Ignifer’s Rise – chapter 1

Mike Grist Books, Excerpt, Writing Leave a Comment

ARADABAR LOST Avia fled through the ash-smothered streets of Aradabar, and the Rot’s fiery black tongue swept close behind. Moths and Butterflies thudded to ground around her, bursting on cobbled stone, their broad wings seared away by the Rot’s ashen touch. Through breaks in the city’s skyline of library towers she glimpsed the column of flame rising from the horizon, like a brilliant orange flower painted on the sky. The mountain was erupting; one last defense against the Rot, and soon the great city of Aradabar would be gone. Screams rang out from behind her, but there was nothing she …

God of Ruin – The Ruin War 3

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God of Ruin is a Hard SF thriller, Book 3 in the Ruin War trilogy. Your heart is the door into hell. In the destructive struggle for the Aetheric Bridge, elite Graysmith Ritry broke his soul into seven constituent parts. Now those parts roam the world blinded by loss and new addictions, mopping up holdouts from the war with King Ruin. But the real war has only just begun. From the ashes of King Ruin’s defeat a god-like power rises, with a solitary decree- an unstoppable flood is coming, to wash everything clean. And Ritry is a soul divided. How …

King Ruin – The Ruin War 2

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King Ruin is a Hard SF thriller, Book 2 in the Ruin War trilogy. Your soul is the war zone. In the fearsome battle with Mr. Ruin, elite Graysmith Ritry dived deeper into the fires of the mind than ever before. There he found the ‘Aetheric Bridge’, a crossing-point that links all souls throughout time, and unleashed its awesome power. Now that power has been noticed. King Ruin, a malevolent entity far greater than Mr. Ruin, wants the secret of the Bridge, and Ritry alone stands in his path. But Ritry is nothing compared to the King, and there’s nowhere …

Mr. Ruins: Chapter 1

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This is chapter 1, titled RITRY GOLIGH A, of my science-fiction thriller MR. RUINS, book 1 in the RUINS SONATA. Read more about it here. Her neurons are starting to burn. Her name is Mei-An, a sweet-looking meta-Asiat with black face-framing bangs to die for, and her brain is in my hands. She came in to my graysmithy building an hour ago asking for a language inject, for what purpose I have no idea. I didn’t question her. I’m a graysmith, a smith for the gray matter of the mind, and this is what I do: implanting memories, erasing them, …

New Release – Mr. Ruins at 99 cents!

Mike Grist Books 2 Comments

My brand new science fiction techno-thriller Mr. Ruins is out on amazon, and on sale for just 99 cents/pence internationally until August 20th (after which it goes back up to $4.99). So if you want to buy, I suggest you buy now! Amazon US Amazon UK Amazon Ca Amazon Au Already it has 10 reviews, with a 4.6 average rating. Get in on this great deal now.   “Mr. Ruins is a heart-stopping, high-octane SF technothriller.” “Gorgeously drawn ruins blend with an utterly unique story.” In the tsunami-drenched dregs of a sprawling future-ruin, ex-skirmisher Ritry Goligh must learn to fight …

Mr. Ruin – The Ruin War 1

Mike Grist Books, Overview, The Ruin War 6 Comments

Mr. Ruin is a Hard SF thriller, Book 1 in the Ruin War trilogy. Your mind is the battlefield. In the war that devastated the world, ex-marine Ritry was a ‘Graysmith’ – an elite interrogator who dived deep into the hellish fires of enemy minds. His efforts made him a hero, saving countless lives, but also scarred his sanity and lost him everyone he ever loved. Now Ritry sees a chance at redemption. A shadowy figure known only as Mr. Ruin offers him an awesome power – the ability to dive not just into minds, but into the fabric underlying …

Ignifer’s Rise

Mike Grist Books, Overview 1 Comment

Ignifer’s Rise is an epic fantasy novel set in a bleak industrial world populated by bizarre castes, where a boy with the fate of the world written in his scars must raise a legendary hero to life, and prevent the rise of an apocalypse god.

Into the Ruins – Adventures in Abandoned Japan

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Ruins of the Rising Sun – Adventures in Abandoned Japan is a hybrid Japan travelogue/ photo-book written by author / photographer Michael John Grist, crammed with explorations of abandoned ruins. Best-selling thriller writer Barry Eisler has said- “Gorgeous, haunting, stunning memento mori photos… fascinating text commentary… I guarantee you will start fantasizing about exploring haikyo yourself.” It’s currently available as an e-book through Amazon: – Amazon US – Amazon UK Story: For five years writer and photographer Michael John Grist explored over 100 of the most beautiful and haunting modern ruins in Japan (called ‘haikyo’), from abandoned theme parks and …

Death of East – 9 Weird Tales

Mike Grist Books, Overview 2 Comments

Death of East is a collection of 9 weird tales that strain against the borders of reality, filled with sky-painting giants, gods of the mud, and a world where the direction East can die. Readers have called it- “magical … poetic … out-of-the-box … a little gem.“ It’s currently available as an e-book through Amazon: – Amazon US – Amazon UK – Goodreads Story: The direction East is dead. When the direction East, a giant living atop an island at the far Eastern ‘pole’, is murdered, the Empire falls into disarray. The compass can no longer be trusted, and trade …