Charleston, SC – August 18, 2026 – Richard Blackthorn, a native of New England now living in Charleston, has been honored with the Literary Titan Book Award for his debut novel Eclipse: The Silence of Heaven. The same work also received a Reedsy Discovery “Must Read” designation and a five‑star review, giving the book two independent marks of recognition.
Historical setting meets gothic horror
The novel is set during the real‑world catastrophe of 536 AD, when volcanic ash dimmed the sun for roughly eighteen months. Blackthorn imagines a world where crops fail, famine spreads, and a vampire‑filled darkness thrives under a sky without light. In this bleak landscape, the holy city of Sanctum Eterna confronts the terrifying possibility that Heaven has stopped answering.
Faith‑centered characters
At the story’s core is Veyne, a scarred warrior known as the Holy Avenger and a former priest wrestling with guilt and a suppressed faith. He hunts the horrors stalking the dying streets and becomes entangled with Seraphine, a woman betrayed by her own blood and reborn into something the Church cannot name. As an ancient vampiric force threatens to erase the boundary between Heaven and oblivion, faith itself becomes a weapon and survival a sacrament.
Critical response
The Literary Titan review praised the novel’s “uncompromising atmosphere” and its ability to connect supernatural horror with larger questions of belief, power, inherited violence, and how people respond when divine certainty disappears. Reedsy Discovery called the book “a haunting descent into a 6th‑century volcanic winter, where faith and vengeance collide in the ash‑choked streets of Constantinople.”
Author’s perspective
Blackthorn said the story began with the historical mystery of the 536 AD volcanic winter. “My first thought was, ‘What a perfect time for vampires to thrive,’” he explained. As research deepened, the narrative shifted from monsters to the spiritual conflict at its heart. “The historical event gave me the setting, but the characters and their responses to that silence became the heart of the story. It’s a novel about faith, doubt, sacrifice, and the choices people make when they can no longer tell whether Heaven is watching.”
Publication and future plans
“Eclipse: The Silence of Heaven” is currently available in Kindle, paperback and hardcover formats through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. An audiobook, narrated by Mike Frankland, is slated for release by the end of August 2026. A Kirkus Indie review is also expected later this year.
Local significance
Blackthorn’s success highlights Charleston’s growing reputation as a hub for creative talent that engages both literary craft and Christian themes. The novel’s blend of gothic horror, Byzantine‑inspired settings and morally complex characters offers readers in South Carolina and beyond a fresh take on historical dark fantasy that treats faith and monstrosity as inseparable.
Readers interested in gothic vampire fiction, religious horror, historical dark fantasy, or stories that explore the tension between belief and survival are encouraged to explore the novel and consider how history’s darkest moments can illuminate contemporary questions of faith.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
