Author Spotlight - Richard Herley

Richard Herley is one of those midlist authors that saw his books published worldwide, in several languages, only to have them eventually drop from the shelves as other authors gained the spotlight and finally his books fell out of print. He eventually pioneered the shareware ebook market, but found that few bought compared to those that downloaded (although, to be fair, no doubt few read either, as the net was them mostly dominated by those who collected free books and other content, rather than read them). After removing all of his ebooks from sale, he was persuaded to try once again, setting up his own website with free downloads (which seems to have since disappeared). Now, he has added his books to Smashwords and they are very reasonably priced, with two of them completely free. I know he won't get the sales or reviews he would if he were in the Kindle store, but his books are definitely worth trying out (and the DRM-Free Kindle format there works just fine). If you do, be sure to leave him a review when you get a chance.

The Penal Colony (free), a 103,000-word thriller, is the basis of the futuristic Ray Liotta movie No Escape.

Book Description
It is 1997. The British government now runs island prison colonies to take dangerous offenders from its overcrowded mainland jails.

Among all these colonies, Sert, 25 miles off the north Cornish coast, has the worst reputation. There are no warders. Satellite technology is used to keep the convicts under watch. New arrivals are dumped by helicopter and must learn to survive as best they can. To Sert, one afternoon in July, is brought Anthony John Routledge, sentenced for a sex-murder he did not commit. Routledge knows he is here for ever. And he knows he must quickly forget the rules of civilized life. But not all the islanders are savages. Under the charismatic leadership of one man a community has evolved. A community with harsh and unyielding rules, peopled by resourceful men for whom the hopeless dream of escape may not be so hopeless after all ...

The Stone Arrow (free) is one that I bought in paperback long ago and is still on my shelves.

Book Description
Stone Age England. The ancient, nomadic way of life is coming to an end; the agricultural revolution has begun. When the farmers of Burh attack the sleeping nomad tribe, Tagart is the only survivor. Twenty-five and heir to the chief, his sole inheritance now is his tribal honour – and it demands revenge. His ally is the forest itself: that, and his own ingenuity, courage and hunting skill.

The Flint Lord ($2.99)

Book Description
England, 5000 years ago. Brennis Gehan, Lord of Valdoe, is planning the genocide of the indigenous hunter-gatherers. Word has already reached them, but when their grand chieftain dies in a hunting accident it seems his successor will not heed the warning. Only Tagart understands the danger: but first he must win the battle for leadership, waged according to ancient and ruthless laws ...

The Earth Goddess ($2.99)

Book Description
3000 BC. The cult of the Earth Goddess is controlled by a sinister priesthood. The island country has been annexed and its lord murdered. His consort has fled, carrying his heir, Paoul. Ignorant of his parentage, Paoul is orphaned and sold into the Red Order. His teachers predict a great destiny for him. Only later, beyond the point of no return, do his doubts begin ...

The Tide Mill ($2.99)

Book Description
In 13th-century Sussex, an illicit love-affair and ruthless power-politics find focus in a masterwork of medieval engineering ... The newest novel from this award-winning writer.

Refuge ($2.99)

Book Description
It is 2029, twelve years on from a global plague. John Suter believes himself the sole survivor until he finds a mutilated body in the river near his house. He knows he has no choice but to investigate. What he discovers upstream stretches his endurance to its limits and forces him to reassess not only his own humanity, but also his place within the human family he had once believed extinct.