The World Below

by David Peak

Witches, LSD psychosis, and the slippery nature of truth. The World Below is about the limitless horror of grief and the unbreakable bonds of blood. It is a story of occultations, of light and dark, and of unfathomable realities that hide in plain sight.

Two families—the Bowles and the Underhills—are cursed by an act of violence that forever echoes through time, and their long-simmering feud reignites when teenager Ornithan Bowles suddenly disappears. Believing the Underhills responsible, several members of Orn’s family lay siege to the home of their rivals—only to awaken a restless spirit from its prison between two worlds. Now, several years later, Letitia Underhill, fresh out of prison and looking to begin anew, tells her version of events to the host of a prime-time news program in hopes of putting an end to her family’s curse once and for all.

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Fiction, Novels, Witches

178 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 2022

About the author

David Peak is the author of The World Below (Apocalypse Party), Eyes in the Dust and Other Stories (Trepidatio Publishing), Corpsepaint (Word Horde), and The Spectacle of the Void (Schism). He lives in Chicago, where he is working on his next novel.

Reviews

[Jack Tripper · Rating 5 out of 5]

An old, deadly curse plagues two Midwestern families, families that have hated each other for so long that no one even remembers what started the feud, though whispers of witchcraft abound. The curse remembers, or at least whatever is causing the curse does, and it won't stop until both lines are ended.

Another reviewer here remarked on the "bad trip" feel of this novel, and I have to agree. Reading it is like being trapped in a hyperreal nightmare that's inescapable, the outcome inevitable (the fact that two of the principal characters, a young brother and sister, are heavily into LSD certainly adds to this feeling). The relatively short page count allows the tension and eeriness to remain ramped up throughout, but it's still long enough that the reader cares about what happens to the characters.

There's an ominous atmosphere of doom embedded in the pages that reminded me quite a bit of Elizabeth Hand's Wylding Hall, in that one knows something very bad and unnatural is happening or will happen in this story, only just how bad and how unnatural won't become apparent until the end.

My highest recommendation for horror fans.

[Tom Over · Rating 5 out of 5]

Burned through these pages like LSD through a neural cortex. Bleak, noirish, riven by ancient chaos and cosmic annihilation. Everything I look for in a novel.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The World Below is an incredible page turner of a novel. The fascinating, well-rendered characters, all members of two long-feuding families, clash with pyrotechnic, psychedelic, and dynamic results. The World Below puts in mind an unholy but glorious union of William Faulkner's Light in August and Grant Morrison's The Invisibles. Peak's prose is wise, mysterious, and philosophically deep, but is always riveting. My highest recommendation. Don't miss this one!
—Jon Padgett, author of The Secret of Ventriloquism

[Zac Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its been a long, LONG time since I read through a book in one entire sitting. Peak threads psychotropic hysteria in written prose like a dosed up needle through the eye of a dark storm of absolute unease. Reading by failing lamplight into the early morn, I awoke totally wired. As if the narrative itself had been some profoundly intoxicating essence that pervaded me into the dream realm.
David you absolutely smashed this one.

[Ghost Dad]

Much to admire here. I connect most with Peak’s writing when he’s deep in the mystery of his narratives and suffusing them with his now reliably gnarly cosmic bleakness. The powerfully rendered scenes of our hero tripping major balls in Middle-American folk-horror ruins were flat out incredible. Though I felt decidedly less moved by where it all ended up, I dug the fuck out of the journey this took me on.

Also, my personal thanks to David Peak for introducing me to the phrase “coffin birth,” which caused me to briefly pause my reading and cross-reference Metal Archives to determine how many bands have named themselves this. As of the writing of this review, there are five. The more you know.

[David Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immersive, propulsive, tender, and wild -- a great psychedelic horror novel!

[Benjamin Grim · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fucking trip. Witchcraft, blood feuds, and psychonaut travels into the void all bound together by the emotional and flawed nature of the characters, all traits easily identifiable in ourselves or those around us. Absolutely loved this dose of horror.

[W.T.H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The World Below by David Peak...I stayed up late to finish and even later staring towards the ceiling and the blackness surrounding me. His use of language burrows into your skull and under your skin and it happens at some integral point just as your expectations start to settle on the story and the direction you think it's taking. This is an acid fueled witch hunt transforming from a Midwestern Gothic into some mad, cosmic tale of generational revenge and revelation. Unbelievably good, riveting weird horror.
Peak deserves more eyes and more accolades.

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

CORPSEPAINT was one of the most striking horror novels of the last year and it deserves to be much more widely read than it probably is, so I jumped at the chance of reading a new David Peak book. As I've already discovered in my exploration of this author he never does the same thing twice and THE WORLD BELOW is another strange one. Two feuding families (many of which don't know what the spat is about) refuse to forgive and forget, with the multi-generational and timeline story jumping back and forward through time and with different characters. With the main story threaded through a woman recently released from prison about to spill the beans on one particularly notorious incident to the media. You just know it isn't going to end well. And it didn't!

[Russ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real page-turner.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read more nonfiction than fiction, so I tend not to read even shorter novels in 1-2 sittings like I used to. But I read this one in 2 sittings you can bet.

Its like Hatfields and the McCoys with cosmic horror but also so very much more. I can't recommend it enough.

[Ben Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunningly beautiful and euphoric nightmare.
This violent and hypnotic tale of family curses will keep me starry eyed for long time. Ripped my heart out and also warmed it at the same time. So good.

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive an arc for this book from APOCOLYPSE PARTY. David peak (author of corpsepaint) has written excellent book about 2 families and there decades feuding with eachother. Throw cosmic horror, witchcraft, LSD, murder and lots of twists. I highly suggest you all check out. :)

[Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes.

[Joseph (Kevin) Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a ride! My first David Peak and definitely not my last. Still trying to wrap my head around the ending.
two feuding families, horrible internal family dynamics, twins on acid, gothic cosmic horror, anger, violence,bleakness, and great writing. Peak's word economy is excellent. So much going on in just about 170 pages. All of this transpires through the eyes of a number of characters, but Letitia Underhill (something in that name) is at the forefront. Peak keeps us close to her internal processes but not too close so you're not sure how far to trust her.
I also liked the format that can get a bit confusing with the time and narrator chapter switches, but Peak masterfully ties it all together in the harrowing end.
Strongly recommend the nothingness you'll find here!

[Cranky Commentary (Melinda) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t like it either.

A family curse, beginning in the 1800’s, threatens to destroy every last person in two feuding families.

I appreciated the descriptions of LSD trips, and the psychic connection of the teenage twins in the story. Other than that, I found my mind drifting while reading this. I just could not stay engaged with this short book. The characters were difficult to connect with, and the story really did bounce back and forth too much between Lettie’s interview and the past events.

Pretty dark, and just average. Three stars.

[brigid masaire · Rating 5 out of 5]

i really dig gothic but tend to have a hard time with drug novels. i felt a little lukewarm towards the beginning but decided to stick with it.

great decision. the world below absolutely nails both ends of its content. the bad trip element flows so expertly from the sharp emotional content peak works with — heartbreak quickly turns to blood-borne, fate-sealed disaster before the come up lulls you back to a resigned, dull ache.

couldn't put the thing down after that my first bout of timidity. excellent stuff.

[Lloyd Grady · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short story about the accelerating turmoil between two families, exasperated by the mysterious death of a young man. The two families have a history of conflict dating back to the Salem witch trials. I thought it was interesting, although I wish it was more extensive and detailed. For example, the mystery of how the young man dies, is left without an adequate conclusion. This story seems like the first episode of a series.

[melbutnotgibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fever dream. I loved the premise of the cursed family feud, entangled with the madness of potent psychedelics and blood spill. I enjoyed the characters, as well as the fast paced mystery. Also the horror in this book was incredibly clever and disturbing.
My only complaint was towards the end of the book, the decisions made were a bit unrealistic. Nevertheless amazing read! So glad I picked this up.

[Andrew Sikes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cursed families, destined to harm each other. It's a book that has a hum of dread in it even during the calm moments. Waiting for the floor to drop out from under each character.

[Billy Rubin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ending strongly veers off expectations. Overall thoroughly enjoyable read and excellent spooky season fare

[Finnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

About half way through this book I was very suddenly (and rather brutally) hooked...

"Stephen was reminded of how when astronauts in outer space saw the Earth in its entirety for the first time, when they saw it floating out there in outer space, they were overcome by the thought that it was little more than a fragile ball of life. Our giant, teeming world, all of humanity itself, its history, when seen from far enough away, was nothing more than a glowing orb, appearing delicate as glass."

This book is brutal, visceral and eloquent. My closest comparison would be Negative Space and while this book is slightly less nightmarish, it does not hold back on showing you the true bleakness of the world. I want to just paste all the notes I took here as my review but I really don't want to ruin it for everyone
I think I'm discovering new favourite genre might be drug fuelled cosmic horror? These two genres slot together so wonderfully, making the characters and reader really question what is real.
Underneath the horror is a painfully human story, full of tragedy and just people desperately trying to understand how and why they are where they are in the world. And making terrible mistakes. It demands a reread at some point.

Enjoy :)

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy crap, this is brilliant. I love Peak and his bleak fiction and this is him at his best. The blending of feuding families, nihilism, and drugs makes for a dark read, but damn does it get its hooks in you and won't let go until you finish.

What's interesting with this is how much he sneaks in his philosophy while giving us a look at small towns and the families that run them. It's very easy to just focus on this fight and how it can ruin the younger generations, but if you take a second you'll see that Peak is showing us how pointless everything is, how much we are tied to decay. I loved how he did this. Of course there are scenes where this is the only thing discussed, but the way he did it, you could easily see how it might just be these characters trying to figure out their lives.

This is a must.

[Barry Paul Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pitch black story of generations of rivalry and trauma. “…eternal wisdom, undying vengeance, and pure innocence.” There’s the real holy trinity! In conclusion: men are really the worst, aren’t they? Thanks again to Apocalypse Party for putting out some of the best new literature for those who want it heady and heavy.

[VANGLUSS · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Two things borne of one are forever connected."
David Peak, The World Below
"It's ghosts in the building's bones, so many skeletons in the ground."
Billy Woods, Asylum.

To explain this book in a nutshell, imagine A24's Hereditary meets the mythic feud of the Hatfields and McCoys, Some Romeo and Juliet, and just a little pinch of cosmic horror, but not too much as to avoid making the dish too fishy. Got it? Now onto my personal Five for Five, a little thing where I list five things I liked about the novel and five things I did not like about the novel.

Wonderful, Bleak Writing.

"The thing that haunts people, Lettie thought, slipping through the vast unknown, is when they have a vision of completion, when they think they know what completion looks like, or have some idea of what it might feel like. Yet that vision remains unfinished. It’s missing something. The haunting was the missing. It was the absence of God knew what."

Since this is a novel after all, it makes sense to tell you if the baseline writing is garbage or not. Surprise surprise, the writing is not only good, it's phenomenal. Within the pages of The World Below, you will be treated to a constant stream of nonstop writing that is brutal, beautiful, bleak, and haunting. Some of my favorite writing comes from the scene where Letitia and her brother, Stephen, drop acid, and discover just how much they have in common. What follows next are some of the most electrifying descriptions of a drug trip rendered on page, a stiff feat considering literature's weakneness for portraying visuals. Sadly, everything that after this touching scene is not so wonderful.

Well Realized Characters
There are some morally bad characters in this novel, but there are no bad characters if you get what I'm saying. For better and for worse, just about every other character in this novel has some impressive life to them. Their pain, angst, reactions, and actions are often hard to read, but make perfect sense in the context of the novel. You are not going to see much of the author's hand as their characters suffer and perish as the result of their actions.

Interesting Story Structure
The main framing of the story takes place after Letitia is released from prison for doing a terrible thing, and gets the dubious opportunity to star in a nationally syndicated news interview/documentary. With the help of this contemporary framing, the story effortlessly across ageless themes like death, the fragility of life, and grief while featuring several time spans and multiple POVs that aren't disorientating or confusing. There was an almost "cinematic" quality to the structure, which is why I mentioned this novel being like Hereditary not in just tone and content, but structure as well.

Good Pacing
At around 159 pages or so, The World Below is a mean, lean beast. There's plenty of introspection, action, description, and dialogue to go around, but none of these vital elements that lead to a good story took up more space than they should've gotten. Not too fast to shake off the horror and not too slow to make the novel feel longer than it really is. Just right and written with competence.

Utter Surrealism
I initially debated if I should've sheleved this novel in the categories of my Goodreads. This is because The World Below does that trope I love where story events are a freaky, unsettling mix of "this actually happened" or "the characters were so zooted on drugs/clinically insane, they hallucinated everything that happened." I like this trope because it plays with the clashing ideas of the long lost magic of the world, where insane things happened because of demons and what not, clashing with our modern, hyper-rationalist world, where many mysteries that exist can be explained with a quick wikipedia search. The World Below knocked the execution of this theme/mood out of the park. Hard reality dancing with lysergic nightmare logic reigns supreme.

The Ending
I don't really see much to complain about this book, but some minor gripes. Maybe because I have poor reading comprehension that fails me sometimes, but I'm not sure why Letitia killed her husband after she had her child. I thought her shining a national light on the tragic, generational curse inciting murder of one of her ancestors put the curse to rest? Also, I wanted to know more about Orn's death and the circumstances surrounding it. I feel like there were some interesting threads there beyond, "tragic, but mysterious death" that pushes the plot forward.

[Yassin Hammad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a young person, and only very recently have I awoken to seeking an understanding on what it means to be human. I have more than once experienced what it means and feels to be fed and to feed on. The recoding they engendered in me was not as paradigm changing as what facilitated by my reading of this book.

The schizophrenic narrator, the monstrous womb of life, eviscerated the organs from my mind to the point where, halfway through engulfed, I was, for one deadly blink, in the apprehension of her kingdom. I had to step back and meditate on the questions and experiences this book mused in me many multiple times. This is not just a horror tragedy between two rival families; it’s an eldritch comedy. Ruinous pain born of fear and savage bliss born of addiction. I have aphantasia, and during the apotheotic visually visceral scene, I felt regret for not being able to let the scene bleed me out into of its harrowing crimson.

The philosophic backbone giving the drama skeleton is fecund in creative, and intellectual, musings. I will for sure be going back after living some more and understanding more theory, and science.

Organically, this book does a sublime job in painting the theoretical extreme of feminine cognition when its expression of antisocial behaviour is left untampered by the tribe. [Read Curt Doolittle if you are interested understanding more about the cognitive-sex spectrum, he is a titan of our species].

“Lettie allowed the warmth in her heart to pass through her, to become a part of him. And in return, she felt his heart open for her.”

After everything that happened, reading this line engineered me to being slightly more cynical. Despite everything, I have always retained an eager optimism. Not so much anymore, I fear.

I do not say this with a poetic heart, this book positioned on me on the bleeding edge of death and killed me towards a slightly more enlightened life.

Mr Peak, with a distinct honour for your name, thank you for this wretched piece of art.

[Lewis Housley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love David Peak's stories...they remind me of a slightly different version of my own teenage years, with weird/fantastic elements. Good stuff.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐ - it was enjoyable

It was ok, I liked reading it mostly, but it didn't catch my interest a lot

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. Twists I didn't expect!!!

[Wake Island · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out our interview with David on Wake Island