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Book 1 - Chapter 1 "The First Seal " Excerpt (6 Paragraphs)
Book 1 - Chapter 2 "Battle of Crecy " Excerpt (6 Paragraphs)
Book 1 - Chapter 3 "Abbey of the Guardians " Excerpt (7 Paragraphs)
Book 1 - Chapter 4 "Holy See Conspiracy " Excerpt (6 Paragraphs)
Book 1 - Chapter 5 "Naramsin Exhumed " Excerpt (7 Paragraphs)
Book 1 - Chapter 6 "Devil in the Midst " Excerpt (6 Paragraphs)
Book 1 - Chapter 7 "Breaking the Seal " Excerpt (5 Paragraphs)
Book 1 - Chapter 8 "Opening the Gatestone " Excerpt (7 Paragraphs)
Book 1 - Chapter 9 "Catacombs, Cobblers, and Kings " Excerpt (7 Paragraphs)
Book 1 - Chapter 10 "A Black Death Sweeps All " Excerpt (7 Paragraphs)
Book 1 - Chapter 11 "Fall from Grace " Excerpt (7 Paragraphs)
Book 1 - Chapter 12 "Drift of Death " Excerpt (7 Paragraphs)
Book 1 - Chapter 13 "He is Risen " Excerpt (6 Paragraphs)
Book 1 - Chapter 14 "The Fake Inquisition " Excerpt (10 Paragraphs)
Book 1 - Chapter 15 "Right Side of Wrong " Excerpt (6 Paragraphs)
Book 1 - Chapter 16 "The Real Inquisition " Excerpt (5 Paragraphs)
Book 1 - Chapter 17 "Fisher of Men " Excerpt (7 Paragraphs)
Book 1 - Chapter 18 "The Wyvern Gift " Excerpt (4 Paragraphs)
Book 1 - Chapter 19 "Shell of a Man "Excerpt (9 Paragraphs)
Book 1 - Chapter 20 "Jewel of Eden" Excerpt (6 Paragraphs)
Book 2 - Chapter 1 "Noah's Griffin" Excerpt (7 Paragraphs)
Book 2 - Chapter 2 "Spinners ~ The Spectral Lepers" Excerpt (0 Paragraphs)
~Browse Page
GNO Browse Page Introduction: As most avid readers might agree, embracing a fictional work – especially lengthy or involved narrations – is akin to making an unseen but direct investment of time and attention, in exchange for a possible rewarding and lasting experience. Often-times, someone may simply perform a cursory scan of a book jacket synopsis, or a slew of biased and pre-positioned book reviews when determining whether to invest their resources in that potential experience.
After absorbing enough strategically-placed praiseworthy preachings, snake-oil pitches and "rave reviews", one might be persuaded to read the overly-hyped novel, only to later realize (by the end of chapter three) that, either the material falls flat, feels dry, bloated or boring, or appears to wander, unnecessarily delving too deeply into the weeds of “world-building” at the expense of expected plot pacing and presentation -- or perhaps the story beats and scenes seem unnatural, as though written events and ideas feel contrived, absurdly coincidental, or outwardly forced together, thus challenging many aspects of the sacred “suspension of disbelief” rule in fiction -- or maybe there appears to be a lot of “telling” verses “showing” -- or even, that the author's voice and word choices come across so "loudly" that it seems to drown out even the dialogues -- or, the narrative seems to better represent how many rarely-used, author-admirable, six-syllable words it can pack into a single page, rather than, to convey the advancing plot as conventionally and conveniently as possible.
Conceivably, there are perhaps a thousand-and-one reasons for abandoning a novel at the end of chapter three; yet there are only a handful of reasons for which a work might be enjoyed completely, into its final chapter, page and word. Three of the most common reasons may be -- that the work is genuinely interesting -- that it is easy to read; and finally -- that it has an unmistakable presentation about it that cultivates an incessant thirst and curiosity for more, while appearing to pull willing readers quickly through its ever-unfolding, twisting and unpredictable plot lines.
The above three reasons (especially the third), are precisely why the Browse Page exists on the GNO site. This page allows a prospective reader to invest only minimal energy browsing excerpts of Graven's, Grotesque, A Gothic Epic. There are no “rave reviews” or flashy summaries of the work on this page -- there is simply the naked work itself (without seas of upturned thumbs, fields of rotten tomatoes, or rows of gold stars); and with only you serving as the final judge of the presented material.
Select as many chapters as you wish; and read a short excerpt of that chapter. The narrative samples are brief, comprising approximately 6-8 paragraphs, hopefully providing you with a sufficient sampling of the narrative within each. The Browse Page of the GNO site provides you with a section of the raw unvarnished text in each chapter, thus allowing you to confidently arrive at your own unbiased conclusions regarding the most crucial question of all: "Can 'Grotesque, A Gothic Epic' be an experience that I might find satisfying and rewarding throughout? "
After completion of a brief tour of this GNO Browse Page, many prospective readers might gather the 'fictional world' into which they are settling – even before fetching that favourite cup of hot tea, re-stoking the parlour hearth coals, lighting the candelabrum, and curling up in a cushioned chair with this otherworldly Gothic epic tale.
Click on the Chapter Title to Read a Short Excerpt of that Chapter
As many might gleam from perusing these chapter excerpts, the literary framework of this particular story is comparable to no other -- in whole, this unprecedented work blends real medieval characters, locations, records and events with distinct yet overlapping elements of both Christian and Greek mythology while presenting itself through the sublime, unsettling and dramatic lens of a Gothic epic adventure. Such an involved and expansive literary undertaking has never been successfully mastered ~ until now. Dare now to enjoy G.E. Graven's, Grotesque, A Gothic Epic, which exists only here, on the GNO (GothicNovelOrg) website.
Grotesque ~ A Gothic Epic© is legally and formally registered with the United States Copyright Office under title ©#TXu~1~008~517. All rights reserved 2000-2026 by G. E. Graven. Website design and domain name owner: Susan Kelleher. Name not for resale or transfer. Strictly a humanitarian collaborative effort. Although no profits are generated, current copyright prohibits duplication and redistribution. Grotesque, A Gothic Epic© is not public domain; however it is freely accessible through GNO. Access is granted only through this website for worldwide audience enjoyment. No rights available for publishing, distribution, AI representation, purchase, or transfer. This presented literary work is irreversibly-sovereign, free for nonpublishable and personal reading only, and shall not be subject to explicit or implicit agreements, understandings, restrictions or surrenders of any sort; whether public or private, individual or institutional, corporative or governmental, or other. Susan Kelleher maintains all website control, and George (G.E.) Graven maintains all international intellectual property rights for any and all prior and future versions, revisions, translations, digital representations, and variations of the literary work: Grotesque, A Gothic Epic©, until the stated copyright expiration date, when it is properly and legally released into the public domain. Driven by Anonymous Polymath and more. Continued public access is ensured and protected under this non-profit humanitarian effort, forged exclusively as a digital and literary dedication to the late Gothic author: Edgar Allan Poe.
