What do you think?
Rate this book
The Aching Plane
"A creepy tale of reality-shattering revelations that will grip avid horror fans." - Kirkus Reviews
Marion Del Rosario disappeared at age twelve, and no answers ever came. Ten years later, Charlie Louise is still haunted by the empty space in her life that Marion once filled. They were best friends, each other's first loves. She still searches for Marion in the eyes of strangers, trying in vain to escape the gravity of her past. The only things that give her hope anymore are her father, whose sobriety has brought a semblance of stability and comfort; and her friend Adrian, whose kindness she feels she doesn't deserve.
Then Marion reappears as mysteriously as she vanished. Traumatized and afraid, she refuses to talk about what happened to her over the past decade-but it's clear there's more going on behind her reticence. In trying to reconnect with her long lost friend, Charlie unwittingly places herself in the proximity of deep, unimaginable horrors that will forever alter her understanding of reality. Something terrible is reaching out from an aching darkness, bringing strange dreams and alluring promises of deliverance from grief, sorrow, and longing-at a devastating cost.
Marion Del Rosario disappeared at age twelve, and no answers ever came. Ten years later, Charlie Louise is still haunted by the empty space in her life that Marion once filled. They were best friends, each other's first loves. She still searches for Marion in the eyes of strangers, trying in vain to escape the gravity of her past. The only things that give her hope anymore are her father, whose sobriety has brought a semblance of stability and comfort; and her friend Adrian, whose kindness she feels she doesn't deserve.
Then Marion reappears as mysteriously as she vanished. Traumatized and afraid, she refuses to talk about what happened to her over the past decade-but it's clear there's more going on behind her reticence. In trying to reconnect with her long lost friend, Charlie unwittingly places herself in the proximity of deep, unimaginable horrors that will forever alter her understanding of reality. Something terrible is reaching out from an aching darkness, bringing strange dreams and alluring promises of deliverance from grief, sorrow, and longing-at a devastating cost.
- GenresHorror
376 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 24, 2023
11 people are currently reading
208 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 9, 2025
The Aching Plane had been on my TBR for far too long, but once I got into it I couldn’t put it down. Please take heed, the title is real, you will feel like Lakin is reaching inside you and pulling your guts out in the best way possible. You know, if you are one of those weirdos who likes to see if an author can elicit such deep emotions from their words alone, yet make it enjoyable enough that you want to see it to the end. 🙋🏽♂️ Well Cody Lakin did just that, and he deserves all the accolades for it. Just know, this is some heavy shit. No schtick allowed in this review whatsoever. Sad react only. 🫥
Quick Synopsis:
10 years ago a pair of best friends/first loves said goodnight, never thinking that might be the last time they saw each other again. Yet one of them disappears, no warnings or trace. Just unanswered questions. Now a decade later, tired of hallucinating seeing her face everywhere…her lost love returns. Not the same as before, very much different, and she’s brought something back with her that is aching for this reunion.
This story hits all the marks for GOOD literary horror that stabs and breaks a piece of itself off inside you. The grief was griefing, the mood; the palpable dread. There was even a few funny/light-hearted parts; but you know it wouldn’t last long. In this story of relationships and loss, picking up the pieces, etc there is a very quiet terror weaved in that makes you wonder what’s real & what isn’t. Then, around the halfway mark, we are plunged into the depths to find out for ourselves. It’s a creepy, paranoid, unease that lasts til the last page and well after you close the book. Don’t get me wrong, it delivers PLUS features a very monstrous imagery and a seemingly normal until it’s not cult for good measure. I can’t recommend this one enough, don’t snooze on this one.
Quick Synopsis:
10 years ago a pair of best friends/first loves said goodnight, never thinking that might be the last time they saw each other again. Yet one of them disappears, no warnings or trace. Just unanswered questions. Now a decade later, tired of hallucinating seeing her face everywhere…her lost love returns. Not the same as before, very much different, and she’s brought something back with her that is aching for this reunion.
This story hits all the marks for GOOD literary horror that stabs and breaks a piece of itself off inside you. The grief was griefing, the mood; the palpable dread. There was even a few funny/light-hearted parts; but you know it wouldn’t last long. In this story of relationships and loss, picking up the pieces, etc there is a very quiet terror weaved in that makes you wonder what’s real & what isn’t. Then, around the halfway mark, we are plunged into the depths to find out for ourselves. It’s a creepy, paranoid, unease that lasts til the last page and well after you close the book. Don’t get me wrong, it delivers PLUS features a very monstrous imagery and a seemingly normal until it’s not cult for good measure. I can’t recommend this one enough, don’t snooze on this one.
February 25, 2024
*updated review*
I wanted to give a more honest review than i had before. I admit that when i first read this book, it hit me really hard and in ways that i was unable to - or afraid-to express and I needed time to process before I could really give this review.
-My backstory-
My mom recently passed away very suddenly, very unexpectedly. To say that I was grief ridden or lost or distraught would be a gross understatement, as is the case with most people who have had to go through this type of loss.
I can not tell you how many times since her death that i have felt utterly lost for words to describe the ache deep into the very essence of my being. So deep, yet so unexplainable, so lonely and so lost.
I felt like no one in this world could understand how I was feeling. Hell, I didn't even understand it. I kind of want to put it in a way that makes the most sense to me (although if you read this book, I think Lakin explains it so completely that a single review that I can provide will not be just). If you ever felt the most unimaginable, wordless thing that you could ever go through, something that you would not, could not wish anyone, even the most vile person to experience BUT if someone tragically understood, it would bring comfort to your soul, this is what this book has felt like for me.
I feel like Lakin, unfortunately, has been through a very similar experience, and I am so, so heartbroken that he has, yet so thankful that I am not alone.
Sorry, all this is just a long-winded way for me to finally say what this book meant for me.
I didn't know there was a way to articulate my journey with this grief, but Lakin has done so in such a complete and comforting (maybe a little uncomfortably) way. I just feel like he crawled I to my mind in the deepest part of my grief and was able to find the ways to put that into words, into a way that I could (or someone else could) fully understand my feelings. Gawd, I'm sorry. Like I've said, I don't know how to find the words to make this make sense.
So i will end my "review" in just a sec but I want to finish it by speaking directly to Lakin: I want to thank you from the deepest part of me, the essence of my being, for this book. I am so incredibly sorry for what you have had to experience to be able to so beautifully and completely tell the most raw and human and unexplainable journey that we as a species have to deal with even though we have no way of knowing HOW to deal with this undeniable fact.
Thank you, and I am so, so very sorry that we have this in common.
* Also, I want to thank Lakin for giving me the chance to read this on his own dime in exchange for an honest review
I urge everyone to read this book. When you're ready to on your grief journey, this book may help you in the same way that it helped me.
Sorry this is so long and all over the place.
I wanted to give a more honest review than i had before. I admit that when i first read this book, it hit me really hard and in ways that i was unable to - or afraid-to express and I needed time to process before I could really give this review.
-My backstory-
My mom recently passed away very suddenly, very unexpectedly. To say that I was grief ridden or lost or distraught would be a gross understatement, as is the case with most people who have had to go through this type of loss.
I can not tell you how many times since her death that i have felt utterly lost for words to describe the ache deep into the very essence of my being. So deep, yet so unexplainable, so lonely and so lost.
I felt like no one in this world could understand how I was feeling. Hell, I didn't even understand it. I kind of want to put it in a way that makes the most sense to me (although if you read this book, I think Lakin explains it so completely that a single review that I can provide will not be just). If you ever felt the most unimaginable, wordless thing that you could ever go through, something that you would not, could not wish anyone, even the most vile person to experience BUT if someone tragically understood, it would bring comfort to your soul, this is what this book has felt like for me.
I feel like Lakin, unfortunately, has been through a very similar experience, and I am so, so heartbroken that he has, yet so thankful that I am not alone.
Sorry, all this is just a long-winded way for me to finally say what this book meant for me.
I didn't know there was a way to articulate my journey with this grief, but Lakin has done so in such a complete and comforting (maybe a little uncomfortably) way. I just feel like he crawled I to my mind in the deepest part of my grief and was able to find the ways to put that into words, into a way that I could (or someone else could) fully understand my feelings. Gawd, I'm sorry. Like I've said, I don't know how to find the words to make this make sense.
So i will end my "review" in just a sec but I want to finish it by speaking directly to Lakin: I want to thank you from the deepest part of me, the essence of my being, for this book. I am so incredibly sorry for what you have had to experience to be able to so beautifully and completely tell the most raw and human and unexplainable journey that we as a species have to deal with even though we have no way of knowing HOW to deal with this undeniable fact.
Thank you, and I am so, so very sorry that we have this in common.
* Also, I want to thank Lakin for giving me the chance to read this on his own dime in exchange for an honest review
I urge everyone to read this book. When you're ready to on your grief journey, this book may help you in the same way that it helped me.
Sorry this is so long and all over the place.
February 25, 2024
"...do you know what it is to exist and be conscious? An aching. It aches."
Wow! Where do I even begin? Thank you to the author for the free ebook copy of this beautiful book.
Charlie Louise's best friend Marion suddenly disappeared 10 years ago when they were just kids, and for some reason she's the only one who can remember her. When Marion suddenly reappears with no explanation, Charlie Louise tries to unravel the mystery of where her best friend has spent the last 10 years of her life.
This book was beautiful. The writing, the imagery, the ✨vibes✨. This is a wonderful depiction of grief and the human response to it with great supernatural/otherworldly/cosmic horror elements. I loved the characters and the journey they went on together; they felt like real people to me, and I became pretty attached to them.
I had a little bit of a hard time in the middle during a certain section understanding what was going on, but I think I got it in the end after a re-read. I still enjoyed the story overall. It was so unique and imaginative!
The visual depictions of the creatures were spot on and super creepy and gross. I'll be thinking of the "giant" for a while.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I went in pretty blind, and I'm glad I did because I don't even know how you could accurately describe this book and do it justice. The ending was sweet and sad all at once but it was so fitting. I'm excited to read more by this author! 4.5 ⭐ rounded up to 5 ⭐
Wow! Where do I even begin? Thank you to the author for the free ebook copy of this beautiful book.
Charlie Louise's best friend Marion suddenly disappeared 10 years ago when they were just kids, and for some reason she's the only one who can remember her. When Marion suddenly reappears with no explanation, Charlie Louise tries to unravel the mystery of where her best friend has spent the last 10 years of her life.
This book was beautiful. The writing, the imagery, the ✨vibes✨. This is a wonderful depiction of grief and the human response to it with great supernatural/otherworldly/cosmic horror elements. I loved the characters and the journey they went on together; they felt like real people to me, and I became pretty attached to them.
I had a little bit of a hard time in the middle during a certain section understanding what was going on, but I think I got it in the end after a re-read. I still enjoyed the story overall. It was so unique and imaginative!
The visual depictions of the creatures were spot on and super creepy and gross. I'll be thinking of the "giant" for a while.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I went in pretty blind, and I'm glad I did because I don't even know how you could accurately describe this book and do it justice. The ending was sweet and sad all at once but it was so fitting. I'm excited to read more by this author! 4.5 ⭐ rounded up to 5 ⭐
January 7, 2025
Thank you to the author for providing a review copy.
Every now and again, a book comes along that so devastates me emotionally that it also ends up healing a part of me I didn't even realize needed healing. I was not expecting to find that book so early in the year.
The Aching Plane is best described as cosmic literary grief horror, and it's not only one of the best horror books I've read. It is now one of my favorite books of all time. The book is unsettling, eerie, downright uncanny. The imagery in the book will probably never leave me. The descriptions of wading through the aching planes of grief and devastatingly accurate descriptions of depression won't either. The gore isn't absent, but it never takes center stage.
This book is such an achievement, and I can't recommend it highly enough. 5 stars
Every now and again, a book comes along that so devastates me emotionally that it also ends up healing a part of me I didn't even realize needed healing. I was not expecting to find that book so early in the year.
The Aching Plane is best described as cosmic literary grief horror, and it's not only one of the best horror books I've read. It is now one of my favorite books of all time. The book is unsettling, eerie, downright uncanny. The imagery in the book will probably never leave me. The descriptions of wading through the aching planes of grief and devastatingly accurate descriptions of depression won't either. The gore isn't absent, but it never takes center stage.
This book is such an achievement, and I can't recommend it highly enough. 5 stars
March 7, 2024
4.5 stars. I need to gather my thoughts, but I absolutely loved this book. To be continued..
I think grief is impossible to put into words, especially when it comes to someone you love so deeply, but this book comes pretty damn close. I read and reread certain passages and just sat with them at times for a few minutes just to have them sit in my brain and my heart. A beautifully heartbreaking book.
I think grief is impossible to put into words, especially when it comes to someone you love so deeply, but this book comes pretty damn close. I read and reread certain passages and just sat with them at times for a few minutes just to have them sit in my brain and my heart. A beautifully heartbreaking book.
March 11, 2024
3.5 ⭐️s rounded up to 4⭐️
This felt like a world where H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Cayce had a lovechild but make it casually queer.
I went into The Aching Planr, expecting greif horror and a possible murder mystery. While I got the grief, there was soooo much more to what was happening than I was prepared for.
This is a book for the annotators! I don't annotate, but if I were to reread this, I would have to. There are so many strong conversations on existential topics that really push the Cosmic Horror at the center of this book. However, at the same time, many of these topics were so causally and directly brought up in the dailogue that it would bring me out of the story. I love the conversations and really felt the messaging, but I personally like these conversations more nuanced. There was such a repetitive cycle to some of these conversations that it both embodied the cycles of grief (a positive) but also struggled to push the plot.
The scenes of horror were so well done and descriptive in a way I really enjoyed. While there are so many times something was just eerie or creepy, there were also much more intense scenes that could make your skin crawl.
I have so many mixed thoughts on this because there were some really strong, creative aspects to this book but also parts where I felt completely lost as to what was happening (particularly in the middle). I am still trying to wrap my head around everything that happened but did really enjoy the ride of this book overall.
Thank you, Cody Lakin, for providing me with a copy of this in exchange for an hinest review. I look forward to reading more of your work in the future!
This felt like a world where H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Cayce had a lovechild but make it casually queer.
I went into The Aching Planr, expecting greif horror and a possible murder mystery. While I got the grief, there was soooo much more to what was happening than I was prepared for.
This is a book for the annotators! I don't annotate, but if I were to reread this, I would have to. There are so many strong conversations on existential topics that really push the Cosmic Horror at the center of this book. However, at the same time, many of these topics were so causally and directly brought up in the dailogue that it would bring me out of the story. I love the conversations and really felt the messaging, but I personally like these conversations more nuanced. There was such a repetitive cycle to some of these conversations that it both embodied the cycles of grief (a positive) but also struggled to push the plot.
The scenes of horror were so well done and descriptive in a way I really enjoyed. While there are so many times something was just eerie or creepy, there were also much more intense scenes that could make your skin crawl.
I have so many mixed thoughts on this because there were some really strong, creative aspects to this book but also parts where I felt completely lost as to what was happening (particularly in the middle). I am still trying to wrap my head around everything that happened but did really enjoy the ride of this book overall.
Thank you, Cody Lakin, for providing me with a copy of this in exchange for an hinest review. I look forward to reading more of your work in the future!
March 26, 2024
The Aching Plane by Cody Lakin - Review
The feeling after finishing this is like earning a badge of literary honor. Now I have seen the farthest edge of Dark Katalpa, and I am better for it.
Charlie had a best friend, Marion, that went missing ten years ago when they were twelve. The love she had for Marion kept her memory alive, but at what cost...? There is an underlying despair, an ache beyond grief that is getting stronger and is getting dangerously close to crossing into our world as agony incarnate.
Cody has written a novel with his own voice, but also with a confidence of a writer well-versed in literature. This is to say that the wasteland he created called Katalpa is so rich in its own landscape, mythology, gods, and prophets that it felt as if I witnessed its birth on the page. No stone was left unturned to ensure that just the right amount of ugly lay underneath.
It is funny how the right book finds its way to you. I've had death on my mind as of late, maybe because my first child is due in a couple months and my paranoia is through the roof and I guess it's just the other side of the same coin, life/death.
This story is for those of us with existentialism on the brain and those of us carrying the torch of mourning. I'd describe it as an odyssey exploring the horror of missing someone. This story has enhanced my definition of faith. And I'd just like to congratulate Cody for nailing the ending. I may need to ponder this more, but the epilogue is probably the best I've ever read.
The feeling after finishing this is like earning a badge of literary honor. Now I have seen the farthest edge of Dark Katalpa, and I am better for it.
Charlie had a best friend, Marion, that went missing ten years ago when they were twelve. The love she had for Marion kept her memory alive, but at what cost...? There is an underlying despair, an ache beyond grief that is getting stronger and is getting dangerously close to crossing into our world as agony incarnate.
Cody has written a novel with his own voice, but also with a confidence of a writer well-versed in literature. This is to say that the wasteland he created called Katalpa is so rich in its own landscape, mythology, gods, and prophets that it felt as if I witnessed its birth on the page. No stone was left unturned to ensure that just the right amount of ugly lay underneath.
It is funny how the right book finds its way to you. I've had death on my mind as of late, maybe because my first child is due in a couple months and my paranoia is through the roof and I guess it's just the other side of the same coin, life/death.
This story is for those of us with existentialism on the brain and those of us carrying the torch of mourning. I'd describe it as an odyssey exploring the horror of missing someone. This story has enhanced my definition of faith. And I'd just like to congratulate Cody for nailing the ending. I may need to ponder this more, but the epilogue is probably the best I've ever read.
March 7, 2025
The best cosmic horror ties the character’s life and struggles into the “other side” or the “big scary monster” and has the insanity of the horrors mirror the emotions and struggles of the character’s life. This is done perfectly throughout The Aching Plane. Charlie’s depression, grief, and longing for Marion is perfectly mirrored in the grey mists, lost souls, and endless blackened trees near the Ocean of Hali. The Aching Plane even has a metaphor for giving in to grief and getting lost in it; both in how people get to The Aching Plane itself in the first place and in how they become stuck there. Even when you’ve left, it calls you back through lost loved ones waving at you. It never truly lets you go, just like how most people would describe grief, and how cosmic horror tends to drive its protagonists insane or, at the very least, haunts them forever after they uncover the forbidden knowledge.
I especially like how the focus in this book was on the psychological aspects of cosmic horror rather than tentacles and unpronounceable names. Overall, an amazing book that I’d recommend to anyone who likes psychological or cosmic horror.
I especially like how the focus in this book was on the psychological aspects of cosmic horror rather than tentacles and unpronounceable names. Overall, an amazing book that I’d recommend to anyone who likes psychological or cosmic horror.
March 10, 2024
Man. This book left me feeling emotionally wrung out. Cody Lakin just GETS it. He gets the true horror of grief, how it makes you question literally everything in existence, and how it feels like the sun is never going to rise again. This book moved me to tears more than once, as it dug its claws into me, and dredged my own grief back up to the surface for me to dance with yet again. I'm sorry, Cody, that you know what this feels like. But I thank you for writing something so truly, fully relatable.
Yes, I know that some folks will be turned off from this book by my words here. But I do want to stress that this book is very well written, and it is one that I do absolutely recommend, even if you're just interested in it for the cosmic horror aspect. He is descriptive in a way that is immersive, and he's able to articulate concepts in an interesting way. I very much look forward to reading more by Cody Lakin.
Yes, I know that some folks will be turned off from this book by my words here. But I do want to stress that this book is very well written, and it is one that I do absolutely recommend, even if you're just interested in it for the cosmic horror aspect. He is descriptive in a way that is immersive, and he's able to articulate concepts in an interesting way. I very much look forward to reading more by Cody Lakin.
February 11, 2024
Cody Lakin is an incredible author. I feel as though I’m there with these characters in the story. He builds rich worlds and characters. This one wasn’t as strong for me as The Family Condition. Sometimes the descriptions of setting and character feelings felt like they took me out of the story rather than deeper into it. Still a 4 star read 🖤
December 21, 2023
Lakin's work has left me in awe. He writes with purpose and heart, evoking feelings that can be tough to face, but which inspire thoughtful reflection on love, loss, and grief. Don't miss THE ACHING PLANE, or his debut, THE FAMILY CONDITION.
March 5, 2024
Make sure you're in a good place emotionally before tackling this one - it is HEAVY. But beautifully written with some lovely sentences and expression of ideas that I had to page back a few times to reread.
May 7, 2024
The story was great. I was able to visually represent the story in my head. I did, however, feel that the church scene didn't give enough detail on what actually happened to the father, though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2024
Sad horror lovers check:
This one is heavy. If you’ve ever struggled with depression, or a deep gulf of grief that felt impossible to break the surface of… You will relate to this book and you will meet yourself in The Aching Plane.
It’s very SAD, smart, philosophical, and dense with the horrors of existence. I also love the interwoven bits of poetry, though I wish it had been done a bit differently. The ending had me begging for reprieve for the main character, for myself, for anyone who has ever thought and felt the ways she has.
And there it is. I feel the ache just now.
This one is heavy. If you’ve ever struggled with depression, or a deep gulf of grief that felt impossible to break the surface of… You will relate to this book and you will meet yourself in The Aching Plane.
It’s very SAD, smart, philosophical, and dense with the horrors of existence. I also love the interwoven bits of poetry, though I wish it had been done a bit differently. The ending had me begging for reprieve for the main character, for myself, for anyone who has ever thought and felt the ways she has.
And there it is. I feel the ache just now.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews