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Becoming David
Richard leads a simple, uncomplicated life in the suburbs of London where anonymity is a virtue. His life has a routine. His cleaner visits twice a week. He works out in his basement, where he occasionally he kills people. Everything is as Richard wants it until David enters his life. What happens next changes his existence in its entirety and the lives of those around him. Is he able to trust anything to be true? And will he be able to escape David or will David take over Richard's life completely? A Novella from Hersham Horror Books
- GenresHorror
112 pages, Paperback
Published June 10, 2016
51 people want to read
About the author
Phil Sloman
25 books13 followersPhil Sloman is a writer of dark psychological fiction. Phil is a three-time finalist at the British Fantasy Awards in the categories of Best Newcomer for his novella Becoming David (2017), Best Anthology for The Woods in 2020 as editor, and for Best Collection for his second collection No Happily Ever After in 2024. Phil was also part of Impostor Syndrome from Dark Minds Press shortlisted for British Fantasy Award Best Anthology in 2018. Phil regularly appears on several reviewers' Best of Year lists.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 2, 2016
"After all, what was the worst that could happen?" HA! Just wait and see.
BECOMING DAVID is a short, but creative psychological horror novella with some pretty icky (but not overdone gory) gross out moments after Richard stalks and lures victims to his bed. Killing with a specific grisly purpose, he proceeds to methodically dissect and conceal each catch from ever being discovered........
But Richard gets a ghastly surprise (or two) after DAVID enters his life....hehehe.
A fun little read for us lovers of the bizarre.
November 16, 2016
Becoming David is the story of Richard, serial killer extraordinaire.
Richard is a respectable man, with a great job, a beautiful home and his own gym in the basement. Which is also where he likes to drag his victims and carve the fine fillets with which he fills his freezer.
When Richard targets David and does his usual thing with the body, he thinks no more of it... until David starts speaking to him. And peering back at him from the mirror.
This was a fun, psychological novella that messed with my head. The tension and atmosphere built throughout and the ending went in a direction that surprised me. I love when that happens! (Another little surprise I noted, with pleasure, was the nod to the Hyde Hotel.)
I've not read anything from Mr. Sloman before, but hey-sign me up! Because if this is the type of story he's offering up on a regular basis, I want in!
Highly recommended to fans of psychological horror, served up with some liver, fava beans and a nice Chianti!)
You can find your copy here: Becoming David
*Thanks to the publisher/author for the free e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This is it.*
Richard is a respectable man, with a great job, a beautiful home and his own gym in the basement. Which is also where he likes to drag his victims and carve the fine fillets with which he fills his freezer.
When Richard targets David and does his usual thing with the body, he thinks no more of it... until David starts speaking to him. And peering back at him from the mirror.
This was a fun, psychological novella that messed with my head. The tension and atmosphere built throughout and the ending went in a direction that surprised me. I love when that happens! (Another little surprise I noted, with pleasure, was the nod to the Hyde Hotel.)
I've not read anything from Mr. Sloman before, but hey-sign me up! Because if this is the type of story he's offering up on a regular basis, I want in!
Highly recommended to fans of psychological horror, served up with some liver, fava beans and a nice Chianti!)
You can find your copy here: Becoming David
*Thanks to the publisher/author for the free e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This is it.*
September 28, 2016
Richard Lodge lives a very ordered life, in the house that had been his mothers. He has a cleaner come in twice a week, prides himself on his minimalist existence and enjoys a good career as a freelance accountant. He also kills people. The story opens with a wonderfully shocking chapter, where Richard kills the latest man he’s lured back to the house, listening to the life ebb away with a detached air. As normality then returns, the details of his life - working for clients, complaining that his cleaner is singing too loudly, working in the wet room in the cellar where he butchers his victims - begin to come through. Sloman has a good grasp on Richard’s character, where nothing phases him until one of his victims, the David of the title, proves just that little bit harder to get rid of. The book has a claustrophobic feel - most of the early scenes take place in either London pubs crammed with eligible gay men or the cellar gym/disposals area of 17 Beechwood Avenue - that combines with the oppressive nature of Richard to give the narrative a tense, skewed sense of place. When it does open up, with more characters and locations, it actually becomes more oppressive as things go from bad to worse. The use of the house is also underlined by a key piece of writing - “He was fortunate where he lived. As long as parking spaces were respected and bins only left out on collection day then you could pretty much get away with murder. Literally.” The book doesn’t shy away from violence though most of it is tinged with a nice sense of black comedy - arterial blood hits a dinner place “decorating the remains of their evening meal with a human jus” and it’s easier to hide a body once you’ve broken its shins with a tyre jack - and I liked that. Well written, with a good pace, this is a horror novella that I would very much recommend.
January 17, 2025
Oh man, this book! I was entertained, horrified, sad, weirdly gleeful sometimes, and always engaged. Read it in one sitting.
January 17, 2025
Another brilliant story from Phil Sloman, who never lets me down! I love his short stories so this longer work was a welcome addition to my collection!
January 10, 2017
When we first meet Richard, he appears to be entirely average. He works from home living a quiet existence, and the only obvious quirk of his personality is his love of precision and order. It swiftly becomes evident however, that there is a little more to Richard than meets the eye. His tidy little life masks the fact that he enjoys nothing better than killing.
Richard, using his tried and tested method of stalking potential victims, meets an ideal candidate in the form of David. Everything appears to be playing out exactly the way it always has in the past, but Richard is about to find himself on the receiving end of torture for a change. David’s presence in Richard’s life is entirely Richard’s own doing, but almost immediately, Richard loses the upper hand in their relationship. David switches from being the victim to the victor, as a war of attrition between the two characters begins.
The turmoil that Richard begins to experience in his battle with David is primarily internal. Watching as his character unravels is fascinating stuff, especially when you appreciate how controlled and meticulous he was prior to meeting his new foe. It makes Richard’s descent into madness feel that much more tragic. As tragic as a serial killer losing his mind can be anyway. It’s impressive that Sloman manages to make the reader almost empathise with Richard. I can’t remember when I’ve ever felt sorry for a sociopath.
The character of David is particularly interesting, he could easily be viewed in a number of different ways. I’m not going to say much more than that however, for fear of spoilers. I don’t want to ruin the best surprise.
I think some of the best horror I’ve read falls squarely into what I would describe as the psychological bracket. Becoming David is a perfect example of this. There is nothing massively overt or external in this story. Though it is true that characters, die this is overshadowed by the inner horror that the main character experiences.
Becoming David works so well because it is a short, sharp shock of a novella. Sloman does a good job with his characterisation and keeps things uncomplicated, I like this approach. The whole narrative revolves around just Richard and David. This is exactly what makes this story so effective.
Richard, using his tried and tested method of stalking potential victims, meets an ideal candidate in the form of David. Everything appears to be playing out exactly the way it always has in the past, but Richard is about to find himself on the receiving end of torture for a change. David’s presence in Richard’s life is entirely Richard’s own doing, but almost immediately, Richard loses the upper hand in their relationship. David switches from being the victim to the victor, as a war of attrition between the two characters begins.
The turmoil that Richard begins to experience in his battle with David is primarily internal. Watching as his character unravels is fascinating stuff, especially when you appreciate how controlled and meticulous he was prior to meeting his new foe. It makes Richard’s descent into madness feel that much more tragic. As tragic as a serial killer losing his mind can be anyway. It’s impressive that Sloman manages to make the reader almost empathise with Richard. I can’t remember when I’ve ever felt sorry for a sociopath.
The character of David is particularly interesting, he could easily be viewed in a number of different ways. I’m not going to say much more than that however, for fear of spoilers. I don’t want to ruin the best surprise.
I think some of the best horror I’ve read falls squarely into what I would describe as the psychological bracket. Becoming David is a perfect example of this. There is nothing massively overt or external in this story. Though it is true that characters, die this is overshadowed by the inner horror that the main character experiences.
Becoming David works so well because it is a short, sharp shock of a novella. Sloman does a good job with his characterisation and keeps things uncomplicated, I like this approach. The whole narrative revolves around just Richard and David. This is exactly what makes this story so effective.
July 17, 2017
Richard Lodge is a serial killer, but his neat and orderly life has allowed him to get away with murder for some time. In his immaculate house, no one knows he's got a kill room in the cellar to allow him to dispose of the bodies.
Richard's victims are handsome single men, which he finds through dating sites. But then David enters his life. David is not a regular victim. Richard sees him everywhere. He even starts thinking David is starting to take over his mind. But how can that be possible, when David is dead?
This is a pleasingly gruesome short horror novel, the right length to read in a day. It's told largely from Richard's point of view, which is difficult sometimes since Richard is a particularly sick individual. But this is a horror novel, and things don't always go the way you expect.
Fans of horror and serial killer stories are in for a treat with this one.
Richard's victims are handsome single men, which he finds through dating sites. But then David enters his life. David is not a regular victim. Richard sees him everywhere. He even starts thinking David is starting to take over his mind. But how can that be possible, when David is dead?
This is a pleasingly gruesome short horror novel, the right length to read in a day. It's told largely from Richard's point of view, which is difficult sometimes since Richard is a particularly sick individual. But this is a horror novel, and things don't always go the way you expect.
Fans of horror and serial killer stories are in for a treat with this one.
August 23, 2017
A killer thriller
A serial killer is seemingly haunted by one of his victims. Though nothing is as it seems in this brisk and enthralling tale of suppressed conscience.
Sloman uses conventional serial killer tropes to good effect whilst bringing a fresh perspective to the genre. This is particularly evident as the writer describes how the killer descends into his own form of self-doubt and spurious conscience. We see his systematic approach to dispatching his victims become as impulsive and disordered as his slowly unraveling mind.
Sloman does a good job at providing just enough information on our lead characters to give them meat, anyone who has already read this story will get the joke here. There is some gore but this is not what this tale is about, and this works to the advantage of the story.
A well written, compulsive thriller that lingers in the mind for a while. While disturbing this is no bad thing.
Highly recommended.
A serial killer is seemingly haunted by one of his victims. Though nothing is as it seems in this brisk and enthralling tale of suppressed conscience.
Sloman uses conventional serial killer tropes to good effect whilst bringing a fresh perspective to the genre. This is particularly evident as the writer describes how the killer descends into his own form of self-doubt and spurious conscience. We see his systematic approach to dispatching his victims become as impulsive and disordered as his slowly unraveling mind.
Sloman does a good job at providing just enough information on our lead characters to give them meat, anyone who has already read this story will get the joke here. There is some gore but this is not what this tale is about, and this works to the advantage of the story.
A well written, compulsive thriller that lingers in the mind for a while. While disturbing this is no bad thing.
Highly recommended.
July 17, 2017
I was really impressed with this. What starts as what could have been standard type serial killer fare proves to have many layers of complexity and hidden doorways. I find I've been thinking about this quite a lot the past few days, pondering the implications of duality within the narrative and I'm pretty sure I'm going to need another reading before I can really wrap my head around it all. Truly excellent work. I can't say that enough.
July 19, 2023
Really good read
This book starts by letting you know who the killer is, but that’s not the point. It gets very twisty from there. There’s is a lot of adrenaline and a lot of body swapping as you rush toward a truly twisted ending.
This book starts by letting you know who the killer is, but that’s not the point. It gets very twisty from there. There’s is a lot of adrenaline and a lot of body swapping as you rush toward a truly twisted ending.
April 25, 2023
This Novella packs a lot in - initially a straightforward POV serial killer tale, it quickly mutates into much more.
Superbly (smoothly?) written, satisfying payoff, but leaves you pondering.
Superbly (smoothly?) written, satisfying payoff, but leaves you pondering.
July 27, 2023
Fabulous novella, loaded with gore and some fantastic dark humour. Some of the lines given to the indignant MC are unforgettable.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews