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Wicked Temper
To Kill A Mockingbird collides with Deliverance!
"Masterful...the lovechild of William Faulkner and H.P. Lovecraft...an unnerving literary experience." ~ Kirkus Reviews
"Thornhorn, where the hell have you been?" ~ William Peter Blatty (author of The Exorcist)
In the long and jagged shadow of Riddle Top lies a darkling mountain world—-a world of unholy mirth and madness, of gods and demons you never knew existed.
Hitch a wild-ass ride with two runaway teens—-the runty but tough preacher's girl Tizzy Polk and her punk boyfriend Matthew. They might think they are Bonnie and Clyde, but they might also race headlong into an evil far greater than their own. They may come to see things darkly different and seldom seen on that bewitched mountain known below as Riddle Top.
Take care, folks say in story and song. Watch your step. And beware up there where the wind doth howl like the hellhound electric. Up there, where Tizzy and Matthew come knocking on a strange door. For nobody knows what awaits once you've disturbed your disturbing host. Your hands are in his hands now.
And the scariest thing of all? He's got all the time in this world.
A Tale Untold by a Riddle Top Magpie
Stark, poetic, haunting: Wicked Temper unfolds like a waking fever dream, a rockabilly heart of darkness. The kind you can kill but it don't stop beating.
Wicked Temper is the premeditated prequel to Randy Thornhorn's The Kestrel Waters.
"One of the South's wildest new voices..." ~ The Oxford American Magazine
"Masterful...the lovechild of William Faulkner and H.P. Lovecraft...an unnerving literary experience." ~ Kirkus Reviews
"Thornhorn, where the hell have you been?" ~ William Peter Blatty (author of The Exorcist)
In the long and jagged shadow of Riddle Top lies a darkling mountain world—-a world of unholy mirth and madness, of gods and demons you never knew existed.
Hitch a wild-ass ride with two runaway teens—-the runty but tough preacher's girl Tizzy Polk and her punk boyfriend Matthew. They might think they are Bonnie and Clyde, but they might also race headlong into an evil far greater than their own. They may come to see things darkly different and seldom seen on that bewitched mountain known below as Riddle Top.
Take care, folks say in story and song. Watch your step. And beware up there where the wind doth howl like the hellhound electric. Up there, where Tizzy and Matthew come knocking on a strange door. For nobody knows what awaits once you've disturbed your disturbing host. Your hands are in his hands now.
And the scariest thing of all? He's got all the time in this world.
A Tale Untold by a Riddle Top Magpie
Stark, poetic, haunting: Wicked Temper unfolds like a waking fever dream, a rockabilly heart of darkness. The kind you can kill but it don't stop beating.
Wicked Temper is the premeditated prequel to Randy Thornhorn's The Kestrel Waters.
"One of the South's wildest new voices..." ~ The Oxford American Magazine
316 pages, Hardcover
First published December 16, 2012
37 people are currently reading
2685 people want to read
About the author
Randy Thornhorn
17 books58 followersRandy Thornhorn is the teller of many tales, including this one. His most recent work is the acclaimed Southern music novel The Kestrel Waters, the epic sequel to his novel Wicked Temper. Author of the longest fiction ever published in The Oxford American Magazine, most of Mr. Thornhorn's stories occur in a displaced world, a fable-infested Southern region some would surely deem unsafe. He visits often, sometimes stays the night. Other nights he might be found on a wooded hilltop somewhere east of Montgomery in the land of Alabama.
He seldom sees angels fly his skies. But magpies are another story.
He seldom sees angels fly his skies. But magpies are another story.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
August 15, 2025
Everything You Be
Is Carved In Them Hands...
WICKED TEMPER
by Randy Thornhorn
5 stars. Matthew Birdnell, 19 and Tizzy Polk, 13 are yearning for a better life than what's available to them in the Hollow on Cayuga Ridge...
Matthew stole his daddy's '49 Studebaker pickup, and the two teens took off for Memphis and all points in between...
Speeding down out of the Appalachian Mountains where they were born and raised...
They looked down at the gauges and saw that the truck was almost out of gas...
Step 5 (for this story is told in steps, not chapters) the duo, in short order...
... robbed a Sheriff, accidentally killed an old woman, ran their truck into a man and his mule, and broadsided a milk truck...
Then they ran out of gas...
With people looking for the fugitives from both directions on the only road out of the mountains...
They stole another vehicle and took the fork in the road to Riddle Top...
Where children have gone missing ...
Where it is said that the abductor of these children, a man known as Boogerie Bob Knott, has a cabin in the woods...
Lost on the dark mountainside, newly stolen car stuck in the mud amid a great rain storm, the pair got out and walked...
Until...
They ended up on the doorstep of a very unusual man...
Named Bob...
Hold on, children. The scares are just beginning...
Bob told them: Show me your hands. everything you be is carved in them hands...
This is a dark and sinister southern gothic story expertly told by the author. It is a little hard to get into at first, but hold tight and get yourself to Step 5 at 22%, where it really takes off and becomes hard to put down. Buckle your seat belt and enjoy!
Personally, this is one of the best books I've ever read.
Is Carved In Them Hands...
WICKED TEMPER
by Randy Thornhorn
5 stars. Matthew Birdnell, 19 and Tizzy Polk, 13 are yearning for a better life than what's available to them in the Hollow on Cayuga Ridge...
Matthew stole his daddy's '49 Studebaker pickup, and the two teens took off for Memphis and all points in between...
Speeding down out of the Appalachian Mountains where they were born and raised...
They looked down at the gauges and saw that the truck was almost out of gas...
Step 5 (for this story is told in steps, not chapters) the duo, in short order...
... robbed a Sheriff, accidentally killed an old woman, ran their truck into a man and his mule, and broadsided a milk truck...
Then they ran out of gas...
With people looking for the fugitives from both directions on the only road out of the mountains...
They stole another vehicle and took the fork in the road to Riddle Top...
Where children have gone missing ...
Where it is said that the abductor of these children, a man known as Boogerie Bob Knott, has a cabin in the woods...
Lost on the dark mountainside, newly stolen car stuck in the mud amid a great rain storm, the pair got out and walked...
Until...
They ended up on the doorstep of a very unusual man...
Named Bob...
Hold on, children. The scares are just beginning...
Bob told them: Show me your hands. everything you be is carved in them hands...
This is a dark and sinister southern gothic story expertly told by the author. It is a little hard to get into at first, but hold tight and get yourself to Step 5 at 22%, where it really takes off and becomes hard to put down. Buckle your seat belt and enjoy!
Personally, this is one of the best books I've ever read.
July 7, 2019
"Laggard punk -----" Preacher Polk snarled.
The Preacher flung Matthew sidelong across the teeter-totter. Tizzy heard the sickening snap of Matthew's spine, then the echo. Then the teeter-totter tottered up and down. The bonfire burned. The schoolhouse was singing, laughing, clomping.
Under the great pilgrim oak, the Preacher's wild eye nailed Tizzy hard. So did the back of his hand.
Oh, there's no doubt . . . Tizzy needed an angel to save her.
Enter Matthew Birdnell, whose main goal in life is to rise to the top of the F.B.I.'s Ten Most Wanted list. He gets a chance to do just that when he takes off with Tizzy on a crime spree throughout the surrounding area. Fleeing the law, the young outlaws take refuge in the home of a strange mountain man and his daughter(?). It doesn't take long until they both realize they may have traded the frying pan for the fire when some sinister goings-on are discovered.
Despite the violence and adult themes, there's sort of a Hansel and Gretel in the deep, dark forest feel to this that I enjoyed. The mountain seems to be some sort of enchanted (though not in a good way) place that time forgot. Thornhorn's voice is creamy smooth, a good aged bourbon, laced with just a hint of arsenic. Though some readers may be put off by the amount of sexual experimentation going on between two thirteen-year-olds, the only thing that bothered me was one scene that hinted at the supernatural. This was never returned to, and I would have preferred it had been omitted.
Real life on that mountain is creepy enough.
The Preacher flung Matthew sidelong across the teeter-totter. Tizzy heard the sickening snap of Matthew's spine, then the echo. Then the teeter-totter tottered up and down. The bonfire burned. The schoolhouse was singing, laughing, clomping.
Under the great pilgrim oak, the Preacher's wild eye nailed Tizzy hard. So did the back of his hand.
Oh, there's no doubt . . . Tizzy needed an angel to save her.
Enter Matthew Birdnell, whose main goal in life is to rise to the top of the F.B.I.'s Ten Most Wanted list. He gets a chance to do just that when he takes off with Tizzy on a crime spree throughout the surrounding area. Fleeing the law, the young outlaws take refuge in the home of a strange mountain man and his daughter(?). It doesn't take long until they both realize they may have traded the frying pan for the fire when some sinister goings-on are discovered.
Despite the violence and adult themes, there's sort of a Hansel and Gretel in the deep, dark forest feel to this that I enjoyed. The mountain seems to be some sort of enchanted (though not in a good way) place that time forgot. Thornhorn's voice is creamy smooth, a good aged bourbon, laced with just a hint of arsenic. Though some readers may be put off by the amount of sexual experimentation going on between two thirteen-year-olds, the only thing that bothered me was one scene that hinted at the supernatural. This was never returned to, and I would have preferred it had been omitted.
Real life on that mountain is creepy enough.
August 18, 2014
If you like riddles than this book may be one for you. I love riddles but the problem is, I'm not much good at them. I loved this very very weird, strange haunting tale but did I figure it out? No! Did it make me enjoy it any less? No! The story almost felt like two books in one, before Riddle Top and then the arrival at Riddle Top. The book description I think said a cross between To Kill a Mockingbird and Deliverance. Yeah, I don't think that's a very good description. This is one of the most unique stories/folklore tales I've ever read so I think there is little to compare it to. My suggestion, give it a try. I wasn't disappointed.
June 25, 2014
WICKED TEMPER is such a fine novel it’s hard to know where to begin with any sort of review. What a wonderful time I had reading it. I would find it hard to express the gratitude I feel toward Randy Thornhorn for giving me the chance to meet Matthew and Tizzy. And to follow their journey. This book is a triumph of artistry that never, ever bogs down into the expected or the trite or the banal.
Matthew and Tizzy – the central characters – just want to run away. They want to leave their school books behind and escape Tizzy’s daddy Preacher Polk – but as they run they become caught in a web much bigger and much meaner than they ever thought existed. Poor souls. They know not what… and that is what gives WICKED TEMPER its engine. That is what makes it such a compelling and obsessive read. The pages fly by and as you near the end – you do not want the story to stop. You want to see more, know more - glimpse into the dark woods upon Riddletop again and again.
WICKED TEMPER takes the reader to places unseen – except in fevered nightmares – lets them stew and then releases them. But the places you go. The things you see. What you hear. All are of a piece and yet unraveling at the same time. You will want to read it and then read it again. It is that good.
You will find yourself wanting – almost aching – to talk with someone about this book. It speaks to us all – but in ever different voices. A must.
Matthew and Tizzy – the central characters – just want to run away. They want to leave their school books behind and escape Tizzy’s daddy Preacher Polk – but as they run they become caught in a web much bigger and much meaner than they ever thought existed. Poor souls. They know not what… and that is what gives WICKED TEMPER its engine. That is what makes it such a compelling and obsessive read. The pages fly by and as you near the end – you do not want the story to stop. You want to see more, know more - glimpse into the dark woods upon Riddletop again and again.
WICKED TEMPER takes the reader to places unseen – except in fevered nightmares – lets them stew and then releases them. But the places you go. The things you see. What you hear. All are of a piece and yet unraveling at the same time. You will want to read it and then read it again. It is that good.
You will find yourself wanting – almost aching – to talk with someone about this book. It speaks to us all – but in ever different voices. A must.
June 25, 2014
Wicked Temper is not good. It’s great. Great may not even be an effusive enough word. It’s a classic in the vein of William Faulkner, Harper Lee, Cormac McCarthy, and Erskine Caldwell (my personal favorite). Yet, it is a much darker voice all its own. There’s an underlying deep moan of creepiness throughout this story that lets you feel the soaring trek of ruin the main characters Tizzy and Matthew are on. They set out on a life of crime to escape their dismal childhoods only to fall into the hands of a charismatic backwoods deviant.
Buy it. Read it. Tell your friends. This is the kind of indie book that deserves attention.
Buy it. Read it. Tell your friends. This is the kind of indie book that deserves attention.
March 6, 2015
Absolutely mesmerizing!
It's taken me several days to let this one simmer in my mind long enough for me to compose an adequate review...but, I've finally realized that nothing I can say about this book could possibly do it justice.
This is not just one of the finest books I have read this year, it is (without a doubt) one of the most memorable books I have EVER read.
This is one of those rare reads where I found myself fully immersed, right there beside main characters Tizzy and Matthew, as they become drawn into the strangeness of the mountain known as Riddle Top.
Thornhorn is an amazing writer, and this story will haunt you (as it has haunted me) for a long time to come.
It's taken me several days to let this one simmer in my mind long enough for me to compose an adequate review...but, I've finally realized that nothing I can say about this book could possibly do it justice.
This is not just one of the finest books I have read this year, it is (without a doubt) one of the most memorable books I have EVER read.
This is one of those rare reads where I found myself fully immersed, right there beside main characters Tizzy and Matthew, as they become drawn into the strangeness of the mountain known as Riddle Top.
Thornhorn is an amazing writer, and this story will haunt you (as it has haunted me) for a long time to come.
July 3, 2014
Wicked Temper is a story about Tizzy Polk, a thirteen-year-old girl living in a small rural Southern town who divides her time between sitting under a tree hoping to catch a glimpse of some baby raccoons living in its boughs and being beaten and locked up in a closet by her overly righteous Preacher-Daddy. So it’s not too hard to understand when, on an impulse, she joins forces with Matthew Birdnell, a young man not many years older and of questionable inbreeding, when he decides to steal his daddy’s pickup truck and pursue a more exciting life robbing banks with a revolver he found inside a teacher’s desk at school. It’s also not surprising when his plan leads to an unexpected murder that drives the young couple into hiding up in the ominous mountain area known as Ole Riddle Top.
Here the story turns into a hillbilly version of Psycho complete with a lone cabin in the woods where a lantern-jawed proprietor named Bob Nottingham takes in the couple during a particularly harsh thunderstorm. For the rest of the book, we watch as Tizzy and Matthew explore the cabin and the surrounding woodlands and we try along with them to figure out who Bob is and what he’s up to in those woods. Bob also has a young daughter who appears to be autistic but her purpose in the story seems metaphorical at best as she does little besides crawl under porches and up into trees.
Wicked Temper is a very well written book but one that is written entirely in a hillbilly vernacular that sometimes gets lost in translation to unfamiliar readers like myself. In spite of that, there is still plenty of suspense and enough creepy surprises to feed your nightmares for a week after you finish reading it. However, I still couldn’t figure out what’s going on up there on Riddle Top and when I read a book, I generally like to know what the heck it was all about. For those with the need to know, there is a sequel to the book entitled The Kestrel Waters, which may further enlighten them on the subject.
In compliance with FTC guidelines, I am disclosing that I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
Here the story turns into a hillbilly version of Psycho complete with a lone cabin in the woods where a lantern-jawed proprietor named Bob Nottingham takes in the couple during a particularly harsh thunderstorm. For the rest of the book, we watch as Tizzy and Matthew explore the cabin and the surrounding woodlands and we try along with them to figure out who Bob is and what he’s up to in those woods. Bob also has a young daughter who appears to be autistic but her purpose in the story seems metaphorical at best as she does little besides crawl under porches and up into trees.
Wicked Temper is a very well written book but one that is written entirely in a hillbilly vernacular that sometimes gets lost in translation to unfamiliar readers like myself. In spite of that, there is still plenty of suspense and enough creepy surprises to feed your nightmares for a week after you finish reading it. However, I still couldn’t figure out what’s going on up there on Riddle Top and when I read a book, I generally like to know what the heck it was all about. For those with the need to know, there is a sequel to the book entitled The Kestrel Waters, which may further enlighten them on the subject.
In compliance with FTC guidelines, I am disclosing that I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
June 26, 2014
After I read Kestrel Waters, I heard that this lyrical horror novella was written as a prequel, so I just had to check it out! It did not disappoint, and added to the mythology of the strange world Mr. Thornhorn has imagined. I don't really think it matters which one you read first; each enhances the other. Wicked Temper is situated in the wooded mountains of Appalachia - well, sort of! It's the story of a young hoodlum couple on the run from police. They are taken in by a strange man who is tantalizingly familiar to us. Both charismatic and brutal, the man, who shall be nameless, carries with him an aura of evil.
This novella is written in such a way that one needs a few pages to settle into the language of it. But settle in, you will, as the words sing off the page.
Don't miss this one!
This novella is written in such a way that one needs a few pages to settle into the language of it. But settle in, you will, as the words sing off the page.
Don't miss this one!
September 2, 2014
Although this book confused me like none other, which I am sure is intentional, it was a great read.
I was drawn in and fell in love with Tizzy and Matthew from page 1 and was absolutely fascinated by where the story took me.
It was full of mysteries and twists and turns, you really never knew what to expect.
It was a fantastic ride that trapped me from beginning to end and I am excited to move on to the sequel.
I was drawn in and fell in love with Tizzy and Matthew from page 1 and was absolutely fascinated by where the story took me.
It was full of mysteries and twists and turns, you really never knew what to expect.
It was a fantastic ride that trapped me from beginning to end and I am excited to move on to the sequel.
June 25, 2014
Like a scary nursery rhyme. I loved it. This book creates a poetry world in the woods and on a dark mountain. The man they meet is beyond terrible.
August 17, 2025
A Southern Gothic horror tale. starting off as a little Bonnie & Clyde style but turns more deadly by the day. running from the law they encounter A strange place And A very strange Homeowner This was my first book by Mr Thornhorn
August 8, 2014
"Wicked Temper" the prequel to "The Kestrel Waters" by Randy Thornburn which I won through Goodreads Giveaways is a darkly horrific tale that begins with Tizzy Polk the Preacher's daughter who's charmed by the antics of Matthew Birdnell a hoodlum wannabe and runs away with him hoping to find a better life than the abusive one at home. When Matthew robs and accidently kills the owner of Kinebrew's Grocery and Gas Station they agree to take refuge at his uncle's place on Riddle Top, a mountain whispered about with fear and trepidation. What they find in a cabin hidden from preying eyes is an evil more chilling and dangerous than the law they're forced to run from.
With vivid description and the folksy dialect of southerners in the backwater town of Cayuga Ridge, where superstition and dark legends abound, Randy Thornburn sets the stage for a haunting tale. Slowly he builds tension in the story when the two teens fleeing a murder scene are forced to take sanctuary in the haunted hills of Riddle Top. Thinking that they're safe until the police stop looking for them, their curiosity about the mysterious owner and the mute little girl is soon aroused and all too quickly they're pulled into a harrowing nightmare. Cleverly Randy Thornburn fuels the teens inquisitiveness with bizarre clues; a skeletal hand, bald tramp and two-headed hare. Illusion and reality seem intertwined in the face of evil at work which sparks a reader's curiosity and keeps him spellbound as the story gains momentum. Yet for all the darkness within this tale there are flashes of humor, especially with the teens sexual banter, and Matthew's clowning around to impress young Tizzy.
The characters like the plot are realistic and unforgettable with all their intensity and fervour. Matthew Birdnell ( nicknamed Rebel Yell), the skinny junior gravedigger wants to break free from the stifling confines of the small town, to make an easy living on the wrong side of the law. He's illiterate, rough, and lazy; drawn to the blunt frankness of the preacher's daughter. Small and feisty Tizzy Polk plagued by an abusive father yields to Mathew's persuasive charm. Although she has a conscience, Tizzy's foolhardy and impulsive enough to ignore it. Bob Lloyd Nottingham the scarred and brooding owner of the cabin lives with Button a rag doll child and silent watcher. Together they guard a chilling secret that once exposed is lethal. All these characters and more add to the drama and power of a darkly foreboding tale.
The climax of this story leaves a lot of questions unanswered, but beware,although the tale's exhilarating, it's a nightmarish ride no one has returned from.
With vivid description and the folksy dialect of southerners in the backwater town of Cayuga Ridge, where superstition and dark legends abound, Randy Thornburn sets the stage for a haunting tale. Slowly he builds tension in the story when the two teens fleeing a murder scene are forced to take sanctuary in the haunted hills of Riddle Top. Thinking that they're safe until the police stop looking for them, their curiosity about the mysterious owner and the mute little girl is soon aroused and all too quickly they're pulled into a harrowing nightmare. Cleverly Randy Thornburn fuels the teens inquisitiveness with bizarre clues; a skeletal hand, bald tramp and two-headed hare. Illusion and reality seem intertwined in the face of evil at work which sparks a reader's curiosity and keeps him spellbound as the story gains momentum. Yet for all the darkness within this tale there are flashes of humor, especially with the teens sexual banter, and Matthew's clowning around to impress young Tizzy.
The characters like the plot are realistic and unforgettable with all their intensity and fervour. Matthew Birdnell ( nicknamed Rebel Yell), the skinny junior gravedigger wants to break free from the stifling confines of the small town, to make an easy living on the wrong side of the law. He's illiterate, rough, and lazy; drawn to the blunt frankness of the preacher's daughter. Small and feisty Tizzy Polk plagued by an abusive father yields to Mathew's persuasive charm. Although she has a conscience, Tizzy's foolhardy and impulsive enough to ignore it. Bob Lloyd Nottingham the scarred and brooding owner of the cabin lives with Button a rag doll child and silent watcher. Together they guard a chilling secret that once exposed is lethal. All these characters and more add to the drama and power of a darkly foreboding tale.
The climax of this story leaves a lot of questions unanswered, but beware,although the tale's exhilarating, it's a nightmarish ride no one has returned from.
July 18, 2014
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
I had high hopes for this book and until the end, I wasn't disappointed. It took a while to understand the backwoods vocabulary, but once that was accomplished I found myself unable to put the book down. I'm not entirely sure how I felt the book should end, but I wasn't prepared for or really understood what Randy wanted us to think/feel. I guess the lazy part of me wanted it laid out in black and white and rarely, if ever, is that the case. I would have given 3.5 stars, but that wasn't an option. I would recommend the book if not for any other reason than to have my friend's take on what the story meant to them.
I had high hopes for this book and until the end, I wasn't disappointed. It took a while to understand the backwoods vocabulary, but once that was accomplished I found myself unable to put the book down. I'm not entirely sure how I felt the book should end, but I wasn't prepared for or really understood what Randy wanted us to think/feel. I guess the lazy part of me wanted it laid out in black and white and rarely, if ever, is that the case. I would have given 3.5 stars, but that wasn't an option. I would recommend the book if not for any other reason than to have my friend's take on what the story meant to them.
July 8, 2014
In the South, we don't hide our crazy relations...oh no...we just prop them up on the front porch, stick a drink in their hand for all to see!
I felt Mr. Thornhorn did an incredible job of letting us meet some of the more "unusual" folks that live in the South in his grand novel, "Wicked Temper." Every character in his book is priceless...I often felt that Mr. Thornhorn was writing about my family! (Maybe I shouldn't have told that!?!)
If you are looking for fabulous read that you cannot put down....this is it! Enjoy!
December 16, 2021
For a few pages I wasn't very sure. I'm not a fan of vernacular and I have to be in the right mood to read something like Faulkner and let myself feel the language. At some point during the first chapter, though, I began to drift through this book and looked forward to every time I was able to pick it back up and let myself float in the strange world stamped on the pages.
The story itself is fairly nonsensical. It progresses in a linear fashion, but much like the dreams the characters keep falling into you slowly find yourself accepting the same kind of logic controlling the world they inhabit. It's a dark and hard place, and you wonder, just like Tizzy does, just why they exist and for what purpose. It's almost like they are all gods, lazily occupying a mortal realm where they have no business trying to flit through the mundane day-to-day.
The story isn't very important, though. This book is a display of language and dreams on paper. "She remembered the coal box and the back of her Preacher-Daddy's icy, hateful hand. Then Tizzy knew. Her milk was spilt for good." Now that's just pretty.
This book is an exercise in the joy of reading as opposed to an exciting horror story. I enjoyed every minute of it and its barbs are firmly anchored in my mind.
The story itself is fairly nonsensical. It progresses in a linear fashion, but much like the dreams the characters keep falling into you slowly find yourself accepting the same kind of logic controlling the world they inhabit. It's a dark and hard place, and you wonder, just like Tizzy does, just why they exist and for what purpose. It's almost like they are all gods, lazily occupying a mortal realm where they have no business trying to flit through the mundane day-to-day.
The story isn't very important, though. This book is a display of language and dreams on paper. "She remembered the coal box and the back of her Preacher-Daddy's icy, hateful hand. Then Tizzy knew. Her milk was spilt for good." Now that's just pretty.
This book is an exercise in the joy of reading as opposed to an exciting horror story. I enjoyed every minute of it and its barbs are firmly anchored in my mind.
September 14, 2014
I don't like to gush, but I am honestly giddy with happiness after reading Wicked Temper. Randy Thornhorn has created a fully realized world we can all live in for a while. Tizzy, to me, is Harper Lee's Scout with a couple of years and without the benifit of an Atticus Finch. She takes up with wannabe sociopath Matthew, whose spirit is willing, but lacks the essential skillset for the work. They encounter the horned god, the snug cottage in the forest and the horror it conceals, darkness and light. You are going to need a high tolerance for ambiguous endings. I have my theories, but I still haven't definitively figured out who the "I" is at the end, or the true significance of the title - but I love a book that makes you really think.
June 28, 2014
What can I say that has not been said about this amazingly dark, funny, lyric, and devastating novel? Two backwoods teenagers run but they don't run far before they are stopped in their tracks by the ultimate evil. It really is funny and makes you laugh when it's not giving you the creeps or pulling you into that netherworld on Riddle Top mountain. The stuff of childhood nightmares. Playful yet paralyzing in the end. It is a certifiable classic, a new classic. It's a must read if you loved The Kestrel Waters (its followup) as much as I did.
July 9, 2014
Loved this book! I won Randy Thornhorn's "The Kestrel Waters" in a good reads giveaway, then found "Wicked Temper" the prequel to "The Kestrel Waters"! Had to read this first now on to " The Kestrel Waters"! Great writing!
December 29, 2014
I'm going to have to think about this for a while. I liked the book. It grabbed me from the beginning and pulled me right through until the end. I cared about the characters, well, most of them. I'm just going to let this one simmer. I reserve the right to change my rating.
November 27, 2015
Worst book ever
No plot. No character development. Completely nonsensical. The reader knows nothing more about the mountain or the denizens thereof at the end of this exceptionally boring book than at the beginning.
No plot. No character development. Completely nonsensical. The reader knows nothing more about the mountain or the denizens thereof at the end of this exceptionally boring book than at the beginning.
June 30, 2014
When I started reading I didn't want to stop. The descriptions are so rich I feel I'm right there. I cared so much about what happened to the characters. Love it!
Want to read
January 31, 2015*flails*
I need this book!
I need this book!
July 7, 2019
This is a strange and dark tale, loosely fitting into the southern gothic genre, but with a pinch of horror added. Rebellious teenagers Tizzy and Matthew abandon their abusive homes in an old Studebaker embarking on a Bonnie and Clyde style road trip. After a period of rampage they bunker down in the isolated shack of the weird and frightening Robert Lloyd Nottingham.
It’s certainly unusual and won’t be for everyone, but does bravely deal with aspects of child abuse that many writers steer away from.
It’s certainly unusual and won’t be for everyone, but does bravely deal with aspects of child abuse that many writers steer away from.
August 8, 2014
"Wicked Temper" the prequel to "The Kestrel Waters" by Randy Thornburn is a darkly horrific tale that begins with Tizzy Polk the Preacher's daughter , charmed by the antics of Matthew Birdnell a hoodlum wannabe, runs away with him hoping to find a better life than the abusive one at home. When Matthew robs and accidently kills the owner of Kinebrew's Grocery and Gas Station they agree to take refuge at his uncle's place on Riddle Top, a mountain whispered about with fear and trepidation. What they find in a cabin hidden from preying eyes is an evil more chilling and dangerous than the law they're forced to run from.
With vivid description and the folksy dialect of southerners in the backwater town of Cayuga Ridge, where superstition and dark legends abound, Randy Thornburn sets the stage for a haunting tale. Slowly he builds tension in the story when the two teens fleeing a murder scene are forced to take sanctuary in the haunted hills of Riddle Top. Thinking that they're safe until the police stop looking for them, their curiosity about the mysterious owner and the mute little girl is soon aroused and all too quickly they're pulled into a harrowing nightmare. Cleverly Randy Thornburn fuels the teens inquisitiveness with bizarre clues; a skeletal hand, bald tramp and two-headed hare. Illusion and reality seem intertwined in the face of evil at work which sparks the readers' curiosity and keeps them spellbound as the story gains momentum. Yet for all the darkness within this tale there are flashes of humor, especially with the teens sexual bantering, and Matthew's clowning around to impress young Tizzy.
The characters like the plot are realistic and unforgettable with all their intensity and fervour. Matthew Birdnell ( nicknamed Rebel Yell), the skinny junior gravedigger wants to break free from the stifling confines of the small town, to make an easy living on the wrong side of the law. He's illiterate, rough, and lazy; drawn to blunt frankness of the preacher's daughter. Small and feisty Tizzy Polk plagued by an abusive father yields to Mathew's persuasive charm. Although she has a conscience , Tizzy's foolhardy and impulsive enough to ignore it. Bob Lloyd Nottingham is the scarred and brooding owner of the cabin who lives with Button a rag doll child and silent watcher. Together they guard a deadly, chilling secret that once exposed will threaten Matthew and Tizzy. All these characters and more add to the drama and power of a darkly foreboding tale.
At the end there are so many questions yet unanswered, but beware a visit to Riddle Top is a nightmarish ride you may never return from.
With vivid description and the folksy dialect of southerners in the backwater town of Cayuga Ridge, where superstition and dark legends abound, Randy Thornburn sets the stage for a haunting tale. Slowly he builds tension in the story when the two teens fleeing a murder scene are forced to take sanctuary in the haunted hills of Riddle Top. Thinking that they're safe until the police stop looking for them, their curiosity about the mysterious owner and the mute little girl is soon aroused and all too quickly they're pulled into a harrowing nightmare. Cleverly Randy Thornburn fuels the teens inquisitiveness with bizarre clues; a skeletal hand, bald tramp and two-headed hare. Illusion and reality seem intertwined in the face of evil at work which sparks the readers' curiosity and keeps them spellbound as the story gains momentum. Yet for all the darkness within this tale there are flashes of humor, especially with the teens sexual bantering, and Matthew's clowning around to impress young Tizzy.
The characters like the plot are realistic and unforgettable with all their intensity and fervour. Matthew Birdnell ( nicknamed Rebel Yell), the skinny junior gravedigger wants to break free from the stifling confines of the small town, to make an easy living on the wrong side of the law. He's illiterate, rough, and lazy; drawn to blunt frankness of the preacher's daughter. Small and feisty Tizzy Polk plagued by an abusive father yields to Mathew's persuasive charm. Although she has a conscience , Tizzy's foolhardy and impulsive enough to ignore it. Bob Lloyd Nottingham is the scarred and brooding owner of the cabin who lives with Button a rag doll child and silent watcher. Together they guard a deadly, chilling secret that once exposed will threaten Matthew and Tizzy. All these characters and more add to the drama and power of a darkly foreboding tale.
At the end there are so many questions yet unanswered, but beware a visit to Riddle Top is a nightmarish ride you may never return from.
December 14, 2015
My original Wicked Temper audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.
This is a tale about Tizzy Polk and Matthew “RebelYell” Birdnell, both in their early teens. Both have their own crosses to bear – both want out of their current situations but can only find peace and freedom in their dreams at night when all is quiet and calm – for Izzy there are no yelling alcoholic preacher daddy’s or any dead end pig farming futures for Matthew in their nightly dreams. Matthew decides one day to remedy the situation. Matthew and Tizzy go on a stealing spree that leaves one little old lady dead in their wake. They have now crossed over the line from which they cannot return like Bonnie & Clyde.
Scurrying past the police, these two kids take to Riddle Top Ridge seeking a safe place to hide out. There they find more than they bargained.
This is my first Randy Thornhorn book but it is not my last! While I do not enjoy audiobooks that contain sound effects, the ones included in this rendition are very appropriate and important to the story. The dialect used in this story is very accurate and his ability to slide from one character to another is amazing. Thornhorn narrates his own novel and it is a move that I found very entertaining and riveting.
His use of vivid descriptions and details connects the reader to the characters completely. They are haunted; they just don’t know it yet. Thornhorn’s drawl is perfect and he’s mastered the ability to write the dialect, speak it and I would assume even dream in it. For those that are old enough, the references to different “sayings and actions” are spot on; for those too young, Thornhorn is presenting you with something that was one a very real part of life. Here in Thornhorn’s tale, “Old Wives Tales” are very real and very deadly.
The experience of listening to this book was surreal and unsettling in a scary thrilling way. His writing is unsettling – dark, almost poetic and smooth. As a listener you are drawn in and are as trapped in this tale as his characters Izzy and Matthew.
His plot and characters were well developed, if there were any inconsistencies they were not noticeable nor did they detract from the story.
There were no production issues at all.
Audiobook provided for review by the author.
This is a tale about Tizzy Polk and Matthew “RebelYell” Birdnell, both in their early teens. Both have their own crosses to bear – both want out of their current situations but can only find peace and freedom in their dreams at night when all is quiet and calm – for Izzy there are no yelling alcoholic preacher daddy’s or any dead end pig farming futures for Matthew in their nightly dreams. Matthew decides one day to remedy the situation. Matthew and Tizzy go on a stealing spree that leaves one little old lady dead in their wake. They have now crossed over the line from which they cannot return like Bonnie & Clyde.
Scurrying past the police, these two kids take to Riddle Top Ridge seeking a safe place to hide out. There they find more than they bargained.
This is my first Randy Thornhorn book but it is not my last! While I do not enjoy audiobooks that contain sound effects, the ones included in this rendition are very appropriate and important to the story. The dialect used in this story is very accurate and his ability to slide from one character to another is amazing. Thornhorn narrates his own novel and it is a move that I found very entertaining and riveting.
His use of vivid descriptions and details connects the reader to the characters completely. They are haunted; they just don’t know it yet. Thornhorn’s drawl is perfect and he’s mastered the ability to write the dialect, speak it and I would assume even dream in it. For those that are old enough, the references to different “sayings and actions” are spot on; for those too young, Thornhorn is presenting you with something that was one a very real part of life. Here in Thornhorn’s tale, “Old Wives Tales” are very real and very deadly.
The experience of listening to this book was surreal and unsettling in a scary thrilling way. His writing is unsettling – dark, almost poetic and smooth. As a listener you are drawn in and are as trapped in this tale as his characters Izzy and Matthew.
His plot and characters were well developed, if there were any inconsistencies they were not noticeable nor did they detract from the story.
There were no production issues at all.
Audiobook provided for review by the author.
December 24, 2014
*Goodreads first reads advanced copy*
I would actually rate Wicked Temper 3 and 1/2 stars. The story line was great. It did take a bit getting used to reading since it was intentionally written in a less educated fashion in terms of grammar and spelling. That actually added to the story in terms of setting the scenery.
The story definitely messes with your mind and gets you to think. I just wish a little more had been explained by the end. You don't really know what finally happened to Tizzy. You also have no real idea if it is a supernatural entity or just a regular crazed psycho up on the mountain. There were times I wondered if they were just hallucinating everything.
Overall I would still recommend Wicked Temper to fans of Deliverance and fans of The Serpent and the Rainbow. I think they will enjoy this story.
I would actually rate Wicked Temper 3 and 1/2 stars. The story line was great. It did take a bit getting used to reading since it was intentionally written in a less educated fashion in terms of grammar and spelling. That actually added to the story in terms of setting the scenery.
The story definitely messes with your mind and gets you to think. I just wish a little more had been explained by the end. You don't really know what finally happened to Tizzy. You also have no real idea if it is a supernatural entity or just a regular crazed psycho up on the mountain. There were times I wondered if they were just hallucinating everything.
Overall I would still recommend Wicked Temper to fans of Deliverance and fans of The Serpent and the Rainbow. I think they will enjoy this story.
August 17, 2014
First off I was lucky enough to win this book in a giveaway and can I say Wow.... I enjoyed this book until the last page, it was one of those rare books that leave you wanting more. Lucky for us there is a sequel The Kestral Waters which I will somehow have to get ahold of in the near future.
If you are looking for a darker eerier kind of read this book is for you. I promise you wont be disappointed!
If you are looking for a darker eerier kind of read this book is for you. I promise you wont be disappointed!
May 2, 2016
Randy Thornhorn may echo Faulkner, Lovecraft and McCarthy, but he has a voice uniquely his own. In Wicked Temper he takes the Appalachian people and places I know so well, and twists them like a funhouse mirror. It is at once both familiar and profoundly strange, and never ceases to make the reader feel an abiding sense of unease. Of wrongness. Even days later, the disquiet of this novel remains. I look forward to reading more from Thornhorn.
September 22, 2014
This story was amazing! You could easily relate to the characters and their emotions. Dealing with daily obstacles and being a teenager has it moments. When the two run from family issues they have no idea what they are getting into. Mystery, compassion and murder keep you turning the page until the end!!
September 11, 2014
This is such an amazing book!!! The characters are easy to relate with and the mystery is always keeping you wanting more. The twists and turns as you travel with tizzy on her adventure are awesome! I never would have suspected the ending. I absolutely love this book!!! Highly recommend to anyone!!!
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