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The Thrumming Stone
Could you prevent a major disaster if you knew it was coming? Would your friends and family even believe you? What if you were an average high school freshman and seemingly the only person who could save your town from utter destruction? THE THRUMMING STONE is a sci-fi horror novella (with interior illustrations by Ryan Sheffield) about teen siblings who discover a nightmare-inducing monolith in the woods near their home. Once unleashed, premonitions and apocalyptic visions spread throughout their high school like a plague.
- GenresHorror
89 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 30, 2019
26 people want to read
About the author
John Brhel
18 books72 followersI'm the co-author of Tales From Valleyview Cemetery, Marvelry's Curiosity Shop, At The Cemetery Gates: Year One and Carol for a Haunted Man, Corpse Cold: New American Folklore, Her Mourning Portrait and Other Paranormal Oddities, Resurrection High , At The Cemetery Gates: Volume 2 and The Thrumming Stone with my long-time friend Joe Sullivan.
I work full-time as a marketing/PR professional at Binghamton University. I enjoy writing, reading, watching movies, playing music, and spending time with my family.
I work full-time as a marketing/PR professional at Binghamton University. I enjoy writing, reading, watching movies, playing music, and spending time with my family.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 9, 2019
3.0 Stars
At its core, this is a coming of age story, filled with 1990s nostalgia. This story depicts the best and worst of that time period. Set in the age before helicopter parenting, the children in the story were free to explore and take on their own adventures. There was also plenty of fun pop culture references sprinkled throughout the story, including many tv shows and movies I had long forgotten.
The plot itself was intriguing with a good amount of mystery built around the strange monoliths. While this was marketed science fiction horror, there was virtually no science in it. Instead, this was more of an apocalyptic tale with some potentially catastrophic stakes.
As a novella, there was a lot of story packed into a small number of pages. Given the scope of this story, this could have easily filled a full length novel. Instead, the story felt a bit rushed with a very abrupt ending. While the writing was not particularly strong from a technical standpoint, the story was clearly written with a lot of heart.
I loved the illustrations woven throughout the chapters. The artwork was done in a loose black and white style that was absolutely stunning. These drawings definitely enhanced the reading experience.
The Thrumming Stone reminded me quite a bit of Brhel & Sullivan’s previous book, Resurrection High, which was another 1990s nostalgic horror story. If you are a fan of other Cemetery Gates’ books, you will likely enjoy this one too.
Finally, I loved the inclusion of previews at the end of the book. Seriously, why don't all publisher do this? I'm always excited to know what's coming next!
At its core, this is a coming of age story, filled with 1990s nostalgia. This story depicts the best and worst of that time period. Set in the age before helicopter parenting, the children in the story were free to explore and take on their own adventures. There was also plenty of fun pop culture references sprinkled throughout the story, including many tv shows and movies I had long forgotten.
The plot itself was intriguing with a good amount of mystery built around the strange monoliths. While this was marketed science fiction horror, there was virtually no science in it. Instead, this was more of an apocalyptic tale with some potentially catastrophic stakes.
As a novella, there was a lot of story packed into a small number of pages. Given the scope of this story, this could have easily filled a full length novel. Instead, the story felt a bit rushed with a very abrupt ending. While the writing was not particularly strong from a technical standpoint, the story was clearly written with a lot of heart.
I loved the illustrations woven throughout the chapters. The artwork was done in a loose black and white style that was absolutely stunning. These drawings definitely enhanced the reading experience.
The Thrumming Stone reminded me quite a bit of Brhel & Sullivan’s previous book, Resurrection High, which was another 1990s nostalgic horror story. If you are a fan of other Cemetery Gates’ books, you will likely enjoy this one too.
Finally, I loved the inclusion of previews at the end of the book. Seriously, why don't all publisher do this? I'm always excited to know what's coming next!
July 6, 2019
What a fun and entertaining story! I've really become a fan of coming of age stories. When mixed with an apocalypse, it's a win win. My review coming soon!
June 2, 2019
This is the first work I’ve read from Joe or John, but it won’t be the last. Directly after The Thrumming Stone is a short story by one of my fave independent authors: Gemma Amor. I learned of this book because I follow Gemma’s social media accounts and she shared of her novella’s inclusion. New Gemma on the market? I’m there! Ok, I’ll stop gushing (although her story “Three Lanes Deep” is easily as good as anything in Cruel Works Of Nature). Anyway, regardless of what brought me to The Thrumming Stone, I’m so glad I found it. I saw it described as SciFi-Horror. Hmm...maybe. More SciFi/Folklore horror perhaps? It’s not Aliens, is my point. What it is, is an easy to be absorbed-by story of a boy overcoming a bizarre paranormal experience, one shared by many, but one that he alone seems best fit to puzzle out, all while working to keep his loved ones safe. I’m a sucker for stories that involve the bonds of childhood friendships and also for stories that take place (at least in part) in forests. Both of these boxes get checked when reading TTS.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews