The Congregation

by Aric Mitchell, J. Simmons (Illustrator), William Hogarth (Illustrator)

"Aric Mitchell is a gifted storyteller."-Scott Nicholson, author of The Red Church and The Shock"THE CONGREGATION is one hell of a good book. No, scratch that. It's an amazingly vicious, yet beautifully realized, exploration of justice and loss and guilt. With THE CONGREGATION, Aric Mitchell has proven he's got the goods. He's jumped headlong into the big leagues. This book will run you through the emotional ringer, and I guarantee you'll love every minute of it."-Joe McKinney, author of Flesh Eaters and MutatedSometimes the legends are real. What if in one horrible moment you made a decision you were forced to repeat over and over? What if God’s punishment was that you had to kill everything you ever loved? Would you sell your soul to the Devil?Charles Cain did. But now after centuries of suffering, he feels a presence. A face from his past has come to destroy him. That face is waiting along with seven others in the confines of an abandoned church. They are lost, alone, terrified, and unaware of the power they possess, or the evil stalking their every move.For Charles, the destroyer is his salvation.But for the others—God help the others…

Genres: Horror

172 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 3, 2011

Reviews

[Bandit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting but not particularly compelling take on Cain and Abel story. Good premise, atmospheric setting, but something lacked as far as execution went. The writing was perfectly serviceable, maybe the characters or the tone needed more oomph. Plenty of graphic violence here for horror fans. Looks like this was the author's solitary foray into novel writing to date. Decent enough way to pass a couple of hours, but don't expect too much.

[Cheryl Whitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great read ,it kept me hooked to the end,iloved the this history behind story unfolded.
I read this in one go as i couldn't put it down.It kept me quessing to the end.

[A. Rosaria · Rating 4 out of 5]

One drawback of reviewing a story a long time (About a month) after reading it, is that you will forget a lot of what happened in the story. (Heck I even forget stories I wrote myself) The congregation I still remember, it's sufficiently weird and in an existentialistic way disturbing that even I with my memory that just seem to last for two weeks remembers it.

Is this a good thing? Yes certainly it is. Weird is good, and disturbing in a horror story is almost a must. I liked the plot, the writing is good, and the characters are well done. I didn't care for all the characters, however I think story wise it is not necessary for the reader to like them all and in this story it may be intentional for you not to care for them all.

I don't want to tell too much about the story as not to spoil it for you. The story is about a man seeking redemption for something he done in the past, but he's punished in a way by God that he will never be able to not be different than the moment he was when he did his crime.

There is only one way he may be released from his punishment, and that is to find the right person to deliver him from his burden.

The story is very graphic in the violence and partly a slasher, however with a serious undertone about humanity. If I had to describe it in a few words then it would be; A well written slasher but one with meat around it.

[Solitaire Parke · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Congregation" by Aric Mitchell is the nightmarish biblical aftermath of Cain and Abel. Following the Lord's promise of vengeance the story hopscotches through history in an arcane blood bath that seems unstoppable. The story is superbly complicated by the number of background tragedies that float through the author's dissertation like so many scurrying roaches. I think the complication is like a dare to understand at a deeper level and the plot to this story is layered so thick, you'll need a shovel to dig your way out! I really liked the characters and the creep factor of this book is well into the goose flesh range. Can't wait for your next book, but you won't mind if I cross my self before I pick it up, right? Terrific job and I would recommend this novel to anyone who loves a great horror story!

[Franz McLaren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a lover of horror and this is definitely a horror book to love. It has plenty of slash and splash for gore fans, but it is not just another splatter punk. Mr. Mitchell creates real characters with pasts and motivations, people we come to care about. He also gives us something we rarely see, true spine chilling suspense that sets the hair roots at the nape of the neck dancing. The Congregation is a book to be read in a lonely winter cabin before a crackling fire with the creaks and groan of settling house to accompany.

[Nora aka Diva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different but in a good way. At times the plot gets a little loopy and far-fetched but is so well written you don't mind at all. The ending, I saw coming a mile away and it made me giggle. Perhaps I'm a little twisted. A quick and easy read.