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Offcumden
Not yet published
Expected 1 Apr 27Off-cum-den (old Yorkshire dialect): off-comer; outsider; one who doesn’t belong.
South Yorkshire, 1984.
From his garden shed, thirteen-year-old Chrissy-boy Foster is watching his world fall apart. His dad’s in prison for a picket-line fight. His mum is on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Sadie — Chrissy-boy’s sister — is kept locked in her room. ‘She’s poorly’ is all he’s ever told. But despite his sheltered upbringing, Chrissy-boy knows there’s much more to her frightening condition.
When his dog runs away, Chrissy-boy teams up with two other school Aasha, a Kashmiri girl newly moved onto the council estate; and Mickey, from the old traveller family that runs the local scrapyard. Their search pulls them into Black Carr, the sprawling primal forest that edges the council estates of the Rother valley. Beneath those woods, something is waking — something ancient and evil, something that connects their families and their secrets, their guilt.
As the three friends journey deeper into the heart of the valley, they begin to uncover the horror that their parents and grandparents had tried to bury . . . but that the land itself refuses to forget.
‘An outstanding debut - vivid, unsettling and affecting, with incredible prose and scenes of genuine terror . . . if Stephen King had been born on a council estate in Yorkshire, he might well have written something like Offcumden!' GARETH BROWN, bestselling author of The Book of Doors
South Yorkshire, 1984.
From his garden shed, thirteen-year-old Chrissy-boy Foster is watching his world fall apart. His dad’s in prison for a picket-line fight. His mum is on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Sadie — Chrissy-boy’s sister — is kept locked in her room. ‘She’s poorly’ is all he’s ever told. But despite his sheltered upbringing, Chrissy-boy knows there’s much more to her frightening condition.
When his dog runs away, Chrissy-boy teams up with two other school Aasha, a Kashmiri girl newly moved onto the council estate; and Mickey, from the old traveller family that runs the local scrapyard. Their search pulls them into Black Carr, the sprawling primal forest that edges the council estates of the Rother valley. Beneath those woods, something is waking — something ancient and evil, something that connects their families and their secrets, their guilt.
As the three friends journey deeper into the heart of the valley, they begin to uncover the horror that their parents and grandparents had tried to bury . . . but that the land itself refuses to forget.
‘An outstanding debut - vivid, unsettling and affecting, with incredible prose and scenes of genuine terror . . . if Stephen King had been born on a council estate in Yorkshire, he might well have written something like Offcumden!' GARETH BROWN, bestselling author of The Book of Doors
- GenresHorror
Kindle Edition
Expected publication April 1, 2027
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 21, 2026
I found Offcumden to be a creepy, sad and, at times, genuinely tragic read. You could really feel the divide between the people in the story, as well as the atmosphere of a small, deprived community where people had hard lives and had to fight for everything they had.
The portrayal of the travellers and other ‘Offcumden’ living in an old mining town felt particularly authentic. Chrissy-boy’s story, along with the stories of the young girls, was tragic and difficult to read in parts.
Mickey and Chrissy-boy were definitely my favourite characters, and I was rooting for them so hard. There was also a real sense of claustrophobia throughout the book, as though the whole place was teetering on the edge of something yet to come. That feeling of impending dread really added to the atmosphere.
If you’re a horror reader, I’d definitely recommend giving this one a read. It’s dark, unsettling and atmospheric.
The portrayal of the travellers and other ‘Offcumden’ living in an old mining town felt particularly authentic. Chrissy-boy’s story, along with the stories of the young girls, was tragic and difficult to read in parts.
Mickey and Chrissy-boy were definitely my favourite characters, and I was rooting for them so hard. There was also a real sense of claustrophobia throughout the book, as though the whole place was teetering on the edge of something yet to come. That feeling of impending dread really added to the atmosphere.
If you’re a horror reader, I’d definitely recommend giving this one a read. It’s dark, unsettling and atmospheric.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Offcumden completely captivated me. The atmosphere is incredible, with a creeping sense of unease that builds steadily throughout the story. Johnny Gaunt brings South Yorkshire to life so vividly that the setting feels like a character in its own right, rich with history, secrets, and a lingering darkness that never quite lets go.
I especially loved the focus on friendship and belonging. The relationships between the main characters felt authentic and heartfelt, which made the horror hit even harder. The blend of folk horror, mystery, and emotional storytelling kept me invested from beginning to end, and I found myself fully immersed in both the characters' lives and the terrifying secrets buried beneath the surface.
The writing is beautiful and evocative, filled with memorable imagery and a strong sense of place. It manages to be genuinely unsettling while also exploring themes of family, community, and the things people try to leave buried. This is the kind of book that stays with you long after you've finished it, and it easily earns five stars from me.
I especially loved the focus on friendship and belonging. The relationships between the main characters felt authentic and heartfelt, which made the horror hit even harder. The blend of folk horror, mystery, and emotional storytelling kept me invested from beginning to end, and I found myself fully immersed in both the characters' lives and the terrifying secrets buried beneath the surface.
The writing is beautiful and evocative, filled with memorable imagery and a strong sense of place. It manages to be genuinely unsettling while also exploring themes of family, community, and the things people try to leave buried. This is the kind of book that stays with you long after you've finished it, and it easily earns five stars from me.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
“What we say… we can bring”
This is fair warning in real life, let alone in Cattercliff.
If you struggle with the dialect, try saying it phonetically in your head. I loved reading the local dialect of this book. Thomas Hardy wrote in his local dialect too. It adds so much to the narrative and is easy to understand. If not the exact word, certainly the context. Please don’t let that put you off!!!
The story itself is mesmerising with a twist in its tail. It is folklore and horror and growing up and loyalty amongst blood and friends.
A cracking good read.
This is fair warning in real life, let alone in Cattercliff.
If you struggle with the dialect, try saying it phonetically in your head. I loved reading the local dialect of this book. Thomas Hardy wrote in his local dialect too. It adds so much to the narrative and is easy to understand. If not the exact word, certainly the context. Please don’t let that put you off!!!
The story itself is mesmerising with a twist in its tail. It is folklore and horror and growing up and loyalty amongst blood and friends.
A cracking good read.
August 24, 2026
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an early eARC of OFFCUMDEN by Johnny Gaunt in exchange for an honest review.
This was such a good read I was hooked from the first chapter. I did struggle with the writing in places where I had to reread it several times to understand what was being said and that did take me away from the story a little bit.
There were characters I felt genuinely connected to and others that left me wanting to understand them more.
some descriptions in this were honestly so vivid especially one particular scene that I can still picture in my head. The way it was described made it feel incredibly real and added so much to the unsettling atmosphere.
There were a few little twists and reveals throughout that genuinely caught me off guard. Which i loved.
Overall I really enjoyed it and I’m glad I stuck with it. If it wasn’t for the rereading easily this would be 5 stars.
This was such a good read I was hooked from the first chapter. I did struggle with the writing in places where I had to reread it several times to understand what was being said and that did take me away from the story a little bit.
There were characters I felt genuinely connected to and others that left me wanting to understand them more.
some descriptions in this were honestly so vivid especially one particular scene that I can still picture in my head. The way it was described made it feel incredibly real and added so much to the unsettling atmosphere.
There were a few little twists and reveals throughout that genuinely caught me off guard. Which i loved.
Overall I really enjoyed it and I’m glad I stuck with it. If it wasn’t for the rereading easily this would be 5 stars.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
a beautifully written dark folk horror fairy tale
I'm amazed that this is a debut novel, it is written so poetically, and the Yorkshire accent help's with flow of the writing. this is part folk horror, part dark fairy tale and part adventure, don't let that description tone down the horror of this book though as at it's core it is horror, it is dripping with atmosphere and unease and dark imagery, and enough mystery to keep the reader flying threw the pages as quick as they can desperate to see what is next for Chrissy-Boy, his family and his ragtag group of outcast friends.
this book would be perfect for fan's of Adam Nevil and Thomas Olde Heuvelt's "Hex"
I'm amazed that this is a debut novel, it is written so poetically, and the Yorkshire accent help's with flow of the writing. this is part folk horror, part dark fairy tale and part adventure, don't let that description tone down the horror of this book though as at it's core it is horror, it is dripping with atmosphere and unease and dark imagery, and enough mystery to keep the reader flying threw the pages as quick as they can desperate to see what is next for Chrissy-Boy, his family and his ragtag group of outcast friends.
this book would be perfect for fan's of Adam Nevil and Thomas Olde Heuvelt's "Hex"
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
What a beast of a book this felt like.... at times it felt a bit too long.
However, that's my only negative, and I'm getting it out of the way first.
Full of atmosphere, and perfectly sets the location, and time of the book.
Characters that will stay with you a while, and why wouldn't they, you've spent hours backing them against an unseen menace. Reading with them as the back story shows itself and you put all the puzzle pieces together.
Creepy and full of things that are not quite right.
Excellent read
Thanks to netgalley for the free digital copy.
However, that's my only negative, and I'm getting it out of the way first.
Full of atmosphere, and perfectly sets the location, and time of the book.
Characters that will stay with you a while, and why wouldn't they, you've spent hours backing them against an unseen menace. Reading with them as the back story shows itself and you put all the puzzle pieces together.
Creepy and full of things that are not quite right.
Excellent read
Thanks to netgalley for the free digital copy.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
65% is quite a long way into a book to decide to give up, but I really gave it a chance.
To begin with, I thought it had lots of potential and found it creepy and disturbing.
Poor Chrissy boy, i really felt for him. Coming from a poor, dysfunctional family, his sister, changed and seemingly possessed by an evil entity. His only friend, his dog, runs away and he goes in search of him.
I was invested to start with. Will he find his dog? But 65% in and he hasn't really looked for him at all? In fact 65% in and what have i discovered? Nothing really. I hate not finishing a book but this just didnt compel me to carry on.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read an advance copy.
To begin with, I thought it had lots of potential and found it creepy and disturbing.
Poor Chrissy boy, i really felt for him. Coming from a poor, dysfunctional family, his sister, changed and seemingly possessed by an evil entity. His only friend, his dog, runs away and he goes in search of him.
I was invested to start with. Will he find his dog? But 65% in and he hasn't really looked for him at all? In fact 65% in and what have i discovered? Nothing really. I hate not finishing a book but this just didnt compel me to carry on.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read an advance copy.
August 21, 2026
I always enjoy reading debut novels and discovering new authors.
This is a hefty read. Hard to describe what genre it is, maybe a mix of mystery, fantasy, horror with some tender coming of age and friendship scenes. I found the whole premise very Stephen King, which is quite some feat.
However, I got to about 50% and was just getting lost with the plot and how drawn out it was. For me, the hinted secrets and menace needed to come earlier to keep me interested in such a big read. Maybe I will come back and try again with a printed copy rather than an on a kindle, but sadly I did not finish this time.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the review copy.
This is a hefty read. Hard to describe what genre it is, maybe a mix of mystery, fantasy, horror with some tender coming of age and friendship scenes. I found the whole premise very Stephen King, which is quite some feat.
However, I got to about 50% and was just getting lost with the plot and how drawn out it was. For me, the hinted secrets and menace needed to come earlier to keep me interested in such a big read. Maybe I will come back and try again with a printed copy rather than an on a kindle, but sadly I did not finish this time.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the review copy.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews