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Welcome Descent
All it takes is one bad week...
In just seven days, Joseph Ridley lost everything.
His beautiful wife, gone. His fast cars, gone.
Even the expensive suits - they're all gone now.
Life's a bitch, and it has treated Joe unfairly.
Now there's a storm on the horizon, a storm unlike any other.
Long buried memories and voices from the dark
are at the door..
Joseph is about to find out that rock bottom is not
the furthest a man can fall.
The storm has arrived.
In just seven days, Joseph Ridley lost everything.
His beautiful wife, gone. His fast cars, gone.
Even the expensive suits - they're all gone now.
Life's a bitch, and it has treated Joe unfairly.
Now there's a storm on the horizon, a storm unlike any other.
Long buried memories and voices from the dark
are at the door..
Joseph is about to find out that rock bottom is not
the furthest a man can fall.
The storm has arrived.
444 pages, Paperback
Published January 25, 2021
2 people are currently reading
93 people want to read
About the author
Cam Wolfe
8 books319 followersCam Wolfe considers himself a tall hobbit; not only because he likes to kick his feet up and eat most of the day, but also because he has found himself lost in fantasy worlds since he first picked up The Hobbit. Growing up on Deltora Quest and Goosebumps thrust him into a love for fantasy and horror stories that could only be matched by his love for buffalo wings.
Through his life he has nurtured a passion for writing: a joy passed down from a mother who loves reading, and a father who loved to tell stories.
You can also find Cam over on his YouTube channel (Cam Wolfe is Writing) where he makes videos about the highs and lows of being a writer.
Through his life he has nurtured a passion for writing: a joy passed down from a mother who loves reading, and a father who loved to tell stories.
You can also find Cam over on his YouTube channel (Cam Wolfe is Writing) where he makes videos about the highs and lows of being a writer.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
February 1, 2021
As a fan of Cam Wolfe's Youtube channel (Page Nomad) about writing, I was looking forward to reading this book and was glad that I preordered it so I could read it as soon as it was out.
This book had a spectacular ending. Despite the protagonist being a drunk jerk most of the time, I found myself actually liking the character. I enjoyed the book being setup to cause me to question what was really going on, whether it was just some crazy horror story or if there was some dark magical fantasy element happening in the world. The storm symbolism was a bit on the nose, but I liked it.
My only issue with the book was that, as an American, I didn't realize that the British style of writing used apostrophes instead of quotation marks around dialogue, and that caused me some confusion when I started reading the book. I went online and looked it up though, and it made sense. I was just surprised to get a book in the United States that used the British style for dialogue and it took my brain a minute to get used to it.
This book had a spectacular ending. Despite the protagonist being a drunk jerk most of the time, I found myself actually liking the character. I enjoyed the book being setup to cause me to question what was really going on, whether it was just some crazy horror story or if there was some dark magical fantasy element happening in the world. The storm symbolism was a bit on the nose, but I liked it.
My only issue with the book was that, as an American, I didn't realize that the British style of writing used apostrophes instead of quotation marks around dialogue, and that caused me some confusion when I started reading the book. I went online and looked it up though, and it made sense. I was just surprised to get a book in the United States that used the British style for dialogue and it took my brain a minute to get used to it.
February 20, 2021
I don't normally leave reviews with my ratings, but this book gave me a lot of thoughts so I wanted to say something.
I was a little worried about the writing because of the other reviews I read and a video I watched from GreenerSideofSam, but the times I noticed some telling over showing, it seemed more like an intentional stylistic choice. I didn't mind but I know some people wouldn't like that, so maybe that's just me.
The start didn't get me too excited, I was thinking very early on that this might just be a basic gory horror, rather than a psychological horror as it's described (with the long mouth people). However, as the story went on I think I started to understand what C.W was doing.
I hated Joseph at first, as I'm sure we're meant to, and I was sure my opinion wouldn't be changed on that, but I have to say that by the end I really was feeling for him.
The story is quite predictable in some places, but it did a good job surprising me in others.
I have some thoughts on the deeper meaning in some chapters, but that goes into spoilers...
The ending was also quite good, I'll admit, it made me feel more than I expected.
All in all, not perfect, certainly not for everyone, but if this is truly C.W's first horror novel, I am very impressed. If I'm to give the benefit of the doubt that the spoiler things I mentioned above were his intention, then I will happily give 5 stars.
I was a little worried about the writing because of the other reviews I read and a video I watched from GreenerSideofSam, but the times I noticed some telling over showing, it seemed more like an intentional stylistic choice. I didn't mind but I know some people wouldn't like that, so maybe that's just me.
The start didn't get me too excited, I was thinking very early on that this might just be a basic gory horror, rather than a psychological horror as it's described (with the long mouth people). However, as the story went on I think I started to understand what C.W was doing.
I hated Joseph at first, as I'm sure we're meant to, and I was sure my opinion wouldn't be changed on that, but I have to say that by the end I really was feeling for him.
The story is quite predictable in some places, but it did a good job surprising me in others.
I have some thoughts on the deeper meaning in some chapters, but that goes into spoilers...
The ending was also quite good, I'll admit, it made me feel more than I expected.
All in all, not perfect, certainly not for everyone, but if this is truly C.W's first horror novel, I am very impressed. If I'm to give the benefit of the doubt that the spoiler things I mentioned above were his intention, then I will happily give 5 stars.
February 22, 2021
YouTube Review:
https://youtu.be/DMY19CnCM04
I started this book and I hated it. I swore when Joe Ridley was alone it seemed like there was so much telling I couldn’t stand it. My inner Edna Mode from incredibles was coming out with all of those dialogue tags. I didn’t want to read on, because the narration kept taking me out of the story, but I’m glad I did.
At the beginning I thought the horror of this was all about the storm, people going crazy with their mouths hanging open, but once I hit Joe’s confession with Daewon I realized that the message I got out of this book was a lot deeper than that. The storm and the crazy people are just fancy decorations on on a cake.
Maybe it’s because I’m a parent, but this book touched on a topic that’s really scary for parents to think about and isn’t talked a lot. I really felt for Pamela, especially in the part with Marcus being picked up by some stranger at school and then god knows what happens to him while he’s gone.
However, I also felt for Joe. At the beginning I hated him. He was a drunk asshole, but after the confession I realized he had very real emotions a lot of parents have, but don’t say anything about. I usually see this from the female perspective, so it was interesting to see it from the male perspective.
Parents, though usually joyful to become parents, go through a transition period when they realize that not only is parenting very hard, but your life changes in a moment and will never be the same again. A lot of parents feel like they’re inadequate and that the situation is overwhelming and they find themselves thinking about how life was before. What I saw in Joe Ridley was a person who wasn’t able to cope with those feelings and transition, and instead turned to things like alcohol and sex. I think that’s what ultimately made this book scary. It really makes you think, we see the outward actions of people being assholes but we have no idea what they’re going through.
That’s the message I got out of it. I can’t read the authors mind so I have no idea if this is the message he was trying to portray, but in the end this story worked for me, so much so that I ended up giving it 4 stars and if you read some of my other reviews I can be pretty tricky to please sometimes. 😂
Should people pick up this book and read it? Absolutely. Especially if you’re a parent. I can’t remember the last time where I picked up a book hating it at the beginning and loving it so much by the end. Just goes to show that even if the writing isn’t your style, if the story ends up shining through, the writing style doesn’t matter as much anymore.
Thanks for a great surprise of a book! 😁
https://youtu.be/DMY19CnCM04
I started this book and I hated it. I swore when Joe Ridley was alone it seemed like there was so much telling I couldn’t stand it. My inner Edna Mode from incredibles was coming out with all of those dialogue tags. I didn’t want to read on, because the narration kept taking me out of the story, but I’m glad I did.
At the beginning I thought the horror of this was all about the storm, people going crazy with their mouths hanging open, but once I hit Joe’s confession with Daewon I realized that the message I got out of this book was a lot deeper than that. The storm and the crazy people are just fancy decorations on on a cake.
Maybe it’s because I’m a parent, but this book touched on a topic that’s really scary for parents to think about and isn’t talked a lot. I really felt for Pamela, especially in the part with Marcus being picked up by some stranger at school and then god knows what happens to him while he’s gone.
However, I also felt for Joe. At the beginning I hated him. He was a drunk asshole, but after the confession I realized he had very real emotions a lot of parents have, but don’t say anything about. I usually see this from the female perspective, so it was interesting to see it from the male perspective.
Parents, though usually joyful to become parents, go through a transition period when they realize that not only is parenting very hard, but your life changes in a moment and will never be the same again. A lot of parents feel like they’re inadequate and that the situation is overwhelming and they find themselves thinking about how life was before. What I saw in Joe Ridley was a person who wasn’t able to cope with those feelings and transition, and instead turned to things like alcohol and sex. I think that’s what ultimately made this book scary. It really makes you think, we see the outward actions of people being assholes but we have no idea what they’re going through.
That’s the message I got out of it. I can’t read the authors mind so I have no idea if this is the message he was trying to portray, but in the end this story worked for me, so much so that I ended up giving it 4 stars and if you read some of my other reviews I can be pretty tricky to please sometimes. 😂
Should people pick up this book and read it? Absolutely. Especially if you’re a parent. I can’t remember the last time where I picked up a book hating it at the beginning and loving it so much by the end. Just goes to show that even if the writing isn’t your style, if the story ends up shining through, the writing style doesn’t matter as much anymore.
Thanks for a great surprise of a book! 😁
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2021
So I'm not 100 percent sure on how I truly feel about this book, but i will say that I enjoyed it more then I thought I was gonna.
Psychology horror isn't really my thing for alot of reasons, but I think Cam Wolfe did a good job here. I will definitely read whatever he writes next.
Psychology horror isn't really my thing for alot of reasons, but I think Cam Wolfe did a good job here. I will definitely read whatever he writes next.
October 22, 2021
A wild ride from beginning to end
Wow. The second half of the book left me truly wondering if anything I read was the truth.
Cam did an excellent job of making me question what was going on and how much I could believe of what was on the page. As someone who doesn’t reach for horror, I was a bit hesitant about how I would react to this book. But I can confidently say that I’ll be recommending this to people in the future.
I’m already looking forward to Cam’s collection of horror short stories coming out next year.
Wow. The second half of the book left me truly wondering if anything I read was the truth.
Cam did an excellent job of making me question what was going on and how much I could believe of what was on the page. As someone who doesn’t reach for horror, I was a bit hesitant about how I would react to this book. But I can confidently say that I’ll be recommending this to people in the future.
I’m already looking forward to Cam’s collection of horror short stories coming out next year.
March 2, 2021
Ah, it’s nice to get back to reading indie, it’s been a while. I technically read this as part of Todd and Dane’s Indie Readalong, a sort of now-defunct mini-series in which myself and Todd the Librarian on YouTube go out of our way to read and review indie books.
This one is by an Australian BookTuber and AuthorTuber (Cam Wolfe of Page Nomad), who I’ve been watching and following for a while now. He’s one of the authors that I have my eye on and I enjoyed his piece in the Local Haunts anthology, so I’d been looking forward to getting to this one.
First impressions are good, and you can tell that Wolfe has put his heart and soul into this one. It looks fantastic, both on the cover and with the interior layout, and it’s easily in the top 10% best produced indie books that I come across. The writing itself was probably in the top 20%, which is still a decent result, and I’m pleased to say that I didn’t spot any errors. Cam’s Australian English wasn’t jarring either, and so it was easier to read than half of the American books that I read.
As for the plot, we have plenty of twists and turns as our asshole protagonist starts to learn a few lessons about karma. A storm is approaching, and it brings strange things with it. Knowing that Cam is a Joe Hill fan, I feel like some of that might have been inspired by Strange Weather, but it also has elements of Groundhog Day and the same cloying, insular tower block feel that I liked about J. G. Ballard’s High Rise.
It’s not a perfect novel, but it is a pretty promising start to Wolfe’s publishing career and it definitely left me keen to see what he’s got up his sleeve for his next book. I think that you can tell when you’re reading this that it’s an indie novel, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You can also tell that it’s been edited, which is an unfortunate rarity in the indie publishing scene.
Overall, it’s a decent little read if you’re into that sort of thing, but it’s probably not going to trouble my top books of the quarter. That’s not saying too much though, because there are plenty of books from big name authors that don’t manage that, and Cam’s working without big budgets. I enjoyed it for what it was.
This one is by an Australian BookTuber and AuthorTuber (Cam Wolfe of Page Nomad), who I’ve been watching and following for a while now. He’s one of the authors that I have my eye on and I enjoyed his piece in the Local Haunts anthology, so I’d been looking forward to getting to this one.
First impressions are good, and you can tell that Wolfe has put his heart and soul into this one. It looks fantastic, both on the cover and with the interior layout, and it’s easily in the top 10% best produced indie books that I come across. The writing itself was probably in the top 20%, which is still a decent result, and I’m pleased to say that I didn’t spot any errors. Cam’s Australian English wasn’t jarring either, and so it was easier to read than half of the American books that I read.
As for the plot, we have plenty of twists and turns as our asshole protagonist starts to learn a few lessons about karma. A storm is approaching, and it brings strange things with it. Knowing that Cam is a Joe Hill fan, I feel like some of that might have been inspired by Strange Weather, but it also has elements of Groundhog Day and the same cloying, insular tower block feel that I liked about J. G. Ballard’s High Rise.
It’s not a perfect novel, but it is a pretty promising start to Wolfe’s publishing career and it definitely left me keen to see what he’s got up his sleeve for his next book. I think that you can tell when you’re reading this that it’s an indie novel, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You can also tell that it’s been edited, which is an unfortunate rarity in the indie publishing scene.
Overall, it’s a decent little read if you’re into that sort of thing, but it’s probably not going to trouble my top books of the quarter. That’s not saying too much though, because there are plenty of books from big name authors that don’t manage that, and Cam’s working without big budgets. I enjoyed it for what it was.
March 27, 2021
Welcome Descent is a beautiful psychological dive into a deplorable man whom the author still manages to flesh out and make human. Is Joseph (The main character) your average hero? NO, he is deeply complex, which is conveyed with his slow descent into madness.
I must admit that at first, I was worried that this would be your classic isolation story where someone is locked away and goes mad, and in the end, it was all a dream, and they make everything right. But no, this story has plenty of twists and turns to keep you on the very edge of your seat.
I will warn you that I enjoyed the first half, but it is simply good, not bad or mediocre, good. It has flaws holding it back, and it takes some time to like the character since we don't understand what makes him tick yet, but I swear as soon as it hit the halfway point, I could not set this book down. I am a rather emotional man (not ashamed), but I cannot think of many books that have made me tear up. This one did toward the end, and I think it's because Cam does a great job of paying off the characters are without being too bleak or too cheesy. And without doing some ending, that retcons everything.
Cam Wolfe has a true talent with wonderful prose and character work, along with immense amounts of creativity. And as for that Epilogue, I have not seen such a satisfying climax to a story in a long time.
Please, give this book a chance. If you stick through, I know you will not be disappointed. Keep on writing, Mr.Wolfe!
I must admit that at first, I was worried that this would be your classic isolation story where someone is locked away and goes mad, and in the end, it was all a dream, and they make everything right. But no, this story has plenty of twists and turns to keep you on the very edge of your seat.
I will warn you that I enjoyed the first half, but it is simply good, not bad or mediocre, good. It has flaws holding it back, and it takes some time to like the character since we don't understand what makes him tick yet, but I swear as soon as it hit the halfway point, I could not set this book down. I am a rather emotional man (not ashamed), but I cannot think of many books that have made me tear up. This one did toward the end, and I think it's because Cam does a great job of paying off the characters are without being too bleak or too cheesy. And without doing some ending, that retcons everything.
Cam Wolfe has a true talent with wonderful prose and character work, along with immense amounts of creativity. And as for that Epilogue, I have not seen such a satisfying climax to a story in a long time.
Please, give this book a chance. If you stick through, I know you will not be disappointed. Keep on writing, Mr.Wolfe!
February 28, 2022
Unfortunately I can't finish this book. The writing is great, however the slow pace and large use of metaphorical storytelling takes me out of it. I was about halfway through and it just wasn't gripping me.
May 15, 2021
3.5 stars, rounded to 4. 🌟🌟🌟🌟
I'm a big fan of Cam's (extremely funny) AuthorTube channel, and picked up this book to support him as a creator and to branch out of my comfort zone, because I'm absolutely a horror noob.
The writing is polished and smart, which was a relief actually because I've been burned by dreadful AuthorTube self-pub releases before (if you know, you know). Cam has spoken about Room 1408's influence on this book, and though I don't have a lot of horror experience to compare this to, the writing style feel kinds of Stephen King-y in the punchy way characters are described, and the simple (as in clear), visceral description of experience.
I enjoyed the premise of the book, and the "descent" metaphor of Joseph having to literally AND figuratively fight through ever more deeply-buried layers of guilt and trauma, whilst teetering on the inevitable edge of the suicidal drop from his penthouse apartment. The way the backstory unfolds in dribs and drabs through Joseph's nightmarish experiences leaves the reader to piece his backstory together themselves, without relying on exposition, which I like. The tragedy hat happened to Marcus, and what Joe did to his family through his own internalised misogyny and arrogance, was horrifying to see unfold.
Although the depictions of gore and terror were gruesome and vividly described, I didn't feel scared. It definitely leant more towards the tragedy aspect of horror, rather than fear, for me. I found these scenes really fascinating at first, but after a while I thought they got a little repetive and I couldn't quite sense the story arc building to a final conclusion until it suddenly arrived. The fact that the horror scenes started at 110% and kept coming at 110% impacted this. However, the senseless, never-ending overwhelm of the nightmare actually exactly mirrors how Joseph was feeling living through it--- so maybe Cam did it on purpose! I also find that reading on ebook for some reason flattens my experience of narrative, which is why I try to avoid it most of the time, so this also could have been a factor.
I enjoyed the characters, especially Daewon and Joseph, who both felt real and 3D. Horrible a person as Joseph was, I felt his desperation and was rooting for him to survive as he constantly fought for his life. Two little characters quibbles though: the unecessary fatphobia around the security guard, who was specifically depicted as horrifying because of how fat he was, and the fact that until the last couple of chapters, Pam felt like a typical male writer's depiction of a cookie-cutter love interest rather than a character with agency. Again these issues really remind of Stephen King, and other bestselling dude authors like James Patterson. It wasn't massive though and I know Cam is careful with taking feedback and has spoken in the past about how he's worked to improve his depiction of women, which is great, especially when a lot of male authours clearly just don't get it and have no intention of even trying.
One final question: the logic of the storm, and Samuel Bubb's quasi-religious influence over it is left completely unexplained. Presumably this is on purpose, but I would have liked to know a little more. At least where the storm came from - did Joseph summon it through his guilt? Did Samuel curse Joseph with it through some kind of religious act? Is Samual a God? Does Samuel actually play a role in causing the storm at all, or could his character have been cut out of the story with the same psychological impact on Joseph?
🤔 Concluding Thoughts: Overall I think Cam did a solid job. I look forward to seeing where his writing goes in future and will definitely check out his future releases!
📖 Will I Read The Sequel: I still don't think I'm a horror girl, but who knows, if Cam keeps releasing in this direction I am open to being persuaded.
🦆 Duck rating: No ducks. For this Joseph deserves to be flung from his apartment to his DEATH!!
I'm a big fan of Cam's (extremely funny) AuthorTube channel, and picked up this book to support him as a creator and to branch out of my comfort zone, because I'm absolutely a horror noob.
The writing is polished and smart, which was a relief actually because I've been burned by dreadful AuthorTube self-pub releases before (if you know, you know). Cam has spoken about Room 1408's influence on this book, and though I don't have a lot of horror experience to compare this to, the writing style feel kinds of Stephen King-y in the punchy way characters are described, and the simple (as in clear), visceral description of experience.
I enjoyed the premise of the book, and the "descent" metaphor of Joseph having to literally AND figuratively fight through ever more deeply-buried layers of guilt and trauma, whilst teetering on the inevitable edge of the suicidal drop from his penthouse apartment. The way the backstory unfolds in dribs and drabs through Joseph's nightmarish experiences leaves the reader to piece his backstory together themselves, without relying on exposition, which I like. The tragedy hat happened to Marcus, and what Joe did to his family through his own internalised misogyny and arrogance, was horrifying to see unfold.
Although the depictions of gore and terror were gruesome and vividly described, I didn't feel scared. It definitely leant more towards the tragedy aspect of horror, rather than fear, for me. I found these scenes really fascinating at first, but after a while I thought they got a little repetive and I couldn't quite sense the story arc building to a final conclusion until it suddenly arrived. The fact that the horror scenes started at 110% and kept coming at 110% impacted this. However, the senseless, never-ending overwhelm of the nightmare actually exactly mirrors how Joseph was feeling living through it--- so maybe Cam did it on purpose! I also find that reading on ebook for some reason flattens my experience of narrative, which is why I try to avoid it most of the time, so this also could have been a factor.
I enjoyed the characters, especially Daewon and Joseph, who both felt real and 3D. Horrible a person as Joseph was, I felt his desperation and was rooting for him to survive as he constantly fought for his life. Two little characters quibbles though: the unecessary fatphobia around the security guard, who was specifically depicted as horrifying because of how fat he was, and the fact that until the last couple of chapters, Pam felt like a typical male writer's depiction of a cookie-cutter love interest rather than a character with agency. Again these issues really remind of Stephen King, and other bestselling dude authors like James Patterson. It wasn't massive though and I know Cam is careful with taking feedback and has spoken in the past about how he's worked to improve his depiction of women, which is great, especially when a lot of male authours clearly just don't get it and have no intention of even trying.
One final question: the logic of the storm, and Samuel Bubb's quasi-religious influence over it is left completely unexplained. Presumably this is on purpose, but I would have liked to know a little more. At least where the storm came from - did Joseph summon it through his guilt? Did Samuel curse Joseph with it through some kind of religious act? Is Samual a God? Does Samuel actually play a role in causing the storm at all, or could his character have been cut out of the story with the same psychological impact on Joseph?
🤔 Concluding Thoughts: Overall I think Cam did a solid job. I look forward to seeing where his writing goes in future and will definitely check out his future releases!
📖 Will I Read The Sequel: I still don't think I'm a horror girl, but who knows, if Cam keeps releasing in this direction I am open to being persuaded.
🦆 Duck rating: No ducks. For this Joseph deserves to be flung from his apartment to his DEATH!!
March 14, 2022
I have been following Cam for past 2 years. I liked to listen to Cam's journey in writing. I was very excited to read this book. First 50 pages I was really into the book. I was reading it every chance I got.. In cafe, in Auto shop waiting for my car's MOT to be done.. I thought I'm really in for a treat. But suddenly after 50 pages, it was a great "descent"! So unexpected! I found the sudden change of scenes were too hard to follow, but i persevered as much as I could. I couldn't keep it up after a while, I couldn't just leave it without reading too. I felt I'm obliged to read it till the end, because it's Cam and I have been following his thoughts and mostly they resonate my writing journey. So I really wanted to like it. After 60% of the book, I just really skimmed through, as I stopped caring. Reading the book felt more like a chore. May be it's just me, the book's hard for me, I'm used to reading simpler books.
Reading others reviews confirms it's just me. This is my first psychological horror novel, so I just tell myself that I need more practice in reading them.
I look forward for Cam's next book.. I just hope it's bit simpler..
2 stars for the great command over the language, the action scenes are so well written!
Reading others reviews confirms it's just me. This is my first psychological horror novel, so I just tell myself that I need more practice in reading them.
I look forward for Cam's next book.. I just hope it's bit simpler..
2 stars for the great command over the language, the action scenes are so well written!
March 21, 2021
In Welcome Descent, we're given what is promised: a deep dive into the mental confines of a very depraved man steeped in more sins than virtue. I enjoyed the gore elements of the story, but the kind of horror I like is rooted more in dread than gore, so it wasn’t particularly scary for me.
I did find some parts tedious to get through, especially the moments alone with Joe/Joseph. I found myself skimming through paragraphs at times to skip winded descriptions. But I appreciated the intent behind those scenes.
The crux of Joe's guilt trip was fairly straightforward, although I liked that it was revealed in bits and pieces. Again, the writing could've been tighter, especially once it became fairly clear what he was dealing with. The resolution between him and his son was sort of tied-up, which felt a bit rushed and unrealistic, but after a book-long journey of bleak and gloom, perhaps a half-happy ending was quite deserving for the characters.
Overall, a pretty fair story, which could've used some more editing to trim down the words and prose style.
I did find some parts tedious to get through, especially the moments alone with Joe/Joseph. I found myself skimming through paragraphs at times to skip winded descriptions. But I appreciated the intent behind those scenes.
The crux of Joe's guilt trip was fairly straightforward, although I liked that it was revealed in bits and pieces. Again, the writing could've been tighter, especially once it became fairly clear what he was dealing with. The resolution between him and his son was sort of tied-up, which felt a bit rushed and unrealistic, but after a book-long journey of bleak and gloom, perhaps a half-happy ending was quite deserving for the characters.
Overall, a pretty fair story, which could've used some more editing to trim down the words and prose style.
June 23, 2021
Welcome Descent is an interesting and gory exploration of trauma and regret. The main character Joseph is an extremely unlikeable man who has done many terrible things in his life, and we dive deep into his memory and analyse his mistakes. I really liked following Joseph because he was so detailed and interesting, with a dark but realistic past.
The author's writing was great and painted all of the horror scenes in amazing detail. There were many moments that were truly disturbing and left me thinking of what just happened. I also really appreciated the emotional moments, with the combination of the horrific memories of the things Joseph has done meeting the supernatural elements of the story. You never really know how much of what is going in is real or if the character is having a mental break.
Really enjoyed this and would recommend to any horror fans!
The author's writing was great and painted all of the horror scenes in amazing detail. There were many moments that were truly disturbing and left me thinking of what just happened. I also really appreciated the emotional moments, with the combination of the horrific memories of the things Joseph has done meeting the supernatural elements of the story. You never really know how much of what is going in is real or if the character is having a mental break.
Really enjoyed this and would recommend to any horror fans!
June 24, 2021
I may be a bit biased because I enjoy watching Cam Wolfe's youtube channel, but I really liked this story. It was fast-paced, which is how I like to write, and weird. Right up my alley.
I look forward to seeing more work by Mr. Wolfe, and I hope he gets the recognition he deserves.
I look forward to seeing more work by Mr. Wolfe, and I hope he gets the recognition he deserves.
February 14, 2024
2.5 rounded up to 3. The idea was solid enough but the execution wasn't quite there for me. Felt like everything dragged on just a bit too long. The lethargic pacing, long-winded descriptions, and repetitive plot points bogged down the intriguing parts of the story.
July 25, 2021
I enjoyed the book a lot. You can tell the influence of Stephen King here and there but it never feels like a rip off. I´m looking forward to Wolfe´s future projects.
March 21, 2022
This would make a fantastic play too! The descriptions of gore and horror were some of the best I've read.
September 5, 2022
5 deadite blowies out of 5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2023
Welcome Descent by Cam Wolfe is a book that is more enjoyable when you go into it blind. Briefly put, it is a horror novel following an unlikable character named Joseph Ridley who is forced to confront his past by surviving the "storm". The book leaves both Joseph and the reader questioning what is real and what's not.
Although it took me a while to get into this book, I loved it by the end. I would say the main themes of the book are facing the consequences of the past and redemption. I was trilled the whole time I was reading and was attached to the characters by the end.
If you can get past the beginning of this book, you're in for a thrilling ride.
Although it took me a while to get into this book, I loved it by the end. I would say the main themes of the book are facing the consequences of the past and redemption. I was trilled the whole time I was reading and was attached to the characters by the end.
If you can get past the beginning of this book, you're in for a thrilling ride.
June 29, 2021
I absolutely loved it. Beautifully written and terrifying when you think about the fact it could happen to you. Loved reading this, was the first physiological thriller I've ever read and it blew me away. Definitely considering reading more of them now.
Loved how music was integrated into the writing to add a sort of atmosphere. I lov how well the story can speak to anyone who had ever gone through trauma or done bad things. Sometimes dealing with it is what you need to do even if it hurts more than you could ever imagine.
Loved this book, a definite recommendation. *but beware it could have triggers for some,* enjoy!
Loved how music was integrated into the writing to add a sort of atmosphere. I lov how well the story can speak to anyone who had ever gone through trauma or done bad things. Sometimes dealing with it is what you need to do even if it hurts more than you could ever imagine.
Loved this book, a definite recommendation. *but beware it could have triggers for some,* enjoy!
April 15, 2021
A great psychological ride on the highway to hell. Cam's debut horror novel shows promise and a foot in the right direction going toward in his writing career.
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