Return to the Black Farm

The Black Farm #2

by Elias Witherow

RETURN TO THE BLACK FARM is a direct sequel that follows Nick as he is forced to confront the aftermath of his actions.The Farm is in ruins. The Pig has vanished. Everything Nick loves hangs in the balance unless he can find a way to make things right. But at what cost? And can he really survive the terrors, new and old, that await his return?

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Splatterpunk, Audiobook, Fiction, Thriller, Dark

264 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 22, 2019

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 5 out of 5]

The original was going to be very hard to top, but this came as close as possible. Return to the Black Farm is very much a direct sequel to The Black Farm, but it dove much deeper into heaven, hell, and that awful place between the two. The last portion of the book definitely makes you think on some of the more intense spiritual concepts, but elicits the feelings that it wants the reader to experience. There were a few times that I questioned some of the decisions with certain characters, but I reserved judgment to see how it all played out, ending the book as a satisfied fan. The violence and gore is also greatly reduced here, as it should have been after the extreme aspects of the first book. The ugliness came from many other places, beyond physical means, and that’s what truly set this apart from its predecessor. The tension was also so thick at times, that you could cut through it with an axe (Nick!), and some of the action scenes were just really amazing to visualize. However, the constants here from the author are clear and crisp writing, great storytelling, and a pair of books that left a lasting impression on this horror junkie. I have never enjoyed a set of books this much, aside from my own (Technically a trilogy, but you get the point), but am more than happy to give each one a stellar 5-star rating. I so look forward to seeing what else Elias Witherow comes up with, whether more from The Farm, or other equally dynamic and intriguing tales.

[Khalid Abdul-Mumin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every evil you left behind, every wrong, every act of violence...it’s all waiting for you, Nick.
A tense and atmospheric, brutal and unflinchingly visceral rendition (full of heart-pounding savagery and graphic violence of the mind and body) of the lengths people can take to confront their deepest nightmares in order to protect the ones they love.

The Black Farm is in ruins and chaos reigns... Nick has been sought to journey back (the first step being that he needs to kill himself) and put things into perspective; restore the fucked up order it used to enjoy or else all hell's gonna break loose (literally) and no one's safe. A lot is riding on his shoulders, from the fates of heaven, hell, earth and all in-between; to his wife, Jess, and their new born son.

*The Return to the Black Farm is Elias Witherow's continuation of the sick imagination that gave birth to the first book which describes a purgatory that hell has got nothing over. Only recommended for Extreme Horror fans, read at your sanity's peril!

2023 Read

[Carl Bluesy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great sequel. It was nice to return to to such a horrible world with such familiar characters. There’s a good balance between old characters and new characters and what you learn about their depth is a great addition to this book that already complemented book one.

This book was a slower start in the first one. But I think there was needed. I gave sometime to how the characters were after that end book one.

There was a lot of go in the first one that worked pretty well and it was hard to top it in this one. But I think he did the perfect balance between adding new fresh disgusting scenes that didn’t take away from the characteristics or the story.

[Pisces51 · Rating 5 out of 5]

RETURN TO THE BLACK FARM [2019] By Elias Witherow
My Review 5.0 Stars

“Return to the Black Farm” is described as a direct sequel that follows Nick as he is coerced into returning to the Farm to face the aftermath of his actions. “Direct Sequel” is not technically correct since Nick and Jess have been back home for a taste of happiness and she has given birth to a little boy named Theo.

This fantastical extreme horror novel is categorized as “Occult Horror” but that does not even begin to sound right to me. There is excruciating detail and exquisite description of all the structures and living creatures in a horrible place referred to as The Black Farm. This is some fully realized world building to me. The novel would strike me as fantasy if the place was not black as murderer’s heart and as cruel as the Spanish Inquisition. I loved the first book, but I did not rush out to buy the “Return”. I did not believe that it would compare favorably to the initial “shock and awe” I experienced the first time around. In short, I felt “The Black Farm” was so different, unusual, and an assault on one’s senses that it could not be duplicated or enhanced upon. I did not buy it because it would not be as good as the original novel, and no way could it be better than the first incarnation of “The Black Farm”.

Then a funny thing happened. EWG Book Club’s members voted for it to be the designated group read of the month of July. So, I bought “Return” released in 2019 or two years following the original book “The Black Farm”.

So, an Angel from The Farm shows up on Nick’s doorstep to request that he return to The Farm to do a little mending that was required following his last visit. In short everything was in utter chaos following Nick’s successful ploy to render his flesh angelic before he “fed the pig” and it worked. Nick and Jess were free. His deception nearly killed the Pig evidently and threw the whole Farm into an uproar.

It would be fair to say that when Nick sets foot back on The Farm it is in ruins. The Pig has vanished. The Angel has promised Nick that if he can find a way to restore the balance of The Farm and make things right again, then he will be returned to his loved ones. Every way Nick looks there is chaos. In the first quarter of the novel, he finds Danny who is no longer in charge of the Pig Born since the Pig burst the Black Sun and vanished after Nick’s escapades. Danny does believe that he knows the Pig’s whereabouts, on the other side of the ocean. The Pig Borns are slaughtering the humans for their own amusement, Danny has no clout, and after Nick had murdered Peter and burned their temple, Peter was leading a large band of humans whose numbers gave the Pig Borns pause attacking them. Meanwhile the ocean had spit out the Keepers. That was bad, but worse was that one of the Keepers had gone Berserk and was annihilating anything in its path.

Nick and Danny set out to go underground to reach the other island on the other side of the ocean, but complications arise. The duo run into trouble of course, which was par for the course. Nick and Danny are trying to make it underground and, in a tunnel, Nick hears a commotion and finds a little girl being beaten and about to be ravaged. He rescues her (Emily) and the trio proceed only to run right into Pudge. Readers of the first book will recall that Nick betrayed his trust and shot him in the face with his own gun. Pudge did not appear to remember Nick, but that was not altogether believable. Now there are four. Ultimately Pudge demonstrates that he remembers all too well (oops!). More complications. There was, however, what I felt was decent pacing of the action going through beneath the sea to reach the whereabouts of the sick Pig. There is the discovery of the Mud People. This was a pivotal point in restoring the balance of the equation, that is treating the Pig so that he is well and strong again. It was also very sad, not to mention an imaginative outtake from the author on the nature of God Creating Man.

Nick, Danny, and the little girl Emily return to the main island where Danny is re-establishing himself as the Pig’s go-between. There is a fascinating duel between two titans (Berserker and the new and improved, whole lot bigger Pig). There is also the heartbreaking reunion between Nick and another enemy he had made on his prior visit Peter. Peter and his minions, a hoard of suicidals beat Nick and decided to hurt him as deeply and horribly as possible. The means was to harm someone Nick cared out. This was hard to make it through. Witherow is an excellent writer, and you can see and feel what he writes which is not always a good thing. Later Danny returns to save what remains of the day.

Now going into the last quarter of this sequel, the author covers brand new territory. You have not been here before. You already know about Nick’s inner demons, and that his rage personae are more likely his true nature than the tamped down caring man he prefers to play whenever possible. The Angel is prepared to take him back to his family. Nick wants more. He gets to ascend the steps up the mountain to meet God. There is an immense still lake where bodies are doubled with one body suspended atop the other with space between. No spoilers on what happens with God, and not a word about the pairs of bodies which reach as far as the eye can see. All of this portion of the sequel was brand new to me and will be new to you until you read it. I was truly impressed by Witherow’s incredible imagination and his world view, more accurately his viewpoint on mankind. There are plot twists galore in the latter part of the adventure.

The end brought a tear to my eye (I know I am a wimp), but it also angered me, not toward the author but the character of Nick and the duality of his character. That said there is no way in my world that the sequel does not deserve Five Stars. The world-building, the plotting, the pacing, the intellectual exercise, the plot twists. Well, what more should the author do to ensure we were duly entertained and did not escape without some soul-searching about our own beliefs.

THE BLACK FARM AND NICK’S RETURN AS GOOD IF NOT BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL NOVEL

[TheBookWarren · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐✰ (4.50 stars) — A jarring, potent & stark reminder of how dark literature can become in the right hands! This is a secular follow-up to a novel that is so grotesquely visceral & flamingly illuminating, just measuring up to the original in ANY way at all would’ve been an achievement of profound skill… But EW does so much more, bravo! You sick, disturbed & brilliant fellow.

Elias Witherow’s Return to the Black Farm is both a continuation and an evolution of the nightmare he first conjured in The Black Farm. I came back to this via audible after a slight hiatus, as I found the bridge to a sequel too hard to climb at the time directly following finishing The Black Farm. But boy, am I glad I returned. When I reviewed the opening novel, I noted its audacious premise and relentless descent into hellish surrealism—an ensorcelled fable of torment and damnation that combined horror’s mythic reach with raw, bloodied immediacy. This second volume doesn’t merely return us to that place of perpetual enmity; it deepens the landscape, adding new contours of cruelty and strange beauty.

Where The Black Farm was suffused with nihilism, Return sharpens its claws by weaving the pernicious with the poignant. The narrative begins with familiar ground—the torment of the damned—but Witherow resists the temptation to rehash old histrionics. Instead, he interrogates the very mechanics of suffering, asking whether redemption or rebellion is even possible in a world built upon despair. The effect is striking: a grotesque stage play where the effete are shredded alongside the strong, and the line between martyr and monster blurs with dreadful verisimilitude.

Witherow’s prose remains muscular, vivid, and unabashedly graphic. He is a writer unafraid of horror’s extremities, but beneath the torrents of blood and shrieks lies a surprising philosophical thread. If the first novel presented the horror of arrival, this sequel examines the horror of persistence—what happens when torment becomes routine, when the damned begin to find ritual in their ruin. The result is less a carnival of gore and more a meditation on endurance, on the human (and inhuman) will to adapt even amidst unthinkable savagery.

Admittedly, there are moments where the sheer grotesquerie teeters into the histrionic. Some sequences strain credibility, even within this infernal mythology. Yet, as I observed in my original review, that very excess is part of Witherow’s power. His hell is not one of subtle shadows but of overwhelming immensity; his canvas is painted not with suggestion but with screams. If one accepts this register, the narrative becomes as hypnotic as it is horrifying. His portal of Demi-god entities like ‘the pig’ & ‘berseker’ alone are worth reading the book such is the descriptive brush strokes of hellish brilliance.

The ending does feel slightly adrift from the intensity of the remainder of the book, whilst not bad — it does prevent this being a pure five star classic that perhaps a transcendent ending may of allotted. But it’s still solid, ties in & offers a conclusion that at least allays one of the hardcore horror to slow the reader to grasp the narrative & tie a nice existential bow on things.

Return to the Black Farm is also strikingly ambitious. Witherow expands the lore, giving us more than just visceral horror—there are strange, almost cosmic glimpses into the architecture of damnation, revelations that feel both biblical and blasphemous. One closes the novel impressed by how seamlessly he balances brutality with mythmaking. It is this combination that elevates the work above shock fiction and gives it staying power.

For me, this sequel succeeds in what the best follow-ups should do: it honors its origin while refusing to be ensnared by it. If The Black Farm was a scream, Return is the echo—a deeper, more resonant cry that lingers far longer than one expects & probably wants insofar as some of the crippling depravity put forward by Witherow. This is as absorbing as fiction gets for me, it’s an all encompassing experience that refuses to relent its grip on your psyche.

[Cassi · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely heart breaking tale. By the end of it I was almost fuming mad, and had to put the book down for a few minutes. Unlike the first book, this one doesn't rely on shock and terror gore, and tells its story through the characters, and gut wrenching plot. It pained me, almost physically pained me to finish this book, because as I drew to the end I knew what was coming. The shock and terror gore are still there, but they're there with a purpose, and it doesn't feel like the author is trying to get a rise out of you with scary imagery. The story keeps you going, keeps you wondering what's going to happen next, and is an absolute page turner. Five stars for wonderful story telling, an understandable and well driven plot, and characters you just want to cling to. In order to read this book you're going to have to be prepared to question what you know about religion, and not know what's good or just anymore.

[Uptown Horror Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first Black Farm was my favorite book read in 2020, so I came in with high hopes for the sequel.

Although it didn't personally top the first book, it is only a hair behind. This sequel isn't anywhere near as extreme or grotesque as the first book, but what makes this novel so good is the backstory that we learn about this world and all of the lore that we learn about The Black Farm. Just when we thought we knew everything there was to know about The Black Farm, Elias Witherow just peels back all of the layers and shows us whats going on behind the scenes.

It's an amazing book with a heartfelt ending and while not as good as the first book (in my opinion), it is still miles better than most other things you will read. 5/5 stars.

For in-depth video reviews please subscribe to my YouTube channel:

https://youtube.com/c/UptownHorrorRev...

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 5 out of 5]

#1 The Black Farm ★★★★☆
#2 Return to the Black Farm ★★★★★

Wow, this was fantastic! I almost expected it to be more extreme than the first book and wondered how Witherow would pull that off, but he went in a totally different direction and, while this is still what I'd consider extreme horror, the gore and grossness was spaced out a lot more to make room for lore and backstory that was really fascinating and enjoyable.

While the violence isn't as extreme or frequent as it was in The Black Farm, the stakes are somehow even higher. After all, Nick's return isn't about himself, it's about protecting Jess and their new baby Theo, so things are tense from the beginning, but they quickly ratchet up even further when Nick takes in a little girl he finds on the farm. I was shocked by the existence of this kid even being at the farm in the first place, but it quickly sets the stage for angry, vitriolic commentary on God—whether it only extends to the "God" in this book series, or is meant to be taken outside of the book's walls, is more or less left up to the reader, but as someone who has left the church and carries a solid amount of religious trauma of my own, I definitely found some catharsis in Nick's rage.

I can't say much more because I don't want to spoil the fun for anyone planning to pick up a copy, but I will say it was a shocking, incredible, gut-wrenching journey from start to finish and I enjoyed it immensely. I also thought the author's writing skills had improved since The Black Farm (which was still very good, but this was even better). The first book in this series made me curious to read more of Elias Witherow's stories, but this second book solidified him as an author I absolutely need to read more books from as soon as possible, because he's got an incredible talent for fucked up, heart-tugging horror.

✨ Content warnings for: violence, gore, death, murder, betrayal, infanticide, graphic torture and abuse, cannibalism, vomiting, suicide, imprisonment, pedophilia, sexual assault

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[Richard Alex Jenkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Return to the Black Farm wallows in the same fetid muck as its predecessor, The Black Farm.

And it makes exactly the same mistakes! Pretty decent for about 50% before forgetting the rules of storytelling and throwing caution to the wind.

There's a little stroke of genius via the introduction of a new child character called Emily. She needs to be protected and cared for at all costs, giving the narrative a new sense of validity and impending danger, and there's a survival horror section en route to meet the Mud Man that's pretty gripping, squeezing through tiny tunnels and fighting off giant bugs on the edge of annihilation.

And then Elias Witherow digs his own lack-of-credibility grave once again.

No character development when it comes to the mud men except that they're squishy and rather sad - a whole chapter or backstory should have been penned! Instead, we get on with the bombastic action because that's the way the author writes. Maybe running out of ideas, getting desperate to please, or perhaps simply getting bored?

And then we go full on SMH Godzilla! Really.

And don't get me started about punching the living daylights out of angels and even God himself because you're SO ANGRY!

I'm giving this book 3 stars because there's a lot of good in it, but this is why Splatterpunk literature has a bad reputation - not necessarily because of the gore, it isn't even scary most of the time - except for the fantastical underground abyss section - but because of the cheap, half-arsed writing to ramp things up for spectacularly horrific literature, which often works the other way round.

And I also found the first-person-perspective really jarring at times.

I don't get it.
Starts off well and then becomes absurd (part 2).

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not quite as good as the first one, but still pretty darn awesome! Absolutely loved where the author went with this one, and how and why he ended up back at The Black Farm.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great sequel, I love that I got to learn more about the whole farm and its underworkings, I love that certain characters not only made a reappearance but played a huge role in the story, I was on edge at so many points with the tension this story built. I think I may have even preferred this one to the 1st. It certainly wasn't as violent as the first but was way more heart stompy. That ending totally caught me off guard. I loved this book!!!

[Jeremy Maddux · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one fired on all cylinders except for one. There was one thing that I couldn't find a use for in my reading experience, and it was the Mudmen. They seemed way too cartoony and ridiculous to belong in the pages of this otherwise very dark, very adult story. I knew the ending wouldn't be a happy one, but I honestly expected much worse than the bittersweet victory I read in the closing chapter. I do feel like Witherow can still bookend this series with one more volume and close out before it becomes excessive.

[Todd Condit · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5
Just as hardcore as the first but this time we have a child thrown in and even more emotional abuse.

Lots of disturbing things in here that I won't go into, but it is not for the faint of heart. Blood, abuse, ultraviolet, sexual assault/abuse mixed with a deep and depressing theme.

Gotta root for the main character. I hope there is a part 3.

[Sara Ribeiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75⭐️ I’m speechless. I have whiplash from the emotional roller coaster I’ve been on for the last few hours. The end of this book is so thought provoking and I just know this one is going to stick with me for a long time.

[Mona Kabbani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silent Hill meets the Odyssey.

I’m currently sobbing, this book was amazing. Better than the first. I’m dissapointed it’s not more popular. It balances adventure with terror with psychology with deep-seated emotion. I’m wildly impressed and this will be in my top for 2024.

[NotPretty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man did I cry during the ending ...

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This thoroughly enjoyable, black fantasy adventure proved to be a marvellous sequel to the equally as good first book, The Black Farm.

Lots of gory action entwined within a cleverly designed plot that neatly connects every element in a logical order and makes perfect sense when taken as a whole. All the human characters were nicely developed and, although not really my thing, the outlandish devilish monsters and creatures introduced added something extra to the story, working well together to complete the image of the desperately bleak and despairingly grim backdrop of the hellish next world landscape to perfection.

This was a definite 4 star story throughout for me, but I’m delighted to say that the excellent, masterfully executed ending meant that giving it anything less than the full 5 stars would be nothing short of a tragic injustice.

Two great books for horror fans that particularly like the black, grisly and gruesome, with a set of wonderful characters all contained within a disturbingly brilliant, dark fantasy adventure that made some kind of sense.

Highly recommended, and definitely not one to be missed. Enjoy!

Rating: 4.7 black stars of sheer brilliance - masterful!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I almost didn't read this sequel after being put off by reviews saying it wasn't as good as the first one. Sure it's not as graphic but in my opinion it was just as strong. I enjoyed the return to the farm and seeing new elements and backstory revealed. Don't get me wrong this one still has some scenes that will make you want to vomit and bleach your brain after reading and the added element of having a child in this world made it all the more horrifying. Check the trigger warnings before venturing in but if you have read the first well you know what you're in for.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this authors work, this book is definitely gonna stick with me for a while.

[Rori · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great way to start this year 🤍
I love everything about this book. My favorite character is still Danny 🤍
I don't want to leave spoilers in my comment but the ending got me like 🤯😭
I recommend reading this book (the black farm first of course then this one)
...
Edited I got the chance to sit down and write a real review because this book deserves it.

Finally got around to reading this book, and I absolutely loved it!

I had so many questions after the first book, and I’m really satisfied with how they were answered in this sequel. I especially enjoyed the part with Nick, Emily, and Danny’s little adventure—it was so much fun to read.

I couldn’t help but compare the depiction of Heaven and 'God' in this story to what we know as humans. The concept was so intriguing. If they ever adapt this into a movie, I’d definitely watch it—but only if they cast the perfect actor for Danny. He’s been my favorite character since the first book, and he still holds that spot in this one.

The ending really hit me hard—it was so sad. But honestly, I’m not against it. This bittersweet conclusion felt like the best choice for a story like this.

[Cliff's Dark Gems · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this sequel to The Black Farm. I liked the back story, and the world-building remained impressive and imaginative. However, I do feel that the story dragged a bit in places and I ending up wanting more, especially during the middle "journey" scenes of the book. Although not as violent and bloody as the first book, there is one scene that seriously traumatized me.

[kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was so grotesquely beautiful & heartbreaking. i loved (hated) every minute of it.

[Bean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my fav horror book ever.

Well, book one is my fav, but this was a nice follow-up and conclusion to Nick and Jess's story.

The world building is so creative and imaginative that it has a fantasy horror vibe to it. You've got fantastic monsters, an interesting and high stakes premise, and almost a video game trial and error journey for the MCs.

My favorite character was Danny (least fav Muck lol), and I would LOVE to see a prequel to the duology about him and how he becomes the top dog of The Black Farm.

Book two was a nice finish for this series. If I could have any of my favorite books turned into a horror movie, it would be this. It would finally be something fresh we haven't seen 100x already. It would be great as an animated horror movie, too.

Anyway, read this. It's a fun and wild and gory ride.

[ListenWithNic · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75 ⭐️
3 ⭐️ OVERALL

I’m mad I read this one TBH, the first one I didn’t love but it had really good elements to it. I was annoyed how it ended but then realized there was a second book, I wasn’t going to bother but I said WTH & went for it. It’s really more of the first book, I feel like the opportunity was missed to bring back other characters like Meghan & the two guys from the raft. Nick gets lucky way too many times IMO, that when he got caught or into an issue I was like well he’ll get out of this somehow. The author made some really odd decisions in terms of characters & what happens to said characters. Like take Emily, she’s young REALLY YOUNG I believe 5 yrs old & she always seemed to wind up around these terrible men who want to do unspeakable things to her that they announce out loud. Then the way they took her out was like WOW okay that was rough. The way that every bad person in this series also was fat or grotesque, had a gut, overweight, enormous, it seems like there’s an issue with fat people here. Anyway, the ending was unsatisfying and I wish some of the loose ends from book 1 were tied up 🤷🏻‍♀️ I really did like the premise of the book, I never read anything like this before but too many things turned me off.

[Cody Morrow · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I ever meet this guy I’d like to shake his hand and tell him he’s the best illiterate author I’ve ever had the displeasure of knowing exists.

[Abby Grillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this. Got me crying in the club towards the end

[Chloe knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very tense and brutal sequel that follows Nick as he is forced to confront the aftermath of his actions.

This book wasn't quite as good as the first, but it had more of a back story, and the ending had all the emotions.

I really enjoyed these books! Please go read them!

[sunny (jael’s version) · Rating 1 out of 5]

could’ve been five stars but the author was really into graphic CSA for this one. check his hard drive.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Action has consequences.”

Great sequel! I’m still on the fence to whether I enjoyed this more than the first book, but I was strapped in for the emotional ride back to the Black Farm either way. A dark horror fantasy series that is well worth the read if you can stomach all the content.

[Manon De Klerk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poor Emily