What do you think?
Rate this book
The Blackthorn Pagan: And Other Horror Stories
To reach realms more insidious than Hell, you must be beautiful.
After Jessica’s boyfriend stands her up on a date, she pays a surprise visit to his house, only to find his mother’s corpse on the kitchen floor and him missing. Fearing for his life, she calls the police.
But she is not alone. A man lurks among the bizarre paintings and crude effigies defacing the walls, watching, waiting. He interrupts her call, binds her, drugs her, and then drags her into the forest behind the house. Here, he exposes her to a sinister ritual that leaves her mind and body broken.
This ritual is just the beginning. Hovering near death, she finds herself at the precipice of an ancient, twisted city. Deep within the shadows, a legendary evil stirs, one that will stop at nothing to claim her soul.
This volume contains The Blackthorn Pagan plus seven more horror stories.
After Jessica’s boyfriend stands her up on a date, she pays a surprise visit to his house, only to find his mother’s corpse on the kitchen floor and him missing. Fearing for his life, she calls the police.
But she is not alone. A man lurks among the bizarre paintings and crude effigies defacing the walls, watching, waiting. He interrupts her call, binds her, drugs her, and then drags her into the forest behind the house. Here, he exposes her to a sinister ritual that leaves her mind and body broken.
This ritual is just the beginning. Hovering near death, she finds herself at the precipice of an ancient, twisted city. Deep within the shadows, a legendary evil stirs, one that will stop at nothing to claim her soul.
This volume contains The Blackthorn Pagan plus seven more horror stories.
207 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 17, 2022
12 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 1, 2022
A random kindle freebie I found that looked decent enough but ended up being a reminder of the sort of quality that is floating out there in these days of self-publishing and anyone can do it sort of mentality.
A story of a woman kidnapped to serve as a vessel for an evil force to be released into the world, this novella actually has a plot and it appears to have been professionally edited but the writing leaves a lot to be desired.
The narrative style is so ‘stick your pinkie out” affected that it ranges from annoying to laughable. Someone wanted to go all poetic or maybe fancied themselves emulating gothic novels of a bygone era, whose paperback covers featured willowy women in peignoirs roaming the moors or some such silliness. Which results in sentiments like anxiety berated her sanity and she wanted to chastise her kidnapper for his heinous actions. Kind funny at first, but gets tedious after a while.
The entire thing is very overwritten, with pompous and occasionally repetitive descriptions. Very much the case of style over substance And what substance is there leaves a lot to be desired too. Including that very, very, very drawn out and not all that satisfying dénouement.
Was it the worst book out there? No, not by any means. Mainly because there’s a lot of crap out there floating around amid kindle freebies. I almost uprated it just to be nice, but then I had a thought…well, did I want the time spent reading it back? And the answer is yes. And so, the rating stands low. Sorry. No.
A story of a woman kidnapped to serve as a vessel for an evil force to be released into the world, this novella actually has a plot and it appears to have been professionally edited but the writing leaves a lot to be desired.
The narrative style is so ‘stick your pinkie out” affected that it ranges from annoying to laughable. Someone wanted to go all poetic or maybe fancied themselves emulating gothic novels of a bygone era, whose paperback covers featured willowy women in peignoirs roaming the moors or some such silliness. Which results in sentiments like anxiety berated her sanity and she wanted to chastise her kidnapper for his heinous actions. Kind funny at first, but gets tedious after a while.
The entire thing is very overwritten, with pompous and occasionally repetitive descriptions. Very much the case of style over substance And what substance is there leaves a lot to be desired too. Including that very, very, very drawn out and not all that satisfying dénouement.
Was it the worst book out there? No, not by any means. Mainly because there’s a lot of crap out there floating around amid kindle freebies. I almost uprated it just to be nice, but then I had a thought…well, did I want the time spent reading it back? And the answer is yes. And so, the rating stands low. Sorry. No.
May 28, 2022
I really loved this book. Really fast paced and touches some great notes and is a hell of a ride. What starts off as a horror thriller turns into a Rob Zombie styled Nightmare.. Amazing read!
July 31, 2022
Crazy Good
Jessica is trying to live her life again and rebuild it after a very abusive relationship from three years ago.
She was doing great, making new friends, having a good job and no one she knew now knew anything about her past. Until John shows up again. Only the abuses of the past are nothing compared to the animosity he has in the present.
Now Jessica is finding death all around her and John seems even more psychotic then ever. John seems to believe that he is rescuing her from her nightmares that he believes are all too real.
The problem is, is that Jessica is having nightmares that seem real but are they though? Or is John just messing with her head?
This has some crazy elements that reminded me a lot of a Hellraiser, ( movie based on Clive Barker's The Hellbound Heart) and the cults of Lovecraft. This one surprised me and was the first time I read this author. It's really good. Also Jessica is a very strong protagonist that is done with taking anyone's crap. Loved it!!
Jessica is trying to live her life again and rebuild it after a very abusive relationship from three years ago.
She was doing great, making new friends, having a good job and no one she knew now knew anything about her past. Until John shows up again. Only the abuses of the past are nothing compared to the animosity he has in the present.
Now Jessica is finding death all around her and John seems even more psychotic then ever. John seems to believe that he is rescuing her from her nightmares that he believes are all too real.
The problem is, is that Jessica is having nightmares that seem real but are they though? Or is John just messing with her head?
This has some crazy elements that reminded me a lot of a Hellraiser, ( movie based on Clive Barker's The Hellbound Heart) and the cults of Lovecraft. This one surprised me and was the first time I read this author. It's really good. Also Jessica is a very strong protagonist that is done with taking anyone's crap. Loved it!!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews