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Autumn Gothic
In San Francisco, Sierra falls in love with her favorite author. After learning that Vivian Kane grew up in a haunted house, she persuades Vivian to take her to the mansion in West Virginia, where they encounter a savage entity known as the Sorceress of Night.
In Los Angeles, Delilah—a celebrated musician—kills humans as sacrifices to the ancient gods of death. When Mark—her guitar player—discovers her evil ways, she gives him two choices: leave California, or become her next victim. He flees, and then Delilah changes her mind, killing people across America while pursuing him as he travels east. After she tracks him to a mansion in the mountains of West Virginia, monsters both human and inhuman collide on Halloween night.
In Los Angeles, Delilah—a celebrated musician—kills humans as sacrifices to the ancient gods of death. When Mark—her guitar player—discovers her evil ways, she gives him two choices: leave California, or become her next victim. He flees, and then Delilah changes her mind, killing people across America while pursuing him as he travels east. After she tracks him to a mansion in the mountains of West Virginia, monsters both human and inhuman collide on Halloween night.
345 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 2, 2022
8 people are currently reading
366 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
August 3, 2023
Oh why oh why, have I never previously read any of Brian Bowyer’s work?!!
The man is a gifted author, and writes a lot from experience, and some readers will find that they can somewhat relate to the flawed characters in this book.
Mark has fled California, as he has found out that his girlfriend/bandmate Delilah, kills humans as sacrifice to the ancient Gods of death, and after giving him an ultimatum, decides to hunt him down anyway.
This is an exhilarating ride full of drugs, booze, sex, violence, with everything and more, we come to expect from an extreme horror...and Brian totally “nails” it!!
I’m looking forward to reading more from this author, and can’t recommend this highly enough.
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The man is a gifted author, and writes a lot from experience, and some readers will find that they can somewhat relate to the flawed characters in this book.
Mark has fled California, as he has found out that his girlfriend/bandmate Delilah, kills humans as sacrifice to the ancient Gods of death, and after giving him an ultimatum, decides to hunt him down anyway.
This is an exhilarating ride full of drugs, booze, sex, violence, with everything and more, we come to expect from an extreme horror...and Brian totally “nails” it!!
I’m looking forward to reading more from this author, and can’t recommend this highly enough.
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
April 30, 2022
Give me a hit of that, Brian Bowyer.
Reading Brian is like riding a zipline without any safety gear. Autumn Gothic puts the extreme in extreme horror. I can’t say enough about Autumn Gothic, it was a fast paced, fantastic read. From the bright lights of LA to the wooded hills of West Virginia, the carnage never stops. Brian has yet to let me down and he didn’t this time either. If you don’t already have it, grab a copy right away. Highly recommended.
Reading Brian is like riding a zipline without any safety gear. Autumn Gothic puts the extreme in extreme horror. I can’t say enough about Autumn Gothic, it was a fast paced, fantastic read. From the bright lights of LA to the wooded hills of West Virginia, the carnage never stops. Brian has yet to let me down and he didn’t this time either. If you don’t already have it, grab a copy right away. Highly recommended.
October 21, 2022
Brian Bowyer is an author with a unique style of storytelling - there are no words wasted, no attempts to distract from the story with red herrings, we get only what is needed - the story in its purest form. I'm a firm believer that if you read one Brian Bowyer book and you love it, then you will love anything he writes, just like me. I don't foresee myself ever giving his work less than 5 stars, so if that makes me biased, well brand me biased. (I can direct you to several other reviews of his books where the reviewers feel the same way, so mayhaps I'm not wrong, lol)
AUTUMN GOTHIC has multiple plotlines introduced that later converge into one with a chilling conclusion: San Francisco artist Sierra goes to a book signing of an author she loves, Vivian Kane, and the two find themselves in the midst of a whirlwind romance. Over in L.A., Mark discovers the true nature of his girlfriend Delilah, which results in a break-up, him getting kicked out of the band AND an ultimatum he leave town before he loses his life. West Virginia is where it all comes together - in a haunted mansion where the things that go bump in the night have shifted from harmless to heinous.
I loved this book so much. I love how Brian writes his characters - matter of fact, succinct. These characters are so flawed - they know what their flaws are and they accept who and what they are. I kinda love that maybe there will be a drug addict who has a friend who shoots up with them rather than staging an intervention because that's just life. A lot of times the focus is on the recovery, not the throes of it.
I love Brian Bowyer's writing so much that he gets a pass on some things he pulls that normally has me upset. In this case, there was some animal abuse implied along with animal deaths (dogs). I have a really hard time with any kind of animal death, but Brian is forgiven. It fit into the storyline and I can't fault him for doing what needed to be done to make the storyline work in that regard if I'm lauding him for doing it with his characters. That's about the highest praise I can give this author.
I found myself grinning with glee throughout the majority of this story because it was soaked in violence, gore and alcohol.
AUTUMN GOTHIC has multiple plotlines introduced that later converge into one with a chilling conclusion: San Francisco artist Sierra goes to a book signing of an author she loves, Vivian Kane, and the two find themselves in the midst of a whirlwind romance. Over in L.A., Mark discovers the true nature of his girlfriend Delilah, which results in a break-up, him getting kicked out of the band AND an ultimatum he leave town before he loses his life. West Virginia is where it all comes together - in a haunted mansion where the things that go bump in the night have shifted from harmless to heinous.
I loved this book so much. I love how Brian writes his characters - matter of fact, succinct. These characters are so flawed - they know what their flaws are and they accept who and what they are. I kinda love that maybe there will be a drug addict who has a friend who shoots up with them rather than staging an intervention because that's just life. A lot of times the focus is on the recovery, not the throes of it.
I love Brian Bowyer's writing so much that he gets a pass on some things he pulls that normally has me upset. In this case, there was some animal abuse implied along with animal deaths (dogs). I have a really hard time with any kind of animal death, but Brian is forgiven. It fit into the storyline and I can't fault him for doing what needed to be done to make the storyline work in that regard if I'm lauding him for doing it with his characters. That's about the highest praise I can give this author.
I found myself grinning with glee throughout the majority of this story because it was soaked in violence, gore and alcohol.
April 15, 2024
This book deserves all the praise! I always look forward to reading Brian's work. I know, I am always in for a hell-of-a-ride when it comes to his stories. This was a fast-paced, drug and booze induced, thrill of an adventure from start to finish. I had a special sense of appreciation for all of the characters. All of them were beautifully flawed. If I could give this more than 5 stars, I would.
May 16, 2022
Read AUTUMN GOTHIC over the weekend, and thoroughly enjoyed my first dive into Bowyer's work. What a suspenseful, fast-paced story filled with with intriguing characters, tons of gore, and creative methods of death. Bowyer's writing style is concise and engaging - stripped down to the bone without feeling light - and his grasp of how to satisfyingly unravel a tale is spot on. Will definitely be looking into his previous works in the near future.
November 22, 2022
Incredible!
Wow! This is my first read of Brian's and what a hell of a way to start! If this is any indication to the greatness of his other works, then I have a library to get through. Brian comes in hard and has written in a way that keeps me flipping pages without end. I don't typically read through novels of this size as quickly, but this one just pulled me in. What makes this one special is that it takes place on Halloween and what's more, the extreme edge that keeps the story racing. Brutal, unrelenting, no time for wasting words, just pure meat and fantastic prose. Brian- cheers
Wow! This is my first read of Brian's and what a hell of a way to start! If this is any indication to the greatness of his other works, then I have a library to get through. Brian comes in hard and has written in a way that keeps me flipping pages without end. I don't typically read through novels of this size as quickly, but this one just pulled me in. What makes this one special is that it takes place on Halloween and what's more, the extreme edge that keeps the story racing. Brutal, unrelenting, no time for wasting words, just pure meat and fantastic prose. Brian- cheers
August 9, 2023
A damned good time. Vibes of The Stand, True Romance, Helter Skelter and Bowyer’s unique voice: straight-talking, world-wise, and with a dark dry sense of humor.
Not sure I approve of the message that helping a hot death metal singer summon demons is BAD but I’ll let it slide ;)
Rock and roll, baby
Not sure I approve of the message that helping a hot death metal singer summon demons is BAD but I’ll let it slide ;)
Rock and roll, baby
October 31, 2022
A Truly Wild Ride!
This was my first read from Brian Bowyer and it won’t be my last! With snappy chapters and a cast of unlikeable characters doing icky awful things, this book was true brain candy.
This was my first read from Brian Bowyer and it won’t be my last! With snappy chapters and a cast of unlikeable characters doing icky awful things, this book was true brain candy.
October 16, 2022
Jarred in the best way by this mad descent. Bowyer's style is immensely readable, and he draws you into the sordid world of Autumn Gothic with a breathless pull. On page one, you're in the train car with Vivian and Sierra, and you know you're in for a ride. The characters are vivid, the relationships addictive, the dialogue natural, the plot flowing, transitions between characters seamless, the violence explosive, and the horrors unexpected and satisfying. This novel crept through me and wrapped me on the inside. Best enjoyed with a hard drink.
An aside: I particularly liked that the book traveled to Beckley, WV, a town with which I'm very familiar. That was a pleasant surprise.
An aside: I particularly liked that the book traveled to Beckley, WV, a town with which I'm very familiar. That was a pleasant surprise.
November 13, 2022
Well that was just wild AF! This is my first time reading a Bowyer book, and I’ll absolutely be reading his other works. This was a fast paced murderfest full of diabolical characters. As I read on, I wondered how they would all end up connecting in the end because there were multiple storylines going on between a large cast of characters. It all came to an insane and bloody final act that won’t disappoint anyone reading. Bowyer writes in quick, snappy prose with short chapters that keep the reader wanting to turn the page to see what happens next. I recommend this to anyone who loves a bloody good time, full of drugs, murder, and a large cast of characters who come together for the final gore-filled chapters.
July 29, 2022
Autumn Gothic starts out very much rooted in our world - well in the underbelly of it, at least. I found myself wondering where the dark fantasy elements come in. But, with time, as this cast of utterly broken people take their meandering paths towards the end, the speculative elements come into play and the sharp edges of reality fray.
This is a great story which oozes tension and violence from the get go. Short chapters lend it that "just one more chapter" feel, as you are desperate to know who lives and who dies.
And when characters die... well, Bowyer puts it across in this blunt, matter of fact way that only adds to the experience.
My first Brian Bowyer read and categorically not my last. All the stars for this one.
This is a great story which oozes tension and violence from the get go. Short chapters lend it that "just one more chapter" feel, as you are desperate to know who lives and who dies.
And when characters die... well, Bowyer puts it across in this blunt, matter of fact way that only adds to the experience.
My first Brian Bowyer read and categorically not my last. All the stars for this one.
April 20, 2022
This was my second time reading Brian's work and I was not disappointed! A wild ride full of ghosts, booze, blood....and thing you didn't even see coming. It had his signature all over it, but was still different from the last work - which I think is awesome!
Also - WV, amiright? :P
Also - WV, amiright? :P
April 8, 2023
Look this one gripped me so much and the writing just flowed like a water. It read so smooth and freaking fast I randomly look down to see what page I'm on when reading and was shocked everytime to see how far I read in such a short amount of time. This book had so much devastation but the way it was told it felt like you were reading a sweet novel(not softly spoken just so well flowed). The amount of drugs and drinking in this book made me feel like I need rehab without ever touching the substance. Only gripe I have is repeated phrases, but they worked. If you ever watched the movie "Go" this is the book for you!! The way the people intwined with one another made for one giant ball of awesomeness! Thoroughly entertaining the whole read!
November 29, 2022
Can we take a moment to look at this breathtaking cover? It screams autumn and horror. The colors are perfection.
“Autumn Gothic” was my first book by Brian Bowyer and definitely not my last. The book takes place on Halloween. The autumn atmosphere sets the mood. There was a haunted mansion, human monsters and falling leaves.
Once you get past the cover and the book, Bowyer takes the reader on a fast ride. He sets up the extreme horror novel with multiple characters and storylines. The sorcereress of night was my favorite. Everyone was fleshed out extremely well.
All the characters in this book are flawed humans. Those are my favorite. They are realistic. They have genuine struggles, and it makes the narrative believable. The transitions are smooth and seamless.
After it introduced everyone, the book goes full throttle into gore and violence. Brief chapters made it addictive and keep the reader wanting more. The blood soaked story has the an abundant amount of kills with some sex ane drugs thrown into the mix.
I highly recommend this book to any extreme horro reader. The perfect book for Halloween season.
April 18, 2022
Somewhere under the cozy confines of reality exists an underworld where killing is like breathing, where vodka is life, and drugs are food. Autumn Gothic takes that seedy underbelly and blows it wide open spraying guts, gore, and gruesomeness all over the place.
The story starts small, spins its wheels, spraying mud everywhere, and then hurtles forth at a shocking pace that'll leave you as broken as the characters within. The ending is epic, large, and satisfying. A good read. Check it out!
I can't wait to see what Brian come sup with next!
The story starts small, spins its wheels, spraying mud everywhere, and then hurtles forth at a shocking pace that'll leave you as broken as the characters within. The ending is epic, large, and satisfying. A good read. Check it out!
I can't wait to see what Brian come sup with next!
January 24, 2023
I finished this book and immediately decided to read everything the author has ever written. I will be working my way through all of his books and no doubt, I will adore them all. This was a stunning book that deserves much praise and many readers
June 21, 2022
What do you like in a horror novel? An ever-growing body count, like in every chapter? Deaths occurring in every conceivable way? Blood and gore? Decapitations and other assorted mutilations? Face-eating? Serial killers on a cross-country spree? Ghost stories? Otherworldly monsters? Mutants? Lovecraftian elements? Gothic mansions? Labyrinthian basements? Can’t decide? Have I got a book for you. Starting with the jaw-dropping cover, Autumn Gothic by Brian Bowyer goes from zero to sixty in a couple of seconds and only picks up steam from there. The prose is pared down, like with a boning knife, providing little resistance to a fast-paced story. That’s not to say that the story lacks in craftsmanship. There is a deliciously employed theme/catchphrase. Used sparingly early on, it shows up more and more frequently as the story reaches the last chapters. I won’t say what it is, so that future readers can get the full effect. I’ll just say that I now want that line printed on a t-shirt. And, I really think I need to start drinking straight from the bottle. With a friend.
November 28, 2023
It's like everyone in this book is constantly guzzling vodka straight out the bottle, smoking crack or meth, snorting bath salts, murdering someone, or all of the above. Heck, I think even the pit bull puppies were snortin’ bath salts and poppin’ caps in dudes’ faces. (Okay, okay, so maybe the pupperz weren’t on bath salts—but, man, I don’t even know.)
This was my first time reading a book by Brian Bowyer, and I enjoyed myself plenty. In the uniquely stylized world of Autumn Gothic—a world populated by a cast of broken characters who generally don’t get all that disturbed by brutal violence or amazed at the presence of the supernatural—Bowyer delivers a fast-paced story of substance abuse, people abuse, and ghostly horror told in a lean but lucid prose style that kept me turning the pages. A darkly entertaining ride.
This was my first time reading a book by Brian Bowyer, and I enjoyed myself plenty. In the uniquely stylized world of Autumn Gothic—a world populated by a cast of broken characters who generally don’t get all that disturbed by brutal violence or amazed at the presence of the supernatural—Bowyer delivers a fast-paced story of substance abuse, people abuse, and ghostly horror told in a lean but lucid prose style that kept me turning the pages. A darkly entertaining ride.
June 14, 2023
Wanna take a wild, gory, drug-induced, fast-paced ride with monsters, serial killers, and people who crave eating the flesh right off people’s faces? Then look no further, this extreme horror novel has it all. Brian’s unique storytelling and prose will have your heart racing. This isn’t for the faint of heart. In fact, I had to pause a few times. And several times while reading, I kept hearing Drowning Pool’s song Bodies in my brain.
Update: It also won the Bronze award for best Novel in the 2023 Godless Awards!
Update: It also won the Bronze award for best Novel in the 2023 Godless Awards!
May 19, 2022
Brian Bowyer is not just someone pushing the boundaries in horror at the moment, he is pushing himself. Autumn Gothic is absolutely terrific from start to finish. His writing has seriously gone up another gear here. Brutal doesn't even cut it. No one is safe. It's trigger warnings galore.
Buy it. It's off the charts.
One to get you out of that reading slump for sure.
5 stars all the way.
Buy it. It's off the charts.
One to get you out of that reading slump for sure.
5 stars all the way.
April 16, 2022
Bodies are falling like autumn leaves.
A massive haunted mansion in the mountains of West Virginia provides the venue where humans, monsters, red-eyed wolves, and many more collide on Halloween night.
Blazing, blood-red eyes, vicious teeth drippig with blood and long black hair, the Sorceress of Night has a penchant for devouring children, and grows larger with every meal. She is impervious to bullets and uses telepathy to control humans, monsters, and animals.
This latest extreme horror novel by Brian Bowyer has the most kills of the past four books I’ve read—bodies are falling like autumn leaves. It is by far my favorite Halloween horror novel because of the Sorceress of Night. This is a must-read. Kudos to the cover designer for capturing the image of the Sorceress.
Even the ending has a twist, which I loved. Highest recommendation.
A massive haunted mansion in the mountains of West Virginia provides the venue where humans, monsters, red-eyed wolves, and many more collide on Halloween night.
Blazing, blood-red eyes, vicious teeth drippig with blood and long black hair, the Sorceress of Night has a penchant for devouring children, and grows larger with every meal. She is impervious to bullets and uses telepathy to control humans, monsters, and animals.
This latest extreme horror novel by Brian Bowyer has the most kills of the past four books I’ve read—bodies are falling like autumn leaves. It is by far my favorite Halloween horror novel because of the Sorceress of Night. This is a must-read. Kudos to the cover designer for capturing the image of the Sorceress.
Even the ending has a twist, which I loved. Highest recommendation.
September 17, 2023
A booze filled blood bath of a wild ride!!
Autumn Gothic grabs you and doesn't let go till it's all over.
Once I embarked on this wild ride, I couldn't stop turning pages, dying to know what would happen next.
An ingenious story, like nothing I've ever read.
The author has a wild imagination that drips terror from the pages. The world he creates is unique, dark, and terrifying.
The characters are interesting, crazy, and totally entertaining.
I've never read anything like Autumn Gothic, and I'm sure when I pick up my next Brian Bowyer book, I'll be saying the same thing.
Autumn Gothic grabs you and doesn't let go till it's all over.
Once I embarked on this wild ride, I couldn't stop turning pages, dying to know what would happen next.
An ingenious story, like nothing I've ever read.
The author has a wild imagination that drips terror from the pages. The world he creates is unique, dark, and terrifying.
The characters are interesting, crazy, and totally entertaining.
I've never read anything like Autumn Gothic, and I'm sure when I pick up my next Brian Bowyer book, I'll be saying the same thing.
November 25, 2024
Bowyer does a great job mixing transgressive and horror together in his unique style. Autumn Gothic is a great unique haunted house story with well developed characters.
April 24, 2023
Autumn Gothic follows several characters stories as they head toward an explosive convergence of paths.
Sierra meets her favourite horror author, Vivian, and they embark on a journey of passion and creative force as they travel to Vivian’s moms haunted mansion in West Virginia.
Greg is an aging but still adept underground fighter. His son, Mark, is in a heavy metal band until he clashes with the lead singer Delilah when he discovers how nefarious she really is. He flees and his travels take him and his dad to the mansion as well. Pursuing Mark is Delilah and she slaughters her way East in his wake.
An entity awaits them all, the Sorceress of Night. Things reach a crescendo Halloween night and blood will flow.
This story is gritty, sexy and gory. I loved some characters and despised others, as Brian has a way of bringing them to glorious life.
I loved the mix of folklore, haunting and serial killer/slasher elements that are all expertly woven into a unique and compelling tale. This book would appeal to a broad range of horror enthusiasts and I highly recommend it!
Sierra meets her favourite horror author, Vivian, and they embark on a journey of passion and creative force as they travel to Vivian’s moms haunted mansion in West Virginia.
Greg is an aging but still adept underground fighter. His son, Mark, is in a heavy metal band until he clashes with the lead singer Delilah when he discovers how nefarious she really is. He flees and his travels take him and his dad to the mansion as well. Pursuing Mark is Delilah and she slaughters her way East in his wake.
An entity awaits them all, the Sorceress of Night. Things reach a crescendo Halloween night and blood will flow.
This story is gritty, sexy and gory. I loved some characters and despised others, as Brian has a way of bringing them to glorious life.
I loved the mix of folklore, haunting and serial killer/slasher elements that are all expertly woven into a unique and compelling tale. This book would appeal to a broad range of horror enthusiasts and I highly recommend it!
June 29, 2022
Great story!
I really like this story. I can stay this, with self published Amazon authors, you never know the quality of the writing. This is the first over I've read in forever that I haven't had to turn in any content problems. A+
I really like this story. I can stay this, with self published Amazon authors, you never know the quality of the writing. This is the first over I've read in forever that I haven't had to turn in any content problems. A+
April 16, 2022
You like your horror straight up, no chaser? Then Brian Bowyer is your kind of writer! Autumn Gothic is a thrill ride of death, drugs, death, drink, death, sex, death, ghosts, death, demons, and death. With a feel-good uplifting ending (sorta).
This book was like a night at a good drive-in movie (google it, kids). It also has a bit of a video-game feel to it (a really dark one that makes the fine folks at the School Board clutch their pearls and wail about the threat to our way of life). Reading a book like this feels like a revolutionary act. As Joe Bob Briggs (google him, kids) would say--check it out!
Oh, and let me hit that vodka.
This book was like a night at a good drive-in movie (google it, kids). It also has a bit of a video-game feel to it (a really dark one that makes the fine folks at the School Board clutch their pearls and wail about the threat to our way of life). Reading a book like this feels like a revolutionary act. As Joe Bob Briggs (google him, kids) would say--check it out!
Oh, and let me hit that vodka.
February 19, 2023
This was my first book by Brian, I was drawn to him because he has some stunning book covers, I know, I know, don't judge a book by its cover! Well, in this case it was very much worth it!! This won't be my last read from him by a long shot!! 🖤
This was an insane ride, it packed a powerful punch, was fast paced, violent, brutal, supernatural, gothic, dark, disturbing, intense and completely addictive. A brutal tale of sex, drugs and death metal! And that's just for starters….
Vivian is a horror author who meets a fan on the train, called Sierra. They get chatting and proceed to embark on a whirlwind romance that eventually leads to a trip to Vivian's mothers haunted mansion. A mansion that holds a lot of secrets, and a lot of ghosts, but that's not all, not by a long shot! The once mischievous spirits are becoming more hostile….
Delilah is the singer in a death metal band, and she has a very dark secret. When her drummer Mark stumbles upon this secret, she tells him to get out of town, that very night, or to suffer the horrific consequences. On his mission to leave however, Mark comes across some really nasty and brutal situations. And when he meets Lauren things get even worse.. Delilah has also made it her mission to track him down anyway, if it's the last thing she does, and on her way to him, with the help of a new friend, they go on a random, murderous rampage with her sights set on him alone and no thought for anyone who crosses her path!
Marks Dad Greg, is a fighter, one that isn't afraid to fight to the death if needs be. When all their lives converge at the mansion, it's a reunion like no other!! Where what's beneath the house, in the caverns and dark tunnels, is waiting to fulfill a centuries old hunger!
I had no idea where this story was headed, there were so many brilliant twists and turns and twisted scenarios. Anything could and did happen in this story, quite often with a big impact! And it all came together in a brutal blaze of glory one Halloween night!
Bowyer gives absolutely NO fucks! He just keeps smacking you in the face with the barbarity and savageness! Merciless, unrelenting characters and narrative, and crystal clear imagery, makes for a no holds barred read, that is full of action, torture, sacrifice, and demons, and is fast paced, smooth flowing and very descriptive. Lots of different storylines all intertwine and are easy to follow. Some are shocking, some are satisfying, ALL are brutal!!
Don't go getting attached to any of the characters because absolutely NO ONE IS SAFE!!!!
This was an insane ride, it packed a powerful punch, was fast paced, violent, brutal, supernatural, gothic, dark, disturbing, intense and completely addictive. A brutal tale of sex, drugs and death metal! And that's just for starters….
Vivian is a horror author who meets a fan on the train, called Sierra. They get chatting and proceed to embark on a whirlwind romance that eventually leads to a trip to Vivian's mothers haunted mansion. A mansion that holds a lot of secrets, and a lot of ghosts, but that's not all, not by a long shot! The once mischievous spirits are becoming more hostile….
Delilah is the singer in a death metal band, and she has a very dark secret. When her drummer Mark stumbles upon this secret, she tells him to get out of town, that very night, or to suffer the horrific consequences. On his mission to leave however, Mark comes across some really nasty and brutal situations. And when he meets Lauren things get even worse.. Delilah has also made it her mission to track him down anyway, if it's the last thing she does, and on her way to him, with the help of a new friend, they go on a random, murderous rampage with her sights set on him alone and no thought for anyone who crosses her path!
Marks Dad Greg, is a fighter, one that isn't afraid to fight to the death if needs be. When all their lives converge at the mansion, it's a reunion like no other!! Where what's beneath the house, in the caverns and dark tunnels, is waiting to fulfill a centuries old hunger!
I had no idea where this story was headed, there were so many brilliant twists and turns and twisted scenarios. Anything could and did happen in this story, quite often with a big impact! And it all came together in a brutal blaze of glory one Halloween night!
Bowyer gives absolutely NO fucks! He just keeps smacking you in the face with the barbarity and savageness! Merciless, unrelenting characters and narrative, and crystal clear imagery, makes for a no holds barred read, that is full of action, torture, sacrifice, and demons, and is fast paced, smooth flowing and very descriptive. Lots of different storylines all intertwine and are easy to follow. Some are shocking, some are satisfying, ALL are brutal!!
Don't go getting attached to any of the characters because absolutely NO ONE IS SAFE!!!!
May 25, 2023
I’ll start off by saying that if this book is your jam, great, have a good time. It wasn’t mine. There will be spoilers.
First off, we have the title and summary.
In San Francisco, Sierra falls in love with her favorite author. After learning that Vivian Kane grew up in a haunted house, she persuades Vivian to take her to the mansion in West Virginia, where they encounter a savage entity known as the Sorceress of Night.
In Los Angeles, Delilah—a celebrated musician—kills humans as sacrifices to the ancient gods of death. When Mark—her guitar player—discovers her evil ways, she gives him two choices: leave California or become her next victim. He flees, and then Delilah changes her mind, killing people across America while pursuing him as he travels east. After she tracks him to a mansion in the mountains of West Virginia, monsters both human and inhuman collide on Halloween night.
Okay, things I like. The idea of a plotline that focuses on people going to work at a haunted mansion. Pets allowed, sweet pit bulls, a romance writer who lives in the mansion and has a horror writer daughter. Sounds like a great gothic plotline.
A completely separate story where a serial killer musician goes on a killing spree. Culty vibes and bloody rituals abound. Flesh it out with awesome characters who are three-dimensional and you have something there.
This was not that.
This promises the reader a bit of gothic via a spooky haunted mansion where we follow a writer, Vivian, and her very sudden new girlfriend, Sierra. They’ve just met and are so made for each other that Sierra decides to take a plane to stay with Vivian at her mother’s mansion across the country. Meanwhile, they are constantly drunk or having sex. This is a quarter into the book and I barely know anything about these characters. Vivian is a horror writer who drinks, Sierra lives in San Francisco..and drinks. I was excited about the premise of going to a haunted house and encountering a spirit, but so far most of the introduction seems unnecessary and doesn’t add to the characters at all. There’s a whole chapter about how one of them is terrified of being in a plane, thinking about all the horrible ways she could die. I personally find this kind of boring. I want to see and feel and smell the blood. Having a character go through this without much emotion was not my style.
I’ll come back to the gore aspect as I want to talk about the second plotline first.
Technically, there are three different plot threads. We have Greg and Mark, a father and son who are states apart from each other, but somehow almost the same character. Greg is sad about his wife’s lost battle with cancer and as a result, he drinks and does drugs. The career that he keeps up with is boxing. Again, a quarter into this book and I don’t really understand why he’s even a character.
I had high hopes for this when I read the early chapter where Mark refuses to kill for Delilah, and then is basically told to leave the city or risk death. I imagined he would bolt as any person in their right mind would. So I was baffled when he goes to an abandoned church to get some drugs first because…he was drinking while trying to leave the city but decides that to clear his head he needs some hard drugs that he “usually doesn’t” use. There’s a bath salts scene that would’ve been okay with a few more details, he shoots some people and leaves with the drugs and the cash. Here’s the thing. Delilah doesn’t just “change her mind”. He kills some people and then finally leaves the city. If he’d just done what she’d asked and left immediately, he wouldn’t have gotten on her shit list, instead, he poked the bear. And then..we have his entire character drinking til he blacks out, doing several kinds of hard drugs while driving for hours. No food, no water, subsisting off of pure energy that somehow has no effects on him except to keep him awake the entire drive. At some point the repetition of drive, meth, cocaine, whiskey, pass out, repeat got super old for me. Is this considered extreme?
The other thing I’ll talk about is the lack of music
The music elements promised. We have an evil metal musician. I was looking forward to having more music elements in this story and so far there are almost none. It doesn’t feel metal compared to other metal/music horrors I’ve read. We get a band that never plays, mentions of a guitar, and a casual throwaway line about listening to Cannibal Corpse and Slayer.
And the gore. So far, we’ve got a bath salts face-eating scene, Greg killed a guy and buried them with the emotion of a wet sponge, not to mention the girl helping him, Alicia, also has zero personality. She has a sweet pit bull which could have been a good thing, but her personality stops there. Oh, and let’s talk about the scene where Lauren kills her entire family off-screen. They’re weird, sure. Creepy. They’re rapey and that’s creepy and edgy and extreme. OK, sure. But then Mark wakes up and…she’s just there with some blood on her hands telling him that she killed each of her family with a different weapon while on bath salts. Excuse me? I thought this was extreme horror. Where’s the detailed graphic scene showing us that? I want to feel, smell, and taste the blood. Instead, we get, “I killed my mom with a hammer, killed my dad with a hatchet, and killed my brother with a samurai sword.” That’s a direct quote. And everyone is so high on drugs all the time that they have no emotions except for hysterical laughter.
Okay, so I stopped reading this once I got to the haunted mansion with the extra rapey vibes, kids digging tunnels, and the ghost. I almost kept going because I was hopeful the plot would become more fun, but after one hopeful scene with a ghost it went back to being boring and I couldn’t finish it. There’s a "fun" scene that is smashed into the plot where some mutant shows up in the tunnels just to have a gross mutant hillbilly scene. But I thought this was the ghost plot.
Let’s see, everyone moves into the mansion including Greg, his girlfriend, and Mark. The creepiest part of this book came past the halfway mark with the ghost killing kids to gain sentience. It’s chapter 38.
There are better options for gross and gory books. Clown in a Cornfield was brutal, Manhunt and all of C.V. Hunt’s books prove gross can be written well. I wasn’t into the writing style either what with everyone evacuating their bladders of alcohol every page or so. Or go read John Wayne Communale for some bizzaro goodness. Before buying, I recommend taking a peek at the preview chapters. If it reads how you want it, go for it. If not, skip it for any other gorier book.
First off, we have the title and summary.
In San Francisco, Sierra falls in love with her favorite author. After learning that Vivian Kane grew up in a haunted house, she persuades Vivian to take her to the mansion in West Virginia, where they encounter a savage entity known as the Sorceress of Night.
In Los Angeles, Delilah—a celebrated musician—kills humans as sacrifices to the ancient gods of death. When Mark—her guitar player—discovers her evil ways, she gives him two choices: leave California or become her next victim. He flees, and then Delilah changes her mind, killing people across America while pursuing him as he travels east. After she tracks him to a mansion in the mountains of West Virginia, monsters both human and inhuman collide on Halloween night.
Okay, things I like. The idea of a plotline that focuses on people going to work at a haunted mansion. Pets allowed, sweet pit bulls, a romance writer who lives in the mansion and has a horror writer daughter. Sounds like a great gothic plotline.
A completely separate story where a serial killer musician goes on a killing spree. Culty vibes and bloody rituals abound. Flesh it out with awesome characters who are three-dimensional and you have something there.
This was not that.
This promises the reader a bit of gothic via a spooky haunted mansion where we follow a writer, Vivian, and her very sudden new girlfriend, Sierra. They’ve just met and are so made for each other that Sierra decides to take a plane to stay with Vivian at her mother’s mansion across the country. Meanwhile, they are constantly drunk or having sex. This is a quarter into the book and I barely know anything about these characters. Vivian is a horror writer who drinks, Sierra lives in San Francisco..and drinks. I was excited about the premise of going to a haunted house and encountering a spirit, but so far most of the introduction seems unnecessary and doesn’t add to the characters at all. There’s a whole chapter about how one of them is terrified of being in a plane, thinking about all the horrible ways she could die. I personally find this kind of boring. I want to see and feel and smell the blood. Having a character go through this without much emotion was not my style.
I’ll come back to the gore aspect as I want to talk about the second plotline first.
Technically, there are three different plot threads. We have Greg and Mark, a father and son who are states apart from each other, but somehow almost the same character. Greg is sad about his wife’s lost battle with cancer and as a result, he drinks and does drugs. The career that he keeps up with is boxing. Again, a quarter into this book and I don’t really understand why he’s even a character.
I had high hopes for this when I read the early chapter where Mark refuses to kill for Delilah, and then is basically told to leave the city or risk death. I imagined he would bolt as any person in their right mind would. So I was baffled when he goes to an abandoned church to get some drugs first because…he was drinking while trying to leave the city but decides that to clear his head he needs some hard drugs that he “usually doesn’t” use. There’s a bath salts scene that would’ve been okay with a few more details, he shoots some people and leaves with the drugs and the cash. Here’s the thing. Delilah doesn’t just “change her mind”. He kills some people and then finally leaves the city. If he’d just done what she’d asked and left immediately, he wouldn’t have gotten on her shit list, instead, he poked the bear. And then..we have his entire character drinking til he blacks out, doing several kinds of hard drugs while driving for hours. No food, no water, subsisting off of pure energy that somehow has no effects on him except to keep him awake the entire drive. At some point the repetition of drive, meth, cocaine, whiskey, pass out, repeat got super old for me. Is this considered extreme?
The other thing I’ll talk about is the lack of music
The music elements promised. We have an evil metal musician. I was looking forward to having more music elements in this story and so far there are almost none. It doesn’t feel metal compared to other metal/music horrors I’ve read. We get a band that never plays, mentions of a guitar, and a casual throwaway line about listening to Cannibal Corpse and Slayer.
And the gore. So far, we’ve got a bath salts face-eating scene, Greg killed a guy and buried them with the emotion of a wet sponge, not to mention the girl helping him, Alicia, also has zero personality. She has a sweet pit bull which could have been a good thing, but her personality stops there. Oh, and let’s talk about the scene where Lauren kills her entire family off-screen. They’re weird, sure. Creepy. They’re rapey and that’s creepy and edgy and extreme. OK, sure. But then Mark wakes up and…she’s just there with some blood on her hands telling him that she killed each of her family with a different weapon while on bath salts. Excuse me? I thought this was extreme horror. Where’s the detailed graphic scene showing us that? I want to feel, smell, and taste the blood. Instead, we get, “I killed my mom with a hammer, killed my dad with a hatchet, and killed my brother with a samurai sword.” That’s a direct quote. And everyone is so high on drugs all the time that they have no emotions except for hysterical laughter.
Okay, so I stopped reading this once I got to the haunted mansion with the extra rapey vibes, kids digging tunnels, and the ghost. I almost kept going because I was hopeful the plot would become more fun, but after one hopeful scene with a ghost it went back to being boring and I couldn’t finish it. There’s a "fun" scene that is smashed into the plot where some mutant shows up in the tunnels just to have a gross mutant hillbilly scene. But I thought this was the ghost plot.
Let’s see, everyone moves into the mansion including Greg, his girlfriend, and Mark. The creepiest part of this book came past the halfway mark with the ghost killing kids to gain sentience. It’s chapter 38.
There are better options for gross and gory books. Clown in a Cornfield was brutal, Manhunt and all of C.V. Hunt’s books prove gross can be written well. I wasn’t into the writing style either what with everyone evacuating their bladders of alcohol every page or so. Or go read John Wayne Communale for some bizzaro goodness. Before buying, I recommend taking a peek at the preview chapters. If it reads how you want it, go for it. If not, skip it for any other gorier book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2022
A great read!
I thoroughly enjoyed this one! The story revolves around multiple characters as you learn more about each one, their lives end up colliding in a violent way, with sex,drugs and death metal. Delilah being the worst one as a cold blooded killer that enjoys inflicting pain just for fun. She, along with Leopold go on the hunt for a former band because he refused to participate in one of Delilah's torture victims. It a cross country trek fueled with pain numbing alcohol and drugs that will end in a way that you won't see coming. No spoilers but there's a few twists that will shock you. I highly recommend this one!
I thoroughly enjoyed this one! The story revolves around multiple characters as you learn more about each one, their lives end up colliding in a violent way, with sex,drugs and death metal. Delilah being the worst one as a cold blooded killer that enjoys inflicting pain just for fun. She, along with Leopold go on the hunt for a former band because he refused to participate in one of Delilah's torture victims. It a cross country trek fueled with pain numbing alcohol and drugs that will end in a way that you won't see coming. No spoilers but there's a few twists that will shock you. I highly recommend this one!
April 20, 2022
Autumn Gothic by Brian Bowyer is an extreme horror genre novel – so be warned! If you like your horror violent and bloody, then this book is for you.
The book has a fascinating array of characters, most of whom you would not want to meet, but they are psychologically well-constructed, and it is interesting how their stories weave together through the vodka, drugs, and killings.
Bowyer’s world is harsh, and deaths are plentiful.
Autumn Gothic is a great read for those of a dark disposition.
Highly recommended.
The book has a fascinating array of characters, most of whom you would not want to meet, but they are psychologically well-constructed, and it is interesting how their stories weave together through the vodka, drugs, and killings.
Bowyer’s world is harsh, and deaths are plentiful.
Autumn Gothic is a great read for those of a dark disposition.
Highly recommended.
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