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Haunchies #1
The Lurkers
They’re waiting for you in the woods.
They’ve lived in the woods and cornfields for as long as anyone can remember. Small, humanoid creatures with sharp teeth and grasping hands. The people in what’s left of the nearby town live in fear. They’ve learned that if they let the creatures take what they want, they won’t be attacked. An uneasy peace has reigned. But no more. The leader of the creatures has decided his kind will be dormant no longer. To survive, they must kill. They will satisfy their unholy hunger with their favorite prey—humans. But some humans—females—will be kept alive in captivity…to breed.
They’ve lived in the woods and cornfields for as long as anyone can remember. Small, humanoid creatures with sharp teeth and grasping hands. The people in what’s left of the nearby town live in fear. They’ve learned that if they let the creatures take what they want, they won’t be attacked. An uneasy peace has reigned. But no more. The leader of the creatures has decided his kind will be dormant no longer. To survive, they must kill. They will satisfy their unholy hunger with their favorite prey—humans. But some humans—females—will be kept alive in captivity…to breed.
266 pages, Paperback
First published August 7, 2012
26 people are currently reading
275 people want to read
About the author
Kristopher Rufty
69 books240 followersKristopher Rufty lives in North Carolina with his three children and pets. He’s written over twenty novels, including ALL WILL DIE, THE DEVOURED AND THE DEAD, DESOLATION, THE LURKERS and PILLOWFACE. When he’s not spending time with his family or writing, he’s obsessing over gardening and growing food.
His short story DARLA'S PROBLEM was included in the Splatterpunk Publications anthology FIGHTING BACK, which won the Splatterpunk award for best anthology. THE DEVOURED AND THE DEAD was nominated for a Splatterpunk award.
He can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. For more about Kristopher Rufty, please visit: www.kristopherrufty.com
His short story DARLA'S PROBLEM was included in the Splatterpunk Publications anthology FIGHTING BACK, which won the Splatterpunk award for best anthology. THE DEVOURED AND THE DEAD was nominated for a Splatterpunk award.
He can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. For more about Kristopher Rufty, please visit: www.kristopherrufty.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
November 9, 2014
Having read Angel Board, the author's previous Samhain title, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one. (Yes, Angel Board is a must read) And The Lurkers is just as great. With The Lurkers, Mr. Rufty proves he has risen to the level of a pro. This book is a horror fan's dream, filled with the perfect blend of characters that you'll root for and ones you'll despise. And, as with all great tales, it's about the characters and the story. The critters in this one are small mean little devils. Wicked to the core. Rufty knows how to bring the scares and mayhem like a charging bull with chainsaws for horns. No one is safe. There were literally moments when my jaw dropped and I was stunned at how things unfolded. This is one mean book and I can't recommend it enough.
June 23, 2016
A very funny and gory read with great characters building, a goresome starting sequence keeping you hooked from the start and wicked creatures that seem out of "Don't be afraid of the dark" horror movie.
It was like the ghost of late Richard Laymon was writing a screenplay adaption of Lovecraft's "Lurking fear" then got bored and added lots of sex & gore! :D
My first Kristopher Rufty's novel was a blast of a reading.
Starting the prequel and the sequel of this one as soon as possible.
It was like the ghost of late Richard Laymon was writing a screenplay adaption of Lovecraft's "Lurking fear" then got bored and added lots of sex & gore! :D
My first Kristopher Rufty's novel was a blast of a reading.
Starting the prequel and the sequel of this one as soon as possible.
October 9, 2022
I love that Kristopher Rufty was able to craft a story about small humanoid creatures stalking people in a cornfield without it being hokey. These wicked little haunchies along with the well built characters make for a wild ride in 'The Lurkers' I look forward to continuing this series.
July 17, 2014
From the stunningly gruesome opening scene to the cliffhanger, of sorts, final chapter, Rufty's debut novel is impressive in the way he spins his horror tale of a band of cannibalistic little people, or haunchies, who live in rural Wisconsin. Greg Butler, up and coming horror novelist, attempts to help his friend Amy get away from an abusive relationship, but in doing so, Amy's ex wants to make them both pay. Teamed up with a new group of friends, they get lost in the countryside and eventually everyone becomes targets of the murderous haunchies. Reminiscent of the works of Richard Laymon and Bryan Smith, this novel is one not for the faint of heart, and one not to miss!
July 17, 2023
Amazing!
Rufty is a master here! Superb storytelling and incredible writing make this a must read! Now on to second one!
Rufty is a master here! Superb storytelling and incredible writing make this a must read! Now on to second one!
June 28, 2025
Lurkers is one of the best slashers I’ve ever read.
No… it is THE best slasher I’ve ever read.
Lurkers reminds me a lot of Offseason by Jack Ketchum (another one of my favorites) but this one does pretty much everything even better than Offseason.
The characters are exceptional. Every one of them is developed and serves a purpose. None are created simply for filling in a quick death scene.
Most of the beginning is building up drama between the characters but it never gets boring because even before our antagonists in the cornfield get introduced, there’s still so much drama going on with the main cast. You feel very invested when the deaths start to come.
And trust that there are no shortage of crazy death scenes here.
Final thoughts - exceptional. Best slasher and best Kristopher Rufty story I’ve read to date.
No… it is THE best slasher I’ve ever read.
Lurkers reminds me a lot of Offseason by Jack Ketchum (another one of my favorites) but this one does pretty much everything even better than Offseason.
The characters are exceptional. Every one of them is developed and serves a purpose. None are created simply for filling in a quick death scene.
Most of the beginning is building up drama between the characters but it never gets boring because even before our antagonists in the cornfield get introduced, there’s still so much drama going on with the main cast. You feel very invested when the deaths start to come.
And trust that there are no shortage of crazy death scenes here.
Final thoughts - exceptional. Best slasher and best Kristopher Rufty story I’ve read to date.
April 8, 2013
Back in February, I reviewed an excellent novel from Kristopher Rufty titled A DARK AUTUMN. I mentioned in the review that I tore through the book in a single day because it was that good. I can almost make the same claim for THE LURKERS; it is even better than the prior book, however this one took me a total of three days to read. Why? Well, it is considerably longer...
I knew from the moment I read the plot synopsis that this was a Must Read for me. And I’m damn glad I read it. Rufty goes to great lengths to entertain in this book, and the results are a thrill-ride of epic proportions. I enjoyed this book so much that I e-mailed Mr. Rufty and asked him to write a sequel.
As with his previous book, THE LURKERS is written well with simple prose and flowing dialogue. I again have to compliment Rufty on his ability to convey so much with simple sentences and modest descriptions. The author lets his characters do the talking, so to speak, and this allows for a much more pleasant reading experience.
The concept behind this book is the true winner, though. The idea of small, humanoid creatures that have existed alongside us without our knowing is a lot of fun...not to mention the terror that ensues for those unfortunate folks that stumble across them. Rufty builds a unique mythology behind the Haunchies (as the creatures are called) and fleshes them out to believable proportions.
I highly recommend THE LURKERS and suggest you check it out soon. You have to be careful, though: after reading this book, you might never want to walk into the woods again. Give it a look for sure.
I knew from the moment I read the plot synopsis that this was a Must Read for me. And I’m damn glad I read it. Rufty goes to great lengths to entertain in this book, and the results are a thrill-ride of epic proportions. I enjoyed this book so much that I e-mailed Mr. Rufty and asked him to write a sequel.
As with his previous book, THE LURKERS is written well with simple prose and flowing dialogue. I again have to compliment Rufty on his ability to convey so much with simple sentences and modest descriptions. The author lets his characters do the talking, so to speak, and this allows for a much more pleasant reading experience.
The concept behind this book is the true winner, though. The idea of small, humanoid creatures that have existed alongside us without our knowing is a lot of fun...not to mention the terror that ensues for those unfortunate folks that stumble across them. Rufty builds a unique mythology behind the Haunchies (as the creatures are called) and fleshes them out to believable proportions.
I highly recommend THE LURKERS and suggest you check it out soon. You have to be careful, though: after reading this book, you might never want to walk into the woods again. Give it a look for sure.
March 16, 2020
A pretty good Richard Laymon-esque horror romp. This was the first book I've read by Rufty. There were moments before the story really took off that had me scratching my head and being a little mystified and annoyed by the giant leaps in common sense, logic and huge chunks of narrative that were left out. That said, once the book really takes off, at about halfway through, it is relentless right up until the ending. Ah, the ending. The reason I can't rate this book higher is that ending. It felt rushed and I personally just really did not like it. Another negative is the twists and turns are piled on so high and get increasingly kind of ridiculous. I felt some of them were needlessly nasty. On the positive side, I'd say this book will bring back that giddy, perverse fun of a Richard Laymon novel. So, if you are a fan of Richard Laymon, this book is recommended, if you aren't familiar with Laymon, your mileage may vary. I'll definitely check out more stuff by Rufty, as he does hit that giddy horror high that Laymon and authors like Bryan Smith and Brian Keene hit regularly..
April 5, 2015
Riveting novel that begins with a couple's rush to save a friend from her abusive lover and ends with their fight for survival against the Haunchies, human-like miniature beings that would strike fear into the heart of any Gremlin, Critter or Ghoulie. Highly recommended.
November 7, 2020
Jack Ketchums "Off Season" if it was small humanoid killers instead of inbred cannibals. It takes a while for the fun to actually start, but once we're there its a wild ride.
April 1, 2024
Holy crap what a great ride this was! One part the troll that reminded me of the one in the film Cat's Eye, and the other part a road trip with an ensemble cast of characters that I actually cared about, and was pissed when some of my favorites didn't make it.
This was a page turner for me and really hooked me from beginning to end. This was my first Kristopher Rufty book, but will not be my last. Bravo sir!
This was a page turner for me and really hooked me from beginning to end. This was my first Kristopher Rufty book, but will not be my last. Bravo sir!
October 1, 2024
Here’s a marginally scary movie monster that doesn’t make any sense or have much internal continuity. And here are some characters. Wendy’s a bitch, Gary spends every moment feeling sorry for himself or pining over Amy, Piper’s an asshole, and Amy kind of has a personality but you wouldn’t know it because she spends every minute pining over Gary. What do you mean “other character traits?” They have one each, isn’t that enough? Oh, the female characters have BREASTS, did I mention that? I’d better describe them in excruciating detail at every opportunity, just in case you forget. Oh, and there are some kids, also. I know they’re all so bland you can barely tell them apart, don’t worry about it. They’re not that important, Oh, but the teenage girls have BREASTS too. I’d better remind you of that a few dozen times.
What? Oh yeah, the monsters. Here’s a made up history for them that makes no sense and some convenient retconning of what I told you at the beginning. And a bizarre climax that makes no emotional or literary sense, but aren’t you SHOCKED?
I probably don’t have enough boobs in there, I should go back and add more. Did you know all the female characters have breasts? They’re all huge by the way, that’s a very important takeaway here. Yeah yeah, characters dying left and right, but I need to make sure you understand, *all* the female characters have giant tits. They also end up accidentally topless a lot. This is a crucial part of the book.
Oh, yeah here’s an ending. What do you mean you thought there’d be more? Characters died and there were tits. That’s enough for a novel, right?
What? Oh yeah, the monsters. Here’s a made up history for them that makes no sense and some convenient retconning of what I told you at the beginning. And a bizarre climax that makes no emotional or literary sense, but aren’t you SHOCKED?
I probably don’t have enough boobs in there, I should go back and add more. Did you know all the female characters have breasts? They’re all huge by the way, that’s a very important takeaway here. Yeah yeah, characters dying left and right, but I need to make sure you understand, *all* the female characters have giant tits. They also end up accidentally topless a lot. This is a crucial part of the book.
Oh, yeah here’s an ending. What do you mean you thought there’d be more? Characters died and there were tits. That’s enough for a novel, right?
February 11, 2015
From the Description:
They’re waiting for you in the woods.
They’ve lived in the woods and cornfields for as long as anyone can remember. Small, humanoid creatures with sharp teeth and grasping hands. The people in what’s left of the nearby town live in fear. They’ve learned that if they let the creatures take what they want, they won’t be attacked. An uneasy peace has reigned. But no more. The leader of the creatures has decided his kind will be dormant no longer. To survive, they must kill. They will satisfy their unholy hunger with their favorite prey—humans. But some humans—females—will be kept alive in captivity… to breed.
The Lurkers is a fun, fast paced novel full of thrills and chills, and things that make you go ewww. The characters are believable and fun, even the Haunchies. Kristopher Rufty knows how to bring the chills and keeps you entertained is this creepy and sometimes horrific book. A solid 4 star read.
They’re waiting for you in the woods.
They’ve lived in the woods and cornfields for as long as anyone can remember. Small, humanoid creatures with sharp teeth and grasping hands. The people in what’s left of the nearby town live in fear. They’ve learned that if they let the creatures take what they want, they won’t be attacked. An uneasy peace has reigned. But no more. The leader of the creatures has decided his kind will be dormant no longer. To survive, they must kill. They will satisfy their unholy hunger with their favorite prey—humans. But some humans—females—will be kept alive in captivity… to breed.
The Lurkers is a fun, fast paced novel full of thrills and chills, and things that make you go ewww. The characters are believable and fun, even the Haunchies. Kristopher Rufty knows how to bring the chills and keeps you entertained is this creepy and sometimes horrific book. A solid 4 star read.
December 6, 2012
This was a really fun book! The characters were very vivid and right out of a horror film. Reading this gave me a good case of nostalgia for my fave types of 80's/90's horror films... you know the kind, the ones with the jock, the slut, the nerd, the bitch, all the stereotypes. The stereotypes weren't overdone though so all was great! The only weakness is the ending. If there is a part two in the future, the ending I suppose will be forgiven. I would definitely get the sequel. Regardless, I am going to search out more Kristopher Rufty... he writes horror that contains the stuff I like.
Here's a tip if you are on the fence... those same 'Lurkers' are featured in this little short taste that was put out by the same publisher (Samhain) for free. Check it out... http://store.samhainpublishing.com/Th...
Here's a tip if you are on the fence... those same 'Lurkers' are featured in this little short taste that was put out by the same publisher (Samhain) for free. Check it out... http://store.samhainpublishing.com/Th...
November 15, 2021
I love this the same way I love cheesy 90’s horror movies. You just have some you like no matter what. But this one has so many layers to the story that it became a very, very well developed huge thing even though on the surface it seems like a simple creature novel. The prologue grabs your attention but after that you get invested in a totally different story. The first half of the story focusing on the abusive boyfriend and runaway girlfriend had me so hooked that I forgot that creatures were even in the story. Then they came along and it got wild from there on out. The author did a really good job of making you feel like you are right there with the people the whole time. Don’t get too attached to your favorite character though lol. This one keeps building and building on top of itself in the best way. I thought the ending was perfect too.
November 20, 2016
This book was so creepy! Which is a compliment since it's horror! Rufty has stumbled upon one of my biggest fears (only Koontz has done the same) and it's a fear of little monsters more than big ones. I know, I can't explain it but it's true. Such great writing style and he always takes a different route or approach than I would expect!
November 20, 2025
I really didn’t want to dnf so I trudged through. Some of the writing is weird to me how he describes things and goes off on tangents. It was nice to not expect the twists in here; you never know who’s going to die. Not really a spoiler bc there’s creatures hunting people so someone will be dying. Probably won’t be reading the next book even though this ended with a bit of a cliffhanger
February 2, 2024
Memories of Laymon
Reminded me of classic Richard Laymon where the narrative doesn't let up right from the first word all the way through to the very last.
Will definitely be reading more from Mr. Rufty
Reminded me of classic Richard Laymon where the narrative doesn't let up right from the first word all the way through to the very last.
Will definitely be reading more from Mr. Rufty
January 15, 2018
Ty for the kindle reissue!
Great writer. Early work finally made it to kindle and we all should be so glad. Keep going Kris! This stuff is fantastic! My new favorite author!
Great writer. Early work finally made it to kindle and we all should be so glad. Keep going Kris! This stuff is fantastic! My new favorite author!
December 30, 2022
That ending, still not sure how i feel about it. Was a great read though. Looking forward to reading more about these Haunchies.
December 7, 2023
Fun, campy horror
September 30, 2024
This book where do I begin? It started off not so scary then comes the twist in the book and it kept me glued to the pages until I finished the book !
March 31, 2023
This is the start of a great series of books that gets better and better as they go! This is a set up book. Introduces you to the creatures and lore! I loved it!
Ps: read them in this order
The Lurkers
Pillowface
Hell Departed
The Lurking Season
Ps: read them in this order
The Lurkers
Pillowface
Hell Departed
The Lurking Season
April 3, 2015
A pretty enjoyable read that falls into the vein of Laymon. Creepy creatures, graphic sex, a B-story that helps develop characters and drive them towards the Main story, and lots of violence. Rufty does great with the characters. He knew how to hit my emotions, but his characters did not stop with just being Good or Bad. Throughout the story, they become more Gray, more dimensional. More human. The creatures themselves reminded me of the Beasts from Laymon's famous Beast House series. Rufty's prose also hits a disgust factor. He knows how to give you that gore money shot.
It was not the perfect book. I felt the Haunchies took a back seat to the B-story. I wanted more back story about the Haunchies and more Haunchy characters. And even a bit more of the relationship with The Watcher and the town they reside in. Another small criticism was repetitive mention of "side boob".
What really drives this book is the ending. I would compare it to watching a movie, there is a loud clap and the screen goes dark. It ends with, with, with... its hard to give it words to describe the last few events of this book. Unexpected, real, shocking, etc. All could be applied, yet they all do not quite fit perfectly.
Read the book for yourself and decide on your own how you feel and how you would describe the ending.
It was not the perfect book. I felt the Haunchies took a back seat to the B-story. I wanted more back story about the Haunchies and more Haunchy characters. And even a bit more of the relationship with The Watcher and the town they reside in. Another small criticism was repetitive mention of "side boob".
What really drives this book is the ending. I would compare it to watching a movie, there is a loud clap and the screen goes dark. It ends with, with, with... its hard to give it words to describe the last few events of this book. Unexpected, real, shocking, etc. All could be applied, yet they all do not quite fit perfectly.
Read the book for yourself and decide on your own how you feel and how you would describe the ending.
December 31, 2023
Small creature horror in the tradition of Ghoulies, Critters or the Zabba-Zabba guy from Trilogy of Terror. Rufty revels in how big a small threat can be, and how much fun it can be to watch the mayhem play out.
November 19, 2012
Enjoyed this novel. Look forward to the next installment.
January 22, 2013
My 1st read from Kristopher Rufty and won't be my last. As soon as I started I was sucked in till the last page. Great pace with no slow points and a very creepy tale
January 8, 2013
This Stephen King write-alike seems to favour little horrors that live in the walls, under the floorboards, etc... lovely...
June 29, 2014
My frist read from Kristopher Rufty and I will definitely look for more books!
Enjoyed this book and will recommend
Enjoyed this book and will recommend
March 5, 2016
A creepy fun fast paced read. I think this book would make a fantastic movie!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews