There’s a place in Texas the locals avoid at all cost, where the lost go missing and the damned reside. You won’t find it on any map, there are no road signs to guide you, and once there, may God have mercy on your soul, for when the scarecrow awakens, the harvest of the living begins.
Welcome to Donn, TX - gateway to hell.
1865.
For Eli Larkin, the war is over. There is nothing left but to return home to his wife and children. As he draws nearer, he is pulled to the cornfield to discover a horrifying truth.
The carnage he witnessed in the war is nothing compared to the savage road of slaughter he soon will traverse; for Donn, TX needs its caretaker, and it requires it to be born in butchery.
I'm an indie Horror writer who lives deep in the heart of Texas. When I'm not writing novels and stories for anthologies, I'm doing the bidding of 3 adorable huskies. I've been married for over 20 years and have a teenager in the house, so I won't be running out of horror material for quite some time.
Eli Larkin is finally home from the Civil War and cannot wait to see his wife and children again but when he gets close to home he notices something out in the cornfield as there are crosses with people hanging from them. As he draws near to the crosses he recognizes church members from his hometown including the preacher, but he is horrified when he sees his family on the crosses.
Eli is made aware of those who were responsible for the heinous crimes against the church members and his family so he goes on a revenge hunt to make the criminals pay for their crimes!
That is about all I can give on a backstory as you will need to read the book if you are intrigued to learn more about this story.
Thoughts:
I have read a few books by this author and I was pulled right away into the storyline with this book. The pace of the story is fast right away and stays on the steady pace all the way to the end of the book! Revenge is sweet in this story as the character Eli finds within himself how far he will go for the revenge of the ones he loved.
Another great book by this author and looking forward to reading the rest of the Donn, TX books. They can be read as stand alone stories as there are no connections of characters and storylines with these books. The only connection is just the town of Donn, TX. The stories are very short and can be read in one sitting. Giving this book five "Sweet Revenge" stars!
Here we have the third Donn TX story and I think it might be my favorite. The origin of the scarecrow was perfectly told and I could feel Eli's anger and need for revenge.
It's nice to finally learn where the harvest started. Don't get me wrong, I'm totally digging each of the stories with the actual harvests, but it's great to get a background. Now my question is where did the Pale man come from? Or is he just a demon that always was. Either way, I'm for real hooked on this storyline. This one went into more detail with the violence and it was awesome.
Another fantastic installment in the Donn, TX story series!! I can’t tell you how captivated I was while reading this. As bits of the mystery begin to fall into place, you will be even more invested in understanding the evil that resides in this town. This was my favorite one yet!! 5 stars!
I was wondering what was going to happen in this story because it takes place before book one, well it explains the story of the Scarecrow and holy cow!!!! God what a cool story! So brutal and just an awesome story of revenge. Just a great fun story and cannot wait for the next one. These are great!!!!
I am just loving this series! This is the 3rd and probably my favorite so far. Each of these stories have been so different, yet so connected.
1952 was dark, eerie, mysterious, gory and had a little Twilight Zone vibe.
1969 was heart-pumping, gory slasher mayhem fun. Like your classic southern psycho story.
1865 was way more supernatural, dark, gory, with more explanation of the field's evil origins.
Each one has delved into different subgenres of horror which really makes this series unique. There is something for everyone. This is one really well thought out series. On to the next...
Hmmm I did get some satisfaction from having most of the curse explained. However, I wasn’t sure what Eli was talking about when he was coming back from the war; he said the corn was already cursed and had affected Abraham somehow.
So… still waiting to fully understand the deal with the darn corn 🌽
The revenge plot was great and now we know Eli’s role in the future entries of Donn,Tx.
This story in tne collection of Donn TX is amazing. Setting up the whole mystery behind the horrors of the the harvest of the corn!! The unbelieveable horrors that Eli comes home to sets into motion a terrifying retrubution for those who slaughtered the family and friends left behind when he went off to fight for Texas' freedom will chill you to the bone!! And the ending.....well lets just say it is truly an eye opener!! I highly recomend this fast read!!
How it all began, who is the scarecrow. What would you do, how far would you go to avenge your family? Would you go as far as Eli? The perfect piece is in the puzzle.
Eric Butler is a very talented independent horror author that, in my humble opinion, any horror fan should be paying attention to. Eric has written several works such as The Shadow Within, The Pope Lick Massacre, Sins of the Past, and now the Donn, TX series. Between my lovely wife, Brandy Carroll, and myself we have read his entire works to date. Butler is a very humble, talented, and extremely gifted author that really deserves more attention. He is an author that if you haven’t been reading his books you should rectify that immediately. You will not be disappointed!
Right when you thought Donn, TX would be a linear storyline Butler switches gears with Donn, TX 1865. Eli Larkin is heading home after experiencing the horrific terror that was The Civil War. However, as Eli nears his hometown of Donn, TX something much more gruesome and terrifying lies in wait. Eli simply wants to return home to his wife and children, but Donn has something else in mind.
Eric Butler sheds more light on the origins of the fated Donn, TX with 1865’s entry. As the reader goes further down the rabbit hole Butler has the reader feel for the characters even more so than before. He also leaves so many questions for the reader to ponder, and thus expands on the addictive story of a cursed town.
Donn, TX 1865 by Eric Butler absolutely deserves five crows out of a five crow murder. Eric seemingly with ease draws you into the world of Donn, TX even more. The town begins to feel even more alive, tangible, and real. With every entry he flawlessly expands the story, the town, and the curse. Leaving a reader hungry for more after one entry is admirable. Leaving a reader starving to know more about the town and the story after multiple entries is astounding!
This is a pretty cool series so far....starting to understand the crows...ready for the next one... Take the time to read these books. You will not be disappointed... Reads & feels like old time horror
Much more gruesome than the first! I loved finding out about the start of the harvest and what the scarecrow is collecting victims for. These are such fun little horror reads.
The Donn, TX saga continues! This time taking you back to where it all began! I’m completely obsessed with the series by now, the need to know and learn more, is overwhelming.