Warmth

by Lucas Amann

Following the suicide of their best friend, Ethan, high school sophomores Fox and Pete discover a mysterious cave system expanding from the site of his death, the chambers abloom with shape-shifting fragments of Ethan’s memories. Racked by grief, the two friends explore the perilous mindscape in search of answers. For Fox, who shared a fledgling romance with Ethan, the quest becomes an obsession, the expeditions more reckless, into deeper and wilder recesses where the most precious secrets are guarded by strange beasts.

Narrated by Doug Bradley (Hellraiser).

Genres: Horror

Audible Audio

Published September 30, 2022

Reviews

[Kay David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: Coming of Age books aren’t my thing. Suspense, sci-fi, mysteries, action stories, these are my usual reads. But (and in this case, it’s a big but)…
Warmth, recently released by Lucas Amann, blew me away. Pulled in by the eye-catching cover, then trapped by the trailer, I started reading and didn’t stop till the end. Yes, it’s been described as a coming of age story, but putting such a simple label on this finely textured, multi-layered story is very misleading.

The three teenage boys in this novel experience so much more than simply growing up. The shattering grief, mind-bending terror, and misplaced guilt, not to mention a sexual awakening and finally death, they go through will stay with you long past the last page is turned. The range of emotions and experiences are so vividly portrayed they’re enough to spark night sweats and tears. The author explains it best when he describes the boys’ experiences as “the kind of shit that carves your life into eras, (and) splits who you are from who you were.” And that’s just describing what’s happened to them before the book begins.

The teenagers are yanked, by both reality and the supernatural, into maturity almost overnight when one of them confronts an unsurmountable moment. The action shifts to a cave worthy of an LSD trip, and mind-blowing chaos follows, including the appearance of a face-hugging octopus and a parade of scenes from the boys’ shared past. Clever internal dialog, bolstered by current topics including alcohol, suicide, and bullying, pull you deeper into the story as the boys wrestle with their new truths.

The book may sound dark—and it is—but the uplifting ending made the journey more than worthwhile. Again, the author sums it up best. “Maybe there is something romantic about a young life cut tragically short, but there’s a greater romance to a young life yet unlived, with every possibility flourishing before it.”
More stories flourishing from this author’s deep well of creativity is what I’d like to see.

[Ky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this novel and I absolutely devoured it. An engaging and touching story, I connected with Fox in many ways and I loved his character development (even though some of it was very heartbreaking). This novel is written with a touch of poetic prose, beautiful descriptions of the environment and enough heart and horror to make it a very enjoyable read. I expect this novel will do very well when it’s released! Add it to your TBRs now friends, you will love this one.

[Leanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Lucas Amann’s twin sister, my review objectively matters most. And as his twin sister, I knew Warmth would boil over with originality, surrealism and invention. But even as a fan, Warmth exceeded all expectation. It's heartbreaking and gutting. But it's also cathartic, optimistic, fun, funny and, well, warm. It’s an ode to the people we’ve lost before their time and to those of us who still love them. And objectively, it's stunning.

[Curtis Michael Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book captured all of the extreme and atmospheric feels of adolescence and the bond between friends at that age. Equal parts heartbreaking, gritty, and grotesque, it reminded me of growing up in the early 2000's. Amann writes scenes with movie-like vividness and characters who you feel like you know. Not an easy read due to some of the subject matter, but it's definitely worth it!

[Kelly F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I picked this book up and couldn’t put it down until the last page. The main characters, Fox, Ethan, Pete have not left my side. All brought to life with such realism and love that I wish I could explore their subconsciousnesses in some sort of cavernous alternate reality that Lucas Amann has so beautifully concepted in Warmth. A world so gorgeous, so life-affirming that finishing the book felt like being ejected back into a harsher, colder world. Aptly titled, Warmth is not only a novel but a visceral adventure. An experience I'll want to revisit time and time again. The humanity of Patti Smith, the magic of Murakami and the originality of Dennis Cooper all twisted together but still distinctively its own. These are my favorite authors I always recommend and I’m excited to have found a new artist to share!

[Dustin & Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was quite possibly the most bizarrely unique books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading — in the best way imaginable. Unforgettable and sob-inducingly romantic, WARMTH will break your heart a dozen different ways — and help you put it back together. Bravo!

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warmth took me to the edge of my seat from chapter one. I’m used to slower developing plots, so I actually felt spoiled (and shocked) by this quick introduction straight to the core of this journey. With eyes stinging from the jump, I found myself intertwined in every literal sense via the shockingly surreal descriptive struggle of love and loss. Feeling, through Amann’s words, the consuming power of grief, guilt, desolation, and the struggle to find transformation of the soul after internal destruction, which ultimately leads to hope; if we can just… hang on. Warmth is a story sadly many of us can relate to, but this journey takes the pain to another depth; and I personally think it would make a tremendous movie. Warmth is brilliantly creative, beautiful yet tragic, haunting yet touching.

[Joshua Jonah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

This book tells the story of teenage boys dealing with the loss of one of their friend / more. In this story there comes a very interesting and unique plot point which is the cave they go into. While I won’t say more about it, it definitely feels like Annihilation (Jeff Vandermeer) with the story telling points, surrounding the S*ic*de of their friend, being akin to 13 Reasons Why. For me, the book slows down and drags when they go into the cave, just because the author really takes his time with creating the bizarre imagery in the caves. While this isn’t a bad thing and people may love it, I found it hard to trudge through. The rest of the storytelling surrounding the boys, was an easy read with the main characters being really fleshed out and finding a soft spot for Fox, Pete and what we know of Ethan.

[Amin Kardanimoghaddam · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most touching and descriptive/imaginative novels I've read in some time. Once I started it was difficult to put the book down as with each chapter I too wanted to dig deeper and deeper and go further. Lucas does an amazing job with description and emitting the character's feelings and it's hard to not relate and feel like these are people you know. On a deeper level this novel does an amazing job in conveying emotions that are difficult to deal with. As someone who has suffered the same kind of loss presented in the novel, I could relate to the main character feeling of survivor guilt and sadness. These scenes in the novel were handled so beautifully and with so much love. Looking forward to what comes next from Amann.

[Sycobabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I devoured this book in a day and a half and I never would of known about it, had my friend not posted it on Instagram last year. The weirdness of the cover peaked my initial interest but I’m so glad I followed through with tracking it down because whatever I thought it was going to be, it wasn’t. There’s elements that are a bit scary, surrealistic, freakish, certainly uncomfortable but the book is by no means horror. It dives deep into how we process grief, the steps we do or don’t take to let go of painful memories—the anxiety of others finding out you’re gay and how do you say goodbye to someone you will always love. It got me choked up more than once. It has some really heavy themes but it also did a great job of capturing the playfulness of that ironclad bond we all experience when we form our life long friends. I hope more readers find Warmth because right now it’s flying under the radar on Goodreads. It should be more widely reviewed and read. I hope Amann writes another book.

[Jedaka · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been a while since a book has made me cry. The cover suggests a grisly story. In reality, it is probably the most tragic and beautiful thing I’ve read in years.

[Leo]

TW: suicide, suicide ideation, attempted suicide, drug use, alcoholism, addiction, physical abuse, bullying, grief, death of a parent, blood, gore, trauma and ptsd