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Descending Lines
When Megan met Carter Anderson at Harvard, their college romance took a mystical turn thanks to The Alchemy of Will by Dr. Allen Fincher. This book gave them the power to do almost anything, but with disastrous results. Years later, their six-year-old daughter, Caitlin, is dying a slow death from bone cancer. Dr. Fincher’s book offers them a cure: they can save the life of their first-born by sacrificing the life of their second. But Megan and Carter don’t have a second-born… yet.
Only half-convinced, Megan, confined to their New York apartment, begins nine months of hell, and she and Carter enter a spiral that consumes more lives than they could have ever conceived. Ranging from domestic terror to all-out supernatural horror that flecks the American east coast with mangled bodies, Descending Lines takes a gut-wrenching question—how far would you go to save your child?—and turns it into a fast-paced journey to places where even nightmares fear to tread.
Descending Lines: The only way out is down.
Only half-convinced, Megan, confined to their New York apartment, begins nine months of hell, and she and Carter enter a spiral that consumes more lives than they could have ever conceived. Ranging from domestic terror to all-out supernatural horror that flecks the American east coast with mangled bodies, Descending Lines takes a gut-wrenching question—how far would you go to save your child?—and turns it into a fast-paced journey to places where even nightmares fear to tread.
Descending Lines: The only way out is down.
- GenresHorror
222 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 11, 2013
2 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
L. Andrew Cooper
29 books29 followersL. Andrew Cooper specializes in the provocative, scary, and strange. His current project, The Middle Reaches, is a serialized epic of weird horror and dark fantasy on Amazon Kindle Vella. His latest release, Records of the Hightower Massacre, an LGBTQ+ horror novella co-authored with Maeva Wunn, imagines a near-future dystopia where anti-queer hate runs a program to "correct" deviants. Stains of Atrocity, his newest collection of stories, goes to uncomfortable psychological and visceral extremes. His latest novel, Crazy Time, combines literary horror and dark fantasy in a contemporary quest to undo what may be a divine curse. Other published works include novels Burning the Middle Ground and Descending Lines; short story collections Leaping at Thorns and Peritoneum; poetry collection The Great Sonnet Plot of Anton Tick; non-fiction Gothic Realities and Dario Argento; co-edited fiction anthologies Imagination Reimagined and Reel Dark; and the co-edited textbook Monsters. He has also written more than 30 award-winning screenplays. After studying literature and film at Harvard and Princeton, he used his Ph.D. to teach about favorite topics from coast to coast in the United States. He now focuses on writing and lives with his husband in North Hollywood, California. Find him at www.landrewcooper.com.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 21, 2017
It was very difficult for me to rate this book, because quite frankly I think it probably the best horror story I've read in a long time--but I really do not enjoy horror, and it landed in my electronic bookcase because we share a publisher who gave me copies of quite a few books. During the first half of the book I so dreaded what would happen next that I installed a game on my Kindle to distract me from reading the book.
The first half introduces the unhappily married parents of a school-aged daughter dying of cancer. During their Harvard days he and his roommate uncovered a book by a nineteenth century professor which is very much new-age neo-paganism, a notion that by your will and through sacrifices you can manipulate reality, and he had dabbled in it. Now the husband persuades the wife that they can save the life of their living daughter if they have a second child and ritually slaughter it. He does not tell her what the roommate knows, that incidental to that he will achieve immortality. The wife becomes less and less agreed to this plan as the difficult pregnancy progresses, but she is kept hidden so no one actually knows she is pregnant, and after the home delivery she is too exhausted to interfere, and thus at the midpoint of the book the husband performs the gruesome murder of his newborn. All of this was genuinely eerie and frightening, and difficult to read just from the fear factor.
At that point, the husband's body morphs into something humanoid but monstrous, and the husband's mind becomes a passenger within, sensing what the body senses but having no contact or control otherwise. This I suppose was less frightening for me, becoming something of a monster gruesomely leaving bodies in its wake as it first brings health to the little girl and then protects her. The mother, meanwhile, is also attempting to protect the girl, to move her somewhere the monster can't find her--but the ritual has linked the trio, and the monster has the ability to send the consciousness of the husband into the girl in the same sensory-only terms, and so gather information through him to track the girl.
Eventually the mother realizes that as long as the daughter is alive the monster cannot be killed, and will continue killing people (in addition to being rather rough with anyone who even raises a voice at her, it occasionally kills people for food). She thus determines to kill the girl, but has the additional problem that she is now at her mother's house, who is going to protect her granddaughter. I'm sure all of this is frightening, but at this point it's difficult to root for anyone, and there are no happy endings in view.
Which is, of course, how it should be in a good horror story.
Cooper has a doctorate in horror literature; I previously read his book Burning the Middle Ground and did not like it at all https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... I can't say I much liked this book, but it was a very good book I would recommend to anyone who likes horror.
I should also note that it was very good in the little things. The editing was top notch, with very few (I hesitate to say I recall none) errors. The cover was appropriately disturbing. I can only fault it for not being something I would enjoy, and I probably knew that going into it.
The first half introduces the unhappily married parents of a school-aged daughter dying of cancer. During their Harvard days he and his roommate uncovered a book by a nineteenth century professor which is very much new-age neo-paganism, a notion that by your will and through sacrifices you can manipulate reality, and he had dabbled in it. Now the husband persuades the wife that they can save the life of their living daughter if they have a second child and ritually slaughter it. He does not tell her what the roommate knows, that incidental to that he will achieve immortality. The wife becomes less and less agreed to this plan as the difficult pregnancy progresses, but she is kept hidden so no one actually knows she is pregnant, and after the home delivery she is too exhausted to interfere, and thus at the midpoint of the book the husband performs the gruesome murder of his newborn. All of this was genuinely eerie and frightening, and difficult to read just from the fear factor.
At that point, the husband's body morphs into something humanoid but monstrous, and the husband's mind becomes a passenger within, sensing what the body senses but having no contact or control otherwise. This I suppose was less frightening for me, becoming something of a monster gruesomely leaving bodies in its wake as it first brings health to the little girl and then protects her. The mother, meanwhile, is also attempting to protect the girl, to move her somewhere the monster can't find her--but the ritual has linked the trio, and the monster has the ability to send the consciousness of the husband into the girl in the same sensory-only terms, and so gather information through him to track the girl.
Eventually the mother realizes that as long as the daughter is alive the monster cannot be killed, and will continue killing people (in addition to being rather rough with anyone who even raises a voice at her, it occasionally kills people for food). She thus determines to kill the girl, but has the additional problem that she is now at her mother's house, who is going to protect her granddaughter. I'm sure all of this is frightening, but at this point it's difficult to root for anyone, and there are no happy endings in view.
Which is, of course, how it should be in a good horror story.
Cooper has a doctorate in horror literature; I previously read his book Burning the Middle Ground and did not like it at all https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... I can't say I much liked this book, but it was a very good book I would recommend to anyone who likes horror.
I should also note that it was very good in the little things. The editing was top notch, with very few (I hesitate to say I recall none) errors. The cover was appropriately disturbing. I can only fault it for not being something I would enjoy, and I probably knew that going into it.
April 30, 2018
My friend (in real life as well as this site) Tim told me to read this and I'm really glad I did. I'm always on the lookout for a good horror read and this one scared the hell out of me. This author is twisted in all the right ways and I've read several of his other books now and all are wonderfully sick. Recommended for anyone looking for an extremely dark read (and can handle the seriously upsetting subject matter... I mean just look at that plot description *shudder*).
September 13, 2014
The horror of this book comes from the situation. A married couple has a child dying of cancer...but there is a cure. A cure that requires them to sacrifice their second born child. Worse, they do not yet have a second child.
Taking "later term abortion" to its zenith, the story has a great first act, laying the ground work for the story while flashing back and forth to the past of the parents. It opens very strong. It is creepy, brooding, and filled with despair. If comparing it to a movie, it would have the feel of a sweat and dirt filled 70's indie horror movie as opposed to a more polished modern release.
The second act changes direction though and the book loses a bit of focus. Once the newborn is slain and ritual is finished, the father's body is taken over by an otherworldly being, he merely becomes a passenger and a witness to what is to come.
From there the tone weakens. The mother fleeing from a homicidal father/thing that truly means her and the child no harm, and the father watching as his body brutally kills person after person (in a fairly non-gratuitous fashion). Here the story reminded me more of the Kundalini Equation (by Steven Barnes), as it too uses a primal force entering someone's body to drive things along.
The majority of the second act flies by, merely setting up the climax of the book, which takes place at the home of the protagonist's (if this book can be said to truly have a protagonist) mother. For those last few chapters, the story tightens up and once again Cooper shines.
The book ends with the monster father becoming the hero. I'm not certain how I feel about that. Taking the man who would willingly commit murderer and acts of violence at the beginning and make him a hero for similar actions at the end doesn't sit well with me, though that may well be the point of the exercise.
Overall, I think this book could've used another 10-20k words and the maintaining of its dark tone throughout. Had that been the case, this would've been a truly stellar read. As it stands though, it is still a good book, and an enjoyable read. Worth the purchase to support independent publishers and their authors.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2016
Well now, this is a dark and disturbing read… and I do mean that in the best possible way. It kept me on my toes the entire time, never quire sure where it was going. Best of all, there were some genuinely unnerving moments for me, and I say this as someone who does not scare easily.
The plot focuses Megan and Carter Anderson, who’ve been given the news that their child has bone cancer. Most people would only be able to look on, watching in horror, as their child dies a slow death. Megan and Carter have another option though. Back in college Carter found a book, “The Alchemy of Will” which presents another possible outcome for their daughter, but only by sacrificing the life of their second child… a child that has not yet even been born.
The plot description alone should be enough to unnerve people. Not only are we dealing with dying children (a disturbing subject if ever there was one) but the idea of sacrificing another child to save the first.
The characters are very well developed, with their thought process and justifications, but also their doubts, making them consistently believable the entire time. While you read them justify their actions, it makes it all the more disturbing.
The most interesting aspect of the novel is that it really feels as if it’s split into two very distinct sections. The first half is a psychological horror story and this section really got under my skin (the scene where they debate abortion at their friend’s apartment was disturbing in the sense of the psychological battle that was really going on and is probably my favorite quiet scene). Without going into spoiler territory, I’ll just say that the second half changed the tone to a more supernatural side, making it less scary for me personally, but more entertaining. I like both sections, and marveled that the felt so different, yet fit together so well.
In closing, if you’re looking for a truly disturbing read, pick this one up. It’s a horror novel that manages to be unpredictable throughout, yet closes in such a satisfying way that makes it all fit perfectly. Highly recommended.
The plot focuses Megan and Carter Anderson, who’ve been given the news that their child has bone cancer. Most people would only be able to look on, watching in horror, as their child dies a slow death. Megan and Carter have another option though. Back in college Carter found a book, “The Alchemy of Will” which presents another possible outcome for their daughter, but only by sacrificing the life of their second child… a child that has not yet even been born.
The plot description alone should be enough to unnerve people. Not only are we dealing with dying children (a disturbing subject if ever there was one) but the idea of sacrificing another child to save the first.
The characters are very well developed, with their thought process and justifications, but also their doubts, making them consistently believable the entire time. While you read them justify their actions, it makes it all the more disturbing.
The most interesting aspect of the novel is that it really feels as if it’s split into two very distinct sections. The first half is a psychological horror story and this section really got under my skin (the scene where they debate abortion at their friend’s apartment was disturbing in the sense of the psychological battle that was really going on and is probably my favorite quiet scene). Without going into spoiler territory, I’ll just say that the second half changed the tone to a more supernatural side, making it less scary for me personally, but more entertaining. I like both sections, and marveled that the felt so different, yet fit together so well.
In closing, if you’re looking for a truly disturbing read, pick this one up. It’s a horror novel that manages to be unpredictable throughout, yet closes in such a satisfying way that makes it all fit perfectly. Highly recommended.
December 9, 2025
As two parents find out that their daughter is dying. The father decides to do whatever it takes to save her. He consults a book he had read in college and discovers a way to take away the cancer. Father decides to convince mother that his idea will work and the two begin a process so horrifying that I cannot write it in the review (you will have to read the book). I suppose it is normal to do anything to save your child but the other part to the ritual is left out until later. Once the child is saved the true nightmare begins. I cannot imagine the feelings that Megan must have having once the ritual was complete. She began her own voyage to save her daughter that went in a different direction. As much as the story was horror filled; I have to admit I had some sympathy for the creature. The novel showed the lengths people would go to in order to do whatever is right.
November 7, 2025
Trigger warnings all over this book!!
This was so hard to read in places my heart broke as well as shocked the hell out of me. I dont ever know how to properly express my feelings when i read these books i go by how it makes me feel and the reactions its produces going by them this was definitely a thought and emotion provoking book and was definitely worth the read. I really like this author’s work.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This was so hard to read in places my heart broke as well as shocked the hell out of me. I dont ever know how to properly express my feelings when i read these books i go by how it makes me feel and the reactions its produces going by them this was definitely a thought and emotion provoking book and was definitely worth the read. I really like this author’s work.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 29, 2015
The first half was great, but the second half really dragged.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews