Unpardonable Sin

by Michael Potts

When Summer Ends, The Dark Days Begin

Whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. - Matthew 12:32

Jeffrey Conley sits beside Aunt Jenny at Sunday evening service, the hard wooden bench serving as security in the midst of chaos. He has come home - to a land of loss. Parents, dead. Grandparents, dead. Twin brother, dead two hours after birth. Great-aunts, great-uncles, Aunt Jenny’s husband Lawton, all dead. All decaying in their graves.
But something lives. Something dark. Something evil.
And it wants to drag Jeffrey Conley to Hell.

Genres: Horror

ebook

First published August 18, 2014

About the author

Michael Potts is a writer of Southern Fiction, Southern Gothic, horror, and poetry originally from Smyrna, Tennessee. He is the author of End of Summer (Tullahoma, TN: WordCrafts Press, 2011), a Southern Fiction novel, and the horror novels Unpardonable Sin (WordCrafts, 2014) and Obedience (WordCrafts, 2016). His poetry chapbook, From Field to Thicket, won the 2006 Mary Belle Campbell Poetry Book Award of the North Carolina Writers' Network. WordCrafts Press also published his book, Aerobics for the Mind: Practical Exercises in Philosophy that Anybody Can Do in 2014. His creative nonfiction essay, "Haunted," won the 2006 Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Contest of the NC Writer's Network. He is a 2007 graduate of Middle Tennessee State University's program, "The Writers' Loft," and is a 2007 graduate of the Odyssey Writing Workshop held at St. Anselm's College in Manchester, NH. He has authored many scholarly publications, and is currently Professor of Philosophy, Methodist University, Fayetteville, North Carolina. He and his wife, Karen, live in Coats, NC, with their three cats.

Reviews

[Lexy · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was great

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unpardonable Sin. The title alone speaks of hopelessness, fear, desolation, spiritual warfare - all elements, and more, present in a book that was often too scary to continue reading, but too fascinating and intriguing to put down.

We are given visions of horror, pure evil, demonic presence and possession - but through the eyes of a child. What but pure, destructive evil can use a child so, and Who but God stop it? The book doesn't preach at you. It is not a squeaky clean recitation of God's goodness, far from it. The story contains strong language and sexual content bold enough to highlight the source of evil, but these things develop the intricacies of each character and rocket the plot forward in a manner more terrifying than a ride in the front car of a screeching, rusty, collapsing, mile-high roller-coaster. In the dark.

Are you ready for your ride?

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been very fortunate to receive a free copy of this book from ‘Goodreads First Reads’.

If you love other worldly demons you will love this book. I can understand how as a young boy Jeffrey found himself desolate, fearful, and dreaded the demon materialising at will. He was unable to tell anyone about it for fear of being placed in a mental hospital. His faith which had I believe been a comfort to him now seemed far from normal and he questioned both himself inwardly and church elders for logical explanations for the feelings he was experiencing. I have known children with Asperger’s and am aware that they do like everything to stay the same, change is not good for their stability and they feel out of control in many situations and fixations on a constant can occur. I felt that the descriptions of Jeffrey and his relationships with his family, school peers and the church are very informed. Jeffreys relationships with females in his life are quite complex because of his fixations and the author covers this well. Without Zeke and Andy I think that Jeffrey may have succumbed to the demon so they were a grateful addition to the book for me.

[Susan Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book about a highly functional autistic boy who is tempted to sin against God by a Lovecraftian being pretending to be a Christian demon. I especially loved the childhood flashbacks to a simpler time set during the 1970s in rural Tennessee and the very honest and real issues that young people experience during puberty such as first love, betrayal, death of family members and loved ones and wondering if their changing bodies and hormonal drives are normal. I also enjoyed the insight into what it's like to come of age with autism/Asperger's Syndrome. A well-written and often bittersweet tale of a teen-aged boy's coming of age.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scared the tar out of me. Evil is real, and shamelessly chases a CHILD in this book! Necessary language & sexual content - prepare. A wild ride.

[Mike Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant storytelling. Highly recommended.

[BennettLisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hey,

Hope you’re doing well. I recently came across your story and I genuinely loved it. Your writing feels very cinematic, and it immediately made me think about how great it would be as a comic or webtoon.

I’m an artist who creates comics, manga, webtoons, character illustrations, and book covers. I’d love to be commissioned to adapt your story and bring its world and characters to life visually.

No pressure at all just wanted to share my thoughts. If you’re interested in discussing it further, feel free to reach out on Discord (bennett_lol) or Instagram (eve_verse_).

Best,
bennett.

[Rosanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed this. As a Mennonite fan of mysteries how could I not love this book. It was quite well written (reminded me in some ways of the Robert Galbraith level of writing. There were pieces that did not seem realistic to me, based only on my extensive reading of other mysteries and police proceduals, so what do I know. The violence was a bit too graphic, though not the worst I've read at all. And there was a fairly high assumed level of knowledge. There were a few acronymns I needed to look up. Overall a spectacular first book though, and I hope they will write more.

[Mary Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. LoveCraft meets a spiritual awakening through God, beelzebub and puberty...
Having grown up with a harsh religious narrative of “God will send you to hell” screamed at me
On a regular basis by a Southern Baptist preacher, much of this story about guilt and shame resonated with me.