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The Flock
Revival has engulfed the small Tennessee town of Elders Keep. But writhing beneath the prayers and hymns within the white canopy tent atop Wednesday Ridge, something malevolent gathers strength. Soon, a raging tide of fire and insanity will fill the streets of the Keep. To save his town, Sheriff Graham Strahan must confront the ghosts of his past. Who will be left standing when war comes to Elders Keep?
Kindle Edition
Published April 19, 2019
5 people want to read
About the author
Jeffery X Martin
18 books17 followersJeffery X Martin lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, with his wife, Hannah. A former staff writer for Newsweek, Martin has also contributed to Biff Bam Pop!, Popshifter, and a number of other websites that no longer exist. Martin is the author of seven books. His short fiction has been published by Siren's Call, Aphotic Realm, the Sinister Horror Company and others. In his spare time, Martin enjoys collecting obscure horror films, sprinkling lines of dialogue from the Cornetto Trilogy throughout everyday conversation, and pretending everything is all right.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 22, 2019
The core concept has shades of Stephen King's NEEDFUL THINGS but that's where the similarities end. A reckoning is coming for the citizens of Elders Keep and in particular its beleaguered sheriff. Doomsayers on street corners proclaim "The end is nigh," for this not-so-sleepy town. Citizens demand Sheriff Strahan do something about them - but they aren't committing any crimes. Meanwhile, a revival tent has come to town preaching destruction and showing its parishioners genuine "miracles." Ultimately it will lead to the ruin of Elders Keep or its salvation.
Trust me: you'll want to spend plenty of time in Elders Keep and return to these characters often. Fortunately Martin has several books in this story universe, including Black Friday, The Ridge and the standalone prequel to The Flock, Hunting Witches.
Trust me: you'll want to spend plenty of time in Elders Keep and return to these characters often. Fortunately Martin has several books in this story universe, including Black Friday, The Ridge and the standalone prequel to The Flock, Hunting Witches.
May 20, 2019
Welcome to Elders Keep, Tennessee, where buildings seethe and bedrooms wait.
If this is your first visit, you are in for a treat. If you are a returning visitor, welcome back, things are as "normal" as ever. But this time, war is come to the Keep. If you have read Hunting Witches, you have an idea of the set-up. If you haven't, It's ok, but you need to ask yourself "Why haven't I read that or any of the other Elder's Keep books?"
Jeffery (Hereafter referred to as X) has created a community where Mayberry RFD meets Outer Limits and veers into (Enter favorite cosmic horror mythos here). Let me further say to fans of Stephen King's Derry/Castle Rock stories: Those towns got nothing on Elders Keep.
I will not spoil anything here, just saying the name Elders Keep should let in the know reader's what to expect.
The Keep is just a small bump in the road in far east Tennessee just outside of Knoxville, and while it is a slice of beautiful country, it shuns outsiders, and those that miss or choose to ignore the warnings, well, let's just say that The Keep (and it's inhabitants) have ...ummm...interesting ways to keep the outsiders out (or in, as it were.)
Well, I have to wrap this up before the spoilers start coming. I live on the other side of Tennessee from Knoxville but I am not willing to cross The Keep or its creator...I'd rather stay out of Parham's Field. (Go read that one too...quickly now.)
If this is your first visit, you are in for a treat. If you are a returning visitor, welcome back, things are as "normal" as ever. But this time, war is come to the Keep. If you have read Hunting Witches, you have an idea of the set-up. If you haven't, It's ok, but you need to ask yourself "Why haven't I read that or any of the other Elder's Keep books?"
Jeffery (Hereafter referred to as X) has created a community where Mayberry RFD meets Outer Limits and veers into (Enter favorite cosmic horror mythos here). Let me further say to fans of Stephen King's Derry/Castle Rock stories: Those towns got nothing on Elders Keep.
I will not spoil anything here, just saying the name Elders Keep should let in the know reader's what to expect.
The Keep is just a small bump in the road in far east Tennessee just outside of Knoxville, and while it is a slice of beautiful country, it shuns outsiders, and those that miss or choose to ignore the warnings, well, let's just say that The Keep (and it's inhabitants) have ...ummm...interesting ways to keep the outsiders out (or in, as it were.)
Well, I have to wrap this up before the spoilers start coming. I live on the other side of Tennessee from Knoxville but I am not willing to cross The Keep or its creator...I'd rather stay out of Parham's Field. (Go read that one too...quickly now.)
July 1, 2019
Let me say that it was wonderful getting to return to the streets of Elders Keep and to finally discover the outcome to the conclusion of Hunting Witches. True to form, Jeffery X Martin kept his world tied together with a blend of folksy horror and supernatural...perhaps a little more supernatural than in previous ventures--which was fine by me. I won't go into every strata of the book, you can read the synopsis for that. Here are some of the highlights that I enjoyed...
The opening story started things out right. What befell the character Patrick Loveland was horrible, to be betrayed on the level that he was. And to completely make the fool of himself as he had. His ending at the conclusion felt rushed and I would have loved to see an actual tale from it, as the beginning had been set up with him, it would have been neat to see the conclusion ending with him through some sort of confession.
The Little One and Randy...the book sort of breaks off towards the middle and tells the story of Mark and Nika Pendleton's little group before the events of Hunting Witches, which was nice to get a little more backstory on them. The real gem was what happened with a little girl named Angelica. I'm not going to spoil the joy of discovery by reading this masterpiece yourself, but let me say...wow, if there isn't a spin off (a novella at the very least!) about the adventures of Angelica/Demonica, I will be very disappointed in Mr. X.
Elder Keep felt more like a character in this novel. I got to spend more time with the faces that make up its population. The vibe and build up felt very akin to Stephen King's epic novel Needful Things. You could taste the mood, the frustration, anger, and hopelessness drifting between characters as the story unfolded.
My only hangup was, as mentioned briefly above, the rushed feeling with the end. This could be because I wasn't ready to leave Elders Keep. I may never want to leave the Keep, and with such an amazing build up and confrontation, I could have done with a little more wrap up than what was given. I was on the edge of my seat, ready to see what magic the Keep is about to unleash on the villains only to watch it fizzle out in a few accidental moments.
Regardless, my stay ended and I felt satisfied, with both knowing the conclusion of the events that started all of this, and with the open future of what could happen next. The biggest question now remains, will we ever get to return to Elders Keep?
The opening story started things out right. What befell the character Patrick Loveland was horrible, to be betrayed on the level that he was. And to completely make the fool of himself as he had. His ending at the conclusion felt rushed and I would have loved to see an actual tale from it, as the beginning had been set up with him, it would have been neat to see the conclusion ending with him through some sort of confession.
The Little One and Randy...the book sort of breaks off towards the middle and tells the story of Mark and Nika Pendleton's little group before the events of Hunting Witches, which was nice to get a little more backstory on them. The real gem was what happened with a little girl named Angelica. I'm not going to spoil the joy of discovery by reading this masterpiece yourself, but let me say...wow, if there isn't a spin off (a novella at the very least!) about the adventures of Angelica/Demonica, I will be very disappointed in Mr. X.
Elder Keep felt more like a character in this novel. I got to spend more time with the faces that make up its population. The vibe and build up felt very akin to Stephen King's epic novel Needful Things. You could taste the mood, the frustration, anger, and hopelessness drifting between characters as the story unfolded.
My only hangup was, as mentioned briefly above, the rushed feeling with the end. This could be because I wasn't ready to leave Elders Keep. I may never want to leave the Keep, and with such an amazing build up and confrontation, I could have done with a little more wrap up than what was given. I was on the edge of my seat, ready to see what magic the Keep is about to unleash on the villains only to watch it fizzle out in a few accidental moments.
Regardless, my stay ended and I felt satisfied, with both knowing the conclusion of the events that started all of this, and with the open future of what could happen next. The biggest question now remains, will we ever get to return to Elders Keep?
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews