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Descension
362 pages, Paperback
Published September 15, 2026
About the author
Edmund Stone
9 books71 followersEdmund Stone is an author and a part time boat captain, living on the Ohio River. When he's not on the water, he spins nightmarish tales of horrific proportions.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 18, 2026
In a mining town called Salt Flat we are introduced to Cole Masters and his family they move into an old house on the outskirts of town. But when you start hearing noises and creaks when your all alone in the house, that would be my exit lol 😆. But, joking aside for a house to have creepy settling noises or are they something more sinister and frighteningly scary arghhh 😳😱!!!!
The mine in the town ends up shutting down all of a sudden which is very unusual so Cole decides to investigate. Now the mine has new owner's and they turn up with a cargo of boxes, spare parts I hear you say hmmmm? They take them down to the mine. Suddenly some of the worker's helping them disappear strangely!! I wonder what is happening in the darkest depths in the underground!!
There are things in this town that are buried and should stay buried, but what waits patiently in the darkness just biding its time for it to rise again it just needs the right time...
There are supernatural elements to the story also bloody messy scenes, horrific mayhem and visceral moments. It played out like my own movie in my head. Damn it I even started getting mad with some of the characters shouting at them ha ha!!
Cole has to finally own up to stuff he would like to stay buried too. Is he going to stop the darkness unravelling, we'll see 👀. I loved the authors writing style I couldn't turn the pages quick enough. I blasted through it bish, bash, bosh!! Loved it!!!
The mine in the town ends up shutting down all of a sudden which is very unusual so Cole decides to investigate. Now the mine has new owner's and they turn up with a cargo of boxes, spare parts I hear you say hmmmm? They take them down to the mine. Suddenly some of the worker's helping them disappear strangely!! I wonder what is happening in the darkest depths in the underground!!
There are things in this town that are buried and should stay buried, but what waits patiently in the darkness just biding its time for it to rise again it just needs the right time...
There are supernatural elements to the story also bloody messy scenes, horrific mayhem and visceral moments. It played out like my own movie in my head. Damn it I even started getting mad with some of the characters shouting at them ha ha!!
Cole has to finally own up to stuff he would like to stay buried too. Is he going to stop the darkness unravelling, we'll see 👀. I loved the authors writing style I couldn't turn the pages quick enough. I blasted through it bish, bash, bosh!! Loved it!!!
September 1, 2026
Descension is a gritty, tense, blood-soaked piece of small-town horror that feels like Justified collided with the Ruins and Pet Sematary.
The story takes place in Salt Flat, a mining town where the line between criminals and law enforcement has blurred for generations. The Menach family has deep roots in Salt Flat and an equally long history of clashing with the law. When the town’s mine, its major source of employment, shuts down under the shadow of the Russian mob, tensions that have been simmering for years begin to boil over.
At the center of it all is Cole, one of the few good cops not yet poisoned to the core by corruption. Stone does a fantastic job capturing the strain between the law, the Menachs, and a community where violence and intimidation is a way of life.
But something much worse is growing beneath Salt Flat.
Deep inside the mine, something is feeding. Growing. As it grows, so does the scope of the novel. What begins as a grim crime story gradually mutates into full-blown creature horror, eventually exploding into an epic battle of good versus evil.
That combination is what really worked for me. Descension doesn’t feel like a monster was simply dropped into a crime novel. The human ugliness of Salt Flat and the horror beneath it feed into each other until they become part of the same nightmare.
And the ending fuc*ng delivers. Stone takes all that tension, violence, family history, corruption, and supernatural horror and brings it together in a brutal, satisfying showdown, while leaving just enough behind to suggest that Salt Flat’s story might not be over.
If you like your horror gritty, violent, character-driven, and crawling with something horrible beneath the surface, Descension with be right up your alley!
The story takes place in Salt Flat, a mining town where the line between criminals and law enforcement has blurred for generations. The Menach family has deep roots in Salt Flat and an equally long history of clashing with the law. When the town’s mine, its major source of employment, shuts down under the shadow of the Russian mob, tensions that have been simmering for years begin to boil over.
At the center of it all is Cole, one of the few good cops not yet poisoned to the core by corruption. Stone does a fantastic job capturing the strain between the law, the Menachs, and a community where violence and intimidation is a way of life.
But something much worse is growing beneath Salt Flat.
Deep inside the mine, something is feeding. Growing. As it grows, so does the scope of the novel. What begins as a grim crime story gradually mutates into full-blown creature horror, eventually exploding into an epic battle of good versus evil.
That combination is what really worked for me. Descension doesn’t feel like a monster was simply dropped into a crime novel. The human ugliness of Salt Flat and the horror beneath it feed into each other until they become part of the same nightmare.
And the ending fuc*ng delivers. Stone takes all that tension, violence, family history, corruption, and supernatural horror and brings it together in a brutal, satisfying showdown, while leaving just enough behind to suggest that Salt Flat’s story might not be over.
If you like your horror gritty, violent, character-driven, and crawling with something horrible beneath the surface, Descension with be right up your alley!
September 9, 2026
**ARC Review**
Author: Edmund Stone
Book: Descension
Book Rating: 4 Stars
Genre: Horror
I would like to thank Edmund Stone for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Descension is a gripping, dread inducing prequel to his novel Tent Revival that had me hooked from the beginning. This story stands on its own though, with no spoilers and only vague Easter eggs the tie into his other work.
We follow new police officer Cole Masters as he moves back in to his old hometown and starts his new career. He comes up against the sinister Menach family, local drug dealers who are trying to run the town. While this is going on, a new corporation buys out the mining company and unearths something older than mankind itself. It is up to Cole to find out what is happening and stop the Menach's from their evil plan.
This book has an amazing prologue that instantly drew me in and I have a feeling that it will become a staple in the horror community. Stone has a way of writing characters that are believable and very real...even if you pull your hair out from the idiotic decisions that they make.
If you are looking for a book that has some great scenes, excellent characters and a world that is ever expanding, preorder this novel now! Edmund Stone is one of the names you will need to remember, because he will be going places.
Author: Edmund Stone
Book: Descension
Book Rating: 4 Stars
Genre: Horror
I would like to thank Edmund Stone for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Descension is a gripping, dread inducing prequel to his novel Tent Revival that had me hooked from the beginning. This story stands on its own though, with no spoilers and only vague Easter eggs the tie into his other work.
We follow new police officer Cole Masters as he moves back in to his old hometown and starts his new career. He comes up against the sinister Menach family, local drug dealers who are trying to run the town. While this is going on, a new corporation buys out the mining company and unearths something older than mankind itself. It is up to Cole to find out what is happening and stop the Menach's from their evil plan.
This book has an amazing prologue that instantly drew me in and I have a feeling that it will become a staple in the horror community. Stone has a way of writing characters that are believable and very real...even if you pull your hair out from the idiotic decisions that they make.
If you are looking for a book that has some great scenes, excellent characters and a world that is ever expanding, preorder this novel now! Edmund Stone is one of the names you will need to remember, because he will be going places.
August 21, 2026
Incredible book. I definitely enjoyed the pace and smooth reading I experienced throughout the book. It is one of the best books I've read this Year so far. I highly recommend checking this book out when it's released.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews