25 years ago, young businessman Ron Jarvis made a sinister deal that changed his life forever. The cost was high... but who can put a price on power?
Now, Ron is the CEO of a global media empire, and one of the richest men in the world. And yet, to help his daughter, Ron will once more seek out the architect of that hideous pact, bringing death, despair, and total destruction to all around him in a jaw-dropping frenzy of outrageous, bloody carnage.
With Death Spell, David Sodergren, author of Maggie’s Grave and Rotten Tommy, will once more plunge you into the depths of insanity and depravity. You have been warned!
David Sodergren lives in Scotland with his wife Heather and his best friend, Boris the Pug.
Growing up, he was the kind of kid who collected rubber skeletons and lived for horror movies. Not much has changed since then.
His best known books include the gory and romantic fairy tale The Haar, the blood-drenched folk-horror Maggie’s Grave, and the analog-horror fever dream Rotten Tommy. David also writes under the pseudonym Carl John Lee, publishing splatterpunk novels such as Psychic Teenage Bloodbath and Cannibal Vengeance.
My new novel Death Spell, out May 1st 2025. I hope you dig it! Part corporate satire, part ultra-bloody splatterpunk horror. If you thought my recent books had too many nice, likeable characters in them, wait 'til you get a load of *these* scumbags.
And thanks to you, dear reader. Have I told you lately that I think you're super mega-ultra cool? Why no you haven't David, but thank you😅
Omg this was so over the top gory, bloody, disgusting, misogynistic and just downright GROTESQUE. 😶🌫️😶🌫️😶🌫️😶🌫️😶🌫️😶🌫️ I had fun SUE ME😭
As someone who watches horror and slasher movies at night.. in the dark.. for fun🙄, these books just provide me with so much entertainment. I never take them seriously and that works just fine for me😅
If you are David Sodergren reader who knows he also writes splatter-punk under the name "Carl John Lee", this book will not shock you, but if you've read Maggie's Grave or The Haar, and want to dive into this one, BE WARNED THIS IS WAY WAYYYY MORE GORY WITH TRIGGER WARNINGS GALORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Uh yeah!! This was a lot!! Admittedly too much at times/ I didn’t realize this was going to get as depraved as it did, but yeah man this had just about every bad thing I try to avoid in books these days 😅 (will provide list below)
BUT! This was written in the same David Sodergren-esq way I’ve come to love and binge. It played out like an ultra-gory campy horror movie, and was fun and funny despite the totally disturbing content and extremely graphic violence (those weren’t fun, I ended up skimming at times. content warnings below). . . . . . . . Be warned that the CW’s themselves are graphic and unpleasant to read.
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CWs Graphic+violent rape, necrophilla, incest, graphic violence (including a pregnant woman, infanticide, dismemberment, immolation, castration, birthing horror, body horror, eye horror), animal harm/cruelty, ingesting of worms, suicide
4.5 stars. David Sodergren. I just...he...I'm not usually lost for words. But this was a wild experience from start to finish. Black magic, sex, uber amounts of gore, entertaining and zany characters, and a layered plot, all brought together into a fantastic little horror venture. Would I call it splatterpunk...no...but it came awfully close. But, no joke, this was so, so, so very close to being a perfect 5-star rating. I just felt like Nick got left out for a while as Vivienne's and Ron's story took the center stage. His relationship with Carol and what ended up happening just felt too important to not be focused on a bit more, especially in the latter aspect of the story. But that was it. My only, minor critique. The rest was great. Ya know something...now that I think of it...I'm not sure that I've given so many 5-star ratings to any other author at this point. And I've even given Sodergren a few 4.5ers, too, which were right on the brink. I'm not gonna gush too much, but the man can write his ass off and he brings some truly unique ideas to the table in such a wonderful way. David Sodergren is a hidden gem in the horror community who deserves much more recognition. For anyone who hasn't read his works yet, you should do it ASAP. Well done and I look forward to reading his upcoming release, too.
This was my fifth novel by David Sodergren, and when I say I am deeply disappointed, I mean it from the deepest part of my soul. This can not be the same author who gave me Maggie's Grave, The Forgotten Island, The Haar, and Summer of the Monsters. I refuse to believe it.
Some of this dialogue was downright mediocre. "You're sweating like a rapist." I'm sorry, what?????? The plot was also extremely ridiculous. Way past the point of even being satirical. It was just bizarre. I mean all this because a rich, misogynistic man can't tell his spoiled daughter no. This alone is frying me!!!!!!
This brings me to my next point. The misogyny in this one is very heavy. Despite it being fiction, it really got under my skin. At times, it just felt unnecessary and added nothing to the barely existing plot. The carnage wasn't even enough to satisfy my morbid curiosity. I read this entire book with a scowl on my face. I fear my face will remain like this.
Loved the female rage we got and that everyone paid at the end. Hated everything else about it. That's all folks, that's all.
this is the first sodergren book i have read and genuinely disliked (i have read all other books by this author). it felt very unpolished and many of the chapters felt rushed or thrown together. the amount of rape, sexism and misogyny in this one was extreme. 1.5 stars.
*Thanks to David for sending me a digital ARC of this one!*
Over the years of his writing career, we’ve watched Sodergren go from strength to strength while blurring genre lines. His most recent release, late 2024’s ‘Summer of the Monsters’ was perhaps his most tame book yet, more a YA/dramatic/suspense/monster novel than anything resembling gore/terror/horror. It was a magical turn, one demonstrating how widely he can cast his net and took it a step more ‘mainstream’ than even his hit release ‘The Haar.’
Since then, he’s publicly revealed that Carl John Lee was his pseudonym and with that, outside of ‘Satan’s Burnouts Must Die!’ this is the most Carl John Lee book of all of David’s novels. In fact, I’m certain that Uncle Carl influenced this book more than Boris did and for that we’re all the better for it.
What I liked: The book throws us headfirst into the fire with the prologue. We meet Ron, who has resorted to a grotesque act in order to ascend the company ladder. It will blow readers away with the repulsiveness we get so early on, but it does two things – sets the tone of how Sodergren has written this and sets the extreme level at ULTRA-EXTREME. You know quickly that this one’s not for the faint of heart.
We then fast forward in time, Ron is a successful business man, father and will do anything for his daughter. Which is the crux of the entire book. She’s scorned by her former lover, a movie star, so Ron takes her and his head of security to the darkest reaches of a jungle to find the black magic shaman who helped Ron become successful.
Sodergren does a great job of infusing this book with tons of random pop culture quips and jokes – a particular Meatloaf gag that extends throughout had me chuckling each time – and as the deal is made and the reality of what that means starts to take hold, this goes from a ‘romance-splatter’ novel to a straight up 70’s extreme movie novelization. Time and time again, just when you think Sodergren can’t go further, he does, and to great effect.
The final quarter of the novel is a smorgasbord of trying to undo what’s undoable and seeing if anyone can even survive. It is cinematic, vivid and visceral and has some really great moments of moral questioning for our main characters. It pushes the envelope right to the brink of toppling over the edge, but manages to keep the story from falling to the wayside.
What I didn’t like: At the beginning, our martial arts movie star, Nick, seemed destined to have a larger, more prominent role and his character seemed fully formed. Sadly, he becomes an afterthought not too far in and I thought that was a disappointing turn, as he could’ve had a fantastic character arc.
Why you should buy this: I mean, if you love David’s books, you’ll be buying this, but if you’ve not read anything from him, I think this is an excellent place to dive in and discover why so many people rave about his books. From start to finish this is unrelenting and ultimately filled with so much ultra-violence that you’ll wish you’d kept a body count. Or, if this was film, they’d be measuring how much fake blood was used to execute these scenes in all their pulpy glory.
Another fantastic book from one of the best writers out there, this was gloriously macabre!
It’s no secret that David Sodergren’s work always, and I mean always, delivers for me. Death Spell is yet another brilliant addition to my growing list of favorites. It’s clear he teamed up with his old pal Carl to conjure one of his most brutal, disgusting, and gloriously splattery books to date. And yet, like all of Sodergren’s work, even the wildest ride carries meaning and packs a powerful message.
Death Spell is a perfectly timed bloodbath.
Meet Ron - a billionaire who’s clawed his way up the corporate ladder through the only logical means: Black Magic. He’s a “devoted” father to Vivienne, his bratty, entitled daughter who’s the living embodiment of “But daddyyyy!!” Think baby pink velour Juicy sweatsuits, a permanently scowling pout, and an attitude you can smell from a mile away. Ron has given Vivienne everything money can buy. But what she wants now is something even he can’t provide: for her ex-boyfriend, movie star Nick Pulaski, to fall back in love with her.
The problem? Nick is happily building a life with his current girlfriend, Carol. So naturally, Ron and Vivienne head to the lush, perilous rainforests of Thailand with one goal…to make sure that love story ends before it can truly begin.
As with all of David’s work, the care he puts into cultural research shines through. His portrayal of Thai settings, customs, home design, and traditional use of color feels intentional and respectful, never shallow or exploitative. It’s this attention to detail - alongside his trademark gore and wit - that makes Sodergren’s horror so satisfying. You’re not just getting a blood-soaked story; you’re getting sharp social commentary that hits where it needs to.
Death Spell had me laughing, gagging, and gasping. It’s wildly creative, darkly hilarious, and crafted by one of the most inventive voices in horror today. Huge thanks to David for trusting me with a beta read once again. Every one of these opportunities makes me a better writer, reader, and reviewer.
This David Sodergren's first extreme horror under his own name, he also writes under the name 'Carl John Lee'. This is an extremely fast paced and explicitly gory novel, trigger warnings for rape, sexual abuse, and necrophilia so be warned. It is still a fun horror novel in the vein of his other works. Ron Jarvis is a media tycoon billionaire with a spoiled narcissistic daughter he would do anything for including flying her to Thailand to convince the Shaman who had given him a spell 25 years earlier to be said media mogul now he's going to get her a love spell so that actor Nick Pulaski will fall in love with her and well things do go all as planned. This can be a rough read at times, but for horror lovers can also be a fun read. I read this in a day and haven't read anything that fast in a while. Well worth it.
This was Sodergren going for a more goretastic vibe, absolutey trying to gross out the reader and pushing the envelope in terms of nasty horror.
And it works!
The villains in this one are so reprehensibly evil, they are beyond all redemption, and you cannot wait for them to get theirs. Sodergren knows this, and so creates enough cannon fodder characters to meet their fates along the way - but only after one of the most vicious and awful deaths to befall an innocent character I can recall.
The writing is of a dependably high quality, the pacing excellent and the ending does not let you down. What more could you want?
Death Spell becomes my second favourite Sodergren read, behind only Maggie's Grave.
Check it out if you don't mind a bit of "extreme" to go with your horror.
SUPERB! But loving this book makes me feel like a sick mess of a human being... Sodergren embraces even more of the "extreme" horror and nothing, I mean NOTHING, is off the table. I loved the premise of this story, too, and how he took a love of black magic films and put his own spin on the genre. Another total homerun in the world of horror thanks to David Sodergren!
David Sodergren has this uncanny ability to write some of the most abhorrent characters I’ve ever come across. And yet he still makes sitting with them for 250 pages not only bearable but an absolute pleasure. One of the best names in horror today.
Not my favorite, that's for sure. It was just okay. It just didn't compare to some of his other books, and the writing was a little bit clunky. I'll keep reading his stuff, but this one didn't do it for me.
It's no The Haar, I'll tell ya that. While there are fun moments in here, it feels to me like the quality of writing in this book, prose, plot, and character-wise is several steps down from the other Sodergren novel I've read. In the afterward, the author explains this as an exercise in seeing what he could do when he's TRYING to be disgusting, different to the natural gore that weaves its way into his other work. I think this is at the crux of why this novel didn't work for me. It feels forced, repetitive (perhaps due to lack of vision), and ultimately forgettable, even with the author doing his best to traumatize us.
Nonetheless, I still enjoyed parts of this and I'd give another of his novels a read any time. This just wasn't it for me... Also, I'm sure he takes it very seriously in the real world, but the absolutely BRUTAL SA that he does a few times in this book is a suuuuper poor decision. I think we could've had plenty of gross sex and taboo stuff with just a bit more care in designing those bits... but hey, it's not my book.
Wow. This was the first book by this author that I actually didn’t care for at all. It felt like a very poor rough draft. This can’t be the finished product can it?
This is from the same author of God’s Hand, The Haar, and Maggie’s Grave?
Everything felt off about this book and didn’t seem to land for me. The carnage and extremes were fun at some parts but not for longer than a page. And then the ending had me just remember one of the best scenes from Maggie’s Grave.. which now I just wish I just re read instead
Any new Sodergren book I read is doomed to be compared to Haar, and by that measure this one ranks slightly lower for me. Still, the level of gore and massacre here is impressive and absolutely sickening. A 4.5 feels like a fair and honest rating.
Loved the witchy supernatural vibe of this book! Equally creepy and gory/gross…and even at some spots funny. The story was outstanding and the characters so entertaining. Highly recommended!
thank you so much to david sodergren for allowing me the opportunity to read this book pre-release!
i absolutely devoured this book. i just couldn't put it down. it was tense, addictive and a VERY different vibe to his last book "the summer of the monsters". we love a versatile author!!
all i can say is sodergren NEVER disappoints, this is something id recommend to all horror readers, especially those who like their horrors a little more on the extreme side. saying that, i must stress it is important to check the trigger warnings for this book (which can be found on the last page).
after every book, i always get incredibly excited for the next one as he just exceeds all expectations every single time!
once again, thank you for this opportunity, this book was definitely worth the wait!
David Sodergren is no stranger to the extreme/splatterpunk subgenres of horror; he has, after all, written similar stuff under his pseudonym Carl John Lee. But it's his first splatterpunk novel under his own name and arguably his most brutal. I've been eagerly anticipating "Death Spell", and now that it's finally here, it's time to give it a read!
25 years ago, a young businessman performed a sinister spell that changed his lie forever. Ron Jarvis, ex-husband and father of one, is living the dream. But success comes at a terrible price. Now his daughter wants her ex-boyfriend to get back together with her and have his current girlfriend killed. Ron will do anything for his beloved daughter, but it means he'll have to get back in touch with somebody who helped him many years ago, and now it's time for him to pay his debt.
David Sodergren has written a very unsettling and brutal horror novel about black magic, political satire, corporate corruption and the darkness that hides within us all. It's an incredibly well-written story with terrifying scenes, a strong yet unlikable cast of characters and an ending that will have your jaw drop to the floor with horror.
Overall: It's an outstanding novel that is definitely one of the authors' best. 10/10
4.5 stars. Wow. This was my 2nd David Sodergren novel, and it was nothing like the Haar. I'd never read an extreme horror or splatterpunk book before. I sat staring into space once this book was over. I didn't know how to feel, what to rate it, or if I enjoyed it or not. If David's goal was to shock, disgust, and horrify his readers, then he definitely succeeded. I was all those things. With that being said, I was gripped. I wanted to know what happened next. It was like watching a train wreck, for real.
The author describes this book as brash, cruel, and outrageous! I totally agree; and I totally loved every second of it. I’d say to check the trigger warnings, but honestly, if you’re reading a novel by this artist, you kind of know what you’re getting into. With that being said, this is an extreme, splatterpunk, novel. Just know that. I seriously had to put the book down a few times and think about what I had just read. After which I had to wait a bit before I picked it back up again. Love, love, love! Five perfectly disgusting, bloody, ⭐️!