Rake

by Richard Gollifer

RAKE
When people are desperate enough, they pray.
Most believe they are speaking to God.
Some are wrong.
Across generations, in moments of fear and collapse, the same act is repeated. Someone pleads for relief. Someone asks for safety, escape, or mercy. Something answers. The price is never paid immediately, but it is always collected.
The bargain is simple and when the time comes, those who asked must stand and defend what remains. A house. A family. A village. They must face what answered them, whether they are ready or not.
Rake is a dark, generational horror novel about desperation, duty, and the cost of survival. Each generation believes they are the last to bear the burden. Each generation is wrong. What comes when the bargain is called cannot be avoided, only confronted.

Genres: Short Stories, Psychological Horror, Horror

Paperback

Published July 1, 2026

Reviews

[ARTISAN · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a phenomenal slow-burn, character driven, work of art that reminds me of what I loved about reading horror late into the night as a kid. Both mature and beautiful in its prose, Richard Gollifer doesn't waste a single detail or the reader's time. It brought me back to staying up in West Virginia staring into the darkness questioning every sound I heard in the middle of the night. I am extremely impressed with just how clean and tight this book is, and when the time came for the story to shift gears. My friend you surely didn't disappoint. Bravo!

[Lisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Themes of generation trauma and the immigrant experience are carefully woven throughout the story. It is both beautifully written and terrifying.

Equal parts creepy and cozy.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written slow burn that explores generational trauma through the eyes of a woman with immigrant parents, made even more compelling by the author’s careful attention to real Canadian history woven throughout the story.