Kingshire Falls

by Steve McElhenny

It came from beyond the sky. At first distant glance, the spherical object appeared nothing more innocuous than a shooting star. Yet, upon further observation, there was something unsettling about its descent. This was no natural free-fall.

The year is 1953, and the citizens of the rural, American, town of, Kingshire Falls, are busy preparing for its centenary. What was intended to be a day of celebrations soon turns into a desperate fight for survival as friends and family begin to turn into mutated creatures, intent on taking over the town. Low on weapons, ideas, and hope, a motley crew of survivors must band together if they are to survive.

Kingshire Falls is an affectionate, tongue-in-cheek, homage to the wonderful (and not-so-wonderful) sci-fi and horror B-Movies of the 1950s-1980s.

Genres: Science Fiction, Horror

206 pages, Paperback

Published October 28, 2023

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lot of fun. Steve McElhenny definitely created something very old school and enjoyable. Kept bringing me back to the likes of Critters and The Blob, in that an alien entity attacks a small town. And that's not a bad thing. Sometimes you don't need to reinvent the wheel, but just create something top notch, doing the concept justice. The characters were fun and, despite being a ton of people to follow, they all had purpose, with no filler positions. I'd like to say that focusing on less residents would have been better, at least for my particular preferences, but the story really needed all of it to feel complete. I also very much appreciated many of the one liners in here, i.e. 'I like my steak bloody' and 'Beef's off the menu.' Even a few others were memorable, including 'the sound of pain was universal.' But there was good pacing, a nice, established flow, and plenty of horror elements to keep this premise humming. Lots to enjoy here and just a pleasant way to start a Wednesday morning.

[lucky 13 · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO much fun reading this ! come on now A killer giant cow something crashing from the sky? 50's style B movie like the blob. with our main characters A solder/the towns teenage Delinquent/aging police sheriff/and waitress and dinner owner. fun lighthearted in your small town blend of horror and science fiction 5 big stars!!

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kingshire Falls

By: Steve McElhenny
Narrated by: John Lee Payton

Brilliant, Brilliant BRILLIANT!

Overall: 5 of 5 stars Performance: 5 of 5 stars Story: 5 of 5 stars
Reviewed: 11-14-23

It fell from the sky and landed in “Kingshire Falls”. Once that parasitic entity found Goliath, IT WAS ON! Not since Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over that lantern has a bovine played a bigger role in mass destruction! Campy in all the best ways, unbelievably imaginative, and reminiscent of the delightful horror offerings of days gone past, “Kingshire Falls” is comedic horror brilliance personified! I loved absolutely everything about it! So much so that as soon as I finished this delight, I promptly listened straight through AGAIN! I loved every single quirky, campy, delightfully defined and developed character! I want to meet them, I want to know them, and I’d love to hang out with them, of course before the uh… nope, not going any further, that would be playing spoiler, but listen to this slice of perfection and you will know exactly what I mean! The story is eye opening, jaw dropping, imaginative as it gets, smooth flowing, makes perfect sense perfection! When I say I could not stop listening, I couldn’t! I didn’t want to! I was having too much fun. I was laughing out loud, giggling at the unbelievably creative tongue in cheek chapter titles that fit so perfectly into the story, and just enjoying every aspect of this truly delightful gem! The narration that brought the author’s vision to life was perfect for this story! Everything fit perfectly! I can’t express how much I enjoyed this one! Will there a third listen? Absolutely! And I’m sure many more after that! This is one of my all time favorites! Five funtastic perfect stars!

[Beverly Laude · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love the 1950's sci-fi movies like "Them" or "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", you will love this book. In 1953, the small town of Kingshire Falls is getting ready to celebrate its one hundred year anniversary. Everyone is looking forward to the fun after the rough years of WWII. When something falls out of the sky, only a few kids witness it and think it must be a meteorite. Unfortunately, this object brings death and destruction to this peaceful place in the form of a crazed bull!

The book moves at a fast pace and is full of wonderful characters. The author has done a great job of depicting small-town life in the Fifties, complete with a "greaser" and a war hero. There is also plenty of humor and sarcasm along the way to lighten the mood.

The narrator did a great job and added a lot to the book. I recommend this to anyone who loves this genre.

[John Hinchliffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have listened to the audio version of this book. Another very amusing horror story from the pen of Steve McElhenny. Kingshire Falls is fast paced and addictive listening throughout. Some of the scenes are somewhat graphic and stomach turning but overall it's not a bad listen. Excellent characters and a good plot make this a must read for all of Steve's fans of which I must admit I am one. John Lee Payton does a good job of the narration and brings the story to life. I agree with other reviewers that the quality of the recording could be better and the long silences at the end/beginning of the chapters could have been compressed but it's no big deal IMPO.

[fred jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb parody

This is a superb parody of all the 50's sci-fi horror films I love. Think The Blob meets Night of the living Dead with a touch of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. When a Strange object crashes near a small American town its population battles for their lives. An all American hero, a teenage delinquent, a plucky waitress and various other standard cannon fodder characters all lovingly combined with rousing cliched dialogue and heroic sacrifice in a hilariously over the top story. I loved every word. Narration by John Lee Payton is flawless. Wonderful fun. I received a complimentary copy of the audio from the narrator and an leaving a honest voluntary review.

[Dace ჯ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Horror is not my usual go-to genre, but this was wonderful! I enjoyed it much more than I expected. It's a great story with some elements of horror and sci-fi, loveable characters, great puns, interesting twists and a happy ending. The narration was great, too. The only issue was the long pauses between the scenes, but it was not disturbing me too much.

[Georgia Tumbleweed McNabb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though thos had horror content it was more of a amusing story with horror elements. I enjoyed it and think the writer likes, puns, and tounge in Cheek humor. Narrator does a very good job with the various characters voices and the entire storyline.

[John Payton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I performed the narration for this audiobook.
https://www.audible.com/pd/B0CMZ67Q8B...