Pitfall

by Ronald Kelly

They were called diablos hoyos. Vicious black-furred beasts that fought in the pit with the raw fury and savage ferocity of Satan himself. For their owners, they were a lucrative investment. For the people of Sulphur Springs, Texas, they were the best entertainment they’d had in a long while.

For Bowie Kane, they were his worst nightmare come true. He alone recognized the dark and ravenous evil that his Apache ancestors had foretold. But Bowie Kane was an outsider in Sulphur Springs. No one would listen to his warnings. And now it was too late to avert the rampage of carnage and terror unleashed on an unsuspecting town.

Genres: Horror

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Ronald Kelly was born and raised in the hills and hollows of Middle Tennessee. He became interested in horror as a child, watching the local "Creature Feature" on Saturday nights and "The Big Show"---a Nashville-based TV show that presented every old monster movie ever made ---in the afternoons after school. In high school, his interest turned to horror literature and he read such writers as Poe, Lovecraft, Matheson, and King. He originally had dreams of becoming a comic book artist and created many of his own superheroes. But during his junior year, the writing bug bit him and he focused his attention on penning short stories and full-length novels. To date, he has had thirteen novels and twelve short fiction collections published. In 2021, his extreme horror collection, THE ESSENTIAL SICK STUFF, won a Splatterpunk Award for Best Collection.

He currently lives in Brush Creek, Tennessee with his wife, young'uns, and an ultra-hyper Jack Russel named Toby.

Reviews

[Karl]

This copy is 98 of 198 printed, and is book number 5 in the Essential Ronald Kelly Collection from Thunderstorm Books.

[oddo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something like a Native American-focused interpretation of the 1986 horror film, Critters, stripped of it's sci-fi elements, and in it's place, mysticism and demonic Tasmanian devils. Heady, enthralling, and graphic, Pitfall's juggling act of vivid characters against the backdrop of fictional myth, but always mentioned with a breath of respect, is boastworthy, as far as I'm concerned; taking to task some truly repellant antagonistic characters and meeting bigotry with ravenous, unholy hunger. Delicious. Cathartic. Cinematic.

[Squire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast-paced and gory, this little thriller is a lot of fun. Nothing too deep, but author Kelly knows how to spin a cool yarn. The short story provides a nice coda to the whole thing.

[Emily Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A small town in Texas faces monsterous little creature's stright out of Apache legend. Can the pit Devils be defeated?

[DJMikeG · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an extremely entertaining, fast moving thriller set in West Texas by talented Southern horror writer Ronald Kelly. This book would make an awesome movie with the right people at the helm. You really can't go wrong with Ronald Kelly, he's and awesome writer!

[Kilgallen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gem of a horror tale. I loved the tone of this one. The characters were very believable in their flaws and the dialogue was very well done. I liked the respectful nods to first nations myth and culture as well. Excellent pacing and just the right amount of violence and gore...not over the top, but enough to be noticed.

[Bryn Grover · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had this via Audible. This was a good story by master of horror Ron Kelly. The only thing that keeps me from 5 stars isn't Ron's story. It is the narration. The narrators voice and style bored diminished my experience and took away from the writing. It took me a long time to get through it just because of the narration. I think I'll pick up a physical copy to read so I can enjoy it more.

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Tea Time With Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

tw for animal abuse....