Buoygeist

by Tom Rimer

“Buoygeist is a gore-covered VHS tape jammed inside a cursed VCR. Press play and pray.”
- Anthony J. Rapino, author of Tommy and the Order of Cosmic Champions

Cape Cod. 1988. October.
The walls of Bay Video are closing in on Milty Burkitts. Yes, he knows he needs to get out and
live life more, but the comforting black-plastic cocoon of the rental place is where he feels most
safe. If all things were equal, he’d probably never leave.
And maybe that would have been best.
But, after he reluctantly agrees to join some old friends at a beach bonfire—an unfortunate
reunion that results in the summoning of a long-brining, murderous sea-demon—Milty is thrust
headlong into a night of terror, flamethrowers, and a good ol’ fashioned double feature at the
Drive-In.
Doesn’t sound so bad, right? All they have to do is survive until sunrise and…
TRY NOT TO GET HARPOONED!

"Trust me, you’ll fly through the pages to see who will make it out alive!”
- Corey Farrenkopf, author of Living in Cemeteries

Genres: Horror

209 pages, Paperback

Published October 3, 2024

About the author

Tom Rimer is the author of THE GLOWING Trilogy, MALEVOLENT NEVERS, ODIOUS GHOULS, and BUOYGEIST. His work can also be found in a number of anthologies - including 13 Tales to Give You Night Terrors (2015), The Nightmare Never Ends (2023), Dreamcaught (2025), and Samhain Screams (2025). He is a member of the HWA.

Reviews

[Emily Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun read!!! Seriously the most fun and entertaining thing I’ve read in a while. It read like an 80’s slasher with a crazy summoned urban legend demon the Buoygeist. This was one action packed read and I didn’t want it to end! I loved the way it was written and the direction the story took. And there is a wild twist!! I can not recommend Buoygeist enough and can’t wait to read more from Tom Rimer!

[Deborah Fontaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ideal book for spooky season is Buoygeist!

Undoubtedly a terrifying novel that had me turning pages and increased my fear levels. I was wriggling in my seat with excitement and eagerness.

I heard a knock as I was reading and I believed that someone was at my door. My spouse told me I was hearing things as no one was there. I felt as though my imagination was running wild. Then the knocking came again! I was shocked to see a crow perched on my roof and pecking away! LOL That's how much my imagination was impacted by this book!

The descriptions of each character were really clear. I could visualize every aspect. The entire plot was full of surprises, gore, and twists.

Once you start reading you won’t want to stop — you’ll want to know the outcome, and it will keep you entertained until the final page. I don’t believe I’ve read anything quite like this.

Tom Rimer penned a gripping horror story. If you’re looking for a spooky nostalgic 80’s read complete with a video store and drive-in theatre set in Cape Cod, I highly recommend Buoygeist, hands down!

This novel would make a fantastic, scary movie!

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

All you had to do was say 80's and video store, and I'm in. This was also set pretty locally to me , and that's always appealing. Def check this out if you're looking for some fast paced very nostalgic and of it's time feeling book. Like legit, total throwback to the era. (a compliment!!!! I love the 80s!!!) I think a lot of indie horror readers are going to devour this. Really fun, def will be suggesting it to people for "summerween" reading.

[Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lured in by the cover, and harpooned by the story!

This book promises 80's horror movie vibes and boy oh boy does it deliver! The story is a fun twist on the small town urban legend trope. The cast of characters is so easy to love (and hate. In a love to hate them way.) The pacing is great, the story is entertaining, the kills are gory. What more could you want?!

Some things I loved:
- Small town beach setting
- The cover and interior chapter art was a really great touch
- The ghost/monster thing is a male! (Rad)
- Supernatural slasher vibes
- So much nostalgia

Some things I didn't love:
- The authors excessive use of em dashes. — They were distracting
- I didn't love the relationship development between two of the characters. It felt a bit forced to me.

This beachy horror was the perfect way to say goodbye to summer! And that ending made me actually curse out loud. This book was seriously so much fun to read. I look forward to reading more by this author.

[Horror Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This nostalgic fueled horror story has a group of young people taking on a terrifying water demon in a small coastal town. But, trust me, this is unlike any demon you've read about.

Buoygeist is one of those books that you just don't want to stop reading. It's bloody, filled with action and scares, and really fun!

The characters are fantastic and they provide some humor into the horrific situation they find themselves in once they unleash a demon living deep under the water by a buoy. They have until sunrise to survive but there's a twist which I won't reveal about HOW this creature is summoned.

This novel plays like a movie in your head and, if it were a movie, I'd definitely watch it. With gory deaths, surprising character developments, and an 80's themed atmosphere, this is one you don't want to miss. I very highly recommend it!

I received an ARC from the author. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.

[Dion Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

If this book was any more 80's it would have a Weekly rental sticker on it. and I loved it

This nostalgic treat reads just like a 80's movie, with the creature reminding me of the creature form Jeepers Creepers or Jason from the Friday the 13 movies, an unrelenting and unstoppable force, that you can not beat, you just have to keep away until sunrise and hope you don't get harpooned.

This story has a bit of everything, some bloody action, scares, great characters (some you will love and some your will hate), and a plot that feels familiar yet different enough to keep you guessing what will happen next.

I very highly recommend it!

I also want to say that I loved the cover art by Gemma Amor, and am glad to see Shadow Spark publishing supporting cover artists and not using AI.

[Bo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Buoygeist while lounging at the beach, which might’ve been the best—and worst—decision I’ve ever made. There’s something about the crashing waves, seabirds, and sea mist that made Tom Rimer’s seaside horror hit way harder. I swear I kept side-eyeing every buoy offshore, expecting something to crawl out of the water…

This book is pure ‘80s horror bliss—it made me think of The Fog, wrapped in VHS static and soaked in Cape Cod saltwater. The nostalgic atmosphere is perfect: a town with a buried legend, a group of teens doing what teens in horror stories do best (making bad decisions), and a creature that would look right at home in a lost slasher flick. The characters felt real, the kind of kids you grew up with or saw hanging around the local video store. Some you root for, some you can’t wait to see get what's coming. This book will become a horror movie!

There’s a creeping dread throughout, but once the blood starts flowing, it really flows. Gore, tension, and some gnarly kills kept me flipping pages long after sunset. The pacing is tight, the creature is relentless, and the ending—no spoilers—but man, it sticks with you.

If you're into retro horror, local legends, and summer scares, this one’s a no-brainer. Buoygeist feels like a lost ‘80s rental with a “Be Kind, Rewind” sticker slapped on the front—and I loved every second of it.

[Rochelle Hickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I didn’t have to put this book down or I would have finished it in one day! It reads like an exciting horror movie reminiscent of Slender Man, Tarot, or Ouija where something has been unleashed and is now on the hunt and will kill those who summoned it and anyone else who sees its face.

It’s perfect for anyone who loves horror movies and urban legends or wants a different perspective of Cape Cod in the off-season. It’s a nostalgic fast read that doesn’t hold back on the suspense or the harpooning … and I don’t mean whales.

[Lauren Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an absolute blast!!!! Set back in the 80s in a video store the nostalgia was amazing!!! Loved the creature as well!!!!

[Anthony Rapino · Rating 5 out of 5]

For context: This was an advance read for me, which I also wrote a blurb for (see back cover).

Rimer’s devilish tour through 1980s Cape Cod relishes the trappings of the video rental era, but never forgets to dunk readers neck-deep in the briny terror of the bay. With a specter as malicious as the Buoygeist, no one is safe and every second to sunrise counts. Horror fans looking for a nostalgic trip through the 1980s will revel in Rimer’s loving descriptions of video rental stores and drive-in theaters, even as they shriek in terror at the deep-water nightmare of the Buoygeist.

[vk chompooming · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had desperately wanted to read this, but I found that locating this book was quite difficult. Fortunately, a dear friend of mine gifted it to me and I had to fight not to read it too quickly.

I cannot say enough good thing about Bouygeist. It was a fun ride from the 1st page. This novel was a refreshing dose of nostalgia and I look forward to reading other titles by Tom Rimer

[Chris Wroblewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This reads just like a movie that I'd rent at the video store.

The kills were gnarly.

The characters were fun and I honestly had a few moments where I got sad about a few deaths.

I definitely wouldn't mind a sequel.

[Shanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor Milty gets talked into joining a bonfire with some old friends. What should have been a night of fun, turned into a night of terror for the group of friends.

Nothing like 80's nostalgia. This was a fantastic tribute to 80's slasher movies. The characters were relatable and well written and the story was a blast. Definitely brought up some memories of the 80's for me. A fantastic read.

[Meg Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book at a local brewery and couldn’t have been more happy supporting my choice. For a local author I have to say Tom captured humor, horror, and a wonderful quick read all in one.

[Terry and dog · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book does its job of entertaining you with a demon sea beast (size x large), that shows up when some idiot wants to see it. Luckily for us there is an idiot, and then the hunt is on. Who will be first to die, who will live, will yearning love win out? Read for yourself and find out. This is a fast, fun, damp gore fest.

[Emily Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Legend

A normal looking buoy off the coast of a small Cape Cod town has a legend attached to it. Milty and his friends make a bad decision. Now something is after them. It is fast vicious and will not stop. Can Milty and his friends survive the night? Fast paced ghostly chiller.

[Elford Alley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rimer delivers a fun and gory ode to the 80s and the videostore era, without ever coasting on nostalgia! I enjoyed the hell out of this book, let the harpoon-wielding maniac of this book help escape from the real-life horrors that plague us!

[Becka D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5) I too feel that Pumpkinhead didn’t need a sequel. This was a quick fun read.

[ChanaReadsHorror · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me hooked from being set in the 1980's and dealing with the town's local legend.
We follow a group of teens just wanting to go out, have fun and do all the normal teenage things one does.
When one of the kids comes back with her boyfriend that is obsessed with the local boogyman story the locals fear and know not to talk about. As they give in and decide to take him to the spot the legend is supposed to dwell, they think they have given him what he wants and they can just go home and forget the night.
Little do they know, that they awoke something and they would be in for a night that they were not expecting. Will they be able to survive and figure out the legend that has haunted the town, or will they be the next set of victims in the long history of terror it has brought for all these years?

[Brian Mcclain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buoygeist purports itself to be based on VHS movies from days past and I have to say this is a perfect comparison. The characters and setting and plot points are right out of a horror movie. But rather than being cheesy in a "so bad it's good" kind of way, it's just really good. There are characters in here that resonate and who act reasonably. Who are easy to root for even against long odds. The kills are cinematic and fun, like shots from a movie but with the added perspective gained from the character's thoughts and feelings.

It does exactly what it set out to do and succeeds swimmingly.

I received a review copy of this novel and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

[jamie d mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Milty was looking for a regular night out with his friends. He didn’t expect to release the Buoygeist on the unsuspecting town. Milty along with his friends and boss decided to end the local legend once and for all.

I liked the book. I cannot comment on the pacing because I was having difficulty with my ADHD and focusing completely on it. I did like it kept me interested and I didn't want to rush through it completely taking it in. Tom didn’t disappoint me when it came to wrapping up the story and gave me a surprise epilogue that was short and sweet. I would recommend it to others.

[Shannon Arvizu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wooooow! No spoilers but if you love scary books and New England fishing towns this one is a must read!! Accessible to young adult audiences but still scary for frady-pants adults! I loved it!

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

review to come.