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Wildcat Thicket
“Wildcat Thicket calls back to Joe R. Lansdale’s best, characters scraping bone and sinew just to get by. This prehistoric, Texan, cosmic cryptid creep fest is an absolute blast that’ll have you seeing heatwaves scintillating straight off the page.”
- Clay McCleod Chapman, author of Wake up and Open Your Eyes
In the dying Texas town of Lagoe, Ry and Erin are just trying to survive. Trapped in a crumbling trailer, dogged by debt, and surrounded by ghosts of a better future. When their reclusive landlord vanishes deep within the woods of Wildcat Thicket, and something starts creeping towards their home at night, knocking, whistling, mocking; they realise their worst fears aren’t late bills or speeding fines.
Something is out there waiting for them, something pre-historic, mimicking, hungry.
Lock your doors. Trust the dog. Don’t answer the voices.
“A creature feature with horror, humour, and heart. Alley has created a tall tale that still manages to be both relevant and timeless.”
- Patrick Tumblety, author of The October Children
“A rollicking suspenseful novella with a unique take on Bigfoot, Alley delivers a story filled with heart, humour, and plenty of page-turning action!”
- Steve Stred, author of Mastodon and Churn the Soil
“With wry observations and thrilling plot twists, Wildcat Thicket tells a marvellously relevant story. Alley weaves us an exciting story filled with horrors of time-travelling beasts, and late-stage capitalism.”
- Ivy Grimes, author of The Ghosts of Blaubart Mansion
“Wildcat Thicket is the home of a mysterious doorway through time, a monstrous cat, and a horde of bipedal apes. And yet it’s still less scary than the surrounding world of AR-15 giveaways and overdue rent. Another darkly funny journey into the mind of Elford Alley.”
- Coy Hall, author of The Owl Men of Shanidar
- Clay McCleod Chapman, author of Wake up and Open Your Eyes
In the dying Texas town of Lagoe, Ry and Erin are just trying to survive. Trapped in a crumbling trailer, dogged by debt, and surrounded by ghosts of a better future. When their reclusive landlord vanishes deep within the woods of Wildcat Thicket, and something starts creeping towards their home at night, knocking, whistling, mocking; they realise their worst fears aren’t late bills or speeding fines.
Something is out there waiting for them, something pre-historic, mimicking, hungry.
Lock your doors. Trust the dog. Don’t answer the voices.
“A creature feature with horror, humour, and heart. Alley has created a tall tale that still manages to be both relevant and timeless.”
- Patrick Tumblety, author of The October Children
“A rollicking suspenseful novella with a unique take on Bigfoot, Alley delivers a story filled with heart, humour, and plenty of page-turning action!”
- Steve Stred, author of Mastodon and Churn the Soil
“With wry observations and thrilling plot twists, Wildcat Thicket tells a marvellously relevant story. Alley weaves us an exciting story filled with horrors of time-travelling beasts, and late-stage capitalism.”
- Ivy Grimes, author of The Ghosts of Blaubart Mansion
“Wildcat Thicket is the home of a mysterious doorway through time, a monstrous cat, and a horde of bipedal apes. And yet it’s still less scary than the surrounding world of AR-15 giveaways and overdue rent. Another darkly funny journey into the mind of Elford Alley.”
- Coy Hall, author of The Owl Men of Shanidar
Kindle Edition
Published April 24, 2026
About the author
Elford Alley
25 books92 followersElford Alley is a horror author and disgraced paranormal investigator. His novels include Apartment 239, High Strangeness, Never Leaving, Wildcat Thicket, and In Search of the Nobility, TX Wildman. He has five short story collections, Ash and Bone, The Last Night in the Damned House, Find Us, We Will Find a Place for You, and Mad Days.
He has written a trilogy of children's books, A Cemetery Stroll, A Haunted Holiday, and A Spooky Summer.
His short stories have appeared in multiple anthologies, including Paranormal Contact, Beneath, Cosmos, A Compendium of Creeps, Texas Roadkill, and Campfire Macabre. His work has also been featured in Huffington Post, Cracked, and DoomRocket.
He enjoys folklore, exploring strange places, and spending time with his family. You can also check out his website for updates: elfordalley.com.
He has written a trilogy of children's books, A Cemetery Stroll, A Haunted Holiday, and A Spooky Summer.
His short stories have appeared in multiple anthologies, including Paranormal Contact, Beneath, Cosmos, A Compendium of Creeps, Texas Roadkill, and Campfire Macabre. His work has also been featured in Huffington Post, Cracked, and DoomRocket.
He enjoys folklore, exploring strange places, and spending time with his family. You can also check out his website for updates: elfordalley.com.
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 9, 2026
Wildcat Thicket takes the legend of Bigfoot and turns it into something far more unsettling than folklore it makes it feel possible.Set deep within an unforgiving wilderness, this story thrives on isolation and the fear of being hunted by something you barely understand. What starts as unease quickly grows into full-blown dread as the presence in the woods stops feeling distant… and starts feeling close.What makes this book stand out is how it treats Bigfoot not as a myth or a mystery to solve, but as a force. Something intelligent, territorial, and deeply tied to its environment. The forest doesn’t just feel like a setting it feels like part of the threat.The tension builds slowly, layering strange noises, movement in the trees, and moments that feel just slightly off. You’re constantly questioning what’s real and what’s imagined… until it doesn’t matter anymore.Instead of relying on constant action, the book leans into atmosphere, suspense, and the fear of being watched. And when things finally escalate, it hits harder because of that restraint.
If you’re into:
• cryptid horror done seriously 🌲
• survival tension and isolation 🖤
• stories where nature itself feels hostile 👁️
Final Thoughts:
Wildcat Thicket turns a familiar legend into a tense, immersive horror experience. It’s not about proving Bigfoot exists it’s about surviving long enough to wish it didn’t.
If you’re into:
• cryptid horror done seriously 🌲
• survival tension and isolation 🖤
• stories where nature itself feels hostile 👁️
Final Thoughts:
Wildcat Thicket turns a familiar legend into a tense, immersive horror experience. It’s not about proving Bigfoot exists it’s about surviving long enough to wish it didn’t.
April 27, 2026
I could totally take a Bigfoot in a fistfight.
And honestly, while I've always been interested in conspiracies and the paranormal, I never really bought into Bigfoot. Even if that one famous video was real, it was probably just some local pervert in his fur-suit. Aliens and the Loch Ness Monster are one thing, but Bigfoot always felt like Easter Bunny territory to me. And speaking of the Loch Ness Monster, maybe the Bigfoots would have left these characters alone if they offered them tree-fitty -- I learned from South Park that sometimes that's all it takes to appease a grumpy cryptid.
Anyway, read this book if you like humorous horror authors like Jeff Strand, there's a lot of funny lines in this one.
And honestly, while I've always been interested in conspiracies and the paranormal, I never really bought into Bigfoot. Even if that one famous video was real, it was probably just some local pervert in his fur-suit. Aliens and the Loch Ness Monster are one thing, but Bigfoot always felt like Easter Bunny territory to me. And speaking of the Loch Ness Monster, maybe the Bigfoots would have left these characters alone if they offered them tree-fitty -- I learned from South Park that sometimes that's all it takes to appease a grumpy cryptid.
Anyway, read this book if you like humorous horror authors like Jeff Strand, there's a lot of funny lines in this one.
April 28, 2026
A darkly humorous tale of smart bigfoots (or perhaps bigfeet?), a weird lion, small town struggles, and things that should not be. A nice mix of insightful social commentary and forest horror as a couple tries to survive whatever the woods throws at them. Wildcat Thicket is a fun read.
April 30, 2026
More people should read Elford Alley. That’s the review.
Okay, it's not—but it should be.
With Wildcat Thicket, Elford hits the ground running. It's wonderfully written, completely original, and you'll find yourself saying, "Where the hell is this going?" all the while knowing you're in safe hands.
Another genre-blending mini-masterpiece from one of my favourites.
It's funny, dark, and heartfelt. It's one of those books you'll take with you to the park or beach and be lost in for a couple of hours. Maybe not even that long; this novella flies.
Really hope this one puts Elford Alley on the map. It deserves to.
As I said in the beginning...
Okay, it's not—but it should be.
With Wildcat Thicket, Elford hits the ground running. It's wonderfully written, completely original, and you'll find yourself saying, "Where the hell is this going?" all the while knowing you're in safe hands.
Another genre-blending mini-masterpiece from one of my favourites.
It's funny, dark, and heartfelt. It's one of those books you'll take with you to the park or beach and be lost in for a couple of hours. Maybe not even that long; this novella flies.
Really hope this one puts Elford Alley on the map. It deserves to.
As I said in the beginning...
October 3, 2026
This was my first Elford Alley book, but it certainly won’t be my last. The story is fast and smart and fun, the characters and their worldly troubles relatable, and the voice full of warmth and good humour. Well recommended.
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September 21, 2026The wood apes of Wildcat Thicket
Full review at MonsterBookClub
Full review at MonsterBookClub
October 3, 2026
Wildcat Thicket has a secret. The secret is everyone in town knows about it. Full of monsters and strange occurrences that people can talk about conversationally but don't. They just avoid that area and go about their business. Ry and Erin live on the edge of the thicket, and the monsters have decided it's time to start coming out.
A lot of fun and action in this short novel but the best it offers is a modern day rarity: likeable characters. A monster story where the cast is so horrible you find yourself rooting for their death is hard, for me anyway, to immerse myself and I found myself in the thicket.
I'm giving this 5 starts which I haven't done in a while, and recommend for a quick fun adventure.
A lot of fun and action in this short novel but the best it offers is a modern day rarity: likeable characters. A monster story where the cast is so horrible you find yourself rooting for their death is hard, for me anyway, to immerse myself and I found myself in the thicket.
I'm giving this 5 starts which I haven't done in a while, and recommend for a quick fun adventure.
August 8, 2026
Really cool creatures, not your typical Bigfoot. I'm usually a pretty slow reader, but I sped through this in one day because it was thrillingly fast-paced. I'm also usually not into time stuff, and that's mostly what knocked points off this book for me. I wish the time stuff was explained just a little more. I saw it coming after the first chapter and was looking forward to a tidier wrap-up. Regardless, I definitely recommend to fans of cryptids.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Wildcat Thicket is the home of a mysterious doorway through time, a monstrous cat, and a horde of bipedal apes. And yet it’s still less scary than the surrounding world of AR-15 giveaways and overdue rent. Another darkly funny journey into the mind of Elford Alley.
August 10, 2026
Getting hunted by Bigfoot but with love story undertones!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews