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Maggot Road
Not yet published
Expected 3 Dec 26
“We’ll dream of death tonight.”
When six bodies from a storm-ravaged shipwreck wash ashore in the small fishing village of Witchaven, newlywed Colle is one of the men tasked with transporting the corpses to holy ground. With the blessing of the village seer, he and three others set off on a gruelling journey through a nightmare hellscape.
Everyone knows it is forbidden to carry corpses through towns and villages, so the group must navigate a bleak and terrible path over the moors, known to the locals as...
MAGGOT ROAD.
Soon, the men will discover they are not alone. A grim horror stalks them on that desolate track, seeking blood and flesh. With terror closing in from all sides, the journey becomes a desperate fight to save not just their lives... but their very souls.
From the mind of David Sodergren, author of The Haar and The Suffering, comes Maggot Road, a medieval folk-horror steeped in melancholy, depravity, and shocking violence.
When six bodies from a storm-ravaged shipwreck wash ashore in the small fishing village of Witchaven, newlywed Colle is one of the men tasked with transporting the corpses to holy ground. With the blessing of the village seer, he and three others set off on a gruelling journey through a nightmare hellscape.
Everyone knows it is forbidden to carry corpses through towns and villages, so the group must navigate a bleak and terrible path over the moors, known to the locals as...
MAGGOT ROAD.
Soon, the men will discover they are not alone. A grim horror stalks them on that desolate track, seeking blood and flesh. With terror closing in from all sides, the journey becomes a desperate fight to save not just their lives... but their very souls.
From the mind of David Sodergren, author of The Haar and The Suffering, comes Maggot Road, a medieval folk-horror steeped in melancholy, depravity, and shocking violence.
- GenresHorror
208 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication December 3, 2026
About the author
David Sodergren
23 books4,124 followersDavid Sodergren lives in Scotland with his wife Heather and his best friend, Boris the Pug.
Growing up, he was the kind of kid who collected rubber skeletons and lived for horror movies. Not much has changed since then.
His best known books include the gory and romantic fairy tale The Haar, the blood-drenched folk-horror Maggie’s Grave, and the analog-horror fever dream Rotten Tommy. David also writes under the pseudonym Carl John Lee, publishing splatterpunk
novels such as Psychic Teenage Bloodbath and Cannibal Vengeance.
Growing up, he was the kind of kid who collected rubber skeletons and lived for horror movies. Not much has changed since then.
His best known books include the gory and romantic fairy tale The Haar, the blood-drenched folk-horror Maggie’s Grave, and the analog-horror fever dream Rotten Tommy. David also writes under the pseudonym Carl John Lee, publishing splatterpunk
novels such as Psychic Teenage Bloodbath and Cannibal Vengeance.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
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September 28, 2026My medieval folk-horror novella Maggot Road is out December 3rd 2026! I wanted to follow up the unrelenting misery of The Suffering with something light, something fun, but due to real-life circumstances I ended up with a book even more grim and depressing. It's a slow-burn crawl into melancholy, loss, and violence. I hope you enjoy it.
October 4, 2026
Another amazing story, a bit slower then his other stories, but I absolutely adore the pacing, the setting and the heartbreak in every chapter. I love a story with a journey that has strange happenings and this definitely had plenty and kept my attention throughout, I didn’t want to put it down, and only did when my dog insisted on me playing with him. I will be mentally revisiting this story for a while to come.
Review of advance copy received from Author
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The month was October, the season dismal, and yet the air hung heavy with clammy wetness”
I think it’s impossible for Mr. David Sodergren to write a novel under 4 stars. 🤗
This was folklore atmospheric horror at its finest. 🌳🦇🌙
The story of Maggot Road is filled with dread, despair, hopelessness, and grief in the best way possible.
David Sodergren is a must-read author for all horror lovers out there! 🪦
“The month was October, the season dismal, and yet the air hung heavy with clammy wetness”
I think it’s impossible for Mr. David Sodergren to write a novel under 4 stars. 🤗
This was folklore atmospheric horror at its finest. 🌳🦇🌙
The story of Maggot Road is filled with dread, despair, hopelessness, and grief in the best way possible.
David Sodergren is a must-read author for all horror lovers out there! 🪦
October 4, 2026
Thank you David Sodergren for the advance copy!
I flew through this book. The slow burn paired with the looming sense of dread created a chilling atmosphere that leaves you eager to find out what's in store for the characters of this tale. In typical Sodergren style, there is plenty of violence and gore that is not only well written but creative too. There's fear, there's anger, there's sadness and it's impossible as a reader to not feel those emotions deep within you as you journey down Maggot Road.
I flew through this book. The slow burn paired with the looming sense of dread created a chilling atmosphere that leaves you eager to find out what's in store for the characters of this tale. In typical Sodergren style, there is plenty of violence and gore that is not only well written but creative too. There's fear, there's anger, there's sadness and it's impossible as a reader to not feel those emotions deep within you as you journey down Maggot Road.
October 5, 2026
This story had me hooked! I’ve been disappointed by medieval books before, but wow, this folk tale really delivered. Well and truly bleak, hopeless and so grim, just what the doctor ordered. The creeping sense of dread building towards the ending was so well done.
Thanks so much to the author for the advanced copy!
Thanks so much to the author for the advanced copy!
Review of advance copy received from Author
ARC REVIEW:
Maggot Road is a maudlin and morose meandering through melancholy and the mediaeval moors of Scotland.
Pitched as a slow burn, I found it to be quite fast paced and I just blitzed through this book. I suppose the pace of a book is really just how frequently things happen that you find interesting or propel the story forward. Well to me, every chapter did this. There wasn't a dull moment from the second the group of men set out on their tragic journey.
When some corpses wash up in a secluded village, a group of four men must push a cart filled with the dead bodies to a nearby town for proper burial. When an extra body shows up, they think nothing of it, but their trek will soon descend into hell.
Each page drips with moody atmosphere and surmounting dread. You know bad things are about to happen any second, and when they do, the renowned Sodergren bloody and disgusting visceral violence is here in full force.
The story is filled with grief, tragedy and despair. But everyone needs to read this the second it comes out in December because it's one of the most riveting, disgusting and well written stories David has ever written!
Maggot Road is a maudlin and morose meandering through melancholy and the mediaeval moors of Scotland.
Pitched as a slow burn, I found it to be quite fast paced and I just blitzed through this book. I suppose the pace of a book is really just how frequently things happen that you find interesting or propel the story forward. Well to me, every chapter did this. There wasn't a dull moment from the second the group of men set out on their tragic journey.
When some corpses wash up in a secluded village, a group of four men must push a cart filled with the dead bodies to a nearby town for proper burial. When an extra body shows up, they think nothing of it, but their trek will soon descend into hell.
Each page drips with moody atmosphere and surmounting dread. You know bad things are about to happen any second, and when they do, the renowned Sodergren bloody and disgusting visceral violence is here in full force.
The story is filled with grief, tragedy and despair. But everyone needs to read this the second it comes out in December because it's one of the most riveting, disgusting and well written stories David has ever written!
Review of advance copy received from Author
"Are you brave enough to walk Maggot Road?"
Maggot Road is a quick, yet unnerving journey. One that will have you clawing through the dirt for faintest glimpse of hope.
In this atmospheric horror, you find yourself tasked with moving corpses that mysteriously wash up on shore from one town to the next. However, the road connecting the two is not an easy one. It is feared by the townsfolk. And like it or not, there's no escaping.
This book will have you looking over your own shoulder while reading. The sense of dread and wrongness will slowly seep deep into your bones.
Proceed at your own peril.
You've been warned.
👏 You've done it again David.
Maggot Road is a quick, yet unnerving journey. One that will have you clawing through the dirt for faintest glimpse of hope.
In this atmospheric horror, you find yourself tasked with moving corpses that mysteriously wash up on shore from one town to the next. However, the road connecting the two is not an easy one. It is feared by the townsfolk. And like it or not, there's no escaping.
This book will have you looking over your own shoulder while reading. The sense of dread and wrongness will slowly seep deep into your bones.
Proceed at your own peril.
You've been warned.
👏 You've done it again David.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Another fantastic addition to the Sodergren collection. 5 stars without hesitation.
This one is a slightly slower burn than his previous works - but don't be mistaken, it still has all the hallmarks that we've come to enjoy.
Being set in medieval times you can tell that the author really wanted us to get a sense of how hard life must have been for those alive back then.
We get to wallow (as much as you can in a book of less than 250 pages) in the world before the journey really begins and once it does, our 4 main protagonists really come to life.
This is still gory in parts - so be warned if that turns you off - and yes, the title is rather apt.
I will also say that this felt quite cinematic in parts - but to explain why or expand upon further would go into spoiler territory.
This is closer to The Haar than The Forgotten Island and when you read the author's afterword you will understand why.
So, in summary, yet another absolute belter from Sodergren.
Folksy horror at its grimmest but would we have it any other way?
This one is a slightly slower burn than his previous works - but don't be mistaken, it still has all the hallmarks that we've come to enjoy.
Being set in medieval times you can tell that the author really wanted us to get a sense of how hard life must have been for those alive back then.
We get to wallow (as much as you can in a book of less than 250 pages) in the world before the journey really begins and once it does, our 4 main protagonists really come to life.
This is still gory in parts - so be warned if that turns you off - and yes, the title is rather apt.
I will also say that this felt quite cinematic in parts - but to explain why or expand upon further would go into spoiler territory.
This is closer to The Haar than The Forgotten Island and when you read the author's afterword you will understand why.
So, in summary, yet another absolute belter from Sodergren.
Folksy horror at its grimmest but would we have it any other way?
Review of advance copy received from Author
I devoured this in one sitting – what a wild ride! Once again David Sodergren has given us an absolute gem of a story. This was a slower paced Sodergren novel, but it felt right for the journey. A gut wrenching story with all the atmospheric horror you could want. The sense of dread is palpable. David builds such character development through this shorter read, I felt connected and devoted to them and the story. Honoring the dead, even if it costs you your life. I received an advanced reader copy via the author and am happily leaving this review voluntarily.
“Maggot Road will make a man of you”
“Maggot Road will make a man of you”
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews