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The By-Blow Promise Land
Truett Fox has never felt at home with any family—adopted, found, or birth. After his birth father’s unexpected passing, Truett and his adoptive brother Felix go to New Orleans, Louisiana to attend the service. While paying their respects, a storm rolls in that causes them to cut their trip short. As the two try to leave town they are detoured off the main roads, going further into the bayou. As tensions flare on the dark flooded roads, they find a woman, Leticia, stranded in the storm. Leticia promises a good time and safe shelter to wait out the storm in. Is her hospitality an old-fashioned miracle, or are there more sinister forces driving the boys to her?
109 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2021
1 person is currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
R.E. Bunch
4 books9 followersRE Bunch is a writer from Chicago, Illinois. She enjoys all things occult, horror, and science fiction. She pulls from art, true-crime stories, scientific theories, and nature to stretch her creations beyond the limits of horror. She blends poetry and prose writing techniques to develop worlds filled with mystery, dread, and beauty. A style that has been described as eclectic and uniquely her own.
When she is not writing she is playing with dogs and making linoleum prints.
When she is not writing she is playing with dogs and making linoleum prints.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 23, 2022
'Strangers are good at getting lost.'
I usually try to remain a stranger to horror stories, whatever form they come in. I didn't have much idea of what was to come in ' The By-Blow Promise Land', and by the time I had an inkling it was too late for me, like Truett in author R E Bunch's blood-curdling story.
It's horribly-beautiful, well-constructed, the pieces of the puzzle given out in small portions, as in the recipes from Leticia's book. Some might wonder at the purpose of the Author's Foreword, but it's absolutely necessary if, like me, you hail from the UK and have never heard of the 'Myth of the Letiche' from the Southern states of the USA. I am familiar though with the now-defunct use of the pejorative term 'by-blow' for illegitimate children, which is an early clue to what's going on here. The text is littered with them, and the alert reader is picking them up, even as Truett is trying to figure them out and Felix is blissfully unaware or dismissive of them, in his ignorance.
Not so much a whodunit as an 'OMG, I can see where the author's going with this', the tale of terror that unfolds as Truett returns to his roots will have you hooked. I reiterate, it's absolutely not my usual kind of read, and doing so in the dark small hours when I couldn't sleep was not the optimal time for reading such a story. It hooked me though, and I couldn't put it down until the final, fearful fact was stated. Spellbinding.
I usually try to remain a stranger to horror stories, whatever form they come in. I didn't have much idea of what was to come in ' The By-Blow Promise Land', and by the time I had an inkling it was too late for me, like Truett in author R E Bunch's blood-curdling story.
It's horribly-beautiful, well-constructed, the pieces of the puzzle given out in small portions, as in the recipes from Leticia's book. Some might wonder at the purpose of the Author's Foreword, but it's absolutely necessary if, like me, you hail from the UK and have never heard of the 'Myth of the Letiche' from the Southern states of the USA. I am familiar though with the now-defunct use of the pejorative term 'by-blow' for illegitimate children, which is an early clue to what's going on here. The text is littered with them, and the alert reader is picking them up, even as Truett is trying to figure them out and Felix is blissfully unaware or dismissive of them, in his ignorance.
Not so much a whodunit as an 'OMG, I can see where the author's going with this', the tale of terror that unfolds as Truett returns to his roots will have you hooked. I reiterate, it's absolutely not my usual kind of read, and doing so in the dark small hours when I couldn't sleep was not the optimal time for reading such a story. It hooked me though, and I couldn't put it down until the final, fearful fact was stated. Spellbinding.
November 11, 2021
THIS ISN'T YOUR AVERAGE INDEPENDENT HORROR NOVELLA!
Written from various points of view, this rain-soaked horror story from the dirty swamps of Louisiana delivers. Its a dense hundred pager. I am going to be very careful in this review not to give too much away in regards to spoilers. In fact, if you're serious about reading this, you should stop reading this review now and trust me that the book delivers. I say this because my "virginal experience" with this text was absolutely rewarding because of my lack of prior knowledge.
Truett and his step-brother Felix are headed to a funeral in New Orleans in a damn Ford Festiva. The funeral feels like a parental reversal of Camus' THE STRANGER. Everything that Bunch adds to the story concerning Truett's past means something, and it is a horrifying ride getting to the core of this individual.
There is weird sexual tension, strange familial lines and the reader is always just half of a beat behind the machinations of Bunch's storytelling. But then there is also the food! Bunch adds fascinating bayou recipes to the prose and the results are brilliant. The novella delivers some original swamp lore, complete with hurricane weather, open wounds and river silt. Items that mean little at one part of the tale mean so much more towards the end.
RE Bunch shows us plenty and tells us little. This novella is part cookbook and part psychological terror. It is a wonderful mechanism of storytelling. The gears, springs and cogs willfully reveal themselves at the beginning and then Bunch assembles them right before your eyes. Some of the nuances in plot resonated long after my reading. Its a treasure, really, because this is the kind of book one reads and wants to talk to others about over coffee.
I WANT MORE.
If I had one issue with this book, it would be the editing of Tim Major, who let some typos through. I am not going to dock the book to 4 stars because of it, but it could really have used another pass by this editor.
Written from various points of view, this rain-soaked horror story from the dirty swamps of Louisiana delivers. Its a dense hundred pager. I am going to be very careful in this review not to give too much away in regards to spoilers. In fact, if you're serious about reading this, you should stop reading this review now and trust me that the book delivers. I say this because my "virginal experience" with this text was absolutely rewarding because of my lack of prior knowledge.
Truett and his step-brother Felix are headed to a funeral in New Orleans in a damn Ford Festiva. The funeral feels like a parental reversal of Camus' THE STRANGER. Everything that Bunch adds to the story concerning Truett's past means something, and it is a horrifying ride getting to the core of this individual.
There is weird sexual tension, strange familial lines and the reader is always just half of a beat behind the machinations of Bunch's storytelling. But then there is also the food! Bunch adds fascinating bayou recipes to the prose and the results are brilliant. The novella delivers some original swamp lore, complete with hurricane weather, open wounds and river silt. Items that mean little at one part of the tale mean so much more towards the end.
RE Bunch shows us plenty and tells us little. This novella is part cookbook and part psychological terror. It is a wonderful mechanism of storytelling. The gears, springs and cogs willfully reveal themselves at the beginning and then Bunch assembles them right before your eyes. Some of the nuances in plot resonated long after my reading. Its a treasure, really, because this is the kind of book one reads and wants to talk to others about over coffee.
I WANT MORE.
If I had one issue with this book, it would be the editing of Tim Major, who let some typos through. I am not going to dock the book to 4 stars because of it, but it could really have used another pass by this editor.
November 29, 2021
I’ve visited New Orleans once (hope to go again someday) and have always been intrigued by the land and lore there. The beginning action of “The By-Blow Promise Land,” with a violent storm coming in and threatening potential havoc for two characters who are forced to go “further into the bayou,” is spooky. Within the wilderness, the weary travelers discover a lady named Leticia, who, perhaps like the Big Easy, comes off as a mix of both charming and troubling.
The author does a good job of setting the scenes and giving readers a detailed sense of the atmosphere and characters. As someone who wants to know more about this area of the country, I liked reading about the varied settings as much as anything in the book.
“By-Blow” has a definite sense of mysteriousness to it that is engaging. The dialogue is authentic and some of the scenes are genuinely eerie. I think the novella would have been more effective if the author had kept the action going at a faster clip, especially at the start. There’s a little too much backstory in spots, and a little too much telling rather than showing throughout. Still, it’s a creative story that I think will appeal to those who like a good scare and a fast read.
The “Letter from RE Bunch,” which opens the book and analyzes a Leo Tolstoy quote and reads like a term paper, didn’t exactly get me in the mood to read a scary novella. That aside, this is a pretty good book.
The author does a good job of setting the scenes and giving readers a detailed sense of the atmosphere and characters. As someone who wants to know more about this area of the country, I liked reading about the varied settings as much as anything in the book.
“By-Blow” has a definite sense of mysteriousness to it that is engaging. The dialogue is authentic and some of the scenes are genuinely eerie. I think the novella would have been more effective if the author had kept the action going at a faster clip, especially at the start. There’s a little too much backstory in spots, and a little too much telling rather than showing throughout. Still, it’s a creative story that I think will appeal to those who like a good scare and a fast read.
The “Letter from RE Bunch,” which opens the book and analyzes a Leo Tolstoy quote and reads like a term paper, didn’t exactly get me in the mood to read a scary novella. That aside, this is a pretty good book.
November 22, 2021
Scary but interesting
This story was very different from what I usually read. Mystery and mayhem. RE Bunch writes a book that is so descriptive you feel like you are there. Not sure after reading this that I would venture into the Bayou. I am not going to write a review like some and tell you the whole story. What I will say is that this was a good read which I couldn't out down.
This story was very different from what I usually read. Mystery and mayhem. RE Bunch writes a book that is so descriptive you feel like you are there. Not sure after reading this that I would venture into the Bayou. I am not going to write a review like some and tell you the whole story. What I will say is that this was a good read which I couldn't out down.
September 12, 2024
A quick, easy, fun read. When two brothers find themselves lost in the bayou and come across a barefoot woman. She offers a place to stay during a torrential storm and the brothers... bit off more than they could chew.
February 25, 2023
The first thing readers should know about The By-Blow Promise Land is, if buying an e-book, they ought to check to see if it is compatible with their reader. I have a Kindle Paperwhite, and was rather shocked to find the book would not download to the kindle because it is not compatible. I had encountered this problem before, but only with children's picture books. I had to get out of bed and get my laptop to use the Kindle app in order to read the story. I hate reading on my laptop since I have to do so much work on it each day. The last thing I want to do is read books on it. I had decided to take a star off of this story for the inconvenience. But darn it, the writing was so exceptionally good. So I must give the story 5-stars regardless. The prose is rich, fresh, and imaginative. I think a touch less description would have been better to move the story along a bit faster, but that is a minor complaint.
The author begins with an introduction in which she shares the inspiration for the "monsters" in this story, the Letiche, mythical shapeshifting creatures that haunt the bayous of the American South. The Letiche are the souls of illegitimate or unwanted children.
Although this is a novella, we are given a fairly thorough picture of Truett Fox's background and the tenuous relationship he had with his deceased biological father. In giving birth to Truett, his mother had lost her life. Truett's father, devastated by her death, gave him up to be raised by the Fox family. I found this to be an effective horror story, elevated by adroit writing.
The author begins with an introduction in which she shares the inspiration for the "monsters" in this story, the Letiche, mythical shapeshifting creatures that haunt the bayous of the American South. The Letiche are the souls of illegitimate or unwanted children.
Although this is a novella, we are given a fairly thorough picture of Truett Fox's background and the tenuous relationship he had with his deceased biological father. In giving birth to Truett, his mother had lost her life. Truett's father, devastated by her death, gave him up to be raised by the Fox family. I found this to be an effective horror story, elevated by adroit writing.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews