Mercy

by T. Fox Dunham

Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease… “Part medical horror, part supernatural suspense, MERCY is a hard-hitting fever dream of a novel. I enjoyed the hell out of it!” ~ Tim Waggoner, author of The Way of All Flesh and Eat The Night William Saint is dying of cancer. Stricken with fever, he is rushed to Mercy—notorious as a place to send the sickest of the poor and uninsured to be forgotten—and finds the hospital in even worse condition than his previous visit. The grounds are unkempt, the foundation is cracking, and like the wild mushrooms sprouting from fissures of decay around it, something is growing inside the hospital. Something dark… It’s feeding on the sickness and sustaining itself on the staff, changing them. And now it wants Willie. “Pain and poetry flow in equal measure through these pages. Dunham's prose strikes deep and hits all the right notes. MERCY is unforgettably vivid.” ~ David Dunwoody, author of Hell Walks and The 3 Egos "Dunham has channeled his many brushes with the other side into the exquisitely rendered, lyrical supernatural hospital thriller MERCY. 3.5 out of 4 Skulls." - FANGORIA

Genres: Horror

194 pages, Paperback

First published March 30, 2016

About the author

T. Fox Dunham is an American writer and author of three novels: The Street Martyr, Mercy and Destroying the Tangible Illusion of Reality, or Searching for Andy Kaufman. He’s a cancer survivor, editor and host/producer of What Are You Afraid Of? Horror & Paranormal Show.

At the age of 17, oncologists at the University of the Hospital of Pennsylvania diagnosed Fox with a rare type of blood cancer: composite lymphoma. He was treated with an aggressive regiment of chemotherapy and radiation. The treatment crippled him for life, and the constant pain plus the violation of the treatment inspired his horror medical thriller, Mercy.

"Dunham has channeled his many brushes with the other side into the exquisitely rendered, lyrical supernatural hospital thriller MERCY. 3.5 out of 4 Skulls." - FANGORIA

Fox is creator, producer & co-host of What Are You Afraid Of? Horror & Paranormal Show—a dark audio magazine in its fifth season on PARA-X Radio with 200,000 direct downloads on most major podcast services. The show plays narrated ghost stories, dark fiction, and Fox interviews such guests as Travel Channel’s Katrina Weidman, Heather Taddy, authors like Joe R Lansdale and filmmakers like Lloyd Kaufman. Find every episode and more at www.whatareyouafraidofpodcast.com.

Fox is the author of three novels and many published short stories featured in magazines and anthologies. Throughline Films is developing his first book The Street Martyr into a series.

Fox is an accomplished baker, cook, gardener, herbalist and angler. He’s editing a new charity anthology, Coming Through in Wave, based on the music of Pink Floyd for Gutter Books. Proceeds will be donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, fever dream is an apt description of this novel. Particularly in the sense that so much of it was very wordy and descriptive without really giving you much story. I found it tedious to slog through all of the fevered sequences and lost interest more than once but carried on none the less. I can’t say I’d recommend it.

[DA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique, depressing, full of disturbing imagery and poetic. This book won't be for everyone, not I found quite interesting and couldn't put it down. This book touches on drug addiction and suicidal thoughts.
I felt like I was having a hullucinatory dream while reading. It's medical horror with maybe a dash of cosmic horror.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Blood Bound Books!
This novel had me at "cancer" arguably one of the scariest words in any language. Mercy is a creepy fever dream that made my skin crawl. Willie is dying of lymphoma and he only wants his illness to end him. When he is taken to Mercy, a hospital for the forgotten and disenfranchised, he discovers something worse than disease, pain and death. This is a supernatural thriller filled with disturbing imagery. Being a hypochondriac, thinking of an organic hospital full of bugs and mushrooms really freaked me out. But it was Willie who made me get involved in the story. He is a strong lead character, even if he is not too likable. You want to root for him because of his disease, but sometimes he is his own worst enemy. A great read for horror fans with a strong stomach.

[melody myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scary good

Scary good , page turner keeps you guessing whats real and what is a fever dream! I highly recommend this book

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was kind of the definition of “thanks, I hate it!” It was a really good book, in terms of creativity, writing, plot, unpredictability....but at the same time, it was really uncomfortable to read. It has some Kafka, some Vonnegut, some King, and some “wtf is going on here.” I read through it quickly because I wanted to know what happened, and honestly I’m still not entirely sure I know. I simultaneously want to reward its push-the-envelope nature with a 5, and express how unsettled it made me feel with a 1, so...here we are at a three. Worth a read, if you’ve the stomach for it, but definitely so at your own risk.

And really, really really, don’t pick it up if you’re going to be in a hospital or having any medical procedures any time soon. Just trust me on this one.

[John R. Goyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

A terrifying scenario - and weird/surreal enough that it should keep my attention. I wasn't scared as much as bored. Didn't care for the people, the writing seemed repetitive and surprisingly un-engaging. At first I thought the plot might be hallucinations, but the story as it was revealed didn't impress me with originality or execution. meh...

[Ron D · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing

I think the concept for the plot was a good one; but believed the author failed at providing good character development. Spoiler Alert: The alien influence would have been better if it wasn’t vegetation based.

[Fallon]

Read to 27%.
Read for a challenge "lowest rated"
This is my first proper real DNF. I deleted it from my kindle. I couldn't get into this one at all. I felt like I came in half way through a story and couldn't figure out what was going on. The premise sounded so good though.

[Crystal Stallings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read

I very much enjoyed this book and could place myself in the story. Following this man around in his heartache and self discovery

[Lauriejean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't like. To hard to figure out what was going on.

[Paul Fletcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chaotic, A difficult read through which I lost track a few times.
Well crafted descriptively, but hard work

[Brian Doyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very weird story, and a bit tedious at times. The idea behind the story is not bad, but not a book i would recommend

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This horror novel was different than any other horror novel I have read and I found it surprisingly refreshing. William Saint is dying from cancer and is brought to Mercy Hospital against his wishes. There he finds not only is he is dealing with demons from his past but a very real horror that has changed the medical staff and the hospital itself. Now William is fighting not only the visions from his past but a very real evil that wants to use him to gain access to our world.
I really liked this novel. I found it to be very different from anything I have read before and also very unsettling at times. All in all, I didn't want to put the book down (but had to as I do have a non book life lol) and didn't want the story to end. It is very well written, informative, and the author also has a talent with keeping a growing sense of unease and suspense. Highly recommended.

[Justyna Zonko · Rating 1 out of 5]

This one was weird. Like really weird. Half of the times I was reading it I was confused. There were times where I wanted to DNF this book but I've finished it. It was like The Shining but on drugs. It takes you on a wild ride, whether you are prepared for it or not.