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Noxious
Lust, love, and greed contaminate the rural town of Blackwater, which results in deadly turmoil.
One night, Robert Thompson spots a woman in a bar, and his misfortune begins. He tries to get close to her, but the unimaginable happens, and he goes on the lam. He hides where nobody will look for him, a haunted house. A spirit distorts his psyche, landing him in a nearby correction facility.
But his troubles don’t end because a more immediate danger lurks in a covetous Warden named Claudia Ragsworth. She recruits Robert to get revenge against an adversary, and the consequences become more horrifying with every choice.
Meanwhile, a strange—yet curiously familiar—man encounters Elliott Blackthorne and Zia Petko, who have intertwined their souls with old black magic for a reason unknown.
Blackwater is full of toxic secrets—horrors waiting beneath bated breath.
WARNING: This book contains chilling scenes some may find disturbing.
One night, Robert Thompson spots a woman in a bar, and his misfortune begins. He tries to get close to her, but the unimaginable happens, and he goes on the lam. He hides where nobody will look for him, a haunted house. A spirit distorts his psyche, landing him in a nearby correction facility.
But his troubles don’t end because a more immediate danger lurks in a covetous Warden named Claudia Ragsworth. She recruits Robert to get revenge against an adversary, and the consequences become more horrifying with every choice.
Meanwhile, a strange—yet curiously familiar—man encounters Elliott Blackthorne and Zia Petko, who have intertwined their souls with old black magic for a reason unknown.
Blackwater is full of toxic secrets—horrors waiting beneath bated breath.
WARNING: This book contains chilling scenes some may find disturbing.
237 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 29, 2020
3 people are currently reading
496 people want to read
About the author
Bruce Knapp
10 books115 followersBruce Knapp reads for that rare sensation that the author wrote the book exclusively for him. He writes to one day be on the author's end of why he reads.
He grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, but now resides in Tampa, Florida. After years of working as a software developer, he is pursuing his passion for storytelling. Though he writes in various genres, he tends to lean toward the darker side. Join him on his journey into the unknown.
Find him on Twitter @bruceknappbooks
He grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, but now resides in Tampa, Florida. After years of working as a software developer, he is pursuing his passion for storytelling. Though he writes in various genres, he tends to lean toward the darker side. Join him on his journey into the unknown.
Find him on Twitter @bruceknappbooks
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 20, 2020
I want to firstly point out that the description provided doesn't exactly match what is happening in the book, but in a good way! There is so much going on beyond Robert such as Elliot, Walter, Zia, and Zep. The fact that they weren't listed on the description is kind of mind boggling to me because of how involved they are in the story.
Overall, this book just seemed like a textbook example of a plot with great promise but executed poorly. The most obvious are frequent grammatical errors. That aside, Knapp plants these seeds of great magical and supernatural plot points, but everything happens with such little description or explanation as to why I was left stumped. I often found myself re-reading chapters because the dialogue was confusing, or the character acted in a strange unpredictable manner.
As I read I had this cloud hovering above me like I was missing something. Being only 237 pages, I have the impression the writing was just rushed. I definitely wouldn't have minded an extra 100 pages if it meant having a better understanding of what was going on. If you're looking for a quick true horror read this can work for you, you just might find yourself stumbling like I did.
Overall, this book just seemed like a textbook example of a plot with great promise but executed poorly. The most obvious are frequent grammatical errors. That aside, Knapp plants these seeds of great magical and supernatural plot points, but everything happens with such little description or explanation as to why I was left stumped. I often found myself re-reading chapters because the dialogue was confusing, or the character acted in a strange unpredictable manner.
As I read I had this cloud hovering above me like I was missing something. Being only 237 pages, I have the impression the writing was just rushed. I definitely wouldn't have minded an extra 100 pages if it meant having a better understanding of what was going on. If you're looking for a quick true horror read this can work for you, you just might find yourself stumbling like I did.
September 18, 2020
An enjoyable yet sinister tale of the macabre that’ll keep you turning pages…
There is so much going on in this book and I found myself quickly turning the pages as the events build, unfold and eventually intertwine in what is a clever fusing of several stories that centre around the strange dark small town known as Blackwater. Bruce Knapp has delivered a tale that is dark, sometimes gruesome and wholly satisfying and the setting is delivered well and through the multiple characters. Throughout, the story evolves along with those characters as everything plays out.
“Grim shadows loomed over Blackwater, trying to conceal the hatred, but the evil continued to grow like a fungus, a black poisonous mould…“
We see those who are looking for faith, some with lust on their mind, religious types, businessmen, lawmen and even those on the fringes of the occult and witchcraft. Hell, there is even something monstrous lurking in the local ‘Suwanee’ river, this tale really is one of variety that even feels like an anthology piece that is all wrapped up in less than a 200 pages and with short but sharp chapters which keeps those pages turning and the flow consistent.
Main character ‘Robert Thompson’ seems to have a dark cloud following him and his choices soon lead to a shocking and gruesome turn of events. It was at this moment I really became invested in the story. Robert is a changed man from this point and his journey is filled with sometimes graphic brutality to himself and others. Of course that cloud hanging over him has a name (‘Nyx’) and plays an influencing role in the form of possession.
Eventually we see the ‘Noxious’ part of the story which kicks in later on but has been cleverly built from the early stages. Of course Robert’s journey culminates during this satisfying finish for a book with so much variety in the horror genre. The town and setting of Blackwater feels like a character in its own right, it’s always there, hanging over everything with a certain darkness. This makes for a great atmospheric feel to the reading experience.
Those who like multiple character led stories with elements of the occult, witchcraft, paranormal that’s a little graphic in places will enjoy ‘Noxious’. Everyone else may just end up in the ‘Otherworld’ on Leap Day.
There is so much going on in this book and I found myself quickly turning the pages as the events build, unfold and eventually intertwine in what is a clever fusing of several stories that centre around the strange dark small town known as Blackwater. Bruce Knapp has delivered a tale that is dark, sometimes gruesome and wholly satisfying and the setting is delivered well and through the multiple characters. Throughout, the story evolves along with those characters as everything plays out.
“Grim shadows loomed over Blackwater, trying to conceal the hatred, but the evil continued to grow like a fungus, a black poisonous mould…“
We see those who are looking for faith, some with lust on their mind, religious types, businessmen, lawmen and even those on the fringes of the occult and witchcraft. Hell, there is even something monstrous lurking in the local ‘Suwanee’ river, this tale really is one of variety that even feels like an anthology piece that is all wrapped up in less than a 200 pages and with short but sharp chapters which keeps those pages turning and the flow consistent.
Main character ‘Robert Thompson’ seems to have a dark cloud following him and his choices soon lead to a shocking and gruesome turn of events. It was at this moment I really became invested in the story. Robert is a changed man from this point and his journey is filled with sometimes graphic brutality to himself and others. Of course that cloud hanging over him has a name (‘Nyx’) and plays an influencing role in the form of possession.
Eventually we see the ‘Noxious’ part of the story which kicks in later on but has been cleverly built from the early stages. Of course Robert’s journey culminates during this satisfying finish for a book with so much variety in the horror genre. The town and setting of Blackwater feels like a character in its own right, it’s always there, hanging over everything with a certain darkness. This makes for a great atmospheric feel to the reading experience.
Those who like multiple character led stories with elements of the occult, witchcraft, paranormal that’s a little graphic in places will enjoy ‘Noxious’. Everyone else may just end up in the ‘Otherworld’ on Leap Day.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews