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I Be The Christis, The Kid Beheaded
Halloween was never so obscene. This is no dark Duck Dynasty or Reality TV. This is a true horror story.
From beyond the grave, a Southern boy savior who once raised the dead gives testament to the final hours of his own Judgement Day. A backwater private militia, religious zealotry, and wicked keepers of the Oath converge in terrorist uprising against an Appalachian mountain village. Echoes of ISIS and Islamic terrorism reverberate in this heartrending portrait of an American heartland horror.
A Short Tale Untold by a Riddle Top Magpie.
From the author of The Kestrel Waters and Wicked Temper.
"Thornhorn, where the hell have you been?" ~ William Peter Blatty (author of The Exorcist)
"One of the South's wildest new voices..." ~ The Oxford American Magazine
From beyond the grave, a Southern boy savior who once raised the dead gives testament to the final hours of his own Judgement Day. A backwater private militia, religious zealotry, and wicked keepers of the Oath converge in terrorist uprising against an Appalachian mountain village. Echoes of ISIS and Islamic terrorism reverberate in this heartrending portrait of an American heartland horror.
A Short Tale Untold by a Riddle Top Magpie.
From the author of The Kestrel Waters and Wicked Temper.
"Thornhorn, where the hell have you been?" ~ William Peter Blatty (author of The Exorcist)
"One of the South's wildest new voices..." ~ The Oxford American Magazine
64 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 15, 2014
4 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Randy Thornhorn
17 books58 followersRandy Thornhorn is the teller of many tales, including this one. His most recent work is the acclaimed Southern music novel The Kestrel Waters, the epic sequel to his novel Wicked Temper. Author of the longest fiction ever published in The Oxford American Magazine, most of Mr. Thornhorn's stories occur in a displaced world, a fable-infested Southern region some would surely deem unsafe. He visits often, sometimes stays the night. Other nights he might be found on a wooded hilltop somewhere east of Montgomery in the land of Alabama.
He seldom sees angels fly his skies. But magpies are another story.
He seldom sees angels fly his skies. But magpies are another story.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 30, 2020
"This be the day. Your day, your doing. This be the day of your jugular adjudication. Get thee ready for the head chopper."
The Christis (rhymes with crisis), may be a mere boy, but he has the power to raise the dead. A hapless, and involuntary member of a horribly racist religious/extremist group, he relates this weird, ungodly tale as he awaits his execution. A short, highly disturbing read, made all the more unnerving by the current political climate.
The Christis (rhymes with crisis), may be a mere boy, but he has the power to raise the dead. A hapless, and involuntary member of a horribly racist religious/extremist group, he relates this weird, ungodly tale as he awaits his execution. A short, highly disturbing read, made all the more unnerving by the current political climate.
October 24, 2014
This may be the most disturbing piece of writing that I've ever read. It is so shocking and scary. You want to believe that these types of extremists don't exist but then that would be lies. Real evil exists and it's portrayed in this short story. I'm kind of lost on what more to say. If the title doesn't scare you away be prepared for a horror story. It's going to emotionally drain you and I recommend reading on a beautiful, sunny day like I did. It helps to clear the mind!
October 25, 2014
This piece could not be more timely. It addresses the smoldering evil that sometimes masquerades as fundamentalist religion. As I read Thornhorn's story, I felt dreadful, which is to say, full of dread. This is not a comfortable place to be, needless to say. But that is what really good fiction does for us, isn't it? Sometimes it inspires the type of discomfort that leads to a change in the way we look at the world. Without giving too much away, let me add that all is not as it appears in this strange story.
October 28, 2014
Scary Real! This has to be one of the most unsettling and truly scary stories I have ever come across. An earlier reviewer got it right. The word is disturbing. Really d**n disturbing. I felt edgy the whole time I was reading it afraid of where it was going. I certainly did not expect where it went or ended up. These homegrown crazies are too close to home not to be frightening right now in a way this stark little story captures. I didn’t expect it to touch my heart in the end. But it did. Very recommended if you are up for it.
October 25, 2014
I Be The Christis, The Kid Beheaded.
Oh my! This story is such a diabolical thrill-ride. It doesn’t go where you think it will – it goes further. Into the hearts and minds of some very bad people. Fascinating all. Thornhorn has done it again. This time even a mother’s love may not be enough to save a young boy. Read it and then read it again. You will want to!
Oh my! This story is such a diabolical thrill-ride. It doesn’t go where you think it will – it goes further. Into the hearts and minds of some very bad people. Fascinating all. Thornhorn has done it again. This time even a mother’s love may not be enough to save a young boy. Read it and then read it again. You will want to!
November 1, 2014
Another great story from Randy Thornhorn. I love these dark and sinister gothic characters and the world they inhabit but I sure wouldn't want to live there! The dialect sticks in my head and I always want to continue with the story. What is going to happen next? I could not put it down but I made sure to read it in daytime!
January 15, 2021
I is the I is... His will be did...
No spoilers. 4 1/2 stars. This is the hillbilly tale of a cult called the Clan of the Christis...
If you log onto your YouTube, keyword Christis (it rhymes with crisis) you'll find the backwoods home videos of...
... the Christis Clan and its Christis Camp. You'll see head choppers and chopped heads... sacrifices saying their last God-be-with-yous...
Next up for head chopping day was teenaged, indoctrinated Ryman who had the power in his forefinger to make the dead riz (hillbilly for rise or rose)...
Ryman was kidnapped by the cult's leader, the bearded and crazy Pappy Goose Ryger and his accomplice Uncle Duckly...
Ryman, along with the other cult children, were witness to many a head chopping day... These horrors got the best of Ryman and never gived 'em back...
Today is the day... Ryman's beheading hour is nigh... get ready for the head chopper... His will be did...
This was a very tense short story. I removed half a star because like so many of Randy Thornhorn's excellent Appalachian stories, the end begs for more explanation but that's just my personal preference.
A little pep talk is in order here: if you want to enjoy this story you'll have to get to about 20% before it becomes understandable. Just stick with it even if the hill talk seems hard to follow and it will suddenly unfold into a page-turner story.
If you enjoy this story try WICKED TEMPER by this author for an unforgettable full-length Appalachian horror story which is one of the best novels I've ever read.
No spoilers. 4 1/2 stars. This is the hillbilly tale of a cult called the Clan of the Christis...
If you log onto your YouTube, keyword Christis (it rhymes with crisis) you'll find the backwoods home videos of...
... the Christis Clan and its Christis Camp. You'll see head choppers and chopped heads... sacrifices saying their last God-be-with-yous...
Next up for head chopping day was teenaged, indoctrinated Ryman who had the power in his forefinger to make the dead riz (hillbilly for rise or rose)...
Ryman was kidnapped by the cult's leader, the bearded and crazy Pappy Goose Ryger and his accomplice Uncle Duckly...
Ryman, along with the other cult children, were witness to many a head chopping day... These horrors got the best of Ryman and never gived 'em back...
Today is the day... Ryman's beheading hour is nigh... get ready for the head chopper... His will be did...
This was a very tense short story. I removed half a star because like so many of Randy Thornhorn's excellent Appalachian stories, the end begs for more explanation but that's just my personal preference.
A little pep talk is in order here: if you want to enjoy this story you'll have to get to about 20% before it becomes understandable. Just stick with it even if the hill talk seems hard to follow and it will suddenly unfold into a page-turner story.
If you enjoy this story try WICKED TEMPER by this author for an unforgettable full-length Appalachian horror story which is one of the best novels I've ever read.
February 7, 2017
Strange story
Interesting story hated the ending only because of what I saw in my own mind not really how I wanted it to end.
Interesting story hated the ending only because of what I saw in my own mind not really how I wanted it to end.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews