The Seekers

by Brian Moreland

Beneath the city of Boston, evil is gathering.

While living under a bridge with the homeless for six months, journalist Daniel Finley witnessed something terrifying. Something that nearly cost him his sanity.

Now, two years later, he's published a book that exposes a deadly underground cult and its charismatic leader who preaches a dark prophecy. Down in the abandoned subway tunnels exist unimaginable horrors that hunger for human flesh. And in a church of darkness, the cult's numbers are growing. Soon Daniel's worst nightmares are coming true. A fanatical army is rising to shed blood on the streets of Boston.

Now, two years later, he's published a book that exposes a deadly underground cult and its charismatic leader who preaches a dark prophecy. Down in the abandoned subway tunnels exist unimaginable horrors that hunger for human flesh. And in a church of darkness, the cult's numbers are growing. Soon Daniel's worst nightmares are coming true. A fanatical army is rising to shed blood on the streets of Boston.

"Brian Moreland has crafted a unique and thrilling vision of horror that left me both satisfied and wanting more. I strongly encourage you to pick up this novella." --RavenousMonster

"Chocked full of scares and suspense, Moreland delivers a tale that will soon be a classic. This is the kind of story horror lovers need." --Kristopher Rufty, author of The Lurkers

"Moreland writes a gripping tale that uses unique and seedy locations in Boston along with wonderfully lifelike characters that you care about to pull you in completely ... wildly imaginative with shades of Lovecraft that enhance an already wonderful story. Highly recommended reading." --In to the Macabre

The Seekers is a re-release that was formerly titled The Vagrants.

Genres: Horror

158 pages, Paperback

First published June 3, 2014

About the author

Brian Moreland writes dark suspense, thrillers, and horror. He's an avid reader and big fan of movies and series. A native Texan, Brian loves to cook, go hiking in nature, and travel to interesting places around the world. He is enjoying life with family in rural Texas and writing new thrilling fiction. His books include:

THE DEVIL'S WOODS
TOMB OF GODS
THEY STALK THE NIGHT
SAVAGE ISLAND
SHADOWS IN THE MIST

BLOOD SACRIFICES: THREE HORROR NOVELLAS:
THE WITCHING HOUSE
DARKNESS RISING
THE SEEKERS

Friend Brian on Goodreads
Follow on Twitter/X @BrianMoreland

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Undercover journalist Daniel Finley writes a book about the homeless scene in Boston. While living among the poor he comes across a new cult that calls itself The Seekers. Mordecai is prophet and new Messiah to the homeless. But what is this eerie character really up to? Who are those gods he worships, the Sangregattis (ghastly gods indeed)? And what is the role of the Irish mafia? This novella keeps you on the edge of your seat. Well plotted, relentless fast forward, extremely compelling and full of nailbiting (biting in the truest sense of the word) horror. Absolutely enjoyed this modern classic on a murderous cult set in Boston. Really recommended!

[Maxine (Booklover Catlady) · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have not yet delved into the world of urban, modern horror, then please do so. I have loved everything Brian has written. An underrated Author in my opinion.

Even if horror is not your genre, you would be surprised how much you might enjoy modern horror with an everyday twist. This books is one of those.

This is one of those books that builds up the terror factor gradually from a gentle simmer (safe here) to a shocking, terrifying and breath removing boiling final course. Seriously, another book I was yelling at, things like "pick your leg up! KICK IT. Run, just run, blow his head off" and such joyful statements.

The PLOT is GOOD, let me indulge you a little:

Beneath the city of Boston, evil is gathering. Journalist Daniel Finley is determined to save the impoverished of the world. But the abandoned part of humanity has a dark side too. While living under a bridge with the homeless for six months, Daniel witnessed something terrifying.

Something that nearly cost him his sanity.Now, two years later, he’s published a book that exposes a deadly underground cult and its charismatic leader. And Daniel fears the vagrants are after him because of it.

At the same time, his father is being terrorized by vicious mobsters. As he desperately tries to help his father, Daniel gets caught up in the middle of a war between the Irish-American mafia and a deranged cult of homeless people who are preparing to shed blood on the streets of Boston.

So Daniel is living down and dirty in tent city under a bridge in Boston, part of research, he gets to know the local homeless really well, it's not an easy life. One day this weird freaky guru-type dude turns up with his bunch of followers. Daniel calls them The Seekers.

It all goes very bad and very scary from here. Most of the homeless jump camp over to THE SEEKERS and Daniel has to fight the pull to join them. He manages to get away but that's not the last time he sees them.

This is a horror story with a brilliant plot, perfect pacing that builds up the tension and scare factor nicely, characters that you can like and many that you won't, quite a few that will scare the pants off you. Underground railway tunnels won't ever seem safe again after reading this one. It's a really good book.

The frenetic and dramatic last third of the book was brilliant!

I was holding to my Kindle so tight and freaking out, yelling at the book, forgetting to breathe, needing to stop and get a moment. Holy Macaroni Batman that is one grand finale indeed.

Enticed? You should be. I think this is a good intro book for anyone keen to try modern/urban horror or for the long term horror fanatic. A very enjoyable read with some great angles and outcomes.

Thanks so much for reading my review of this book. Join me as a friend or follower and feel free to browse my shelves for your next great book! I love to connect with other readers.

[Char · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella was SO not what I expected. It started with a bunch of homeless people and a man writing a book and then it turned into a story of Old Gods. Weird, right? Yes, but weird in a good way!

As I said, we start with groups of homeless people being sought after by a man named Mordecai. He wants them to join his group of "seekers" and he is capable of mesmerizing them into doing just that. Enter in Daniel, a man living among these homeless vagrants doing research for a book. Enter in a side story of the Irish mob in South Boston, (I love reading stories about my home state!), and how Daniel's family is affiliated with them. Then throw them all together in a room, sprinkle some Lovecraftian-ism over the top like fresh ground pepper- and you have an original story that I thought was a lot of fun. (When I say Lovecraftian, I'm not talking tentacled creatures here- I AM talking about old/ancient gods and their plans for mankind.)



I enjoyed the underground mural depictions and how Daniel spotted his friends in them. And I most especially loved the final scenes, complete with meat hooks and mysterious elevator shafts. The originality of those last moments with Mordecai took this book from what I thought was a so-so 3 star read into a 4 star, "I recommend this book" review. Well done, Mr. Moreland!

Recommend for friends of underground horror and the Old Gods.

Find this review and others like it at www.HorrorAfterDark.com.

**I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This is it.**

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Daniel is a writer who spent 6 months living as a homeless person to research his book. The small community he spent time with is torn apart as another group, the seekers, joins the area along with their charismatic leader, Mordecai. One by one the small community join the other group and Daniel himself has a disturbing encounter with Mordecai.

Two years later he has written a book detailing his life on the streets, the plight of the homeless and the strange group that he encountered. With his new found success he pays his father a visit so that he can repay debts and make amends, his father however has gotten himself into financial troubles with the mob. The only way out of his fathers debt is for Daniel to persuade a homeless group to leave one of the mobs buildings. Things do not go smoothly as Daniel yet again encounters the seekers and learns how they are connected to ancient beings and a network that spreads much further than Boston.

This started off quite well with the back story of Daniel meeting the cult and his writer ambitions, it didn't really grab me until about half way which is when the mob got added to the story. The last third was great fun with the cult, sacrifices and some pretty scary beings. The characters were well drawn and Daniel was as likeable as mob boss Drake was repulsive. The supporting characters were also fleshed out enough that they felt believable and not just cardboard cut outs of bad guys.

My second read from Moreland and while it's nowhere near as good as Dead of Winter it was still very enjoyable.

[Jon Recluse · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an eARC from Netgalley.

This novella is a terror trifecta:
Forgotten people, i.e.: the homeless
Forgotten places beneath the streets
And forgotten gods way down in the dark

Mix in a crusading journalist, the Southie Mob, and a mad prophet named Mordecai, the result is a bounty of urban horror that would make any city dweller paranoid.

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first book by Moreland. As far as introductions go, it wasn't the most auspicious one, but it wasn't discouraging either. This was definitely the sort of thing where the idea outmatches the writing skills. Moreland's style is perfectly decent, but never really gets above that, which is fine, especially for genre writing, but not really a stand out. There is just a sort of bland narrative flatness to it. The idea was fun though. Crazy homeless (apparently not a redundancy, there are tiers and these ones are top shelf), cannibal demon worshipping cults...pretty creative. Beware subways with wacky murals. Reasonably entertaining quick read.

[Kaisersoze · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Daniel Findlay opts to spend six months living among Boston's homeless to research for his book on these unfortunates and raise awareness of their plight, little does he realise just how fundamentally his view of the world is about to alter. Daniel witnesses the building of a cult within the ranks of the homeless before narrowly escaping with his sanity intact. Only the cult is not yet done with him ...

With The Vagrants, Brian Moreland infuses his homeless antagonists with considerable creepiness. There are numerous scenes were Daniel is confronted by vagrants who seem to only want some change or a bite to eat, but when close enough, impart a hissed message of nastiness. These are effective enough, but even better are other scenes when large numbers of these people silently mass and begin closing in on their prey. These moments worked exceptionally well for me; as did scenes with the vagrants' mysterious and charismatic leader, Mordecai.

Moreland also opts to throw elements of Boston's criminal network into the mix, providing some much needed fodder for the vagrants and whatever it is that they are hiding. The ending pits these two groups against one another to good effect, with Daniel caught between the two factions.

The pacing is swift and the writing is simple but effective. The novella suffers from a few "developing author mistakes", however, including a tendency to repeat already-established information too often (such as the name of Daniel's girlfriend, and the fact that she is his girlfriend the first three times she appears). I was also a bit torn on the resolution of the story, which while suggesting there could be a sequel in the works, seemed to leave things a little too conveniently open for my tastes.

Regardless, there is much to like about The Vagrants, and it serves as the latest calling card of an up and comer in the horror genre who seems destined to make a considerable name for himself.

3.5 Realistic Murals for The Vagrants.

[Hunter Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one you won't be able to put down. A writer going undercover as a homeless man stumbles upon a terrifying shift in this borderland community. A strange cult leader is gathering the homeless under his wing, but to what end? Brian Moreland hits the mark yet again. A perfect read for the Halloween season!

[Paul Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Journalist Daniel Finley goes undercover in Boston to study the lost and forsaken, the homeless and destitute hoping that he could inspire people to help get them off the streets. To become like them he entered a nightmare, one where he would forget his name every night and had to remind himself every day, who he really was.

During his sixth month of tented residence, a nomadic tribe of people arrived calling themselves ‘Seekers’, led by a self-proclaimed holy man named Mordecai, a carnival side show freak covered in tattoo’s culminating in a third eye on his forehead.

More and more people become enthralled by this messiah, losing themselves in his sermons and one tattoo later they’re part of his flock. The Seekers numbers grow and a coming apocalypse is threatened with the only thing standing in its way, a group of gangsters and a single journalist.

Vagrants is a supernatural thriller that even now three weeks after finishing it I’m still undecided as to whether I liked it or not. Don’t get me wrong it’s well written and will appeal to most fans of the genre but for me nothing really stood out as being ‘bang’ yeah enjoyed that bit. I think when you read a lot comparison has too come into play and Vagrants just didn’t do it for me in a year where I’ve read some fantastic stuff so far.
Rating 3.5

http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straight ahead was an infinite blackness that beckoned.

The Vagrants is a very good and somewhat eclectic horror tale from Brian Moreland. Daniel is a journalist that goes undercover to investigate the secret lives of street people and help find a solution to the homeless problem. He barely makes it out with his sanity intact. Daniel has a new life now. Re-establishing relationships with his father and with a new girlfriend he wants to leave his social experiment behind and start anew. Unfortunately, there are some dark and sinister forces that may have other plans for him.

A very well written and truly disturbing tale that takes some interesting turns, but pulls it all together nicely in the end. It took me awhile for this one to click for me, but once it took hold I was hooked and had to see where the story would take me. Well done. 4 Stars and Highly Recommended.

*I received an copy of this release from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[David Bernstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It has it all--it's well-written, engaging from the first page, a mystery that keeps you turning the pages and it's terrifying throughout, but grows darker and meaner as the story progresses. But most of all what i loved was that I didnt know where it was going, as in how it was all going to come together. BUT come to together it did. I cannot recommend this book enough.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

"My name is Daniel Finley, and I am not one of them" .

This begins the novella, THE VAGRANTS, as our journalist, Daniel, secretly writes in his journal while undercover to gather observations on the lives of the city's homeless population. After living among them for six months, he was witness to a charismatic stranger--covered in odd tattoo designs--who began "preaching" to the others. The man called himself Mordecai, and before long, every man and woman in the area had moved on to be in his "cult". . .

After the release of Daniel's book chronicling his experience, he finds himself once again being led back to Mordecai and his followers--and on his other side, the Irish Mafia boss, Drake O'Malley, demanding payment owed to him by Daniel's father.

The situations and environments in this novella were truly frightening--especially the scenes involving underground, abandoned subway tunnels. The fanatical Mordecai, with his talk of an Apocalypse that would bring out flesh eating demons, was mesmerizing! The sense of foreboding intensified dramatically as soon as Moreland brought Mordecai onto the scene.

My only minor complaints in this novella were that the rest of the characters--especially Daniel's girlfriend, Connie--felt two-dimensional in comparison to the main characters. Also, several comments/situations were unnecessarily pointed out repetitiously, that did nothing to add to or advance the plot in any way.

Aside from this, I found THE VAGRANTS (especially the last half) to be a nerve wracking journey between a known evil (Drake O'Malley), and an unknown, even more sinister one.

Brian Moreland is one of those "must-read" authors on my lists now.

Highly recommended!

[Join the Penguin Resistance! · Rating 5 out of 5]

REVIEW: THE VAGRANTS

Some years back I read David Morrell' s excellent novel CREEPERS, which effectively introduced the practice of Urban Creeping, in which intrepid (or foolish) individuals (often, but not always, university students) explore abandoned function of the urban landscape: subway tunnels, ex-factories, subterranean tunnels under hospitals, etc. The "Seekers" who have such an important role in this story are similar, except that they pursue a "prophet" calling himself Mordecai, who promises the imminent return of the subterranean-dwelling Old Gods. Add a sometimes-failing hero, his dad and girlfriend, and a sadistic Irish criminal clan. Prepare to be quite thoroughly frightened.

[Erin Al-Mehairi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brian never fails to surprise me by the end of his books. Even with novellas he finds time to move things along like a thriller or mystery then whack you in the face with horror you didn't see coming!!! Reads like a novel. Packs a punch. Visual. As a journalist myself I need to remember if I uncover something like this.....RUN!

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story

I enjoyed reading this book. The characters were realistic and the plot was exciting. The images of the homeless are haunting. It was was better than the last one I read.

[Patrick D'Orazio · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Vagrants is the latest work from Brian Moreland, an author who I have come to rely on to create tales of creeping horror and gore that also has intelligence about them. His work is well researched for a taste of authenticity and despite the supernatural phenomena that occurs on the pages, there is a sense of believability to his characters. The Vagrants has a similar flavor to it and the author has once again chosen to introduce us to a new geographical environment-this time the urban sprawl of Boston, where the crosshairs are on the homeless.
Daniel Finley is a journalist who has decided to spend several months living amongst the homeless population of the city, behaving as one of them to see what it is really like and to craft a novel that will expose the hidden plight they suffer through. At first, his experiences are normal, as far as being homeless goes-he lives under an overpass among a group of people with a variety of tragic tales-some of which are junkies and dangerous, though most are simply down on their luck people who still have hope that they can turn things around. But then a traveling self-proclaimed ‘prophet’ comes to the underpass with his zombie-like followers and starts converting the homeless to his cause. He speaks of the end of days and the destruction of those who do not serve his dark gods. Daniel is almost pulled into the hypnotic tribe of his followers but manages to escape Mordecai’s clutches.
The novel he writes is a success but it seems that everything Daniel looks as he resumes his normal life off the streets, he sees Mordecai’s followers, calling for him to join them. That, along with the disappearance of a professor who is as intrigued by the homeless as Daniel and several other strange events occurring in his life lead to a confrontation with Mordecai, with gruesome results.
This is a shorter work than the rest of the tales the author has produced (except for a short story that introduced The Witching House) and perhaps that was why I was left wishing for something more. The supernatural element here is creepy, as the author tends to do extremely well, though it is a bit more clipped and mysterious-there is little in the way of a the ‘big reveal’ we’ve been treated to in the past. Still, the story has the same dark, gritty, razors edge flavor that Mr. Moreland’s larger works have, and leaves room for a more detailed tale down the road. For fans of his work, it will entertain like all the rest.

[Anthony Hains · Rating 5 out of 5]

Young journalist Daniel Finley goes undercover for six month living among the homeless under a bridge in Boston. He develops relationships with these people and develops an unanticipated sense of compassion and empathy for them. He also learns about a deranged cult of homeless individuals whose leader possesses a supernatural ability to control his followers. To make matters worse, the cult seems to be preparing for a massive apocalyptic event – which they will trigger. Daniel’s immersion into this subculture pays off for him personally as he publishes a riveting account of his experience. But, this sets things into motion including strange murders, a vicious run in with an Irish organized crime ring, and an unplanned return to the Boston underground.
The Vagrants is the second work I have read by author Brian Moreland. Like The Devil’s Woods, which I enjoyed tremendously, this novella is a multi-layered story which combines thoughtful character development, a believable backstory, and a jaw-dropping ending that keeps you glued to your e-reader. The pace is well done. There are enough chills in the early reading to cast the first part of the book in an eerie light. The reader begins to interpret seemingly neutral occurrences in a haunting way. I was roughly three-quarters of the way through the story, when I found myself being creeped out – which prompted me to read non-stop well past my bedtime. I thought I had this thing figured out when Brian pulled the rug out from underneath me and sent the story going in a direction that I didn’t see coming. The final action races along like a plunging roller-coaster, and I could only hang on and go a long for the ride. Thrilling, claustrophobic, and unnerving – The Vagrants is all these and more. A fine example of an urban horror story.

[Kenneth McKinley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have quickly become a believer in Brian Moreland. The Vagrants is the final novella in his excellent collection, Blood Sacrifices. I'll review The Vagrant's here on it's own merit and then in Blood Sacrifices as a whole with the other stories.

Daniel is a recent journalism grad from Dartmouth who wants to make a difference in the world. He assimilates himself among a camp of homeless underneath a bridge in Boston. With aspirations to understand them better and gather source material to write a book, Daniel is with them for six months. When a stranger named Mordecai enters the other side of the camp with tattoos all over his head and body preaching about the end being near, many in the camp are recruited to be his followers by what appears some sort of brainwashing. Mordecai attempts to "recruit" Daniel into his following and Daniel is only able to resist at the last second. He returns to his normal life, writes his book, and puts his past behind him. But his past isn't done with Daniel. They have other plans for him.

Moreland writes a gripping tale that uses unique and seedy locations in Boston along with wonderfully lifelike characters that you care about to pull you in completely. The Vagrants is wildly imaginative with shades of Lovecraft that enhance an already wonderful story. Highly recommended reading.



5 All-Seeing Pineal Glands out of 5


** This ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review


You can also follow my reviews at the following links:

https://kenmckinley.wordpress.com

http://intothemacabre.booklikes.com

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5...

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horror author Brian Moreland’s newest offering, "The Vagrants," switches locales and takes the reader to Boston, Massachusetts, with a prologue that foretells something bad is about to come down the pipeline. Our main character is Daniel Finley. He is a journalist who posed as a homeless person for six months to write a scathing exposé about the plight of poverty in America. Here, he meets people called Seekers led by a man known only as Mordecai.

Daniel plays the underdog the reader will want to root for and Moreland does a good job depicting how precarious it is for Daniel to retain the ability not to fall under the hypnotic sway that Mordecai has over others.

If you liked Moreland’s previous books and short fiction, you’ll enjoy "The Vagrants." You’ll also like this book if you enjoyed the film "The Departed" and you like crime thrillers. Moreland’s best book in my mind remains "The Dead of Winter," although it is indeed difficult for any author to top him or herself. Some books have a different flavour than others.

Far from being one of those authors who just keeps on cranking out more of the same stuff, Moreland brings a fresh diversity to each one of his works, which is great news for his fans. I look forward to seeing what he comes up with next.

My full review: http://thedarkeva.com/2014/06/06/book...

[Zeb Kantrowitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daniel Finley is a young writer in Boston. He decides to write a book about the plight of the homeless. So he goes ‘underground’ for six months living among (and as) one of them. During his time among the homeless he is exposed to how those who live under bridges and in the city’s abandoned tunnels. Daniel becomes a witness to one of the cults that form among these abandoned people.

Escaping from that life, he writes a book that becomes a best seller. People are impressed by his devotion to these ‘people’ and are interested in the Cult’s charismatic leader. During his time underground his father has gotten himself involved with a gang of mobsters. His dad’s gambling problems has gotten him into debt he can’t pay.

In a complicated and surreal way Daniel ends up involved with an Irish-American gang and a group of squatters. The Gang has sold a building that the squatters are using and need to empty it. To help his father out of debt Daniel agrees to help the Gang, by getting the squatters to leave.

There are some moments of originality and moments of banality that the reader has to decide are good or not. For me I didn’t find this that engrossing, but then I’m not a big fan of horror and gothic stories.

Zeb Kantrowitz zworstblog.blogspot.com

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dan Finley is a journalist who wants to write a book to help the homeless people of the world. Dan, decides to go undercover and spend six months living with a group of homeless people. At first the group stays together and they get to know each other. The original group, is get smaller and smaller.
They are turning to the leader of a new group and his name is Mordecai. Mordecai, preaches about the end of the world and if you want to be saved, you must join his group. Dan, went to listen to Mordecai speak. His voice was hypnotizing and he has control over his other followers. He wanted Dan to join his group but he refused. Two years later, Dan book is published He feels himself being drawn back to Mordecai somehow. At a book signing, Dan thinks he see one of Mordecai followers but when he go to check it out, the person is gone. At the same time, Dan's father is being rough up by a mob boss. Dan finds out that his father like to bet on sports and owes the mob a lot of money. The second half of this novella, is one hell of a roller coaster ride for Dan. The intensity just keeps on building right up until the end. Can Evil finally win? Brian Moreland weaves a very good tale from the dark side. I highly recommend this book.

[Noigeloverlord · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be nice to the homeless or else!

Brian Moreland take us into the lives of the homeless and makes us feel bad for them right before they rip our guts out.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a delightful little horror book I could not put down! Really enjoyed the characters and the story.