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The Devil Within: A Horror Novella
In 1886, widowed psychiatrist Dr. Wilhelm Grey questions his sanity as mysterious events plague his hospital. A new patient tempts his mortal soul while a maniac mocks his pain. When his eldest daughter is mutilated, he searches for answers, allowing his vengeance to feed his wrath.
He reaches his breaking point when a patient dies in a freak accident, and a maniac set loose on the grounds.
Has he gone mad as his patients, or is something more sinister afoot?
He reaches his breaking point when a patient dies in a freak accident, and a maniac set loose on the grounds.
Has he gone mad as his patients, or is something more sinister afoot?
- GenresHorror
Audible Audio
Published April 19, 2022
16 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 20, 2020
Amazing! This was not not at all what I thought. It's everything I love. Fast pace, sinister, creepy mental institution. And some gore thrown in for good measure! I will probably read this one again!
March 5, 2023
Thank You to the author for a copy of the book for review!
Asylums, Sanatoriums, hospitals in general reek of hopelessness, sterility and even death. They are the perfect hideout for everything other worldly. And The Devil Within takes place in an asylum in the 1800’s, where women were considered hysterical if they didn’t want to marry someone they didn’t love or didn’t bottle up their emotions. It was also a time where shock therapy and cold therapy ruled. Who wouldn’t feel better after being electrocuted or water boarded?
There were many villains, supernatural and not in this novella. But the one that bothered me the most was a good doctor and his good intentions.
A trigger warning for sexual assault.
This was a terrifying tale that was all too commonplace in our history. But knowledge is power and I hope we’ve come at least a little further in our treatment of each other. Excellent book and thought provoking.
Asylums, Sanatoriums, hospitals in general reek of hopelessness, sterility and even death. They are the perfect hideout for everything other worldly. And The Devil Within takes place in an asylum in the 1800’s, where women were considered hysterical if they didn’t want to marry someone they didn’t love or didn’t bottle up their emotions. It was also a time where shock therapy and cold therapy ruled. Who wouldn’t feel better after being electrocuted or water boarded?
There were many villains, supernatural and not in this novella. But the one that bothered me the most was a good doctor and his good intentions.
A trigger warning for sexual assault.
This was a terrifying tale that was all too commonplace in our history. But knowledge is power and I hope we’ve come at least a little further in our treatment of each other. Excellent book and thought provoking.
February 8, 2023
Dark forces are afoot!
The Devil Within is a quick read full of the mysterious and gloomy vibes I love.
It follows a psychiatrist who uses pretty extreme measures to cure his patients. When strange things occur within the hospital walls and his home, his sanity is questioned as well. Is this all in his head? Is he responsible? Why is this happening?
T.R. Slauf had me convinced of quite a few things to really shake up my reading experience while the true story unfolded. I was led down paths to many abrupt turns, and hot dang! I enjoyed the ride!
T.R. Slauf never disappoints. I want more! 🤘🏻
The Devil Within is a quick read full of the mysterious and gloomy vibes I love.
It follows a psychiatrist who uses pretty extreme measures to cure his patients. When strange things occur within the hospital walls and his home, his sanity is questioned as well. Is this all in his head? Is he responsible? Why is this happening?
T.R. Slauf had me convinced of quite a few things to really shake up my reading experience while the true story unfolded. I was led down paths to many abrupt turns, and hot dang! I enjoyed the ride!
T.R. Slauf never disappoints. I want more! 🤘🏻
March 15, 2023
I enjoyed this short, possession horror story! It was weirdly lighthearted while also being quite dark and I had fun reading it! This story has a mixture of supernatural horror and real life horror, with the story taking us back to a time when mental health conditions were treated with horrible, physical, experimental procedures. I enjoyed the setting of this book, it reminded me of AHS: Asylum, and I would love to read more books like this!
Thank you to the author for a copy!
Thank you to the author for a copy!
December 4, 2021
It's always exciting for me to find a new voice in indie horror. I tore through this short novella during my lunch break this afternoon. I was so engrossed I forgot to microwave my sad little frozen lasagna. My stomach was rumbling for the rest of the day but I ain't mad. It's set in an insane asylum in 1886, which is already inherently frightening. The good doctor is sure he's helping his patients heal, but gets his jollies by subjecting them to torturous "treatments." Btw these are all real things that they did to patients back in the day. All manner of evil is brewing in the asylum, some of it not from this world.
April 19, 2024
4 1/2 stars
This was my first time reading a book by T.R. Slauf. I've always enjoyed horror stories about demons and ghosts, particularly haunted houses and asylums, so this book was right up my alley.
I had to admit, it took me a good chapter or two before I reached the "I can't put this down" stage of the book, but I did finish the same day I started reading it. I took off half a star because of the head hopping issues that presented a few spots, but otherwise, I really enjoyed the story.
Humans are interesting creatures, and this book definitely puts a big spotlight on that fact. The "good" doctor was worse than his patients, particularly because all the pain and harm he caused was meant to help his patients. The demonic being was the most honest of them all -- well, and Mary. I really loved her character. Despite all she suffered, she remained strong to the very end.
Dr. Grey might have been a bad guy but he wasn't the bad guy in this story. The fact he couldn't see his own flaws and dark desires made me want to reach into the pages and punch him, but his lack of self-awareness is partly what drives the story. He's a distasteful character, and got what he deserved.
The Devil Within is a twisted horror tale that will stay with you... Don't think you're finished once the book ends. No, you'll only be left wondering what happens next because this one doesn't stop with a hard "the end". It's left to your imagination what becomes of the characters once the story is over.
If you're a fan of House on Haunted Hill, then you're going to love The Devil Within.
**I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review. The review above is only my opinion.**
This was my first time reading a book by T.R. Slauf. I've always enjoyed horror stories about demons and ghosts, particularly haunted houses and asylums, so this book was right up my alley.
I had to admit, it took me a good chapter or two before I reached the "I can't put this down" stage of the book, but I did finish the same day I started reading it. I took off half a star because of the head hopping issues that presented a few spots, but otherwise, I really enjoyed the story.
Humans are interesting creatures, and this book definitely puts a big spotlight on that fact. The "good" doctor was worse than his patients, particularly because all the pain and harm he caused was meant to help his patients. The demonic being was the most honest of them all -- well, and Mary. I really loved her character. Despite all she suffered, she remained strong to the very end.
Dr. Grey might have been a bad guy but he wasn't the bad guy in this story. The fact he couldn't see his own flaws and dark desires made me want to reach into the pages and punch him, but his lack of self-awareness is partly what drives the story. He's a distasteful character, and got what he deserved.
The Devil Within is a twisted horror tale that will stay with you... Don't think you're finished once the book ends. No, you'll only be left wondering what happens next because this one doesn't stop with a hard "the end". It's left to your imagination what becomes of the characters once the story is over.
If you're a fan of House on Haunted Hill, then you're going to love The Devil Within.
**I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review. The review above is only my opinion.**
April 18, 2024
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5
Spice: 0 out of 5
Tropes:
😱Horror
🥼19th Century Asylum
🔪Murder Mystery
🩸Gory Elements
📚Review:
This was a punchy little Horror novella. The atmosphere of an asylum is always the perfect eerie setting for a story! At the end of the 19th century we join a respected doctor performing unseemly "treatments" to his patients. However, we must remember that the treatments he's doing unfortunately were the norm at that time period.
Murders around the asylum begin with horrifying pace and what seems like lucid nightmares occuring to his daughters brings about a questioning of what's real.
It delivers some effectively chilling murder scenes and an enjoyable creep factor for those that want a quick scary tale.
I felt it was much like an episode of Tales from the Darkside or an episode of American Horror Story, so if you like that, this would be a quick read you'd enjoy!
Spice: 0 out of 5
Tropes:
😱Horror
🥼19th Century Asylum
🔪Murder Mystery
🩸Gory Elements
📚Review:
This was a punchy little Horror novella. The atmosphere of an asylum is always the perfect eerie setting for a story! At the end of the 19th century we join a respected doctor performing unseemly "treatments" to his patients. However, we must remember that the treatments he's doing unfortunately were the norm at that time period.
Murders around the asylum begin with horrifying pace and what seems like lucid nightmares occuring to his daughters brings about a questioning of what's real.
It delivers some effectively chilling murder scenes and an enjoyable creep factor for those that want a quick scary tale.
I felt it was much like an episode of Tales from the Darkside or an episode of American Horror Story, so if you like that, this would be a quick read you'd enjoy!
October 1, 2022
In 1886, widowed psychiatrist Dr. Wilhelm Grey, questions his sanity as mysterious events plague his hospital. A new patient tempts his mortal soul, while a maniac mocks his pain. When his eldest daughter is mutilated, he searches for answers, allowing his vengeance to feed his wrath. He reaches his breaking point when a patient dies in a freak accident, and a maniac set loose on the grounds. Has he gone mad as his patients, or is something more sinister afoot?
This was a great fall read, with an intreating indie horror vibe. I loved the pacing of this one and I read this one in one day. If you need a good book for the spooky season, give this one a read.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This was a great fall read, with an intreating indie horror vibe. I loved the pacing of this one and I read this one in one day. If you need a good book for the spooky season, give this one a read.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 6, 2024
This would be the perfect read for a dark, stormy, autumn night when the power is out, and you're curled up next to a warm fire with your favorite drink. Assuming you weren't planning on getting any sleep anyway, that is. I wasn't expecting life at an asylum in the late 19th century to be anything but a horror show - but I wasn't prepared for how dark and gory this got. Saluf did a (maybe too) good job of drawing you in, getting you settled and used to the MMC before taking things just a (big) step further. No spoilers, but it was hard to set this down, and being a novella, I was able to knock it out in just one day.
May 31, 2024
The Devil Within is a quick read that takes place in a asylum in the 1800s and is about when strange things start happening within the hospital walls but also in the psychiatrist home as well. This was an amazing read that had me turning pages till the very end. The author did a great job writing this book and I would recommend this one to any reader who loves a good horror book. Thank you to R&R Book Tours and the author for this book in exchange of my review.
January 30, 2023
Gotta love a good demon possession story!😍😈
May 31, 2024
This was a quick and fun read. I really enjoyed reading this book on the beach in Mexico. I loved the creepy setting of the insane asylum. This book does have triggers and there was some very disturbing parts! There is something evil lurking in the asylum killing patients and employees alike. Can the evil be stopped before it takes everyone out?? This is highly recommended for those readers who like creepy horror books.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews