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In plague-stricken medieval Italy, a priest and physician try to silence a living Psalm. The procession carrying it turns human suffering into scripture.
"I genuinely could not put it down. ... A Procession of Ashes carries the weight of expert literary prose..."
"Blackmere wields Historical/Medieval Horror much like how Stephen King does... If you like Edgar Allen Poe's stylings, you'll definitely enjoy A.M. Blackmere."
"...we are witnessing the emergence of A Great in his very beginning..."
Piacenza, Italy. The Year of Our Lord, 1349.
Father Matteo has shepherded a dying flock through plague and lime, but nothing in his missals prepared him for the Brotherhood of Broken Flesh—a ragged procession of flagellants who turn suffering into scripture.
When their leader, Fra Aureliano, raises a living Psalm and the faithful begin to speak its geometry in flesh, devotion itself takes on a fevered life.
Beside him stands Tommaso Bellini, an empiric physician tracing the hidden pattern between faith and decay. Together they seek to silence a Psalm that should never have been sung—and learn that belief, once awakened, does not easily sleep again.
If you loved The Name of the Rose or Between Two Fires , this slow-burn, lingering medieval horror will feel like coming home to a darker age. ***************************************************** PRODUCT DETAILS • Primary Genre: Medieval Horror • Sub-Genres: Dark Historical Fantasy, Religious Horror, Occult Thriller • Setting: 14th Century Italy, The Black Death • Themes: Crisis of Faith, Body Horror, Religious Extremism, Eldritch Abomination • Tropes: The Living Book, Cult Sacrifice, Empiric vs. Supernatural, The Skeptic and The Priest • Heat Level: 1/5 (No Romance) • Tone: Atmospheric, Visceral, Bleak, Psychological • Similar Authors: Christopher Buehlman, Umberto Eco, H.P. Lovecraft ***************************************************** Piacenza, 1349. The Black Death was only the beginning. Father Matteo has shepherded a dying flock through plague and lime, burying the dead while his own faith withers. But when the Brotherhood of Broken Flesh arrives at the city gates, they bring a cure worse than the pestilence. Led by the charismatic Fra Aureliano , these flagellants do not just pray—they bleed. They carry the Psalm , a living text bound in flesh that demands agony to open the Seven Gates . Joined by Tommaso Bellini , an empiric physician tracing the impossible geometry of the disease, Matteo must confront a cosmic horror that feeds on human suffering. As the ritual begins and the city burns, they discover that the Brotherhood’s hymn is not a prayer for salvation, but a summons for something ancient. Perfect for fans of Between Two Fires and The Name of the Rose , this atmospheric horror novella explores the terrifying line between devotion and madness.
Primary listingAmazon US listing
FormatKindle Edition
Description sourceamazon · View source
LanguageEnglish
Cover statusCandidate edition cover
Record checkedSep 16, 2026