The Gray God

by Sean Flynn, S.L. Flynn

The job was as challenging and exciting as any high school senior could hope Pete Tyler would cook meth for his Uncle Kevin while his cousin Scott hunted for mushrooms to provide cover for their time in the woods.

The excitement turns to terror, however, when Scott vanishes in the forest near Maanberg Springs.

This isn’t a simple matter of search and rescue. Uncle Kevin is lethally determined to keep the drug lab a secret, and Scott’s father, Dan, is ready to use violence to learn what happened to his son.

When the reclusive Maanberg Society invites Pete to join their retreat for troubled youths, Pete sees a chance to escape his uncles. Maanberg may also hold the answer to Scott’s disappearance if Pete can play its games and solve its mysteries.

He won’t be playing those games alone, though; five more kids, drawn by the organization’s promise of a bright future, are caught in the Maanberg Elders’ machinations.

Time is running out. An ancient and alien evil has designs on them all.

With blood we open the door!

Through sacrifice we know the Gray God!

322 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 1, 2024

Reviews

[Alison Faichney · Rating 4 out of 5]

So it’s no secret that I love my fungi horror. I’ve been a mushroom lover for years and find them absolutely fascinating. I can listen to Paul Stamets go on indefinitely. And this book absolutely scratches that itch. Scott and his cousin, Pete, are out in the woods of Washington to hunt mushrooms while cooking meth on the side for another uncle. I realize this already sounds like a LOT, but please, bear with me. This is basically the first chapter. The property is bordered by land owned by the mysterious Maanberg Foundation. Scott disappears while hunting mushrooms and things really spiral from there.

I’ll be honest that I don’t really know anything about Sean Flynn. I’m not sure if this is his debut or his 30th book (I’m sorry, I just couldn’t find you on GoodReads 😢), but dude can write. The characters felt real. They were flawed without being cliches. At times the personalities almost seemed to blur together with the caretakers of Maanberg, but there’s always a method to the madness.

The book is more of a slow burn. Although it starts with a bang, the book doesn’t really pick up until closer to the second act. I know this may turn off some readers but the second act is one that dials up the crazy significantly and was super fun to read.

I’m avoiding spoilers but the cyclical nature of the book was a blast and I absolutely enjoyed some of Pete’s later adventures.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who digs the fungi horror vibe. There’s also this entire mystery surrounding the Maanberg Foundation which brings a different trope that, while common, was done in a way I appreciated.

Keep an eye on this release next month for a fun(gi) time.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Wicked House Publishing for providing a review copy.

This was an unexpectedly hard review to write - I actually had to sleep on it before I felt I could review it properly. This book is a slow, slow burn. The drama between the characters keeps it interesting, but getting there takes awhile, then everything just explodes in the end. I felt pretty unsatisfied with the ending at first, but the more I think about it, the more I like it. I hesitate to say much more to avoid spoilers. The Gray God is very well-written, it kept my attention and, even though I didn't like any of the characters, they were well thought out. 4.25 stars

[Meghan Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unsettling and Gripping: Loved This Fungus Horror!

I am incredibly grateful to Wicked House Publishing for providing me with an advance reader’s copy of The Gray God. As a fan of fungus and eco-horror, this book did not disappoint. The tension between the characters kept me entertained and on my toes throughout. The ending left me feeling uneasy, touching on some personal fears that made the experience all the more chilling. Without giving away any spoilers, The Gray God is a must-read for slow burn horror enthusiasts.

[Indiana Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into this book completely blind and while I felt as though the middle of the story dragged a bit, the ending sure did land the punch! I was very interested in the mysteries behind the plot when I began the book, but found that about a third of the way through, things seemed to move slowly. It wasn't until the last ten percent of the book that things stepped into high gear. The premise is interesting, however, and I haven't seen it approached in this manner in the past. Flynn's ability to describe a scene is very immersive, as well, and all depictions of violence were truly gruesome.

Overall, while I did struggle a bit towards the middle of the story, I still look forward to seeing what the author has in store for us next!

[Catriona Mowat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would actually rate this 3.5 stars overall

The Gray God is a really interesting premise and features a whole host of great characters. The ending is really good, but I found it a bit of a struggle to really immerse myself in the world so it was a bit of a slog to get through. The ending beginning chapters and the last 20% or so have a really great pace, the middle is a bit slow. But I did enjoy it overall: a unique take on an unusual story and I love a flawed character. There were a couple of moments that caught me unawares

[Erin Sterett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a first for me. First fungi horror, first Sean Flynn story. Even though it is a slower burn-type book. Sean does a good job keeping you involved in the story. The characters are well-developed and the book carries an overall creepy vibe. I really enjoyed this one! Thanks to Wicked House publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Susan West · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow burn to be sure with only glimpses of the monsters in most of the book which is largely devoted to teenage angst between the well drawn and quirky characters. The writing is very colorful and well done with a sense of dread being built until all is explained in the end.

[Karen Mazzaferri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gray God is a well written atmospheric, slow burning novel. Characters are all unique and met with challenges that will hopefully strengthen their will.
The story begins as two cousins are knee deep in a meth cooking business for their uncle, Kevin. One cooks, Pete, and one forages, Scott, for mushrooms that are plentiful in the Washington forest. Scott decides that he needs to go farther in the forest to get the best mushrooms, but disappears and cannot be found. He has entered into forbidden territory. A society hangout for the ultra rich, that no one is allowed to enter. We then meet the other uncle, Dan, a scary big guy that would rather hurt you than talk.
Throughout this novel you get the feeling that the ultra rich secret society of maanburg is hiding something nefarious. Although everything seems up board, behind the mentors and the lodge itself, there is something scary hiding. The six teens they have chosen all have sketchy backgrounds. They are all hand picked and matched with a mentor to help them fulfill their potential according to “a plan”. The book never eludes to what the “plan” is and the mentors are way to accommodating to their picks. They say leave at anytime throughout the course of this journey, but we begin to find out that it’s much harder to do and much more dangerous. Monsters are hiding and kindness is not always what it seems

[Brandy Portman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Every time you think you have it all figured out, you don’t. Kept me turning pages until the ending that left me stunned but pleased.

[Emily Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Gray God

Pete has an exciting job then his cousin disappears. What happened to him? More kids are drawn into the business. Can Pete figure out what is happening? Creepy read.

[Josette Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had so many situations going on that reading this book in one sitting was the only way for myself to follow the story. This book was terrifying due to the wondering of what was in the forest. When Pete volunteered to join an elitist group, he thought he was going to be able to find out what happened to his cousin. Little did he know he was going to discover the long held secret the forest has been hiding. I definitely did not expect this book to go the way it did. An excellent read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Jennifer Hewett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a good read. The authors writing style just grabs your attention and doesn’t let go. The characters were built up and explained and could kinda relate to a few of them(some of my family is messed up). Highly recommend reading this one cause it’s one I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish.

[Savanna Vandusen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started off strong with a local boy going missing and a quick peak at the monster. After that, it basically lost all traction for me until the last 2-3 chapters where all the pieces start coming together. There was a lot of dialog in this book that I believed was unnecessary. As a whole, it was an enjoyable read and very unique to anything I've read before. I do feel like it should be labeled more mystery/thriller than horror because it held no scare factor, in my opinion. I kept waiting for my heart to start pumping and the adrenaline to start flowing; but it never did.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC.

[erika • dead wrong reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5✨/5 rounded up

I feel like this book was beautifully written and atmospheric but could have been a little shorter. It would have been just as impactful. I loved the cult aspect of the book and would read a prequel novella about the cult's origins.

If you want a creepy book this is it!

As always, thank you to NetGalley, Sean Flynn, and Wicked House Publishing for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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[Holly Dimitrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of the publisher Wicked House Publishing, so far the books that I have read from them all have been really good.
I have never read a book from this author before but this book sounded interesting.
So we have Scott and his cousin Pete, one is out picking mushrooms while the other is cooking meth, such an odd combination but that's what they do for "work" for their uncle. This is in Washington woods, the property is bordered by land owned by the mysterious Maanberg Foundation. There is a lot of questions and talk about the Maangerg. Scott disappears while hunting mushrooms and that is where the whole craziness hits. There are stories to come up with, lies, truths and a whole lot more.
This book is a bit slow but there is a lot going on that keeps you interested. I am a mood reader so I had to put it down for a bit when it got too slow for me and then pick it back up a few times because I was really interested in the book and what was going on, I needed to know. It was my own personal battle lol.
Well written, with good character development and backstories (even though I didn't really like any of the characters, but I don't think you need to like them for this book to be good) and the ending is crazy, strange and keeps you thinking about it.
Now to see what else comes from this author.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this to be a quick and engrossing read. Don't rush through it too hastily though; it's worth paying attention to the small stuff. There’s a lot going on in the buildup before the obvious weirdness starts.

A gradual accretion of creepy occurrences, a pervasive sense of the sinister (and fungal), and characters whose words and actions are increasingly "off" suggest to our main man, Pete, and to the reader that things may not be what they seem.

The characters are fleshed out and complex, if not always entirely likable or demonstrating good judgment. There's a bunch of subtle humor in their dialogue, and the writing is really quite well crafted. (Just one example, on the sentence level: “The piece sounded like it had intended to be classical, but on the way to the symphony hall had dropped one too many tabs of acid.”)

I found it particularly gratifying to read through a second time, knowing what I knew by the end, and see just how precisely everything fits together, what deeper shenanigans underlie the action and dialogue, and how it all foreshadows the "terrible, soul-shattering actuality" (to quote H.P. Lovecraft) of the horrifying climax. Read closely with this author; as in his previous novel, no details are insignificant.

[Malinda McKinnon · Rating 2 out of 5]

A slow ride through the forest

I can't say I'm a fan. Somehow I was curious enough to keep going but ultimately this was very meh for me. Didn't care for any of the characters and the dialogue bothered me. I did enjoy the idea behind it and a number of the visuals.

[Ziggy Nixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

You will walk between worlds where wonder and terror are one.

Well, I was going to start off by saying that Sean Flynn's "The Gray God" wound up landing in a real gray zone for me; however, I don't want to lose my membership in the Books Featuring Mycelium Fan Club for what would surely be universally decried as a horrible pun. Or at very least poorly timed Dad Joke. And goodness knows I have added to that list - the mushroom one, not the puns or Dad stuff - rather significantly in the past months, following years of quiet after devouring (hee hee) M.R.Carey's duology led off by "The Girl With All the Gifts". No, I've since enjoyed several very well researched and intriquingly presented tales including "I Eat Mushrooms for Breakfast" by rising star C.J.Powell and Adrian Gibson's incredible "Mushroom Blues", which according to many, many experts - they're all saying so - was voted my favorite book of 2024!

He was screwed, blued, and tattooed.

However, my reaction towards "The Gray God" will remain somewhat more muted than the aforementioned tomes. I have decidedly mixed feelings about this story, where first and foremost I still feel the urge to underline that it was exciting and tense, as well as well-executed and where need be, truly a decent horror story! I guess this is as good time as any then to point out what else I liked about this book, which featured a very varied and often confusing cast, some incredibly bizarre yet well laid-out dream sequences, and a literal jump from one direction the story was taking to another in the time it takes to say "I'm your huckleberry".

You’ve got trouble in you. We want to fix that. Make you a better person.

In fact, if you're not just relying on my review and wind up reading the blurb for this book, do yourself a favor: go ahead and ignore the first paragraph of same because in the grand scheme of things, the whole "cookin' meth and diggin' 'shrooms" plays a very very small role. It's more of a device to set up that these kids at the onset don't have much in the way of good adult guidance in their lives, but really when push come to shove comes to stab comes to unspeakable eldritch horrors, well, even Walter White wouldn't be much help. It's also for me the source of a number of plot holes that even if I didn't feel like they needed filling (does that make sense?) were still very much present.

Child, this place is ungodly.

What I didn't like however is first of all the pacing of this book is uneven at best. We blast off like a rocket - or someone's organs flying out of a meth lab explosion - to start with. So the beginning is really rat-a-tat quick. Then we hit a spell where folks do a lot of talking about a lot of nothing imho, a lot of apparent scheming, and not much else. Then lo and behold the big "10% from the end" sequence arrives and dang if that doesn't hold about as much action and surprises as the rest of the book combined. Now don't get me wrong: the whole book reads very quickly (I would have finished in a day if I hadn't started so late!) but some coffee after the first third or so wouldn't hurt at all.

All will be clear to you. Its grandeur. Its necessity. Its inevitability.

Another aspect that was maybe not as I had imagined is that, yes, there's a wild variety of characters but damn, a lot of them are really REALLY clichéd. I don't know who was more so in that regard - the kids or the "counselors" - but it made for several "well, ok I guess" moments. Which brings me to my next point: if you're going to populate your story with several high school kids - hormones and other requisite bits included - then there's probably going to be the occasional rather strong leaning towards Young Adult language and/or reactions to the things that are happening around them, to them, and so on. And to be blunt, I am not a huge fan of the YA genre, not when the target audience just happens to be around 40 years younger.

The thing’s face filled his vision. Tumorous. Misshapen. Gray like a crypt.

So yeah, I'll be nice and put a fairly good, rounded-up rating down for "TGG", but I'm gonna be grumbling for at least a few more hours about my experience just to be good and crotchety about it. I do think that ultimately the fungal connection to the story worked out very well although it was rather obvious what was going to happen very early in the book. I mean, if you're going to drop some foreshadowing, maybe don't just come out and say "oh here's what this type of X do to creature Y so expect it happen here, too!" Or describe what one of the main characters (Act 1 only) comes up against during his big scene in such transparently conspicuous terms - especially when others run across the same in the cult-y compound again and again. Anyway, in conclusion, not a bad read and in fact I'd even suggest that it would make a good book club read because damn, I could use someone to talk to right about now about all this…