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The Denizens
“Mesmerizing, with a quiet but profound sense of dread” -- Rachel Harrison, USA Today Bestselling author of Play Nice and So Thirsty
"The Denizens destroys you from the get-go, then has the audacity to resuscitate you with a simple flip of the page. LaFaro has the uncanny knack to equally decimate and resurrect his readers, chapter after chapter, a grief-stricken Prometheus, weighing his writing down with an ache that just keeps us coming back for more." -- Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Wake Up and Open Your Eyes
"The Denizens is a gripping, yet somber apocalyptic novel filled with the occult, the roaming dead, and disparate relationships mended and strained.” -- Ai Jiang, author of Linghun and A Palace Near The Wind
“Brennan LaFaro builds dread with the best of them, and The Denizens is a creeping and macabre passage through grief and regret, terror and devotion, hope and pain. What lurks on the outskirts of Maylene’s Hollow will come for you no matter how prepared you think you might be.” -- Christa Carmen, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Daughters of Block Island and How to Fake a Haunting
“Brennan LaFaro delivers a haunting Southern Gothic where grief, small-town secrets, and ancient horrors converge. In Maylene’s Hollow, the living and the damned walk side by side—and once you enter, the denizens never let you leave. Exceptionally terrifying!” -- Cynthia Pelayo, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Shoemaker’s Magician
Just because it’s dead doesn’t mean it’s allowed to rest…
A small southern town surrounded by a living cemetery was the last place Sam Everett expected to find himself after the sudden death of his wife. Desperate to get away from the city and its memories, Sam flees to the tight-knit community of Maylene’s Hollow.
Except the Hollow holds a secret. The town won’t allow its dead to rest. Forced to wander the earth for hundreds of years, the denizens of the woods have had enough.
With the help of a mysterious widow who may also be a murderer, the town’s matriarch who seems to possess magical abilities, and an ornery giant who believes the dead may be right to rebel, Sam must learn to let go of the dead in order to truly live.
"The Denizens destroys you from the get-go, then has the audacity to resuscitate you with a simple flip of the page. LaFaro has the uncanny knack to equally decimate and resurrect his readers, chapter after chapter, a grief-stricken Prometheus, weighing his writing down with an ache that just keeps us coming back for more." -- Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Wake Up and Open Your Eyes
"The Denizens is a gripping, yet somber apocalyptic novel filled with the occult, the roaming dead, and disparate relationships mended and strained.” -- Ai Jiang, author of Linghun and A Palace Near The Wind
“Brennan LaFaro builds dread with the best of them, and The Denizens is a creeping and macabre passage through grief and regret, terror and devotion, hope and pain. What lurks on the outskirts of Maylene’s Hollow will come for you no matter how prepared you think you might be.” -- Christa Carmen, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Daughters of Block Island and How to Fake a Haunting
“Brennan LaFaro delivers a haunting Southern Gothic where grief, small-town secrets, and ancient horrors converge. In Maylene’s Hollow, the living and the damned walk side by side—and once you enter, the denizens never let you leave. Exceptionally terrifying!” -- Cynthia Pelayo, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Shoemaker’s Magician
Just because it’s dead doesn’t mean it’s allowed to rest…
A small southern town surrounded by a living cemetery was the last place Sam Everett expected to find himself after the sudden death of his wife. Desperate to get away from the city and its memories, Sam flees to the tight-knit community of Maylene’s Hollow.
Except the Hollow holds a secret. The town won’t allow its dead to rest. Forced to wander the earth for hundreds of years, the denizens of the woods have had enough.
With the help of a mysterious widow who may also be a murderer, the town’s matriarch who seems to possess magical abilities, and an ornery giant who believes the dead may be right to rebel, Sam must learn to let go of the dead in order to truly live.
- GenresHorrorSupernatural
351 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 17, 2026
About the author
Brennan LaFaro
26 books216 followers Brennan LaFaro is a music teacher by day, horror writer by night, living in southeastern Massachusetts with his wife, two sons, and his hounds. He is the author of the Slattery Falls trilogy, as well as Last Stay, and the horror western, Buzzard's Edge Saga. You can read his short fiction in various anthologies and find him on Twitter at @brennanlafaro or at www.brennanlafaro.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
June 2, 2026
Welcome to Maylene's Hollow
THE DENIZENS
by Brennan LaFaro
3 stars. Arthur Fagin walked the backroad that connected Hwy 84 to the Main Street of Maylene's Hollow...
He'd been walking nearly two weeks from Thrush, Tennessee to the deep south of Georgia...
He felt the Hollow's pull...
Deep within the surrounding woods, something stirred. Something unnatural...
The wind held its breath...
Somewhere in the Hollow, a power called to those who knew what to listen for...
The woods were quiet...
Dead...
Near town, tucked into the woods, was an old cabin with windows like eyes...
A deep voice said: Hello there, fella...
The man had a power about him, but that wasn't what drew Arthur to this place...
The man was only a gatekeeper. He looked behind Arthur to a house on a high hilltop...
That house was what Arthur had come for...
The man told Arthur: Welcome to Maylene's Hollow...
In the moonlight...
The living never entered the woods of the Hollow. They always stayed just outside the treeline...
The woods were home to the dead denizens. Some of the dead dated back to colonial times...
I got most of the way through this story, but ultimately, it was a DNF for me. In fairness to the book, it was very well-written, but I just can't connect with zombie stories. If you like this kind of story, give it a try. The prologue is what hooked me in. I just couldn't hang with the rest of it.
THE DENIZENS
by Brennan LaFaro
3 stars. Arthur Fagin walked the backroad that connected Hwy 84 to the Main Street of Maylene's Hollow...
He'd been walking nearly two weeks from Thrush, Tennessee to the deep south of Georgia...
He felt the Hollow's pull...
Deep within the surrounding woods, something stirred. Something unnatural...
The wind held its breath...
Somewhere in the Hollow, a power called to those who knew what to listen for...
The woods were quiet...
Dead...
Near town, tucked into the woods, was an old cabin with windows like eyes...
A deep voice said: Hello there, fella...
The man had a power about him, but that wasn't what drew Arthur to this place...
The man was only a gatekeeper. He looked behind Arthur to a house on a high hilltop...
That house was what Arthur had come for...
The man told Arthur: Welcome to Maylene's Hollow...
In the moonlight...
The living never entered the woods of the Hollow. They always stayed just outside the treeline...
The woods were home to the dead denizens. Some of the dead dated back to colonial times...
I got most of the way through this story, but ultimately, it was a DNF for me. In fairness to the book, it was very well-written, but I just can't connect with zombie stories. If you like this kind of story, give it a try. The prologue is what hooked me in. I just couldn't hang with the rest of it.
March 31, 2026
Maylene’s Hollow. An odd sort of neck of the woods. There’s a peculiar going on happening there. Only it’s not odd to the residents. They’re used to the denizens. They should be. The denizens have been roaming the woods lining the outskirts of Maylene’s Hollow since the Civil War. No one’s sure why the dead do that. All they know is that when someone dies, you take them into the woods. A few days later, you’ll see them lumbering about with the other denizens. It’s just the way it is. Nothing strange about it. Unless you’re not from Maylene’s Hollow.
Enter Sam.
Sam’s having a rough time. While dealing with the grief from his wife's death, he makes a mistake at the pharmacy that leads to him getting fired. Sam needs a fresh start to get his life back on track. As luck would have it, Maylene’s Hollow needs a new pharmacist. What seems like an ideal, slow-paced job to rebuild his life ends up being a nightmare that Sam could never have dreamed of in his worst dreams.
Lafaro builds something here with the Denizens that I didn’t think was possible. First off, the Bostonian author successfully captures the flavor of small-town southern living as if he’d resided below the Mason-Dixon Line his whole life. Second, he takes the zombie trope and breathes a breath of fresh air into their putrescent lungs. And it all starts with character development, which is Lafaro’s calling card. You feel Sam’s pain and confusion, sense his loneliness. We learn to walk a mile in Alice’s shoes to understand what she’s had to endure. The history of Maylene’s Hollow is slowly peeled back to reveal how the beginnings of the madness that would eventually swallow the whole town.
The Denizens is a unique take on multiple sub-genres, and that’s where its beauty lies, like discovering something new about an old friend whom you’ve known most of your life. Do yourself a favor and take a walk down the sidewalk of Maylene’s Hollow for a spell.
4.5 Family Feuds out of 5
Enter Sam.
Sam’s having a rough time. While dealing with the grief from his wife's death, he makes a mistake at the pharmacy that leads to him getting fired. Sam needs a fresh start to get his life back on track. As luck would have it, Maylene’s Hollow needs a new pharmacist. What seems like an ideal, slow-paced job to rebuild his life ends up being a nightmare that Sam could never have dreamed of in his worst dreams.
Lafaro builds something here with the Denizens that I didn’t think was possible. First off, the Bostonian author successfully captures the flavor of small-town southern living as if he’d resided below the Mason-Dixon Line his whole life. Second, he takes the zombie trope and breathes a breath of fresh air into their putrescent lungs. And it all starts with character development, which is Lafaro’s calling card. You feel Sam’s pain and confusion, sense his loneliness. We learn to walk a mile in Alice’s shoes to understand what she’s had to endure. The history of Maylene’s Hollow is slowly peeled back to reveal how the beginnings of the madness that would eventually swallow the whole town.
The Denizens is a unique take on multiple sub-genres, and that’s where its beauty lies, like discovering something new about an old friend whom you’ve known most of your life. Do yourself a favor and take a walk down the sidewalk of Maylene’s Hollow for a spell.
4.5 Family Feuds out of 5
January 19, 2026
Small towns, an abundance of grief, and the unrestful dead comprise Maylene's Hollow, a place Sam Everette finds himself after losing his wife in a truly gut-wrenching fashion. Looking to start over, Maylene's Hollow promises quiet remoteness, a change of pace Sam is desperately looking for. But the secrets of Maylene's Hollow, regarding its residents, soon make themselves known as a strong change comes about. The dead that aren't buried but relegated to the woods no longer remaining within this vicinity. No, they want out, to wander, to find vengeance for their lingering unrest.
In a very King-ian way, Brennan LaFaro writes his own examination of the death of small, Southern town America with The Denizens. A Southerner myself, it's easy to feel like our particular way of life and attitude lends itself of not wanting to let go of things, whether its the past or those we love most. The South, for better or worse, is a place that is deeply rooted in tradition and epitomizes the, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mantra.
As this applies to the town of Maylene's Hollow, their practice of sending their dead to live their reanimated (albeit limited) lives to the wilderness feels very emblematic of the human denial that rolls around when grief settles in. It's better to push it aside, to live in the good ole days, to let these unpleasant realities live elsewhere for, well, forever. The problem with this is the festering, the rotting, the decay of the living that inevitably progresses even when this denial is executed with the best of intentions.
LaFaro's depiction of this very thing with the denizens feels so poignant, so powerful. He lands a rather shocking blow of loss within the first 10% of this novel to throw us right into the tumultuous seas of grief right alongside Sam, then forces a confrontation of such loss with the change that arrives in Maylene's Hollow. Once there, we hit the ground running with lots of action, lots of perspective, and lots of secrets revealed. Ideas of power, trauma, and change are all thrown around as well. There's lots going on, don't get me wrong, and any one of these thematic threads can be pulled upon as a greater representation of our human conundrum.
However, the grief in The Denizens sings the loudest in my ears, a fraught call to challenge the norms of today, to institute change when it's most uncomfortable, and to make peace in the unknown. Changing a way of life is hard, ugly, and messy - yet, without such change their is no growth. No betterment. Brennan LaFaro gives names, shapes, and actions to these ideas with The Denizens, seemingly combining the themes of horror classics such as Pet Semetary and Salem's Lot with a dash of Romero to deliver one poignant reading experience.
In a very King-ian way, Brennan LaFaro writes his own examination of the death of small, Southern town America with The Denizens. A Southerner myself, it's easy to feel like our particular way of life and attitude lends itself of not wanting to let go of things, whether its the past or those we love most. The South, for better or worse, is a place that is deeply rooted in tradition and epitomizes the, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mantra.
As this applies to the town of Maylene's Hollow, their practice of sending their dead to live their reanimated (albeit limited) lives to the wilderness feels very emblematic of the human denial that rolls around when grief settles in. It's better to push it aside, to live in the good ole days, to let these unpleasant realities live elsewhere for, well, forever. The problem with this is the festering, the rotting, the decay of the living that inevitably progresses even when this denial is executed with the best of intentions.
LaFaro's depiction of this very thing with the denizens feels so poignant, so powerful. He lands a rather shocking blow of loss within the first 10% of this novel to throw us right into the tumultuous seas of grief right alongside Sam, then forces a confrontation of such loss with the change that arrives in Maylene's Hollow. Once there, we hit the ground running with lots of action, lots of perspective, and lots of secrets revealed. Ideas of power, trauma, and change are all thrown around as well. There's lots going on, don't get me wrong, and any one of these thematic threads can be pulled upon as a greater representation of our human conundrum.
However, the grief in The Denizens sings the loudest in my ears, a fraught call to challenge the norms of today, to institute change when it's most uncomfortable, and to make peace in the unknown. Changing a way of life is hard, ugly, and messy - yet, without such change their is no growth. No betterment. Brennan LaFaro gives names, shapes, and actions to these ideas with The Denizens, seemingly combining the themes of horror classics such as Pet Semetary and Salem's Lot with a dash of Romero to deliver one poignant reading experience.
January 17, 2026
WOW! What a read! This book had me in a chokehold from the first couple of pages. What an absolutely amazing story. Grief, small town, the dead that don’t die, secrets, the occult, and more. This book has it all. And LaFaro executed it beautifully.
The first half of the book is such a good build-up, then BOOM, the second half goes HARD in the best ways possible. The characters in this book are done really well, and you end up being hooked and invested in their personal ventures. This isn’t a trope I would normally pick up, but I am so glad I went in blind and took a chance on it because while yes, there are zombies, it’s done in a way that I wasn’t expecting and in a way that I absolutely love. LaFaro has officially gained me as a loyal reader who will scream from the top of rooftops that people need to read this book, and anything he’s written in general.
THE DENIZENS is a book that will stick with me for a long time. Between the grief of the MMC and the other characters, the atmospheric buildup, the other characters and the overall writing style, this book needs to be read by everyone asap. I think it will be a top read for a lot of people this year, including me. I can’t say enough good things about this book and really hope to see it get the praise and hype that it deserves! It’s a new release and yet another book I recommend people move up on their TBR. You won’t regret it!
The first half of the book is such a good build-up, then BOOM, the second half goes HARD in the best ways possible. The characters in this book are done really well, and you end up being hooked and invested in their personal ventures. This isn’t a trope I would normally pick up, but I am so glad I went in blind and took a chance on it because while yes, there are zombies, it’s done in a way that I wasn’t expecting and in a way that I absolutely love. LaFaro has officially gained me as a loyal reader who will scream from the top of rooftops that people need to read this book, and anything he’s written in general.
THE DENIZENS is a book that will stick with me for a long time. Between the grief of the MMC and the other characters, the atmospheric buildup, the other characters and the overall writing style, this book needs to be read by everyone asap. I think it will be a top read for a lot of people this year, including me. I can’t say enough good things about this book and really hope to see it get the praise and hype that it deserves! It’s a new release and yet another book I recommend people move up on their TBR. You won’t regret it!
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November 21, 2025A big thank you to the editors and publisher for an ARC of the book!
THE DENIZENS is a gripping, yet somber apocalyptic novel filled with the occult, the roaming dead, and disparate relationships mended and strained.
THE DENIZENS is a gripping, yet somber apocalyptic novel filled with the occult, the roaming dead, and disparate relationships mended and strained.
October 11, 2025
(ARC copy)
Sam Everett moved town to deal with bereavement, and unfortunately ended up in a town where the dead don't die - for generations, the recently deceased have been left in the woods to get up and start walking around, where their surviving relatives can look at them. Which means a lot of very angry zombies waiting to break out in Act 2...
The premise is an attention-getter, an interesting metaphor for needing to let go in the grieving process; the zombies are the result of a self-destructive toxic behaviour, which has bad consequences for all in the area. When the zombie carnage breaks out, it breaks out fast and is merciless and has all the head-shooting fighting you want, but with an underlying message that the zombies are somewhat victims too, screwed over by their community and by the book's nasty villain. There's also a lot of town secrets, giving us a supernatural soap opera. Sam keeps all of this grounded as a likeable everyman with an even more likeable fat cat.
Sam Everett moved town to deal with bereavement, and unfortunately ended up in a town where the dead don't die - for generations, the recently deceased have been left in the woods to get up and start walking around, where their surviving relatives can look at them. Which means a lot of very angry zombies waiting to break out in Act 2...
The premise is an attention-getter, an interesting metaphor for needing to let go in the grieving process; the zombies are the result of a self-destructive toxic behaviour, which has bad consequences for all in the area. When the zombie carnage breaks out, it breaks out fast and is merciless and has all the head-shooting fighting you want, but with an underlying message that the zombies are somewhat victims too, screwed over by their community and by the book's nasty villain. There's also a lot of town secrets, giving us a supernatural soap opera. Sam keeps all of this grounded as a likeable everyman with an even more likeable fat cat.
January 23, 2026
If you go down to the woods today, you’re sure of an absolutely terrifying, undead surprise…
This was the action packed, small town showdown that I needed. It’s rare that I so swiftly find myself attached to characters but grief binds us to Sam from the get go and we discover everything else in real time along with him.
A sense of dread permeates through this story with moments that genuinely unsettled me.
A tale of grief, small town secrets, relationships, ancient magic and most importantly, hope. Loved it.
This was the action packed, small town showdown that I needed. It’s rare that I so swiftly find myself attached to characters but grief binds us to Sam from the get go and we discover everything else in real time along with him.
A sense of dread permeates through this story with moments that genuinely unsettled me.
A tale of grief, small town secrets, relationships, ancient magic and most importantly, hope. Loved it.
January 28, 2026
ARC Copy.
The Denizens blindsided me in the best way. I went in completely cold and was hooked within the first few pages. The story never telegraphs its direction, which is refreshing in a genre packed with predictable tropes. This is not a cookie-cutter take on the walking dead. By blending the undead with magic and a strong, memorable cast, the book feels genuinely fresh. The ending left me wanting more. I am curious about where these characters might go next and what lies ahead for Maylene’s Hollow.
The Denizens blindsided me in the best way. I went in completely cold and was hooked within the first few pages. The story never telegraphs its direction, which is refreshing in a genre packed with predictable tropes. This is not a cookie-cutter take on the walking dead. By blending the undead with magic and a strong, memorable cast, the book feels genuinely fresh. The ending left me wanting more. I am curious about where these characters might go next and what lies ahead for Maylene’s Hollow.
August 5, 2026
This is my 5th book from Brennan LaFaro and while I think the other are good to really good, this one was GREAT!
Story, characters, violence, dread, it’s ALL there.
Story, characters, violence, dread, it’s ALL there.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
The Denizens, by Brennan LaFaro, follows Sam as he moves to the seemingly quiet town of Maylene’s Hollow, hoping to rebuild his life following the passing of his wife. But the town isn’t the peaceful refuge he expected, and when someone passes away here, they don't stay buried. Instead, their bodies are taken out to the woods where they reanimate to face an eternity of wandering the outskirts of the town. The locals call them the Denizens, and they have been forced to wander for centuries, silently observing the town from afar, never to be at peace, never to rest. However, not long after Sam's arrival things begin to change and the Denizens no longer seem content with merely observing the town from the woods. Now they want more. They want blood, they want vengeance and they're coming to get it. With an array of characters to help him - a mysterious widow, a young shop assistant with a mean aim, the town's matriarch with magical abilities, and a gruff excentric with a grudge - Sam must fight to stay alive, help uncover the truth about the town, it's dead, and the secrets and magic it hides, whilst battling his own grief.
This was such a good read, and whilst I knew it sounded like the sort of thing I would enjoy, I still wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. Think Stephen King's IT crossed with The Walking Dead, and a side order of magic thrown in. With themes of grief, death, small town secrets, family, inherited guilt, power, and transformation, to name a few, LaFaro does such a good job at taking the zombie trope and creating something a bit different. He cleverly uses them as a representation of what happens when we can't let go of those we've lost. Of the impact of grief. Of the damage that can be caused by grudges and legacy.The horror isn’t just that the dead walk — it’s that they were never allowed to rest in the first place. It all makes for a unique take on the genre and utterly enthralling.
The main cast of characters were well developed, memorable and I was invested in, and rooted for, each of them. Whilst Sam seems like the main protagonist, it's very much an ensemble cast and I enjoyed hearing from each of their POVs. My only criticism is that because there are many characters, I did struggle a few times to remember who everyone was. The pacing worked well for me too, with the action kicking off early in the story but at no point did it feel rushed. It's the sort of story that I could easily see made into a movie; I'd love to see some of these characters on the big screen. I would also appreciate a sequel - I'm invested now and need to know what happens to them!
Overall, a brilliant book that I would highly recommend if you like grief-driven horror, atmospheric stories, and complex monsters. Small town vibes with ancient magic and zombies…what's not to love!
Published February 17th. Thank you to the publishers, Nefarious Bat Press, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was such a good read, and whilst I knew it sounded like the sort of thing I would enjoy, I still wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. Think Stephen King's IT crossed with The Walking Dead, and a side order of magic thrown in. With themes of grief, death, small town secrets, family, inherited guilt, power, and transformation, to name a few, LaFaro does such a good job at taking the zombie trope and creating something a bit different. He cleverly uses them as a representation of what happens when we can't let go of those we've lost. Of the impact of grief. Of the damage that can be caused by grudges and legacy.The horror isn’t just that the dead walk — it’s that they were never allowed to rest in the first place. It all makes for a unique take on the genre and utterly enthralling.
The main cast of characters were well developed, memorable and I was invested in, and rooted for, each of them. Whilst Sam seems like the main protagonist, it's very much an ensemble cast and I enjoyed hearing from each of their POVs. My only criticism is that because there are many characters, I did struggle a few times to remember who everyone was. The pacing worked well for me too, with the action kicking off early in the story but at no point did it feel rushed. It's the sort of story that I could easily see made into a movie; I'd love to see some of these characters on the big screen. I would also appreciate a sequel - I'm invested now and need to know what happens to them!
Overall, a brilliant book that I would highly recommend if you like grief-driven horror, atmospheric stories, and complex monsters. Small town vibes with ancient magic and zombies…what's not to love!
Published February 17th. Thank you to the publishers, Nefarious Bat Press, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
March 15, 2026
4.25 rounding down to 4 for GoodReads. I love a good zombie plot every once in a while, and this is a zombie novel done like no other I've read. About halfway through the novel, it becomes very apparent that there is something else going on that has to do with the zombie plot, and this really added a lot to the novel (being vague for fear of spoilers). Before the zombies even arrive on set, this novel tackles heavy themes of grief that persist throughout. Sam was a fantastic main character that we read about during the hardest time in his life as he is grieving the loss of his wife. I thought the exploration of Sam moving on with his life while struggling was done superbly. The side characters added a lot of depth to the story and almost created a found family aspect of the story out of their desperation to survive. The description of the small, southern town was phenomenal. I felt like I was in this town with the characters while they fought to live. The subtle "something is off" feeling in the beginning turns into true horror that moves the book along at an incredibly intense pace. I almost wish the book was another hundred pages long so that the world could be explored even more and more detail could be added to the lore of the town. I loved where LaFaro chose to end this novel, and it was one of my favorite parts of the reading experience. If you are looking for zombies done differently with so much more attached, then this one is for you!
May 16, 2026
I picked this up on a whim and was pleasantly pleased by it! Really enjoyed the main character Sam I wish he had more of the focus. Bit too much exposition at times for my tastes, by far was the biggest negative for me. But overall quite enjoyable, I respect the ambition in this cause the author tries to do a lot and I think more often than not succeeds!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I don't recall how I came across Brennan LaFaro but I'm so glad I did as I was given the opportunity to read an early review copy The Denizens.
We follow the newly widowed Sam and his cat Mort as the grief slowly turns into creeping dread in their new home town. But something weird is going on in the woods of Maylene's Hollow. A small town secret passed down from generation to generation.
The Denizens gave me strong Salem's Lot vibes. The story encompasses the entire town and its people. Almost like a zombie apocalypse soap opera. Each character is given space to develop without ever making the story drag. In fact, it is a rather action packed tale full of gore and dread.
This is a must read for zombie fans who are looking for a fresh twist to the old trope!
Thank you again to the author for the ARC. All opinions are my own and given freely.
We follow the newly widowed Sam and his cat Mort as the grief slowly turns into creeping dread in their new home town. But something weird is going on in the woods of Maylene's Hollow. A small town secret passed down from generation to generation.
The Denizens gave me strong Salem's Lot vibes. The story encompasses the entire town and its people. Almost like a zombie apocalypse soap opera. Each character is given space to develop without ever making the story drag. In fact, it is a rather action packed tale full of gore and dread.
This is a must read for zombie fans who are looking for a fresh twist to the old trope!
Thank you again to the author for the ARC. All opinions are my own and given freely.
January 24, 2026
I had high expectations for this book because I have loved everything else Brennan LaFaro has written - he met my expectations and more! I know it’s only February, but I already know this will make my top reads for 2026.
After the death of Sam’s wife, he decides to relocate to Maylene’s Hollow for a fresh start. He soon discovers the residents of the Hollow share a secret, and it’s a doozy. The dead have been roaming the woods of the Hollow for generations. Something changes after Sam’s arrival, and the dead are not as peaceful as they once were. Grief, suspense, mystery - this book isn’t just about zombies, the story behind it is absolutely gripping. It has an interesting cast of characters, plenty of surprises, and a mind-blowing ending!
After the death of Sam’s wife, he decides to relocate to Maylene’s Hollow for a fresh start. He soon discovers the residents of the Hollow share a secret, and it’s a doozy. The dead have been roaming the woods of the Hollow for generations. Something changes after Sam’s arrival, and the dead are not as peaceful as they once were. Grief, suspense, mystery - this book isn’t just about zombies, the story behind it is absolutely gripping. It has an interesting cast of characters, plenty of surprises, and a mind-blowing ending!
February 21, 2026
I had the absolute pleasure of ARC reading The Denizens and it's definitely one of those that I was so glad to pick up.
Grief, madness and chaos all wrapped up in a solidly written story. In Maylene's Hollow, the dead don't rest, they are left to aimlessly roam the forest at night. The townsfolk understand the boundary shouldn't be crossed, and leave the Denizens to wander. Wary but safe in the knowledge that some unseen force keeps generations of their deceased loved ones out of the town. But what happens when that boundary is broken? When the dead are free and hellbent on destruction?
I got strong From vibes from this story, so if you're a fan of the show, or anything in regards to the undead, I highly recommend you pick this one up.
Grief, madness and chaos all wrapped up in a solidly written story. In Maylene's Hollow, the dead don't rest, they are left to aimlessly roam the forest at night. The townsfolk understand the boundary shouldn't be crossed, and leave the Denizens to wander. Wary but safe in the knowledge that some unseen force keeps generations of their deceased loved ones out of the town. But what happens when that boundary is broken? When the dead are free and hellbent on destruction?
I got strong From vibes from this story, so if you're a fan of the show, or anything in regards to the undead, I highly recommend you pick this one up.
March 22, 2026
One of my MOST favorite parts of this book is how clear and vibrant the visuals are! It really felt like Brennan had so much fun writing them.
April 19, 2026
Very enjoyable... well-written fantasy / horror. Want to read more by LaFaro..
April 28, 2026
CRIMINALLY UNDERRATED. Holy crap. I was impressed with LaFaro’s writing from the jump. LOVED this.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
After losing his wife to an illness, grieving pharmacist Sam is left reeling and a mistake at work has left him unemployed. Not knowing what else to do, he leaves town, retreating to the tiny community of Maylene’s Hollow where he’s secured a new job at Fagin’s Pharmacy. Maylene’s Hollow is a one-horse town, a deep Georgia version of Mayberry where everybody knows everyone else and all their business to boot.
The only thing keeping it from being Mayberry-proper is the simple fact that this forested enclave is teeming with the living dead. Those who pass in Maylene’s Hollow are left to the woods, where they spend their afterlife wandering aimlessly.
Maylene’s Hollow has the same problem as Gotham City, which is why would anybody in their right mind would live there? The townsfolk consider the zombies wandering the woods to be little more than just local wildlife. You got your deer, your squirrels, undead Confederate soldiers, and you’re recently departed mom and pop. The locals call them the denizens, and the denizens are mostly peaceable and keep to themselves. Until they don’t.
Anybody who’s seen literally any zombie movie at all can guess where Brennan LaFaro’s latest is headed, except for the citizens of Maylene's Hollow who have indeed seen zombie movies but still don't know any better. But half the fun, as they say, is getting there. It’s the journey, not the destination. Along the way, LaFaro smartly mixes genres, and while the addition of some witchy women and historic folklore doesn’t exactly give new life to the zombie schtick it does at least provide a certain amount of freshness to the proceedings.
A good zombie story isn’t really about the zombies anyway. The flesh-chomping and brain-bashing are nice side dishes, but they don’t make for a proper meal on their own. Zombies work best when they’re a metaphor for something else, like the unbridled, mindless consumerism of Dawn of the Dead. LaFaro suffuses The Denizens with plenty of themes, challenging the wisdom of continuing customs simply because that's just the way it's always been done, and of one’s identity being defined by familial legacies, which makes the people of Maylene’s Hollow just as trapped as the zombies encircling their little home. Why do people live in Maylene’s Hollow at all? Because, for so many of them, it’s all they’ve ever known. Like the folks in Gotham, all this madness is normal to them.
The real core of The Denizens, though, is its focus on loss. Sam is bitterly heartbroken, his life in disarray, and LaFaro intimately explores this throughout the work. Its opening chapter offers a concise look at Sam and Nellie’s marriage, even as it’s ending. It’s brief but tells us everything we need to know through intimation rather than grisly forensics, and is no less tragic for it. Even though we never see their marriage proper, we get a clear, heartfelt idea of what these two were like as a couple. Sam continually talks to Nellie as he works through his grief, and we get a good sense of what their lives might have been like in better times.
His new boss, Alice Fagin, posits a marriage at the complete opposite end. Her husband has recently died and been consigned to the woods, and she’s none too displeased at his passing. After all, she killed him, as she’s quick – eager even – to confess, and is a woman liberated by his demise. His death might be the best thing that's ever happened to her, and she's been reborn with a newfound freedom.
Loss and rebirth, that’s zombies in a nutshell. Or maybe that’s just life. Sam and Alice are seeking ways to make their own second chances with their new leases on life in the wake of tragedy, or at least happenstance. Forget the zombies and magic whatsits, it’s the human heart beating at the center of The Denizens that really makes it worthwhile. LaFaro crafts a great, relatable drama. The climactic last stand against rampaging hordes of zombies? That’s just a nice bonus.
The only thing keeping it from being Mayberry-proper is the simple fact that this forested enclave is teeming with the living dead. Those who pass in Maylene’s Hollow are left to the woods, where they spend their afterlife wandering aimlessly.
Maylene’s Hollow has the same problem as Gotham City, which is why would anybody in their right mind would live there? The townsfolk consider the zombies wandering the woods to be little more than just local wildlife. You got your deer, your squirrels, undead Confederate soldiers, and you’re recently departed mom and pop. The locals call them the denizens, and the denizens are mostly peaceable and keep to themselves. Until they don’t.
Anybody who’s seen literally any zombie movie at all can guess where Brennan LaFaro’s latest is headed, except for the citizens of Maylene's Hollow who have indeed seen zombie movies but still don't know any better. But half the fun, as they say, is getting there. It’s the journey, not the destination. Along the way, LaFaro smartly mixes genres, and while the addition of some witchy women and historic folklore doesn’t exactly give new life to the zombie schtick it does at least provide a certain amount of freshness to the proceedings.
A good zombie story isn’t really about the zombies anyway. The flesh-chomping and brain-bashing are nice side dishes, but they don’t make for a proper meal on their own. Zombies work best when they’re a metaphor for something else, like the unbridled, mindless consumerism of Dawn of the Dead. LaFaro suffuses The Denizens with plenty of themes, challenging the wisdom of continuing customs simply because that's just the way it's always been done, and of one’s identity being defined by familial legacies, which makes the people of Maylene’s Hollow just as trapped as the zombies encircling their little home. Why do people live in Maylene’s Hollow at all? Because, for so many of them, it’s all they’ve ever known. Like the folks in Gotham, all this madness is normal to them.
The real core of The Denizens, though, is its focus on loss. Sam is bitterly heartbroken, his life in disarray, and LaFaro intimately explores this throughout the work. Its opening chapter offers a concise look at Sam and Nellie’s marriage, even as it’s ending. It’s brief but tells us everything we need to know through intimation rather than grisly forensics, and is no less tragic for it. Even though we never see their marriage proper, we get a clear, heartfelt idea of what these two were like as a couple. Sam continually talks to Nellie as he works through his grief, and we get a good sense of what their lives might have been like in better times.
His new boss, Alice Fagin, posits a marriage at the complete opposite end. Her husband has recently died and been consigned to the woods, and she’s none too displeased at his passing. After all, she killed him, as she’s quick – eager even – to confess, and is a woman liberated by his demise. His death might be the best thing that's ever happened to her, and she's been reborn with a newfound freedom.
Loss and rebirth, that’s zombies in a nutshell. Or maybe that’s just life. Sam and Alice are seeking ways to make their own second chances with their new leases on life in the wake of tragedy, or at least happenstance. Forget the zombies and magic whatsits, it’s the human heart beating at the center of The Denizens that really makes it worthwhile. LaFaro crafts a great, relatable drama. The climactic last stand against rampaging hordes of zombies? That’s just a nice bonus.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I went into this blind, it is a LaFaro book after all, and it turned out to be the right choice: this is a story full of nasty surprises and stunning twists, small town horror done right, stuffed between a beginning and an end brimming with deeply poignant grief horror! (Oh, and there's a cat as well. And a couple of Easter Eggs hidden late into the work!)
Imagine living in a small southern town surrounded by the living dead. Call them "denizens," because they stay in the woods and never come out (well, almost never). They sort of live there - no trespassing allowed. That's Maylene's Hollow. Some powerful magic at work, indeed. And then Sam, a widower who still speaks to his dead wife and she answers back because he can't let her go, decides to move in to the place from Atlanta. He'll be the new pharmacist. What happened to the previous one? You don't really want to know. But you'll get to know, eventually, as the denizens start acting up, the town's dead of the last three hundred years preparing for a radical change in behavior. And they are very hungry, and angry as well, for not having been allowed to rest. Raging, in fact.
Sam's story is soon taken over by the unresolved mysteries plaguing the history of Maylene's Hollow: the book's second half explodes into non- stop action, chase scenes, denizen attacks, carnage, and, of course, goes through the revealing of one secret after another about the town and the group of new friends Sam has made in the interim. Intense family dynamics, strong character conflict, but also strategically placed insights about domestic abuse, power, and arrogance, punctuate the story right to the end. Also included are elaborate flashbacks vital to the tale, occasionally a lot to take in, yet never overburdening the plot with unnecessary detail.
Definitely a 5-star trip! I highly recommend the book to readers of zombie horror, to fans of supernatural stories of small towns with a complicated history, and to everyone who appreciates a ripping yarn with unpredictable twists and compelling human drama!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Long-time followers will know that I’ve been a fan of Brennan LaFaro for many years now. My favourites are his ‘Buzzard’s Edge’ books, crafting a fantastic Weird West that still held on to the important aspects of humanity and found family.
I was therefore hugely intrigued to see that his newest title would be birthed into the world by one of my favourite Indie publishers, Nefarious Bat Press! Put these two dark diamonds together and what joys will come forth…
I’ve seen ‘The Denizens’ compared already to Stephen King’s classic ‘Salem’s Lot’ (another favourite of mine) and I can see why. This is the story of a lost man coming to a small town that seems full of misfits and hides an unimaginable secret. Brennan takes a quintessentially American horror tale and makes it his own, taking us from grief to redemption via an absolutely rip-roaring ride of an adventure that starts slow to throw us off guard, before ramping up to the speed and threat of an Alex Garland Infected!
As always, the characters are well-rounded and relatable. Even what seem to be hillbilly tropes turn out to be far more than you might think, with the unique magic of the village wise woman being depicted in ways I’ve never seen before, but which absolutely make sense. This is a town out of time and country, almost, while still mirroring so many that I’m sure exist across the broad expanse of a broken America right now.
This is an exploration of just what death means, where it fits inevitably into the story of our lives and how we must face it or it will appear out of the darkness to remind us. Of course we know that in horror the true monsters are often the humans, but these broken heroes get their chance at redemption as they’re forced to see what would happen if they try to cheat.
Brilliant gun-toting action combines with deeply thoughtful humanity - that’s Brennan’s skill, and it’s great to see him here at the peak of his powers.
Oh, and I hugely appreciated the reassurance in-text that the Cat is Fine. He gets his updates and everything. This animal-lover is grateful!
A definite recommend.
I was kindly sent an early copy of this book by the publisher, but the above opinions are entirely my own.
March 7, 2026
The Denizens by Brennan LaFaro: Southern Supernatural Gothic Grief
Brennan LaFaro's The Denizens: Southern Supernatural Gothic Grief
Living with ghosts isn’t a metaphor here. It’s the town policy.
That’s the first thing you learn in Brennan LaFaro’s The Denizens, a southern-tinged slice of grief horror that settles in your bones like a damp chill. Forget haunted houses. Maylene’s Hollow is a haunted municipality. The dead don’t get to rest there, not peacefully anyway. They’re forced to wander the woods, a restless, centuries-old congregation with a mounting grievance. Into this exquisite dysfunction staggers Sam Everett, a man hollowed out by his wife’s sudden death. He thought he was running from memories in the big city. He didn’t realise he was running toward a place where the past isn’t just remembered; it’s animate, it’s pissed off, and it’s reaching through the gaps in the garden fence.
LaFaro, a writer known for mashing horror with other genres in wild and wholly effective ways, pitches this as Salem’s Lot meets Dawn of the Dead with a dash of something wicked and witty. He undersells it. It’s an unsettling exploration of the grief we cling to, the stories towns tell about themselves to sleep at night, and what happens when the repressed, both personal and communal, decides it’s had enough of being quiet.
Read the full review here
https://gnofhorror.com/the-denizens-b...
Brennan LaFaro's The Denizens: Southern Supernatural Gothic Grief
Living with ghosts isn’t a metaphor here. It’s the town policy.
That’s the first thing you learn in Brennan LaFaro’s The Denizens, a southern-tinged slice of grief horror that settles in your bones like a damp chill. Forget haunted houses. Maylene’s Hollow is a haunted municipality. The dead don’t get to rest there, not peacefully anyway. They’re forced to wander the woods, a restless, centuries-old congregation with a mounting grievance. Into this exquisite dysfunction staggers Sam Everett, a man hollowed out by his wife’s sudden death. He thought he was running from memories in the big city. He didn’t realise he was running toward a place where the past isn’t just remembered; it’s animate, it’s pissed off, and it’s reaching through the gaps in the garden fence.
LaFaro, a writer known for mashing horror with other genres in wild and wholly effective ways, pitches this as Salem’s Lot meets Dawn of the Dead with a dash of something wicked and witty. He undersells it. It’s an unsettling exploration of the grief we cling to, the stories towns tell about themselves to sleep at night, and what happens when the repressed, both personal and communal, decides it’s had enough of being quiet.
Read the full review here
https://gnofhorror.com/the-denizens-b...
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
*** Thanks to Nefarious Bat Press for the chance to read this one ahead of release ***
The living dead have been brought back to life (pun intended) so many times, it's difficult to think of new ways of doing it, but that's exactly what Brennan LaFaro has done with The Denizens.
A town where people don't die in the conventional way, instead they are left out, after their end, to be absorbed into the shambling mass of former citizens within the boundary of the woods. A seemingly simple concept, but one which adds an unsettling backdrop for protagonist, Sam, after his move from the big city. But this is a horror novel - things are rarely so simple.
In The Denizens, LaFaro crafts ever more claustrophobic sceneries, weaving them together with ingeniously-concocted folklore before doing what, in my view, this author does best: populating the story with characters who feel real and flawed, and possess the kind of heart which gives emotional weight to every slash of tooth and claw, every gunshot, and every beat of the eventual reveal.
The living dead have been brought back to life (pun intended) so many times, it's difficult to think of new ways of doing it, but that's exactly what Brennan LaFaro has done with The Denizens.
A town where people don't die in the conventional way, instead they are left out, after their end, to be absorbed into the shambling mass of former citizens within the boundary of the woods. A seemingly simple concept, but one which adds an unsettling backdrop for protagonist, Sam, after his move from the big city. But this is a horror novel - things are rarely so simple.
In The Denizens, LaFaro crafts ever more claustrophobic sceneries, weaving them together with ingeniously-concocted folklore before doing what, in my view, this author does best: populating the story with characters who feel real and flawed, and possess the kind of heart which gives emotional weight to every slash of tooth and claw, every gunshot, and every beat of the eventual reveal.
Review of advance copy received from Author
THE DENIZENS
By Brennan LaFaro
⚰️⚰️⚰️⚰️⚰️/5
At some point, Brennan mentioned to me that this book was intended to have “Southern Gothic” notes. I managed to refrain from asking him what a darned Yankee knew about Southern Gothic.
That was a good decision on my part.
For a boy from Massachusetts, he did a pretty good job writing the South (it should be noted that to give higher praise would require relinquishing my “Southerner” card, something I’m not willing to do). LaFaro takes a small southern town and adds layers of spookiness, intrigue, and more than enough family drama to satisfy any reader.
Living dead wandering the woods surrounding the town only made it even better.
The only thing missing was a couple old timers sitting on the front porch of the General Store, and given the, er, ambiance of being watched by Denizens, I think we can forgive the old timers for taking their coffee and small talk elsewhere.
If you like grief horror with plenty of action and a southern gothic twist, this is the book for you!
By Brennan LaFaro
⚰️⚰️⚰️⚰️⚰️/5
At some point, Brennan mentioned to me that this book was intended to have “Southern Gothic” notes. I managed to refrain from asking him what a darned Yankee knew about Southern Gothic.
That was a good decision on my part.
For a boy from Massachusetts, he did a pretty good job writing the South (it should be noted that to give higher praise would require relinquishing my “Southerner” card, something I’m not willing to do). LaFaro takes a small southern town and adds layers of spookiness, intrigue, and more than enough family drama to satisfy any reader.
Living dead wandering the woods surrounding the town only made it even better.
The only thing missing was a couple old timers sitting on the front porch of the General Store, and given the, er, ambiance of being watched by Denizens, I think we can forgive the old timers for taking their coffee and small talk elsewhere.
If you like grief horror with plenty of action and a southern gothic twist, this is the book for you!
March 17, 2026
This is set in a small Georgia town where there's no need for a cemetery because, ever since its founding, the dead don't stay dead. The town has come to terms with this and as long as they don't wander into the woods, the dead leave them alone. Until they don't. For some reason they leave the woods in droves seeking a brutal bloody revenge.
But there's more to it than that although most of the secrets I'll leave you to discover for yourself. A man grieving the death of his wife decides to move there and run the local pharmacy and it doesn't take long before the horrifying truth about the town becomes apparent. Old family rivals will have to work together for survival but, again, secrets just might tear them apart.
This novel is tense and has a perfect balance of character driven narrative, scenes of terrifying bloodshed, and pulse pounding action sequences. I highly recommend it.
But there's more to it than that although most of the secrets I'll leave you to discover for yourself. A man grieving the death of his wife decides to move there and run the local pharmacy and it doesn't take long before the horrifying truth about the town becomes apparent. Old family rivals will have to work together for survival but, again, secrets just might tear them apart.
This novel is tense and has a perfect balance of character driven narrative, scenes of terrifying bloodshed, and pulse pounding action sequences. I highly recommend it.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Brennan LaFaro has a way of really making you feel absorbed into the world that he's writing about. This is my third or fourth experience with reading one of his books and every time I am just completely sucked into the story and feel totally sucked into the pages.
The small-town community aspect of this book made me feel right at home, being from a small-town myself where everybody knows everybody. I felt like I was transplanted right into the pages and was walking down the street in Maylene's Hollow.
This is a very character driven story and from the very beginning I was invested in Sam's journey. and where he was going. With a fantastic crew of characters along the way, Sam navigates this new-to-him world of The Denizens. It was mysterious, thrilling, dark and raw. I loved every second of it.
The small-town community aspect of this book made me feel right at home, being from a small-town myself where everybody knows everybody. I felt like I was transplanted right into the pages and was walking down the street in Maylene's Hollow.
This is a very character driven story and from the very beginning I was invested in Sam's journey. and where he was going. With a fantastic crew of characters along the way, Sam navigates this new-to-him world of The Denizens. It was mysterious, thrilling, dark and raw. I loved every second of it.
November 3, 2025
I was honored to receive an ARC from my favorite Brennan LaFaro of his new book coming out in February.
The story begins as we follow Sam on his arrival to a new town, accepting a job as the new Pharmacist. Maylene’s Hollow seems like nice small town but something is lurking in the woods. As the secrets of the town unravel and things begin to change Sam is forced into an unlikely group whose only goal is to survive. Maylene’s Hollow history is unlike any other horror.
You won’t want to miss this page turning edge of your seat experience. I highly recommend this to everyone, you won’t be disappointed.
Thank you Brennan for your hard work and your amazing story telling 🖤 Keep up the great work.
The story begins as we follow Sam on his arrival to a new town, accepting a job as the new Pharmacist. Maylene’s Hollow seems like nice small town but something is lurking in the woods. As the secrets of the town unravel and things begin to change Sam is forced into an unlikely group whose only goal is to survive. Maylene’s Hollow history is unlike any other horror.
You won’t want to miss this page turning edge of your seat experience. I highly recommend this to everyone, you won’t be disappointed.
Thank you Brennan for your hard work and your amazing story telling 🖤 Keep up the great work.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Calling all undead devotees and lovers of grief-driven horror!! The Denizens by Brennan LaFaro is a tale made for you.
In The Denizens, we visit the town of Maylene’s Hollow, where the residents of the town live with a loose understanding of their town’s supernatural history. One day, a life-or-death decision leaves the town forever changed...
I was hooked right into this tale from page one! As the story went along, I kept thinking how much darker and more suspenseful this felt, and boy, has Brennan written dark and suspenseful before! There was just something about this one that had a little extra.
Check out my full review here: https://www.ericarobynreads.com/the-d...
In The Denizens, we visit the town of Maylene’s Hollow, where the residents of the town live with a loose understanding of their town’s supernatural history. One day, a life-or-death decision leaves the town forever changed...
I was hooked right into this tale from page one! As the story went along, I kept thinking how much darker and more suspenseful this felt, and boy, has Brennan written dark and suspenseful before! There was just something about this one that had a little extra.
Check out my full review here: https://www.ericarobynreads.com/the-d...
Review of advance copy received from Author
I have always enjoyed small town horror. I get a better feel for the characters, for the atmosphere of the town and for the real impact of the horror. Zombies are one of my favorite tropes of the horror genre. In The Denizens, Brennan LaFaro has taken the idea of the walking dead and given it a new twist. What a creepy feeling that was to read the extent of the "denizens" of the woods. No teddy bear picnics going on in there. What great fun for the reader. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
I received a copy of this book via the author and I voluntarily leave my opinion of the tale.
I received a copy of this book via the author and I voluntarily leave my opinion of the tale.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Ebook was given to me in exchange for review.
The Denizens begins with a grieving man moving to a small town. The residents speak cryptically. Maylene's Hollow has a secret: it's not like other towns...
What begins as seemongly-quiet folk horror quickly ramps up, maybe a little too quickly for me but it's good all the way through. It reminded me a bit of early Dean Koontz, particularly Strangers.
The Denizens begins with a grieving man moving to a small town. The residents speak cryptically. Maylene's Hollow has a secret: it's not like other towns...
What begins as seemongly-quiet folk horror quickly ramps up, maybe a little too quickly for me but it's good all the way through. It reminded me a bit of early Dean Koontz, particularly Strangers.
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