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Underneath
Underneath, not on the surface. That’s where the truth of our existence lies, sometimes buried under years of punishment, suffocating, choking on the dirt we have carried with us so deep in our soul where no one will ever find it. Sometimes it scratches, clawing at the thin veneer of the respectable face we present to the world, hoping to pierce, to pop the bloated façade of all we refuse to acknowledge we have done.
Underneath the skin lies the dirt we have on ourselves. We hide it from the investigations of others while knowing that if we were to slice the surface and let the dirt run free, we would be liberated from this human prison in which we are securely kept…
Underneath.
Underneath the skin lies the dirt we have on ourselves. We hide it from the investigations of others while knowing that if we were to slice the surface and let the dirt run free, we would be liberated from this human prison in which we are securely kept…
Underneath.
294 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 3, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 18, 2024
I was told going into this book that Ian writes like James Herbert, and as a Herbert fan this excited me. I wasn't disappointed in the slightest, Ian writes with a flawless narrative and detailed imagery which makes his story immediately captivating. This reads like one of the old classic horrors, books that I was eating up back in the 90s, and there were hints of Herbert for sure! Especially, for me, The Ghosts of Sleath and Rats.
Wrapping you in a quiet, chilling and eerie atmosphere while you read, the build up is at a good pace, and the intrigue steadily builds too, keeping your attention as Ian drip feeds you his story, keeping you on tenterhooks the entire time.
Breaking into a local house, hoping to find money for drugs and alcohol, local teen Sarah comes across something much more unexpected and downright creepy, setting the scene nicely for what's to come in the rest of the story, and setting up her bad name and outcast status in the village too.
Robert has uprooted his children, Bela and Stuart, and moved them away from their hometown and the bad memories of their highly disturbed and abusive Mother, for their own safety and his peace of mind. A fresh start, or so he hopes…
Tarky is the local vicar, a vile man with a seedy past. He takes his business very seriously, too seriously maybe. He wants to protect the church, the village, and the secrets that lie within. He has a long held vendetta with Sarah, who is back years later after being cast out and spending some time imprisoned for things she didn't do, things that were exaggerated to an extent, and she is back to make amends!
A sudden disturbance out of nowhere hits the graveyard and the rest of the surrounding village, causing people to disappear, and for secrets to be revealed, including a huge pit opening up in the church graveyard, and long buried tunnels being exposed. Tunnels that contain something unexpected and unwanted, but also unstoppable.
A young man's fascination, turned extremely deadly, years after his demise, brings utter chaos and carnage to a once peaceful village. Lots of dark secrets and pent up anger, guilt, emotions and frustrations are let loose within a whole lot of gripping twists and turns that will make your skin crawl and your heart race.
A medium burn, with a steady, fluid build up, twists and turns like a good rollercoaster ride, and one final, brilliant twist that wrenched at my little black heart! 🖤 I am so happy that there is a sequel to this, and I can't wait to dive into that, and more from Ian!
Wrapping you in a quiet, chilling and eerie atmosphere while you read, the build up is at a good pace, and the intrigue steadily builds too, keeping your attention as Ian drip feeds you his story, keeping you on tenterhooks the entire time.
Breaking into a local house, hoping to find money for drugs and alcohol, local teen Sarah comes across something much more unexpected and downright creepy, setting the scene nicely for what's to come in the rest of the story, and setting up her bad name and outcast status in the village too.
Robert has uprooted his children, Bela and Stuart, and moved them away from their hometown and the bad memories of their highly disturbed and abusive Mother, for their own safety and his peace of mind. A fresh start, or so he hopes…
Tarky is the local vicar, a vile man with a seedy past. He takes his business very seriously, too seriously maybe. He wants to protect the church, the village, and the secrets that lie within. He has a long held vendetta with Sarah, who is back years later after being cast out and spending some time imprisoned for things she didn't do, things that were exaggerated to an extent, and she is back to make amends!
A sudden disturbance out of nowhere hits the graveyard and the rest of the surrounding village, causing people to disappear, and for secrets to be revealed, including a huge pit opening up in the church graveyard, and long buried tunnels being exposed. Tunnels that contain something unexpected and unwanted, but also unstoppable.
A young man's fascination, turned extremely deadly, years after his demise, brings utter chaos and carnage to a once peaceful village. Lots of dark secrets and pent up anger, guilt, emotions and frustrations are let loose within a whole lot of gripping twists and turns that will make your skin crawl and your heart race.
A medium burn, with a steady, fluid build up, twists and turns like a good rollercoaster ride, and one final, brilliant twist that wrenched at my little black heart! 🖤 I am so happy that there is a sequel to this, and I can't wait to dive into that, and more from Ian!
July 26, 2023
I bought a physical copy of this book… it looked interesting. The bleakness of the cover caught my eye. Blue on blue… with a road sign with no names on it.
Having read, and enjoyed Ghost Apples, I thought I would give this one a go.
And I’m glad I did.
This book was dedicated to the governor… Mr James Herbert himself… and to be honest, this felt so comfortable slipping into a small town in middle England, something that James himself was so good at.
Secrets, lies, hidden experiments… and something lurking UNDERNEATH.
This book is excellent and I would seriously urge you to give it a read!
Having read, and enjoyed Ghost Apples, I thought I would give this one a go.
And I’m glad I did.
This book was dedicated to the governor… Mr James Herbert himself… and to be honest, this felt so comfortable slipping into a small town in middle England, something that James himself was so good at.
Secrets, lies, hidden experiments… and something lurking UNDERNEATH.
This book is excellent and I would seriously urge you to give it a read!
January 10, 2023
(Editor's Review)
I don't read horror for pleasure, but I'm not sorry for the opportunity to read it as part of my work, particularly when it comes to stories like Underneath. One of Ian D. Hall's talents is to take a character's virtue and show how it can be poisoned by the ill treatment of others and power. We see this in the professor's biography, told through a series of chapters interspersed with the main narrative. Strong female leads and the dissection of misogynistic stereotypes of women make this so much more than a horror story.
A great read, available in paperback and ebook.
I don't read horror for pleasure, but I'm not sorry for the opportunity to read it as part of my work, particularly when it comes to stories like Underneath. One of Ian D. Hall's talents is to take a character's virtue and show how it can be poisoned by the ill treatment of others and power. We see this in the professor's biography, told through a series of chapters interspersed with the main narrative. Strong female leads and the dissection of misogynistic stereotypes of women make this so much more than a horror story.
A great read, available in paperback and ebook.
September 22, 2023
Finished Underneath by Ian D Hall. Loved the dark secrets of the villagers who looked down on everyone else and thought they were holier than thou. The pace of the story mixed with all the secrets was just right, building into a little twist I didn’t see coming. This has been my holiday read and I was not disappointed. Think Mr Herbert would have appreciated the homage 😎.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews