The Monarchs

by Stephen Mark Rainey

After her husband murders their daughter and then commits suicide, Courtney Edmiston, devastated and homeless, accepts an invitation to move in with her old college friend, Jan Blackburn. Jan lives with her brother, David, and eccentric Aunt Martha in the town of Fearing, North Carolina, at the edge of the Dismal Swamp. The Blackburn family has suffered its own recent tragedies — and Courtney learns that Jan and David have more than their share of enemies in the town. Because of her association with them, Courtney soon finds Fearing a very dangerous place to live. Certain members of the Surber family, who once worked for the Blackburns, hold a deep grudge against Jan and David and, on several occasions, attempt brutal acts of violence against them. Courtney, determined to help her friend in her own time of crisis, sets out to broker a peace but instead becomes more and more mired in the bitter feud. For reasons Courtney cannot comprehend, many of the townspeople fear old Martha Blackburn. However, she begins to understand why when Martha threatens the Surbers with swift retribution — by way of a ghostly entity known as the Monarch — and gruesome death does indeed visit the Surbers. And to her horror, Courtney, caught between the two feuding families, at last becomes the focus of Aunt Martha’s fury.In desperation, two of the Surber brothers abduct Courtney and Jan and threaten to kill them unless the Blackburns meet their demands. Instead, Martha unleashes the horrific Monarch against her family's rivals. And Courtney, whom Martha now considers an enemy, becomes as much a target for its inhuman wrath as the remaining members of the treacherous Surber family...

Genres: Horror, Audiobook

226 pages, Paperback

First published November 11, 2012

About the author

Stephen Mark Rainey is the author of numerous novels, including BALAK, THE LEBO COVEN, DARK SHADOWS: DREAMS OF THE DARK (with Elizabeth Massie), BLUE DEVIL ISLAND, THE HOUSE AT BLACK TOOTH POND, and others, including several in Elizabeth Massie's Ameri-Scares Series for Young Readers. In addition, Mark's work includes six short story collections; over 200 published works of short fiction; and the scripts for several DARK SHADOWS audio productions, which feature members of the original ABC-TV series cast. For ten years, he edited the multi-award-winning DEATHREALM magazine and, most recently, the best-selling anthology, DEATHREALM: SPIRITS (Shortwave Publishing). He has also edited anthologies for Delirium Press, Chaosium, and Arkham House. Mark lives in Martinsville, VA, with his wife, Kimberly, and a passel of precocious house cats. He is a regular panelist on the weekly Lovecraft eZine Podcast and an active member of the Horror Writers Association.

Reviews

[Latasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I requested this audio book in exchange for a honest review.

This book! Courtney goes to live with her super rich friend (Jan Blackburn) after her husband kills their daughter and then himself. On purpose. Courtney meets Jan's brother, David and her Great Aunt Martha. Martha has dementia, or so we are told, and nothing she says can be believed. And she's a hateful old thing. After being told not to go up to the 3rd floor, Courtney does just that. She doesn't stop there, she goes right into Martha's rooms like it's no big deal. Well, it is. Martha goes off on her and threatens her with something or someone called "The Monarch". Jan and David tell her it's nothing, just crazy old aunt Martha's ramblings but noooo, she wants to believe. This is where this story went downhill for me. Courtney is a terrible character. She's not smart, she is a bitch to her friends- the ones she's totally free loading off of. She suffered an awful tragedy but doesn't seem too effected by it as her daughter is only mentioned at the start and end of the book. She's sleeping with her BFF's brother. Just ugh, I didn't like this one. I had to check the year it was published because it seems like it would be something from the 80's. No 2012. The audio book is read by Chet Williams. He does ok enough.

[Stewart Sternberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a combination of Gothic and Lovecraftian horror, tended lovingly by a writer fond of the genre. It hits all tropes. There's the mansion by the swamps, the corrupt family, the thing in the darkness that represents their personal and cultural guilt, and the heroine who runs from one dangerous situation to another.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intoxicating and perverse blend of Lovecraftian horror and brooding gothic, The Monarchs is a fiendish delight guaranteed to send shivers racing down your spine. Captivating from the start and populated by intriguing characters who are all too vulnerable, the pace never relents as the terror steadily mounts. The main character, Courtney Edmiston, comes equipped with a tragic backstory and enough gusto and pent-up rage to have us squarely in her corner as things veer from bad to worse at every sinister turn. This is a grim opus, and Rainey doesn't hold back; thankfully, his compelling prose keeps the reader hooked in spite of a powerful sense of impending doom and a nerve-jangling assortment of gruesome shocks. Long before supernatural horrors rise from the swamp where the tale is set, it is clear that our plucky heroine has been ensnared in a malevolent web of fright. Truthfully, the same could be said for those who dare to spend a little time with The Monarchs. At the center of this web, there lurks a particularly nasty spider itching to prey on Courtney 's darkest fears. Her struggle to escape this woeful fate grows more desperate (and darkly compelling) with every page that is turned.
Highly recommended!

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book.. kept my interest and wanting to turn the page and read on. I would recommend and will definitely read other books by this author.

[Lonnie Bollocks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started well. Ending poor with lots of gaps.