Parish Damned

by Lee Thomas

The sickness was only the beginning of the misery for the residents of Coral Point. Every four years, the disease arrived to claim its victims. Those infected invariably withered, suffered, and, according to local legend, took to the sea in a final attempt at peace. But things have changed. Something has arrived in the wake of the sickness, and only a lone charter boat captain understands that what now hunts the gulf beyond the reef is far more deadly than anything that the people of Coral Point could imagine. The waters have become the shelter for a new and lethal species, a dark breed of predator that will not be confined to the waves... "A master of the "New Southern Gothic," Lee Thomas shows that there are things lurking beneath the surface of us all that are better left alone." PD Cacek

Genres: Vampires, Horror, Fiction

79 pages, Paperback

First published September 20, 2010

About the author

LEE THOMAS is the Bram Stoker Award and the Lambda Literary Award-winning author of STAINED , ASH STREET , THE DUST OF WONDERLAND , and THE GERMAN . Recent and forthcoming titles include LIKE LIGHT FOR FLIES , and BUTCHER’S ROAD . Forthcoming titles include DOWN ON YOUR KNEES (Oct 2016), and DISTORTION (May 2017).

ADDITIONAL TITLES:
TORN
IN THE CLOSET, UNDER THE BED
FOCUS
THE BLACK SUN SET
CRISIS
PARISH DAMNED

Reviews

[Anna (Bananas) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like it - 3.5 stars. There was a definite creep factor to the deep-ocean-dwelling, very efficient vampires that stalk this small seafaring town.
I wish it had gone a bit further at the end. However, Planke calling out to his father, the appearance of vicious child feeders, and a very descriptive dismemberment were all effectively disturbing. I'll remember this one.
Definitely reading more by this author, who is Lee Thomas btw. Not sure why his name is inverted in the listing.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fast, wonderful read. I had grown VERY bored with the frumpy, nancy boy vampires that inhabit Anne Rice's books. In Parish Damned, I found the kind of vampires I wanted to read about--aggressive, violent, cruel, and animal-like. And as if that wasn't enough to sell me on this book, Lee Thomas has his vampires living underwater, coming topside to feed on boat crews unlucky enough to be out on the water at night. A very cool book.

[Jerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading "Parish Damned", all I can say is "Lee Thomas, where have you been all my life?"

Simply put, this is the BEST novella I've ever read.

Although this is an early work, it is reminiscent of a more seasoned, highly imaginative author like Ray Garton at his best. The plot and setting are original, the pacing is excellent, there is building tension in every chapter, the horror level is perfect, and there are layers to this story that are strategically revealed. This would be an excellent, original movie. No wimpy, romantic vampires here, these bloodsuckers are hungry and they're not vegetarians.

It's easy to understand why the Horror Writer's Association awarded him a Bram Stoker award for his first novel "Stained" and nominated him several other times recently. The guy knows how to write! To illustrate that point, this book manages to tell a well-crafted vampire story without even using the word "vampire" anywhere in the text (I Kindle-searched the whole document)!

I stumbled onto this author because I was reviewing recent Bram Stoker award winners and finalists.

[Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic vampire novella! Lee Thomas delivers such a monster that will have you staying out of the water for at least a week, (maybe not literally but you will think twice about it.) For me, the book has the feel of an early Stephen King novel, and equals in horror. For a town who succumbs to the crud every four to five years that’s gradually eating away at Coral Point’s population, both the boat skipper/captain, (the narrator of the story), and the author explore the believed to be old saying that if you travel far enough in any direction, you’ll end up right back where you started. It’s a good beginning and end for this fun to read vampire horror novel.

[Pierre · Rating 5 out of 5]

You may never want to go out on the sea after dark again. :-)

Parish Damned takes you to a small, isolated seaside village with nasty little secrets and lethal foes with frighteningly efficient ways to massacre the unwary.

Thomas Lee takes an original path around well worn trails. His descriptions of terror and gore are evocative to say the least.

This story takes a bit of time to take off but be patient because it really delivers in the end.

Highly enjoyable and satisfying.

[Kilgallen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really different take on the vampire story. A great quick read for those who are looking for some truely evil vampires. I reccomend it for those on summer holidays and vacationing on the water. lol.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vampires that live in the ocean. Unusual premise. Nice little novella. Will read more from this author.