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Along the Path of Torment
Ty Seward is a sick man. Anorexic, sexually aberrant, and haunted by a ghostly apparition residing in his closet. Living in the shadow of an in-remission cancer he fully expects to return, Ty bitterly earns his meager living by working as an assistant to his uncle, a business-and-media mogul who runs a lucrative child prostitution ring catering to the Hollywood elite. When Ty’s line of work introduces him to a precocious teenage girl who seems to possess a shrewdly keen insight into his inner machinations, he is forced to confront his hidden demons and repressed trauma, embarking on a bleak and harrowing odyssey of self-discovery in the decomposing City of Angels.
254 pages, Paperback
First published August 28, 2020
113 people are currently reading
2968 people want to read
About the author
Chandler Morrison
18 books782 followersLittle is known about Chandler’s origins. He has claimed, on separate occasions, to be both from Helltown, California, and Cleveland, Ohio. To date, it is still unclear from which locale he actually hails. He currently resides in Los Angeles, but sightings of him are rare.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 238 reviews
April 28, 2021
WARNING! THERE WILL BE SWEARING IN THIS REVIEW.
Well, gee-golly-gosh, what a fucked-up, yet brilliant story this turned out to be. While I’ve read some reviews which refers to Bret Easton Ellis, I have not read him, so I can’t judge. There were some writers who popped into my head, though, and I might take a bit of flak for this, but here goes:
Chandler Morrison reminds me of Chuck Palahniuk – without the humor – and Chad Lutzke – without the optimism. While this story was not a very long one (which means he uses his words sparingly), he manages to evoke so many emotions in the reader – nearly all of them negative – yet he writes so well that you can’t stop reading. Yip, I sacrificed some sleep because I couldn’t put this down.
Here’s the thing that makes him so brilliant – there are no good guys in this story. It is bleak, depressing, cynical and pessimistic. You shouldn’t be rooting for any of these shallow people, but you can’t help it. If you ever wonder why I can give this sick piece of literature five stars, that’s the best way I can explain it.
Hollywood. Los Angeles. Where dreams are made and souls are shattered. It is a cesspool of the depraved and psychopathic, and some of them have millions of fans around the world. Face it, we don’t really know these actors, only that they can portray certain emotions better than others. It is the mecca of entertainment and probably the most concentrated amount of cunts in the world.
Casting directors, producers and the ‘money’ of the business are all ‘ruthless businessmen’ – those who value their self-worth to their wealth and whose morals and ethics are lower than snake shit at the bottom of the ocean. (Yip, I dated a marine biologist once)
They are on par with (most) politicians and lawyers.
Which means, if you want to do business with them and get a fair deal, you need a bigger cunt than them to do the negotiation for you. And so the cycle will continue until the end of time. Is anybody really surprised about Harvey Weinstein’s secrets? The biggest surprise is that they actually became public.
And who has enough power to change things?
Let’s take an actor, hugely successful and loved all over the world. Was he about to spill the beans on something? You think it is easy to lose $400 million and come up on assault charges within a really short space of time?
This story is about a nobody. Ty Seward is the nephew of one of the most successful people in the city, a mogul who caters to the depraved tastes of the Hollywood elite. He is only an assistant, but he feels he deserves more. He has an eating disorder, his cancer may return any moment, is sexually twisted and apathetic to everybody else.
So why would things change when a very talented 14 year old girl comes for an audition?
There are many, many things in this book that will disgust you. There are many, many things that will make you angry. There are even some things that could make you projectile vomit – so don’t eat anything before you read this.
Look, you can pretty much figure out what went wrong in Ty’s life way before he can. And you can feel empathy or sympathy for what he has become. But the big question remains:
Is there anything that can redeem him in your eyes? Every time you think you are rooting for him 100%, he will do something that will sicken you even more.
And I have to give Morrison credit, he seems to be a fearless author who will go places I have not even imagined yet.
So, can I recommend this one? To most of my friends, probably not. They simply won’t be able to handle it. But for those who can look deeper, past the depravity, will go on a journey of unimaginable places, as only this author can give them.
People, this story is probably on par with THE GIRL NEXT DOOR by Jack Ketchum, as far as emotions go, so if you also thought that book was a piece of literary genius, you will find a gem right here.
Well, gee-golly-gosh, what a fucked-up, yet brilliant story this turned out to be. While I’ve read some reviews which refers to Bret Easton Ellis, I have not read him, so I can’t judge. There were some writers who popped into my head, though, and I might take a bit of flak for this, but here goes:
Chandler Morrison reminds me of Chuck Palahniuk – without the humor – and Chad Lutzke – without the optimism. While this story was not a very long one (which means he uses his words sparingly), he manages to evoke so many emotions in the reader – nearly all of them negative – yet he writes so well that you can’t stop reading. Yip, I sacrificed some sleep because I couldn’t put this down.
Here’s the thing that makes him so brilliant – there are no good guys in this story. It is bleak, depressing, cynical and pessimistic. You shouldn’t be rooting for any of these shallow people, but you can’t help it. If you ever wonder why I can give this sick piece of literature five stars, that’s the best way I can explain it.
Hollywood. Los Angeles. Where dreams are made and souls are shattered. It is a cesspool of the depraved and psychopathic, and some of them have millions of fans around the world. Face it, we don’t really know these actors, only that they can portray certain emotions better than others. It is the mecca of entertainment and probably the most concentrated amount of cunts in the world.
Casting directors, producers and the ‘money’ of the business are all ‘ruthless businessmen’ – those who value their self-worth to their wealth and whose morals and ethics are lower than snake shit at the bottom of the ocean. (Yip, I dated a marine biologist once)
They are on par with (most) politicians and lawyers.
Which means, if you want to do business with them and get a fair deal, you need a bigger cunt than them to do the negotiation for you. And so the cycle will continue until the end of time. Is anybody really surprised about Harvey Weinstein’s secrets? The biggest surprise is that they actually became public.
And who has enough power to change things?
Let’s take an actor, hugely successful and loved all over the world. Was he about to spill the beans on something? You think it is easy to lose $400 million and come up on assault charges within a really short space of time?
This story is about a nobody. Ty Seward is the nephew of one of the most successful people in the city, a mogul who caters to the depraved tastes of the Hollywood elite. He is only an assistant, but he feels he deserves more. He has an eating disorder, his cancer may return any moment, is sexually twisted and apathetic to everybody else.
So why would things change when a very talented 14 year old girl comes for an audition?
There are many, many things in this book that will disgust you. There are many, many things that will make you angry. There are even some things that could make you projectile vomit – so don’t eat anything before you read this.
Look, you can pretty much figure out what went wrong in Ty’s life way before he can. And you can feel empathy or sympathy for what he has become. But the big question remains:
Is there anything that can redeem him in your eyes? Every time you think you are rooting for him 100%, he will do something that will sicken you even more.
And I have to give Morrison credit, he seems to be a fearless author who will go places I have not even imagined yet.
So, can I recommend this one? To most of my friends, probably not. They simply won’t be able to handle it. But for those who can look deeper, past the depravity, will go on a journey of unimaginable places, as only this author can give them.
People, this story is probably on par with THE GIRL NEXT DOOR by Jack Ketchum, as far as emotions go, so if you also thought that book was a piece of literary genius, you will find a gem right here.
November 22, 2020
Original review published at LitReactor: https://litreactor.com/reviews/along-...
_________
Nobody will blame you if you read the first chapter of Along the Path of Torment and quit. The subject matter is abhorrent. In fact, the entire novel is this way. Full of unrelenting acts of depravity. Enough to make you physically feel ill.
I’ve never read its equal. I can’t think of a single book as morally bankrupt that I’ve read all the way through. Thousands of thoughts raced through my brain. Mostly my conscience urging me to stop enjoying my reading experience. The return on my investment was making me feel dirty, shameful, conflicted, and manipulated. Chandler Morrison’s writing is intoxicating. I was insatiable. When I wasn’t reading it, I wanted to be.
Dozens of times I closed the book and tossed it aside with every intention of never picking it up again. But I always did. I could not stop thinking about the main protagonist, Ty Seward. What would become of him? So many questions that needed answers. Who was the Woman in Yellow haunting him anytime he was alone? What would his oncologist tell him at his next appointment? Why would anyone do the things Ty does? Who made him this way?
Equally fascinating is the fifteen-year-old aspiring actress defiled in chapter one. I formulated early opinions as to her fate, none of which I would share for the sake of spoilers, but I was totally wrong about her. She grew on me. In fact, both of the lead protagonists, despite how reprehensible they are, grew on me to the point of endearment. I literally fell in love with their disgusting, fucked up fictional lives.
I attribute all of my affection for this book to the sheer brilliance of its creator, Chandler Morrison. Truly Morrison’s mind is designed to write with the same alluring charisma that flowed through Vladimir Nabokov’s veins when he penned the objectionable classic, Lolita. People will also find themselves wanting to compare this to Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho, but I reject that.
Morrison is far more talented and this book has a pulse. Morrison is capable of writing something compelling just for the sake of shock and awe, and he would find a willing audience, but that isn’t what he set out to do. It’s clear this deep dive into the depths of human depravity was an experiment to see if even sensitive readers would commit. Halfway through the book, I found myself standing at a precipice. The journey required me to jump off and I hesitated. It was at this moment that I knew how much I could endure if I trusted the author implicitly. Don’t misunderstand, I still skimmed over some scenes. My heart wouldn’t let me take in all the explicit details. I read enough to know what happened in those scenes and that’s enough for me.
Finishing this book and knowing I was going to rate it five stars is a monumental occasion in my reviewing career. All I do is read horror fiction day in and day out, so I have established healthy boundaries. I give myself permission to quit reading if anything is trespassing over a line of distinction. Horror doesn’t have limits, readers do. Talented authors ask their audience to leave everything at the threshold and enter into a contractual trust. I’ll admit: I rarely resign. I tapped out of The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum because it was the first book I read by him and I wasn’t ready. Now that I have read more of his works and authors like Andersen Prunty, C. V. Hunt, and Chandler Morrison, I have let those open doors—I bet I could finish The Girl Next Door and stand on the other side with fans. But why? What is there to gain from allowing stories like Along the Path of Torment to wander in and compromise your standards?
My answer is this: Truth is stranger than fiction. The world we live in gives rise to an ugliness that not even the most imaginative authors could conjure. If we can’t give our brains permission to wrestle fictional horrors in the comfort and safety of our homes, how will we feel when we face real-life terrors? If a reader can’t trust an author who is most likely a reasonable, sane individual just like you or me, to tell a story of human monsters, how can we reconcile living in a world that manufactures them every day? They live next door to you. They drive alongside you on the freeway. You stand in an elevator alone with them. Horrible people commit the most heinous acts every day and you don’t have to read about it. You can bury your head in the sand and pretend you’re safe. Or, you can read horror fiction and resign your sensitivities so that you can entertain monsters.
I love it. I show up to read horror fiction with the expectation to be challenged. Along the Path of Torment is deserving of all praises.
_________
Nobody will blame you if you read the first chapter of Along the Path of Torment and quit. The subject matter is abhorrent. In fact, the entire novel is this way. Full of unrelenting acts of depravity. Enough to make you physically feel ill.
I’ve never read its equal. I can’t think of a single book as morally bankrupt that I’ve read all the way through. Thousands of thoughts raced through my brain. Mostly my conscience urging me to stop enjoying my reading experience. The return on my investment was making me feel dirty, shameful, conflicted, and manipulated. Chandler Morrison’s writing is intoxicating. I was insatiable. When I wasn’t reading it, I wanted to be.
Dozens of times I closed the book and tossed it aside with every intention of never picking it up again. But I always did. I could not stop thinking about the main protagonist, Ty Seward. What would become of him? So many questions that needed answers. Who was the Woman in Yellow haunting him anytime he was alone? What would his oncologist tell him at his next appointment? Why would anyone do the things Ty does? Who made him this way?
Equally fascinating is the fifteen-year-old aspiring actress defiled in chapter one. I formulated early opinions as to her fate, none of which I would share for the sake of spoilers, but I was totally wrong about her. She grew on me. In fact, both of the lead protagonists, despite how reprehensible they are, grew on me to the point of endearment. I literally fell in love with their disgusting, fucked up fictional lives.
I attribute all of my affection for this book to the sheer brilliance of its creator, Chandler Morrison. Truly Morrison’s mind is designed to write with the same alluring charisma that flowed through Vladimir Nabokov’s veins when he penned the objectionable classic, Lolita. People will also find themselves wanting to compare this to Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho, but I reject that.
Morrison is far more talented and this book has a pulse. Morrison is capable of writing something compelling just for the sake of shock and awe, and he would find a willing audience, but that isn’t what he set out to do. It’s clear this deep dive into the depths of human depravity was an experiment to see if even sensitive readers would commit. Halfway through the book, I found myself standing at a precipice. The journey required me to jump off and I hesitated. It was at this moment that I knew how much I could endure if I trusted the author implicitly. Don’t misunderstand, I still skimmed over some scenes. My heart wouldn’t let me take in all the explicit details. I read enough to know what happened in those scenes and that’s enough for me.
Finishing this book and knowing I was going to rate it five stars is a monumental occasion in my reviewing career. All I do is read horror fiction day in and day out, so I have established healthy boundaries. I give myself permission to quit reading if anything is trespassing over a line of distinction. Horror doesn’t have limits, readers do. Talented authors ask their audience to leave everything at the threshold and enter into a contractual trust. I’ll admit: I rarely resign. I tapped out of The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum because it was the first book I read by him and I wasn’t ready. Now that I have read more of his works and authors like Andersen Prunty, C. V. Hunt, and Chandler Morrison, I have let those open doors—I bet I could finish The Girl Next Door and stand on the other side with fans. But why? What is there to gain from allowing stories like Along the Path of Torment to wander in and compromise your standards?
My answer is this: Truth is stranger than fiction. The world we live in gives rise to an ugliness that not even the most imaginative authors could conjure. If we can’t give our brains permission to wrestle fictional horrors in the comfort and safety of our homes, how will we feel when we face real-life terrors? If a reader can’t trust an author who is most likely a reasonable, sane individual just like you or me, to tell a story of human monsters, how can we reconcile living in a world that manufactures them every day? They live next door to you. They drive alongside you on the freeway. You stand in an elevator alone with them. Horrible people commit the most heinous acts every day and you don’t have to read about it. You can bury your head in the sand and pretend you’re safe. Or, you can read horror fiction and resign your sensitivities so that you can entertain monsters.
I love it. I show up to read horror fiction with the expectation to be challenged. Along the Path of Torment is deserving of all praises.
May 16, 2021
This book is very good !
Chandler Morrison is a talented writer. This story is the second I read from him. The first one ,and my favorite ,is DEAD INSIDE.
In ALONG THE PATH OF TORMENT all the characters are very well developed. I still can feel their dark presence in my mind. They are All nauseating being . Chandler Morrison described them so well they seems real. it’s frightening. What is normal for them , is revolting for me .
There isn’t a decent person in this story besides Beatrice . All the men are sadistic misogynistic rapists and depraved pedophile killers .And all the women are abusive .
In this tale Chandler Morrison created an atmosphere of despair, horrendous brutality, and unimaginable depravity.
I just finished the book and I feel dirty after I read certain disturbing content and I’m very shocked .
I feel like I have been slapped violently in the face for no reason .
PS : it seems fecal matters are a thing nowadays.
Chandler Morrison is a talented writer. This story is the second I read from him. The first one ,and my favorite ,is DEAD INSIDE.
In ALONG THE PATH OF TORMENT all the characters are very well developed. I still can feel their dark presence in my mind. They are All nauseating being . Chandler Morrison described them so well they seems real. it’s frightening. What is normal for them , is revolting for me .
There isn’t a decent person in this story besides Beatrice . All the men are sadistic misogynistic rapists and depraved pedophile killers .And all the women are abusive .
In this tale Chandler Morrison created an atmosphere of despair, horrendous brutality, and unimaginable depravity.
I just finished the book and I feel dirty after I read certain disturbing content and I’m very shocked .
I feel like I have been slapped violently in the face for no reason .
PS : it seems fecal matters are a thing nowadays.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 18, 2022
BRUTAL!!
I have read many extreme horror books, and seen a lot of things that should NEVER be seen! I thought I was pretty much unshockable, but this book made me cringe and want to wash my eyes out! I really enjoyed this book, despite the torture inflicted on the child actors by the rich elite. This book is my first by CM, and I’ll be reading a lot more by him, as he is pure genius at what he does. This book is definitely NOT for those with a weak stomach, or is easily offended. Chandler Morrison, you may well be my new favourite author!!
I have read many extreme horror books, and seen a lot of things that should NEVER be seen! I thought I was pretty much unshockable, but this book made me cringe and want to wash my eyes out! I really enjoyed this book, despite the torture inflicted on the child actors by the rich elite. This book is my first by CM, and I’ll be reading a lot more by him, as he is pure genius at what he does. This book is definitely NOT for those with a weak stomach, or is easily offended. Chandler Morrison, you may well be my new favourite author!!
April 23, 2024
As I gaze out at the gently rolling ocean, off in the general direction of where I assume LA must be, thousands of miles away, I’m struck by how pointless my years there had been. All that time chasing fame, chasing money, only for me to leave a murderer, a pariah, a cancer-stricken wretch limping off to make his death nest.
April 11, 2025
Glad that’s over, very rough subject matter. This was much harder for me to read than Dead Inside because of the much more realistic sexual child abuse. Almost stopped reading towards the start but Chandler Morrisons writing kept me going.
There are very few likable characters and despite Ty and all his faults and failures, I still hoped for the best for him throughout the novel. This. book has just about every trigger warning possible. It takes a look at the dark underbelly of the Hollywood pornography scene, drug abuse, child abuse/ exploitation, male dominance, and anorexia.
It was hard to like but difficult to look away due to Chandlers writing style.
There are very few likable characters and despite Ty and all his faults and failures, I still hoped for the best for him throughout the novel. This. book has just about every trigger warning possible. It takes a look at the dark underbelly of the Hollywood pornography scene, drug abuse, child abuse/ exploitation, male dominance, and anorexia.
It was hard to like but difficult to look away due to Chandlers writing style.
November 2, 2023
✦ this gets a triple D from me - deranged, depraved and depressing. i enjoyed it, as much as you can enjoy a book filled with all types of fucked up trigger warnings.
✦ "You only have so much time on earth, so why spend it trying to please other people? Generosity, selflessness, what does that get you? Some nice words at a funeral pulpit? A cutesy epitaph on your gravestone? Sorry, I’d rather have a good time when I’m still here. People will say all kinds of things about me when I’m gone. They’ll say I was selfish, they’ll say I was immoral, they’ll say I was vain. But you know what they won’t say? They won’t say I ever put someone else’s enjoyment before my own. Most call it self-indulgence, I call it an advanced state of being."
✦ "Listen, when I was in high school, I learned about this...eyeless fish. I don’t remember what it was called, but at some point in history, this fish started migrating to deeper and deeper waters. It ended up in a place so deep and so dark its vision was rendered useless, and it adapted to live without the use of sight. Eventually, a generation of those fish was born without eyes, and so were all the generations after it. What I’m talking about, it’s no different. We live in a society that no longer has any use for selflessness, so adaptive genetics has... bred it out of me. I am the next phase in human evolution. I am the eyeless fish at the bottom of the sea... Or maybe I’m just an asshole."
✦ "You only have so much time on earth, so why spend it trying to please other people? Generosity, selflessness, what does that get you? Some nice words at a funeral pulpit? A cutesy epitaph on your gravestone? Sorry, I’d rather have a good time when I’m still here. People will say all kinds of things about me when I’m gone. They’ll say I was selfish, they’ll say I was immoral, they’ll say I was vain. But you know what they won’t say? They won’t say I ever put someone else’s enjoyment before my own. Most call it self-indulgence, I call it an advanced state of being."
✦ "Listen, when I was in high school, I learned about this...eyeless fish. I don’t remember what it was called, but at some point in history, this fish started migrating to deeper and deeper waters. It ended up in a place so deep and so dark its vision was rendered useless, and it adapted to live without the use of sight. Eventually, a generation of those fish was born without eyes, and so were all the generations after it. What I’m talking about, it’s no different. We live in a society that no longer has any use for selflessness, so adaptive genetics has... bred it out of me. I am the next phase in human evolution. I am the eyeless fish at the bottom of the sea... Or maybe I’m just an asshole."
April 19, 2025
ALONG THE PATH OF TORMENT [2020] By Chandler Morrison
My Review 5.0 Stars
“Chandler Morrison is one of the most visceral and uncompromising writers of his generation.” ---Donald Ray Pollock (The Devil All the Time)
AtPoT was one of the most anticipated “Buddy Reads” for me this year. I was so pleased that my favorite “superfan” of Morrison’s (Dawn) and me had strategized for the spot in April for the Moderator of the hosting horror Splatterpunk to be able to join us. It was gratifying to see other fans of Morrison join the read.
In short, I loved it. Five Stars were never a question from the beginning, but I do want to petition all those who read to please opine on the Discussion Thread. I really hate (no, not “To Feel”) when the novel ends with a Rubik’s cube plot twist.
I would like to go on record as stating the obvious, namely Chandler Morrison writes like a poet, his command of the English language and his descriptive prose are on par with the most highly acclaimed authors I have ever read. Relative to writing styles and specifically POVs, he is a genius. Again, he is among the most effective first-person narrator style writers, and more impressive still, I stand in awe of any author who can write in second-person POV and put you right in the hot seat of the story, but Morrison pulled this extremely difficult writing technique off exquisitely for over 400 pages in his gut wrenching, made me pissed off royally, most beautiful story of young love I have ever read in “Until the Sun”. So, I have to say, after reading AtPoT, I am ready to declare that like, Dawn I am a huge fan of his works.
I read AtPoT fast for me, over a four-day period when I was reading other things. So why am I sitting here, wondering how I can write a review of what I read? I know that Morrison has lived in Cleveland, Ohio and conversely in the alternately demeaned and adored LA. The setting of the novel I just read was the seedy side of LA, but also beautiful at night when gazing down on her sparkling lights. Morrison is not the first author whose novels reflected LA as more of an actual living thing than a place. After all, I did read the first twenty Bosch novels in sequence. The things that happen in the novel against the backdrop and seductive LA are largely sick, sad, strange, perverted, and definitely not positive, uplifting or angelic.
The character of Ty is a clear-cut literary example of an anti-hero, and I am reminded of his conversation with the character of Judy who cared about him. The topic of demonic possession comes up and it is posited that it is “not a case of some foreign entity getting in us. No, it’s a case of the worst parts of ourselves---things we’ve done, or things that were done to us---taking over the best parts of ourselves.” When he questions her about how to prevail, she replies that “You have to be better than the demons that haunt you.” Ty is pensive but just has to ask Judy “What if you can’t be better?” The answer portended a dismal outcome.
There is always the specter, and that may be too positive of a word. Ty is haunted by a terrifying vision of “The Yellow Woman” which pierces him like a sword and leaves him trembling in panic and pain. He ran away in shambles and into the empathetic arms of a teenage girl. Ty is an adult man and roughly twice her age, but oddly I feel in this particular instance she was “old enough” or jaded enough to decide how to interact with him.
There is the point in the novel where Ty takes us back to when he was 23 years old and diagnosed with an aggressive cancer which was preceded by night sweats and matured as a nodule on his neck. There was no time for denial. He endured the surgery which left both the cancer and a scar on his face. He went for the radiation treatments and the chemo while never embracing any hope but hopscotching ahead straight to rage. Ty allowed his inner demon out to play. The writer knows that Ty is at baseline a borderline sociopath. He is “incapable of relating to other people”, a definite narcissist. It is hardly a surprise that his cruel, sadistic acts are almost as typical as his fetish for counting calories and starving himself. The sadism he recounts is beyond cringeworthy. He became incapable of feeling anything and the author is incredibly literate about the feeling of being in limbo, balanced at a point between life and death with the clock ticking. It is my contention that his diagnosis was a shadow over his whole existence to include his behavior and acted as an accelerant for his victimization of innocent people.
The last key element in the book for me was the final big reveal of who the hell the “Yellow Woman” was and what the vision represented. I had speculated that it was suppressed trauma, but I could not have guessed the specifics if I had forever to speculate.
Ty had already planned how he chose to die and when the first PET Scan was clear he was befuddled and unable to process the news. He was in remission but would require regular scans at intervals, gradually increasing the intervals of time between scans if he remained clear of cancer. A person’s life becomes a string of “time frames” between the routine scheduled visits to the oncologist.
It is my opinion that the anti-hero of Ty was fused into existence by the trauma, which was inflicted at age 10, which was suppressed by his mind for him to continue to function. It is possible that he would have not succumbed to a violent sadistic rage hurting everyone in his path. It was a trifecta if we consider the heartbeat of LA to be a living organism which can influence everything its borders encompasses. As a reader, I can perhaps comprehend clinically while being unable to accept the results of my analysis emotionally. Simply put, it was only at the very end of the book that Ty acted on what was in his heart and in my opinion did his best to “be better than the demons”. In really simple terms, I believe that all of the horrific sadistic pain and suffering that Ty inflicted upon others was only perpetuating the cycle of his own trauma. Those who are sympathetic can feel pain for Ty’s victimization as a young boy, but he cannot choose to wield violence, sadistic tortures, and serious harm against others. He ceases to become a victim and becomes the victimizer. It is only at the end that he is redeemed for the remainder of his short life.
Finally, and I should preface it by pointing out that Morrison, from the beginning, has written what is called “interconnected standalones”. His characters from one novel appear in his other works. For example, the unforgettable Derek Diver from “Hate to Feel” has a big scene and continued presence toward the end of “Until the Sun”. These characters are actually featured in his short story collection “Just to See Hell” with what I would call backstories.
That said, it was no surprise that “The Grinning Man” appeared in this novel as well and interacted with Ty. It has been my impression that the character of “The Grinning Man” is a stand-in for the Devil (or possibly a lesser Demon but that is unlikely). He counsels Ty that he will be faced with a decision to make which is crucial that he executes correctly. This is Chapter (A, B, Or C), and “The Grinning Man” volunteered that if he chooses Option B or C his decision will be inconsequential. However, should he pick Option A then essentially all hell would break loose.
I have a theory about that meeting with “The Grinning Man” and what his instructions meant. I do not believe he could control Ty’s free will, but in his own way he was attempting to stack the deck. Obviously, Ty could not guess the exact nature of the options, so when he came face to face with Options A, B, and C, he disregarded the instructions altogether and went with what he felt was the right action. The Epilogue suggested the end result of his action under stress but that would constitute a spoiler.
CHOOSING TO BE “BETTER THAN THE DEMONS”
My Review 5.0 Stars
“Chandler Morrison is one of the most visceral and uncompromising writers of his generation.” ---Donald Ray Pollock (The Devil All the Time)
AtPoT was one of the most anticipated “Buddy Reads” for me this year. I was so pleased that my favorite “superfan” of Morrison’s (Dawn) and me had strategized for the spot in April for the Moderator of the hosting horror Splatterpunk to be able to join us. It was gratifying to see other fans of Morrison join the read.
In short, I loved it. Five Stars were never a question from the beginning, but I do want to petition all those who read to please opine on the Discussion Thread. I really hate (no, not “To Feel”) when the novel ends with a Rubik’s cube plot twist.
I would like to go on record as stating the obvious, namely Chandler Morrison writes like a poet, his command of the English language and his descriptive prose are on par with the most highly acclaimed authors I have ever read. Relative to writing styles and specifically POVs, he is a genius. Again, he is among the most effective first-person narrator style writers, and more impressive still, I stand in awe of any author who can write in second-person POV and put you right in the hot seat of the story, but Morrison pulled this extremely difficult writing technique off exquisitely for over 400 pages in his gut wrenching, made me pissed off royally, most beautiful story of young love I have ever read in “Until the Sun”. So, I have to say, after reading AtPoT, I am ready to declare that like, Dawn I am a huge fan of his works.
I read AtPoT fast for me, over a four-day period when I was reading other things. So why am I sitting here, wondering how I can write a review of what I read? I know that Morrison has lived in Cleveland, Ohio and conversely in the alternately demeaned and adored LA. The setting of the novel I just read was the seedy side of LA, but also beautiful at night when gazing down on her sparkling lights. Morrison is not the first author whose novels reflected LA as more of an actual living thing than a place. After all, I did read the first twenty Bosch novels in sequence. The things that happen in the novel against the backdrop and seductive LA are largely sick, sad, strange, perverted, and definitely not positive, uplifting or angelic.
The character of Ty is a clear-cut literary example of an anti-hero, and I am reminded of his conversation with the character of Judy who cared about him. The topic of demonic possession comes up and it is posited that it is “not a case of some foreign entity getting in us. No, it’s a case of the worst parts of ourselves---things we’ve done, or things that were done to us---taking over the best parts of ourselves.” When he questions her about how to prevail, she replies that “You have to be better than the demons that haunt you.” Ty is pensive but just has to ask Judy “What if you can’t be better?” The answer portended a dismal outcome.
There is always the specter, and that may be too positive of a word. Ty is haunted by a terrifying vision of “The Yellow Woman” which pierces him like a sword and leaves him trembling in panic and pain. He ran away in shambles and into the empathetic arms of a teenage girl. Ty is an adult man and roughly twice her age, but oddly I feel in this particular instance she was “old enough” or jaded enough to decide how to interact with him.
There is the point in the novel where Ty takes us back to when he was 23 years old and diagnosed with an aggressive cancer which was preceded by night sweats and matured as a nodule on his neck. There was no time for denial. He endured the surgery which left both the cancer and a scar on his face. He went for the radiation treatments and the chemo while never embracing any hope but hopscotching ahead straight to rage. Ty allowed his inner demon out to play. The writer knows that Ty is at baseline a borderline sociopath. He is “incapable of relating to other people”, a definite narcissist. It is hardly a surprise that his cruel, sadistic acts are almost as typical as his fetish for counting calories and starving himself. The sadism he recounts is beyond cringeworthy. He became incapable of feeling anything and the author is incredibly literate about the feeling of being in limbo, balanced at a point between life and death with the clock ticking. It is my contention that his diagnosis was a shadow over his whole existence to include his behavior and acted as an accelerant for his victimization of innocent people.
The last key element in the book for me was the final big reveal of who the hell the “Yellow Woman” was and what the vision represented. I had speculated that it was suppressed trauma, but I could not have guessed the specifics if I had forever to speculate.
Ty had already planned how he chose to die and when the first PET Scan was clear he was befuddled and unable to process the news. He was in remission but would require regular scans at intervals, gradually increasing the intervals of time between scans if he remained clear of cancer. A person’s life becomes a string of “time frames” between the routine scheduled visits to the oncologist.
It is my opinion that the anti-hero of Ty was fused into existence by the trauma, which was inflicted at age 10, which was suppressed by his mind for him to continue to function. It is possible that he would have not succumbed to a violent sadistic rage hurting everyone in his path. It was a trifecta if we consider the heartbeat of LA to be a living organism which can influence everything its borders encompasses. As a reader, I can perhaps comprehend clinically while being unable to accept the results of my analysis emotionally. Simply put, it was only at the very end of the book that Ty acted on what was in his heart and in my opinion did his best to “be better than the demons”. In really simple terms, I believe that all of the horrific sadistic pain and suffering that Ty inflicted upon others was only perpetuating the cycle of his own trauma. Those who are sympathetic can feel pain for Ty’s victimization as a young boy, but he cannot choose to wield violence, sadistic tortures, and serious harm against others. He ceases to become a victim and becomes the victimizer. It is only at the end that he is redeemed for the remainder of his short life.
Finally, and I should preface it by pointing out that Morrison, from the beginning, has written what is called “interconnected standalones”. His characters from one novel appear in his other works. For example, the unforgettable Derek Diver from “Hate to Feel” has a big scene and continued presence toward the end of “Until the Sun”. These characters are actually featured in his short story collection “Just to See Hell” with what I would call backstories.
That said, it was no surprise that “The Grinning Man” appeared in this novel as well and interacted with Ty. It has been my impression that the character of “The Grinning Man” is a stand-in for the Devil (or possibly a lesser Demon but that is unlikely). He counsels Ty that he will be faced with a decision to make which is crucial that he executes correctly. This is Chapter (A, B, Or C), and “The Grinning Man” volunteered that if he chooses Option B or C his decision will be inconsequential. However, should he pick Option A then essentially all hell would break loose.
I have a theory about that meeting with “The Grinning Man” and what his instructions meant. I do not believe he could control Ty’s free will, but in his own way he was attempting to stack the deck. Obviously, Ty could not guess the exact nature of the options, so when he came face to face with Options A, B, and C, he disregarded the instructions altogether and went with what he felt was the right action. The Epilogue suggested the end result of his action under stress but that would constitute a spoiler.
CHOOSING TO BE “BETTER THAN THE DEMONS”
May 7, 2025
Ah, my fourth dalliance with Mr. Morrison’s work, and what do we find? A novel that so thoroughly channels Bret Easton Ellis, one might suspect American Psycho’s ghostwriter had a hand in it. Not that I mind, mind you. Originality is terribly overrated; I’d take razor-sharp mimicry over dull innovation any day. But was I entertained? Well. Let me dissect this with appropriate detachment:
Present tense Folly – Morrison has committed the cardinal sin of subjecting me to my major pet peeve. A personal grievance, perhaps. Exhausting.
The Missing Bite – Where, pray tell, is the deliciously dark humour that made his earlier works so wickedly fun? Absent. A shame, really.
L.A., But Make It Miserable – Ah yes, Hollywood’s hollow elite, skewered with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Amusing, if somewhat on the nose. One can almost hear the author muttering, “Look how cleverly I despise these people.” That's a plus in my book, pun intended.
Three stars, neither a triumph nor a disaster, but a perfectly serviceable descent into someone else’s existential malaise. Onwards, then.
Next.
Present tense Folly – Morrison has committed the cardinal sin of subjecting me to my major pet peeve. A personal grievance, perhaps. Exhausting.
The Missing Bite – Where, pray tell, is the deliciously dark humour that made his earlier works so wickedly fun? Absent. A shame, really.
L.A., But Make It Miserable – Ah yes, Hollywood’s hollow elite, skewered with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Amusing, if somewhat on the nose. One can almost hear the author muttering, “Look how cleverly I despise these people.” That's a plus in my book, pun intended.
Three stars, neither a triumph nor a disaster, but a perfectly serviceable descent into someone else’s existential malaise. Onwards, then.
Next.
September 3, 2020
Well well well.
I don't think I've ever had such conflicting feelings for a main character before. I hated Ty, even though I could see why he was the way he was before it was revealed.
Beatrice was a lot of me, knowing life is full of shit, and shitty people, but hoping if you keep that in mind, it doesn't hurt as bad when you're right about it all.
Super fucking depressing, the whole thing hits hard.
Awesome writer, one of my favorites. A must read.
I don't think I've ever had such conflicting feelings for a main character before. I hated Ty, even though I could see why he was the way he was before it was revealed.
Beatrice was a lot of me, knowing life is full of shit, and shitty people, but hoping if you keep that in mind, it doesn't hurt as bad when you're right about it all.
Super fucking depressing, the whole thing hits hard.
Awesome writer, one of my favorites. A must read.
April 18, 2021
It’s extreme horror and extreme porn, and is certainly not for the faint-hearted. It’s chock-full of depravity Unfortunately, that is all there is. The story is weak and unsatisfying. For me it was money wasted, but I seem to be pretty much alone in that view.
August 29, 2020
This book is fucking gnarly. Really fucking gnarly. I don’t know what else to say. It rules. Don’t look at me like that. Actually, don’t look at me at all.
5/5 Seward Skulls
💀💀💀💀💀
5/5 Seward Skulls
💀💀💀💀💀
January 13, 2021
Well that was one fucked up read. This book kicks ass. It is a real gritty look at greed, excess, and the ugliness of the rich and powerful. Beautifully written, depressing,shocking, raw, and real. I feel dirty, disoriented, and satisfied. Chandler Morrison you are one bad ass writer. Just read this book
June 19, 2020
With Along the Path of Torment, Chandler Morrison cements his status as the master of twenty-first-century transgression. This is the sort of book most of us wish we could write, if only we had the courage. An odyssey of heartbreak and trauma, Chandler's newest will make you care for the most despicable of souls and leave you haunted long after turning the final page.
September 5, 2022
Didn’t get a min to review earlier , so leaving a quick review now. This book was brutal. As crazy as it sounds it reminded me of a very disturbing version of All the ugly and wonderful things. Ofc throw in extreme torture and many mind fucks. This would have easily been a 5 ⭐️ review . I only gave it 4 ⭐️ due to the fact I couldn’t find one single character in this book that I didn’t utterly detest. Each one became worse than the next. I felt when all was said and done none of them deserved any peace.
March 25, 2021
Criminy!!! I feel bad that I enjoyed this brutal, raw, gnarly book. But I did!! Chandler has a real way with words that makes me unable to put any of his books down!! More please!!!!
December 6, 2021
so much to unpack in this book.
Don't get me wrong, it is very good book and it will stay with you for a while. But be aware: may offend!
I thought a story about a man that starts a relationship with a 14 year old with be an issue. There are so many worse things in this book in my opinion. It took me down a dark, dark road, and I had no lights guiding me down this road.It felt like a gut punch and even after 4 hours, you still aren't breathe.
This book is exceptional written. I highly recommend it.
Ty works for his scumbag uncle who hires young girls for commercial adds. Ty just survived cancer and he has a yellow woman living in his closet. Ty has an eating disorder, a cheerleader girlfriend and he also beats up homeless men and boys from time to time. But yet, he feels nothing. You are following a man's path that you know doesn't end well. Its like a car wreck you see on a highway and you cannot look away.
Don't get me wrong, it is very good book and it will stay with you for a while. But be aware: may offend!
I thought a story about a man that starts a relationship with a 14 year old with be an issue. There are so many worse things in this book in my opinion. It took me down a dark, dark road, and I had no lights guiding me down this road.It felt like a gut punch and even after 4 hours, you still aren't breathe.
This book is exceptional written. I highly recommend it.
Ty works for his scumbag uncle who hires young girls for commercial adds. Ty just survived cancer and he has a yellow woman living in his closet. Ty has an eating disorder, a cheerleader girlfriend and he also beats up homeless men and boys from time to time. But yet, he feels nothing. You are following a man's path that you know doesn't end well. Its like a car wreck you see on a highway and you cannot look away.
August 29, 2020
Coming from somebody with a relative named Fran and other family members in prison for sex crimes, this book basically retraumatized me. Five stars baby, would give six if I could. We are all just prisoners here of our own device.
April 13, 2025
best book of the year!
This is my favorite book I’ve read so far this year! It’s so gnarly, gritty, and dirty… so well written!!!! Just pure brilliance!
🫀🫀🫀🫀🫀
This is my favorite book I’ve read so far this year! It’s so gnarly, gritty, and dirty… so well written!!!! Just pure brilliance!
🫀🫀🫀🫀🫀
March 5, 2024
Fucking brilliant!
September 3, 2025
There's a saying..."You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear"
Well...Chandler Morrison managed to take a sows ear and make a silk purse with a matching handbag and shoes...and a whole fucking outfit to go with them!!
He managed to to find every taboo subject there is and easily squeeze them nastily and horribly between the pages of this extremely disturbing and brutal book.
OMG...This was one amazingly dark and wild read... I developed a serious love/hate relationship with all the characters as the story grew stronger and stronger with each chapter.
The ending excitedly tormented me and left me hanging on a shoe string...I greedily wanted more and hungered for the book to carry on.
It has to be 5 Tormented 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟's without a doubt
I Jealously Love Your Mind Mr Morrison...It's So Full Of What I Need And Want To Read!! 🤭🫢😮😯😲
Well...Chandler Morrison managed to take a sows ear and make a silk purse with a matching handbag and shoes...and a whole fucking outfit to go with them!!
He managed to to find every taboo subject there is and easily squeeze them nastily and horribly between the pages of this extremely disturbing and brutal book.
OMG...This was one amazingly dark and wild read... I developed a serious love/hate relationship with all the characters as the story grew stronger and stronger with each chapter.
The ending excitedly tormented me and left me hanging on a shoe string...I greedily wanted more and hungered for the book to carry on.
It has to be 5 Tormented 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟's without a doubt
I Jealously Love Your Mind Mr Morrison...It's So Full Of What I Need And Want To Read!! 🤭🫢😮😯😲
June 1, 2020
Along The Path Of Torment is a bleak narration surrounding the decadence of Los Angeles. The story follows Mr. Seward, a man plagued by not only the terrible shadows that loom in the seedy side of the city, but also a grim inner torment represented in the form of a black mass.
Chandler Morrison doesn’t hold back with his descriptive true nature style of writing combining lust and terror. The sinister hunger that is painted throughout this book effortlessly blends a genuine horror and fascination towards the demons living inside of us all waiting for the perfect opportunity to takeover. Chandlers disturbing look into the underbelly of secret societies and their abuse on others, leaves a gritty unforgettable mental imprint. The reader will certainly depart with an afterthought of...everyone is haunted by something. So unscrew that smoke detector and light a cigarette or two, search deep within yourself, and figure out what haunts you.
Grab your copy here...https://www.amazon.com/Along-Path-Tor...
Last Words: As I was reading this book, it clearly had undertones of depression, and almost all the characters were a bit unlikable. However for a writer to be able to stir those strong disconcerting emotions inside me, takes a special kind of talent. If you have an open mind and strong stomach this book is for you!
For more recommendations, please check out https://horrorbookwormreviews.wordpre...
Chandler Morrison doesn’t hold back with his descriptive true nature style of writing combining lust and terror. The sinister hunger that is painted throughout this book effortlessly blends a genuine horror and fascination towards the demons living inside of us all waiting for the perfect opportunity to takeover. Chandlers disturbing look into the underbelly of secret societies and their abuse on others, leaves a gritty unforgettable mental imprint. The reader will certainly depart with an afterthought of...everyone is haunted by something. So unscrew that smoke detector and light a cigarette or two, search deep within yourself, and figure out what haunts you.
Grab your copy here...https://www.amazon.com/Along-Path-Tor...
Last Words: As I was reading this book, it clearly had undertones of depression, and almost all the characters were a bit unlikable. However for a writer to be able to stir those strong disconcerting emotions inside me, takes a special kind of talent. If you have an open mind and strong stomach this book is for you!
For more recommendations, please check out https://horrorbookwormreviews.wordpre...
July 7, 2021
Once again Chandler Morrison sends us down a nasty, depraved rabbit hole filled with miscreants, perversion, and vile humans doing vile things. And we get to witness it in the heavenly city of L.A. - what could go wrong? ALONG THE PATH OF TORMENT takes us on a roller coaster ride following one man's eating disorder, drug & alcohol addiction, taboo sexcapades, battle with cancer, malicious nepotism, and a childhood trauma that never stopped haunting him. His life has become this cesspool of toxicity and narcissism. Everyone around him is destroying lives and decency, as is he. But Morrison still manages to make this raw, dark, and brutal story tug at the heartstrings. While I absolutely loathed every character in this book (whether they were a main or a side), I found myself deep in reflection on their relationships and motives. And a lot of it was so honest that it made me sick to think humans can be this corrupt, immoral, and overall repugnant. But I know people like this are real. And while Morrison's characters are fictional, I can not help but draw parallels to the real life monsters seeking fame, fortune, and absolute power who are pathetic enough to be this way.
While this book did not send me or shock me as much as the first Morrison novel I read (Dead Inside), I was just as sick at the end because this book seemed to be steeped more in reality. People are always the most monstrous of monsters, and it's never too late for redemption.
While this book did not send me or shock me as much as the first Morrison novel I read (Dead Inside), I was just as sick at the end because this book seemed to be steeped more in reality. People are always the most monstrous of monsters, and it's never too late for redemption.
July 27, 2021
This book is fucked in the best way. We’ve all heard of the pedophilia rings in Hollywood, and this book places is right in the middle of it without it being the main point of interest. Somehow more interesting than that is Ty, our extremely flawed main character, who consumes no more than 400 calories on a daily basis and ends up (basically) falling in love with a 15 year old, all while working for his uncle who sells child pornography and children. This book will have you feeling conflicted and hurt, while being written so well that you won’t realize that you’re only pages away from finishing it.
February 2, 2022
This is some real edge-lord bullshit. Dude tries really hard to be profound by using extreme violence, but there’s no substance here. Nothing is shocking because nothing is invested. This is just straight amateur. The thinly-veiled devil character even quotes “Hotel California” for Christ’s sake. God damn. This reads like the typical misogynist garbage that the Jokerfied neck-beard in your MFA workshop submits every week to the sheeple who don’t understand his genius. It’s riddled with forced perversity to hide bad writing and shield the author from criticism because his readers “can’t handle” how extreme he is. Fuck this garbage and fuck me for actually finishing this pile of dreck.
February 14, 2021
It means something when I, a long term horror fan who has read much of Edward Lee's work, says this book is disturbing. It is. Its also of literary merit and stylistically engaging.
No matter how dark one's view is of Hollywood and big money, this book likely goes beyond what you or I think is likely actually happening in such places...if not by as much as polite society might assume. The point of such shocking scenes showing up from time to time in what otherwise is a personal narrative of a weak and damaged person going through some kind of indirect growth process creates a visceral response that is more effective at drawing a reaction to disturbing themes than a million woke explainer op eds on human trafficking and depraved billionaires could ever do. Thus, as fiction, this is a highly effective novel. If most certainly not for everyone.
I will check out more from this author in time.
No matter how dark one's view is of Hollywood and big money, this book likely goes beyond what you or I think is likely actually happening in such places...if not by as much as polite society might assume. The point of such shocking scenes showing up from time to time in what otherwise is a personal narrative of a weak and damaged person going through some kind of indirect growth process creates a visceral response that is more effective at drawing a reaction to disturbing themes than a million woke explainer op eds on human trafficking and depraved billionaires could ever do. Thus, as fiction, this is a highly effective novel. If most certainly not for everyone.
I will check out more from this author in time.
November 24, 2022
Compelling, Unique, and Unforgettable.
My second time reading this novel, after buying a signed copy from the author, and I enjoyed it more this time than the first. ALONG THE PATH OF TORMENT ranks as one of the best and darkest books I have ever read. Highly recommended!
My second time reading this novel, after buying a signed copy from the author, and I enjoyed it more this time than the first. ALONG THE PATH OF TORMENT ranks as one of the best and darkest books I have ever read. Highly recommended!
December 2, 2022
I absolutely love this author and I'm glued to his writing. His books read so effortlessly, and I love how engrossed I get with the main characters and the endings are always on point. I really enjoyed Dead Inside but this one topped the cake.
March 7, 2021
I started this book yesterday, and after I got to page 61 I realized that my anxiety was through the roof. There is a very unsavory scene rather early in this novel, and it got to me. I put the book down for the rest of the day and resolved to pick it up again today. Secretly, I wasn't sure I really would, but I talked to some friends who had read it, and they said that even though it's rather disgusting and depraved in places, it's worth it in the end. So I picked it up again today and finished it, and I'm so glad that I did.
My friends told me that it was going to get worse, the depraved acts and nauseating things that happen at times in this novel, but honestly, what I was imagining in my head ended up being much worse than what actually happened. And eventually I even guessed what was going on with the protagonist, Ty. Morrison mentioned in a Q&A that one of his biggest influences is Bret Easton Ellis, and now I realize that I've read so much of Ellis's work that I was able to suss out where this entire story was heading. Tyler Seward and Patrick Bateman could be brothers.
I think that's probably why I'm giving this one 4 stars. I really wanted to be gobsmacked by the end. I felt that way once I finished DEAD INSIDE, so I assumed this one would knock me over too. Perhaps if I hadn't heard Morrison talk about his influences, I never would have been analyzing this one. Anyway, he's still brilliant, and this is still a really good story. Just make sure you have a strong stomach before you pick this one up.
My friends told me that it was going to get worse, the depraved acts and nauseating things that happen at times in this novel, but honestly, what I was imagining in my head ended up being much worse than what actually happened. And eventually I even guessed what was going on with the protagonist, Ty. Morrison mentioned in a Q&A that one of his biggest influences is Bret Easton Ellis, and now I realize that I've read so much of Ellis's work that I was able to suss out where this entire story was heading. Tyler Seward and Patrick Bateman could be brothers.
I think that's probably why I'm giving this one 4 stars. I really wanted to be gobsmacked by the end. I felt that way once I finished DEAD INSIDE, so I assumed this one would knock me over too. Perhaps if I hadn't heard Morrison talk about his influences, I never would have been analyzing this one. Anyway, he's still brilliant, and this is still a really good story. Just make sure you have a strong stomach before you pick this one up.
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