Here There Be

by Stuart Knott

For the children, Haverhill was just their normal, boring hometown: quiet, unassuming, and living in the shadow of other places nearby.

As winter fell, bathing the town in frost and snow, an ominous, primeval shadow rose from the darkest parts of Haverhill.

Watching, lurking, grasping in ravenous fury.

When this nightmarish force takes their friend, dragging him to a cold, watery death, the children suddenly find themselves prey to a malevolent horror that has finally woken after centuries of slumber…

Genres: Horror

238 pages, Paperback

Published October 31, 2023

About the author

PhD graduate Dr. Stuart Knott published several short horror stories, novellas, and novels ranging from traditional slashers to surreal terrors.

Reviews

[Hannah Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! All I can say is wow, what a brilliantly written horror story. I honestly felt immersed in the story and in the town of Haverhill, I felt like I was there alongside the children experiencing the horror that captured them throughout the novel.

Here There Be is so atmospheric, and haunting - and that alone shows just how well written this is. If you are a fan of small town horror stories, kids defeating monsters, and old scary tales/curses/monsters then this is definitely a read for you!

I wish I read this faster but I just didn’t want it to be over, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and felt the set up was great. If anything I wanted more action after the tragic aftermath in the beginning of the story, but it was nice to get more information and world building Haverhill and the school.

I highly recommend and I will be checking out more from this author, and you should to!

[E.M. Kkoulla · Rating 5 out of 5]

As soon as I started reading this book, I got a definite IT/STRANGER THINGS vibe. This carries on through the book with the theme of children battling an ancient evil in an ordinary unassuming town.
The reader is given time to get to know the characters and their personal circumstances, which makes what happens to them even more chilling.
The air of menace evokes the fears we all felt as children, wondering what was lurking in the shadows of the everyday world, except in this case the monsters are real. It would make a good film/series, though not one for the kiddies!

[J.E. Clarkson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here There Be is a creepy, well-written horror story that I found is as much concerned with the difficulties of teenage life in a small town, as with the monsters that those teens come up against. Without leaving spoilers, I found the descriptions of bullying, crushes, and teenage conversations to be genuine and well-drawn. As were the thought processes of this rag-tag bunch of kids who happen to come across their worst nightmare. If you enjoy horror writing that is both psychological and frightening, then Here There Be is for you. I identified with the characters and really enjoyed it.

[Chava Weaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

A group of young friends living in a quiet town where nothing ever happens… what could go wrong? Just about everything. “Here There Be” is a creepy, fast paced book filled with a bit of gore and plenty of on the edge of your seat moments.

If you like horror and suspense, this book is for you! I learned quickly how unnerving it was when I tried reading it at night. Big mistake if you get scared easily. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but what I read wasn’t it. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, I was wrong.

This story had a few shock factors and definite “IT” vibes, which I loved! Great detail throughout and characters you either love or hate.

I’m excited to see what Dr. Stuart Knott does next!

[Jessica Huntley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good horror story! This was a slight slow burner for me but the first part of the story was finding out all about the main characters and the small town itself. It built up the suspense well and to be honest I wasn't sure where the story was going. I didn't expect it to be about witches at all, but the sinister and creepy descriptions were spot on and certainly gave me goosebumps. Well written and fast paced at the end. A great horror story!

[Nadine Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I just stayed up till 3:30 in the morning to finish this book. What a great coming of age horror story.
⠀
There was so much nostalgia in this book for me. I found myself reminiscing about all the antics my friend group and I got into at the age of the kids in this book. (Middle schoolish, here in the states). And the little “adventures” we’d get into. 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝘽𝙚 evoked a lot of vibes from The Goonies to Stand Bye Me (The Body) but takes place in a quiet English village instead with occult elements.
⠀
Knott knows how to set the stage with his stories. He always tells a compelling lead up - makes you connect to and get to know his characters from the get go and then boom…half way through all hell breaks lose and it’s pedal to the metal the rest of the way. Relentless action, disturbing scenes . Twist after twist. By the last 28 pages I was fighting to keep my eyes open but couldn’t put it down and wouldn’t have been able to sleep if I hadn’t finished it, I had to know how it ended.
⠀
Knott will have you near tears, chuckling and nauseas on the wild ride that is 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐁𝐞. I highly recommend. Bonus: it’s still FREE for a few more hours!


Note: I started this book months ago and then life happened. But I finally was able to get back to it and finished the last 3/4’s in no time.

[Tobin Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first foray into the mind of Dr. Stuart Knott. Full disclosure, I've run across him online through mutual writer friends, and we've had some chats, and he's a great guy.

Ah, but can he write?

Because, the sad truth is, I've become acquainted with some authors who, once I picked up their novel, I also very quietly put it right back down again, because I wasn't a fan.

I'm so glad to say, this novel is nowhere near that category. I actually enjoyed the hell out of this.

So, yeah yeah, Stranger Things/It vibes. Any novel with kids facing off an evil in a small town are going to get those inevitable comparisons (what did we compare things like that to before 1986?), but I honestly think both comparisons do this novel a disservice.

Because HERE THERE BE is its own monster. Knott has taken a disparate group of kids, then worked some magic so we get to know them all (and mourn some) while hinting at something terrible lurking just off in the dark, just out of sight.

What I liked about this was that nothing was rushed, time and care was taken to set the stage before the novel slapped you around with the reveal of the evil. But that's not the end of the surprises, and I'll say nothing more, other than I probably had as much fun reading it as Knott did writing it.

Just a solid, well-crafted, enjoyable horror novel that, while showing that some of its DNA may have come from a certain doorstop of a novel or a Netflix series, but overall, it veers off and claims its own space in the horror arena.

Well done.

So, this was my first foray into the mind of Dr. Stuart Knott. It definitely won't be my last.

[Nic Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here There Be is an exceptional read that delivers every hit of deliciously dark and brutal horror any reader could want but gives so much more. The author has written a cleverly crafted character driven novel that delivers every pang of raw emotion felt by the main character Jimmy and the surrounding characters, the pre teenage angst, the insecurities, the fear of unacceptance, the terror of the local bullies, the stirring of hormones and everything in between. The authors use of snappy dialogue kept the story moving at a breakneck speed. I felt that I was in the middle of the unfolding blood drenched nightmare in the town of Haverhil, standing on the bridge, and as such the brutality of the horror is in your face and Dr Knott doesn't hold back. Such beautiful imagery at the ending of this novel which I shall not spoil left me wanting more, Combining the stark imagery, the poignant character driven story and the hard hitting horror delivers an outstanding five star read!! Highly recommended

[The Book Booth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here There Be by Dr. Stuart Knott is a sinister tale about a small group of kids being terrorized by malevolent force. I enjoyed the authors writing style. I tend to read less descriptive books but his writing forces you to slow down and savor the chaos unfolding. He describes everything so clearly that you almost feel like you are in the story.

Great read right before Halloween! Evil lurking, foul-mouthed kids, a sleepy town and sheer chaos…..what more can you ask for in a horror story?!

So thankful there was no audio for this book because if I heard what the kids in this book heard…I may not have finished! So creepy! I’m looking forward to seeing what else this author comes up with next.

[Grace Glue · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid start for October/spooky season

Akin to “IT” and “Children of Night” this story follows a group of preteens against an ancient evil.
The imagery was so good.
The “creatures” were creepy af, I don’t want to ruin them but they weren’t what I expected and when it’s revealed what they are. they weren’t your “typical” depiction.
I would love to see this made into a film.

I loved the continued use of “Chicken Coup” instead of “Chicken Coop”
The written dialect in this really grated me, “woz”, “fing”, “wiv” - I get it, I get why the choice was made to have the characters talk like this but oh my god it’s incredibly irritating.

All in all, a well written and creepy horror book.
For me, I don’t seem to come across many horror books set in the UK (or at least the ones I usually read) so it was refreshing.

[Sarah Newberry · Rating 1 out of 5]

The kindest thing to say is this book exists.
Possibly there’s a good story but it’s buried under some of the worst writing I’ve seen barring actual errors and typos. How many semicolons does one book need? The same question for parentheses, commas, italics for emphasis, and general long-ass sentences.

It’s a shame because the forward and dedication were full of promise.

Please, I beg, hire editors.

[Amanda Jaeger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here There Be gives me the vibes of a 1990 horror movie. One part snotty kids, one part creepy unknown, and a big bang of a villain toward the end.He has a unique way of storytelling, with ways of seeing both the inner dialogue of all characters and the outer action of what’s happening. If his goal is to rattle his readers with images when they put the book down, he achieved that. I’m still trying to wipe clean the last few pages of memory

[Shell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel conflicted about this book. On the one hand there were several typos and instances of lazy editing and it’s so overly descriptive about every little thing that I found myself skimming through the fat in parts in an effort to find the meat. On the other hand there’s a good story here, and some nice creepy atmosphere. So 4 stars for the story, 2 stars for the writing style.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! It was fun following the characters through this spooky journey.
I was gripped towards the end when everything was kicking off!
I recommend if you love anything like IT!