Below

by Joey Rodriguez

The lurking shadows feasted on the weak, infecting those who cared little to resist. Their possession drove them to madness, spewing the vitriol of the King. Iconography, scripture, prayer, these proved helpful, driving the demons back with that which they sought to deflect. There were those, though, who sought to raise the clawed hands of evil, to benefit their own pleasures, to steal power, to ensure everlasting life. Unrelated victims, their numbers erratic, were left empty for others to find. A warning at first. Letters followed; instructions, ingredients. Soon, a trumpet call for the hidden to feast on the carrion, to rise to the mountains and perform the sacred ceremony. In the bowels, past the Gates, they would enter the sanctuary of the rotten mutt, sacrifice the Mistresses, and call upon a dark presence. The feathered wings of their past had unfurled slowly; three children, running from responsibility, finding solace in justice and servitude, drowning in the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. They too were called, the memories rotten but the sensation still fresh. Back to where it began, now; a truth they wished to ignore. Forced to descend into their own sins, they discovered the truth of their origin, a single moment shaping their whole lives, leading them all back into the familiar embrace of the Devil.

318 pages, Paperback

Published January 3, 2019

About the author

Joey Rodriguez lives in New York City with his wife and daughter, and their Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Joon. He is the author of four novels and two novellas.

Recently, his short stories appeared in Fleas on the Dog, In Parentheses, The Cabinet of Heed, Punt Volat, Plants & Poetry, and Baram House.

To purchase any of his books, visit his official website: notyourplatypus.com; follow him on social media @jojoandpickles; and listen to his podcast Ever Thought Of It? twice a week on Spotify.

Reviews

[Cher Spradlin]

This was a thrilling Satanist/cult read. A bit confusing in the way it shifted back and forth through time with no warning, but it certainly held my interest! I liked the fact that it was set in Italy. The characters were real and alive, with foibles and vulnerabilities like all of us. Mr Rodriguez has a very poetic and lyrical writing style, almost hallucinogenic in its effect.