Sometimes, you do not need to look toward a major publisher or a massive advertising campaign to discover the next great genre obsession. Sometimes it arrives independently, built through years of work, stubborn creative conviction, and an idea so gloriously unhinged that you immediately wonder why nobody has attempted it before.
That may be the case with Haunting Skies, the new illustrated supernatural sci-fi horror novel from filmmaker and author Christian Kang Bachini.
The premise is wonderfully direct:
An alien invasion. An abductee possessed by the Devil. The last surviving exorcist with a plan straight from Hell.
Humanity has fallen. Alien ships rule the skies, abducting the remaining survivors for nightmarish experiments. Claire and Derek are fleeing with their daughter, Elisa—but Elisa carries a secret that could change the course of the war.
She is possessed by Satan himself.
Their only hope is Father Kang, a fast-talking Italian exorcist who loves to kick first and ask questions later. He comes up with possibly the most reckless plan in human history: smuggle Elisa aboard the alien mothership, unleash the Devil, and let Hell’s army do what humanity’s weapons could not—wipe out the invaders.
Think The Exorcist meets Fire in the Sky, with action worthy of Aliens and the gleefully dark humor of Evil Dead. Father Kang feels like the perfect spiritual heir to Ash Williams: reckless, funny, dangerous, and somehow exactly the lunatic humanity needs at the end of the world.
The novel has already caught the attention of one of horror cinema’s most distinctive voices. Christopher Young, the composer behind Hellraiser, Sinister, and Drag Me to Hell, said:
“Haunting Skies is so good, it haunts me. It’s wildly original and cinematic, with everything I love—horror, aliens, the supernatural, and a wicked sense of humor. In all my years working in horror, I’ve never encountered anything quite like it.”
(Considering Young also scored Sam Raimi’s gleefully unhinged Drag Me to Hell, his enthusiasm may be a pretty good clue thatHaunting Skies shares some of that same anything-goes horror DNA.)
Bachini spent more than a decade working in the film industry in Asia as an actor, stunt performer, action director, and fight choreographer before directing the award-winning horror short Escalation. With Haunting Skies, he channels that cinematic background into something that feels less like a conventional debut novel and more like the opening installment of a sprawling genre franchise—and perhaps exactly the kind of ambitious independent storytelling genre readers should be looking for.
The novel also features original interior artwork by artist Israel Rivera, giving several of its most nightmarish moments an additional cinematic punch. The stark black-and-white style is totally killer.
Haunting Skies is available now in Kindle, paperback, and hardcover editions. It can also be read through Kindle Unlimited.
Readers can learn more about Haunting Skies and Christian Kang Bachini through his official website, or find the novel now on Amazon and other major booksellers.
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