Shanrar's Hammer: www.oocities.org/darkmage71
E-mail: markholt@ntlworld.com
 
 

The Fiction & Poetry
Section






Welcome to my fiction and poetry archive.  Here you will find a selection of my short stories and poems.  My stories cover the sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and adventure genres, and I tend to go more for action rather than character-driven pieces.

I have a bad habit of starting a story and then getting side-tracked by another idea.  This tends to result in a lot of unfinished stories.  I do have a few more stories that I haven't placed here yet, but don't expect this area to grow too quickly.

My poetry would best be described as surreal (sounds better than odd), some of them written from the heart, while others are purely experimental.  Beware, some of these poems deal with morbid issues.

It should also be noted that these stories and poems appear in no particular order.

Copyright notice:
All stories and poems on this site are the property of myself, Mark D. Holt.  You may download them or print them out if you wish, but any unauthorised distribution or use of these works, in any format is strictly forbidden, unless you have my express written permission.

FICTION:
 

The Hard Path
Fantasy/Action.  Shanrar is a warrior on a journey.  This is the story of that journey, and his encounters along the way.
WARNING: Lots of gratuitous violence!
A sunny night on Venus
Science Fiction.  Treepol is a man on a dying world.  On one particularly warm and sunny night he ponders over his past, present, and future.
The Bastion of Angels
Fantasy/Action.  The kingdom of Heaven is under siege by the forces of darkness.  The Great Barrier, Heaven's last line of defence, is on the brink of collapse.  Demons have already begun to break through and only the Paladins, the champions of good, can stop the vile hordes of Hell.
The Cell
Supernatural/Horror.  The first day on a new job is always a little scary, but things go a whole lot further for Kenny Gardner when he starts work at Blackwood prison.
Jamie's Cavern
Adventure.  Jamie is a young boy who goes off exploring his new home, with dangerous consequences.
NOTE: This is the first short story I ever wrote.  It was originally written as a 4 episode audio story for a radio competition (I didn't win), but I've now adapted it.  It isn't sci-fi, fantasy, or horror, but I thought I'd put it here anyway.
Satan Awakes
(Introduction)
Horror.  An unfinished horror novel I began writing some years ago.  I only finished 4 chapters, but I may continue with it again soon.  So watch this space.
Chapter 1    Chapter 2   Chapter 3
Venus No More
Science Fiction.  Treepol returns in my sequel to 'A sunny night on Venus'.  The evacuation of Venus is in progress, and Treepol is about to depart for the 'New World'.
Walk of the Dead
Horror.  The dead have risen from the grave and are roaming England, feasting on the living.  Joe and Tom are two guys fleeing the big city, looking for a safe haven.
The man on the roof
Fantasy.  A crowd of spectators has gathered as a man sits on a rooftop preparing to jump.  The police are on the scene trying to talk him out of it, but is the man all that he seems...
NOTE: The quickest short story I've ever written.  I wrote it all in one go, and it took me little over an hour.

POETRY:
 

Angels
Rattic
Ode to the wild hearts
Dark Places
Elegy for a little mouse
Midnight Sounds
Finale
Waning Hope
Distant Life
The Light
Nightmares
Flames
Diana
Silent Prayer
Genius

Several of the above poems have been published in various anthologies.  They are listed below in alphabetical order:

Angels - Poetic Justice (The International Poetry Mart, 1999)
            A Celebration of Poets (Poetry Guild)
Dark Places - (Poetry Guild, 1998)
Distant Life - Light of the World (The International Library of Poetry, 1997)
Elegy for a little mouse - FP 2001 Series... The Journey Begins (Poetry Now, 2001)
Midnight Sounds - A Celebration of Poets: Showcase Edition (Poetry Guild, 1998)
Ode to the wild hearts - The Lyre's Song (The International Library of Poetry, 1998)
            Wayward Dreams (The International Poetry Mart, 1999)
            Memories of the Millenium (The International Library of Poetry, 2000)
            Poetry Now Eastern England 2001 (Poetry Now, 2001)
The Light - The Star-Laden Sky (The International Library of Poetry, 1997/8)
Waning Hope - Jewels of the Imagination (The International Library of Poetry, 1997)



Return to Contents page