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Dead Souls
See the feature film's premiere in October 2012 on Chiller!
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For eighteen-year-old Johnny Petrie, the dilapidated farmhouse in Maine meant a way out. When the letter arrived saying he had inherited an estate from a man he'd never heard of before, Johnny knew he could finally escape the hell of living with his religious zealot mother and drunken father. He didn't realize that the hell he was moving into would be far, far worse.
The previous owner of the estate was Benjamin Conroy, a man obsessed with securing eternal life for himself and his family--even if he had to kill them to do it. Conroy's ultimate ritual, a perverse ceremony of blood and butchery, went hideously wrong, denying him the immortality he sought, leaving him and his family dead. But now that Johnny has arrived at the house, Conroy's spirit will have a second chance....
**********
For eighteen-year-old Johnny Petrie, the dilapidated farmhouse in Maine meant a way out. When the letter arrived saying he had inherited an estate from a man he'd never heard of before, Johnny knew he could finally escape the hell of living with his religious zealot mother and drunken father. He didn't realize that the hell he was moving into would be far, far worse.
The previous owner of the estate was Benjamin Conroy, a man obsessed with securing eternal life for himself and his family--even if he had to kill them to do it. Conroy's ultimate ritual, a perverse ceremony of blood and butchery, went hideously wrong, denying him the immortality he sought, leaving him and his family dead. But now that Johnny has arrived at the house, Conroy's spirit will have a second chance....
375 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 30, 2007
13 people are currently reading
334 people want to read
About the author
Michael Laimo
47 books334 followersMY NEW NOVEL, THE EROTIC THRILLER MISSED CONNECTION, IS NOW AVAILABLE!
Michael Laimo's novels include the erotic thriller MISSED CONNECTION, as well as the horror novels DEEP IN THE DARKNESS, RETURN TO DARKNESS, THE DEMONOLOGIST, SLEEPWALKER, FIRES RISING, ATMOSPHERE, and DEAD SOULS.
ATMOSPHERE & DEEP IN THE DARKNESS were nominated for a Bram Stoker Award.
DEAD SOULS & DEEP IN THE DARKNESS have been made into feature-length films.
His short fiction has found its way into the pages of A WALK ON THE DARKSIDE, LOST ON THE DARKSIDE, HOT BLOOD XII: STRANGE BEDFELLOWS, SURREAL MAGAZINE, INHUMAN MAGAZINE, LI PULSE MAGAZINE, plus many more anthologies and magazines. He has four short story collections, including the acclaimed DARK RIDE, from Borderlands Press.
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Michael Laimo's novels include the erotic thriller MISSED CONNECTION, as well as the horror novels DEEP IN THE DARKNESS, RETURN TO DARKNESS, THE DEMONOLOGIST, SLEEPWALKER, FIRES RISING, ATMOSPHERE, and DEAD SOULS.
ATMOSPHERE & DEEP IN THE DARKNESS were nominated for a Bram Stoker Award.
DEAD SOULS & DEEP IN THE DARKNESS have been made into feature-length films.
His short fiction has found its way into the pages of A WALK ON THE DARKSIDE, LOST ON THE DARKSIDE, HOT BLOOD XII: STRANGE BEDFELLOWS, SURREAL MAGAZINE, INHUMAN MAGAZINE, LI PULSE MAGAZINE, plus many more anthologies and magazines. He has four short story collections, including the acclaimed DARK RIDE, from Borderlands Press.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
January 9, 2019
I feel somewhat divided about this book. The premise appealed greatly to me, but somewhere in the execution things went slightly awry. Note: slightly, not totally. I’m still giving it three stars.
Occult / religious horror used to be a pretty big deal. Books like The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby scared the pants off people back in the days. These days they are often remembered for literary merit rather than outright terror. It’s interesting, all things considered, that there seems to have been a collective shift of literary focus in terms of what is scary and what isn’t. Horror has evolved a lot since the 70s, and especially throughout the 80s (which was a golden period for horror fiction). We’ve had Slashers, Splatterpunk, Stephen King and all kinds of other things thrown at us since then. The last few years zombies have been the object of choice for many horror writers (since vampires have been turned into Easter bunnies). But I digress…
….Occult / religious horror is a sticky subject, since I can’t help but feel that religious inclination will affect just how much of the subject matter is genuinely scary (this is just my personal opinion). It’s up to the author to make the reader believe in what he (or she) is presenting as something to be truly afraid of. And in the case of Dead Souls, I’m not sure how much the author succeeds. He isn’t sticking to just one religion, either, which muddies the water a little.
The other thing which made those early books work, was how the horror was presented somewhat insidiously. There often wasn’t a high body count, and even though nobody will call The Exorcist subtle, it had a certain restraint which underscored the psychological factor (religion and crisis of faith are, after all, very personal).
In this instance, I can’t help but feel that the author would have been better off following the less is more approach. The book gets a bit bonkers, which is typical of contemporary horror, but doesn’t really serve this particular story all that well. In the end it was enjoyable enough, but I really wanted to like it more. As a standard horror story it does succeed. That’s to say, if you want to read about people being killed in grotesque fashion, then it does just fine…. but the devil is in the details (ho ho ho).
Occult / religious horror used to be a pretty big deal. Books like The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby scared the pants off people back in the days. These days they are often remembered for literary merit rather than outright terror. It’s interesting, all things considered, that there seems to have been a collective shift of literary focus in terms of what is scary and what isn’t. Horror has evolved a lot since the 70s, and especially throughout the 80s (which was a golden period for horror fiction). We’ve had Slashers, Splatterpunk, Stephen King and all kinds of other things thrown at us since then. The last few years zombies have been the object of choice for many horror writers (since vampires have been turned into Easter bunnies). But I digress…
….Occult / religious horror is a sticky subject, since I can’t help but feel that religious inclination will affect just how much of the subject matter is genuinely scary (this is just my personal opinion). It’s up to the author to make the reader believe in what he (or she) is presenting as something to be truly afraid of. And in the case of Dead Souls, I’m not sure how much the author succeeds. He isn’t sticking to just one religion, either, which muddies the water a little.
The other thing which made those early books work, was how the horror was presented somewhat insidiously. There often wasn’t a high body count, and even though nobody will call The Exorcist subtle, it had a certain restraint which underscored the psychological factor (religion and crisis of faith are, after all, very personal).
In this instance, I can’t help but feel that the author would have been better off following the less is more approach. The book gets a bit bonkers, which is typical of contemporary horror, but doesn’t really serve this particular story all that well. In the end it was enjoyable enough, but I really wanted to like it more. As a standard horror story it does succeed. That’s to say, if you want to read about people being killed in grotesque fashion, then it does just fine…. but the devil is in the details (ho ho ho).
June 30, 2024
I read this book a while ago but this book was so good!!! The book is about a man who dives into religious practice and think what he is doing is serving God but that’s on the contrary. I do remember a lot of bell toiling. I need to read this book again.
June 28, 2011
Like the great Christopher Lee satanic films from the 70's, DEAD SOULS brings horror back to it's essential roots with hidden codes from the bible, elaborate occult rituals, evil possessions, and calculated suspense that evolves into brutally shocking violence. The first two thirds might feel a bit slow, but the payoff of the last third is well worth it. There were a few plot points that I questioned, but it's so much fun that I just ran with it and you'll be glad you did too. DEAD SOULS is Laimo's best work, second only to his DEEP IN THE DARKNESS - which is a must read for any horror fan.
July 21, 2022
È partito un po' lento e non riuscivo a capire dove volesse andare a parare, sembrava un romanzo più misterioso che "spaventevole". Poi a metà ha messo il turbo e non sono riuscita più a staccarmi, rimanendo in uno stato costante d'ansia.
Davvero una bella storia.
Davvero una bella storia.
May 8, 2018
This is a good book, but it isn't great. It had a lot going against it to start. For example, there is a lot of religious mumbo jumbo, and I'm not just talking about the Osiris stuff. I mean the Jesus stuff, too. Horror books using religion as its basis to be scary just don't land with me. I thought The Exorcist was a comedy.
I identified a lot with Johnny. He's had religion shoved down his throat for his entire life, and he's sick of it. His domineering mom hit a little close to home for me, as did his neglecting father. I felt for him, I really did. And I was happy when he learned of his million-dollar inheritance. That was (and is) a fantasy of mine. And it was interesting as he found out that he was adopted, and his real family were a bunch of religious kooks who were all dead. And I liked certain aspects of the supernatural mystery. However, I couldn't stand the ending. Anything I say about it would be a spoiler, and I never want to post those on Goodreads. Suffice it to say, this book left me less than satisfied.
I identified a lot with Johnny. He's had religion shoved down his throat for his entire life, and he's sick of it. His domineering mom hit a little close to home for me, as did his neglecting father. I felt for him, I really did. And I was happy when he learned of his million-dollar inheritance. That was (and is) a fantasy of mine. And it was interesting as he found out that he was adopted, and his real family were a bunch of religious kooks who were all dead. And I liked certain aspects of the supernatural mystery. However, I couldn't stand the ending. Anything I say about it would be a spoiler, and I never want to post those on Goodreads. Suffice it to say, this book left me less than satisfied.
June 10, 2019
DNF. I got absolutely no enjoyment out of this book.
November 17, 2014
3,5 Sterne
Rezi: http://chrissies-kleine-welt.de/?p=1799
Religiöser Fanatismus bis zum Ende – und darüber hinaus.
Johnny Petrie ist gerade 18 Jahre alt geworden und lebt zusammen mit seinen Eltern in einem New Yorker Apartment. Seine Mutter ist streng religiös, erlaubt ihm kaum am normalen weltlichen Alltag teilzunehmen und legt den Fokus ihres Sohnes auf Bibelstudien. Johnny leidet darunter, traut sich jedoch nicht zu rebellieren. Eines Tages erreicht ihn ein großer Briefumschlag, der an ihn adressiert ist. Verbotenerweise öffnet er diesen, bevor seine Mutter von der Arbeit nach Hause kommt und erfährt von einem Erbe nicht geringen finanziellen Ausmaßes. Er sieht seine Chance kommen aus dem Moloch seiner Familie auszubrechen und bricht auf sein Erbe anzutreten. Dass er dabei alte Geister aus der Vergangenheit weckt und Übel und Unheil auslöst ahnt er nicht. Doch schon bald wird er eines Besseren belehrt.
“Dead Souls” wird im ersten Buchteil abwechselnd aus zwei Erzählzeiten geschildert.
Einmal bewegt man sich zusammen mit Johnny auf seinem vermeindlichen Weg in die Freiheit im Jahr 2005. Man kann sich in dieser Zeitschiene sofort einlesen und “wohlfühlen”, leidet mit Johnny unter seinen familiären Umständen und hofft auf eine gute Zukunft. Johnny bricht auf sein Erbe anzutreten und wird dabei mit seiner Familiengeschichte konfrontiert. Zwar wird dies erst einige Seiten später erklärt, jedoch kann sich ein aufmerksamer, intelligenter Leser bereits sehr früh denken, dass Johnnys Familiengeschichte anders aussieht, als er es eigentlich gedacht hat. Er stochert unbewussterweise in einem Wespennest voller Geister herum und weckt diese immer mehr auf, was nicht ohne Folgen bleibt.
Zudem wird ein ganz bestimmter Tag aus dem Leben der Familie Conroy aus dem Jahr 1988 geschildert. Die Conroys sind eine Pastorenfamilie mit einem fanatischen, etwas sonderbaren Glauben. Zu Beginn des Buches führen sie eine Beschwörung durch, die der Familie ein Beisammensein auch nach dem Tod ermöglichen soll. Diese Beschwörung war für mich schwer vorstellbar, weshalb ich bei diesen Abschnitten etwas Schwierigkeiten hatte in die Geschichte abzutauchen. Dies änderte sich jedoch, nachdem dieser Teil des beschriebenen Tages endete und man zu dem normalen Geschehen übergewechselt ist. Dann wird der Wahnsinn eines fanatischen Familienoberhauptes deutlich gemacht, unter dem die einzelnen Mitglieder unterschiedlich zu leiden haben.
Auch wenn der erste Teil des Buches der harmlosere ist, gibt es auch hier schon heftige Szenen, die bestimmt nicht für zarte Gemüter geeignet sind. Neben dem guten Charakterausbau der Familie Petrie und der Familie Conroy hat mir in diesem Abschnitt besonders gefallen, dass man sich als Leser die ganze Zeit gefragt hat, ob die Geschichte nun einen übernatürlichen Touch hat oder ob es sich hierbei um den reinen Wahnsinn eines Menschen handelt, der seine Umgebung tyrannisiert. Immer wieder bin ich in meiner Meinung hierzu geschwankt und habe das Spiel sehr genossen.
Im zweiten Teil des Buches wird eben beschriebene Frage dann beantwortet und das ganze Geschehen eine ganze Spur heftiger, blutiger und schlimmer. Horrorleserherzen schlagen dabei gewiss höher, jedoch hätte ich persönlich eine andere Antwort auf die Frage nach dem Übernatürlichen besser und schlimmer gefunden. Dies hat mich persönlich dann trotz der geschilderten Szenen doch etwas ernüchtert. Aber das ist Geschmackssache.
Zudem sind mir leider hin und wieder Rechtschreibfehler aufgefallen. Mich persönlich haben diese beim Lesen nicht sonderlich gestört, aber es gibt Leser, die sich mit solchen Stellen besonders schwer tun, daher wollte ich das erwähnen.
Für mich stellt “Dead Souls” einen wirklich guten und heftigen Horrorroman aus dem Hause VoodooPress und Laimo dar, der nach meinem persönlichen Geschmack aber auch noch eine Spur besser hätte werden können.
Rezi: http://chrissies-kleine-welt.de/?p=1799
Religiöser Fanatismus bis zum Ende – und darüber hinaus.
Johnny Petrie ist gerade 18 Jahre alt geworden und lebt zusammen mit seinen Eltern in einem New Yorker Apartment. Seine Mutter ist streng religiös, erlaubt ihm kaum am normalen weltlichen Alltag teilzunehmen und legt den Fokus ihres Sohnes auf Bibelstudien. Johnny leidet darunter, traut sich jedoch nicht zu rebellieren. Eines Tages erreicht ihn ein großer Briefumschlag, der an ihn adressiert ist. Verbotenerweise öffnet er diesen, bevor seine Mutter von der Arbeit nach Hause kommt und erfährt von einem Erbe nicht geringen finanziellen Ausmaßes. Er sieht seine Chance kommen aus dem Moloch seiner Familie auszubrechen und bricht auf sein Erbe anzutreten. Dass er dabei alte Geister aus der Vergangenheit weckt und Übel und Unheil auslöst ahnt er nicht. Doch schon bald wird er eines Besseren belehrt.
“Dead Souls” wird im ersten Buchteil abwechselnd aus zwei Erzählzeiten geschildert.
Einmal bewegt man sich zusammen mit Johnny auf seinem vermeindlichen Weg in die Freiheit im Jahr 2005. Man kann sich in dieser Zeitschiene sofort einlesen und “wohlfühlen”, leidet mit Johnny unter seinen familiären Umständen und hofft auf eine gute Zukunft. Johnny bricht auf sein Erbe anzutreten und wird dabei mit seiner Familiengeschichte konfrontiert. Zwar wird dies erst einige Seiten später erklärt, jedoch kann sich ein aufmerksamer, intelligenter Leser bereits sehr früh denken, dass Johnnys Familiengeschichte anders aussieht, als er es eigentlich gedacht hat. Er stochert unbewussterweise in einem Wespennest voller Geister herum und weckt diese immer mehr auf, was nicht ohne Folgen bleibt.
Zudem wird ein ganz bestimmter Tag aus dem Leben der Familie Conroy aus dem Jahr 1988 geschildert. Die Conroys sind eine Pastorenfamilie mit einem fanatischen, etwas sonderbaren Glauben. Zu Beginn des Buches führen sie eine Beschwörung durch, die der Familie ein Beisammensein auch nach dem Tod ermöglichen soll. Diese Beschwörung war für mich schwer vorstellbar, weshalb ich bei diesen Abschnitten etwas Schwierigkeiten hatte in die Geschichte abzutauchen. Dies änderte sich jedoch, nachdem dieser Teil des beschriebenen Tages endete und man zu dem normalen Geschehen übergewechselt ist. Dann wird der Wahnsinn eines fanatischen Familienoberhauptes deutlich gemacht, unter dem die einzelnen Mitglieder unterschiedlich zu leiden haben.
Auch wenn der erste Teil des Buches der harmlosere ist, gibt es auch hier schon heftige Szenen, die bestimmt nicht für zarte Gemüter geeignet sind. Neben dem guten Charakterausbau der Familie Petrie und der Familie Conroy hat mir in diesem Abschnitt besonders gefallen, dass man sich als Leser die ganze Zeit gefragt hat, ob die Geschichte nun einen übernatürlichen Touch hat oder ob es sich hierbei um den reinen Wahnsinn eines Menschen handelt, der seine Umgebung tyrannisiert. Immer wieder bin ich in meiner Meinung hierzu geschwankt und habe das Spiel sehr genossen.
Im zweiten Teil des Buches wird eben beschriebene Frage dann beantwortet und das ganze Geschehen eine ganze Spur heftiger, blutiger und schlimmer. Horrorleserherzen schlagen dabei gewiss höher, jedoch hätte ich persönlich eine andere Antwort auf die Frage nach dem Übernatürlichen besser und schlimmer gefunden. Dies hat mich persönlich dann trotz der geschilderten Szenen doch etwas ernüchtert. Aber das ist Geschmackssache.
Zudem sind mir leider hin und wieder Rechtschreibfehler aufgefallen. Mich persönlich haben diese beim Lesen nicht sonderlich gestört, aber es gibt Leser, die sich mit solchen Stellen besonders schwer tun, daher wollte ich das erwähnen.
Für mich stellt “Dead Souls” einen wirklich guten und heftigen Horrorroman aus dem Hause VoodooPress und Laimo dar, der nach meinem persönlichen Geschmack aber auch noch eine Spur besser hätte werden können.
August 15, 2008
Dead Souls was my first Laimo book, I wasn’t sure what to expect because I have been lucky so far with some of the new horror authors I have tried, and I feared I was pushing my luck. This was a very fast read at the standard Leisure horror length of 330 pages and can easily be read in an evening. The writing style is simple and straight forward, and the verbiage is standard enough that you won’t need to whip out your thesaurus.
Short Summary: We have two tales going on simultaneously in the book, 18 years apart. Johnny Petri just turned 18, and longs to break away from his controlling religious zealot mother and his loafing father who pays not attention to him. Johnny suddenly gets his chance when he receives a letter from an attorney stating that he has a large inheritance for him to come and claim now that he is 18. Meanwhile – 18 years earlier, Benjamin Conroy has enlisted his family to help him perform a ritual that he believes will secure their everlasting lives, allowing them to return as saviors the same as Jesus. Things begin to go awry and Benjamin turns out to be a little more out there than we previously thought. Several deaths later (in both times) Johnny finds himself fast approaching the Conroy house, and the evil that has remained within it’s walls.
First I would like to compliment Laimo for his masterful way of switching back and forth between the two times in the book. Many authors have tried it and most fail by giving away too much in one time or another which erases the tension in the other half of the book. (Example – Dan Simmons “Fires of Eden” the diary gives away everything that is about to happen in the regular time) Laimo handles this masterfully, leaping back and forth between the two tales, giving enough of a hint to make the reader suspicious of what will happen but never laying it out in their lap. The story weaves tightly around the religiously insane, one who believes he has unlocked the secrets hidden deep within the Bible, the other who lives in panic and terror, hiding behind their belief like a security blanket. Now even though the religiously insane are the focal point and driving force of the novel, this book never ventures too deeply into actual religion. There is a strong message about those who seek so deeply in their religion for something to make them special that they become mislead, misguided, and easily manipulated by the darker forces in the world.
Now many have said that this is a very gory book, I didn’t find it to be over the top, or gruesomely described, but then again I have read hundreds of horror books, so I’m a bit jaded when it comes to the gore level. There is also some sex in this book, but it isn’t a major feature, and the descriptions don’t come anywhere near a Laymon book.
What did I not like about this book? Two things, first the editor needed one more read through before publishing… there are a few small typos and one instance that really threw me where Johnny was referred to as Eddie. Second the ending is very hurried, and the climax becomes a bit muddled to the point of my needing to re-read a paragraph or two to figure out exactly what was transpiring and make sure I hadn’t missed anything. The ending wasn’t bad, but it could have used a little reworking because there were so many characters in a small space, amidst chaos that I kept wondering – okay so these two are fighting, what are the rest of them doing? Just standing around and watching?
On the whole this book was a fairly fun read, it’s quick and rather mindless. I didn’t feel that it pushed the envelope in any sense, but it was entertaining. If you’ve read through all of your other horror books and don’t know where to go next, give this one a shot, Laimo won’t be for everyone but I do know that I will read more by him.
Short Summary: We have two tales going on simultaneously in the book, 18 years apart. Johnny Petri just turned 18, and longs to break away from his controlling religious zealot mother and his loafing father who pays not attention to him. Johnny suddenly gets his chance when he receives a letter from an attorney stating that he has a large inheritance for him to come and claim now that he is 18. Meanwhile – 18 years earlier, Benjamin Conroy has enlisted his family to help him perform a ritual that he believes will secure their everlasting lives, allowing them to return as saviors the same as Jesus. Things begin to go awry and Benjamin turns out to be a little more out there than we previously thought. Several deaths later (in both times) Johnny finds himself fast approaching the Conroy house, and the evil that has remained within it’s walls.
First I would like to compliment Laimo for his masterful way of switching back and forth between the two times in the book. Many authors have tried it and most fail by giving away too much in one time or another which erases the tension in the other half of the book. (Example – Dan Simmons “Fires of Eden” the diary gives away everything that is about to happen in the regular time) Laimo handles this masterfully, leaping back and forth between the two tales, giving enough of a hint to make the reader suspicious of what will happen but never laying it out in their lap. The story weaves tightly around the religiously insane, one who believes he has unlocked the secrets hidden deep within the Bible, the other who lives in panic and terror, hiding behind their belief like a security blanket. Now even though the religiously insane are the focal point and driving force of the novel, this book never ventures too deeply into actual religion. There is a strong message about those who seek so deeply in their religion for something to make them special that they become mislead, misguided, and easily manipulated by the darker forces in the world.
Now many have said that this is a very gory book, I didn’t find it to be over the top, or gruesomely described, but then again I have read hundreds of horror books, so I’m a bit jaded when it comes to the gore level. There is also some sex in this book, but it isn’t a major feature, and the descriptions don’t come anywhere near a Laymon book.
What did I not like about this book? Two things, first the editor needed one more read through before publishing… there are a few small typos and one instance that really threw me where Johnny was referred to as Eddie. Second the ending is very hurried, and the climax becomes a bit muddled to the point of my needing to re-read a paragraph or two to figure out exactly what was transpiring and make sure I hadn’t missed anything. The ending wasn’t bad, but it could have used a little reworking because there were so many characters in a small space, amidst chaos that I kept wondering – okay so these two are fighting, what are the rest of them doing? Just standing around and watching?
On the whole this book was a fairly fun read, it’s quick and rather mindless. I didn’t feel that it pushed the envelope in any sense, but it was entertaining. If you’ve read through all of your other horror books and don’t know where to go next, give this one a shot, Laimo won’t be for everyone but I do know that I will read more by him.
December 20, 2012
“Benjamin pulled the wand out of the fire; sparks flew up like a swarm of flies. Staring at the great black entity before him, he stated: ‘All-powerful Lord Osiris, who exists amongst the Gods in the astral plane, and governs the Realm of Resurrection and Everlasting Life, we have bestowed upon you the gifts of the earth so that Bryan Conroy may purely and honorably engage your powers of spiritual rebirth for the purpose of ancestral afterlife, with utmost earnestness and commitment.’ The spirit stood motionless, then gently nodded, his moving face leaving a shadowy trail that faded in seconds.”
As I took notes on this book, I found myself repeatedly writing “wow”. Laimo’s descriptions of the supernatural, horrific events in this book created memorable images in my mind that literally had me wide-eyed at times. Other times I continued reading with my head turned half-away from the book – like watching a horror movie with your hand over your eyes, fingers spread, so you don’t miss anything.
If you can’t stomach graphic descriptions of violent acts of one person on another, then this book is not for you. It is full of rich, graphic descriptions of brutal, gory events. This, however, is not a blood-and-guts book with a plot of no substance. The plot is very well done, and the characters are well-developed. It’s the story of a man tortured by his conviction that the gods have revealed a secret to him that requires him to do things no one else understands. Things that others think are cruel but that he believes will bring him and his family eternal peace.
I didn’t enjoy the first chapter of the book, but I’m so glad I kept reading. The writing style in that chapter was different from the rest of the book and I found it uninteresting. It also seemed that Part 2 was not as well edited as Part 1. There was some contraction usage and sentence structure that didn’t flow well for me. Sprinkled through the book there also were a handful of weak metaphors and similes. These technical flaws, however, were easily overlooked because of the excellent story and imagery created by Laimo.
Besides the supernatural and occult themes there are also messages in this story about blind obedience. There is a father and a mother figure, each of whom hurts their family members – sometimes figuratively, sometimes literally - “for their own good”. They hurt them because of some genuine religious faith that tells them that it will benefit their families in the long run and their family members follow despite their own doubts, out of love, respect, and fear.
Each of the religious characters also has something to hide, creating a theme of religious hypocrisy. The father is a minister and the most vicious character and his secrets are cliche – the stereotypical things that one imagines ministers hiding. The insights into the workings of his mind and his genuine faith, however, keep him from being in any way a flat, uninteresting character. He is one of several intriguing characters in this story.
While there were some technical issues with “Dead Souls”, I strongly recommend it as an engrossing horror story with a strong, well-constructed plot and fascinating characters.
As I took notes on this book, I found myself repeatedly writing “wow”. Laimo’s descriptions of the supernatural, horrific events in this book created memorable images in my mind that literally had me wide-eyed at times. Other times I continued reading with my head turned half-away from the book – like watching a horror movie with your hand over your eyes, fingers spread, so you don’t miss anything.
If you can’t stomach graphic descriptions of violent acts of one person on another, then this book is not for you. It is full of rich, graphic descriptions of brutal, gory events. This, however, is not a blood-and-guts book with a plot of no substance. The plot is very well done, and the characters are well-developed. It’s the story of a man tortured by his conviction that the gods have revealed a secret to him that requires him to do things no one else understands. Things that others think are cruel but that he believes will bring him and his family eternal peace.
I didn’t enjoy the first chapter of the book, but I’m so glad I kept reading. The writing style in that chapter was different from the rest of the book and I found it uninteresting. It also seemed that Part 2 was not as well edited as Part 1. There was some contraction usage and sentence structure that didn’t flow well for me. Sprinkled through the book there also were a handful of weak metaphors and similes. These technical flaws, however, were easily overlooked because of the excellent story and imagery created by Laimo.
Besides the supernatural and occult themes there are also messages in this story about blind obedience. There is a father and a mother figure, each of whom hurts their family members – sometimes figuratively, sometimes literally - “for their own good”. They hurt them because of some genuine religious faith that tells them that it will benefit their families in the long run and their family members follow despite their own doubts, out of love, respect, and fear.
Each of the religious characters also has something to hide, creating a theme of religious hypocrisy. The father is a minister and the most vicious character and his secrets are cliche – the stereotypical things that one imagines ministers hiding. The insights into the workings of his mind and his genuine faith, however, keep him from being in any way a flat, uninteresting character. He is one of several intriguing characters in this story.
While there were some technical issues with “Dead Souls”, I strongly recommend it as an engrossing horror story with a strong, well-constructed plot and fascinating characters.
December 29, 2021
ive found a new favorite author. This story flips from present time to past every chapter to let you know what happen without spilling it all to quick. While also telling the now part of what's going on. He did a well written job of weaving them together. He didn't leave much out in this story occult, demon's, zombies, ghost, murder and a crazy religious priest.it all starts with johnny Petrie freshly 18 years old living with his very religious mom and no at all religious dad in Manhattan New York. with plans to join his dad working at the docks Johnny's life is about as boring as it gets.one day a letter comes from a lawyer addressed to him. the letter says that he has inherited 2 million dollars' worth of estate. Johnny thinks it can't be true either they want to con him out of money or its simply a mistake. curious either way he picks up the phone and dales the number. to his surprise the lawyer tells him that a Mr. Benjamin Conroy, a late family member has left his estate for johnny to claim as soon as he turned of age. the lawyer wants to act quickly to get all the papers singed and in order. he tells him to take a bus to wellfield, once there, call him so he set everything up for johnny to make it to his office. With a bright new future ahead of him and one with lots of money johnny decides he can't pass it up and starts packing. this is when things start getting bad for johnny but when he finally makes it to Wellfield, he finds out that some things aren't worth all the money in the world, and things can get a lot worse.
February 7, 2021
This horror novel takes place in two different timelines - 1988 and 2005. In 1988, the Conroy family utilizes The Book of the Dead to perform a ritual in order to achieve an afterlife together. The patriarch of the family Benjamin - preaches in his church on Sundays and worships Osiris the rest of the time - believes that Jesus Christ performed the ritual to rise from the dead after his crucifixion. On the day he performs a ritual on his youngest son’s first Birthday, something goes very wrong. What amounts to a blood bath ensues. In 2005, Johnny Petrie receives a letter in the mail from a lawyer letting him know he has inherited a house and land from one Benjamin Conroy. Another blood bath ensues. This book tries to be too shocking and is very heavy on blood and body horror. On one hand, I appreciate the novel for being open about those shocking moments, but the characters were just meh and the story probably could have either stayed in one timeline or the other and been a bit more cohesive. Or this probably would have been better split up as two separate books to create a duology. It was mostly just average for me!
October 28, 2021
I really enjoyed the execution of the book and the overall premise. However, Laimo just doesn’t possess the finesse to pull the book off successfully. One piece that sticks out in my mind is the allusion he drew on twice, word for word in the book. A good writer should have the capability to pull of similar scenes. I thought for the most part it was pretty good, it just kind of fell apart at the end.
August 5, 2021
Liked the characters in this supernatural novel, still can not get my head around the plot though... Being the last member of the family after being rescued when he was a baby, he has come back and now has to die to free the trapped souls or something like that anyway. Yeah a little confusing, but it was okay.
February 7, 2023
Told in two time-lines back and forth, but in a way that is easy to follow. In the very beginning of the book it felt like the author was trying too hard to be lyrically descriptive, to the point it was distracting to me. Eventually that calmed down though, and the book was enjoyable enough.
May 8, 2025
This was such a fun and CREEPY read! Big time page turner that was able to successfully tell 2 different stories in 2 different times without confusion.
May 25, 2025
Not a bad horror book. The end kinda lagged for me, but everything building up to it was intriguing.
June 23, 2025
loved this book was a page turner from front to back
December 10, 2008
Dead Souls by Michael Laimo is an example of how someone can mistranslate sections of the bible and come up with disastrous results. The writing is much better and the prose is smoother that the previous novel that I read, "Deep in the Darkness". The main plot is Benjamin Conroy's obsession with resurrection and the possibilities. I could say more, but I prefer to avoid any possible spoilers. There are also a couple sub plots, one dealing with the main protagonist's life living with a very religious mother, the history of the house that he is the sole heir of, and another that may reveal too much.
In this book, Mr. Laimo switches back and forth every other chapter to tell his tale during two different time frames. To some, this may be a turn off as the book jumps back and forth every chapter, but for me it was not so. The chapters are really short and only deal with two different situations at a time and so this actually did not hurt the flow of the story and helped a lot to enhance the suspense and made me want to keep reading to see what was going to happen next. The character development was well placed and since the story in both time frames only spans a few days, so even though there was not a lot of development, what there was made sense and didn't miss out or put too much in. The characters themselves didn't seem one dimensional and so I was actually able to connect with a few of them and also feel some sympathy towards them.
Now, if you are a person who only likes a little bit of gore in your horror novels, then this one is not for you. This book, once the initial setting and story arc get moving, is full of gore and does not pull any punches. It is just one thing after another and the gore is so detailed that you could see it, smell it and feel it all around you.
Some criticisms:
1. I like to have quite a bit of gore in my horror novels, but in this case it actually seemed too much and took away from the story in the sense that it just never seemed to end and became a bit boring reading about it. The gore just went on and on because there was so much of it.
2. This has nothing to do with the author. Once again this book also comes with an order form smack dab in the middle of the book, but this time I made sure that I tore out only the order form and not one of the pages.
Some positives:
1. The suspense. The way that the story was separated into the small chapters and ending a chapter at a critical moment. There were times that I was only going to read a few chapters and then go to bed and I found myself still reading ten chapters later.
2. The flow was a lot better and I didn't find myself having to stop and reread anything. Mr. Laimo was able to continually choose the right words to keep everything alive.
3. Even with only a few days advancing in the storyline, Mr. Laimo was still able to add just the right amount of character development and also was able to create the feelings in the reader to be able to connect with the characters I was reading about.
Overall, I was very satisfied that I purchased this novel and glad that I have read it. I will not say that I am a complete fan yet, but I am still curious to read his other novels and see how he may be able to entertain me more. If you love to read about blood and gore, then this is a novel for you. There is not a lot of sex and nudity in it but when he gets you to the sex part, it is no holds barred. As for being scary, well, it is hard to read anything that is actually scary to the point of nightmares or even looking over ones shoulder anymore, so for me, no, nothing really scary. I would have chosen 3 1/2 stars if it was offered so I had to choose 4 because it was definitely better than average.
If a movie version was to be made it would be rated R/NC-17 for Graphic Violence, Explicit Blood and Gore, Adult Situations, Adult Language, Nudity, and Strong Sexual Content, (there is a part with a sexual scene that is described in this book to the point of being X-rated or more)
In this book, Mr. Laimo switches back and forth every other chapter to tell his tale during two different time frames. To some, this may be a turn off as the book jumps back and forth every chapter, but for me it was not so. The chapters are really short and only deal with two different situations at a time and so this actually did not hurt the flow of the story and helped a lot to enhance the suspense and made me want to keep reading to see what was going to happen next. The character development was well placed and since the story in both time frames only spans a few days, so even though there was not a lot of development, what there was made sense and didn't miss out or put too much in. The characters themselves didn't seem one dimensional and so I was actually able to connect with a few of them and also feel some sympathy towards them.
Now, if you are a person who only likes a little bit of gore in your horror novels, then this one is not for you. This book, once the initial setting and story arc get moving, is full of gore and does not pull any punches. It is just one thing after another and the gore is so detailed that you could see it, smell it and feel it all around you.
Some criticisms:
1. I like to have quite a bit of gore in my horror novels, but in this case it actually seemed too much and took away from the story in the sense that it just never seemed to end and became a bit boring reading about it. The gore just went on and on because there was so much of it.
2. This has nothing to do with the author. Once again this book also comes with an order form smack dab in the middle of the book, but this time I made sure that I tore out only the order form and not one of the pages.
Some positives:
1. The suspense. The way that the story was separated into the small chapters and ending a chapter at a critical moment. There were times that I was only going to read a few chapters and then go to bed and I found myself still reading ten chapters later.
2. The flow was a lot better and I didn't find myself having to stop and reread anything. Mr. Laimo was able to continually choose the right words to keep everything alive.
3. Even with only a few days advancing in the storyline, Mr. Laimo was still able to add just the right amount of character development and also was able to create the feelings in the reader to be able to connect with the characters I was reading about.
Overall, I was very satisfied that I purchased this novel and glad that I have read it. I will not say that I am a complete fan yet, but I am still curious to read his other novels and see how he may be able to entertain me more. If you love to read about blood and gore, then this is a novel for you. There is not a lot of sex and nudity in it but when he gets you to the sex part, it is no holds barred. As for being scary, well, it is hard to read anything that is actually scary to the point of nightmares or even looking over ones shoulder anymore, so for me, no, nothing really scary. I would have chosen 3 1/2 stars if it was offered so I had to choose 4 because it was definitely better than average.
If a movie version was to be made it would be rated R/NC-17 for Graphic Violence, Explicit Blood and Gore, Adult Situations, Adult Language, Nudity, and Strong Sexual Content, (there is a part with a sexual scene that is described in this book to the point of being X-rated or more)
June 29, 2021
Una vecchia casa abbandonata e un’eredità misteriosa sono elementi essenziali per iniziare una storia horror che ci farà scoprire oscuri sortilegi e maledizioni, mostri e momenti terrificanti che possono essere decisivi per la sanità mentale del lettore.
La paura della morte e di separarsi dagli affetti terreni, il desiderio di essere immortali e la superbia di poter scoprire verità celate che ci vengono volutamente nascoste, affinché l’uomo sia un essere inferiore alla divinità, lo porta inevitabilmente a commettere disastri, a scatenare forze superiori che di buono hanno bene poco e a vivere l’eternità dannati.
La casa delle anime danne racconta tutto questo e molto altro.
Per quanto il Male possa essere scatenato e sconfitto, e possa tornare a lusingare e cercare di impossessarsi di nuove anime, l’uomo ha il meraviglioso dono del libero arbitrio, quella capacità di scegliere se vendere la propria anima o combattere, desistere e scegliere il Bene, o un’altra forza che ritenga più affine alle proprie esigenze di credo.
In un avvincente alternarsi tra presente e passato, due storie di un’unica famiglia si sviluppano: Benjamin che svolge meticolosamente il suo rituale per avere una vita futura immortale e che andrà a collegarsi con il presente, in cui Jonny cerca in tutti i modi di scoprire i segreti del passato, e di una vita che non avrebbe mai voluto conoscere.
La parte riguardane Benjamin, il suo eccentrico e contorto rituale e le conseguenze su tutti i membri della sua famiglia, è ben strutturato e descritto, riuscendo anche ad approfondire alcuni aspetti dei componenti della famiglia e del loro essere soggiogati dal capofamiglia.
Invece la parte dedicata a Johnny è più scarna, lenta e a tratti diventa inverosimile, e contraddittoria in quanto il personaggio non conferma i suoi aspetti caratteriali con le azioni che compie.
Johnny appare insicuro e alla costante ricerca di una guida, affidandosi troppo all’autorità dei personaggi che incontra durante la sua avventura, senza mai voler prendere una decisione e consapevolezza. Va bene che sia stato catapultato in un mondo di cui non conosce le regole e i meccanismi, ma lui non ci prova nemmeno a fare uno sforzo per “avvicinarsi e comprendere”, diciamo che preferisce lasciare la palla bollente in mano agli altri.
Ovviamente spero che ci sia un seguito nella storia, da come fa intuire il finale, in cui invece si dia ampio spazio alla crescita e consapevolezza del personaggio, in quanto ha tanto da imparare e da dimostrare ai lettori, nonché a quel nemico che lo attende dietro l’angolo.
Sicuramente un’ottima lettura per iniziare a conoscere il genere e le tematiche che affronta.
La paura della morte e di separarsi dagli affetti terreni, il desiderio di essere immortali e la superbia di poter scoprire verità celate che ci vengono volutamente nascoste, affinché l’uomo sia un essere inferiore alla divinità, lo porta inevitabilmente a commettere disastri, a scatenare forze superiori che di buono hanno bene poco e a vivere l’eternità dannati.
La casa delle anime danne racconta tutto questo e molto altro.
Per quanto il Male possa essere scatenato e sconfitto, e possa tornare a lusingare e cercare di impossessarsi di nuove anime, l’uomo ha il meraviglioso dono del libero arbitrio, quella capacità di scegliere se vendere la propria anima o combattere, desistere e scegliere il Bene, o un’altra forza che ritenga più affine alle proprie esigenze di credo.
In un avvincente alternarsi tra presente e passato, due storie di un’unica famiglia si sviluppano: Benjamin che svolge meticolosamente il suo rituale per avere una vita futura immortale e che andrà a collegarsi con il presente, in cui Jonny cerca in tutti i modi di scoprire i segreti del passato, e di una vita che non avrebbe mai voluto conoscere.
La parte riguardane Benjamin, il suo eccentrico e contorto rituale e le conseguenze su tutti i membri della sua famiglia, è ben strutturato e descritto, riuscendo anche ad approfondire alcuni aspetti dei componenti della famiglia e del loro essere soggiogati dal capofamiglia.
Invece la parte dedicata a Johnny è più scarna, lenta e a tratti diventa inverosimile, e contraddittoria in quanto il personaggio non conferma i suoi aspetti caratteriali con le azioni che compie.
Johnny appare insicuro e alla costante ricerca di una guida, affidandosi troppo all’autorità dei personaggi che incontra durante la sua avventura, senza mai voler prendere una decisione e consapevolezza. Va bene che sia stato catapultato in un mondo di cui non conosce le regole e i meccanismi, ma lui non ci prova nemmeno a fare uno sforzo per “avvicinarsi e comprendere”, diciamo che preferisce lasciare la palla bollente in mano agli altri.
Ovviamente spero che ci sia un seguito nella storia, da come fa intuire il finale, in cui invece si dia ampio spazio alla crescita e consapevolezza del personaggio, in quanto ha tanto da imparare e da dimostrare ai lettori, nonché a quel nemico che lo attende dietro l’angolo.
Sicuramente un’ottima lettura per iniziare a conoscere il genere e le tematiche che affronta.
July 13, 2021
Questo è il romanzo da cui è stato tratto il film "Dead Souls".
La nostra storia si narra in terza persona tra il 1988 e il 2005.
Nella proprietà dei Conroy, a Wellfield, nel 1988 il pastore Benjamin fa un rituale usando la sua famiglia come vittima sacrificale. L'unico sopravvissuto a tutto ciò è il figlio, all'epoca di appena un anno, Johnny.
Andando avanti nel tempo sino al 2005 troveremo il ragazzo in età adulta. Improvvisamente la sua vita viene sconvolta quando l'avvocato Wellfield lo informa che divenuto maggiorenne ha ereditato la casa e le terre dei Conroy, di cui risulta l'unico discendente in vita.
Johnny è pieno di speranza sulla scoperta del suo passato ma non avrebbe mai immaginato che quel viaggio lo avrebbe condotto solo a terrore puro e a sangue che chiama altro sangue.
" I brutti ricordi possono andare e venire, ma ciò che rimarrà per sempre sono le emozioni negative che questi hanno sollevato. "
Ammetto che anche mentre leggevo la trama la storia mi sembrava familiare, ma solo quando ho letto le pagine del libro e ho scoperto del film ho avuto conferma che non era solo una sensazione la mia ma che il film lo avevo effettivamente davvero visto (quanto sono smemorata🤣) qualche tempo fa, ma i nomi non li ricordavo proprio.
Il film anche se si presentava horror non mi fece affatto paura, e lo dico io che sono una fifona, invece il libro mette un'ansia assurda e inoltre dà dettagli che il film non aveva dato, rendendo tutto anche più emozionante e sconvolgente.
Un libro che piacerà sicuramente a tutti gli amanti del genere e che vi donerà tantissime emozioni contrastanti. Davvero consigliato!
La nostra storia si narra in terza persona tra il 1988 e il 2005.
Nella proprietà dei Conroy, a Wellfield, nel 1988 il pastore Benjamin fa un rituale usando la sua famiglia come vittima sacrificale. L'unico sopravvissuto a tutto ciò è il figlio, all'epoca di appena un anno, Johnny.
Andando avanti nel tempo sino al 2005 troveremo il ragazzo in età adulta. Improvvisamente la sua vita viene sconvolta quando l'avvocato Wellfield lo informa che divenuto maggiorenne ha ereditato la casa e le terre dei Conroy, di cui risulta l'unico discendente in vita.
Johnny è pieno di speranza sulla scoperta del suo passato ma non avrebbe mai immaginato che quel viaggio lo avrebbe condotto solo a terrore puro e a sangue che chiama altro sangue.
" I brutti ricordi possono andare e venire, ma ciò che rimarrà per sempre sono le emozioni negative che questi hanno sollevato. "
Ammetto che anche mentre leggevo la trama la storia mi sembrava familiare, ma solo quando ho letto le pagine del libro e ho scoperto del film ho avuto conferma che non era solo una sensazione la mia ma che il film lo avevo effettivamente davvero visto (quanto sono smemorata🤣) qualche tempo fa, ma i nomi non li ricordavo proprio.
Il film anche se si presentava horror non mi fece affatto paura, e lo dico io che sono una fifona, invece il libro mette un'ansia assurda e inoltre dà dettagli che il film non aveva dato, rendendo tutto anche più emozionante e sconvolgente.
Un libro che piacerà sicuramente a tutti gli amanti del genere e che vi donerà tantissime emozioni contrastanti. Davvero consigliato!
May 13, 2008
I have to admit that I am a fan of trade paperback horror. Now, just like their cousins, Direct-to-DVD horror movies, a lot of them can be schlock and will never be seen on goodreads. This one was different. I gave it four stars as a horror novel. That means that I'd recommend it to most people who have an inkling in horror novels but perhaps not to all people. Perhaps it is kind of odd, but I do have a sliding set of expectations for different genres when I read books or watch movies. Horror has it's own, as does sci-fi, fantasty, heart felt dramas about the human condition and legitimate cinema.
To get to the point here, this was a well-written book that had two intertwining plot points that do converge at the second half. A number of books that try to do this fail because the two stories do not have enough to bind them together; however this book manages that quite well.
If you need a bit of a scare and want to read a good horror novel, I'd recommend this one! In fact, I looked up other publications by the same author and purchased a set of short stories being released soon.
To get to the point here, this was a well-written book that had two intertwining plot points that do converge at the second half. A number of books that try to do this fail because the two stories do not have enough to bind them together; however this book manages that quite well.
If you need a bit of a scare and want to read a good horror novel, I'd recommend this one! In fact, I looked up other publications by the same author and purchased a set of short stories being released soon.
July 16, 2013
The title and description of this book is what lead me to hunt down the author/publisher to see about a review copy. It sounded like a great paranormal ghostly book, and in a sense it was.
The book was an easy read. I followed the life of Johnny Petrie, but in two different aspects. The first was in flashback for when he was a 1-year-old. The following chapter was when he was 18-years-old. The book proceeded this way until it met up to current events taking place.
Somber, spooky and ritualistic. This book follows along the lines of classic horror. The only part of the book that seemed to lose my interest was the beginning. The ritual(s) taking place was slow paced and repetitive. It lost my interest. I really did not feel the book picked back up until we met 18-yr-old Johnny Petrie.
I think the author writes well. His descriptive efforts were engaging and easily visible in the mind’s eye. The idea of secret codes in the Bible was interesting, like “The Di Vinci Code” by Dan Brown. I like puzzles and mysteries, and that aspect is what kept me reading this book.
The book was an easy read. I followed the life of Johnny Petrie, but in two different aspects. The first was in flashback for when he was a 1-year-old. The following chapter was when he was 18-years-old. The book proceeded this way until it met up to current events taking place.
Somber, spooky and ritualistic. This book follows along the lines of classic horror. The only part of the book that seemed to lose my interest was the beginning. The ritual(s) taking place was slow paced and repetitive. It lost my interest. I really did not feel the book picked back up until we met 18-yr-old Johnny Petrie.
I think the author writes well. His descriptive efforts were engaging and easily visible in the mind’s eye. The idea of secret codes in the Bible was interesting, like “The Di Vinci Code” by Dan Brown. I like puzzles and mysteries, and that aspect is what kept me reading this book.
December 19, 2012
I haven't read many horror books in recent years but found "Dead Souls" an enjoyable read. It's the story of Johnny Petrie, who learns on his eighteenth birthday that his parents aren't really his parents at all and he's due to receive a large inheritance from his true parents, the Conroys. He discovers that his deceased father killed the rest of his family in a bizarre religious ritual. Believing that Jesus Christ used the Egyptian Book of the Dead to resurrect himself, Johnny's father found a code in the Bible that pointed him to Osiris. However, a small problem with the ritual had disastrous results and many years later Johnny has to confront the real forces behind the gruesome events. Laimo is a fine storyteller and he kept my attention throughout the book. His depictions of Johnny and the Conroy family are particularly well drawn.
June 20, 2016
At first I was glad when I stumbled upon this book. I watched the movie first and I was extremely excited to read it because movie was quite good. To my disappointment book is far from the movie. I don't say that this is usually bad, but as I mentioned I saw the movie first I was appalled by how stupid our protagonist is. Cornerstones of the story is still here, but they don't have such an impact as expected. It does have that 70's horror story flavor but it's like an old sour candy which you tried many times and loved it but happen to buy a bad patch of them. Many things are unexplained in this book and author thinks he can gloss over with some gore but for me it didn't work.
All in all, if you want to enjoy this book and I mean really enjoy read it first and then watch the movie.
All in all, if you want to enjoy this book and I mean really enjoy read it first and then watch the movie.
February 1, 2013
The book contains a unique tale of possession and evil. The circumstances surrounding the characters feel a bit too familiar. The high suspense keeps the pacing strong. The author doesn't shy away from gory scenes either. It's worth a read.
For more reviews go to my blog http://fringesofhorror.blogspot.com/
For more reviews go to my blog http://fringesofhorror.blogspot.com/
October 21, 2012
A quick and fun dive into the occult. Laimo's writing is tight; his characters engrossing and believable. The suspense grows with each chapter and holds you until the end. The boys journey is an interesting one, to say the least.
Read
February 22, 2009The first few pages started with the character performing rituals. I am not a fan of reading about rituals (unless it's non fiction). This was a new author and I'd read him again with another theme.
December 8, 2008
Very dissappointing. Especially since I ordered the wrong book - I was expecting the Gogol.
March 11, 2009
Riveting and inventive. Horror at its best.
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