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The Harvest
"Hunter weaves a tale that has the "modern horror fairytale" feel of books like Coraline or IT, while weaving in mature topics that add weight to the narrative. His exploration of grief, found family, and the search for purpose create some truly hard-hitting moments. I was thoroughly rapt by this novel." -Carlos E. Rivera, author of The Local Truth, Blackout, and A Hole in the World
Something is coming for the children.
Tim Waverly, a young teacher, escapes London's spiralling housing costs by becoming a live-in caretaker at an abandoned orphanage. But his arrival triggers a series of frightening events.
An ancient evil has awakened. A new Harvest has begun.
As Tim and those around him become engulfed in a dark nightmare, he is forced to confront his deepest fears in order to save countless innocent lives.
The Harvest is a work of terrifying imagination from a new voice in horror. Both frightening and deeply moving, Alex Hunter's debut novel will linger long after you turn the final page.
Something is coming for the children.
Tim Waverly, a young teacher, escapes London's spiralling housing costs by becoming a live-in caretaker at an abandoned orphanage. But his arrival triggers a series of frightening events.
An ancient evil has awakened. A new Harvest has begun.
As Tim and those around him become engulfed in a dark nightmare, he is forced to confront his deepest fears in order to save countless innocent lives.
The Harvest is a work of terrifying imagination from a new voice in horror. Both frightening and deeply moving, Alex Hunter's debut novel will linger long after you turn the final page.
275 pages, Paperback
Published January 2, 2025
77 people are currently reading
117 people want to read
About the author
Alex Hunter
1 book7 followersAre you a fan of creeping dread?
Of stories that make you look up from the page because you've seen something from the corner of your eye, a sudden movement, in your bedroom?
Do you enjoy stories where good people are faced with the impossible, the evil?
You're not alone!
I was the first child in my school year to be given an adult library card. I borrowed 'The Rats' by James Herbert which began a love of the frightening and strange.
As an adult, I'm a corporate communications specialist with experience leading award-winning teams around the world.
'The Harvest' is my first novel, and I'm currently deep in the darkness of my second.
Of stories that make you look up from the page because you've seen something from the corner of your eye, a sudden movement, in your bedroom?
Do you enjoy stories where good people are faced with the impossible, the evil?
You're not alone!
I was the first child in my school year to be given an adult library card. I borrowed 'The Rats' by James Herbert which began a love of the frightening and strange.
As an adult, I'm a corporate communications specialist with experience leading award-winning teams around the world.
'The Harvest' is my first novel, and I'm currently deep in the darkness of my second.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 11, 2024
This is an interesting story of supernatural mayhem, the villain reminiscent of "IT," a sinister demonic entity harvesting children it deems special for its own sinister purpose. The story is told mostly through its victims: a young teacher living as the "property guardian" of an orphanage, not realizing on time that it's haunted; the kids being hunted by the entity; a predator getting possessed by the demon; and so on and so forth, each character of the large cast easily relatable and with familiar flaws. Although I'd have preferred the story focused on the teacher and went far slower, so that the reader gets the chance to know the characters better, the plot demands a fast pace: it's essentially the culmination of a past narrative lurking in the background. The author builds tension step by step; after the book's middle, things escalate quickly and the uncertainty blows up in grand style - I for one had no idea the story would take such an unexpected turn. Keeping the review spoiler-free, I'll just mention that there are several heart-breaking moments in the story, even right up to the last pages. Recommended.
October 25, 2024
The Harvest is an unrelenting novel of terror and captures all the horrific things straight from your nightmares.
When Tim, a school teacher, moves into an old abandoned orphanage to act as caretaker, his presence awaken something evil. And after two students sneak in to play with a Ouija board, hell is unleashed in entire neighborhood.
The antagonist is truly terrifying, a demonic creature whose goal is to harvest children. It's almost like A Nightmare On Elm Street meets The Evil Dead. This creature taunts a group who are trying to stop it and takes them to hellish landscapes in their sleep where they suffer the mental and physical torture it inflicts on them.
The author doesn't shy away from the gruesomely bloody punishments this thing commits and the scares come fast and furious until the bloody end.
I loved the fact it takes place in a single neighborhood. We get to know everyone there and the roles they play in this nightmare scenario. And you never know who is going to make it, if any.
I highly recommend it.
I received a copy of this book from the author. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.
When Tim, a school teacher, moves into an old abandoned orphanage to act as caretaker, his presence awaken something evil. And after two students sneak in to play with a Ouija board, hell is unleashed in entire neighborhood.
The antagonist is truly terrifying, a demonic creature whose goal is to harvest children. It's almost like A Nightmare On Elm Street meets The Evil Dead. This creature taunts a group who are trying to stop it and takes them to hellish landscapes in their sleep where they suffer the mental and physical torture it inflicts on them.
The author doesn't shy away from the gruesomely bloody punishments this thing commits and the scares come fast and furious until the bloody end.
I loved the fact it takes place in a single neighborhood. We get to know everyone there and the roles they play in this nightmare scenario. And you never know who is going to make it, if any.
I highly recommend it.
I received a copy of this book from the author. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.
January 26, 2025
This is Alex Hunter's debut book. I must admit that the cover was the biggest reason why I got the book. I'm a sucker for a cover that's well done. With that being said, I was excited to read it. At first, it's a slow burn, but we get to learn plenty about the characters and the setting. Alex did a great job with the world-building.
As I read on, this gave me vibes of IT as the villain 'harvests' children from their nightmares for his own sick purposes. After the slow build, it starts to build up nicely. Alex isn't afraid to show the brutal details, which is always a bonus for me. The ending is bittersweet, it's all I can say without spoiling.
Despite the slow beginning, this is a solid debut book by Alex Hunter. I'm interested to read his next book. Overall, I enjoyed this once I got past the slow start.
As I read on, this gave me vibes of IT as the villain 'harvests' children from their nightmares for his own sick purposes. After the slow build, it starts to build up nicely. Alex isn't afraid to show the brutal details, which is always a bonus for me. The ending is bittersweet, it's all I can say without spoiling.
Despite the slow beginning, this is a solid debut book by Alex Hunter. I'm interested to read his next book. Overall, I enjoyed this once I got past the slow start.
November 5, 2025
The Harvest had me on my toes and anxiously drawn in with every page. Filled with horror gold and building tension, I loved every minute of it! I wasn't expecting to cry at the end as I did for poor Pig and Jakub 😭 Their love story that both was and wasn't tore at my soul in the best of ways. Will be reccomending this to all my horror reading friends!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 28, 2025
This is the first novel I’ve read of Alex’s, so I had no idea what sort of writer he was. Plus, I had not read a synopsis/blurb of this story and went in blind.
The MC, Tim Waverly, struggled to save for a mortgage, so he took on the job of caretaker of an old orphanage building, as it was cheap rent, therefore allowing him to save money.
The Harvest does not refer to farm produce, oh no. It refers to something malevolent that seeks ‘special’ children. This is not your usual Bogeyman or Gryla scaring naughty children at Christmas kind of story, though. This is more a baby tearing Lamia or a child-skin wearing Black Annis kind of story, although in places, it is more of a Babaroga pulling kids through holes kind of story, but you get the general idea. Kids are being harvested by a centuries old demonic creature, and he does not play nice.
The story was engrossing. The character dialogue felt genuine, and some of the characters, especially the kids, drew you into their world, which meant you were really routing for them when the sh*t hit the fan, so to speak. Although, if the pace of the story had been slower I think we could have got to know all of the characters much better.
There was a sudden time shift (around chapter 21 if memory serves), which really threw me, and I actually went back a couple of chapters and skim read it again thinking my Kindle had skipped forward a chapter or two. Once realising that I had not skipped ahead, I carried on and, just a short while after that, all became clear, and the time shift was explained.
I do wonder, perhaps, if a single character POV might have helped to put the story across more succinctly. In places, the story read as though a news reporter was describing events in short, sharp snippets of info., which became quite episodic and, for me, this stuttered the natural flow, as it seemed more telling rather than showing me what was actually happening. However, that said, the further I got into the story, this ‘news report’ style narrating actually worked because there was just so much going on. So, in hindsight, it was actually a clever way for Alex to put all the threads of this multiple character/location story together. It just took a little while for me to get used to that type of narrating.
As for the horror side of things, Alex really went all out in places. If you’re not into masses of gore then don’t worry, as there was not huge amounts of it but, when the horror came, it hit hard.
All in all, this was an extremely fast-paced supernatural horror thriller, which I highly recommend reading. I look forward to Alex’s 'The House That Screamed' which is coming June 2026.
Four out of five dead children’s skulls 💀💀💀💀
The MC, Tim Waverly, struggled to save for a mortgage, so he took on the job of caretaker of an old orphanage building, as it was cheap rent, therefore allowing him to save money.
The Harvest does not refer to farm produce, oh no. It refers to something malevolent that seeks ‘special’ children. This is not your usual Bogeyman or Gryla scaring naughty children at Christmas kind of story, though. This is more a baby tearing Lamia or a child-skin wearing Black Annis kind of story, although in places, it is more of a Babaroga pulling kids through holes kind of story, but you get the general idea. Kids are being harvested by a centuries old demonic creature, and he does not play nice.
The story was engrossing. The character dialogue felt genuine, and some of the characters, especially the kids, drew you into their world, which meant you were really routing for them when the sh*t hit the fan, so to speak. Although, if the pace of the story had been slower I think we could have got to know all of the characters much better.
There was a sudden time shift (around chapter 21 if memory serves), which really threw me, and I actually went back a couple of chapters and skim read it again thinking my Kindle had skipped forward a chapter or two. Once realising that I had not skipped ahead, I carried on and, just a short while after that, all became clear, and the time shift was explained.
I do wonder, perhaps, if a single character POV might have helped to put the story across more succinctly. In places, the story read as though a news reporter was describing events in short, sharp snippets of info., which became quite episodic and, for me, this stuttered the natural flow, as it seemed more telling rather than showing me what was actually happening. However, that said, the further I got into the story, this ‘news report’ style narrating actually worked because there was just so much going on. So, in hindsight, it was actually a clever way for Alex to put all the threads of this multiple character/location story together. It just took a little while for me to get used to that type of narrating.
As for the horror side of things, Alex really went all out in places. If you’re not into masses of gore then don’t worry, as there was not huge amounts of it but, when the horror came, it hit hard.
All in all, this was an extremely fast-paced supernatural horror thriller, which I highly recommend reading. I look forward to Alex’s 'The House That Screamed' which is coming June 2026.
Four out of five dead children’s skulls 💀💀💀💀
June 30, 2025
The creepy cover and description of the book drew me in, but I have to say that I was a bit disappointed by the actual execution of the story. Tim Waverly is a young teacher struggling to find a decent, affordable place to live. He decides to become a live-in caretaker at an abandoned orphanage. He soon starts to see and hear things that make him think the old building is haunted.
You meet a nosy neighbor, a closet pedo, and a young boy named Sanjay who lives in the neighborhood. Then, you have a couple of teenage friends interested in ghostly events (cue Oiuja Board!) and an older woman named Mary who knows a few things about the building. You are introduced to an entity/demon who is looking for children to consume and the troubled youth who was probably responsible for arousing this entity (demon possession?).
The story had potential, but I got lost with all the dream sequences, flashbacks and flash forwards (who even knew there was such a thing!) and a few gratuitous and gruesome death scenes. Then, you have the fantasy trope of a quest to find something while wondering through a dreamscape/alternate universe and I just lost interest. I would have liked to know more about the entity (where it came from, etc) and less about the weird dreams.
The narrator did a pretty good job, but I had to speed up the narration to 2x for it to keep my interest. Overall, I was not impressed with this book.
You meet a nosy neighbor, a closet pedo, and a young boy named Sanjay who lives in the neighborhood. Then, you have a couple of teenage friends interested in ghostly events (cue Oiuja Board!) and an older woman named Mary who knows a few things about the building. You are introduced to an entity/demon who is looking for children to consume and the troubled youth who was probably responsible for arousing this entity (demon possession?).
The story had potential, but I got lost with all the dream sequences, flashbacks and flash forwards (who even knew there was such a thing!) and a few gratuitous and gruesome death scenes. Then, you have the fantasy trope of a quest to find something while wondering through a dreamscape/alternate universe and I just lost interest. I would have liked to know more about the entity (where it came from, etc) and less about the weird dreams.
The narrator did a pretty good job, but I had to speed up the narration to 2x for it to keep my interest. Overall, I was not impressed with this book.
October 27, 2024
Thank you to the author and the publisher or publishers for all your hard work! I'm leaving this review voluntarily and happily! Take a look!
This was definitely one of the darker reads of this year. I do have to say it madecme think of IT slightly from Stephen King but waaaay darker and goreier. I was hooked from the very beginning and couldn't put this book down, and when I did, I couldn't wait to pick it back up. It left me on the edge of my seat and just so worried for the main characters the entire time. The characters you root for the entire time and feel so deeply for each of them. You will go through so many different emotions throughout this book. The creature in this book you only want to kill in so many ways, from how horrific and horrified it is. The descriptions in this book are so detailed it makes you want to look the other way. There are definitely trigger warnings in this book, so it will definitely be warned.
Once tim moves into the orphanage, things start happening. Darkness awakens, and the children are no longer safe. What will happen? Will someone rise up and help them, or will they all be faced with this monstrosity? Read and find out.
This book definitely is in my top 5 of unique reads. Not only that, I'm definitely going to be watching this author. They have a unique style, and I hope to enjoy more from them in the future.
This was definitely one of the darker reads of this year. I do have to say it madecme think of IT slightly from Stephen King but waaaay darker and goreier. I was hooked from the very beginning and couldn't put this book down, and when I did, I couldn't wait to pick it back up. It left me on the edge of my seat and just so worried for the main characters the entire time. The characters you root for the entire time and feel so deeply for each of them. You will go through so many different emotions throughout this book. The creature in this book you only want to kill in so many ways, from how horrific and horrified it is. The descriptions in this book are so detailed it makes you want to look the other way. There are definitely trigger warnings in this book, so it will definitely be warned.
Once tim moves into the orphanage, things start happening. Darkness awakens, and the children are no longer safe. What will happen? Will someone rise up and help them, or will they all be faced with this monstrosity? Read and find out.
This book definitely is in my top 5 of unique reads. Not only that, I'm definitely going to be watching this author. They have a unique style, and I hope to enjoy more from them in the future.
February 26, 2025
Don’t judge a book by its cover, this is better than that. A chilling cover, a more chilling tale. Alex Hunter’s “The Harvest” is reminiscent of an old English novel from another era. It’s based in modern time but Hunter has a way of engrossing the reader as if it’s a tale written in and possibly from the past. It’s brilliant, the descriptive prose gripping.
The reader follows a young teacher, Tim Waverly, who takes up residence at an abandoned orphanage, as a caretaker. He soon finds things are not as he had hoped. Hunter knows his way around a chilling scene and captures something more than a scary tale.
The story creeps, but it’s not slow, the author sets this tone from the beginning and keeps that pace right where it’s most effective. A brilliant approach. I listened to the audiobook, and let me just say the narrator was brilliant as well. He took it to another level. Well done on both ends. ~Paul Jantzen author of “Sour Apples A Novel For Those Who Hate to Read”.
The reader follows a young teacher, Tim Waverly, who takes up residence at an abandoned orphanage, as a caretaker. He soon finds things are not as he had hoped. Hunter knows his way around a chilling scene and captures something more than a scary tale.
The story creeps, but it’s not slow, the author sets this tone from the beginning and keeps that pace right where it’s most effective. A brilliant approach. I listened to the audiobook, and let me just say the narrator was brilliant as well. He took it to another level. Well done on both ends. ~Paul Jantzen author of “Sour Apples A Novel For Those Who Hate to Read”.
April 10, 2025
I liked this book! I thiiiink it's a debut novel but don't quote me on that - in any case, it's certainly better than anything I've written in long form. I hate star ratings because the scale is different for everyone, but for me, 3 stars means I liked it and would recommend it (in this case, to people who enjoy locations with something weird about them, especially if you enjoy other-worldly dream scenes).
The reason I didn't love it is because unfortunately (and this is obviously no fault of the author, just personal preference) I absolutely hate dream sections in novels (and also movies). They're my biggest pet peeve. With that said, there is a great, distinctly 'the Upside Down from Stranger Things' feel to this, while maintaining originality and without being derivative. The external action was fun! I'd definitely read more from this author.
The reason I didn't love it is because unfortunately (and this is obviously no fault of the author, just personal preference) I absolutely hate dream sections in novels (and also movies). They're my biggest pet peeve. With that said, there is a great, distinctly 'the Upside Down from Stranger Things' feel to this, while maintaining originality and without being derivative. The external action was fun! I'd definitely read more from this author.
April 13, 2025
There were so many things that I don’t want to spoil for potential readers but there were some gutrenching turns and the “other world” that was created freaked me out. The whole plot did not even go slightly the way I thought it would.
The intermittent and completely unexpected gore took my breath away quite a few times. A strong stomach is needed. I miss this disturbing world but the ending was just right.
And I will say the description of the mouth on the wall is more grotesque than the picture on the cover. Left me with some serious heebie jeebies to shake off.
Definitely adding this author to my already ridiculously long need to read more stuff from them list.
The intermittent and completely unexpected gore took my breath away quite a few times. A strong stomach is needed. I miss this disturbing world but the ending was just right.
And I will say the description of the mouth on the wall is more grotesque than the picture on the cover. Left me with some serious heebie jeebies to shake off.
Definitely adding this author to my already ridiculously long need to read more stuff from them list.
October 7, 2025
I am not entirely sure about this one. It started out super creepy, a guy living in a run-down abandoned orphanage that had a bad reputation. I thought that was going to be the story. But then multiple characters are introduced, all of which were one-dimensional, and it became a Scooby Doo story of let's hunt the demon. While the story itself was ok, the execution wasn't great and the book could have used some editing. However, there were some amazingly graphic and disturbing body horror scenes that made this a bit more compelling!
June 5, 2025
Tim decides to be a live in care taker at an abandoned orphanage. Soon after his arrival terrifying things start to happen. And Tim and those around him are pulled into the madness.
The crazy mix of characters,from young to old, were fantastically written and well done.
It was a little slow building up the dread and creepiness but it definitely paid off in the end. Fantastic job for a debut novel.
The crazy mix of characters,from young to old, were fantastically written and well done.
It was a little slow building up the dread and creepiness but it definitely paid off in the end. Fantastic job for a debut novel.
April 10, 2025
The use of dreams is why I didn't rate this higher because it's a personal hatred of mine (and I'm so sorry to the author for this as it's absolutely not their fault, but I can't help it!). However, this is a tight, fun horror story with characters that it's easy to get behind, and interesting ideas. I'd recommend it to horror fans that don't have the same absurd aversion to dreams that I have.
April 20, 2025
The harvest is a quick fun horror story. Supernatural forces are haunting their dream and causing chaos. Living in a haunted orphanage what could be creepier how about a force that eat children nice a char broiled from the oven. It gave a bit of its vibes how I hate clowns. However this one is a lot darker , creepy and gory this story was its own and it was interesting from start to end.
February 5, 2025
I sat down to start a new book, hoping to get a few chapters in before bed. The book was so gripping that I couldn't set it down and finished it in a single night. Yes, I'm exhausted. But, WOW!! Tomorrow's exhaustion will be well worth it. Can't wait to recommend this book to other horror lovers!
February 10, 2025
Great read with lots and twists and turns. Very suspenseful
May 4, 2025
DNF at 82%. Story started to drag and I couldn't get into it.
January 21, 2025
For a debut novel, this one is pretty solid! I admit that the cover drew me in, but the story kept me hooked. The character development is great, and I enjoyed the unlikely friendships that emerged through shared struggle and the desire to do good in the world. It was creepy, funny at times, and more emotional than I ever would have expected. I would happily read more from this author in the future!
January 4, 2025
This gave me Stranger Things vibes on certain parts. It was an enjoyable read and I really liked the character's development, and even if it was a slow burn to start with, it sped up quickly and turned to be a very exciting read.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews