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Ringrock
Four students, travelling back to university from a friend’s party, crash their car in a desolate part of the Yorkshire moors. They stumble across a village that has no right being there; it isn’t on any map and has no means of communication with the outside world.
It also doesn’t take kindly to strangers.
Ruth Glover lives in Ringrock, but she wants out. She fears for the safety of her baby and the ritual that takes an offering from one of the village families each and every month.
Four outsiders might just be the key to her escape.
Doctor Sebastian Wheelwright rules the village with an iron fist. Anything that upsets the delicate balance of how his community operates has to be removed, with extreme prejudice if necessary.
Ethan, Odd, Noah and Kyle… they cannot be allowed to stay. But neither can they be allowed to leave, once they learn the secret of the Ringrock itself.
A new horror/suspense novel from Stephen Barnard, the author of Grievers’ Wood and No One Is Leaving.
It also doesn’t take kindly to strangers.
Ruth Glover lives in Ringrock, but she wants out. She fears for the safety of her baby and the ritual that takes an offering from one of the village families each and every month.
Four outsiders might just be the key to her escape.
Doctor Sebastian Wheelwright rules the village with an iron fist. Anything that upsets the delicate balance of how his community operates has to be removed, with extreme prejudice if necessary.
Ethan, Odd, Noah and Kyle… they cannot be allowed to stay. But neither can they be allowed to leave, once they learn the secret of the Ringrock itself.
A new horror/suspense novel from Stephen Barnard, the author of Grievers’ Wood and No One Is Leaving.
249 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 30, 2025
3 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Barnard
59 books44 followersStephen Barnard has been writing fiction (and non-fiction cricket exploits) for a number of years. The success of his short story collection 'A Very Bad Year' encouraged him to push further. He now has over 20 published works, mainly in the horror/suspense genre. When he's not writing he teaches, reads, snoozes and binge-watches horror films.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
August 24, 2025
Good grief.
I rarely give a 5/5 these days because I'm grumpy, I guess, but I couldn't rate this lower (and didn't want to). A fantastic story of a tiny, outdated village with some very alarming beliefs and customs, a power-mad, hypocritical leader, folk-horror elements, and plenty of carnage.
I rarely give a 5/5 these days because I'm grumpy, I guess, but I couldn't rate this lower (and didn't want to). A fantastic story of a tiny, outdated village with some very alarming beliefs and customs, a power-mad, hypocritical leader, folk-horror elements, and plenty of carnage.
October 8, 2025
Yeeesss!! Two for two. I'm starting to think this author writes for me.
This is the second Stephen Barnard book I've read and it was awesome. Fast paced, gory and totally unexpected. I love when a story gets to the point - first chapter, multiple deaths. Four chapters in, more people are dead. That's what a horror should be. I was constantly surprised throughout the book. I never knew where the story was going and absolutely didn't see the twists coming, except one Underrated horror author and a must read for horror lovers.
This is the second Stephen Barnard book I've read and it was awesome. Fast paced, gory and totally unexpected. I love when a story gets to the point - first chapter, multiple deaths. Four chapters in, more people are dead. That's what a horror should be. I was constantly surprised throughout the book. I never knew where the story was going and absolutely didn't see the twists coming, except one Underrated horror author and a must read for horror lovers.
May 2, 2025
When I read the afterword and the author wrote this was a story he had started writing in 1999 but then put it away, I was glad he brought the story back out and finished writing this great novel. There were so many things that intrigued as well as disgusted me in this book. The idea of a hidden society. The fact that these families had been living as though it were the 1800’s was incredible by itself. The fact that if controlled enough people could be led to believe whatever. Then there was the absolute depravity of what took place in ‘Ringrock’. The appetites of men have long been the ruination of women and children alike. That was the case in this book. The pariahs knew they do not belong there but due to the absolute control by the Wheelright family, they had no means of escape. The author did a believable job of convincing the reader that this village had no idea of what existed outside of Ringrock. The terror was real for these people. They willingly gave up family members for the sacrifice as demanded by the ‘Doctor’. Any disobedience was met with swift consequences therefore no one questioned this man. Religious control has always fascinated me, I experienced a cult as a child. The author wrote his story about the control it requires spot on. People are willing to do whatever is told to them without question. People on the outside can never understand because they have not experienced this phenomenon. This may be fiction but there is truth in the words written.
May 16, 2025
"Ringrock" is a very weird book: it starts with the manager of a death metal band picking members of the audience to go meet the band after a gig; it jumps to four university students in a car, bickering among themselves how to get onto the highway after leaving late from a party; and ends up in a village called Ringrock, where sacrifices are regularly demanded if the community is to survive. The details are even more bewildering: the sacrificial offerings, almost always babies, less often are "pariahs," namely outsiders; the students have to fight for their lives when they crash the car, and find themselves as pariahs in Ringrock; and the whole thing is intricately orchestrated by a filthy rich guy who rules the village with a heavy hand, has connections with the outside world (and even has a psychopath for a brother!).
It's impossible to guess where the story will take you: on the surface, it seems to be all over the place, with very strong Midsommar vibes, till a couple of totally unexpected revelations transform the story into Hostel; yet the blend of folk horror with a conspiracist plotline works fine, since it allows Barnard to go wild and mess with every one of his characters in surprising (and even moving) ways, setting up an incredible ending - especially when the tale comes full circle and we finally meet the death metal band again!
Although I didn't have a favorite character (in a sense, this turned out to be a blessing), the book is amazingly plotted, has some mind-shattering twists, and several moments of dark humor. Barnard in his afterword explains how the novel gestated in his mind since 1999; and in fact, the students act a bit too proper and 'rationally,' let's say, for a 2025 novel: they're essentially the good guys (at least most of them), and it's clear who are the villains. Coupled with the so-called "village mentality" of the rest of the main cast, this sometimes makes the book feel like a YA novel (of "The Maze Runner" type), and this was a bit jarring for me. That said, Barnard has a good grasp of the cultish mindset, and builds a solid story on it: throw in a touch of romance and some Die Hard heroics, and you have a book guaranteed to entertain and shake up all kinds of readers! And if you find that missing toe anywhere, contact Barnard ASAP - certainly not me LOL!
It's impossible to guess where the story will take you: on the surface, it seems to be all over the place, with very strong Midsommar vibes, till a couple of totally unexpected revelations transform the story into Hostel; yet the blend of folk horror with a conspiracist plotline works fine, since it allows Barnard to go wild and mess with every one of his characters in surprising (and even moving) ways, setting up an incredible ending - especially when the tale comes full circle and we finally meet the death metal band again!
Although I didn't have a favorite character (in a sense, this turned out to be a blessing), the book is amazingly plotted, has some mind-shattering twists, and several moments of dark humor. Barnard in his afterword explains how the novel gestated in his mind since 1999; and in fact, the students act a bit too proper and 'rationally,' let's say, for a 2025 novel: they're essentially the good guys (at least most of them), and it's clear who are the villains. Coupled with the so-called "village mentality" of the rest of the main cast, this sometimes makes the book feel like a YA novel (of "The Maze Runner" type), and this was a bit jarring for me. That said, Barnard has a good grasp of the cultish mindset, and builds a solid story on it: throw in a touch of romance and some Die Hard heroics, and you have a book guaranteed to entertain and shake up all kinds of readers! And if you find that missing toe anywhere, contact Barnard ASAP - certainly not me LOL!
May 11, 2025
Ringrock follows a group of friends who get lost in the dark wasteland that is the north east of England. After getting into a car accident, they find themselves in a strange village called Ringrock. The villagers are odd, and people seem to go missing a lot…
Ringrock is folk horror with a twist, with similar vibes to Midsommar and the Wicker Man if they were directed by M. Night Shyamalan.
I fell in love with the characters—ok, not all of them—they were all so well developed. It is a strange cast of people in Ringrock, but they all really work towards the plot and make a huge difference to the story.
The story is original, delivered with Stephen Barnard’s classic mix of wit and unique depravity. This is absolutely one to watch out for, it is a really unique and modern twist on classic folk horror and I was here for every minute of it.
Ringrock is folk horror with a twist, with similar vibes to Midsommar and the Wicker Man if they were directed by M. Night Shyamalan.
I fell in love with the characters—ok, not all of them—they were all so well developed. It is a strange cast of people in Ringrock, but they all really work towards the plot and make a huge difference to the story.
The story is original, delivered with Stephen Barnard’s classic mix of wit and unique depravity. This is absolutely one to watch out for, it is a really unique and modern twist on classic folk horror and I was here for every minute of it.
August 24, 2025
Well, I think I'll just go ahead and give this a big old 5/5. What an entertaining novel, full of debauchery, folk-horror, and murderous a-holes. (Also great characters, a wonderful setting, and an insanely creepy mystery).
May 19, 2025
Ok, this one was WILD! Just when you think you know what’s going to happen, the story takes a turn in a completely different direction! I have yet to be disappointed in anything Stephen Barnard writes.
When four University students get lost in the middle of nowhere, they’re in a car accident that leaves them stranded in a bizarre village. The people there don’t have any modern conveniences, are not allowed to leave or communicate with the outside world. The secrets of Ringrock will shock you!
If you’re looking for something full of surprises that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this is the book for you.
When four University students get lost in the middle of nowhere, they’re in a car accident that leaves them stranded in a bizarre village. The people there don’t have any modern conveniences, are not allowed to leave or communicate with the outside world. The secrets of Ringrock will shock you!
If you’re looking for something full of surprises that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this is the book for you.
June 3, 2025
As if the wind knew something before we did.
There’s a stretch of road in every reader’s mind: long and low, where the sky presses too close and the landscape feels like it remembers more than it should. That’s where Ringrock lives. Stephen Barnard’s latest novel isn’t a tale that creeps up on you. It barrels in, headlights flickering, secrets jangling in the trunk, daring you to keep up.
On its face, Ringrock is a fast-paced supernatural thriller with enough shadowed corners and sudden turns to keep even the most caffeine-addled reader (me) burning through chapters. Barnard knows how to write movement - not just action, but momentum. The plot doesn’t so much unfold as it snaps open like a bear trap. The mystery at its heart, built on small-town legends and the strange humming unease is magnetic, if sometimes a touch too tidy.
It’s in the tone where the book straddles an uneasy line. At times, Ringrock leans toward the voice of youth: not childish, not unskilled, but filtered through the lens of someone whose bones haven't yet learned to ache when it rains. There’s a YA-like immediacy to the characters’ reactions, their righteous certainty, their hunger to fix things with just enough rebellion and heart. That’s not a flaw, exactly. But for a reader just south of forty, it sometimes dulled the weight of the stakes.
Still, Barnard earns his ghosts. The foreshadowing is measured, never wagging its finger. Even the more predictable turns don’t feel cheap but inevitable, like watching a coin flip in slow motion and already knowing which side it’ll land on, yet still hoping you’re wrong.
The novel’s premise - the titular Ringrock and its eldritch pull - is compelling. It's where Barnard lets his literary instincts stretch out, brushing up against allegory without falling into over-explanation. There are glimmers of real depth in the way the story pokes at themes of inherited trauma, of place and memory, of how easily a town can turn into a trap. I wanted more of that: not more pages, but more resonance. There’s a version of this book in my head that lingers like woodsmoke, but Ringrock lingers like engine heat.
Would I have given this five stars if I’d read it in my twenties, with more recklessness in my blood and fewer books behind me? Probably. But that doesn’t mean the book isn’t good. It’s solid: well-built, sharply written, and confident in its mythos. It knows what it wants to do, and it does it with style.
It just doesn’t haunt me. Not quite. But it could have. And maybe, for some readers, it still will.
There’s a stretch of road in every reader’s mind: long and low, where the sky presses too close and the landscape feels like it remembers more than it should. That’s where Ringrock lives. Stephen Barnard’s latest novel isn’t a tale that creeps up on you. It barrels in, headlights flickering, secrets jangling in the trunk, daring you to keep up.
On its face, Ringrock is a fast-paced supernatural thriller with enough shadowed corners and sudden turns to keep even the most caffeine-addled reader (me) burning through chapters. Barnard knows how to write movement - not just action, but momentum. The plot doesn’t so much unfold as it snaps open like a bear trap. The mystery at its heart, built on small-town legends and the strange humming unease is magnetic, if sometimes a touch too tidy.
It’s in the tone where the book straddles an uneasy line. At times, Ringrock leans toward the voice of youth: not childish, not unskilled, but filtered through the lens of someone whose bones haven't yet learned to ache when it rains. There’s a YA-like immediacy to the characters’ reactions, their righteous certainty, their hunger to fix things with just enough rebellion and heart. That’s not a flaw, exactly. But for a reader just south of forty, it sometimes dulled the weight of the stakes.
Still, Barnard earns his ghosts. The foreshadowing is measured, never wagging its finger. Even the more predictable turns don’t feel cheap but inevitable, like watching a coin flip in slow motion and already knowing which side it’ll land on, yet still hoping you’re wrong.
The novel’s premise - the titular Ringrock and its eldritch pull - is compelling. It's where Barnard lets his literary instincts stretch out, brushing up against allegory without falling into over-explanation. There are glimmers of real depth in the way the story pokes at themes of inherited trauma, of place and memory, of how easily a town can turn into a trap. I wanted more of that: not more pages, but more resonance. There’s a version of this book in my head that lingers like woodsmoke, but Ringrock lingers like engine heat.
Would I have given this five stars if I’d read it in my twenties, with more recklessness in my blood and fewer books behind me? Probably. But that doesn’t mean the book isn’t good. It’s solid: well-built, sharply written, and confident in its mythos. It knows what it wants to do, and it does it with style.
It just doesn’t haunt me. Not quite. But it could have. And maybe, for some readers, it still will.
May 3, 2025
Ringrock is the latest novel from Stephen Barnard, and it takes you on one hell of a ride! When university students Ethan, Noah, Odd, and Kyle wreck their car on the way back from a party, they find themselves in a world unlike anything they’ve ever seen. The village of Ringrock is like a page out of time, primitive in ways that are hard to comprehend. Overseeing all is wealthy Sebastian Wheelwright, the leader who not only rules the village, but ensures frequent sacrificial offerings are made on a regular basis in order to bless the community and all who call it home. The lives of the four friends become entwined with a young mother desperate to save her infant daughter and a disillusioned villager searching for a woman residing in the Wheelwright manor. What happens across the next few days will leave all of them changed forever.
I’m a huge fan of Stephen’s work and this book is another banger! I thought I knew where the story might be going and quickly learned how wrong I was. This took a turn in a direction I wasn’t prepared for and surprised me in the best way. There’s fantastic character development that really helps set the tone of the village. Villains abound, some obvious and others unexpected. Through it all, there’s heart, a touch of humor, and an intense, bloody climax culminating in a perfect ending. I laughed out loud, shed tears, and could feel my heart rate spike.
I’m a huge fan of Stephen’s work and this book is another banger! I thought I knew where the story might be going and quickly learned how wrong I was. This took a turn in a direction I wasn’t prepared for and surprised me in the best way. There’s fantastic character development that really helps set the tone of the village. Villains abound, some obvious and others unexpected. Through it all, there’s heart, a touch of humor, and an intense, bloody climax culminating in a perfect ending. I laughed out loud, shed tears, and could feel my heart rate spike.
June 25, 2025
Review: Ringrock
When I read Stephen Barnard’s ’Wrong Lane’ in the anthology, Bloody Hell, I knew he was a writer I needed to check out. I met him, and bought a signed copy of one of his books, over a year ago and still haven’t read it. I’m a slow reader and my TBR pile is huge! Sorry.
Ringrock is a clever idea for a story, but I feel the story ended too soon. I want to know more. This felt like it had a much bigger story in there and it made me wonder if there’s a sequel waiting inside the author’s brain.
The book reads like Wrong Turn meets Deliverance with a dash of Cabin in the Woods vibes thrown in.
The story started with a rock band with what appeared to be a taste for humans, as they collected blood, but then the story switched to a group of young men. I did wonder what was the point in introducing us to the blood collecting band, but then they made a reappearance, or should I say, encore? (Not sure why they collected blood though?)
Stephen’s setting and descriptions really made me envisage the village of Ringrock as though it was the 17th century, not modern day.
What occurred when that group of young men crashed into the village lake was quite barbaric—human sacrifices, slavery, and mental torture. The villagers were subservient and oblivious to what was really going on.
A great read, which seemed way too short, and made me want to know more. I look forward to reading more from Stephen.
Four out of five sacrificial skulls 💀💀💀💀
When I read Stephen Barnard’s ’Wrong Lane’ in the anthology, Bloody Hell, I knew he was a writer I needed to check out. I met him, and bought a signed copy of one of his books, over a year ago and still haven’t read it. I’m a slow reader and my TBR pile is huge! Sorry.
Ringrock is a clever idea for a story, but I feel the story ended too soon. I want to know more. This felt like it had a much bigger story in there and it made me wonder if there’s a sequel waiting inside the author’s brain.
The book reads like Wrong Turn meets Deliverance with a dash of Cabin in the Woods vibes thrown in.
The story started with a rock band with what appeared to be a taste for humans, as they collected blood, but then the story switched to a group of young men. I did wonder what was the point in introducing us to the blood collecting band, but then they made a reappearance, or should I say, encore? (Not sure why they collected blood though?)
Stephen’s setting and descriptions really made me envisage the village of Ringrock as though it was the 17th century, not modern day.
What occurred when that group of young men crashed into the village lake was quite barbaric—human sacrifices, slavery, and mental torture. The villagers were subservient and oblivious to what was really going on.
A great read, which seemed way too short, and made me want to know more. I look forward to reading more from Stephen.
Four out of five sacrificial skulls 💀💀💀💀
May 29, 2025
Ringrock doesn’t start with a whisper—it kicks in the door with a car crash, four unlucky students, and a village that makes The Village look like a weekend spa retreat. Ethan, Odd, Noah, and Kyle think they’ve found a backwoods detour… but they’ve really wandered into a living nightmare with a monthly ritual, a dictator doctor, and a town so off-the-grid it practically exists in a parallel dimension.
Ruth lives in Ringrock, but she’s desperate to escape—for her sake and her baby’s. Because this village doesn’t just have secrets. It feeds on them. And the “offering” that keeps things running smoothly? Yeah, it’s not a bake sale.
The boys? Trapped. The villagers? Watching. The tension? Thicker than Yorkshire fog. Stephen Barnard blends dread-drenched horror with sharp character arcs—especially Ruth, who quietly steals the show—and his writing has a rhythm that swings between eerie calm and “hell no” chaos.
Ringrock is eerie, gripping, and exactly the kind of cult-core chaos I live for. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Ruth lives in Ringrock, but she’s desperate to escape—for her sake and her baby’s. Because this village doesn’t just have secrets. It feeds on them. And the “offering” that keeps things running smoothly? Yeah, it’s not a bake sale.
The boys? Trapped. The villagers? Watching. The tension? Thicker than Yorkshire fog. Stephen Barnard blends dread-drenched horror with sharp character arcs—especially Ruth, who quietly steals the show—and his writing has a rhythm that swings between eerie calm and “hell no” chaos.
Ringrock is eerie, gripping, and exactly the kind of cult-core chaos I live for. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
October 15, 2025
I had the pleasure of connecting with Stephen recently on TikTok, and after checking out a few of his videos, I decided to take the plunge and purchase his most recent release: Ringrock.
There’s always a risk when discovering a new writer—you might not connect with their style or prose—and as always, I went in completely blind, hoping for the best.
After just a few pages, it was clear that Stephen’s writing style really worked for me. It absorbs you into the story, and the flow is smooth and easy to follow—exactly what I was hoping for!
As for the story itself, I thought it was gripping and had some truly intense moments of gore and terror that stood out. The atmosphere was eerie and unsettling in the best way, with a healthy balance of horror and humour throughout.
A well-written read that I’d definitely recommend to fans of dark fiction looking for something chilling, engaging, and more than a little twisted.
There’s always a risk when discovering a new writer—you might not connect with their style or prose—and as always, I went in completely blind, hoping for the best.
After just a few pages, it was clear that Stephen’s writing style really worked for me. It absorbs you into the story, and the flow is smooth and easy to follow—exactly what I was hoping for!
As for the story itself, I thought it was gripping and had some truly intense moments of gore and terror that stood out. The atmosphere was eerie and unsettling in the best way, with a healthy balance of horror and humour throughout.
A well-written read that I’d definitely recommend to fans of dark fiction looking for something chilling, engaging, and more than a little twisted.
May 15, 2025
Four students find themselves in a remote Yorkshire village after crashing their car on the way home from a party, and plunging into a lake. Ringrock's the kind of place you want to get away from, but never seem able to.
The village seems to have missed the modern age. Why is Ruth, a young villager, trying to escape with her baby, and who is the mysterious Dr Wheelwright, a man who seems to hold too much sway over the locals?
Ringrock is a blast. A folk horror, in a sense, but so much more. Barnard isn't afraid to go for broke when it comes to both gore and scares, but he also creates characters you really care about (or hate) and there's also a strong vein of humour running throughout.
A genuinely effective and mysterious horror story!
The village seems to have missed the modern age. Why is Ruth, a young villager, trying to escape with her baby, and who is the mysterious Dr Wheelwright, a man who seems to hold too much sway over the locals?
Ringrock is a blast. A folk horror, in a sense, but so much more. Barnard isn't afraid to go for broke when it comes to both gore and scares, but he also creates characters you really care about (or hate) and there's also a strong vein of humour running throughout.
A genuinely effective and mysterious horror story!
May 30, 2025
Four male university students heading back to school literally fall into a remote village. This village is secluded, has strange beliefs, scheduled live human sacrifices to the “gods”, ruled by one deceptive evil man, and then are rewarded with modern gifts.
Strangers are not welcome and don’t normally just stumble into the village, but when they do they may never leave.
Ruth is a Ringrock member trying to escape. She is trying to save her baby from a sacrifice that is expected from their family for the month. She runs into the boys trying to escape and the story takes on an eventful tale from there.
Gripping, intense and gruesome at times. A must read.
Strangers are not welcome and don’t normally just stumble into the village, but when they do they may never leave.
Ruth is a Ringrock member trying to escape. She is trying to save her baby from a sacrifice that is expected from their family for the month. She runs into the boys trying to escape and the story takes on an eventful tale from there.
Gripping, intense and gruesome at times. A must read.
June 3, 2025
A great read full of suspense. Maybe think twice before you go and see your favourite band... especially if you get targeted and chosen to go backstage. They may just have an alterier motive!
I loved how we went back in time without going back in time (read it to make it make sense!). It felt like we'd been taken back 300 years, but while also remaining in the present day. I love that it felt like time travel. I loved how in the beginning we didn't really understand what this rock is about, just that bad things happen there, and by the end, it had a whole other meaning to it.
Thanks for the opportunity, Stephen! This book may make you cry ugly tears
I loved how we went back in time without going back in time (read it to make it make sense!). It felt like we'd been taken back 300 years, but while also remaining in the present day. I love that it felt like time travel. I loved how in the beginning we didn't really understand what this rock is about, just that bad things happen there, and by the end, it had a whole other meaning to it.
Thanks for the opportunity, Stephen! This book may make you cry ugly tears
May 28, 2025
Well, what can I say….
What if there was a community that you couldn’t see? One hidden from the world as we know it? That had no knowledge of technology. That demanded a sacrifice.
What if that sacrifice was you, your friends?
What if you met someone who needed your help?
Would you stay? Would you try to help?
This was very well written, I am still on the line of did I love it or not! I Connected with the characters and enjoyed the story. The first I have read by Stephen.
I was lucky enough to read this as an ARC book, and will definitely be reading the rest of Stephen’s books.
What if there was a community that you couldn’t see? One hidden from the world as we know it? That had no knowledge of technology. That demanded a sacrifice.
What if that sacrifice was you, your friends?
What if you met someone who needed your help?
Would you stay? Would you try to help?
This was very well written, I am still on the line of did I love it or not! I Connected with the characters and enjoyed the story. The first I have read by Stephen.
I was lucky enough to read this as an ARC book, and will definitely be reading the rest of Stephen’s books.
April 26, 2025
Well, he's done it again! Stephen has started this story with a bang, and then kept the pace up throughout, not letting up until the very dramatic conclusion! This book is a little like The Village meets The Wicker Man, with a whole heap of Stephens crazy brain to make it something truly special. There are so many great and complex characters, and the plot is fabulous- keeping you rooting for some people, wishing pain and misery on others, and I just could not put it down.
May 8, 2025
I was lucky enough to receive this book before the release date and I greatly enjoyed it. the book is a horror suspense that is in the same lines as the village and the wicker man. there is a village that feels like it is frozen in time with something supernatural and horrifying going on. after a car accident four friends discover that there is something going on and sacrifices are being made by the families that live there.
May 26, 2025
Another fantastic story from the mind of Stephen Barnard.
I am a huge fan of his work and eagerly await his new releases and this one did not disappoint!
It all starts with four boys taking a wrong turn on their way home and literally crashing into a hidden world. I don’t want to give anything away but this story had me thinking things were going one way and then it flipped into something else.
I was hooked from the first page and can’t wait to add the paperback to add to my collection.
I am a huge fan of his work and eagerly await his new releases and this one did not disappoint!
It all starts with four boys taking a wrong turn on their way home and literally crashing into a hidden world. I don’t want to give anything away but this story had me thinking things were going one way and then it flipped into something else.
I was hooked from the first page and can’t wait to add the paperback to add to my collection.
May 28, 2025
This was a great example of folk horror. We have a small town with strange. Traditions, a group of modern teenagers who find themselves in the town and horror to follow. The story was fast-paced and very interesting. The small town was a character into itself. I won’t say that I felt bad for most of the teenagers, they were unlikable, and got was coming to them. Another winner from Stephen.
May 30, 2025
Village
Four friends end up stranded at a village that doesn't like visitors at all. Will the friends find a way out before it's too late. Masterfully woven tale.
Four friends end up stranded at a village that doesn't like visitors at all. Will the friends find a way out before it's too late. Masterfully woven tale.
June 1, 2025
Brilliant stuff.
April 30, 2025
This novel is like The Village meets Hostel which is never a bad thing. It's got twists and secrets galore and will keep your interest throughout.
A group of four friends take a shortcut one night trying to drive home from college. Their car plunges off a cliff to the water below and they barely survive. They head towards some lights in the distance and come upon a woman holding a baby. This woman leads them to her family home in a village.
This village shouldn't exist. There's no modern technology. No electricity, no phones, no indoor plumbing and the people dress in basic clothes.
One of the group gets led to a field seemingly for a good time with this woman. But he's tied upon a slab and left in the dark. That's when the ground starts rumbling and something with claws breaks through. He's a sacrifice to their "god" and this "god" protects the village from the sins of outsiders. Once you enter, you can never leave this place.
While the thought of a blood thirsty supernatural creature using humans for sacrifice is great, once we find out what's really going on it becomes much more horrifying.
As the three remaining friends try to escape this living nightmare, they'll discover some extremely demented secrets about the village and the leader, someone who claims to be a doctor. And there's no way out of the village so escape seems impossible.
There's a lot more going on in this thrilling novel as well. The psychopathic leader and his deranged brother are blood chilling antagonists. Between sacrifices to this "god", the physical and mental abuse of captured female outsiders, and the discovery that people in power are involved in keeping this village a secret, it's literally a life or death struggle of survival for our protagonists.
This book reads at a break neck pace and leaves you breathless at every turn. It's filled with haunting images and a wonderfully weird and bizzare cast of characters which you'll love to root for. But you'll have no sympathy for the antagonists. They are terrifying and brutal which adds to the tension.
This one is a horror/thriller you'll read well into the night and I highly recommend it.
A group of four friends take a shortcut one night trying to drive home from college. Their car plunges off a cliff to the water below and they barely survive. They head towards some lights in the distance and come upon a woman holding a baby. This woman leads them to her family home in a village.
This village shouldn't exist. There's no modern technology. No electricity, no phones, no indoor plumbing and the people dress in basic clothes.
One of the group gets led to a field seemingly for a good time with this woman. But he's tied upon a slab and left in the dark. That's when the ground starts rumbling and something with claws breaks through. He's a sacrifice to their "god" and this "god" protects the village from the sins of outsiders. Once you enter, you can never leave this place.
While the thought of a blood thirsty supernatural creature using humans for sacrifice is great, once we find out what's really going on it becomes much more horrifying.
As the three remaining friends try to escape this living nightmare, they'll discover some extremely demented secrets about the village and the leader, someone who claims to be a doctor. And there's no way out of the village so escape seems impossible.
There's a lot more going on in this thrilling novel as well. The psychopathic leader and his deranged brother are blood chilling antagonists. Between sacrifices to this "god", the physical and mental abuse of captured female outsiders, and the discovery that people in power are involved in keeping this village a secret, it's literally a life or death struggle of survival for our protagonists.
This book reads at a break neck pace and leaves you breathless at every turn. It's filled with haunting images and a wonderfully weird and bizzare cast of characters which you'll love to root for. But you'll have no sympathy for the antagonists. They are terrifying and brutal which adds to the tension.
This one is a horror/thriller you'll read well into the night and I highly recommend it.
May 17, 2025
There’s something deeply unsettling about isolated communities with secrets—RingRock taps right into that folk horror unease. Think The Village meets The Wicker Man, but with a modern indie twist - quiet dread that builds into full-blown terror.
The story follows four teens driving home from a party who crash their car after swerving to avoid a sheep on a remote country road. They end up somewhere... strange, far from the world they know- an eerie village seemingly frozen in time. Peaceful on the surface, the community survives by offering ritual sacrifices in exchange for safety, supplies, and order. What follows is a tense unraveling of fear, power, and manipulation.
Stephen Barnard’s writing is as engaging as ever— a page-turning ride with multiple perspectives converging to the same disturbing reality. Everyone has their secrets, everyone will have their part to play and no one is safe.
The story follows four teens driving home from a party who crash their car after swerving to avoid a sheep on a remote country road. They end up somewhere... strange, far from the world they know- an eerie village seemingly frozen in time. Peaceful on the surface, the community survives by offering ritual sacrifices in exchange for safety, supplies, and order. What follows is a tense unraveling of fear, power, and manipulation.
Stephen Barnard’s writing is as engaging as ever— a page-turning ride with multiple perspectives converging to the same disturbing reality. Everyone has their secrets, everyone will have their part to play and no one is safe.
April 30, 2025
This was one book that I could NOT put down. I was hooked from the start. It’s like M.Night Shyamalan’s The Village meets Fantasy Island meets Hostel with a touch of The Maze Runner added in. Characters with depth that you can really get to know, some you love, some you hate. Fast paced and keeps you on the edge of your seat ready for what will happen next. Strong beginning and an even better ending! This one should be on your ‘stop what you’re reading now and read this one instead’ list!
June 13, 2025
What exactly is Ringrock? Some say it's an unincorporated pagan village nestled deep within the North York Moors. Others claim that the village takes its namesake from an ancient stone where townsfolk are forced into ritualistic killings. Not quite the case. Ringrock is a vile and charming novel with elements of hostel, cabin in the woods, and brutal death metal rolled up into one ball.
Check out Barnard's new book. Over 20 years in the making!
Check out Barnard's new book. Over 20 years in the making!
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