About the Book
Title: The Last Kraken
Author: Skyler Patterson
Genre: Fantasy
This is a fantasy
fiction tale. Get ready to UNLEASH THE KRAKEN! Its the 1800's in London
England. .A leviathan hunter Slaymore Seaborne is retired. The man longs for
one last sea adventure! The man has slain every type of sea creature but one.
The KRAKEN! All say the creature is myth until the king's merchant ships turn
up destroyed. The crown hires Slaymore to end the monster. This book was
written by SKYLER PATTERSON, Author of :THE BOOK OF SWORDS series!
Excerpts
It was a majestic morn. The
sea was calm but a whaling ship was not. It bounced across the waves in search
of its prey. The deck of the King’s ship “The Sea Plunderer” was a flurry of
activity. Men gazed into the horizon from the crow’s nest. The ship’s captain
held on to the bulwarks waiting to hear word of the sighting of a spout. The
ship’s hull was full of harvested whale bone and whale oil. There was enough
oil to light the candles of all of London. Fact is there was nary a barrel left
for filling. The ship’s captain however had not had his fill of the deadly
hunt! Although his ship crew urged him to give up his sport and set sail for
home .The man would hear of none of it. “Tis good sport lads! Tis good sport
that will keep ye all sharp! We have got plenty of coin and there’s still
plenty of sport to be had! Don’t be a maiden about it”! said the captain. Upon
a sudden the deck hand in the crow’s nest shouted : “ SHE BLOWS THERE, AND
THERE SHE BLOWS CAPTAIN”! The man pointed into the dawn at a huge leviathan as
it surfaced then crashed down into the blue seas. The captain sprang up like a
wave. “Ye heard him lads ! ”Full sail men! Windward “! Said he. The ship leapt
forward, the captain held firm to the ships rigging and stood on steady sea
legs. The waves crashed. The ship groaned and the captains sky blue coat blew
in the wind. “Down he went boys! Tis air he needs ! He’ll be up starboard !
Mark me words! We’ll meet him proper”! Yelled the captain. The grey monster
breached the water as if heeding the call of the blood thirsty captain. “Lower
ye men ! Lower ye all men”! yelled he. The captain pointed to the boats
tethered to the side of the large ship. The men grabbed their harpoons and
darts . The deckhands lowered the small boats, they crashed into the water’s
surface like an anchor. Finally all boats were in the water .The men picked up
the oars and stabbed the water like long wooden knives. The boats cut through
the choppy seas bound for the spot of the last sighting of the beast. Suddenly
the waters churned and out jumped the monster unaware of his intended doom! The
creature was at least 40 ft. long and many a ton. The four boats sped towards
the whale. A flock of white seagulls gazed down at the boats from above. The
boats were moving in an arrow formation. The men aimed their harpoons and
darts. The captain still on board his ship jumped up and down and gazed at the
whole affair from his long spyglass. He shouted towards the men and pointed at
the gigantic fish. The boat that was first in the water gained quickly on the
monster. Two men stood in the prow of the boat their harpoons and darts were at
the ready . The boat heaved and the salty spray was in the wind. A man who was
rowing gazed back at the harpooners and yelled: “Loose them needles lads”!! The boat leapt forward
the men tossed their harpoons and they hit their marks! Blood sprayed out from
the wounded beast like red rain! The
great whale plunged ahead into the green waters dragging all of the small boats
in its wake! What a sight! The men on the vessels held tightly lest they be
swept overboard. The leviathan pulled the boats swiftly and then in a
tremendous heave plunged down below the water’s surface! The massive fish had
splashed the boats with a lot of sea
water! The splashing waters almost sank the vessels! The men struggled to keep
from falling overboard! The men began to use their hats to bale water from the
crafts, as they waited for the beast to resurface. The three other boats had
now reached the location. The sailors began to yell to each other . “He’s a big
one lads! We’ve got the bugger bleedin! When he comes up we shall bleed him
some more”! Said the sailor. The heavy lines that were attached to the creature
began to pull the small boats prows down into the water! “A sailor yelled: “We’ve
got him now lads! Those lines are bloody strong! Long as they don’t break we’ve
got our prey”! Said he. Upon a sudden one of the sailors in a boat tethered to
the whale gazed into the horizon. The sailor could just make out what appeared
to be a huge white mass moving across the water’s surface and heading straight
for the small boat! The sailor tapped the oarsman next to him and spoke. “What
in the bloody sea hell is that”?! Asked he. The oarsman dropped his oar into
the boat and put a hand above his brow to block out the sun and get a better
view. The thing that was swiftly approaching, was like a small island that was
moving, “That’s got to be a white ship”! said one sailor.” Probably pirates
wanting to take our whale”! Stated another sailor. “They can bloody well have
him! We’re just having a sport is all”! said the sailor. The whale continued to
pull the lines. The small boats danced on the surface and the men continued to
gaze at the lines. Suddenly the white mass was becoming bigger as it neared
them. The other boats were now all beginning to point at the mass of white that
was gaining on their location. “look men tis another whale”! Yelled one sailor.
Another man yelled: “where’s his fluke”?! Now there would be no secret as to
what the white mass was as the two huge white eyes emerged from the cold green
water! They were the eyes of death! The monster plunged forward; its mighty
tentacles driving it starboard with the speed of 200 oarsmen! A panic ensued!
The men on the whale hitched boats yelled “THE LINE! CUT THE LINES”! A sailor
on the prow of the small vessel reached into his waist and drew out a big knife
and began to saw at the massive towline! Now all of the other sailors on the
other boats cut their lines! All save one! Another sailor gazed back at the
approaching mass of white dread and yelled. “In the name of the king what is
that bloody thing”! The monster as if hearing the question revealed more of its
massive body! Then all men on all boats yelled “KRAKENNN”! The leviathan was
now bigger than the whale ship that brought them ! The men’s lines were
all cut! All save one! The sailor struggled to free his boat! The men on
the other boats began to dig their oars into the water with tremendous speed
they turned their vessels back towards the whale ship. The massive monster was
now gaining quicker on the only tethered vessel! The sailor was slicing with
strong arms. The enormous hemp began to flay but did not snap free! The beast
was now bearing down on the tiny vessel as it was now being left by the other
boats. Men jumped onto the other boats! Some men fell into the choppy waters!
Some of the boats became waterlogged causing some sailors to desperately hit
men with oars climbing aboard to push them back into the water to avoid sinking
the tiny craft! Finally the sailor cut the last of the rope from the diving
whale. At this point the Kraken was bearing down on the vessel at such speed
that escape would be all but impossible! The sailors of the escaping boats dug
their oars in the water and tried to gain speed. The monster was now on the
tethered boat! The Leviathan unleashed its massive tentacles they reached and
grabbed the small boat like a child’s toy! The small vessel crumpled like a
parchment! Wood and men flew through the air and landed in the churning sea!
Tentacles grabbed men and sailors! From afar the deathly scene was quite a
spectacle! The huge tentacles raised above the water’s surface like a tree with
the leaves of dead sailors! The boats that were able to escape the deathly site
made for the whaling ship with great speed. The leviathan plunged down into the
waters . Seconds later the massive head emerged. The creature sat idle on the
water’s surface. A mass of seagulls settled on the beast’s head, finding a
respite from their journeys. They were like a crown for this demon of the deep!
The whaling ship was a flurry of fear. The deckhands pulled up the escaping
sailors and worked to raise the anchor, The colorful captain could be seen
running about pointing at the masts and yelling orders, his coat as blue as the
sea. The whaling ship slowly began to turn to begin its hasty escape. Suddenly
the white seagulls took off from the creature’s huge skull like a great white
smoke! Then the leviathan plunged into the sea like a ghost diving! The beast
splashed up the water high into the
skies as it dove. Then a deathly silence remained. The water calmed. The
sailors on the ship could be heard yelling in delight at the disappearance of
the creature. But.. as is always the way of it, first there was the calm, then
the storm. The massive monster breached the water’s surface with a crash, near
to the whale ship! The water splashed high into the skies! The death reaper was
on the ship like reaching doom! The beast’s tentacles grabbed sailors and grabbed
the masts and snapped them like matchsticks! The captain did make it to the
lower decks! The man leaned on a wall in the rocking ship! The man took off his
hat! The man’s brow was sweating waves! The man gasped when he heard his dying
crews shrieks of doom! The man turned and saw a frightened sailor staring at
him! “ORDERS SIR! ORDERS”?!! The captain said nothing! The man was in a trance
of fear! The captain bounded into the cannon rooms! The ship rocked, the
gunpowder was in the air, and the cannon blast was ringing the ears! The
captain pushed a deck hand away from a cannon! The captain tossed in a ball,
then prepared to light the fuse! Suddenly the walls could be heard crashing
nearby! The Captain was in the cannon room, and The Kraken seemed to know! The
captain glimpsed a tentacle outdoors and fired his cannon! The cannon
thundered! Missed! Now could be heard the tentacles crashing through the ships
side from the rear of the vessel! Then the sound was getting closer! A sailor
dropped a cannon ball on the ground! The ball rolled as the ship rocked back
and forth! Then there was silence! The
men shivered and gazed from left to right! Suddenly a shivering sailor
turned to the captain and yelled: “CAPTAINNN GETTT OUUTTT”!!! Then the walls
were crashing! The Kraken’s tentacle breached the ship! The captain attempted
to flee but was grabbed by the massive tentacle and yanked through the breached
wall! “NOOOOOO”!! Yelled he! The doomed captain was raised into the skies, then
smashed against the splintering decks, then dragged below the waves! Men tossed
harpoons in vain. Men shrieked within their doom! Sailors jumped down into the
sea, as made no matter! The sailors would be denied their folly, but The Kraken
would not be denied his meal! And then the seas were calm again…
About the Author
How did i become a
writer? My story could be a book of itself. My journey is as daunting as it is
impossible. Yet it is all truth! I have been working in health care for many
years. It was when i decided to read books on my way to work that i stumbled
upon the possibility of writing. How did it happen? I take the train to get to
my job in N.Y.. I had become bored with reading the daily newspapers .It was
then that i decided to read a book instead. Mind you, i had not read a book in
years! I proceeded to read books by J.R. Tolkien, Anne Rice, Bram Stoker, and
George R.R. Martin. I found those books sooo cool! I love fantasy fiction. It
was when i became addicted to a certain series; that it happened. I read every
book from that series and when i asked the book store clerk when there
would be more the man gave me terrible
news. “Ha, that guy puts out a book every five, six years. “WHAT?! LIFE IS TOO
SHORT”! I could not believe that. It was then that i began to wonder what if i
(yes me) could write a book myself. This was a joke to me until i came up in
minutes with a plot for a fantasy fiction tale. HOW did i do that!? The plot
was way TOO COOL to just do nothing with.
And i will not lie. I made every type of mistake one could make in
learning how to write. I have had no formal training and i successfully dropped
out of college, years ago! (Please do not do this! It did not go well!)That
first idea became THE BOOK OF SWORDS, a medieval styled swords and sorcery
epic. (Draft2Digital) That book gave me many headaches, before i figured out
how to write it!(great e book that it is) So i took a break and wrote: THE LAST
KRAKEN,(The complete version on Draft2Digital/Smashwords/I Tunes,Only) a tale
of a giant, leviathan squid running amok, in the 1800’s England. It was when i
was writing that book that i began to realize that i had somehow in only a little more than a year (2013)became an
author. I finished that first book. I then proceeded to test a chapter of it on
my extra –smart-school teacher sister Carol. My sister invited me over to hear
my tale. My sister did not disappoint me. She gave me many words of
encouragement: “Let’s all have a good laugh”! were her words! I read her a
chapter. After i read that chapter my sister began to stutter and jaws were
dropping everywhere! “HOW IN THE HELL”?! were her words! And then i began to
write another book called REVENGE OF THE WOLF.
When my friends heard i was attempting this task they said: “You are
crazy! All of your books (so far) are about action! What do you know about
romance books”?! Who would do what i did?! It was crazy! I decided to become a
writer not knowing if i could even do it! I who had never wrote any type of
romance before did write that book! And what happened?! Four star reviews! And
accolades and something i never had before: FANS! AND SALES! (Enchanted helped!)I can still
remember when i was writing REVENGE OF THE WOLF (Draft2Digital/Smashwords/
Apple I-tunes) when i passed my laptop
to a girl i was dating and asked her to read an emotional turning point of this
Paranormal/romance/action/horror story. As she was reading it; i was in awe as
the woman slowly began to cry! I then spent the rest of that year writing many
books. And here i am! I am in this for the long haul. I am now an author and
somehow a poet/songwriter. I will now do
my best to write many stories that all occur in different settings, worlds and
time periods. All will contain my signature of fantasy fiction, Epic action and
romance! “My impossible journey just goes to show that one can never truly know
what they are capable of; until they give it that one good try! Never let ANYONE tell you what you cannot do!
I can be found on Goodreads Author page/Smashwords author page/Facebook Author
page. I love to hear from my fans! What’s next?! Romance/Action :REVENGE OF THE
WOLF2 (New Series) YA:THE WARPATH OF LOVE, THE BOOK OF SWORDS 2,THE BRAVE CRAB,
“211” And many more! I can truly say I LOVE
WRITING.---SKYLER PATTERSON
Links
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/597513
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