shadow he has completed four additional horror novels that will soon be published. In 2012, he won an award in the Las Vegas International Film Festival and the Beverly Hills International Film Festival for his screenplay, Identical Opposites. Kevin's latest novel, Precipice: The Beginning, is now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The sequel, Precipice: The Retrieval, was released in May of 2013. Kevin looks to publish his next novel, Closed Cell, in early 2014.
Reviewed by Lee Ashford for Readers' Favorite
“Faithful Shadow” by Kevin J. Howard tells the tale of one fictional, but terrifying, result of the major fires in and near Yellowstone National Park several years ago, or in any year yet to come. Smoke from the main fire, several miles from park headquarters, has invaded a massive network of undiscovered tunnels below the park. Living within this network of tunnels is a previously undiscovered “thing”: not animal, not human, but best described as a "shadow" monster. For untold centuries this beast has survived on hapless animals it hunted after dark, along with the occasional “missing” tourist who happened to fall unaware into one of the many access and egress holes the “shadow” has situated at numerous locations along its tunnels. But smoke in the tunnels has forced this “thing” out into the surface world to seek the cover of darkness wherever it can. Will it find a safe place to wait out the fire storm? Will the park staff and visitors be safe with this “thing” evicted from its tunnel home?
"Faithful Shadow" is crafted by an author who quite obviously worked for a season or more at Yellowstone during his younger days; his detailed depiction of the seasonal park aide life is precise and totally accurate. I was a seasonal park aide myself; I vouch for the accuracy of the author’s descriptions. I can also vouch for the sentimental attachment Park Rangers have for their parks, for I had the same connection with the natural beauty and wonder of the various parks and refuges where I spent more than 25 years. Kevin Howard has an impeccable talent for building a story around the reader. You are more than just an observer; you are on the scene, a part of the action. In spite of the horror unleashed by the unidentified creature, Kevin still manages to make you want to visit the park, to inhale its beauty. I look forward to more of Kevin Howard’s artistic way with words. This book is a must read, not only for horror fans, but for fans of nature and the wondrous natural world.
