A relentless evil possessing an already depraved man... gruesome and perverse acts of brutality... Will anyone survive?
Centuries ago the natives captured and imprisoned a life force of pure evil and unending hunger. Thirteen years ago an eight-year-old boy woke the darkness. It grows in strength every day and now the boy is a man. A man skilled in terror and violence, the very things the darkness needs to finally break free.
Jill, a city girl at heart, was surprised when the car came to a stop. Jack wasn't kidding when he said they were going to the boonies. A family vacation, her with Jack and his teenage kids, was not her idea of fun but Jill was ready to take the next step. She wondered if this trip was Jack’s way to say he was ready as well.
As the man stalks through the countryside, unleashing panic and dread, will Jill be able to escape with Jack and his children? Or will the man soak the ground in blood and release…THE SHADOW WITHIN
I'm an indie Horror writer who lives deep in the heart of Texas. When I'm not writing novels and stories for anthologies, I'm doing the bidding of 3 adorable huskies. I've been married for over 20 years and have a teenager in the house, so I won't be running out of horror material for quite some time.
Jack and his girlfriend Jill along with his two teenagers, Allen and Kim decide to take a vacation out to the country - a place that Jack has been to before with his kids but Jack wants to spend time with Jill and show her a fun time.
Though there will be anything but fun as one of the town citizens is gruesomely murdered and the Sheriff is having a hard time solving the case - it is possible that the Shaw family who is considered to be cursed could be behind the killings.
There will be hell to pay though when Jack's family crosses paths with the Shaw family as no one is safe from the evil that has possessed one of the family members and Jack and his family will have to do everything they can to survive!
That is about all I can give on a backstory without giving away spoilers so if you want to know what happens then go read this book!
Thoughts:
This was my second time around with this story to see if my first impression still rang true as it did the first time. I am not changing hardly anything with this review as I felt the same as I did before.
The world building with this book was a little slow and really didn't kick in with lots of action till after the 50% mark of the book then it went into some crazy twists and turns which kept me glued to my kindle! I would consider this to be a twisted slasher/possession story that goes into gory graphic details with the murders that happen within this book and the pace of the story becomes faster after the half way point.
The only reason this book is not getting five stars is because there seemed to be too much romance/sex between the characters Jack and Jill and couple of other characters in the story - there was quite a bit of it throughout the book which to me it is okay to have some but not to have the first half of the book to be mostly sex with a trickle of slasher action. The last half of the book was more slasher action which was what I waiting for to kick in. All in all though the writing is smooth and as always I really do love the writing style of this author. Keeping this book at four "Stalker Slasher" stars!
2020 reading challenge ( debut author) 4.5 stars rounded up to 5. For a 2020 reading challenge I needed a debut author book. And I have to say that Eric Butler's first novel impressed me. Let's recap the story. A cursed family with a possessed member thrives on sex and blood, obeying the voice in his head. Unbeknownst to a man on vacation with his new lover and two kids. (And a neighbor). This evil dude puts them through complete torture. First of all, I'm doing this reading challenge to broaden what I read. So normally I wouldn't read a possession story. And I usually read novellas. So take in consideration that this isn't my usual read, plus it's longer than my normal reads. And I'm still giving it 4.5 stars. There is great character development in this book, which in my opinion gave the story a slow start. Trust me, the ending made it worth while. But I say that about any book over a couple hundred pages. The ending was a total WOW... I had to know what happened next. It wasn't gory enough for my tastes, but there was enough blood to satisfy my demented personality. Take into consideration that I love extreme horror. So what I say isn't gory enough could be too much blood for the average reader. I dunno. This story is good. The end was great. I usually enjoy books with not so happy endings. This one I would say was a bittersweet ending. I don't wanna spoil it, but when a certain character was killed off, I immediately respected the author. He crossed a bold line in this book, and I loved it. I read this in one sitting ( a long car ride actually).
As it is described as an “extreme”/splatterpunk horror, I was expecting the action to start a little quicker and more gory details from the offset. The Shadow Within, to begin with, leaves it up to the reader’s imagination, until it finally hits us with the first grizzly description. I just wish there had been *more*. However, I am pleased that the SA scenes aren’t described at all and happen completely outside of the pages.
Overall, the first half of the story especially leans more into the erotica/smut side, and that made the characters feel a little one-dimensional until the action picked up more in the second half of the book. As you reach the end, it is utterly unputdownable. This is a mixture between possession, and slasher, horror. A good spooky read for the run up to Halloween. 💀🎃🔪
Violence and brutality abound in this tale by Eric Butler! What seems to be a demonic entity has cursed a family for generations. This story takes place in a small vacation town where Jack and his girlfriend Jill have gone so his 2 kids can get to know his new love better. Things have gone well until the kids hear a creepy voice in the woods, and someone leaves a bloody handprint on the family's door.
The Shadow Within is filled with gore, torture, and S.A., but it has a solid plot and well-developed characters that keep it from feeling gratuitous. This entity feeds on terror and pain, so of course, there is a lot of that happening in these pages.
Highly recommend this Splatter debut from one of my favorite members of the Indie Horror community.
This took me ages to read as I’m a very slow reader and usually gravitate to shorts and novellas. I’ve been wanting to read one of Butler’s books and was told that this one would be my cuppa tea. Well, they were right. I loved this book! The nods to my literary idol Richard Laymon were abundant. Lots of sex, focus on boobies and gore all maketh a fun read!
That aside, Butler is an exceptional writer. His character development was excellent, storyline awesome, and his prose was beautifully descriptive without any waffle. Im certainly impressed and look forward to reading more. This humble, husky loving gent is definitely a force to be reckoned with. Five solid stars from me.
The more I read from this author, the more I love the way he writes. This book starts off at a nice even pace then the build up to the action takes you on a roller coaster of blood and a desperate race for survival.
I was very fortunate to win an audiobook of this story and it was amazing. I have never tried an audiobook before this, but the narrator was marvelous and kept my attention throughout the whole book. I kept putting it off yesterday because I was getting close to the end and I wasn’t ready for it to end as I wanted more, and still do! (You left room for a sequel??? Please ??? I will definitely be picking up more of this authors books. I would highly recommend this audiobook!
Eric Butler’s The Shadow Within is such a perfect homage to Richard Laymon. There’s everything you know and love about Laymon, mixed in with Butler’s special variety of horror. Being no stranger to Butler’s writing, I knew I was in for a treat when I started this audiobook. The storytelling is captivating, the characters are well developed, and the narrator, Micah Cottingham, did a brilliant job bringing the story to life. It’s crazy to think that something so well polished is the author’s first novel!
This has been in my tbr pile for a while. I wish I would have read this sooner. This is an amazing novel. It's filled with gore and sex. Blends so many genres together, but is refreshing. I was invested from page 1. I will def be reading more Eric Butler books. This is a must read for Horror fans.
A relentless evil possessing an already depraved man... gruesome and perverse acts of brutality... Will anyone survive? Centuries ago the natives captured and imprisoned a life force of pure evil and unending hunger. Thirteen years ago an eight-year-old boy woke the darkness. It grows in strength every day and now the boy is a man. A man skilled in terror and violence, the very things the darkness needs to finally break free. Jill, a city girl at heart, was surprised when the car came to a stop. Jack wasn't kidding when he said they were going to the boonies. A family vacation, her with Jack and his teenage kids, was not her idea of fun but Jill was ready to take the next step. She wondered if this trip was Jack’s way to say he was ready as well. As the man stalks through the countryside, unleashing panic and dread, will Jill be able to escape with Jack and his children? Or will the man soak the ground in blood and release…THE SHADOW WITHIN Discover a new voice of horror in Eric Butler’s terrifying debut
What a fabulous new horror debut from this author! Well written plot and story line that had me on the edge of my seat throughout. Twists and turns keep the suspense through the whole story. The characters have been well written and were believeable. Good world building helps enhance all that is happening within the story. Can't wait to see what he brings us next now!!! Recommend reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
First, I was given a free Audible code in return for a review. There, the damn legalese is out of the way. Let’s get down to business. Eric Butler has written a novel of curses, blood, sex, an unstoppable killer…holy shit he wrote an 80’s movie…and it’s freakin’ awesome. A single dad brings his beautiful girlfriend and his two (beautiful college age daughter, totally typical horny high schooler son) kids to a summer cabin in hopes to help the kids get to know the new girlfriend. Seems like a great time, yeah? HAH!!! FOOLED YOU! Little does this small town know that one of the oldest families has a curse; and the blood is calling it to get busy ruling the land. Chaos, murder, blood (and various other bodily fluids) flows, body parts fly, the body count meter rolls like a speedometer. There were a few deaths I should have seen coming, a few I wish hadn’t happened and a last paragraph that made me almost throw my phone. My only negative is the author doesn’t really flesh out the curse. How it came to be, how it is stopped. It is all hinted at, but not really explained. I cannot recommend this book more. The narrator does a good job and the story is incredibly fast paced. Go get this book, either a physical copy or as I did, listen to the audio version.
Ok. I LOVED this book. I love anything Butler writes, but I enjoyed this book a lot!! One thing I love about his writing is how detailed he is without making it too wordy or adding fluff.
Normally I binge read books in a day, and I could have easily done that with this one. But I truly wanted to enjoy the hell out of it from start to finish so decided to take my time, and 10/10 recommend. This could easily be a movie, not even kidding.
It has so many different elements making it a story that really any horror fan would enjoy reading. You have haunted woods. Some romance / sexy time thrown in. A solid freaking plot. Some messy family drama (in the best way possible). Some gnarly rogue scenes that will make you cringe. Secrets. Curses. Haunted land. And so much more.
I cannot recommend this book enough, and it’s available on KU!
I enjoy listening to books on my commute, but found myself also listening while cooking, getting ready for bed and grading papers because I NEEDED to know what was going to happen! The story progresses rapidly with a cast of unforgettable characters that make this little town seem so incredibly real!
When a string of grizzly murders causes havoc in an otherwise idyllic community, those affected with never be the same! Is it a family curse? A crazed maniac? Both? How will anyone get out of this alive?
Carnage, mayhem and depravity abound!! Don’t read this with a weak stomach or a rape trigger.
Overall, gripping, well written and jaw dropping! You will not be disappointed!! The ending really got me!!
I also want to highly praise the narrator for a job well done!
I purchased this book because of the amazing reviews on Amazon and oh boy, they were all right. This book is fantastic, the story is so beautiful and full of emotions, I couldn't put this down until I ended. The characters are so real and so well written that you can easily find yourself or a friend reflected on them, you start to love and care for them. Amazing book!!! can´t wait to read more from Eric Butler.
This author is truly comfortable in his writing style. It is clean, lean, just what is needed to help the reader look forward to his future stories. If there is a series to follow, his books will be gobbled up. I couldn't stop till the end!
“A place in the woods so haunted that everyone avoided it. A place so evil no one dared enter. But mostly a story so intense that it almost never failed to quicken the girl’s pulse and lower her inhibitions. “
This sordid tale was all of those things and more… I found myself reading with baited breath, having to slow myself down to keep from skimming, so I could appreciate the full extent of this sordid thriller.
The prose in this was taught and wiry, sparing the reader no words, nor sugar coating the intensely graphic mental images of this demonic spirit, intent on inflicting maximum pain and suffering.
I did find the underlying storyline to be a bit trope… the Indian spirit, the white man settlers, etc. That being said, I was so swept up in the drama that swirled into the deeper depths of depravity, that I really was unbothered by it.
“I told you. There is a place in these woods that no one will go …”
I beg up differ, I loved my journey into those woods. Maybe just don’t bring this one on your summer vacation with your family to the cabin; or you may hear that voice in your head saying, “Yesssss…. thissss will do nicely”.
As I started to read this book, I was expecting one that i could read late a night but as I got into it, I was pleasantly surprised that it was more of a thriller type that just kept building. To me the best part of the book was the last sentence. Wow. What a way to end the book. I won’t give it away but excellent ending.
Eric Butler takes us on a soothing vacation to small-town America in The Shadow Within. Like many small towns, there aren't a lot of amenities available, law enforcement is minimal and the members are unprepared for major events, sinister forces influence the people, the land and people are cursed, and horrors lurk in the shadows. If this isn't your idea of what small towns are like, then we've been reading vastly different books. Nevertheless, when Jack and Jill go up this hill, there's little more than disaster and trauma awaiting them.
Jack heads to the countryside with his children and new girlfriend, hoping to introduce them to each other under relaxing and peaceful conditions at the family home he hadn't visited in years. Everything seems like it might be going well, and then Butler pulls the rug out from under you. Of course, you had to know this was going to happen. It's that kind of book, isn't it?
There's no way Jack and his family could be prepared for what happens when a monster comes home. A centuries-old evil presence that found a host within a troubled young man with a propensity for violence has returned to the place they were bound...and the kindred spirits delight in the graphic torture and murder of anyone who crosses their path.
Butler introduces you to his characters, lets you get to know them, and then proceeds to put them through absolute hell in the most captivating ways. He pulls no punches and forces you to witness the atrocities...sometimes after the fact, but often while they're happening. You may find yourself discomforted at times...but again, it's that kind of book, isn't it?
The narration from Micah Cottingham is fantastic, and it does the narrative justice.
Tale of a killer with a little twist. This is a slow burn for me, so if you like that, this is right up your street. There is a lot of tension and build-up but it gives us time to get to know the characters and what they're all about. Some badass girls in the story, too. A nice bit of gore as well. I'd recommend it.
Very similar to other books iv read and not as good I was just bored with it because of that reason. In saying that coming in blind people may enjoy it
A slow burn but worth the read! The Shadow Within is an Extreme Horror story with a supernatural element to it. A family harboring a dark secret generation to generation.