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A lifelong student of myth, language and the macabre, Slater weaves a tale steeped in Victorian intrigue and shadowed secrets. With influences ranging from dark fantasy to horror and the ‘man remade’, his writing explores the arcane and the dreadful with a dry, grisly wit. A traveller, linguist and obsessive thinker, Slater brings global experience and a haunted imagination to the page, inviting readers into a world where nothing is ever quite as it seems.
With an enduring fascination for arcane mythologies, dark histories and the liminal spaces between the seen and unseen, Slater’s work summons the esoteric and the dreadful in equal measure. A master of language and symbol, he weaves tales where secret orders stir, ancient evils awaken and masks conceal more than just faces.
The author has worked across strange and varied fields, yet always returns to the shadows of his imagination – guided, perhaps, by darker muses. Hampered (or helped) by a macabre sense of humour, he writes with a deep awareness that the line between reality and the occult is perilously thin.
Reviewed by Keith Mbuya for Readers' Favorite
After completing their first assignment, the six candidates of the Order of the Steel Rose—Mr. Carnby, Dr. Whitehall, Axel, Percy, Emma, and Jane—are accepted into the Order. However, they have many questions about the evil they encountered and the culprits in their custody. They soon learn that the creatures they confronted are manifestations of a monstrous, ancient evil. It has existed long before civilization, yet little is known about it. It has been dubbed ‘What Lies in the Darkness’ because of its incomprehensible nature. They also learn about Cartier Moleon, a Frenchman serving this evil and responsible for running and recruiting people into its network in London. Their next mission is to nab Moleon. Unknown to them, he might be more powerful than they think, and their mission more dangerous. But that’s not all. The past is about to catch up with some of them, and they have no choice but to face it. Find out how it all goes down in Fractured Veil: Order of the Steel Rose Book 2 by R. Slater.
Once again, R. Slater weaves an enthralling tale in Fractured Veil, featuring the six rookie members of the Order of the Steel Rose. Slater drew me into the cast’s troubled worlds with deliberate narration that gives room for reflection, tension, and the characters’ day-to-day activities. This allowed me to understand the cast’s personal struggles and relationships. Here, each character seems to be dealing with or hiding something, and the story’s mystery deepens as more details about their pasts are revealed and new characters are introduced. I could feel the romantic tension between Axel and Jane and between Emma and Percy, as well as the suspicious attitude among the six members toward one another. I could also feel their confusion and terror about their responsibilities, powers, and nemesis. Slater maintains the story’s signature dark, 1890s English setting. As both members of the Order and those serving the dark force scheme against each other, one thing is clear: secrets and distrust abound on each side. I highly recommend reading the previous installment in the series to fully enjoy this read.
