What do you think?
Rate this book
The Vessel: A Horror Novel
As a child, Josh Finley is abducted by pedophile Michael Traynor.
After 19 days of unimaginable horror, he manages to escape, but in the aftermath, he has amnesia from the trauma. The last thing he remembers of his time in captivity is seeing the dead body of another of Traynor’s young victims.
Ten years later, FBI Special Agent John Rodriguez asks for Josh’s help to try and identify the murdered boy and find where Traynor buried the remains. Rodriguez says Traynor is willing to cooperate, but on one
He’ll only talk to Josh. In coming face-to-face with the man who has haunted him for so many years, Josh uncovers darker secrets than he ever imagined possible, and a horrifying fate that this time, he cannot hope to escape.
After 19 days of unimaginable horror, he manages to escape, but in the aftermath, he has amnesia from the trauma. The last thing he remembers of his time in captivity is seeing the dead body of another of Traynor’s young victims.
Ten years later, FBI Special Agent John Rodriguez asks for Josh’s help to try and identify the murdered boy and find where Traynor buried the remains. Rodriguez says Traynor is willing to cooperate, but on one
He’ll only talk to Josh. In coming face-to-face with the man who has haunted him for so many years, Josh uncovers darker secrets than he ever imagined possible, and a horrifying fate that this time, he cannot hope to escape.
- GenresHorror
240 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 3, 2025
About the author
S.E. Howard
23 books51 followersS.E. Howard lives in Kentucky where she works as a registered nurse, certified in toxicology (a fitting field given her side-hustle writing horror stories). Her work has appeared in numerous anthologies, and her short story “You’ve Been Saved” was also adapted for the screen in the 2022 GenreBlast film anthology Worst Laid Plans. Her horror novels The Vessel and What Lies Unseen are available now through Aethon Books / Wicked House. For more information, visit online at www.sehoward.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 2, 2026
I binged this is a little less than 24 hrs. I listened to “The Dark Mind Podcast” covering this book and knew I had to read it.
As a child, Josh was abducted and suffers amnesia due to the traumatic event. The FBI approach Josh to help them with an ongoing investigation because his perpetrator will ONLY talk to him about other victims. Grappling with his trauma, Josh learns more about the event, while growing closer to the handsome agent Rodriguez. (Lemme tell you, I ship Josh and Rodriquez hard!)
Howard’s “The Vessel” is gay AF and uncovering the mystery of the what and why behind Josh’s abduction is mind blowing! Get ready for the occult, cool demons, cute dogs (that are totally fine the whole time btw), the secret lives of cam boys, and MORE!
This will probably be one of my top 10 reads of the year. No doubt.
As a child, Josh was abducted and suffers amnesia due to the traumatic event. The FBI approach Josh to help them with an ongoing investigation because his perpetrator will ONLY talk to him about other victims. Grappling with his trauma, Josh learns more about the event, while growing closer to the handsome agent Rodriguez. (Lemme tell you, I ship Josh and Rodriquez hard!)
Howard’s “The Vessel” is gay AF and uncovering the mystery of the what and why behind Josh’s abduction is mind blowing! Get ready for the occult, cool demons, cute dogs (that are totally fine the whole time btw), the secret lives of cam boys, and MORE!
This will probably be one of my top 10 reads of the year. No doubt.
March 1, 2026
As a child, Josh was kidnapped and abused. As an adult, a new horror begins.
The Vessel is an effectively dark alchemy of murder, mystery, and cults. Howard effectively combines what starts as a crime thriller with what is slowly revealed to be a supernatural horror, culminating in a few twists I didn't see coming. All of this is led by Josh, a man who wears his trauma on his sleeve.
A dark ride, and not for the faint of heart, but a recommend all the same. Sometimes, a little darkness is good for the soul, and on that front The Vessel delivers.
The Vessel is an effectively dark alchemy of murder, mystery, and cults. Howard effectively combines what starts as a crime thriller with what is slowly revealed to be a supernatural horror, culminating in a few twists I didn't see coming. All of this is led by Josh, a man who wears his trauma on his sleeve.
A dark ride, and not for the faint of heart, but a recommend all the same. Sometimes, a little darkness is good for the soul, and on that front The Vessel delivers.
April 23, 2026
Title: The Vessel: A Horror Novel
By: S.E. Howard
Publisher: AETHON: Wicked House
Published Date: December 3, 2025
ASIN: B0G4SXFHM7
Page Count: 240
Triggers: Child abduction, child sexual abuse, pedophilia, murder, trauma, amnesia, occult themes, cults, violence, psychological distress
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Skull Dread Rating: 💀 💀 💀
What Did I Just Walk Into?
Trauma, murder, cult weirdness, FBI tension, supernatural horror, and the kind of story that smiles politely before shoving you down a staircase. This is not a cozy little spooky read. This is a dark, nasty, emotionally loaded descent into buried memories and worse truths, and it absolutely knows how to keep its boot on your neck.
Here’s What Slapped:
First off, this book comes out swinging. It does not waste time, does not gently ease you in, and does not care if you were hoping for a calm afternoon. Josh’s story is brutal from the jump, and the emotional weight of what happened to him actually matters. It is not used like cheap decoration. His trauma shapes the whole book, and that gives the story a much deeper punch than if it had just gone for shock value and called it a day.
The tension here works overtime. What starts feeling like a dark crime thriller keeps mutating into something uglier, stranger, and far more supernatural. Every time it seems like you have a handle on what kind of book this is, it yanks that away and says, “Nope, guess again.” Love that for my blood pressure.
Josh is easy to root for, and that matters because this book puts him through hell. Agent Rodriguez adds another strong layer to the story, and yes, the emotional pull there absolutely gives the narrative extra bite. There is mystery, there is dread, there are twists, and there is that delicious sense of narrative misdirection where you keep thinking you know what is coming and you are wrong in increasingly upsetting ways.
Also, let’s give credit where it is due: dark occult horror plus emotional character work plus mystery can go very wrong in lesser hands. Here, it sounds like Howard actually pulls it off. That is not easy. The result is a book that feels brutal but purposeful, twisty without being empty, and dark without losing its human core.
What Could’ve Been Better:
This is very much not a book for every reader, and that is not a flaw so much as a warning label with excellent instincts. The subject matter is heavy as hell, and if you are not in the right headspace, this one could hit like a truck made of nightmares. A few readers may also wish for more of certain supernatural elements once they appear, because when the weird really starts weirding, you kind of want even more.
Perfect for Readers Who Love:
Dark psychological horror, trauma-driven stories, occult mysteries, cult horror, emotionally wrecking suspense, queer horror, and books that keep peeling back layers until everything underneath is somehow even worse.
Sum up:
This book feels like wandering blind through a maze built out of trauma, secrets, and demonic bad decisions, knowing full well something awful is breathing just ahead of you. It is sharp, disturbing, immersive, and exactly the kind of horror that leaves a bruise.
Reviewed by Robin for Robin’s Review
By: S.E. Howard
Publisher: AETHON: Wicked House
Published Date: December 3, 2025
ASIN: B0G4SXFHM7
Page Count: 240
Triggers: Child abduction, child sexual abuse, pedophilia, murder, trauma, amnesia, occult themes, cults, violence, psychological distress
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Skull Dread Rating: 💀 💀 💀
What Did I Just Walk Into?
Trauma, murder, cult weirdness, FBI tension, supernatural horror, and the kind of story that smiles politely before shoving you down a staircase. This is not a cozy little spooky read. This is a dark, nasty, emotionally loaded descent into buried memories and worse truths, and it absolutely knows how to keep its boot on your neck.
Here’s What Slapped:
First off, this book comes out swinging. It does not waste time, does not gently ease you in, and does not care if you were hoping for a calm afternoon. Josh’s story is brutal from the jump, and the emotional weight of what happened to him actually matters. It is not used like cheap decoration. His trauma shapes the whole book, and that gives the story a much deeper punch than if it had just gone for shock value and called it a day.
The tension here works overtime. What starts feeling like a dark crime thriller keeps mutating into something uglier, stranger, and far more supernatural. Every time it seems like you have a handle on what kind of book this is, it yanks that away and says, “Nope, guess again.” Love that for my blood pressure.
Josh is easy to root for, and that matters because this book puts him through hell. Agent Rodriguez adds another strong layer to the story, and yes, the emotional pull there absolutely gives the narrative extra bite. There is mystery, there is dread, there are twists, and there is that delicious sense of narrative misdirection where you keep thinking you know what is coming and you are wrong in increasingly upsetting ways.
Also, let’s give credit where it is due: dark occult horror plus emotional character work plus mystery can go very wrong in lesser hands. Here, it sounds like Howard actually pulls it off. That is not easy. The result is a book that feels brutal but purposeful, twisty without being empty, and dark without losing its human core.
What Could’ve Been Better:
This is very much not a book for every reader, and that is not a flaw so much as a warning label with excellent instincts. The subject matter is heavy as hell, and if you are not in the right headspace, this one could hit like a truck made of nightmares. A few readers may also wish for more of certain supernatural elements once they appear, because when the weird really starts weirding, you kind of want even more.
Perfect for Readers Who Love:
Dark psychological horror, trauma-driven stories, occult mysteries, cult horror, emotionally wrecking suspense, queer horror, and books that keep peeling back layers until everything underneath is somehow even worse.
Sum up:
This book feels like wandering blind through a maze built out of trauma, secrets, and demonic bad decisions, knowing full well something awful is breathing just ahead of you. It is sharp, disturbing, immersive, and exactly the kind of horror that leaves a bruise.
Reviewed by Robin for Robin’s Review
April 5, 2026
I kept getting ads for this book every so often so I finally decided to read it. It was really well constructed and the plot twists and foreshadowing were great! I didn’t like the ending so much because I like unrealistic endings I suppose, but it was a well-written ending nonetheless! Definitely will be checking out more from this author. Thus far, I notice all of the reviews lower than 4 stars don’t have anything written. I really enjoyed the book and the emotion it invoked. Great, fast read with realistic characters!
April 16, 2026
New author to me but excellent reading!!
A riveting story about a young man who was kidnapped or did his father sell him? Either way Josh finds his life going nowhere. Working at a packaging plant but day and doing naughty things at night. Then he gets contacted by the FBI. The creep that kidnapped him is going to get out of prison unless Josh agrees to help them. But that includes going to see him in person. What follows is a harrowing tale of horrible tragedy, nightmares and new found love. However, could it really be over? Or will the demon come for him again?
A riveting story about a young man who was kidnapped or did his father sell him? Either way Josh finds his life going nowhere. Working at a packaging plant but day and doing naughty things at night. Then he gets contacted by the FBI. The creep that kidnapped him is going to get out of prison unless Josh agrees to help them. But that includes going to see him in person. What follows is a harrowing tale of horrible tragedy, nightmares and new found love. However, could it really be over? Or will the demon come for him again?
December 21, 2025
Overall great book, definitely recommend. Threw me off having a supernatural aspect to it, but didn't mind.
March 8, 2026
I enjoyed the read. I would recommend it.
April 22, 2026
Boring book
Book was poorly written, story was broken and illogical
premise. I've never read a book so Poorly written. Don't waste your time.
Book was poorly written, story was broken and illogical
premise. I've never read a book so Poorly written. Don't waste your time.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews