Garth Marenghi's This Bursted Earth

TerrorTome #3

by Garth Marenghi, Matthew Holness

Horror author Nick Steen is having visions... A sinister Black Steeple; eerie lights in the sky that look like a Catherine wheel but are not remotely a Catherine wheel... Plus a giant skeleton with a moustache. Are they omens? Auguries? Portenderings of things to come? (Spoiler - yes, they are.)

For Nick Steen's imagination is bursting out of his brain and threatening to burst in turn the entirety of Stalkford.

Can Nick stop the aforesaid bursting? Or have things already slightly burst regardless? And will there ultimately be a grand finale to this three-book series (aka a trilogy) or a more open-ended conclusion in order to leave potential room for further sequels? (That, btw, will ultimately be Garth's decision.)

From the fevered imaginata of Horror Fiction's Grand Frightener Garth Marenghi, author of Sunday Times-bestselling Garth Marenghi's TerrorTome and Garth Marenghi's Incarcerat, come three freshly rancid tales of . . .

. . . THIS BURSTED EARTH

Genres: Horror, Humor, Fiction, Comedy, Audiobook

404 pages, Hardcover

First published October 30, 2025

Reviews

[Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did this book scare me? Did it? Scare me? Did this ultra horrifying, brain rapingly terrifying book scare me? Well, my friend, what do YOU think?

No really, what do you think? How does a person figure out if they’ve been scared? I did piss myself but it was only like a quarter of my bladder that came out so I don’t think it deserves full marks.

[Rusty Ray Guns · Rating 5 out of 5]

that was flipping brilliant all 3 storys were brilliant.
will be going back to read all 3 again now .

[Jack Nicholls · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third book in Garth Marenghi's horror anthology, following Nick Steen's ongoing quest to battle monsters, gribblies, ghouls, and other horrors that have manifested from his twisted imagination.

I've read online that this is meant to be the final book in the series, and I think that's for the best. Nick's schtick isn't so thick anymore. A lot of the jokes and humour do feel they are treading familiar ground, such as Garth's tendency to overwrite everything, his casual sexism, and baffling stereotypes. These are things we have seen before, and while there's still some ironic chuckles to be found, it wears thin at this point. The third story in this tome I could only describe as "elevated sexism" which, while still ironic, was I think the point where I was thinking "I get it" the most.

There's still some funny creativity in here. The idea of Stalkford having an FBI branch, complete with a bad tempered policeman in giant rubber waders, is very funny, and that was probably my favourite story of the bunch. A giant man-baby born of an elder god that Nick has to babysit was also a highlight.

Hopefully this is the end though. I think it's run its course and I'm glad it has at least ended on a good note where I can consider myself satisfied. Anymore of these would perhaps be more horrifying than anything Garth Marenghi himself could ever imagine.

[B.J. Swann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continues to be a brilliant series in both written and audio format. Bring on volume 4!!!

[Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything I hoped for and more. When listening to this I ordered a signed copy and got a ticket for the book tour. I cannot wait

[Ross Maclean · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a pleasing level of meta-ness at times here as Holness/Marenghi seeks fresh angles for what is already a book-within-a-book in a series that’s tackled multiple genre parodies. The fresh angles here include bringing in concepts like unauthorised translations and in-world fabricated memoirs. There’s an inspired giallo-tinged bloodbath, which is probably the most successful of the three tales, but the Lovecraftian scuzzy devil cult section and The Stepford Wives via Area 51 are all complementary in crafting something that feels genuinely varied in style across the whole. All while finding a nice groove between being stodgily overwritten and still entertaining to read.

[JW · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond excellent in its ridiculousness.

[Joseph Hamm · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last section was by far the best one

[Martyn Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bonelord: A quirky entry this one, with lots of laugh out loud moments amongst the surreal escapades of Nick Steen and his editor/police officer Roz’s fight against a monster that’s rampaging across Stalkford reducing humans to liquid remains and the occasional kidney stone.

It’s another great entry with lots of amusing characters, blood and guts, and a stupid skeletal villain. The strongest and most consistent story in this volume by far.

The Black Steeple: this one might just be as big and smelly as one of Duncan’s dumps, one of the main characters in this short story. There’s lots going on in this one. An adopted monster/child was the part of the story I like least, whereas the creepy town and mysterious black steeple church worked best.

Overall, this has lots of jokes that work, and lots of jokes and plot points that were just a bit of a mess and really hit and miss, and that ending…Garth…

Specimen: hurrah for something a bit different in the form of an alien invasion story! There’s abduction, and spaceships that look like Catherine wheels but not at all like Catherine wheels and a whole commentary on how important the patriarchy is to Garth, as are his balls.

It’s good, but a bit rushed.

Recommended?: overall it’s not quite on a par with his previous entries, but there’s plenty of laugh out loud moments to be had in the ever comical and entertaining TerrorTome series

[Marcus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Possibly for the best that he ends the trilogy here. Not because the premise of Marenghi's fears of fatherhood, women and companionship being the driving force behind Nick's adventures was already explored in the last book, but because this is too scary. I like the running gag of most of the features of the setting he's trying to build are just lifted entirely from American pop culture.

[Ste · Rating 2 out of 5]

By the third time round, the formula has worn too thin. The good jokes are few and far between and you don't have the hilarious acting and special effects of the TV series, so for long stretches this isn't a parody of bad horror; it's just bad horror. The middle story was the biggest drag, covering ground that Marenghi already covered better with the legendary Skipper the Eye-Child.

[Arthur B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid enough; one suspects that sooner or later this formula will wear thin, but it holds together for this span at least. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/202...

[Nerys Mellor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another absolute belter, I thoroughly enjoyed taking another strange foray into the 'terrifying' world that is Nick Steen's imagination. Once again an audiobook that made me laugh out loud many times.

[Edmund Bloxam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stories carried the humour perfectly; they had more than enough actual interest, balanced of course with Marenghi's fecund 'creativity' to make this easily the funniest book I have ever had the misfortune to encounter.

Thanks a lot, Garth, you bastard. No, actually. Thanks.

[Matthew Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than Incarcerat, worse than Terrortome, I look forward to the next installment!

[Linda Brinkley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only hilarious, but educational, as I know understand what it truly means to shred on the guitar.

[Robert Kirkup · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope he never stops writing these.

[Julie Garfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

a rib tickler every time

[F.R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most amusing. The last tale has more than a touch of THE TWO RONNIES to it, but at this point I’d follow Garth anywhere.

[Neil Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring, I thought. The joke gets lost and then it's just actual bad horror. I found little in this one that was as funny or inventive as the first two tomes.

[BurritoChris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably not as consistently funny as previous books but the added little pieces of music are excellent. And I really liked that book 2 was canonically a dream.

[Jake Lewsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

not as good as the first two but i will continue to support out of love (providing he does not follow the trend of beloved british alt comics turning out to be complete bastards) x

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fitting end (?) to Garth Marenghi's TerrorTome series. I really enjoy this final book, and the ending wasn't quite what I was expecting.

I really hope that he writes some more!

[Joey Torrieri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hope he continues to make these!

[Hugh Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

He warned me. Didn’t he warn me? Yes, I was warned alright. Oh, how he warned me. There’s warning and then there’s warning. And believe me I was warned. He warned me, that’s right pilgrim, me. Yes I was, warned. I was! I shouldn’t try and imply that I wasn’t warned because I was very specifically warned. I was warned about what would happen. I remember now. That’s right pilgrim I was warned about what would happen to this earth. That’s right, this earth, not that earth or another earth somewhere way over there that no one’s even seen or heard about, no. I was warned about this earth. This earth that’s been bursted. That’s right pilgrim, this bursted earth. I’ve looked around and I can’t seriously try to say that this earth hasn’t been bursted. It’s not in fine fetal. It’s not in good shape. Seriously? Seriously. Seriously! I’m serious. I’m seriously trying to tell you that this earth, this bursted earth, has been bursted. I was a fool. A poor, poor, fool. But he is not a fool, he was the warner, pilgrim. The warner of mankind. And he, the warner, warns me now as he warned me then, that this earth hath been bursted. For this be, a bursted earth. An earth so bursted that it shalt forever be known heretoforth as This Bursted Earth. Look around you again pilgrim only this time really look around, there swells misruleridge, unfairity and despotatoes. And loft pon yonder horizon doth ride the five horsemen of Armageddonips. I would quite like to be saved from it. I hope it’s not too late. Apparently it’s too late for that pilgrim. Too damned late. But in fairness he did warn me multiple times. All he can advise me now to is follow him. Follow him in his dance of doom. For he twelt now dance the dance of doom across this bursted earth for all eternitum ie the foreseeable. He doth warned me pilgrim, yet heed him did I neigh.

Disapprovingly, devoted reader.
Bewarned of mankind or lady kind if that be thy poison.