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The Damned Ones
Twenty-six years after The Damned Place, Jim Dalton is now chief of police in the formerly sleepy town of Winnsboro, where a series of brutal murders leads him to believe something insidious is lurking just beneath the surface.
As he meets with his childhood friends, the scope of what they hoped was left behind in the woods all those years ago begins to come into focus, and they realize they are once more all that stands in the way of a hungry beast from outside of reality and global destruction.
Ours isn’t the first world The Glutton has devoured, and if Jim and his friends can’t find the key to destroying it, it won’t be the last. THE DAMNED PLACE left its stain, and now mankind’s only hope rests within THE DAMNED ONES.
As he meets with his childhood friends, the scope of what they hoped was left behind in the woods all those years ago begins to come into focus, and they realize they are once more all that stands in the way of a hungry beast from outside of reality and global destruction.
Ours isn’t the first world The Glutton has devoured, and if Jim and his friends can’t find the key to destroying it, it won’t be the last. THE DAMNED PLACE left its stain, and now mankind’s only hope rests within THE DAMNED ONES.
- GenresSupernaturalHorror
408 pages, Paperback
First published January 16, 2020
2 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Chris Miller
49 books167 followersChris Miller is a native Texan who has been writing from an early age. He began publishing in 2017 with his first novel, A Murder of Saints, and since then he has published several novels—including the Amazon bestselling Splatter Western, Dust—and has also been inducted into many anthologies. When not writing, Chris enjoys playing guitar, watching movies, and reading. He is first and foremost a family man and is happily married to the love of his life (and best friend) Aliana. They have three beautiful children and live in Winnsboro, TX.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 19, 2021
Wow!! Utterly brilliant!! Brutal, epic, fast paced, emotional!! I fucking LOVED it!! (Jesus, forgive me! 😉) 🖤
December 15, 2020
In The Damned Ones, Chris Miller returns us to Winnsboro, Texas and reacquaints us with the surviving heroes of The Damned Place. Twenty-six years after the horrific events that nearly resulted in the end of the world, Jim, Freddie, Ryan and Honey are all grown up. They’ve spent most of their lives trying to forget what happened out at that damned house. Unfortunately for them, something huge is coming and they might have to save the world again.
One thing that is apparent when reading The Damned Ones is just how much Miller has come into his own as an author since The Damned Place. That isn’t to say that The Damned Place wasn’t a damned good story; well-written with excellent characters and plot. It’s just that in the first book of the series, Miller’s influences were clear. The undertones of Stephen King and Stranger Things were undeniable and evident. With The Damned Ones, Miller has completely come into his own. The story is wholly original and 100% Miller, and it’s great.
Rather than the main plot thread being the conflict between kids and their bullies, The Damned Ones sees a grown Jim Dalton as the Chief of Police trying to solve a string of brutal murders. The two major points of view here are Jim’s and Norman’s. If the name Norman sounds familiar, it’s because Norman Reese is the younger brother of Jake Reese, the head bully from book one. A small side character in the first book, Norman takes the stage front and center in The Damned Ones. Just like in the first book, a Reese boy is the main human antagonist. I absolutely loved Norman as the big baddie. All his life, he has been convinced by his mother to believe that he is God’s chosen, and will play a pivotal role in bringing His word to all of creation. To keep this spoiler-free, I’ll just say that she was not entirely wrong.
Quite possibly the most successful aspect of The Damned Ones is Miller’s horrifying portrayal of absolute religious mania. The Reese family is nuts. Norman’s mother Cherry is convinced beyond all doubt that her loving boy has been called upon by God Almighty to fulfil a Great Purpose. That core, unshakable belief is what drives her every move, and what shaped Norman into who he had to be in order for this story to take off. Being inside both of their heads is surreal. The absolute delusion, the ridiculous mental gymnastics of justification are genuinely terrifying. Miller managed to get inside the head of this perfect storm of delusion, narcissism and grandeur. The scariest part is that it all seemed so real. People like this could actually exist. Religion has been behind some atrocious acts throughout history, and that level of realism really hit home with Norman and Cherry.
When it comes to blood-guts-and-gore, The Damned Ones is in a whole different league than its predecessor. Obviously with the plot being a grisly string of murders, there’s gonna be some blood. Miller writes these violent gore-fests with grace, balancing beauty and blood, passion and pain. The murder scenes were easily my favorite scenes in the novel (except maybe the climactic finale). Miller gives just enough background on each victim so that you can really put yourself in their shoes before he brutally chops you down while you’re there. The murder scenes were somehow both fun and haunting and actually scary all at once.
When it comes time for the final showdown, Miller cranks it up and just lets it fly. The final few chapters get progressively more brutal and wild and unpredictable. By the time the end came, I was flying through pages at 3 AM, practically inhaling the story. In my opinion, the way Miller chose to end the book is damn near perfect. This ending hit heavy. This is no story where the heroes hold hands and use the power of love to come through unscathed. Miller uses your heart as a punching bag, just letting you have it. Maybe I’m a softy, or maybe it’s cause I’ve got my first kid on the way. But the epilogue moved me damn near to tears.
The Damned Ones is a beautiful, violent, wild ride. Like returning to your hometown after years abroad, the setting and characters are comfortably familiar, but time has had its effect. Being back with the characters we know and love from The Damned Place really adds a punch to this one, but it would be a solid work even without reading the first novel. Miller has stepped up his game in the bloodshed department while managing to keep the story character-centric. Fans of slashers, cosmic horror and religious mania will absolutely love it. No doubts about it, you need to read Chris Miller’s The Damned Ones.
One thing that is apparent when reading The Damned Ones is just how much Miller has come into his own as an author since The Damned Place. That isn’t to say that The Damned Place wasn’t a damned good story; well-written with excellent characters and plot. It’s just that in the first book of the series, Miller’s influences were clear. The undertones of Stephen King and Stranger Things were undeniable and evident. With The Damned Ones, Miller has completely come into his own. The story is wholly original and 100% Miller, and it’s great.
Rather than the main plot thread being the conflict between kids and their bullies, The Damned Ones sees a grown Jim Dalton as the Chief of Police trying to solve a string of brutal murders. The two major points of view here are Jim’s and Norman’s. If the name Norman sounds familiar, it’s because Norman Reese is the younger brother of Jake Reese, the head bully from book one. A small side character in the first book, Norman takes the stage front and center in The Damned Ones. Just like in the first book, a Reese boy is the main human antagonist. I absolutely loved Norman as the big baddie. All his life, he has been convinced by his mother to believe that he is God’s chosen, and will play a pivotal role in bringing His word to all of creation. To keep this spoiler-free, I’ll just say that she was not entirely wrong.
Quite possibly the most successful aspect of The Damned Ones is Miller’s horrifying portrayal of absolute religious mania. The Reese family is nuts. Norman’s mother Cherry is convinced beyond all doubt that her loving boy has been called upon by God Almighty to fulfil a Great Purpose. That core, unshakable belief is what drives her every move, and what shaped Norman into who he had to be in order for this story to take off. Being inside both of their heads is surreal. The absolute delusion, the ridiculous mental gymnastics of justification are genuinely terrifying. Miller managed to get inside the head of this perfect storm of delusion, narcissism and grandeur. The scariest part is that it all seemed so real. People like this could actually exist. Religion has been behind some atrocious acts throughout history, and that level of realism really hit home with Norman and Cherry.
When it comes to blood-guts-and-gore, The Damned Ones is in a whole different league than its predecessor. Obviously with the plot being a grisly string of murders, there’s gonna be some blood. Miller writes these violent gore-fests with grace, balancing beauty and blood, passion and pain. The murder scenes were easily my favorite scenes in the novel (except maybe the climactic finale). Miller gives just enough background on each victim so that you can really put yourself in their shoes before he brutally chops you down while you’re there. The murder scenes were somehow both fun and haunting and actually scary all at once.
When it comes time for the final showdown, Miller cranks it up and just lets it fly. The final few chapters get progressively more brutal and wild and unpredictable. By the time the end came, I was flying through pages at 3 AM, practically inhaling the story. In my opinion, the way Miller chose to end the book is damn near perfect. This ending hit heavy. This is no story where the heroes hold hands and use the power of love to come through unscathed. Miller uses your heart as a punching bag, just letting you have it. Maybe I’m a softy, or maybe it’s cause I’ve got my first kid on the way. But the epilogue moved me damn near to tears.
The Damned Ones is a beautiful, violent, wild ride. Like returning to your hometown after years abroad, the setting and characters are comfortably familiar, but time has had its effect. Being back with the characters we know and love from The Damned Place really adds a punch to this one, but it would be a solid work even without reading the first novel. Miller has stepped up his game in the bloodshed department while managing to keep the story character-centric. Fans of slashers, cosmic horror and religious mania will absolutely love it. No doubts about it, you need to read Chris Miller’s The Damned Ones.
July 20, 2022
The Damned Ones picks up the threads left behind by The Damned Place 26 years after the horrific conclusion in the forest outside of Winnsboro, TX. The four children have grown up and gone their separate ways, largely relegating the memories of that fateful--and fatal--day to their nightmares. And while they've mostly forced themselves to forget what happened, believing it to be a thing of the past, The Glutton has not forgotten, and neither has Jake Reese, still trapped in the dying world where Jim Dalton had left him.
When a woman disappears, and her distraught mother calls the police, it's Chief Jim Dalton who answers the call. Signs of violence point toward something awful happening in the woman's apartment, and it's only the first of many terrible disappearances to plague Winnsboro, all having something to do with Norman Reese, Jake's younger brother. No less mad, and driven by religious fervor and the pressure of a tumor in his brain, Norman might be precisely what The Glutton needs to force his way into our world.
Jim, Honey, Ryan, and Freddie must come together again to face the monster they hoped they'd left in another world before our world becomes a desolate and dying place as well.
Chris Miller raises the stakes and ramps up the violence for his follow-up to The Damned Place, pulling no punches as he lays out the welcome mat for The Glutton to join us in rural Texas. Mysterious disappearances and secrets from the past have managed to fester long enough that the abscess on the edge of our universe has no choice but to burst and fill our world with its infected burden.
Daniel Caravetta again provides excellent narration for the audiobook, following the children seamlessly into adulthood and bringing their deeply embedded trauma to life. Norman's harsh and nasal shrieking dialogue was exceptional, and stood out as a high point in the narration.
When a woman disappears, and her distraught mother calls the police, it's Chief Jim Dalton who answers the call. Signs of violence point toward something awful happening in the woman's apartment, and it's only the first of many terrible disappearances to plague Winnsboro, all having something to do with Norman Reese, Jake's younger brother. No less mad, and driven by religious fervor and the pressure of a tumor in his brain, Norman might be precisely what The Glutton needs to force his way into our world.
Jim, Honey, Ryan, and Freddie must come together again to face the monster they hoped they'd left in another world before our world becomes a desolate and dying place as well.
Chris Miller raises the stakes and ramps up the violence for his follow-up to The Damned Place, pulling no punches as he lays out the welcome mat for The Glutton to join us in rural Texas. Mysterious disappearances and secrets from the past have managed to fester long enough that the abscess on the edge of our universe has no choice but to burst and fill our world with its infected burden.
Daniel Caravetta again provides excellent narration for the audiobook, following the children seamlessly into adulthood and bringing their deeply embedded trauma to life. Norman's harsh and nasal shrieking dialogue was exceptional, and stood out as a high point in the narration.
March 31, 2020
The man can weave a story! Twenty-six years have passed since The Damned Place, and life for the characters has been mostly normal. But you know it can’t last. This story is not only scary, but it’s also evil. Think of the very worst – this book goes one step further. And then the weaver (aka author) shows you something semi-normal and you breathe – but not for long.
I did enjoy centering the book around Jim, now a chief of police, who with all his flaws, still might have some hero lurking in his broken life. The creatures and evil is back. Are you brave enough to read? Can you handle the end? I did.
I did enjoy centering the book around Jim, now a chief of police, who with all his flaws, still might have some hero lurking in his broken life. The creatures and evil is back. Are you brave enough to read? Can you handle the end? I did.
January 28, 2020
The Damned Ones is a mind-wrecking extreme horror novel by Chris Miller. It is the sequel to The Damned Place. If you have not read The Damned Place, yes, you really need to read it first. If you have read it but it was a while back, worry not, Miller has included a brief but well-written overview of the first story at the beginning to refresh your memory.
Then the real fun starts.
Chris Miller has created a horror novel so rife with suspense and tension I felt it in every part of my body and every corner of my mind. He uses shifting perspective—as one surely must in a story of such depth and magnitude—to create and maintain vivid characterization and flow. This is pulled off with brilliant skill and creates excellent places to pause and give one’s mind a brief respite from the relentless horror and suspense the story inflicts upon one’s psyche. Yes, I did take the occasional break despite the compelling nature of Miller’s writing; real life demanded it, as did my sanity. The Damned Ones is graphic and vivid and sometimes overwhelming due to how much it draws one in to the terror and suspense.
The Damned Ones flows remarkably well from the first story. The character evolution is realistic, the progression is believable, and the story is unpredictable. It is the perfect sequel formula executed with excellent skill. Like the first one, it crosses subgenre boundaries, combining supernatural, cosmic, suspense, and extreme horror. Like the first one, Miller writes without mercy.
Chris Miller has proven once again he is the budding new master of horror.
Then the real fun starts.
Chris Miller has created a horror novel so rife with suspense and tension I felt it in every part of my body and every corner of my mind. He uses shifting perspective—as one surely must in a story of such depth and magnitude—to create and maintain vivid characterization and flow. This is pulled off with brilliant skill and creates excellent places to pause and give one’s mind a brief respite from the relentless horror and suspense the story inflicts upon one’s psyche. Yes, I did take the occasional break despite the compelling nature of Miller’s writing; real life demanded it, as did my sanity. The Damned Ones is graphic and vivid and sometimes overwhelming due to how much it draws one in to the terror and suspense.
The Damned Ones flows remarkably well from the first story. The character evolution is realistic, the progression is believable, and the story is unpredictable. It is the perfect sequel formula executed with excellent skill. Like the first one, it crosses subgenre boundaries, combining supernatural, cosmic, suspense, and extreme horror. Like the first one, Miller writes without mercy.
Chris Miller has proven once again he is the budding new master of horror.
May 13, 2020
Twenty-six years after The Damned Place, Jim Dalton is now chief of police in the formerly sleepy town of Winnsboro, where a series of brutal murders leads him to believe something insidious is lurking just beneath the surface. As he meets with his childhood friends, the scope of what they hoped was left behind in the woods all those years ago begins to come into focus, and they realize they are once more all that stands in the way of a hungry beast from outside of reality and global destruction. Ours isn’t the first world The Glutton has devoured, and if Jim and his friends can’t find the key to destroying it, it won’t be the last. THE DAMNED PLACE left its stain, and now mankind’s only hope rests within THE DAMNED ONES.
This is a wonderful addition to this thrilling series!
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believeable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building that adds so much to the story.
Such a thrilling read that I couldn't put it down.
Can't wait to read more of these.
Recommend reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is a wonderful addition to this thrilling series!
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believeable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building that adds so much to the story.
Such a thrilling read that I couldn't put it down.
Can't wait to read more of these.
Recommend reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 27, 2020
I love a good coming of age story and really enjoyed the first book, The Damned Place. When I saw that there was a book 2 I thought I'd give it a try. It's hard to capture the essence of the kids as adults but it was done well with book 2. Certain parts reminded me heavily of Stephen King but in a way that made it Chris's own writing. I won't go into details on the plot because that's what the synopsis is for. But all of the characters are well written and a couple of plot twists thrown in as well. I look forward to seeing what this author has coming in the future!
March 31, 2020
An amazing thriller! You're there, you feel every single characters emotions. I love that! The anxiousness you feel, wanting to get to the next page to see who Norman was getting next, being inside of the victim's minds feeling their fear and anxieties and in your own mind you're like hoping they make it and kick Norman's a**. You really empathize and get attached to each character very quickly. I love the way Chris writes. I’m a collector of books. I buy all of my favorites. And I’ll be a buyer of every book that he releases for sure!
May 7, 2020
After finishing The Damned Place I dived straight in to reading this book which follows on from it. This book is equally as entertaining as the first one was. Not for the faint of heart but I loved every word.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 16, 2020
Wow. Another epic tale by Miller. This is the book that comes after The Damed Place. Excellent. Look forward to so much more by Chris. *Not for the weak of heart and mind.👹
April 12, 2020
“Prepare Ye the Way...”
It’s 26 years later since the standoff took place between the kids and bullies at the old house in the forest. The Glutton continued to lurk in the other world until the time was right to open the doorway. The kids matured and grew into their own paths. Each character battled their own personal demons on top of the the events that shook their childhood 26 years ago. The nightmare held its promise to return leading them to fight together again to save the world.
The religious mania and outrageous mindset stems from Jake’s mother, Cherry, as she feels that she is a voice of God within their family owned church and that she birthed a prophet, Norman. She strengthens her hold on him using manipulation, intimidation and incestuous acts that she claims help guide him. Relief came when Jake went missing but bolstered her attachment to her youngest son and gave her the push to raise him “better” than Jake. Unbeknownst to her, Norman is just as off kilter as Jake and she fueled the situation since he trusted the theological vision his mother taught him and truly believed God spoke to him. The religious brainwashing for Cherry’s disgusting agenda backfired when her demise was face-to-face with Jake by Norman’s undoing of the veil that held everything in the Damned Place.
There are still similarities that Miller pulled from his influence by Stephen King’s “IT.” The kids grew up, meet years later back in their small hometown, meet and talk about said monster at a restaurant (thankfully Mexico can and not chinese), one of the boys loves the girl who “loved” one of the other boys, etc. My only issue is the repeated use of “small town” (stated it’s about a population of 3500) but none of them had any relationship or acquaintances one would have living in a small town? Considering what the Reese family evolved into within the community and the history the kids had, it’s not believable that Jim (who grew up to be the town’s chief of police) had not have any interaction, experience or understanding of citizens they would’ve grown up with throughout the years until now. The idea of a small town as the environment is there but the mentality / connection lacked.
This is a great follow up to The Damned Place. Miller brought the coming of age characters in his first installment to relatable and intriguing adults. The timeline, characters and story were wonderfully weaved together that I didn’t want the story to end!
P.S. Barbara was one of my favorites. She was great and a BAD B!tch.
It’s 26 years later since the standoff took place between the kids and bullies at the old house in the forest. The Glutton continued to lurk in the other world until the time was right to open the doorway. The kids matured and grew into their own paths. Each character battled their own personal demons on top of the the events that shook their childhood 26 years ago. The nightmare held its promise to return leading them to fight together again to save the world.
The religious mania and outrageous mindset stems from Jake’s mother, Cherry, as she feels that she is a voice of God within their family owned church and that she birthed a prophet, Norman. She strengthens her hold on him using manipulation, intimidation and incestuous acts that she claims help guide him. Relief came when Jake went missing but bolstered her attachment to her youngest son and gave her the push to raise him “better” than Jake. Unbeknownst to her, Norman is just as off kilter as Jake and she fueled the situation since he trusted the theological vision his mother taught him and truly believed God spoke to him. The religious brainwashing for Cherry’s disgusting agenda backfired when her demise was face-to-face with Jake by Norman’s undoing of the veil that held everything in the Damned Place.
There are still similarities that Miller pulled from his influence by Stephen King’s “IT.” The kids grew up, meet years later back in their small hometown, meet and talk about said monster at a restaurant (thankfully Mexico can and not chinese), one of the boys loves the girl who “loved” one of the other boys, etc. My only issue is the repeated use of “small town” (stated it’s about a population of 3500) but none of them had any relationship or acquaintances one would have living in a small town? Considering what the Reese family evolved into within the community and the history the kids had, it’s not believable that Jim (who grew up to be the town’s chief of police) had not have any interaction, experience or understanding of citizens they would’ve grown up with throughout the years until now. The idea of a small town as the environment is there but the mentality / connection lacked.
This is a great follow up to The Damned Place. Miller brought the coming of age characters in his first installment to relatable and intriguing adults. The timeline, characters and story were wonderfully weaved together that I didn’t want the story to end!
P.S. Barbara was one of my favorites. She was great and a BAD B!tch.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews