Coldheart

League of Magi #1

Available from Captain Supermarket Press

San Francisco is on the edge of a blizzard, the first in a hundred years. A cannibal killer stalks the streets. A rash of abductions targets people seemingly at random. A city falling into chaos.

Chris Black sees the connection. On the trail of a missing woman, he uncovers the delicate threads uniting the disparate mysteries. But he is mentally ill and all of it could be the product of his diseased mind. Balancing the fog of medication with his descent into madness, he struggles to remain lucid in the face of horror.

Delving into a mystery that might be of his own making, he discovers a secret world. A world where women become serpents, the very ground can be his deadliest enemy, a world of the blackest magic. He has found the edges of something older than he can imagine, something that can change the fabric of reality.

And the storm itself is his only ally.

Coldheart is an urban fantasy novella from author Justin Robinson. In addition to the novella, the book includes five short stories with some of the same characters set in the same world. In “Dante Ascending,” a boy discovers the dangerous secret at the top of an inner city tenement; “Wait” is the story of two soldiers on opposite sides becoming unlikely friends; in “The Menagerie,” a young couple finds an extradimensional zoo; “Dead Drop” chronicles the rise and fall of a spy; and finally, in “Stillwater,” a town is accidentally sent to hell.

Read Justin's Liner Notes

  • "Lots of action and tension, some seriously freaky moments, and a main character who is complex and courageous. The five extra short stories at the end were also a nice bonus."

    Amid the Imaginary recommends Coldheart

  • "It's a sweet little universe. All together, this is a beautiful puzzle... I loved this enough that I'm adding it on the 'I need a hard copy' list."

    Shawn Remfrey from Literary Litter says of Coldheart and the included short stories

  • My Cozie Corner gives Coldheart 5 stars, calling it "a fantastic collection of stories of magick."

    My Cozie Corner

  • "I loved the world and want to see more of it. The glimpses into the intrigues and adventure were all compelling and followed the tantalizing example of Lovecraft. Explanations destroy mystery. This is a book that got that balance right."

    Ben Rhodes at Fanboy Comics