In this shockingly fun wild ride of horrors, Sam Rebelein takes readers back to Renfield County and tells the story of two Rachels—one who mistakenly starts a cult at her local high school and one who tries to dismantle it ten years later.
2009: Rachel Galloway is bored in class. She spends the dreary fall days sketching in her notebook—adorable pigs munching on her boring teachers—and imagining a utopia where all the horrors of Burnskidde High School disappear. But when her classmates start to believe this utopia could be real, Galloway finds herself at the center of an elaborate, and quickly spreading, new religion. Before long, the town is split between believers and nonbelievers. As tensions rise and the rituals become more dangerous, Galloway can’t be sure what’s real and what’s not, or who she can trust.
CULTWATCH
2019:This is the cryptic message that Renfield County Guard Rachel Durwood receives from her colleague Mark, mere days after he’s disappeared. Mark’s note leads Durwood to the town of Burnskidde, famously sealed off from the rest of the county ten years ago. Now, she discovers a small, insulated community preparing for the rapture and, seemingly, their collective demise. In order to save Burnskidde from itself, she must piece together the fallout from 2009 and avoid being swept up into the monstrous cult herself.
As Rachel Galloway watches her life spiral out of control, Rachel Durwood navigates a world where history, horror, and faith collide. Despite being separated by a decade, Galloway and Durwood may be closer to each other than they realize. But even together, will they be able to stop Burnskidde’s impending doom?
Sam Rebelein writes (and teaches writing) in Poughkeepsie, NY. His short fiction has appeared in PseudoPod, The Deadlands, Press Pause Press, Ellen Datlow's Best Horror of the Year, and elsewhere. His debut novel EDENVILLE was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award, and won a Wonderland Book Award for Best Novel. Sam's recent collection of interconnected short fiction, THE POORLY MADE AND OTHER THINGS, is set in the same fictional world as EDENVILLE; GALLOWAY'S GOSPEL (Sep 2025) is set in the same world as well.
For more about Sam's work, and pictures of his scruffy pooch Frodo, follow him on Instagram @rebelsam94.
ARC for review. To be published September 16, 2025.
1 Star.
This…. Is a very hard book to describe, but I’ll give it a go, this being a site where we describe books and react to them and all (I DO have a reaction…no surprise there, I guess.) The time frame is divide between 2009 and 2019 and between two Rachels, which may be significant, but I’m not sure how.
Anyway, in 2009, Burnskidde high school student Rachel Galloway is bored in class and is doodling. She sketches cute pigs and bats and then, things happen and somehow her classmates, then loads of adults, too (led by one of her slightly odd peers, who Rachel has a bit of a crush on) decides that these things might be real and, due some pre-existing supernatural means, they suddenly ARE real. And a sort-of religion quickly springs up around them and the entire town succumbs, which leads us to….
2019 - Renfield County Guard Rachel Durwood gets a message from a fellow Guard about the town of Burnskidde, which has been sealed off from the rest of the county for a decade. Now it is open and, well, it’s madness there. And a cult. Rachel goes to investigate the Guard’s disappearance.
The book was classified as horror, and it is, but much more dark fantasy, I think, and that is NOT my genre. Maybe it’s your thing, though, in which case you should take my star rating with a grain of salt, maybe you’ll really like this. I really didn’t hate the high school portions but, boy did I dislike everything in 2019 and that is the largest part of the book. There were portions I didn’t even really understand, the Renfield family’s connection to the Galloways, for example. So, for me, ugh. A slog.
Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC. I had a hard time getting into the first half of this book, it's a bit confusing and the pacing is slow. It's told in two different time frames, my issue with that being 2009 was far more interesting than 2019. Wasn't bad but I didn't love it.
I received a free copy of, Galloway's Gospel, by Sam Rebelein, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book was confusing and a bit pointless to me. It was not scary at all. I did not care for the language in this book at all. This book is not for me.
If I didn’t know any better I would say that Sam Rebelein and I would be able to hang out and talk about nearly anything for days and never get bored. The level of nostalgia that this book gave me was easily some of the best I’ve come across in any novel I’ve read in recent times.
This one takes place in the Renfield County universe that was created in his first novel, Edenville. Personally, I feel like if I hadn’t read that book before this one, I may have been a little lost, but I did and I wasn’t, so we’ll springboard off that.
This isn’t going to be for everyone, as the lore goes VERY deep in this fast paced story. It follows two different Rachel’s, covering two separate timelines that are a decade apart.
Rachel Galloway is your typical 2009 angsty Hot Topic teenager and aspiring artist. To her, her art and the stories she makes up to go along with it are just that… made up. Until she meets Francis. Francis believes that her art and stories are actually visions, and bing bang boom, she and her art accidentally form a cult based on the art and stories she comes up with. Good flesh for good earth, have faith in the fog!
Fast forward to 2019, we have Rachel Durwood, who is a member of the County Guard. This is no normal emergency service, think like… the Men In Black, but instead of aliens, they locate and destroy cosmic entities throughout Renfield County. Following the disappearance of one of their own, Durwood finds herself investigating her missing colleague, right in the heart of the cult that has been cut off from public life, and self sustaining for the last decade.
Some might say this is dancing the line between horror and dark fantasy, but I would say it definitely leans hard into the horror side of things. Absolutely loved it, 5/5 no notes.
I'm not having the shockingly fun wild ride of horrors like the description says. I enjoyed Sam Rebelein's previous book "The Poorly Made" but this one is just not for me. It was off to a strong start but didn't hold my interest for long. I'm giving up on it.
i almost dnfed this book, and i'm very glad i didn't.
though nontraditional for reviews (and something i usually don't do!), i'm going to start with the negatives, so my feelings about this book make narrative sense: the first third or so of galloway's gospel was one of the most boring things i've read in a long time, mind-numbingly so. rebelein's writing style that lends itself so well to the cosmic horror in the latter half of the book feels stilted and monotonous at first, and i found myself wondering why i should care about dual timelines that barely seemed to do much of anything in moving the story along in prose that felt mediocre at best. as someone that commits to reading books all the way through, this was the first one i can actively say i considered putting down and never picking back up again.
thankfully, my (not great!) expectations became absolutely shattered in the second half—and especially last quarter—of the novel. rebelein actively excels in his specific brand of imaginative, deeply unique horror, with twists that were downright stellar and an emotional reckoning of the two points of view crashing into a glorious whole that left me reeling even as i write this review. the bloodshot realness of the dynamics between the characters (especially the group of teenagers at the center of the '09 timeline) allowed me to suspend my disbelief even as the oddities began to pile, and the main antagonist absolutely boiled my blood in a way i didn't get from some of my more recent reads. galloway's gospel felt so truly unique from anything else i've read this year, and i found the world of the novel encircling me and refusing to let me go until the final page.
though i'm glad i stuck with it, it's hard to forgive the book taking so long to go anywhere meaningful. the care rebelein put in the scenes he highlights in the acknowledgements is deliciously palpable, and they stand out as some of the scenes i'll remember vividly for a long time. unfortunately, everything else seems to somewhat pale in comparison. some bits of the novel felt like little more than a length-padding bridge between the more fleshed-out scenes, and i think this book would absolutely excel if the first third or so was trimmed down just a bit to keep things engaging and meaningful for the reader—and allow them, too, to have faith in the fog and the world crafted lovingly by rebelein's hands.
thank you to netgalley and william morrow for the arc in exchange for an honest review. all opinions are my own.
I was so excited to get this ARC after reading The Poorly Made by Rebelein earlier this year, and this did not disappoint.
Galloway's Gospel is a fever dream ride through a tunnel of horrors. Rebelein has this way of writing whimsical, brutal cosmic horror that is as unique as it is enchanting and groteque.
Anyone who knows me knows I love weird, no matter the genre, and Rebelein does weird so damn well. Renfield County is a hell on earth and I cannot get enough of its strangeness. I love the ties between this novel and his others.
I have no idea who I could recommend a book about poo pigs, plant people, and a cult based on partial human sacrifice to, but if you're interested in weird, bloody cosmic horror, please pick this one up.
Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for this audio arc!
Three Words That Describe This Book: cults, connected world, X Files vibes
Like Edenville-- this is bonkers in all the right ways. Unrelenting dread because we know what is coming. Also, imaginative monsters -- both human and supernatural. Compellingly paced especially with the dual timelines switching back and forth. Well formed characters as well.
This is the story of 2 Rachels. Rachel Galloway in 2009 and Rachel Durwood in 2019. Their last names are used to keep them apart.
Galloway is a bored HS student whose doodles about a made up lost colony become a prophecy and create a cult that before they sealed themselves off form the rest of the world (physically) caused a lot of death in Burnskidde (a town at the edge of Renfield County). The cult involved her doodles coming to life-- pigs that when someone sacrifices a piece of themselves poop out a plant of whatever that person wants or bats that eat "bad flesh" and turn it into animals for example. The believers survived a fog that killed many and have been living and surviving through their pigs, bats, and more.
In 2019, Durwood who works for the Renfield County Guard is drawn into the cult after one of her fellow Guard members goes in and tries to escape but is killed. He leaves enough notes for Durwood to make it through the recently opened tunnel that connects the two worlds.
As the two timelines collide, Rebelein brings the 2 stories together organically. The "bonkers" parts from 2009 start to make sense in the world he has created. As readers go through it is less bonkers and more thought-provoking-- which was clearly his point. Grab your attention at the start and make you read to see how he is going to put it all together. Really it is a very imaginative and original story.
The investigative, X Files parts, in Durwood's timeline will draw new readers to Renfield County for sure.
There are tethers to Edenville and The Poorly Made here. Meaning all three books are tethered to each other but the great part here is, you can read them in any order. Rebelein gives you the lore you need for each book to make it makes sense. It is there and seamlessly incorporated into the story.
Previously I have said that Rebelein's Renfield County books are reminiscent of Lovecraft and Josh Malerman's Goblin universe. But what I like about Rebelein's stories is that while everything is in a shared world and each story build on the overall world, each book is unique. So while Edeville was more Cosmic Horror, and The Poorly Made stories were more Folk Horror-- building the history and lore of the place over a longer time frame and also entrenching some of the monsters of the mythos into the land itself-- this one is a horror novel about cults with serious X Files vibes. I thought of completely different readalikes.
That is very good and says a lot about Rebelein as a writer-- that he can connect everything effortlessly and they are all unique. It also means, each book will bring in new readers.
You can check my other reviews of his books for readalikes but for this one I immediately thought of The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyn Kiste and The Library at Hellebore by Khaw as great options.
I love to learn how people can be so persuaded to join a cult. So looking at this book I was excited! Two different time lines that aren’t too hard to follow. This book fell flat for me. The ending (if you wanna call it that) I don’t even know what happened??? I was honestly so bored and really pushed through to the end because a review said it pays off. Well I’m sorry to say there’s debt here cause I don’t even know what happened.
Nothing is right in Renfield County. And in Galloway's Gospel, it is no different. In this trip back to the cursed land, we follow the tale of two Rachel's. One who inadvertently starts a whole ass cult in 2009 and one who is trying to dismantle it, 10 years later. Rachel Galloway is bored in class and creates a world where strange creatures abound and the horror that is the town of Burnskidde feels far away. But what she does not expect is for this fantasy of hers to morph into a religion that quickly takes hold among her classmates and eventually, the whole town. In turn, Rachel Durwood, member of the Renfield County Guard, receives a message from a colleague that leads her to the border of Burnskidde, which was sealed off from the rest of the county a decade ago. She soon discovers a whole mess of disturbing facts, among them that the community that still exists in this isolated town is preparing for rapture. What ensues is the stuff only Sam's brain can bring us. This book is crazy, outlandish, brutal, bloody … I could go on and on. I had a great time reading this novel. Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC. You definitely should pick this up when it publishes September 16th, 2025 wherever you buy your books! Have faith in the fog! #foggirlsummer
Got an uncorrected proof of this and really enjoyed it. I don’t read a lot of fantasy, but I think this might sway me to read more of the genre. Kinda gives a little Stranger Things vibe in a way
The thing I know about reading Rebelein is that it’s going to be fun and gory and batshit crazy. This latest tale is based in the mythical, mind bending Renfield County universe. In 2009, a young Rachel accidentally starts a cult. In 2019, another Rachel tries to take it down.
There are layers upon layers in this story. The lore is intertwined with Rebelein’s other novels but this one can be read on its own (but PLEASE go read Edenville asap). It’s a wild ride as the perspective flips back and forth between Rachels.
What I liked- having read Rebelein’s other novels, I love being back in Renfield County. The characters are flawed but lovable. The pacing makes this story fly along. It’s wildly creative, comic horror that’s uniquely its own. The nostalgia reeled me in and the horror slapped me in the face. There’s monsters and madness but somehow it’s fun?
Scooby Doo Midsommar cult meets Sam and Dean Winchester in a foggy village with pigs. Have faith in the fog!
(Edenville lore- I can hear Quinn saying “Two Rachels and the Poo Pigs is a great band name! I called it! Go Crows!” IYKYK)
Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow/Harper Collins Publisher for the eARC!
I want to thank William Morrow and Sam Rebelein for this ARC in exchange for and honest review. 4 Stars
"This is s story of two Rachel's. 2009 Rachel Galloway is a typical high school girl in class bored to death and trying to find any bit of escapism she can in her imaginary world she doodles in her notebook instead of paying attention in class. However when this imaginary world gains first attention and then faith all of Burnskidde will be turned upside down. Soon this town is split into believers and non believers and Rachel has no way out especially when her imaginary 'visions' start coming true.
2019 Rachel Durwood receives a cryptic last message from her colleague in the Renfield County Guard. He had been missing and now she had a lead to Burnskidde, a town famously sealed off 10 years ago, as his last location. Renfield wasn't unused to missing people, strange happenings, but Mark wasn't a without skill, something bad had to have happened to him. And when Rachel gains access to the old town, she has to decide if anything is what it seems.
As Rachel Galloway watches her life spiral out of control, Rachel Durwood navigates a world where history, horror, and faith collide. Despite being separated by a decade, Galloway and Durwood may be closer to each other than they realize. But even together, will they be able to stop Burnskidde’s impending doom?"
Supernatural! Suspense! Mystery! Monsters! This was a really good one. This had tons of things I'm a huge fan of. I love the monsters and the Supernatural/Winchester vibes coming off the Renfield County Guard. I loved Renfield and it's creepy history and both Rachels were absolutely badass in their own way. The cult and how it grows out of control is so well done. And FRANCIS! I could say so many things about Francis but he's also well done I just kind of wish it had more personal confrontation between him and Galloway before everything goes off the rails. This book was everything I wanted the first 70%.
The ending however didn't sit well with me. It's... okay, but it was just all this hype and finding out some insane things and it didn't really feel like any of that paid off. I really love this book but the ending has me all messed up and now I'm not sure what to rate it as it was going on five stars until the last 20%.
If anyone is a fan of cults, monsters, and loved shows like the X-Files/Supernatural I think you'll find something to love about this book. It has a lot of great things going for it.
Galloway’s Gospel by Sam Rebelein is clever, funny, sweet, sad, strange, and, most of all, scary, in both the immediate visceral and existential horrific senses. Set in Rebelein’s fictional Renfield County where everyone knows weird things happen (like his previous books - also great reads), Galloway’s Gospel primarily takes place across two timelines and with two Rachels at the heart. In 2009, Rachel Galloway lives in Burnskidde which has only one access road, through a tunnel which connects it to the rest of Renfield County and the world. She works at the Pancake Planet with her best friend, has a solid family life, and gets really bored in history class. Through a combination of bored classroom doodling and the supernatural weirdness of Renfield County, things spun out of control when she accidentally creates a cult and all its associated gods, creatures, and rituals are made real as even the adults start believing the stories about the made-up religion that arose from her pig and bat drawings. Just ten years later, in 2019, Rachel Durwood is recovering from the trauma of her parents’ death and her own car accident, out of which came her new life with the County Guard which involves investigating the strange occurrences of Renfield County. When she is given a copy of the “The Gray Book, as Retold by Rachel Galloway” left for her by fellow guard Mark, she finds herself making her way through the now mostly collapsed Burnskidde Tunnel in search of him - or at least to discover his fate. On its own, each Rachel’s story would make a solid novella, and by weaving the two narratives, Rebelein loses none of the impact of each woman’s story but does successfully heighten the tension, while at the same time giving us clues to the upcoming events of each timeline making us want to read that much faster. Galloway’s Gospel is my favorite of Rebelein’s works to date; the characters are complex and imperfect - one or two are downright abhorrent, the storytelling is the strongest I’ve seen from him with how he addresses faith and grief while not letting up on the horror - it has basically put him on my “auto buy” author’s list, especially as long as he continues to bring us to Renfield County. I listened to this on audio as well as read the ebook; the production quality and the narrators Charlie Thurston, Helen Laser, and Eva Kaminsky were excellent. Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow, and HarperAudio Adult for the advance copies for my honest review.
CW: [graphic:] animal death, child death, blood, gore, violence, body horror, death, death of a parent, cannibalism, gaslighting, religious bigotry/indoctrination
Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC. This has in no way impacted my final review.
Nothing in Renfield County is ever quite right...
Rachel Galloway is like any regular teenage girl: she has a best friend, she finds her younger brothers annoying, she doesn't always pay attention in class, choosing to doodle instead... and she also invented a religion. Told in split timelines, Galloway's Gospel gives a glimpse into what can happen when the wrong person makes their dreams come true.
I really admire Rebelein's dedication to the Renfield County stories. This is the second novel I've read of his in this setting, and his grasp on the horrors and magic of this region is always guaranteed to be a ride. I unfortunately wasn't equally invested in both timelines - I definitely found the 2009 setting to be more engrossing. I found Galloway to be a really interesting character and I definitely preferred following her to Durwood. (Also, while the Rachel/Rachel naming was discussed in the book, I didn't really feel like it made up enough for the slight confusion of having both main characters share a first name.) Francis was also an engrossing character, but I still preferred his 2009 iteration to the 2019 version. This book is definitely a rough ride. I've come to expect Rebelein to be a no-punches-spared kind of writer and this is most certainly no exception. Proceed with caution.
While reading, I also found myself comparing this book to a few different pieces of media, the most prominent being the TV show Haven. If you've seen the show, then you'll know what I'm talking about - the 2009 chapters are seasons 1 to the middle of 4 and the 2019 chapter is the last half of season 4 and season 5.
After finishing Edenville earlier this year, I found certain similarities to Stephen King in the writing, and Renfield County is shaping up to be Sam Rebelein’s Castle Rock. When I learned it was taking place in Renfield County I thought it might be similar to Edenville. Rebelein, however, outdid himself. While this does take place in Renfield County, it is a whole new world of horror that we are introduced to, and this time around we get an insiders view.
We get to read two viewpoints, in 2009 Rachel Galloway’s classroom doodles take on a life of their own when her crush starts to speak about them as reality, and in Renfield anything can become real. The other viewpoint takes place in 2019 following a (different) Rachel, a member of the Renfield County Guard, a citizen militia that helps the town keep its supernatural occurrences in check. I won’t say much more in order to not spoil anything, but the Renfield family and the haunted wood from Edenville make a nice tie-in for those who also read Edenville.
This book is definitely not for everyone, but I highly recommend this to anyone who likes horror of the cosmic, bordering on science fiction variety, as well as monster horror. I will be waiting for Rebelein’s next book and will be making sure to grab a physical copy of this when it releases in October!
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the eARC of this novel.
Thank you to William Morrow and Harper Audio for the gifted copy of GALLOWAY'S GOSPEL by Sam Rebelein!
GALLOWAY'S GOSPEL is set in two timelines. In 2009, a teen named Rachel Galloway has a lot of ideas in her mind that she draws out on paper. When one of her classmates notices what she is drawing, he believes she has had visions of things that actually exist. They're pigs with magic poop and other strange creatures, but when more and more kids, then their families, and the school join in the idea that this is something more than fiction, things grow out of control.
In 2019, a strange message saying "CULTWATCH" is left by a guard working in the region when he goes missing. Fellow guards must visit Burnskidede, a small town sealed off from the rest of the county where strange beliefs, and even stranger realities, continue to run strong.
I found myself the most interested in the 2009 timeline where we see the way a small falsehood grows and grows with both easily guessed and very out of this world consequences. I really felt for Rachel and the way she went from feeling kind of proud when people see and like what she's created to feeling concerned when things spin out of her (or anyone's) control. In the later timeline, it took me a little longer to figure out the scope of the world and what had happened in the last ten years.
It really takes off in the second half and I did find myself unable to put this one down! It is gory and disturbing and also a lot of fun! This is definitely an author I want to read again!
FFS, can't a girl accidentally start a cult without a man swooping in and taking credit for it?
I struggled with this one a bit, at first thinking it was because I didn't read Edenville first and didn't have enough background knowledge of cursed Renfield county, but I think ultimately it was just too fantasy/sci fi based for my tastes. In a town where monsters reign and strange occurrences are just part of everyday life, high school student Rachel Galloway starts doodling an alternate history in her notebook as a way to take control over the uncontrollable. What she doesn't expect is for her desperate classmates and community to take it as literal Gospel, particularly the strange and enigmatic Francis. After her tellings come to pass, the community is closed off from the rest of the county, and 10 years later, a new Rachel, County Guard Durwood breaches its tunnel to investigate what is suspected to be a disaster of Jonestown-eqsue proportions. The story was heavy on the Stranger Things vibes, with its dark, ominous setting and fantastic beasts, and the gore did not disappoint. But I found the pacing to be slow, and it took me longer than it should have to complete.
🌫️ Thank you William Morrow for a copy of Galloway's Gospel
I was so excited to get an early copy for this book after absolutely loving Edenville last year. I was ready to go back to the strangeness of Renfield and see what surreal and monstrous delights the author had prepared for us. I’m glad to report I was not disappointed! I thoroughly enjoyed Galloway’s Gospel. We spend some time in a Burnskidde this time around as we are introduced to Rachel Galloway, a teenager who just maybe creates a cult that becomes even bigger than she could ever imagine. We also meet another Rachel who’s trying to eliminate the strange beasts of Renfield. Through these two Rachels we get, well frankly, an absolutely crazy story. It’s filled with wonderful supporting characters and of course — pigs and bats and fog monsters — oh yeah, did I mention this is a wildly imaginative story? There’s some really great body horror imagery as well which made me go ewww while quickly turning the page to read more. I highly recommend this book if you want something a little different, a little bloody, and a lot weird.
*thank you Netgalley for an arc of this highly anticipated book
Wow, this was an incredible read! Following two different Rachel’s in two time periods, 2009 and 2019. Though it was fast paced, Sam Rebelein gives so much lore but it doesn’t feel overwhelming and I found it was given at just the right plot points. Definitely recommend for those who love horror, mixed with some cosmic unknown/monster horror.
Have faith in the fog!
Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the eARC of this novel!
This book is so interesting and very well written. I found myself invested in both timelines which I sometimes struggle with in dual timeline novels. A mystery set within a valley so regularly horrifying, it's become mundane. Reminded me of We Used To Love Here, and the Control and Alan Wake videogames.
This was such a wild ride. I thought this whole thing was so well done. It kept me guessing right up to the end. Again horror is such a great genre for taking the horrors of real life and electrocuting them into a Frankenstein's monster that puts everything into incredibly stark, if campy relief. This one's going to be in my brain for awhile.
I absolutely loved Galloway’s Gospel. This book can definitely be read as a stand alone novel, but has so many connections with the Renfield County lore established in Rebelein’s two previous books, Edenville and The Poorly Made and Other Things.
It is really difficult to review this one without spoilers, so I will just say that this book has: dual timelines (between two FMC both named Rachel, one in 2009 & one in 2019), cults, doomsday/rapture vibes, cosmic horror, secret society detectives, folk horror, body horror, and early aughts high school nostalgia. Galloway’s Gospel is a wild ride with so many pieces that work perfectly together. Rebelein does a great job weaving in layers of character, lore, gore, and horror with a fast paced plot that twists and turns. I highly recommend!
A fun and bloody romp, I enjoyed my time with this one - I liked the lore of the valley, the quick descent from innocent fun to horror, and the characters. I found myself struggling at times with the dual timelines, and found the 2019 POV more of a drag than not. I also thought the ending was a little unsatisfactory. Overall this was a fun horror book with a fair bit of gore, an unnerving atmosphere, and a smattering of humor.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
To be honest, I am not sure how to describe this book. The book's summary itself doesn't even do it justice.
At the heart of it, it is about two girls named Rachel, and how their stories end. The journey there is strange and unusual, but there is meaning behind it.
Rachel Galloway gets caught up in a religion she created in 2009, and Rachel Durwood (searching for a missing coworker) arrives to see the aftermath ten years later. It's a story of families, cults, grief, and adversity. It includes a heaping dash of horror, gore, and weird creatures.
Maybe a plant or two.
3.5 (rounded to 4) out of 5 stars.
Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
“Thems the breaks” is a popular refrain in Renfield County- where that high schooler Rachel Galloway lives in 2009.
For years, the county has been marred with unexplainable, stranger-things-esque happenings. People disappear frequently to never reappear but be declared dead. Rachel’s best friend Emma is convinced her parents are pod people made of plants by the infamous town botanist.
To cope with the county she lives in along with the ever present boredom of high school, Rachel Galloway begins to doodle her imaginations—-first poo pigs that eat human limbs in exchange for magical fertilizer, bats that eat and repurpose “bad flesh”, and eventually a whole cult like society that worships the “fog monger” and offers up their limbs in exchange for food and a fog that will restore normalcy to the county.
In 2019, young, Renfield County Guard, Rachel Durwood, has a colleague go missing and ends up in the fake society Rachel Galloway once drew- new Annekkia. Armed with messages from her colleague, Mark, that went missing, Rachel Durwood decides to stay to continue looking into this world and seeing if she can fend off the “mass suicide event” her friend Mark had warned about.
This book alternates timelines between a 2009 third person Rachel Galloway, a daydreaming doodler turned reluctant new cult leader, and third- person Rachel Durwood, investigating New Annekkia in 2019. We also intermittently get snippets of Galloway’s texts she wrote in high school and the book the current leader of New Annekkia wrote.
For a millennial reader like myself, the setting time wise for this novel was an automatic hook for me. 2009 was also my junior year of high school, and like Rachel Galloway I also spent a lot of time with my headphones in drowning out the world while listening to albums like Transatlanticism by Death Cab for Cutie. Like many high school girls, Rachel makes a few questionable choice due to a boy that seems like a love interest showing a lot of interest in her, Francis.
The 2019 portions are just as fascinating. Durwood has lost her family to the bizarro county they live in and how vowed to help change it with her partner, Bruce.
The dual timelines makes this a lot more of a page turner and leads the reader to hypothesize about who our principal characters in 2009 are in New Annekkia.
This book is very ambitious, craving and explaining a new society and essentially a magic system for it to be based on. I believe Rebelein delivers in this sense— while the reader must suspense disbelief, the book is entertaining and wraps most things together with and answer, while leaving Renfiled County an intriguing place readers may want to visit again.
Horror and cult fans will enjoy this read from Sam Rebelein, author of Edenville, is set in the same universe. I would recommend to Stranger Things fans, especially millennial ones! Thanks to Sam Rebelein, William Morrow, NetGalley and goodreads for the ARC and eArc.