To the Devil, a Cryptid

by Hunter Shea

Down in Texas, even the legends are bigger.

Some say the Goat Man is just an old folk tale, meant to scare people from wandering too far into the woods. For a group of Satanists, crossing the infamous Goat Man's Bridge is the first step to appeasing their Dark Lord. When their sacrifice goes wrong, hell is birthed on Earth. What rises from the ashes under a lightning-slashed sky will crave only two things: to bring about chaos, and bathe in the blood of the dead.

An ex-con, pastry chef, paranormal podcaster and terrified teen fight to stay one step ahead of their destruction as the town around them is crushed under the horns of the horrifying cryptid now possessed by demons from hell. The Goat Man has arrived, and it won't leave until there is nothing left alive.

Genres: Horror, Monsters

161 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 13, 2022

About the author

Hunter Shea is the author of over 25 books, with a specialization in cryptozoological horror that includes The Jersey Devil, The Dover Demon, Loch Ness Revenge and many others. As part of the new horror line at Flame Tree Press, his novel Creature has gained critical acclaim. His novel, The Montauk Monster, was named one of the best reads of the summer by Publishers Weekly. A trip to the International Cryptozoology Museum will find several of his cryptid books among the fascinating displays. Living in a true haunted house inspired his Jessica Backman: Death in the Afterlife series (Forest of Shadows, Sinister Entity and Island of the Forbidden). In 2011, he was selected to be a part of the launch of Samhain Publishing’s new horror line alongside legendary author Ramsey Campbell. When he’s not writing thrillers and horror, he also spins tall tales for middle grade readers on Amazon’s highly regarded Rapids reading app.
An avid podcaster, he can be seen and heard on Monster Men, one of the longest running video horror podcasts in the world, and Final Guys, focusing on weekly movie and book reviews. His nostalgic column about the magic of 80s horror, Video Visions, is featured monthly at Cemetery Dance Online. You can find his short stories in a number of anthologies, including Chopping Block Party, The Body Horror Book and Fearful Fathoms II.

A lifetime New Yorker, Hunter is supported by his loving wife and two beautiful daughters. When he’s not studying up on cryptozoology, he’s an avid explorer of the unknown, having spent a night alone on the Queen Mary, searching for the Warren’s famous White Lady of the Union Cemetery and other mysterious places.
You can follow his travails at www.huntershea.com.

Reviews

[Scott Neumann · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fast paced fun ride. Hunter Shea has done it again, no one does cryptids better.

A bunch of bumbling Satanists accidently raise a demon from hell, and that demon is the Goatman himself. Once raised he tears a swath of death and destruction through the small town. To say anymore will spoil the fun.

Likable characters, more carnage than an 80's horror film. You can't go wrong. Once you've read this you'll want to go through the authors entire backlist.

[Peter Topside · Rating 4 out of 5]

How many times are these pesky Satanists going to bring about a creature capable of such massive destruction?! Well, let’s just assume a lot more. And this time we have the legend of the Goat Man. I originally saw this urban legend on a Monsters and Mysteries in America years ago and it stuck with me. Like how could anyone forget a cryptid like this? And this outing with Hunter Shea actually reminded me of Creature, which was the first book by the author that I ever read. There is a ton of gore, action, and some really great one liners, ie “think positive and stop staring at the goat,” but there was quite a bit if mythology and folklore expored, as well. At first it just seems like a standard monster killing everyone, a la every 80s horror movie, but the story progresses into much more. It does have some minor formatting issues on the Kindle version, and there are a few times that I had to go back to remember who each character was, but otherwise this was a good time. Hunter Shea, please continue to pump these stories out, because I remain a loyal fan!

[Catherine Cavendish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hunter Shea is one of my favourite horror writers. He has the ability to take a familiar concept and turn it around so that it emerges as a unique and masterful story, not just full of scary suspense, although that is there in abundance, but he also imbues his characters - both human and cryptid - with personalities. Shea's world is not inhabited by sparkly vampires but with demons and beasts possessed of real teeth and demonic motivation. To The Devil A Cryptid brings us the legendary Goat Man who, having been summoned, proceeds to wreak havoc in the local community. But there is more to this Goat Man than meets the eye, and a lot more to the story as well.
I loved the way this story developed. It's a fast-paced novella but delivers a thoroughly rounded, satisfying and enjoyable ride. I read it at one sitting and can heartily recommend it.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hunter Shea gonna do what Hunter Shea does: tell bad ass stories about monsters. In TO THE DEVIL, A CRYPTID, Shea creates a cryptid the world has yet discover: The Goat Man. The walking embodiment of evil itself.

In signature Hunter Shea style, this creature feature is chock full of blood-soaked actions and neck breaking violence. Th we res a healthy dose of small-town folksy characters that bring to life the legend of The Goat Man, a cryptid of legend, come to life by chance (a maybe a Satanic ritual gone bad.)

Hunter Shea loves to write about crytids. He's covered The Dover Demom, The Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, and the Jersey Devil, to name a few. Here, he creates his own mythical cryptid to deliver the ultimate cryptid terror. You won't want to wander into the woods to look for your local Yeti after reading this one.

[Syn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bloody, gory, and a fun read. Although there were a couple parts that lost my immersion. One part is two of the characters are lost and they both have lost their phones and are unable to check where they are by gps. But a page later the one character is able to give specific directions on how to get back to the woods even though they are supposedly lost. And then a little while later in the book both characters who had lost their phones while being chased by the goatman magically have their phones back again. There is zero explanation of where they found or how they were not broken after running in terror from a monster. Outside of this I had a fun time reading it.

[Lucian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast and bloody story. A good Goatman story and it’s a quick read.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

TO THE DEVIL, A CRYPTID is a novella that further cements Hunter Shea as my favorite author of all things Crytid. This time around, we have Satanists bringing about a Goatman! Albeit, not at all in the way they planned to do it.... This is where the story goes off on Shea's unique variations from any other you may have heard (although honestly, this is NOT one I had heard much of previously).

Satanist-wannabes, an ex-con, an animal rights advocate, a pastry chef, paranormal podcast man, and a teenager who just wants some spark to her love live, are our main characters for the most part. The novella feels like the perfect format for a story like this--fast paced, and yet detailed enough to stand out in your mind as something truly different. Of course there's plenty of carnage and body parts flying about, but there is also a deeper level to this one, that underscores everything. That detail makes all the difference in whether you'll remember a book, or forget it soon after.

As with the rest of Hunter Shea's Cryptid books, I'll remember the Goatman.

Recommended.

[❀ Crystal ✿ - PEACE ☮ LOVE ♥ BOOKS · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a super quick read laden with carnage and death. After devil worshipers bring something through the veil it changes a man into the famed local legend, Goat Man. The Goat Man has only one thing on the mind and that’s death. To be clear, he does not hold back on who or what he kills. Almost as soon as the book starts so does the death and he reeks havoc for the majority, making a huge dent in the local population. The book varies in POVs but that does not stop any and almost every character from meeting their grisly end.

[Andrew Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so ridiculous and it had no right being as good as it was.

Satanists, a cryptid, demon possession, and zombies almost had me questioning whether Hunter Shea had finally written something that was too crazy to keep me interested. The answer was "no".

[Erica Robyn Metcalf · Rating 5 out of 5]

To the Devil, a Cryptid by Hunter Shea is a tale of blood and total mayhem. And per usual with Hunter Shea, the story is terrifying, but it’s also an absolute blast to read!

Hunter Shea has done it again! His work with cryptids is unmatched.

I highly recommend picking this one up on a day off so you can read cover to cover! I made the mistake of starting it right before bed and had to pause to finish it the next day. Can you bet what I dreamed about that night?! Oh yes… The Goat Man!

This is a must read for fans of violent and intense horror with a bit of a B-Movie vibe.

Enjoy!!

Check out my full review here: https://www.ericarobynreads.com/book-...

[Ethan’s Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

just ok.

I love Goatman stories. My dad would scare the shit out of me with stories of the Goatman while we drove through the dark backroads home.

This wasn’t a bad story. The body count was HIGH, but I honestly couldn’t wait to be done. It just seemed generic and cheesy. I do like this author. So don’t let this review deter you from reading his work.

[Mickey Tompkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun quick read about a group of Satanists that conjure a Goat Man that possess a young man, who in turn reeks havoc onto a small town.

Plenty of characters for body counts and lots of action.

This was an entertaining creature feature, and my first Hunter Shea book which will not be my last. I get his cult like following.

[Emily Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bloody good read

The Goat Man is conjured by some Devil worshipers, but he is more than they except. As he destroys everything near by a group try to stop him. But he is more than a demon. Can they save the town. Unique tale. Amazing characters.

[Terry and dog · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a big pot of horror soup. There is no gently teasing monster foreplay, it is a constant pounding of death and destruction. We don’t get to know much about the characters, but they all play there part well. I was a bit surprised at the end, which I liked. Another fast, easy to read, good, nasty story from Hunter Shea.

[Horror DNA · Rating 4 out of 5]

To The Devil, A Cryptid is one of Hunter Shea’s ‘throwaway’ novels, but the use of that term is not meant to imply negativity. His monster or creature features are pure bubble-gum escapism and are not meant to be taken seriously; most are short novel or novella length and are designed to be devoured quickly with a beer, loud music pumping in the background or with popcorn and junk food on the side-table. These are not deep reads, character-driven, feature complex relationships or have thoughtful conversations on the meaning of life. In fact, they go out of their way to avoid these traits and are better described as the literary equivalent of trashy drive-in movies. Shea has written a bunch in this style and I enjoyed these the most: The Jersey Devil (2016), Rattus New Yorkus (2018), The Devil's Fingers (2018), Ghost Mine (2019), Loch Ness Revenge (2016) and Bigfoot in the Bronx (2021). But take your pick, if there is a monster out there, chances are Hunter Shea has authored a book about it.

You can read Tony's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.

[Steve Wiggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cryptids come in a variety of flavors. There are those widely known and supposed by many to be real (Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, chupacabra), those that have a substantial cultural base (the Jersey devil, Michigan dogman), and those that are based on urban legends (the Loveland frog, Dover demon). Hunter Shea’s cryptid is of the latter variety, the Goat Man of Texas. Told from the viewpoint of some young adults, the story moves along quickly and has a suitable amount of gore.

A group of young people are trying to sacrifice a goat to the Devil. There are local rumors of a Goat Man (I discuss this aspect more in my blog post: Sects and Violence in the Ancient World), but this ceremony goes wrong and the goat fuses with a bystander, creating an actual demonic Goat Man. This cryptid is full of Hell’s fury and goes on a rampage, killing everyone he encounters.

I don’t want to give away too much here, but a couple of young women recognize the human part of the Goat Man. While everyone else is trying to shoot it—that doesn’t work because, well, he’s a cryptid—they try an exorcism instead. This is all in good fun. If you’re looking for a quick read to help get to your Goodreads challenge goal, and if you like horror stories, this one may just fit your bill.

[Heather Horror Hellion · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love Cryptids! I really loved goatman, we have our own goatman around here where they say people hang dead animals to appease the goatman. That's neither here nor there let's get back to the book.

The book was great it was bloody and gross and the goatman well his story was excellent.

Be warned a lot of characters just get destroyed so maybe don't go in the book picking a favorite.

I wanted to put one of my favorite quotes from the book here "Lou drove her mother's car to the Whataburger lot."
I loved that he added ALL (just kidding) Texans favorite burger joint in there somewhere. It brought me joy.

If y'all like Cryptids like I do. Y'all definitely read some Hunter.

[Damien Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hunter Shea is, and always will be, the best cryptid writer on Earth. I won’t say in the universe, I don’t know what they’re writing on Mars. To the Devil, a Cryptid is everything you want from a goat man book. It’s fun, over the top, and ooey gooey. When I think of cryptid horror I always want something that captures the fun of just reading about cryptids; Shea ALWAYS delivers in that regard. In this book, I thought the characters were some of the most fun people he’s written. Each one had this wild and over the top personality like people in a B-movie. K thx.

[Pamela Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hunter Shea does it again!

I've been a fan of Shea for over ten years now and was not disappointed with "To the Devil, a Cryptid". It's one of his better crazed, bloody, and violent works in my opinion. There was more to this book that gory madness. There's a tender human element too, one I've seen Shea use before but in longer stories and I really appreciate seeing it here. I'd love to see more of this kind of thing from Hunter while still keeping within the Horror and all it entails ... or should I say, entrails.

[Tonya Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was great! I love how you got The Goat Man’s perspective as well as everyone else’s. I also love how the author threw a little love in the mix too. I don’t think there was a single character I hated in the book besides Lupita. I would have enjoyed to see the story continue on with Sam and Jason and to find out what happened to Lou’s parents though. All in all this was a well written, brutal, gory and fun short read!

[Dallas Kitchens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hey what can you say but, Hunter thank you for another great Fucking book. They say Dynamite comes in small packages, and trust me this book explodes all in your face, I’ve still got gore dripping off my face. Very well written as usual and the story moves at Mach 2. I’m not a professional reviewer but you can trust me when I say it’s worth all the praise laid upon the alter of Hunters brain. It’s only 151 pages and you can believe me when I say I wish it was longer and so will you.

[Steve L Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non Stop Goat Man Action

With To The Devil, A Cryptid, Hunter Shea unloads a non stop gore fest you won’t be able to put down. Our cast of characters are thrown into the action immediately and it doesn’t let up until the final page. This is monster horror at its finest.

[William Penaloza D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing Goat man story!

When it comes to cryptids, Hunter Shea is the best writer there is in the business! This book is amazing and I love it! If you love or are obsessed by cryptids like me, I totally recommend this book!

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out To The Devil, A Cryptid. Hunter Shea, the G.O.A.T of insane, creature horror is back with an insane, satanic Goat Man story. It’s not baaaaad. In fact, it’s quite good. Wastes no time getting to the action and never lets up. Fast paced, bloody, tons of fun.

[Chrissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my!

If youre looking for a fun monster movie type of book...look no further. Full of unneccasiry(?) Violence and gore. Folklore, satanists, demon possession, its all here. Likable characters, shea slways delivers. Honestly havent read a book of his i havent liked

[Josef Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impossible to put down. One of Shea's best yet.

For a full review, please go to https://areviewerdarkly.blogspot.com/... and follow me on X @josenher

[The Smoog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ignore the occasional plot inconsistencies and bizarre concept and just sit back and enjoy the ride. The violence, gore, and body count are all dialled up to eleven in this creature feature with a unique take on the Goat Man legend.

[Norman Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

No one does big monsters/cryptids like Hunter Shea. This is up there with "Bigfoot in the Bronx" as my favorite Shea novel.

[Valentina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Has some slow parts but leads up to fast paced gore, really good read

[Meinfulleffect · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so much fun! I dug every part of this book!
I'd say 4.5 rounded down, because there were more editing mistakes than other books I've read by Hunter Shea, and that just drives me crazy.