More Than Evil

by Bil Richardson

HOW DO YOU STOP THE UNSTOPPABLE

A supernatural entity that has been imprisoned in the earth for millennia is released in a small town. It quickly spreads, leaving a trail of blood and carnage in its wake. Harlan is the local sheriff and he is in a race against time to save his family, his town and the rest of the world from this horrifying evil.

Genres: Horror

296 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 8, 2020

About the author

Bil Richardson – A Few Things You Might Want to Know

Most people want you to be just one thing, but unfortunately I’m not. I work in many genres, many media and many voices. I’m an award-winning filmmaker, an artist, playwright, poet and author. I do humor, horror, poetry, history and more. I create work that is serious, uplifting and explores important questions and I do things that are just pure entertainment. Some of the things I’ve done have been deep and thoughtful, and some just plain silly and fun. If there is a unifying thread, it is that I am a storyteller. And one of the main functions of stories is to aid us in making sense of the world. Stories help us deal with things we are frightened of - whether that’s a creature in the night or death. Stories also help us deal with the cares of life by understanding them or just being distracted from them. Our lives are varied and complex. At times we are happy or sad, challenged or victorious, high or low. So it is not surprising that the things we create should reflect that complexity and diversity. That’s how it is with me. Now if you want information on some of my specific accomplishments then just keep on a readin’.

As a filmmaker I’ve produced feature films, documentaries, commercials and TV series. I’ve appeared on numerous national TV shows including CBS This Morning, CBS Sunday Morning, American Pickers, Nat Geo’s Diggers, Discovery Networks’ Blood Feuds and America: Fact or Fiction and the Travel Channel’s Mysteries at the Museum. My films have been used as teaching tools at such prestigious universities as UC Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon and Marquette, and are part of the U.S. Library of Congress holdings. I’ve been quoted in the New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, London Times and hundreds of other newspapers. I’ve published fiction and non-fiction through Random House and other companies. I’ve been a featured speaker nationally and internationally. My work has been supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and I’ve done covers for books, magazines, movies and graphic novels. I’ve even appeared onscreen in four internationally distributed feature films.

Reviews

[Tracy P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

'More than Evil' is beyond mind-blowing in audio. This is one terrifying horror novel to begin with. In soundscape it is just epic. The writing by author Bill Richardson is thrilling and kept me on the edge of my seat for the entirety....definitely one I will be revisiting again.
This is my first time listening to narrator Sky Soleil and hope to hear lots more of his work in the future. He seamlessly delivers stellar vocals with impressive precision for each of the numerous characters - the perfect choice for narrating this phenomenal soundscape adventure.
Highly recommend to fellow horror fanatics

[Krystal]

With thanks to the author for the opportunity to read an early version.

[Michelle {Book Hangovers} · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listen to a lot of audiobooks, I mean, A LOT!!
But never, have I ever, experienced an audiobook quite like this one! It was like a movie for my ear-holes! It was bloody AWESOME!
It was INTENSE and Theatrical, with Non-stop action!
I get annoyed when some books get listed as Horror and there’s nothing horrifying about them. That is not the case with More Than Evil. Oh, no, no, no! This book was creepy as heck with blood and gore GALORE!! My heart felt like it was about to beat out of my chest and flop right out on the floor. THAT is the kind of Horror I love!!
This one is so much fun. From beginning to end.
I want more audiobooks like this one.

[Michelle {Book Hangovers} · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listen to a lot of audiobooks, I mean, A LOT!!
But never, have I ever, experienced an audiobook quite like this one! It was like a movie for my ear-holes! It was bloody AWESOME!
It was INTENSE and Theatrical, with Non-stop action!
I get annoyed when some books get listed as Horror and there’s nothing horrifying about them. That is not the case with More Than Evil. Oh, no, no, no! This book was creepy as heck with blood and gore GALORE!! My heart felt like it was about to beat out of my chest and flop right out on the floor. THAT is the kind of Horror I love!!
This one is so much fun. From beginning to end.
I want more audiobooks like this one.

[Irene Well Worth A Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sleeping evil in a small mining town has awakened after getting a taste of blood. Now the dead don't stay that way and it's up to the sheriff to save his town in this gory and gruesome tale.

This was a totally new experience for me, I have not listened to an audio book in years because back when I did, I was not impressed. I know lots of people enjoy them but for me, it is difficult to pay attention when someone reads to me, especially if I don't like their voice.

However, More Than Evil is nothing like those flat robotic things I tried to listen to a decade ago. It is described as a movie for your ears and I somewhat agree with that but it is more satisfying than trying to listen to a movie with no picture. The rich narration and chilling sound effects remind me more of the old radio shows people listened to before they had tv. Back when there was no picture it was up to the actors and sound effects artists to conjure the images in your imagination. Of course some of the language and more graphic scenes would not have been allowed on the radio in those days, but horror fans of today will likely enjoy this "movie for the ears." I know I did.


I received audio files from the author with no obligation to write a review.

[Escapereality4now · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!! I loved this!

An evil in a small mining town is awakened after getting the taste of blood. It is up to the sheriff to save the town.

“More Than Evil” was a gory, well paced story with a diverse cast of characters. The book starts out with a high octane action scene and maintains the bloody ride throughout.

“More Than Evil” is an extremely unique audiobook. What makes it so unique? The audiobook was theatrical. Richardson was a tv producer who used his experience to create an audiobook that is a movie in your ears. The music and effects really take this audiobook to a whole new level. Every scene becomes vivid. For example, the listener can hear creaks, footsteps and leafs rustling. There was a scene where a character closed the door and you could hear the car door close and footsteps on gravel as the narrator was talking. It really brought the story to life.

I highly recommend this audiobook to any horror reader. It was such a fun experience.

Thank you Bil Richardson for sending me a physical copy.

[Amy Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark and yet, inviting

Richardson pens a thrilling story in More than Evil. I have read work from this author before, and I really enjoyed it, so I wasn't surprised when I also enjoyed this one as well.. The characters were unique and very chilling. This author brings the stories to life. The pace of the story was perfect for this story. I was drawn in from the beginning, and when chapter 1 started with "Revenge is a wonderful thing. When you are in pain it is your comfort. When you are alone it is your companion. When you are hopeless it is your reason to live," I was hooked. Magnificent story, kept this reader turning the pages. A definite attention grabber. The thrills and intrigue is written clearly and the characterizations are engrossing. This story was intriguing and kept the reader guessing. I look forward to reading more by this author. This book is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews.

[J. Vagott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! great read! A real gripping horror novel set in Appalachia. Be sure and check this one out.

[Barb · Rating 2 out of 5]

Be prepared for some blood and gore. It’s not just for the thrill; the nature of the creatures in this book require some rather graphic violence. I don’t usually enjoy this type of scare, but it felt right for this story.

There are some very scary moments in this novel and it definitely falls under the horror genre. It just didn’t have the type of creepy, crawl-under-your-skin that make horror stories click for me.

This is not a book that will haunt me later, but it was a good, quick read.

[Yvonne Crum · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than Evil

Not enough stars. It had me at the first few paragraphs. You will not put this book down. Until you have finished

[J. d'Merricksson · Rating 4 out of 5]

More Than Evil by Bil Richardson is a short read detailing the events that overtake a small mining town after an accident releases an ancient evil. It's up to Sheriff Harlan to try and defeat the risen horror, with the help of his daughter Jessie and her boyfriend Tom.

Richardson certainly has a flair for gore! This was good, cheesy horror fun in the vein of Hunter Shea, with a clever take on genre tropes. I get so bored and irritated with stock monsters like werewolves and vampires. There are plenty of other terrifying beasties in the lore around the world, and more were creatures than just wolves. While never actual labelled as a specific creature, these reminded me of ghouls, or even wendigo a little.

I enjoy the language too. While this is a pretty gore-filled book, there are cool descriptions littered throughout. I loved the comparison of the continuous miner as a hungry dragon. And the opening line of the main story is gold. Definitely a great hook!

'Revenge is a wonderful thing. When you are in pain it is your comfort. When you are alone it is your companion. When you are hopeless it is your reason to live.'

I enjoyed the three main protagonists- Harlan, Jessie, and Tom. I had to warm up to Tom though. He was kinda annoying at first. Understandably sullen, but not handling it well. I tried not to get attached to any characters, knowing that in this subgenre of horror, you aren't even guaranteed that your main character(s) will survive. I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for more by this author.

****Many thanks to the author & publisher for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Blurbed for the Manhattan Book Review.

[Carol · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got this novel from Kindle Unlimited after being contacted by the author via email. There were only a couple of reviews on Goodreads and Amazon, but the story was compared to the work of one of my favorite authors, Stephan King. I was excited to read it. Unfortunately, I saw no comparison at all. King's novels, I find, are character driven and, as King said in one interview, first the reader grows attached to the characters and then the author turns the monsters loose. More Than Evil, however, I would compare to a slasher movie -- lots of blood and gore from the beginning to the end. There was no time to grow attached to any characters since the very, very graphic blood and gore started right away in the prologue and then also in the first chapter. I was also annoyed to find graphic sex/make out scenes. Finally, this novel needs some serious editing -- I was distracted by multiple grammar, tense, and even spelling errors (puss instead of pus, for example). I really wanted to like this book, but it is absolutely not my kind of read at all. Someone else may like it, but it's not for me.

[Jay Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from Hidden Gems. It begins with a disaster at the Puritan Coal Mine that eventually wreaks havoc through the entire town. The supernatural beings resulting from demon possession attack all living things and convert them. Against this backdrop, the adventure of a family torn apart be a divorce plays out. The characters are very realistic and include quite a diverse cast. The writing is simple and clear, doing a great job of creating mental images. The demonic possession seems strange at first, but develops into a logical understanding by the end. This is a great horror story, much better than the same story would have been in a film.

[Bil Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A BOOK 30 YEARS IN THE MAKING

This book had a crazy, tragi/comic 30 year journey to getting released all intertwined with some guy named Stephen King. You can find details about in on my website: www.bilrichardson.com

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was recently approached by Author Bil Richardson for a review of his Audiobook; More than Evil.

I have to say, I enjoyed the listen. Not only has the story been narrated but there are many sounds accompanying the story which can be slightly disconcerting. I think this would add to the experience of any horror fan. Very immersive and a great story. This is also available as a book but obviously there will be differences – for example, you won’t get the sound effects, unless of course your imagination provides them for you!

I will be checking out the book aswell so that I can do a comparison for you, there will no doubt be people who prefer one or the other and I would be curious myself as to which experience I prefer. Audio is definitely a must for avid readers who are simply too busy to sit and relax very often with a physical book, hence why I have started to review more audio. Then there are those who need audio for their own personal reasons. So I like to give a thorough review of formats where possible.

Now, I will say, my copy was a free advanced review copy for the audio file so my experience may differ very slightly to yours, mainly I assume in that I had more files than you will have. Yours will be a seamless production which you’ll open from your audible account.

The book format of this is only 200 pages long, so it’s not the longest read you’re going to come across, I found the audio was good to listen to whilst commuting so much of mine was listened to in the car, or during simple tasks I was doing where it was possible to continue listening.

Either way, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this dark yet inviting tale. There are many characters involved in this story but each gets their moment. I do personally prefer less characters to keep track of in most books, however it does come together nicely and the author has the skill to handle this. This Audio is put together very nicely and is well performed.

It is worth being aware that there is some quite graphic violence in this book, as per the nature of the creatures lurking within the tale, and there is also a disaster detailed in it which some may find uncomfortable, as it involves a mining incident. So, as always, read responsibly.

I have noticed a difference between British and American Narrators on audiobooks, and I find it an interesting one. British Narrators are often quite softly spoken, where American Narrators tend to have a much more Showman like way of putting the story across. Think, Gameshow host. This does have an effect on my initial perception of the book, which is why I’m mentioning it. Just to let you know that if you have found this difference as jarring as I have, it is worth continuing with the book – you will get used to it. The only reason it can feel jarring is that we’re not used to it, and I’m sure that many of those readers who are more used to listening to this style of narration feel the same about the softer spoken story time style readers. One thing I will say, is I didn’t have to turn my radio up so high for this one!

In all, I had a great time listening to this book, I loved the added sound effects and general feel of the story and I’d definitely recommend giving it a look in whichever format you feel most comfortable!

[Pan | Book Reviews and Recommendations · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bil Richardson was kind enough to send me an audio copy of 'More than Evil', his terrific horror novel for review.

All hell breaks loose when an evil supernatural entity that has been imprisoned in the Earth for ages, is released in a small town.

This evil force is unleashed to ravage, destroy and decimate all things that sum up to a town and ultimately the world.
Harlan, the town's sheriff takes matters in his hands in order to rid the world of this unspeakable evil, saving the woman he loves and his town.

What follows, is knuckle whitening, sheer horror, that provides a splendid audio experience as the audiobook features a 3D soundscape packed with music and effects and narrated by Sky Soleil who does an amazing job on keeping an ideal pace and puts the listener right in the middle of the action.
Richardson's years of experience as a film and TV producer, really elevate this audiobook to the levels of a supreme blockbuster movie happening in your ears.

The story is intense and flows as the body count increases chapter by chapter until the very satisfying end of this horror delight that will keep you nailed on your seat.

A fantastic horror experience of a book, the way I love it. A fun and dark read that does not hold back on the creepy, bloody factor. A captivating story in every possible way and especially one you have to experience as the quality of this audiobook is truly amazing.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

MORE THAN EVIL was more than gory and in spots, more than scary. MORE THAN EVIL is the rather short (~ 200 pages) debut novel of Bill Richardson who has published other stuff in other genres previously. It is a Stephen King-like story of an ancient evil disturbed and release from a coal mine in a small West Virginia town. It is fairly standard fare, except for the unrelenting scenes of grisly, gory horror perpetrated by zombie-like undead that are all reanimated by some ill-defined thing-from-the-bottom-of-the-pit. There are many characters introduced, but only 3 of them are still standing at the end. The rest, well, you know how zombies are.

It's not bad for a debut. The writing is pretty much OK, although I think Richardson can and will improve. I don't recall much hard language and there is no sex, so if straight up mayhem is your thing, I predict you'd like it. A solid 3 stars.

Disclosure:
I read this as an .mobi (Kindle) file gifted to me by the author after contacting me and asking if I were interested in a read.

JM Tepper

[NoNo JoJo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Preface: I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review
Explicit content: Gore, gore, gore, violence, death, sexual content

The author said somewhere that this novel took 20 years or so to come to fruition, which puzzles me, because there's not really much unique about it. It's pretty much a paint-by-numbers horror story. From the opening pages and introduction of our main character, you can pretty much guess exactly what happens throughout the rest of the novel. There's no cleverness or ingenuity - everything is for shock value. At one point, a demon yells "Satan was a (p-word for woman's anatomy) compared to me, (b word)" to an elderly nun before incinerating her - that pretty much tells you all you need to know.

Overall, not much to say. If you just want a gory romp about demons and whatnot, this will hit the spot. If you want literally anything else, stay away.

[Megan Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

More Than Evil by Bil Richardson is not the first book I read by the author. I can say that I love his vivid descriptions and his characters. More than evil is a fantastic horror, terrifying and absolutely immersing. I highly recommend it to the fans of the genre!

[Danni Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sheriff Harlan, Jessie and Tom had to go through a lot for sure! This book kept me on edge sooo many times. The plot is twisted and unexpected, horrifying and yet super interesting. I enjoyed the book and the writing style. I recommend More Than Evil and my rate is well deserved 4.6 stars.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

WoW! That was good! I don’t read very many Horror genres if any, mainly thrillers, but I’m glad I read this one!