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The Creeper
Superstitions only survive if people believe in them...
Renowned academic Dr Sparling seeks help with his project on a remote Irish village. Historical researchers Ben and Chloe are thrilled to be chosen—until they arrive...
The village is isolated and forgotten. There is no record of its history, its stories. There is no friendliness from the locals, only wary looks and whispers. The villagers lock down their homes at sundown. A nameless fear stalks the streets...
Nobody will talk—nobody except one little girl. Her story strikes dread into the hearts of the newcomers. Three times you see him. Each night he comes closer...
That night, Ben and Chloe see a sinister figure watching them. He is the Creeper. He is the nameless fear in the night. Stories keep him alive. And nothing will keep him away...
The Creeper is a masterful tale of horror and suspense, by one of Ireland's most talented emerging authors.
Renowned academic Dr Sparling seeks help with his project on a remote Irish village. Historical researchers Ben and Chloe are thrilled to be chosen—until they arrive...
The village is isolated and forgotten. There is no record of its history, its stories. There is no friendliness from the locals, only wary looks and whispers. The villagers lock down their homes at sundown. A nameless fear stalks the streets...
Nobody will talk—nobody except one little girl. Her story strikes dread into the hearts of the newcomers. Three times you see him. Each night he comes closer...
That night, Ben and Chloe see a sinister figure watching them. He is the Creeper. He is the nameless fear in the night. Stories keep him alive. And nothing will keep him away...
The Creeper is a masterful tale of horror and suspense, by one of Ireland's most talented emerging authors.
293 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 15, 2022
1043 people are currently reading
15975 people want to read
About the author
A.M. Shine
7 books1,473 followersA. M. Shine is an author of Literary Horror from the west of Ireland. It was there that at a young age he discovered a passion for classic horror stories, and where he received his Masters in history, before ultimately sharpening his quill to pursue a life devoted to all things literary and macabre. His writing is inspired by the trinity of horror, history, and superstition, and he has tormented, toyed with, and tortured more characters than he will ever confess to.
Owing to a fascination with the works of Edgar Allan Poe and his ilk, A. M. Shine’s earlier writings were Gothic in their style and imagination. When his focus turned to novels he refined his craft as an author of Irish horror – stories influenced by his country’s culture, landscape, and language, but which draw their dark atmosphere and eloquence from the Gothic canon of his past.
He is represented by John Baker of Bell Lomax Moreton Literary Agency.
Owing to a fascination with the works of Edgar Allan Poe and his ilk, A. M. Shine’s earlier writings were Gothic in their style and imagination. When his focus turned to novels he refined his craft as an author of Irish horror – stories influenced by his country’s culture, landscape, and language, but which draw their dark atmosphere and eloquence from the Gothic canon of his past.
He is represented by John Baker of Bell Lomax Moreton Literary Agency.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,227 reviews
September 18, 2023
My thanks to Head of Zeus, A.M.Shine and Netgalley. I've been thinking on this review for a full day now and I'm still at a loss for words.😕 Mr. Shines last book "The Watchers" scared the poo outta me. This book? It just gave me the willies. The "creeps" if you will. I wasn't fully invested until the 50% mark. It was slow and lord knows that Ben got on my last nerve! But, holy shit! Once this dang story started showing it's 50 shades of what the hey? I was all in. What this book has "eventually" is atmosphere. I must say that I truly hated the last 10% of this book. No spoilers, but it took my rating down. No worries..This author is on my rarified list of author's to read. Yes, I'd actually spend money to read more from Mr. Shine!
March 10, 2023
Who is this mysterious Dr Alec Sparling and why is he sending archaeologists and historians to a strange little village named Tir Mallacht in Ireland? Why are the few villagers afraid of the dark? Who is the creeper, something supernatural or human? The author comes up with a very intriguing tale full of uncanny moments and one of the creepiest characters that fully deserves the name "Creeper". At parts it's a bit confusing, especially at the end, but this is one of the darkest and grimmest tales I read in quite a while. Really recommended. This is the stuff a good horror novel is made of!
June 28, 2025
Three Times You See Him..
Then...
THE CREEPER
by A.M. Shine
5 stars. This is as fine a folk horror story as I've ever read...
Then...
Fiona Quinn, missing Irish student, got herself into something she shouldn't have...
Her parents were abroad, and no one knew right away that she was even missing...
She was an archeology student...
Now...
Ben French, a historian master, received a proposal from wealthy Dr. Alec Sparling to join archeologist Chloe Coogan on a fact finding exploration of...
... the 200 year old isolated village of Tir Mallacht and its folk legend of an unstoppable monster known as...
The Creeper...
A village representative met the duo as they made their way through hidden trails to the secluded settlement...
They were given until sundown to conduct their interviews with the villagers who refused to tell them anything about the entity until...
A little girl came forward and told them more than they needed to know and unleashed the hellish Creeper onto the unsuspecting pair...
He's coming, the girl told them...
Who's coming?...
The girl wasn't allowed to say his name, but three times you see him... first night from far, far away...
Next night you'll see him so close up that you'll clearly see each other...
Third night, his ugly face is pressed against your window, and that's when the Creeper kills you...
Now you've heard...
Do you believe?
This was an excellent folk horror story that would make a great choice to read on Halloween night. It starts off a little slow, but once you're past the 30% mark, it becomes a frightening page-turner.
Pull the drapes and don't look out your windows!
Then...
THE CREEPER
by A.M. Shine
5 stars. This is as fine a folk horror story as I've ever read...
Then...
Fiona Quinn, missing Irish student, got herself into something she shouldn't have...
Her parents were abroad, and no one knew right away that she was even missing...
She was an archeology student...
Now...
Ben French, a historian master, received a proposal from wealthy Dr. Alec Sparling to join archeologist Chloe Coogan on a fact finding exploration of...
... the 200 year old isolated village of Tir Mallacht and its folk legend of an unstoppable monster known as...
The Creeper...
A village representative met the duo as they made their way through hidden trails to the secluded settlement...
They were given until sundown to conduct their interviews with the villagers who refused to tell them anything about the entity until...
A little girl came forward and told them more than they needed to know and unleashed the hellish Creeper onto the unsuspecting pair...
He's coming, the girl told them...
Who's coming?...
The girl wasn't allowed to say his name, but three times you see him... first night from far, far away...
Next night you'll see him so close up that you'll clearly see each other...
Third night, his ugly face is pressed against your window, and that's when the Creeper kills you...
Now you've heard...
Do you believe?
This was an excellent folk horror story that would make a great choice to read on Halloween night. It starts off a little slow, but once you're past the 30% mark, it becomes a frightening page-turner.
Pull the drapes and don't look out your windows!
May 19, 2025
When I was little I lay awake, scared of the dark.
Spooky things were out to get me, and I knew who conjured them up. Witches! But witches weren’t real … my parents had told me so. Yet I could see them in my imagination. How could I conjure something like that out of nothing? If I could see them in my mind’s eye, then they must be real. I lay there petrified, quietly sobbing to myself, lest the witches hear me.
Eventually my mother gently opened the door. “Is it a nightmare?” she asked, and I tried to explain. Somehow it was difficult. “Are witches real?” No. But … and eventually I expressed what I thought she was bound to laugh at.
“Can I make them real just by thinking about it?”
“No”. It was said seriously but said too quickly. Full of worry we talked some more, and then my father came in. A questioning look from my mother. “Shall we ask him?” A pause. “Yes,” I said in a small, scared voice.
To his credit my father did not answer straight away. He thought for a long time and then said “I don’t think so, no.”
“But are you sure?”
“Yes, I don’t think you can make something become real just by thinking about it.”
I’m not sure I believed him, but I did get to sleep that night.
Even now it is a powerful feeling, that we can conjure up something terrifyingly evil, immense and unstoppable, just by believing it it. The relationship between superstition and horror is somehow built into all our psyches, popping out nastily when we least expect it.
It’s a great premise for a book, and the Irish author A.M. Shine bought into it with The Creeper.
I was intrigued by the Prologue:
“Fiona knew before hearing the operator’s voice that she was beyond saving. There was nowhere she could hide that it wouldn’t find her.”
Ah yes, I remembered, this is an Irish author, very probably inspired by folklore, history and mythology. The use of “it” stood out; folk horror then, although I knew that the author was known for writing “gothic horror”. His debut novel “The Watchers” in 2021 was critically acclaimed, and has been made into a film. Plus this one, written the next year, had been chosen as a monthly read in a group I’m a member of.
“It’s at the window. It’s smiling at me”
That was enough. I bought it on kindle … and from then on the wretched book went rapidly downhill, so that by the end I was heartily sick of it.
We learn straightaway that Fiona Quinn is with the entrance of a detective Eamon Barry, although this is inserted as a general teaser, and the main action in the novel swiftly swerves away.
It’s always a bad sign when we are so conscious of the actual writing. By chapter 4 I was distracted from what was happening by the amateurish writing, and getting fed up with all the similes. Everything seemed to be “like” something else; the author used the word “like” 534 times in this average-length book. Admittedly sometimes this might be use of the verb “to like”, but equally this does not count similes which use “as” or “than”. It really feels as if the author is practising a creative writing exercise. I expect better.
The novel also did not seem to have been very well proofread. There were quite a few typos, for example “too” instead of “two” in “her legs are too different lengths”… and at one point it did not make sense that one person said something when it was clearly said by another. I don’t expect every book I read to become an instant classic, but I do expect at least competent writing.
Yet I remained curious; a sucker for a story. Everything was in place now to tell a good yarn. We are introduced to Ben French, an historian with a knack for charming stories out of the elderly (and who inexplicably works with an outmoded cassette tape recorder! Surely anyone who has ever experienced mangled tapes and jammed heads would agree that there are more reliable methods, especially for recording essential interviews in out of the way places.) Ben has been unable to get a job commensurate with his qualifications since university. He feels as though he is letting everyone down: both his parents and his child (the result of a one-night stand). Then he receives a “project proposal” from an stranger.
Soon after we meet Chloe Coogan, a pert and pretty (of course!) archaeologist at the start of her career. Her field is the archaeology of indigenous communities in the nineteenth century. They have each been handpicked by a mysterious academic, Dr. Alec Sparling, who stresses that they are “perfect candidates” for his task, for which they will be paid handsomely. Greed (and lust, in the case of Ben) seem to succeed over any more cautious and more rational approach to check the credentials of their new employer, which is of course what the elusive Dr. Sparling is banking on. They agree to investigate the existence of a village which he tells them has been isolated from the rest of humanity for 200 years. How could this not be a great story?
One answer to that might be that the title is the creepiest thing about it. Or that it uses every tired trope in the book. Or that the two main characters are flat, gauche and unbelievable. Or … but I should give some examples.
The similes then. I think they first started to annoy me when I read:
“the lumps of stone rose through the weeds like distant dolphins.”
What? I think I can honestly say that I have never mistaken rocks in a desolate landscape for frolicking sea creatures. It did absolutely nothing to heighten the bleak atmosphere the author was trying to create, but just made me laugh! This author is supposed to be concerned with “all things literary and macabre” according to the blurb. I had seen little of either so far.
Not only was The Creeper hopelessly inept at creating atmosphere, but Ben and Chloe’s relationship echoed the worst kind of 1940-50s films. Whenever the action should have been at its most menacing, there was Ben lying alone in the tent they shared, getting distracted by Chloe’s legs and wondering whether to put his trousers on; or thinking to himself “raise your eyes, don’t stare at her breasts ... skimpy clothes” etc. Have we really got no further than this in the 21st century? The tale was always told from this adolescent boy’s point of view. One-dimensional stereotypes ... ah, but Chloe would not have fitted into a 1950s set-up because she swears like a trooper. Presumably this was a crass attempt to prove to us that she was empowered. Oh but wait, she’s small and pretty, so that Ben can show his gallant side by wanting to protect her. What decade are we in here? In fact what century? This is pure pulp. And with the underwear scene, pure farce too. A.M. Shine should perhaps have written a comedy.
When we got on to the villagers, it was just embarrassingly bad. I wanted to throw my kindle across the room.
By now I could see where the “gothic” tag came from. It came from the Victorians who believed that physical disabilities such as blindness or lack of hearing were the direct result of sins of the parents or grandparents. This led to such children being hidden away as sources of shame, and this would continue to adulthood. Anyone differently abled would have virtually no life at all, even if one kind person took pity on their situation and tried to shield them. Well let’s all breathe a sigh of relief then that 2 centuries later, this no longer applies in Western Europe.
But doesn’t it? The people in the village of Tír Mallacht have been isolated, not just for one lifetime but for hundreds of years. We are told the gene pool is restricted, and disease and injury are rife, so that:
“Every countenance carried some feature awry, or ever so slightly askew. Though not overly conspicuous in some cases, such peculiarities were ever present … contorted from labour or defect of birth … there was tiredness and there was sadness, and there was also distrust amidst the ugliness.”
The author stresses the “impoverishment ill health and oddity … filth and gormlessness.”
I probably don’t need to give more examples; the message is clear. Ugly = evil, and such people are to be feared as the source of horror. This is the worst sort of folk horror, peopled by characters and “human monsters” from the absolute golden turkey sci-fi films of the 50s. There is an abundance of “de-” words “deranged, deformed, disturbed, dysfunctional” and so on, appealing to the hive mentality that anyone different from the norm should be ostracised as they are bound to be deranged maniacs. Which they are. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy; a trope of the worst kind that any self-respecting author should be ashamed of perpetuating.
It isn’t even consistent. For instance, the author seems to be obsessed with the villagers’ dead eyes:
“Eyes as opaque marbles; lightless and veiled with shadow” …
“cloudy eyes” … “dead eyes” … “glassy eyes” …“eyes were lifeless prosthetics.”
Any originality in the descriptions (and there is little enough of it) just misfires completely, such as “making her freckles glow like embers” (that I would like to see!) or “The press of his boots on the earth was like an insect crawling on skin.” Or how about the laughable “[The] heavy hand of uncertainty was brushed away before it could hold him back.”
But to resume the eye obsession, there seems to be no consistency. We are told of their “herd mentality … they all behaved the same and looked equally as feeble”, yet:
“Some of them wore hoods, with their beady eyes peering out from the shadows like jewels in muddy water.”
And then:
“her eyes were striking, glossy copper laced with reams of golden thread that snared the sunlight.”
Yes, this “poetic” description is of another of the villagers with their cloudy, dead eyes. Or was it beady eyes? By now it is merely confused.
And it gets worse. What about the “Creeper”? Do they exist? It would be a let-down if not. Yet as the novel staggers on to the ending, the inconsistencies are highlighted.
“Three times you see him
The first night he’s far far away
The next night he’s closer
So close that you can see him and he can see you
On the third night his big ugly face is at your window
The fourth night is your last, because then uh-oh.”
The “uh-oh” completely destroys the words’ power. A shame, as the idea of three is a recurring magical concept, but hitting a wrong note is par for the course with this book.
Even now, there might be a hope of rescuing this sorry tale.
“The superstition would die and so would its monsters.”
A nice idea, but this story does not work.
There are many more problems with this book, but I have written enough. I do not like to give a newish author such a low rating, but the book has so many faults that I cannot in honesty say “it was OK” (i.e. Goodreads’ two star rating). As mentioned, A.M. Shine’s first novel “The Watchers” was well received and has been filmed. As I read this one, I thought at times that it read like a screenplay, so perhaps this one will be too. Nevertheless I feel it is misconceived and badly written, with too many plot holes. It is irritating.
Three words to sum up the story?
This could have been a great story. What a lost opportunity.
Spooky things were out to get me, and I knew who conjured them up. Witches! But witches weren’t real … my parents had told me so. Yet I could see them in my imagination. How could I conjure something like that out of nothing? If I could see them in my mind’s eye, then they must be real. I lay there petrified, quietly sobbing to myself, lest the witches hear me.
Eventually my mother gently opened the door. “Is it a nightmare?” she asked, and I tried to explain. Somehow it was difficult. “Are witches real?” No. But … and eventually I expressed what I thought she was bound to laugh at.
“Can I make them real just by thinking about it?”
“No”. It was said seriously but said too quickly. Full of worry we talked some more, and then my father came in. A questioning look from my mother. “Shall we ask him?” A pause. “Yes,” I said in a small, scared voice.
To his credit my father did not answer straight away. He thought for a long time and then said “I don’t think so, no.”
“But are you sure?”
“Yes, I don’t think you can make something become real just by thinking about it.”
I’m not sure I believed him, but I did get to sleep that night.
Even now it is a powerful feeling, that we can conjure up something terrifyingly evil, immense and unstoppable, just by believing it it. The relationship between superstition and horror is somehow built into all our psyches, popping out nastily when we least expect it.
It’s a great premise for a book, and the Irish author A.M. Shine bought into it with The Creeper.
I was intrigued by the Prologue:
“Fiona knew before hearing the operator’s voice that she was beyond saving. There was nowhere she could hide that it wouldn’t find her.”
Ah yes, I remembered, this is an Irish author, very probably inspired by folklore, history and mythology. The use of “it” stood out; folk horror then, although I knew that the author was known for writing “gothic horror”. His debut novel “The Watchers” in 2021 was critically acclaimed, and has been made into a film. Plus this one, written the next year, had been chosen as a monthly read in a group I’m a member of.
“It’s at the window. It’s smiling at me”
That was enough. I bought it on kindle … and from then on the wretched book went rapidly downhill, so that by the end I was heartily sick of it.
We learn straightaway that Fiona Quinn is with the entrance of a detective Eamon Barry, although this is inserted as a general teaser, and the main action in the novel swiftly swerves away.
It’s always a bad sign when we are so conscious of the actual writing. By chapter 4 I was distracted from what was happening by the amateurish writing, and getting fed up with all the similes. Everything seemed to be “like” something else; the author used the word “like” 534 times in this average-length book. Admittedly sometimes this might be use of the verb “to like”, but equally this does not count similes which use “as” or “than”. It really feels as if the author is practising a creative writing exercise. I expect better.
The novel also did not seem to have been very well proofread. There were quite a few typos, for example “too” instead of “two” in “her legs are too different lengths”… and at one point it did not make sense that one person said something when it was clearly said by another. I don’t expect every book I read to become an instant classic, but I do expect at least competent writing.
Yet I remained curious; a sucker for a story. Everything was in place now to tell a good yarn. We are introduced to Ben French, an historian with a knack for charming stories out of the elderly (and who inexplicably works with an outmoded cassette tape recorder! Surely anyone who has ever experienced mangled tapes and jammed heads would agree that there are more reliable methods, especially for recording essential interviews in out of the way places.) Ben has been unable to get a job commensurate with his qualifications since university. He feels as though he is letting everyone down: both his parents and his child (the result of a one-night stand). Then he receives a “project proposal” from an stranger.
Soon after we meet Chloe Coogan, a pert and pretty (of course!) archaeologist at the start of her career. Her field is the archaeology of indigenous communities in the nineteenth century. They have each been handpicked by a mysterious academic, Dr. Alec Sparling, who stresses that they are “perfect candidates” for his task, for which they will be paid handsomely. Greed (and lust, in the case of Ben) seem to succeed over any more cautious and more rational approach to check the credentials of their new employer, which is of course what the elusive Dr. Sparling is banking on. They agree to investigate the existence of a village which he tells them has been isolated from the rest of humanity for 200 years. How could this not be a great story?
One answer to that might be that the title is the creepiest thing about it. Or that it uses every tired trope in the book. Or that the two main characters are flat, gauche and unbelievable. Or … but I should give some examples.
The similes then. I think they first started to annoy me when I read:
“the lumps of stone rose through the weeds like distant dolphins.”
What? I think I can honestly say that I have never mistaken rocks in a desolate landscape for frolicking sea creatures. It did absolutely nothing to heighten the bleak atmosphere the author was trying to create, but just made me laugh! This author is supposed to be concerned with “all things literary and macabre” according to the blurb. I had seen little of either so far.
Not only was The Creeper hopelessly inept at creating atmosphere, but Ben and Chloe’s relationship echoed the worst kind of 1940-50s films. Whenever the action should have been at its most menacing, there was Ben lying alone in the tent they shared, getting distracted by Chloe’s legs and wondering whether to put his trousers on; or thinking to himself “raise your eyes, don’t stare at her breasts ... skimpy clothes” etc. Have we really got no further than this in the 21st century? The tale was always told from this adolescent boy’s point of view. One-dimensional stereotypes ... ah, but Chloe would not have fitted into a 1950s set-up because she swears like a trooper. Presumably this was a crass attempt to prove to us that she was empowered. Oh but wait, she’s small and pretty, so that Ben can show his gallant side by wanting to protect her. What decade are we in here? In fact what century? This is pure pulp. And with the underwear scene, pure farce too. A.M. Shine should perhaps have written a comedy.
When we got on to the villagers, it was just embarrassingly bad. I wanted to throw my kindle across the room.
By now I could see where the “gothic” tag came from. It came from the Victorians who believed that physical disabilities such as blindness or lack of hearing were the direct result of sins of the parents or grandparents. This led to such children being hidden away as sources of shame, and this would continue to adulthood. Anyone differently abled would have virtually no life at all, even if one kind person took pity on their situation and tried to shield them. Well let’s all breathe a sigh of relief then that 2 centuries later, this no longer applies in Western Europe.
But doesn’t it? The people in the village of Tír Mallacht have been isolated, not just for one lifetime but for hundreds of years. We are told the gene pool is restricted, and disease and injury are rife, so that:
“Every countenance carried some feature awry, or ever so slightly askew. Though not overly conspicuous in some cases, such peculiarities were ever present … contorted from labour or defect of birth … there was tiredness and there was sadness, and there was also distrust amidst the ugliness.”
The author stresses the “impoverishment ill health and oddity … filth and gormlessness.”
I probably don’t need to give more examples; the message is clear. Ugly = evil, and such people are to be feared as the source of horror. This is the worst sort of folk horror, peopled by characters and “human monsters” from the absolute golden turkey sci-fi films of the 50s. There is an abundance of “de-” words “deranged, deformed, disturbed, dysfunctional” and so on, appealing to the hive mentality that anyone different from the norm should be ostracised as they are bound to be deranged maniacs. Which they are. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy; a trope of the worst kind that any self-respecting author should be ashamed of perpetuating.
It isn’t even consistent. For instance, the author seems to be obsessed with the villagers’ dead eyes:
“Eyes as opaque marbles; lightless and veiled with shadow” …
“cloudy eyes” … “dead eyes” … “glassy eyes” …“eyes were lifeless prosthetics.”
Any originality in the descriptions (and there is little enough of it) just misfires completely, such as “making her freckles glow like embers” (that I would like to see!) or “The press of his boots on the earth was like an insect crawling on skin.” Or how about the laughable “[The] heavy hand of uncertainty was brushed away before it could hold him back.”
But to resume the eye obsession, there seems to be no consistency. We are told of their “herd mentality … they all behaved the same and looked equally as feeble”, yet:
“Some of them wore hoods, with their beady eyes peering out from the shadows like jewels in muddy water.”
And then:
“her eyes were striking, glossy copper laced with reams of golden thread that snared the sunlight.”
Yes, this “poetic” description is of another of the villagers with their cloudy, dead eyes. Or was it beady eyes? By now it is merely confused.
And it gets worse. What about the “Creeper”? Do they exist? It would be a let-down if not. Yet as the novel staggers on to the ending, the inconsistencies are highlighted.
“Three times you see him
The first night he’s far far away
The next night he’s closer
So close that you can see him and he can see you
On the third night his big ugly face is at your window
The fourth night is your last, because then uh-oh.”
The “uh-oh” completely destroys the words’ power. A shame, as the idea of three is a recurring magical concept, but hitting a wrong note is par for the course with this book.
Even now, there might be a hope of rescuing this sorry tale.
“The superstition would die and so would its monsters.”
A nice idea, but this story does not work.
There are many more problems with this book, but I have written enough. I do not like to give a newish author such a low rating, but the book has so many faults that I cannot in honesty say “it was OK” (i.e. Goodreads’ two star rating). As mentioned, A.M. Shine’s first novel “The Watchers” was well received and has been filmed. As I read this one, I thought at times that it read like a screenplay, so perhaps this one will be too. Nevertheless I feel it is misconceived and badly written, with too many plot holes. It is irritating.
Three words to sum up the story?
This could have been a great story. What a lost opportunity.
October 5, 2023
I finished this ages ago, but I had to let the steam stop coming out of my ears before I wrote my review. The beginning of this story sucked me right in!! I was with the characters every step of the way, basically becoming easily startled and loving every minute of it. The world building was good and the story and characters were oh so interesting.
But then I go to the end. And I was so seriously let down that I was actually super mad. You can’t go from being an amazing book to bashing me over the head with ridiculousness!!! You just can’t. But that’s totally what this book did. The end made the whole rest of the book unenjoyable. I can’t believe the ending and I am still mad about it weeks later.
Of course I do not recommend this one at all. Don’t waste your time. What a let down. Go read something written by Josh Malerman or someone else who can handle strange and interesting horror. Sorry for being harsh, but I’m totally still ticked off here!!!
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this for my honest and unbiased opinion.
But then I go to the end. And I was so seriously let down that I was actually super mad. You can’t go from being an amazing book to bashing me over the head with ridiculousness!!! You just can’t. But that’s totally what this book did. The end made the whole rest of the book unenjoyable. I can’t believe the ending and I am still mad about it weeks later.
Of course I do not recommend this one at all. Don’t waste your time. What a let down. Go read something written by Josh Malerman or someone else who can handle strange and interesting horror. Sorry for being harsh, but I’m totally still ticked off here!!!
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this for my honest and unbiased opinion.
January 19, 2024
Unfortunately, this wasn't really mine, a little too formulaic, no characters I care about, dragged a lot. I stand by my previous statement that this is the story of two people running around in a town where people keep on telling them to go away. That's basically it. I hear the author's other book is much better so I just might try that one some day, but I'm not sure.
This is the Shine and Shadow February dark read.
This is the Shine and Shadow February dark read.
November 6, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up!
This story was a good example of how gothic horror should be portrayed. A perfect balance of the macabre, being both descriptive and melodramatic. Unfortunately, I could not take to the two main characters in the story, Ben and Chloe, their personalities being a mixture of entitlement and ignorance. In addition, I couldn't understand how the 'cursed' village of Tir Mallacht, with its inbred and deranged populace could have stayed below the radar for the last 200 years. After all the Irish Republic is not a large country. That said, this was a solid tale of greed, corruption and absolute horror.
This story was a good example of how gothic horror should be portrayed. A perfect balance of the macabre, being both descriptive and melodramatic. Unfortunately, I could not take to the two main characters in the story, Ben and Chloe, their personalities being a mixture of entitlement and ignorance. In addition, I couldn't understand how the 'cursed' village of Tir Mallacht, with its inbred and deranged populace could have stayed below the radar for the last 200 years. After all the Irish Republic is not a large country. That said, this was a solid tale of greed, corruption and absolute horror.
July 1, 2025
There was nowhere she could hide that it wouldn’t find her. It was as though the stars themselves were its all-seeing eyes and the pale moon a searchlight. By day she had fled as far as she could. But no distance would ever be enough. It would always follow her, and the dread of this realisation eclipsed all else – the life she had known, her dreams for the future, and the belief that such horrors didn’t exist.
They were just meant to be stories.
Slow burn claustrophobic chills!
Mr. Ben French is out of his luck and just scraping by when a mysterious professor offers him a chance to interview the inhabitants of a remote, secluded and insular village, Tír Mallacht, and collect their stories, myth and folklore. He gets teamed up with an archeologist named Ms. Cooger and their horrific adventure begins.
There's something eerie and listless about Shine's writing that keeps my heart rate up and my blood pumping whenever I read it; it's singularly exciting... I love it and can't wait for more books from this guy. I really liked his debut offering and I like this one too. 'Three times you see him. The first night he’s far, far away.’
‘Emergency services. What is your location and the service you need?’
‘There’s something outside,’ came the reply – whispered, terrified.
‘Miss, please try to stay calm and tell me your location.’
‘It’s at the window. It’s smiling at me.’
Highly recommended for all horror lovers.
They were just meant to be stories.
Slow burn claustrophobic chills!
Mr. Ben French is out of his luck and just scraping by when a mysterious professor offers him a chance to interview the inhabitants of a remote, secluded and insular village, Tír Mallacht, and collect their stories, myth and folklore. He gets teamed up with an archeologist named Ms. Cooger and their horrific adventure begins.
There's something eerie and listless about Shine's writing that keeps my heart rate up and my blood pumping whenever I read it; it's singularly exciting... I love it and can't wait for more books from this guy. I really liked his debut offering and I like this one too. 'Three times you see him. The first night he’s far, far away.’
‘Emergency services. What is your location and the service you need?’
‘There’s something outside,’ came the reply – whispered, terrified.
‘Miss, please try to stay calm and tell me your location.’
‘It’s at the window. It’s smiling at me.’
Highly recommended for all horror lovers.
July 27, 2024
I am quickly becoming a huge Shine fan! This was my second read of his in two months after finally getting to the Watcher's. After my review of that one my good friend Khalid suggested buddy reading his whole anthology and that's what we intend on doing. This was a buddy read with him.
So Shine is an Irish historian and delves into the myths surrounding Ireland and he is lucky that there are so many. Also lucky is the fact that they are so diverse and unique that they do make for compelling reading especially when twisted by Shine. I am sure that there are lots more to come but his third book which is not officially out is the sequel to his debut The Watchers.
So I am just a huge fan of prequels and this one opens up with a girl named Fiona falling victim to the Creeper. Apparently publishers are not fans of prequels and if I am honest before learning how to really read I always just skipped to Chapter one ignoring prequels. Truly quite a dummy :) lol.
In the first chapter we meet Doctor Alec Starling who is carefully obtaining a police file from Detective Barry. It is a seedy deal and it is the Fiona working police file.
Now we both had issues with Chapter two which is quite lengthy and introduces us to our heroes Ben who has his masters in history and Chloe who has her PHD in Archaeology. The chapter is odd but it is the only odd chapter in the book which is odd. It jumps timelines and not in a straightforward way. It shows how Starling hired and interviewed the two and the two are now on their way to a remote village. The chapter so reminded me of Catriona Ward's writing as I felt in the dark in so many ways but that did not bother me as I love Ward and I got through this chapter and Shine steered away from this style. Ben and Chloe are instructed to go to a remote village that has been left in time to the tune of about 200 years. Starling also wants them to inquire about the Creeper........
Ben and Chloe make it to the village and those in the village want no part of them. They do come across a strange man they nickname the wasp and his odd daughter. They are allowed to do some interviews but can only stay overnight. Their interviews reveal very little as the people simply do not want to talk. On their way out that night our freaky little girl tells them.....
"Three times you see him. The first night he's far far away. And then
the next night he's closer. So close that you can see him, and he can
see you. And then on the third night his big ugly face is at your
window. The fourth night is your last one, because then uh-oh."
Ben and Chloe laugh it off but when they set up camp at night they come upon someone who is watching them from far far away. Let the games begin....... The next morning they find some aviator glasses in the dirt. Aviator glasses do not fit this backward village at all. Who do they belong too? They end up leaving for home and in the car while Chloe is sleeping Ben plays back his recordings of the interview and hears something very very disturbing on the tape and does not know where it came from. Just an awful sound from something or someone in pain. Where did this come from? They also discuss the fact that they did not see the Creeper and Ben believes the villagers were just messing with them.
Ben and Chloe do start to question what is really going on. Starling told Ben that Ben was referred to him by a professor Joe Cunningham so Ben decides to speak with this professor who assures him that no such referral took place but he has heard of Starling as one of his students Carol Fortune was approached by him for a mission several years earlier but he has never heard from her again. Hmmm.......
Shine shows us that Starling lives in fear of something. He has seen the Creeper twice already. Once when he was sevenish and once about a decade later after his car broke down and he could not make it home to the safety of his family home which is now his and is fitted with shutters and all kinds of security for keeping something out. Starling can not afford to see the Creeper another time because three strikes leads to your demise the next night. We learn that he hires students to go to the village in hope of learning from the people there that the nightmare of the Creeper is finally over.
So Ben and Chloe arrive home to Chloe's place and what do you think happens that night? Yup, the second sighting - but how can that be? They are tons of miles away from where they were. It doesn't make sense.......
Based on Cunnigham's info Ben and Chloe confront Starling wanting to know the truth about what is going on. At his home Starling tells them the truth but Ben refuses to believe him and when Starling invites them to spend the night and eyes the lovely Chloe Ben believes he has found out what this is really all about which is that Starling wants Chloe. So the two end up leaving.
I don't know if perhaps I have said too much already but this book is so worth reading with so many twists and turns along the way. The ending is unbelievable. Truly you just do not see endings done this way and I was just shocked. Completely and utterly shocked. There are in fact kind of two endings to this one and one is kind of straight forward and oh so justified. The other one I don't think anyone would see coming.
Again just a fantastic book from one up and coming author. An easy five stars and I cannot wait for the sequel to the Watchers which I know is available on Arc and the like already. Just salivating to get to that one!!
So Shine is an Irish historian and delves into the myths surrounding Ireland and he is lucky that there are so many. Also lucky is the fact that they are so diverse and unique that they do make for compelling reading especially when twisted by Shine. I am sure that there are lots more to come but his third book which is not officially out is the sequel to his debut The Watchers.
So I am just a huge fan of prequels and this one opens up with a girl named Fiona falling victim to the Creeper. Apparently publishers are not fans of prequels and if I am honest before learning how to really read I always just skipped to Chapter one ignoring prequels. Truly quite a dummy :) lol.
In the first chapter we meet Doctor Alec Starling who is carefully obtaining a police file from Detective Barry. It is a seedy deal and it is the Fiona working police file.
Now we both had issues with Chapter two which is quite lengthy and introduces us to our heroes Ben who has his masters in history and Chloe who has her PHD in Archaeology. The chapter is odd but it is the only odd chapter in the book which is odd. It jumps timelines and not in a straightforward way. It shows how Starling hired and interviewed the two and the two are now on their way to a remote village. The chapter so reminded me of Catriona Ward's writing as I felt in the dark in so many ways but that did not bother me as I love Ward and I got through this chapter and Shine steered away from this style. Ben and Chloe are instructed to go to a remote village that has been left in time to the tune of about 200 years. Starling also wants them to inquire about the Creeper........
Ben and Chloe make it to the village and those in the village want no part of them. They do come across a strange man they nickname the wasp and his odd daughter. They are allowed to do some interviews but can only stay overnight. Their interviews reveal very little as the people simply do not want to talk. On their way out that night our freaky little girl tells them.....
"Three times you see him. The first night he's far far away. And then
the next night he's closer. So close that you can see him, and he can
see you. And then on the third night his big ugly face is at your
window. The fourth night is your last one, because then uh-oh."
Ben and Chloe laugh it off but when they set up camp at night they come upon someone who is watching them from far far away. Let the games begin....... The next morning they find some aviator glasses in the dirt. Aviator glasses do not fit this backward village at all. Who do they belong too? They end up leaving for home and in the car while Chloe is sleeping Ben plays back his recordings of the interview and hears something very very disturbing on the tape and does not know where it came from. Just an awful sound from something or someone in pain. Where did this come from? They also discuss the fact that they did not see the Creeper and Ben believes the villagers were just messing with them.
Ben and Chloe do start to question what is really going on. Starling told Ben that Ben was referred to him by a professor Joe Cunningham so Ben decides to speak with this professor who assures him that no such referral took place but he has heard of Starling as one of his students Carol Fortune was approached by him for a mission several years earlier but he has never heard from her again. Hmmm.......
Shine shows us that Starling lives in fear of something. He has seen the Creeper twice already. Once when he was sevenish and once about a decade later after his car broke down and he could not make it home to the safety of his family home which is now his and is fitted with shutters and all kinds of security for keeping something out. Starling can not afford to see the Creeper another time because three strikes leads to your demise the next night. We learn that he hires students to go to the village in hope of learning from the people there that the nightmare of the Creeper is finally over.
So Ben and Chloe arrive home to Chloe's place and what do you think happens that night? Yup, the second sighting - but how can that be? They are tons of miles away from where they were. It doesn't make sense.......
Based on Cunnigham's info Ben and Chloe confront Starling wanting to know the truth about what is going on. At his home Starling tells them the truth but Ben refuses to believe him and when Starling invites them to spend the night and eyes the lovely Chloe Ben believes he has found out what this is really all about which is that Starling wants Chloe. So the two end up leaving.
I don't know if perhaps I have said too much already but this book is so worth reading with so many twists and turns along the way. The ending is unbelievable. Truly you just do not see endings done this way and I was just shocked. Completely and utterly shocked. There are in fact kind of two endings to this one and one is kind of straight forward and oh so justified. The other one I don't think anyone would see coming.
Again just a fantastic book from one up and coming author. An easy five stars and I cannot wait for the sequel to the Watchers which I know is available on Arc and the like already. Just salivating to get to that one!!
September 11, 2022
3.5***
Even though it is not yet spooky season to some people - for me it is starting now! And what a great way to start with a horror book!
I loved the eeriness of this book. This also had a hostile town/village with quite the creepy characters, with their own myths/traditions. This book reminded me of elements in the wicker man and the village.
Also, add in a malevolent being, and you have a few things to make a great story.
I really enjoyed the atmospheric settings of the woods and the descriptions of the isolation of this small village, making these scenes rather creepy.
While I didn’t find “the creeper” itself to be chilling, I was keen to uncover some answers to see what the this entity was, so I did speed through this book.
However, this is rated lower as the book did not explain some things that I was curious about.
Also, I just wish the ending of events turned out slightly different - as it felt a bit like a cop out.
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!
Even though it is not yet spooky season to some people - for me it is starting now! And what a great way to start with a horror book!
I loved the eeriness of this book. This also had a hostile town/village with quite the creepy characters, with their own myths/traditions. This book reminded me of elements in the wicker man and the village.
Also, add in a malevolent being, and you have a few things to make a great story.
I really enjoyed the atmospheric settings of the woods and the descriptions of the isolation of this small village, making these scenes rather creepy.
While I didn’t find “the creeper” itself to be chilling, I was keen to uncover some answers to see what the this entity was, so I did speed through this book.
However, this is rated lower as the book did not explain some things that I was curious about.
Also, I just wish the ending of events turned out slightly different - as it felt a bit like a cop out.
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!
March 19, 2023
Another solid read from this author. Horrific and twisted. I loved The Watchers so thought I'd give this one a try and was not disappointed. It's hard to say much without spoilers. The characters were likable and unlikable all the same. The outcome while not surprising was enough to raise bile. If you like a twisted tale of inbreeding and lore this is the book for you!
August 23, 2023
Oh man... I was so invested in this one! It really hooked me from the get go. I cared about the two protagonists, the creepiness was there, the mystery. I truly didn't know what was going to happen.
Little did I know...
Despite the spoiler tag, I should mention again that below ruins the entire book so don't read if you plan on reading this:
The Creeper is essentially a Scooby-Doo episode... I had wondered at one point if it might be, but decided it couldn't be. It would be too stupid if it were. Well, it turns out there isn't any supernatural in this book. Which is the first disappointment (I really don't care for everything being debunked at the end). The second and main disappointment is that this story would have made more sense if it really was some creepy supernatural thing. Let me explain:
The Creeper is supposed to be a localized legend. If you hear about it, you're cursed, and after seeing the creeper 3 times, the 4th he comes to kill you. We hear from the books other villain who has been hiding after seeing the creeper twice and who has been sending investigators to their death by sending them to the creepers village in search of a way out of the curse and to see if the curse is "still real." The village is inhabited by a bunch of inbred zeroes. Think no electricity, running water, etc.
But THEY are behind creating the creeper who is nothing more than a severely tortured and disabled guy from the village that they have to recreate whenever the old creeper gets too old. I guess. So, before all this is revealed we're told how the creeper is ALWAYS ready to be seen by his victims. You see him at night only. This means, that for anyone that is cursed, these inbred hillbillies drive this barely alive doofus creeper around, propping him up in front of windows of his victims in the hope that they actually open their blinds in see him! At one point its mentioned that one of the victims called the police about the creeper while it was coming for her, so these hillbillies must have tapped the phone she was using so they could hunt down the dispatcher. WTF? It was hinted that someone tried to escape to another country. What were the hillbillies plans? Would they hop a flight to Thailand and keep the creeper in their luggage? The main villain had been hiding in his elaborate mansion that has automatic blinds for all windows for decades and are we to assume that every day, these poor hillbillies had to drag their current creeper from their village and hang out outside this guys house on the off chance he happened to open a blind?
I could go on... I suppose my rant just proves how much I was loving this book until the end. So, maybe the 2 stars in rough, but man talk about a let down.
Little did I know...
Despite the spoiler tag, I should mention again that below ruins the entire book so don't read if you plan on reading this:
The Creeper is essentially a Scooby-Doo episode... I had wondered at one point if it might be, but decided it couldn't be. It would be too stupid if it were. Well, it turns out there isn't any supernatural in this book. Which is the first disappointment (I really don't care for everything being debunked at the end). The second and main disappointment is that this story would have made more sense if it really was some creepy supernatural thing. Let me explain:
The Creeper is supposed to be a localized legend. If you hear about it, you're cursed, and after seeing the creeper 3 times, the 4th he comes to kill you. We hear from the books other villain who has been hiding after seeing the creeper twice and who has been sending investigators to their death by sending them to the creepers village in search of a way out of the curse and to see if the curse is "still real." The village is inhabited by a bunch of inbred zeroes. Think no electricity, running water, etc.
But THEY are behind creating the creeper who is nothing more than a severely tortured and disabled guy from the village that they have to recreate whenever the old creeper gets too old. I guess. So, before all this is revealed we're told how the creeper is ALWAYS ready to be seen by his victims. You see him at night only. This means, that for anyone that is cursed, these inbred hillbillies drive this barely alive doofus creeper around, propping him up in front of windows of his victims in the hope that they actually open their blinds in see him! At one point its mentioned that one of the victims called the police about the creeper while it was coming for her, so these hillbillies must have tapped the phone she was using so they could hunt down the dispatcher. WTF? It was hinted that someone tried to escape to another country. What were the hillbillies plans? Would they hop a flight to Thailand and keep the creeper in their luggage? The main villain had been hiding in his elaborate mansion that has automatic blinds for all windows for decades and are we to assume that every day, these poor hillbillies had to drag their current creeper from their village and hang out outside this guys house on the off chance he happened to open a blind?
I could go on... I suppose my rant just proves how much I was loving this book until the end. So, maybe the 2 stars in rough, but man talk about a let down.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 18, 2024
Not the Watchers.
A.M. Shine is a go getter of horror stories and he knows what he is doing. He loves to write frightening stories about creatures that are horrible looking and terrifying to see.
He is indubitably the prince of riveting scary stories. And he doesn’t waste time. He gets immediately fired up and pounces on the turmoil that others have struggled with.
Benjamin French and Chloe Coogan have both been requested to travel to a far away place in Ireland. To a little hamlet called Tir Mallacht.
Dr. Sparling is the person that they are working for. He’s paying them to find the people who live there and ask them about their superstitions.
Sparling is looking for something specific, but Ben and Chloe doesn’t know this.
Although he is good with people, Ben cannot get the Tir Mallacht to open up to him. They won’t discuss their superstitions, nor discuss anything else with him.
The people are rude and run Chloe and Ben out of their town. They don’t have much to report to Dr. Sparling, so Ben must puff his report. Chloe has pictures so she has something to show.
Is the creeper the star of this show? You better bet it! Will the creeper make an appearance in Tir Mallacht? Did somebody say he wouldn’t? Am I being morbid? I guess I can say yeah! A very good book by A.M. Shine. Goodbye from Ben and Chloe.
Five stars. ✨✨✨✨✨
A.M. Shine is a go getter of horror stories and he knows what he is doing. He loves to write frightening stories about creatures that are horrible looking and terrifying to see.
He is indubitably the prince of riveting scary stories. And he doesn’t waste time. He gets immediately fired up and pounces on the turmoil that others have struggled with.
Benjamin French and Chloe Coogan have both been requested to travel to a far away place in Ireland. To a little hamlet called Tir Mallacht.
Dr. Sparling is the person that they are working for. He’s paying them to find the people who live there and ask them about their superstitions.
Sparling is looking for something specific, but Ben and Chloe doesn’t know this.
Although he is good with people, Ben cannot get the Tir Mallacht to open up to him. They won’t discuss their superstitions, nor discuss anything else with him.
The people are rude and run Chloe and Ben out of their town. They don’t have much to report to Dr. Sparling, so Ben must puff his report. Chloe has pictures so she has something to show.
Is the creeper the star of this show? You better bet it! Will the creeper make an appearance in Tir Mallacht? Did somebody say he wouldn’t? Am I being morbid? I guess I can say yeah! A very good book by A.M. Shine. Goodbye from Ben and Chloe.
Five stars. ✨✨✨✨✨
November 23, 2022
3,5*
Okey this one was hard to review 🥵 The writing is good and this book has it's creepy moments aka little creepy girl in village freaked me out 😳
But the book is also very slow at times and at the end of it I felt like I would have loved more creepy moments and maybe a faster pace if that makes sense.
Having said that Idefinitely think this one is worth giving a go.
If you have read it I would love to hear your thoughts about it 🙂 I found it very hard to put into words what I was feeling after I read this one.
Okey this one was hard to review 🥵 The writing is good and this book has it's creepy moments aka little creepy girl in village freaked me out 😳
But the book is also very slow at times and at the end of it I felt like I would have loved more creepy moments and maybe a faster pace if that makes sense.
Having said that Idefinitely think this one is worth giving a go.
If you have read it I would love to hear your thoughts about it 🙂 I found it very hard to put into words what I was feeling after I read this one.
September 8, 2022
2.5 rounded up to 3/4.
“They were just meant to be stories”
Renowned academic Dr Sparling seeks help with his project on a remote Irish village. Historical researchers Ben and Chloe are thrilled to be chosen – until they arrive.
The village is isolated and forgotten. There is no record of its history, its stories. There is no friendliness from the locals, only wary looks and whispers. The villagers lock down their homes at sundown.
It seems a nameless fear stalks the streets, but nobody will talk – nobody except one little girl. Her words strike dread into the hearts of the newcomers. Three times you see him. Each night he comes closer...
That night, Ben and Chloe see a sinister figure watching them. He is the Creeper. He is the nameless fear in the night. Stories keep him alive. And nothing will keep him away...
I really wanted this story to be better than it turned out to be. I was all over the creepy, forgotten village vibes and the urban legend feel of the ‘creeper’ but for me the story just didn’t evolve into the fright fest I wanted it to be.
More time was spent clunking about ravaged highlands and countryside to find out about the ‘creeper’ than the actual stalking of its victims which for me was a tad boring. I wanted more scares, and I wanted to really find out what or who the creeper was - which was never fully explained.
Slightly disappointed.
“They were just meant to be stories”
Renowned academic Dr Sparling seeks help with his project on a remote Irish village. Historical researchers Ben and Chloe are thrilled to be chosen – until they arrive.
The village is isolated and forgotten. There is no record of its history, its stories. There is no friendliness from the locals, only wary looks and whispers. The villagers lock down their homes at sundown.
It seems a nameless fear stalks the streets, but nobody will talk – nobody except one little girl. Her words strike dread into the hearts of the newcomers. Three times you see him. Each night he comes closer...
That night, Ben and Chloe see a sinister figure watching them. He is the Creeper. He is the nameless fear in the night. Stories keep him alive. And nothing will keep him away...
I really wanted this story to be better than it turned out to be. I was all over the creepy, forgotten village vibes and the urban legend feel of the ‘creeper’ but for me the story just didn’t evolve into the fright fest I wanted it to be.
More time was spent clunking about ravaged highlands and countryside to find out about the ‘creeper’ than the actual stalking of its victims which for me was a tad boring. I wanted more scares, and I wanted to really find out what or who the creeper was - which was never fully explained.
Slightly disappointed.
December 27, 2022
There were so many deliciously eerie moments and I loved the themes!
June 25, 2025
˙₊➴ ꒰ 3-stars★ ꒱ ꒷⊹࣪˖
Hidden deep in the Irish countryside lies Tír Mallacht, a 200-year-old village that has remained untouched by time and long forgotten by the outside world. Its eerie stillness and isolation have drawn the attention of Dr. Sparling, a man haunted by unanswered questions. With little explanation, he contacts historian Ben and archaeology student Chloe, sending them to uncover the village’s secrets, its shadowed past, its guarded people, and the stories no one dares to tell.
⊹ ࣪ ˖ੈ Characters
⟡ Dr. Alec Sparling - a man of routine and structure, has long been fascinated by the mysteries hidden in other people’s stories, especially the unexplained disappearance of Fiona. Driven by curiosity, he reaches out to Ben and Chloe, urging them to investigate a secluded village known as Tír Mallacht.
⟡ Benjamin “Ben” French - once a promising historian known for his way with interviews and top marks research, he now works a retail job, convinced his degree is worthless. But everything changes when he receives an unexpected email from Dr. Sparling, inviting him to assist in a study of the remote, mysterious village and a chance to return to his roots and reclaim his purpose.
⟡ Chloe Coogan - is a free-spirited archaeology student pursuing her master’s, known for her curiosity and instinct to dig deeper. She’s brought on as Ben’s partner for Dr. Sparling’s investigation into Tír Mallacht, tasked with uncovering the village’s history, its current state, and the truths hidden beneath its quiet surface.
⊹ ࣪ ˖ੈ Thoughts
This was a good chilling and atmospheric short Gothic horror read, steeped with raw, grim, and macabre vibes. And A.M. Shine’s writing masterfully amplified the eerie presence of Tír Mallacht, which immersed me in a setting so haunting it sent shivers down my spine.
At first, I expected something akin to a Slenderman creepypasta or The Ring curse, but the Creeper turned out to be far more layered. While it didn’t frighten me immediately, the slow, unsettling build and the dark mythology surrounding the Creeper grew increasingly disturbing. The village’s traditions and the chilling legend at its core made for a truly haunting experience. Which eventually made the atmosphere so unnerving that I had to stop reading it at night.
Though I didn’t fully connect with the characters and the pacing occasionally lagged, the chilling mystery of Tír Mallacht and the eerie legend of the Creeper kept me turning pages. Even after the final page, the story lingers, wrapping you in questions about the village, its people, and the dark truths buried beneath its silence.
˚₊ ⟢┊pre-read 🖇️┊⊹࣪⋆
I feel like I’ve been reading too many fantasy books and have a few more scheduled for the following week, so I'm going to use this book as a palate cleanser. Please spook and haunt the entire being in me so that I reset from my fantasy streak.
❝ Three times you see him, he first night he’s far, far away. And then the next night he’s closer. So close that you can see him, and he can see you. And then, on the third night his big ugly face is at your window. The fourth night is your last one. ❞
Hidden deep in the Irish countryside lies Tír Mallacht, a 200-year-old village that has remained untouched by time and long forgotten by the outside world. Its eerie stillness and isolation have drawn the attention of Dr. Sparling, a man haunted by unanswered questions. With little explanation, he contacts historian Ben and archaeology student Chloe, sending them to uncover the village’s secrets, its shadowed past, its guarded people, and the stories no one dares to tell.
⊹ ࣪ ˖ੈ Characters
⟡ Dr. Alec Sparling - a man of routine and structure, has long been fascinated by the mysteries hidden in other people’s stories, especially the unexplained disappearance of Fiona. Driven by curiosity, he reaches out to Ben and Chloe, urging them to investigate a secluded village known as Tír Mallacht.
❝ The creeper was a man. But I fear that now he is something else entirely. It doesn’t suffer the same restrictions as you and I. I wonder if it even retains a corporeal state at all times. How it moves so far and freely– manifesting where it pleases– is beyond me. ❞
⟡ Benjamin “Ben” French - once a promising historian known for his way with interviews and top marks research, he now works a retail job, convinced his degree is worthless. But everything changes when he receives an unexpected email from Dr. Sparling, inviting him to assist in a study of the remote, mysterious village and a chance to return to his roots and reclaim his purpose.
❝ We can’t stop now. We’ve come too far. Besides, while there’s still light, there’s still hope. ❞
⟡ Chloe Coogan - is a free-spirited archaeology student pursuing her master’s, known for her curiosity and instinct to dig deeper. She’s brought on as Ben’s partner for Dr. Sparling’s investigation into Tír Mallacht, tasked with uncovering the village’s history, its current state, and the truths hidden beneath its quiet surface.
❝ Good people see the good in others. They search for it, even when it isn’t there. ❞
⊹ ࣪ ˖ੈ Thoughts
❝ It never changed. Not since it had been created. It didn’t age. It didn’t die. ❞
This was a good chilling and atmospheric short Gothic horror read, steeped with raw, grim, and macabre vibes. And A.M. Shine’s writing masterfully amplified the eerie presence of Tír Mallacht, which immersed me in a setting so haunting it sent shivers down my spine.
At first, I expected something akin to a Slenderman creepypasta or The Ring curse, but the Creeper turned out to be far more layered. While it didn’t frighten me immediately, the slow, unsettling build and the dark mythology surrounding the Creeper grew increasingly disturbing. The village’s traditions and the chilling legend at its core made for a truly haunting experience. Which eventually made the atmosphere so unnerving that I had to stop reading it at night.
Though I didn’t fully connect with the characters and the pacing occasionally lagged, the chilling mystery of Tír Mallacht and the eerie legend of the Creeper kept me turning pages. Even after the final page, the story lingers, wrapping you in questions about the village, its people, and the dark truths buried beneath its silence.
˚₊ ⟢┊pre-read 🖇️┊⊹࣪⋆
I feel like I’ve been reading too many fantasy books and have a few more scheduled for the following week, so I'm going to use this book as a palate cleanser. Please spook and haunt the entire being in me so that I reset from my fantasy streak.
September 20, 2022
** Edited as review is now live on Kendall Reviews! **
Much like his first novel, ‘The Watchers,’ A.M. Shine returns us to a phenomenally horrifying location. While this isn’t a sequel in any way, shape or form, it is a thematic companion piece. Something in the woods that is waiting and lurking.
Look, if you’ve read any of my own work, you’ll know my love of writing about the wilds and odd things that live within. Also, if you’ve followed my reviews, you’ll know my love of reading about things that go bump in the trees. ‘The Ritual’ by Adam Nevill, ‘The Homecoming’ by Andrew Pyper, ‘Those Who Came Before’ by JH Moncrieff, and of course, Matt Wesolowski’s ‘Six Stories’ series. Add in Shine’s debut and you have yourself a solid batch of books to really prevent you from ever stepping foot in the wilderness.
Where Shine… uh… shines here, is the added layer of creepiness, which I’ll discuss in a moment. I’ve mentioned recently my love of reading books that could fall into the ‘archeological horror’ movement and this one would sit firmly within that category, fighting for the crown.
What I liked: The story follows a reclusive rich man, who hires two professionals, fresh out of university, to head to a remote town, cut off from the outside world. There, he says, is an abandoned church. He wants them to interview the townspeople and survey the area, finding out as much as they can while they’re allowed there. Oh, and one more thing – he asks for them to try and find out about the stories they have regarding an entity known as the creeper.
It’s from this point that Shine throws us into the fire. We follow Ben and Chloe as they hike to this isolated town and find a group of residents who are so dirty and unkept that you can practically smell them and feel the grime on your fingers while you read. But, one thing we’ve learned for many, many years – all the way back to movies such as ‘Cannibal Holocaust’ – is that the locals hate visitors and as such, their demise is put into motion.
What separates this novel from many others, is that the action leaves and comes back. We get to see how the myths are not forbidden from travelling past a certain point and we get to learn more about our main characters, the town itself and our reclusive Dr. Sparling.
The ending is brutal, horrible and spot-on perfect for what the book has detailed and how the plot has navigated the peaks and valleys of our characters journey.
What I didn’t like: I was a bit let down, personally, by the ‘reveal.’ The shared knowledge of what our antagonist is and was didn’t sit right for me, much in the same way some of Wesolowski’s ‘Six Stories’ ended up not going as far as I had hoped they would.
Why you should buy this: Shine has quickly established himself as a must-read author for me. His books hum along and the stories are brutal, visceral and unputdownable. I devoured this one and once it sunk its fangs into me, it wouldn’t let go.
Another winner from an author who needs to hurry up and put out another book!
Much like his first novel, ‘The Watchers,’ A.M. Shine returns us to a phenomenally horrifying location. While this isn’t a sequel in any way, shape or form, it is a thematic companion piece. Something in the woods that is waiting and lurking.
Look, if you’ve read any of my own work, you’ll know my love of writing about the wilds and odd things that live within. Also, if you’ve followed my reviews, you’ll know my love of reading about things that go bump in the trees. ‘The Ritual’ by Adam Nevill, ‘The Homecoming’ by Andrew Pyper, ‘Those Who Came Before’ by JH Moncrieff, and of course, Matt Wesolowski’s ‘Six Stories’ series. Add in Shine’s debut and you have yourself a solid batch of books to really prevent you from ever stepping foot in the wilderness.
Where Shine… uh… shines here, is the added layer of creepiness, which I’ll discuss in a moment. I’ve mentioned recently my love of reading books that could fall into the ‘archeological horror’ movement and this one would sit firmly within that category, fighting for the crown.
What I liked: The story follows a reclusive rich man, who hires two professionals, fresh out of university, to head to a remote town, cut off from the outside world. There, he says, is an abandoned church. He wants them to interview the townspeople and survey the area, finding out as much as they can while they’re allowed there. Oh, and one more thing – he asks for them to try and find out about the stories they have regarding an entity known as the creeper.
It’s from this point that Shine throws us into the fire. We follow Ben and Chloe as they hike to this isolated town and find a group of residents who are so dirty and unkept that you can practically smell them and feel the grime on your fingers while you read. But, one thing we’ve learned for many, many years – all the way back to movies such as ‘Cannibal Holocaust’ – is that the locals hate visitors and as such, their demise is put into motion.
What separates this novel from many others, is that the action leaves and comes back. We get to see how the myths are not forbidden from travelling past a certain point and we get to learn more about our main characters, the town itself and our reclusive Dr. Sparling.
The ending is brutal, horrible and spot-on perfect for what the book has detailed and how the plot has navigated the peaks and valleys of our characters journey.
What I didn’t like: I was a bit let down, personally, by the ‘reveal.’ The shared knowledge of what our antagonist is and was didn’t sit right for me, much in the same way some of Wesolowski’s ‘Six Stories’ ended up not going as far as I had hoped they would.
Why you should buy this: Shine has quickly established himself as a must-read author for me. His books hum along and the stories are brutal, visceral and unputdownable. I devoured this one and once it sunk its fangs into me, it wouldn’t let go.
Another winner from an author who needs to hurry up and put out another book!
September 7, 2025
Many people love this writer, so take what I say with a grain of salt.
A young archeologist and an equally young historian are summoned by a mysterious man of (seeming) academia. He hires the two to travel to a small isolated Irish village that has been untouched by civilization for two hundred years. The mystery man wants the two to journey alone to this village and find out what they can about something called The Creeper.
The plot has potential but it is never realized. It felt like a flat retelling of The Blair Witch. The twist at the end felt anticlimactic to say the least. Unsatisfactory is probably the word I am looking for.
A young archeologist and an equally young historian are summoned by a mysterious man of (seeming) academia. He hires the two to travel to a small isolated Irish village that has been untouched by civilization for two hundred years. The mystery man wants the two to journey alone to this village and find out what they can about something called The Creeper.
The plot has potential but it is never realized. It felt like a flat retelling of The Blair Witch. The twist at the end felt anticlimactic to say the least. Unsatisfactory is probably the word I am looking for.
January 13, 2024
I’m very picky with books and I’m known to be the party pooper who hates everything we read at the Shine&Shadow planet, but The Creeper really did a number here. Last year I read what I consider to be the worst book I’ve ever read (Paprika) and now it’s January, it’s very early in the year, and I think this is competing to steal Paprika’s place. I am shocked.
I don’t really know how to start this. This is going to be an angry review and I’m sorry. I wanted to DNF this from page 20 but I had to finish it for my book club so every page felt like a punch in the gut. But oh well, this is just my opinion, the book has mostly 4-5 stars so go read those and let me spill my venom so I can move on.
Some of my main issues with this dumpster fire:
- Zero research about anything.
- 50% of the story is literally The Village by Shamalamadingdong. Seriously, don’t bother pick it up if you’ve watched the movie because this is just a very poorly written retelling of that, with emphasis on poorly written. You did not ask for this, I did not ask for this. Go watch the movie, the ending of the movie sucks and so does this one.
- It screams it has been written by a cis white man. Emphasizing that the one woman is petite and making her weaker and dumber than The Man at every turn (while he’s looking at her ‘naked legs’ and treating her like a baby with lame flirty jokes) isn’t a cute look. I won’t get into the sexism because honestly blergh, but if you’re a woman who’s known a dude who has small dick energy, this book just screams that. And I’m not sure it was intentional because most characters had zero depth and were just stereotypes.
- The writing. THE WRITING. I feel this dude learnt that good writers make really nice comparisons/similes and thought “oooooh, so if I add this in every fucking single paragraph I write, then I am surely a good writer!” No, dude. No. At some point, I sadly counted you had 12 paragraphs with a comparison “she smiled like a donkey at night… Her face was disfigured as a broken doll.” I get it, I get it, you were taught how to use the words ‘like’ and ‘as’ in school. I am very happy for you, this is great, but you can actually just describe things without having to compare everything to every inane thing in the world.
- The smiles. Okay, yeah, this could be in the bit about the writing, but holy fuck. A.M. Shine, yes, people smile. Get over it. It is NOT normal to describe smiles so often. It is annoying. I am NOT smiling as I write this because not all humans you encounter smile constantly, yeah? Ok, bye.
- The lame plot devices. This was what made me give up on this book entirely. The characters make stupid deductions out of the most silly shit. I.e., they find something at a graveyard and then they’re like “OMG WE HAVE BEEN LIED TO. ARCHEOLOGISTS WERE HERE.” First of all, you found fucking sunglasses. You didn’t find a business card, or a report, or a book. You found a thing that anyone can own at the only landmark in a crazy town where the locals won’t let you go into the houses. Chances are, you’ll go to the only place you’re allowed to enter. This does not magically turn you into an archaeologist. This is just an example but every time Ben and Chloe’s shared dysfunctional brain cell sparked a thought it made me want to stab my eye with an ice pick.
- This is probably a bit petty but the main dude, Ben, is supposed to “have a way with people” and be good at interviews. His interviews were three sentences long and he didn’t even have a single good question? Like, Shine, as someone who has done research interviews, if you google “research interview styles” or “tips” you’ll have good guidance about it. I won’t ask you to check research methods books, but at least some bullet points on the interwebs. Maybe next time you need your character to be good at something you can check how things are done because holy hell the cringe.
This is how I wish I had read this book instead:
I don’t really know how to start this. This is going to be an angry review and I’m sorry. I wanted to DNF this from page 20 but I had to finish it for my book club so every page felt like a punch in the gut. But oh well, this is just my opinion, the book has mostly 4-5 stars so go read those and let me spill my venom so I can move on.
Some of my main issues with this dumpster fire:
- Zero research about anything.
- 50% of the story is literally The Village by Shamalamadingdong. Seriously, don’t bother pick it up if you’ve watched the movie because this is just a very poorly written retelling of that, with emphasis on poorly written. You did not ask for this, I did not ask for this. Go watch the movie, the ending of the movie sucks and so does this one.
- It screams it has been written by a cis white man. Emphasizing that the one woman is petite and making her weaker and dumber than The Man at every turn (while he’s looking at her ‘naked legs’ and treating her like a baby with lame flirty jokes) isn’t a cute look. I won’t get into the sexism because honestly blergh, but if you’re a woman who’s known a dude who has small dick energy, this book just screams that. And I’m not sure it was intentional because most characters had zero depth and were just stereotypes.
- The writing. THE WRITING. I feel this dude learnt that good writers make really nice comparisons/similes and thought “oooooh, so if I add this in every fucking single paragraph I write, then I am surely a good writer!” No, dude. No. At some point, I sadly counted you had 12 paragraphs with a comparison “she smiled like a donkey at night… Her face was disfigured as a broken doll.” I get it, I get it, you were taught how to use the words ‘like’ and ‘as’ in school. I am very happy for you, this is great, but you can actually just describe things without having to compare everything to every inane thing in the world.
- The smiles. Okay, yeah, this could be in the bit about the writing, but holy fuck. A.M. Shine, yes, people smile. Get over it. It is NOT normal to describe smiles so often. It is annoying. I am NOT smiling as I write this because not all humans you encounter smile constantly, yeah? Ok, bye.
- The lame plot devices. This was what made me give up on this book entirely. The characters make stupid deductions out of the most silly shit. I.e., they find something at a graveyard and then they’re like “OMG WE HAVE BEEN LIED TO. ARCHEOLOGISTS WERE HERE.” First of all, you found fucking sunglasses. You didn’t find a business card, or a report, or a book. You found a thing that anyone can own at the only landmark in a crazy town where the locals won’t let you go into the houses. Chances are, you’ll go to the only place you’re allowed to enter. This does not magically turn you into an archaeologist. This is just an example but every time Ben and Chloe’s shared dysfunctional brain cell sparked a thought it made me want to stab my eye with an ice pick.
- This is probably a bit petty but the main dude, Ben, is supposed to “have a way with people” and be good at interviews. His interviews were three sentences long and he didn’t even have a single good question? Like, Shine, as someone who has done research interviews, if you google “research interview styles” or “tips” you’ll have good guidance about it. I won’t ask you to check research methods books, but at least some bullet points on the interwebs. Maybe next time you need your character to be good at something you can check how things are done because holy hell the cringe.
This is how I wish I had read this book instead:
October 1, 2022
Renowned yet reclusive academic Dr Alec Sparling recruits researchers Ben and Chloe for his project on the remote Irish village of Tir Mallacht. Their job is to find the village and interview the community, a harder task than it sounds as this village is extremely insular, untouched for nearly two hundred years. No one stays and no one leaves.
There is also an ominous superstition which hangs over Tir Mallacht. The Creeper. Three times you see him. Each night he comes closer…
Will Ben and Chloe be able to fulfil their task? Or is this all going to be a very bad idea? Hmmm, without any spoilers I think we might know the answer to that before we even start…
There must be a heck of a lot of pressure for authors to come up with the goods for their second novel so I approached this with interest, but was mightily pleased to see that A M Shine has smashed it out of the ballpark. For fans of horror this has it all and what I really love about his books is that they’re very realistic. This isn’t your slasher or gory type of horror, this is a book with a hideously creeping sense of unease running through it. It focuses on folk lore and rumours and villages stopped in time, what could be better? My heart was racing and I felt really scared. When Ben and Chloe made it to the village I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest!
If you like to be scared silly (and it is officially the spooky season, readers) and you like books with shades of The Wicker Man, then look no further, this is ALL you need!
There is also an ominous superstition which hangs over Tir Mallacht. The Creeper. Three times you see him. Each night he comes closer…
Will Ben and Chloe be able to fulfil their task? Or is this all going to be a very bad idea? Hmmm, without any spoilers I think we might know the answer to that before we even start…
There must be a heck of a lot of pressure for authors to come up with the goods for their second novel so I approached this with interest, but was mightily pleased to see that A M Shine has smashed it out of the ballpark. For fans of horror this has it all and what I really love about his books is that they’re very realistic. This isn’t your slasher or gory type of horror, this is a book with a hideously creeping sense of unease running through it. It focuses on folk lore and rumours and villages stopped in time, what could be better? My heart was racing and I felt really scared. When Ben and Chloe made it to the village I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest!
If you like to be scared silly (and it is officially the spooky season, readers) and you like books with shades of The Wicker Man, then look no further, this is ALL you need!
August 8, 2024
Not a fan of scary stuff, but this was an exhilarating read!
It kept me guessing which way the ending was going.. I anticipated an unhappy ending (as most horror stories do) or was the author going for the 180* SURPRISE. Needless to say, I was on edge and nervous the whole time.
Above all else.. I will miss the authors use of colorful smilies on almost every page. I made a game of highlighting them and picking my favorites whilst giggling. Not even 12 hours of finishing the book and I miss them like the shadows miss the waning light.
It kept me guessing which way the ending was going.. I anticipated an unhappy ending (as most horror stories do) or was the author going for the 180* SURPRISE. Needless to say, I was on edge and nervous the whole time.
Above all else.. I will miss the authors use of colorful smilies on almost every page. I made a game of highlighting them and picking my favorites whilst giggling. Not even 12 hours of finishing the book and I miss them like the shadows miss the waning light.
October 3, 2022
The Creeper is everything you could want in a spooky read! It certainly gave me the chills right away! I love a book that deals with superstitions, urban legends, and things like that so when I stumbled upon this one, I knew I had to read it.
Overall, I thought this was really good. While I wish the twist was more insidious as the novel makes it feel The Creeper did have the desired effect on me and I won’t forget it for a long time! Frankly, I’m a little afraid to look outside my window at night thanks to this one! If you’re in the mood for a spooky novel to read this season, then this one would be perfect for you! If you have a kindle unlimited subscription, then you can read it for free! Now I need to go ahead and read The Watchers which I heard was even scarier than this one!
𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗙𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝗢𝗙:
• Horror Novels
• Books that make you feel scared!
• Scary bed time stories that will stick with you
𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall, I thought this was really good. While I wish the twist was more insidious as the novel makes it feel The Creeper did have the desired effect on me and I won’t forget it for a long time! Frankly, I’m a little afraid to look outside my window at night thanks to this one! If you’re in the mood for a spooky novel to read this season, then this one would be perfect for you! If you have a kindle unlimited subscription, then you can read it for free! Now I need to go ahead and read The Watchers which I heard was even scarier than this one!
𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗙𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝗢𝗙:
• Horror Novels
• Books that make you feel scared!
• Scary bed time stories that will stick with you
𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
May 22, 2025
The Creeper unfolds in terrifying layers, and as each layer is pealed back, it's central motif, the Creeper, himself/itself takes on new meaning. This is the second novel I have read by A. M. Shine, and it's every bit the heart pounding journey as the first. It's solidly engaging start to finish. And something I personally truly appreciate, no where does the fear factor rely on gore--I don't like to be disgusted, just frightened. It's a fast paced, highly entertaining read, and for those readers who like their horror with a good bit of substance on the side, it is also loaded with symbolism.
The Basic Plot: Two university students, historian Ben and archeologist Chloe, both of whom are rather hard up for a cash injection, take a research job from a wealthy individual, Alec Spalding. The job involves hiking into the middle of untamed Irish wilderness and spending a few days in an isolated town which cut itself off from contact with the outside world 200 yrs ago. Essentially this town, unmarked by road and uncharted by cartographer, represents a time capsule of human history. Ben and Chloe are required to take notes on the local folklore and architecture and to report back. From go however, this town seems extremely off, and not simply because the townsfolk don't have any modern conveniences. All of the town's people seem to be frightened about which they won't say, but they are extremely eager for our would be researchers to get the heck out of Irish Dodge asap--if getting out is even fully possible once you've stumbled in.
Several Elements I Enjoyed:
The plot opens with a prologue about seemingly random characters. You don't understand the significance of this opening until much later when the mystery is clearer. But I love the way this foreshadowing heightens the suspense as readers wait for these events to start mirroring Chloe's and Ben's.
The dynamic between Chloe and Ben is just spot on and beautifully dialogued. These two don't really know one another prior to this job, so they aren't close, nor are they similar in demeanor. Of course via terror, they do grow a bit closer, and aspects of their personalities are brought to the forefront. But they are still basically strangers, and A. M. Shine never tries to force anything artificial between them. It's a relationship between characters that you don't see often in horror novels. I truly enjoyed the tension between their two nearly opposite personalities. It's never romantic--this novel would pass the Bechdel test (not that I get hung up on this, but I have noticed how very few contemporary horror novels do). And through them both we get to see two different models of truly believable human nature when under strain and facing adversity. They represent not the best of human nature and not the worst--their representation is just plain honest, and I loved it. Though I initially found Chloe's abruptness and some of her speech mannerisms a tad bit grating, I ended up liking both of them quite a bit.
I don't want to add spoilers here, so I will say this next part vaguely. The motif of the Creeper itself has such fabulous symbolic weight which snowballs and shifts as the novel progresses. This is one of my favorite touches. By the end of the novel, our understanding is very different from the understanding with which we began.
The imagery is written perfectly--this is such a visual novel and yet no where is it overwritten. I could see so well that I found myself reviewing basic horror film dos and don'ts. A. M. Shine's prose is almost cinematic in that way. No words are wasted and every word used paints precisely what's required.
The twists at the end were extremely surprising. I can usually see them coming, but not this time. I know not everyone will like the ending, but I felt like it fit perfectly, avoided all cliché, and added a dimension to the true horror of it all that I didn't see coming.
Overall, what a fast paced, gloriously frightening, fun ride! I certainly recommend it. It's not an earth shattering, philosophical treatise on the human psyche...and it certainly didn't change my life in any manner...but The Creeper is clever, original, frightening, very well written, and it gave me a lot to keep thinking about.
-------------------Spoiler Below---------------
Just Further Musings on a Theme:
One of my favorite aspects of The Creeper is the manner in which money/payment/greed is used throughout. One of the biggest surprises I had as I was reading was to discover that this was not actually a novel about a monster from folklore or academia or even about fear--this is a novel about wealth and privilege and the crimes and abuses which are never justified by either. Money as a symbol is introduced in the beginning of the novel when readers learn that the protagonists are just starting out in life in a bad economy where opportunities are lacking. Of course they are going to take a high paying job in which they at least get to utilize their degrees. Being young and trusting, it never occurs to them to make arrangements for their families to receive their paychecks if they aren't alive to collect them themselves. As the plot line progresses, it's so easy to become enraptured by all the flashy, frightening, murderous mayhem, that one forgets to really consider the money of it all--and how as a symbol it collects additional meaning. The priest (the Irish sort, not the Catholic sort) whom readers learn about toward the end would have been the wealthiest person visiting that town, and when we learn that he is Alec's ancestor, that's suggestive on an all new level. So the real legacy that all of that wealth and greed and entitlement has birthed is in many ways the true creeper.
The one bit of development which I wish A. M. Shine had expounded upon is the priest's interactions with the town prior it's isolationism. As readers we definitely get the sense that the history we are told about through Alec and the villager Ben calls "the wasp" has been whitewashed. And anyone who knows even a little bit of Irish history from the 1800's knows that England usually put Englishmen (from the mainland) into those roles (political roles) as priest and that they were well funded even during the famine brought about by parliament's corn laws. So animosity is not a leap, especially considering that we are told in detail what the town's people did to destroy the church. But I'm still largely basing my ideas here on innuendo. And I think A. M. Shine rushed through this bit at the end when even a few more paragraphs about the priest and how the townsfolk felt about him would have been enough to cement this link in theme's progression.
The Basic Plot: Two university students, historian Ben and archeologist Chloe, both of whom are rather hard up for a cash injection, take a research job from a wealthy individual, Alec Spalding. The job involves hiking into the middle of untamed Irish wilderness and spending a few days in an isolated town which cut itself off from contact with the outside world 200 yrs ago. Essentially this town, unmarked by road and uncharted by cartographer, represents a time capsule of human history. Ben and Chloe are required to take notes on the local folklore and architecture and to report back. From go however, this town seems extremely off, and not simply because the townsfolk don't have any modern conveniences. All of the town's people seem to be frightened about which they won't say, but they are extremely eager for our would be researchers to get the heck out of Irish Dodge asap--if getting out is even fully possible once you've stumbled in.
Several Elements I Enjoyed:
The plot opens with a prologue about seemingly random characters. You don't understand the significance of this opening until much later when the mystery is clearer. But I love the way this foreshadowing heightens the suspense as readers wait for these events to start mirroring Chloe's and Ben's.
The dynamic between Chloe and Ben is just spot on and beautifully dialogued. These two don't really know one another prior to this job, so they aren't close, nor are they similar in demeanor. Of course via terror, they do grow a bit closer, and aspects of their personalities are brought to the forefront. But they are still basically strangers, and A. M. Shine never tries to force anything artificial between them. It's a relationship between characters that you don't see often in horror novels. I truly enjoyed the tension between their two nearly opposite personalities. It's never romantic--this novel would pass the Bechdel test (not that I get hung up on this, but I have noticed how very few contemporary horror novels do). And through them both we get to see two different models of truly believable human nature when under strain and facing adversity. They represent not the best of human nature and not the worst--their representation is just plain honest, and I loved it. Though I initially found Chloe's abruptness and some of her speech mannerisms a tad bit grating, I ended up liking both of them quite a bit.
I don't want to add spoilers here, so I will say this next part vaguely. The motif of the Creeper itself has such fabulous symbolic weight which snowballs and shifts as the novel progresses. This is one of my favorite touches. By the end of the novel, our understanding is very different from the understanding with which we began.
The imagery is written perfectly--this is such a visual novel and yet no where is it overwritten. I could see so well that I found myself reviewing basic horror film dos and don'ts. A. M. Shine's prose is almost cinematic in that way. No words are wasted and every word used paints precisely what's required.
The twists at the end were extremely surprising. I can usually see them coming, but not this time. I know not everyone will like the ending, but I felt like it fit perfectly, avoided all cliché, and added a dimension to the true horror of it all that I didn't see coming.
Overall, what a fast paced, gloriously frightening, fun ride! I certainly recommend it. It's not an earth shattering, philosophical treatise on the human psyche...and it certainly didn't change my life in any manner...but The Creeper is clever, original, frightening, very well written, and it gave me a lot to keep thinking about.
-------------------Spoiler Below---------------
Just Further Musings on a Theme:
One of my favorite aspects of The Creeper is the manner in which money/payment/greed is used throughout. One of the biggest surprises I had as I was reading was to discover that this was not actually a novel about a monster from folklore or academia or even about fear--this is a novel about wealth and privilege and the crimes and abuses which are never justified by either. Money as a symbol is introduced in the beginning of the novel when readers learn that the protagonists are just starting out in life in a bad economy where opportunities are lacking. Of course they are going to take a high paying job in which they at least get to utilize their degrees. Being young and trusting, it never occurs to them to make arrangements for their families to receive their paychecks if they aren't alive to collect them themselves. As the plot line progresses, it's so easy to become enraptured by all the flashy, frightening, murderous mayhem, that one forgets to really consider the money of it all--and how as a symbol it collects additional meaning. The priest (the Irish sort, not the Catholic sort) whom readers learn about toward the end would have been the wealthiest person visiting that town, and when we learn that he is Alec's ancestor, that's suggestive on an all new level. So the real legacy that all of that wealth and greed and entitlement has birthed is in many ways the true creeper.
The one bit of development which I wish A. M. Shine had expounded upon is the priest's interactions with the town prior it's isolationism. As readers we definitely get the sense that the history we are told about through Alec and the villager Ben calls "the wasp" has been whitewashed. And anyone who knows even a little bit of Irish history from the 1800's knows that England usually put Englishmen (from the mainland) into those roles (political roles) as priest and that they were well funded even during the famine brought about by parliament's corn laws. So animosity is not a leap, especially considering that we are told in detail what the town's people did to destroy the church. But I'm still largely basing my ideas here on innuendo. And I think A. M. Shine rushed through this bit at the end when even a few more paragraphs about the priest and how the townsfolk felt about him would have been enough to cement this link in theme's progression.
February 10, 2023
I’ll be honest, I’ve been looking for reasons to rate this higher than I am, but it wouldn’t feel genuine and I like to always give genuine and honest reviews. I just really like this author, so I wanted to like this more than I did. But I’ve come to realize, you don’t have to absolutely love everything an author puts out to be a fan of that author. I’ll definitely continue reading A.M. Shine books as auto buys. This just isn’t my favorite!
‘The watchers’ by this author was sooo good, in both plot, characters, and twist. For this one all it ever really had going for it, for me at least, was the plot. I loved the legend that was being followed in this one, and I was really excited to see how it would play out. The idea of the creeper and how he goes about stalking you, well… gave me the creeps!
I also really was excited for the secluded vibes of this village and really wanted to get a feel for the people who lived there, being it was a mystery in itself. I can’t say I’m completely disappointed in that, I did think for what it’s worth the village was a strong point. I just wish there was more of it!
My main issue was the characters. There was of course a villainous character that you’re meant to dislike. I actually liked them for the role they played and thought they were a solid villain. However the two MCs drove me BATTY. I could not stand them, and they were supposed to for the most part, be likable. Flawed… but likable. They were just so horrible for no reason. Right when I’d start to empathize with them, they’d say something else that just made me just so irate tbh. They were just so ignorant, condescending and just terrible people through the whole thing. I get in the beginning…. But they just didn’t grow in order for me to care about their fates.
Which in some ways… I’m not mad about their fates. This author did not shy away from the horror and gore. And for the most part I’m happy with that.
I’m also happy with the writing. I think A.M. shine has some beautiful prose once the story gets going (it seems he struggles with beginnings so you have to give it a few pages).
The next thing I couldn’t get past was the twist. The big reveal regarding the creeper. I’m sorry… but what? I can think of a few different ways the author could have taken a similar route but had a different reveal. This ending just killed it for me. Also with the reveal we’re given…. I just find it hard to suspend my disbelief.
If ‘The Watchers’ had one of my favorite endings…. This has to be one of my least favorite. If not only because I could see it being a pretty impossible thing to achieve. I don’t mind this sort of twist all the time. Just here I didn’t find it believable.
I’m trusting this book was just a fluke for me though. I really can’t wait to see what else this author puts out. This wasn’t horrible and at no point was I uninterested. I did enjoy different parts of it. There were just some things I couldn’t get past.
I will say you might really like this if ‘the watchers’ wasn’t quite your brand of folk horror!
‘The watchers’ by this author was sooo good, in both plot, characters, and twist. For this one all it ever really had going for it, for me at least, was the plot. I loved the legend that was being followed in this one, and I was really excited to see how it would play out. The idea of the creeper and how he goes about stalking you, well… gave me the creeps!
I also really was excited for the secluded vibes of this village and really wanted to get a feel for the people who lived there, being it was a mystery in itself. I can’t say I’m completely disappointed in that, I did think for what it’s worth the village was a strong point. I just wish there was more of it!
My main issue was the characters. There was of course a villainous character that you’re meant to dislike. I actually liked them for the role they played and thought they were a solid villain. However the two MCs drove me BATTY. I could not stand them, and they were supposed to for the most part, be likable. Flawed… but likable. They were just so horrible for no reason. Right when I’d start to empathize with them, they’d say something else that just made me just so irate tbh. They were just so ignorant, condescending and just terrible people through the whole thing. I get in the beginning…. But they just didn’t grow in order for me to care about their fates.
Which in some ways… I’m not mad about their fates. This author did not shy away from the horror and gore. And for the most part I’m happy with that.
I’m also happy with the writing. I think A.M. shine has some beautiful prose once the story gets going (it seems he struggles with beginnings so you have to give it a few pages).
The next thing I couldn’t get past was the twist. The big reveal regarding the creeper. I’m sorry… but what? I can think of a few different ways the author could have taken a similar route but had a different reveal. This ending just killed it for me. Also with the reveal we’re given…. I just find it hard to suspend my disbelief.
If ‘The Watchers’ had one of my favorite endings…. This has to be one of my least favorite. If not only because I could see it being a pretty impossible thing to achieve. I don’t mind this sort of twist all the time. Just here I didn’t find it believable.
I’m trusting this book was just a fluke for me though. I really can’t wait to see what else this author puts out. This wasn’t horrible and at no point was I uninterested. I did enjoy different parts of it. There were just some things I couldn’t get past.
I will say you might really like this if ‘the watchers’ wasn’t quite your brand of folk horror!
April 21, 2023
Looking for some eerie, unsettling, slow as hell horror? Look no further. This one takes some time to get going, but then it has you in its clutches. Uh oh👀
July 2, 2025
This was a somber read devoid of happy conclusions. I must admit there were moments when it progressed slowly and took a while to gain momentum. However, when the action unfolded, it became difficult to set the book aside. The conclusion was quite different from what I had anticipated. I look forward to reading more works by A.M. Shine in the future.
January 8, 2025
Rating: 1 Benny Boy Stars.
Steam: 0 out of 10.
Triggers:
Love Triangle:
Cheating:
HEA:
This book have so many plot holes that I can't even give it a better rating.
This review will contain spoilers.
We are introduced to Benny Boy and Chloe, they are employed by a very rich guy to go to an isolated little village and study their tales and legends.
When they arrived the village people are full of deformities, they don't want them there, they are not willing at all to help them, but a little girl tells them the very curious tale of the creeper : you see him 3 times, one very far away, two mid way, three very close and after that you die.
Ben and Chloe don't believe in folklore so they just write it down (it was the only thing they got about the village lore really).
At night they saw a man in the distance, they think it's someone from the village trying to scared them and as soon as the sun goes up they are out of there.
They reunite back the Chloe's house because Ben has roomates, when Chloe goes to the window she sees someone again and calls for Ben, they get scared but mostly are paranoid that they were followed.
Next day they try to discover who's their employer, and they search are successful, they got he's address.
Once there Alec tells them the whole story, I won't bother you with the details but basically he tells them "it's a true story and I'm cursed, that's why I sent you there and now you're cursed too".
Ben doesn't belive and he convences Chloe to not believe too, he goes to her house again because she's feeling bad and scared about the whole "yeah that's a true story and I'm searching about it because I'm cursed"
Once at her house the night starts to fall (forget to tell you guys this thing only appears at night after all even monsters have to sleep) so they are kinda scared but Ben wants to prove Chloe that the creeper doesn't exist so he opens the curtains and txarammm... The creeper is there, in the windows, super close, they can see his face and it's brutal, nothing like a human being.
They are now really worried so they go back to the village to ask if they know a way for them to survive... Only to give us the worst end of the endings...
Turns out the creeper is just a guy, a chosen one, a regular - a bullet can kill you - guy, that chosen one is tortured every couple of years until he no longer resembles anything human and once that's achieved he officially becomes a creeper and kills people who misbehave (we were led to believe he was something supernatural) .
Why? We never really know, they only say it's their religion.
All the plot holes :
How can the creeper make sure he was seen 3 times before we kills someone? I mean what if the person moves her/his face in the moment he shows himself and he doesn't know if they saw him or not or what if the person is really distracted and doesn't pay any attention to him... Does that count or the person has to visually react to him to count?
How does he knows, specially in the last visit which windows people are going to look so he could be there?
In the beginning of the book it's told other people were send to the village because of Alec obsession with the creeper, one of them disappeared while on the phone with a 911 operator and days later that operator disappeared too, how a simple human would know who she was on the phone with and better yet : who the heck was the operator?
As we know, Ben had roommates,family, a baby mama, a job, and he was like : I don't have anyone to notice if I'm gone. Smh, yes you do... You literally told us you do during the book.
The village seems to be super simple, they don't have roads, they don't have cars, they live isolated, in poverty and with little live stock , they live like it's 1500's, how do they follow people? How do they discover stuff like who's the 911 phone operator when they have no technology or money? That makes no sense.
I'm so very tired after this review. I'm sure there is more holes I didn't think yet.
Steam: 0 out of 10.
Triggers:
Love Triangle:
Cheating:
HEA:
This book have so many plot holes that I can't even give it a better rating.
This review will contain spoilers.
We are introduced to Benny Boy and Chloe, they are employed by a very rich guy to go to an isolated little village and study their tales and legends.
When they arrived the village people are full of deformities, they don't want them there, they are not willing at all to help them, but a little girl tells them the very curious tale of the creeper : you see him 3 times, one very far away, two mid way, three very close and after that you die.
Ben and Chloe don't believe in folklore so they just write it down (it was the only thing they got about the village lore really).
At night they saw a man in the distance, they think it's someone from the village trying to scared them and as soon as the sun goes up they are out of there.
They reunite back the Chloe's house because Ben has roomates, when Chloe goes to the window she sees someone again and calls for Ben, they get scared but mostly are paranoid that they were followed.
Next day they try to discover who's their employer, and they search are successful, they got he's address.
Once there Alec tells them the whole story, I won't bother you with the details but basically he tells them "it's a true story and I'm cursed, that's why I sent you there and now you're cursed too".
Ben doesn't belive and he convences Chloe to not believe too, he goes to her house again because she's feeling bad and scared about the whole "yeah that's a true story and I'm searching about it because I'm cursed"
Once at her house the night starts to fall (forget to tell you guys this thing only appears at night after all even monsters have to sleep) so they are kinda scared but Ben wants to prove Chloe that the creeper doesn't exist so he opens the curtains and txarammm... The creeper is there, in the windows, super close, they can see his face and it's brutal, nothing like a human being.
They are now really worried so they go back to the village to ask if they know a way for them to survive... Only to give us the worst end of the endings...
Turns out the creeper is just a guy, a chosen one, a regular - a bullet can kill you - guy, that chosen one is tortured every couple of years until he no longer resembles anything human and once that's achieved he officially becomes a creeper and kills people who misbehave (we were led to believe he was something supernatural) .
Why? We never really know, they only say it's their religion.
All the plot holes :
How can the creeper make sure he was seen 3 times before we kills someone? I mean what if the person moves her/his face in the moment he shows himself and he doesn't know if they saw him or not or what if the person is really distracted and doesn't pay any attention to him... Does that count or the person has to visually react to him to count?
How does he knows, specially in the last visit which windows people are going to look so he could be there?
In the beginning of the book it's told other people were send to the village because of Alec obsession with the creeper, one of them disappeared while on the phone with a 911 operator and days later that operator disappeared too, how a simple human would know who she was on the phone with and better yet : who the heck was the operator?
As we know, Ben had roommates,family, a baby mama, a job, and he was like : I don't have anyone to notice if I'm gone. Smh, yes you do... You literally told us you do during the book.
The village seems to be super simple, they don't have roads, they don't have cars, they live isolated, in poverty and with little live stock , they live like it's 1500's, how do they follow people? How do they discover stuff like who's the 911 phone operator when they have no technology or money? That makes no sense.
I'm so very tired after this review. I'm sure there is more holes I didn't think yet.
March 5, 2023
I liked the premise of this book but, dear lord, it was painful to read.
Firstly, Shine is obviously trying really hard to write poetically and that’s exactly what it felt like - trying too hard. He uses an overabundance of similes (some okay, some absolutely ridiculous) and it made the writing feel so clunky to me. We’re talking two to four similes a page and including highlights such as the MC arranging cheese on his tuna sandwich ‘like fresh linen’ or looking out of a window to see his neighbour’s windows ‘like a glowing frame hung from a star.’ Just really terrible figurative language that adds nothing to the book. He also switches to the passive voice for paragraphs at a time, which again makes the writing feel very stilted and affected.
There was no character development at all and I found that I really didn’t care at all about what happened to anyone. The male characters are particularly irritating and self-absorbed and all characters are essentially one-dimensional caricatures. The protagonist, Ben (or, as he constantly refers to himself, Benny Boy), meets the female main character, Chloe, for about ten minutes before falling for her and wanting to ‘protect her’, while also referring to her - more than once - as his ‘anchor’. He also talks regularly about how small and child-like she is. Ick. She, in turn, seesaws between being super fun and a fragile little girl, with no other emotions towards Ben, even when he’s being a total d**k. I have to draw attention to a particularly painful exchange between them:
‘So you’re going to be the next Lara Croft,’ Ben said with mock earnestness.
‘Eh?’
‘She’s probably the world’s most famous archaeologist after Indiana Jones. I just assumed you’d modelled your life on a video game.’
‘That’s a pretty bold assumption.’ She smiled. ‘I doubt Lara Croft ever had to scratch through ten feet of mud with a trowel for weeks on end. But who knows, maybe if I get this PhD the university will buy me a massive pair of fake tits so I can look the part.’
Ben choked a little, mid-swallow, on a crust of bread. ‘Don’t make them too big,’ he said. ‘I hear it’s not good for your back.’
‘As if that’s ever bothered you men before,’ she replied, tearing off some bread and throwing it at him. ‘I reckon I’m too small to be lugging around a big pair of boobs anyway. I’ll just get some booty shorts and a skimpy tank top, and stuff my bra with a few socks or something.’
Ben enjoyed the imagery more than he let on.
An excellent contender for r/menwritingwomen.
The publisher is independent so I’d really like to be able to write a more positive review, but it feels like this book was published about ten drafts too early. ⭐️ 1.5/5⭐️
Firstly, Shine is obviously trying really hard to write poetically and that’s exactly what it felt like - trying too hard. He uses an overabundance of similes (some okay, some absolutely ridiculous) and it made the writing feel so clunky to me. We’re talking two to four similes a page and including highlights such as the MC arranging cheese on his tuna sandwich ‘like fresh linen’ or looking out of a window to see his neighbour’s windows ‘like a glowing frame hung from a star.’ Just really terrible figurative language that adds nothing to the book. He also switches to the passive voice for paragraphs at a time, which again makes the writing feel very stilted and affected.
There was no character development at all and I found that I really didn’t care at all about what happened to anyone. The male characters are particularly irritating and self-absorbed and all characters are essentially one-dimensional caricatures. The protagonist, Ben (or, as he constantly refers to himself, Benny Boy), meets the female main character, Chloe, for about ten minutes before falling for her and wanting to ‘protect her’, while also referring to her - more than once - as his ‘anchor’. He also talks regularly about how small and child-like she is. Ick. She, in turn, seesaws between being super fun and a fragile little girl, with no other emotions towards Ben, even when he’s being a total d**k. I have to draw attention to a particularly painful exchange between them:
‘So you’re going to be the next Lara Croft,’ Ben said with mock earnestness.
‘Eh?’
‘She’s probably the world’s most famous archaeologist after Indiana Jones. I just assumed you’d modelled your life on a video game.’
‘That’s a pretty bold assumption.’ She smiled. ‘I doubt Lara Croft ever had to scratch through ten feet of mud with a trowel for weeks on end. But who knows, maybe if I get this PhD the university will buy me a massive pair of fake tits so I can look the part.’
Ben choked a little, mid-swallow, on a crust of bread. ‘Don’t make them too big,’ he said. ‘I hear it’s not good for your back.’
‘As if that’s ever bothered you men before,’ she replied, tearing off some bread and throwing it at him. ‘I reckon I’m too small to be lugging around a big pair of boobs anyway. I’ll just get some booty shorts and a skimpy tank top, and stuff my bra with a few socks or something.’
Ben enjoyed the imagery more than he let on.
An excellent contender for r/menwritingwomen.
The publisher is independent so I’d really like to be able to write a more positive review, but it feels like this book was published about ten drafts too early. ⭐️ 1.5/5⭐️
September 11, 2025
I’ve read The Watchers and its sequel, both of which I really enjoyed, so I kind of knew what sort of book to expect with The Creeper. A spooky, folksy horror story, that starts off slowly and builds to a terrifying conclusion. And yes, that’s what I got.
A historian (Ben) and archaeologist (Chloe) get hired by the rich Dr. Alec Sparling to go on a fact finding trip to the isolated village of Tir Mallacht to uncover the myth of The Creeper. Whilst there, they interview the villagers, all of whom have various deformities, who never leave the village and don’t venture outside after dark. They don’t get much luck with the interviews, until a young girl comes forward.......
“Three times you see him she said - the first night he’s far, far away, and then the next night he’s closer, so close that you can see him and he can see you, and then on the third night his big ugly face is at your window. The fourth night is your last one, because then uh-oh - that’s when The Creeper kills you”.
It’s a creepy read, extremely atmospheric and tense, with some graphic descriptions - perfect for spooky season. 👻 I did find myself perched on the edge of my seat from just after halfway through the book, and I didn’t want to stop listening as I needed to know how it all turned out!
“To be told of his existence - to anticipate the three sightings - is to suffer his curse”.
If you like gothic horror with a side serving of urban legends, then I’d heartily recommend this read (along with The Watchers books) 📚
A historian (Ben) and archaeologist (Chloe) get hired by the rich Dr. Alec Sparling to go on a fact finding trip to the isolated village of Tir Mallacht to uncover the myth of The Creeper. Whilst there, they interview the villagers, all of whom have various deformities, who never leave the village and don’t venture outside after dark. They don’t get much luck with the interviews, until a young girl comes forward.......
“Three times you see him she said - the first night he’s far, far away, and then the next night he’s closer, so close that you can see him and he can see you, and then on the third night his big ugly face is at your window. The fourth night is your last one, because then uh-oh - that’s when The Creeper kills you”.
It’s a creepy read, extremely atmospheric and tense, with some graphic descriptions - perfect for spooky season. 👻 I did find myself perched on the edge of my seat from just after halfway through the book, and I didn’t want to stop listening as I needed to know how it all turned out!
“To be told of his existence - to anticipate the three sightings - is to suffer his curse”.
If you like gothic horror with a side serving of urban legends, then I’d heartily recommend this read (along with The Watchers books) 📚
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