What do you think?
Rate this book
Eldritch Beasts #1
Eldritch Beasts
Chaos beckons.
Newlyweds Jacob and Alexa arrive at a small mining town to visit a fabled ancient castle on its outskirts.
Soon after, the same town draws another visitor – police officer Keri, who recently received a mysterious letter from her childhood friend.
Captured by rural serenity, they are unaware of an evil curse festering in the soil, decaying the buildings and minds of the people living inside them.
However, a series of seemingly unrelated ghastly events quickly spiral out of control, bringing corruption into the open.
Now, they must struggle to keep their lives and sanity intact or transform and join the ravenous ranks of the Eldritch Beasts.
Newlyweds Jacob and Alexa arrive at a small mining town to visit a fabled ancient castle on its outskirts.
Soon after, the same town draws another visitor – police officer Keri, who recently received a mysterious letter from her childhood friend.
Captured by rural serenity, they are unaware of an evil curse festering in the soil, decaying the buildings and minds of the people living inside them.
However, a series of seemingly unrelated ghastly events quickly spiral out of control, bringing corruption into the open.
Now, they must struggle to keep their lives and sanity intact or transform and join the ravenous ranks of the Eldritch Beasts.
250 pages, ebook
Published September 26, 2022
132 people are currently reading
194 people want to read
About the author
Primary Hollow
20 books12 followersWriting means everything to me. It is my past, present, and future.
Creating new worlds and characters gives meaning and color to my life. Seeing them overcome the darkest perils puts a smile on my face, and seeing their sorrow and pain brings tears to my eyes.
By making my works public, I hope to convey these emotions and the sense of wonder to everyone who comes by my tiny imprint in this boundless universe.
So, if you are willing, join me on this journey through the lands between. Through underground depths and murky streets. Through dark woods and endless oceans. Where brave heroes arise and anguished spirits perish. Where through the struggle, even the most unremarkable beings can challenge the will of the mad gods.
Join me on the journey through the meandering pathways of my mind.
Creating new worlds and characters gives meaning and color to my life. Seeing them overcome the darkest perils puts a smile on my face, and seeing their sorrow and pain brings tears to my eyes.
By making my works public, I hope to convey these emotions and the sense of wonder to everyone who comes by my tiny imprint in this boundless universe.
So, if you are willing, join me on this journey through the lands between. Through underground depths and murky streets. Through dark woods and endless oceans. Where brave heroes arise and anguished spirits perish. Where through the struggle, even the most unremarkable beings can challenge the will of the mad gods.
Join me on the journey through the meandering pathways of my mind.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 19, 2024
I was really hoping I'd like this book, because there's at least two more that follow it, and I'm always up for cosmic horror.
Unfortunately, I found this not very horrifying, and not cosmic at all.
Here's the thing...Primary Hollow (and damn, that's a quality author handle, isn't it? I love it!) has obviously read Lovecraft, and they've dug deep into the language and syntax. They have embraced words like "macabre" and "abomination" and "uncanny" and "eldritch" and "shamble" and "corruption" etc.
But, they seem to have downplayed some other factors that really shouldn't be downplayed. There's a lot of characters, very quickly sketched in, who show up, encounter a suitably grotesque monster and they either fall to it, or get infected by it or, more often, live to fight another one down the road.
Which is fine, but all these monsters seem to have very little consequence, other than to be grotesque and somewhat horrible monsters. Unfortunately, that carries little horror. There's enough to terrify there, but the characters aren't sympathetic enough for the reader to really get upset if they live or die.
And, while the monsters are quite Lovecraftian, they're also mostly silent. And yes, so are Lovecraft's, but in his world, the monsters are so terrifying, the humans' reaction to them is enough to know how terrible they are. The humans literally go mad. Not in this book. So, once again, the stakes are lowered. Not cosmic at all.
To me, this was less Lovecraft than it was Lite-craft.
Honestly, the one interesting character was the herald, Sila. She had the most personality and the right amount of mystery about her.
But overall, it almost felt like there was too much going on for one slim novel. I'd have been happier with more fleshed out characters and one major storyline.
As I said, I really wanted to like this. But, while the writing was good, there was simply not enough to grab me. I won't be carrying on with the series.
Unfortunately, I found this not very horrifying, and not cosmic at all.
Here's the thing...Primary Hollow (and damn, that's a quality author handle, isn't it? I love it!) has obviously read Lovecraft, and they've dug deep into the language and syntax. They have embraced words like "macabre" and "abomination" and "uncanny" and "eldritch" and "shamble" and "corruption" etc.
But, they seem to have downplayed some other factors that really shouldn't be downplayed. There's a lot of characters, very quickly sketched in, who show up, encounter a suitably grotesque monster and they either fall to it, or get infected by it or, more often, live to fight another one down the road.
Which is fine, but all these monsters seem to have very little consequence, other than to be grotesque and somewhat horrible monsters. Unfortunately, that carries little horror. There's enough to terrify there, but the characters aren't sympathetic enough for the reader to really get upset if they live or die.
And, while the monsters are quite Lovecraftian, they're also mostly silent. And yes, so are Lovecraft's, but in his world, the monsters are so terrifying, the humans' reaction to them is enough to know how terrible they are. The humans literally go mad. Not in this book. So, once again, the stakes are lowered. Not cosmic at all.
To me, this was less Lovecraft than it was Lite-craft.
Honestly, the one interesting character was the herald, Sila. She had the most personality and the right amount of mystery about her.
But overall, it almost felt like there was too much going on for one slim novel. I'd have been happier with more fleshed out characters and one major storyline.
As I said, I really wanted to like this. But, while the writing was good, there was simply not enough to grab me. I won't be carrying on with the series.
October 13, 2022
The perfect Trio: Fantasy, Horror and Suspense!
These characters will consume you and keep you locked in their world. You will be sucked into a land far away as the protagonist, Keri, starts her journey to uncover the truth about the evil creatures that live in the town of Ester.
Alexa and her husband are on their honeymoon and have been traveling around for weeks. They decide to visit a shabby small town called Exter. While in town Jacob convinces Alexa to break into the Castle of Wyrm with him, unfortunately things go south and they are caught by the owner of the Castle, Red Baron, aka Alistair. The next day Alexa goes missing and Jacob is convinced that the old man had something to do with her disappearance.
Also visiting Ester is a policewoman named Keri who is in town after receiving a letter from an old friend named Nathaniel. In Nathaniel’s letter he tells her that he doesn’t have much time to live and would like to see her before he dies. However when Keri arrived at his home, he was nowhere to be seen as there was blood on his bed. Keri goes to the local police station to report what she saw.
One night Keri meets a strange woman in the pub who tells Keri that she knows where Nathaniel is. Unfortunately Keri didn’t get any information regarding her friend because the woman disappeared and wehn Keri tried to follow her, she was attacked by a strange beast.
It doesn't take long for Keri to see that Ester wasn’t a normal town and that something sinister was happening in the town but she doesn’t stop searching for her friend.
Jacob also doesn’t stop searching for his wife, but when she returns to him she isn’t the sweet loving wife she once was.
I really don’t want to get into the story because that is not fair to the author or you. Read the book and enjoy the story for yourself. I will say that this book was fun to read. I love the suspense and mystery throughout the story. The descriptions were perfect, and it was very easy to visualize the scenes. I love the originality and uniqueness of this story. It’s the type of story that I’d like to see on a Tv screen. There was nothing predictable in this book. I love the grittiness of the story and the twists and turns.
I enjoyed reading this book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves Dark Fantasy and Horror!
These characters will consume you and keep you locked in their world. You will be sucked into a land far away as the protagonist, Keri, starts her journey to uncover the truth about the evil creatures that live in the town of Ester.
Alexa and her husband are on their honeymoon and have been traveling around for weeks. They decide to visit a shabby small town called Exter. While in town Jacob convinces Alexa to break into the Castle of Wyrm with him, unfortunately things go south and they are caught by the owner of the Castle, Red Baron, aka Alistair. The next day Alexa goes missing and Jacob is convinced that the old man had something to do with her disappearance.
Also visiting Ester is a policewoman named Keri who is in town after receiving a letter from an old friend named Nathaniel. In Nathaniel’s letter he tells her that he doesn’t have much time to live and would like to see her before he dies. However when Keri arrived at his home, he was nowhere to be seen as there was blood on his bed. Keri goes to the local police station to report what she saw.
One night Keri meets a strange woman in the pub who tells Keri that she knows where Nathaniel is. Unfortunately Keri didn’t get any information regarding her friend because the woman disappeared and wehn Keri tried to follow her, she was attacked by a strange beast.
It doesn't take long for Keri to see that Ester wasn’t a normal town and that something sinister was happening in the town but she doesn’t stop searching for her friend.
Jacob also doesn’t stop searching for his wife, but when she returns to him she isn’t the sweet loving wife she once was.
I really don’t want to get into the story because that is not fair to the author or you. Read the book and enjoy the story for yourself. I will say that this book was fun to read. I love the suspense and mystery throughout the story. The descriptions were perfect, and it was very easy to visualize the scenes. I love the originality and uniqueness of this story. It’s the type of story that I’d like to see on a Tv screen. There was nothing predictable in this book. I love the grittiness of the story and the twists and turns.
I enjoyed reading this book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves Dark Fantasy and Horror!
July 6, 2023
Woooooo boy, okay. First off, on a scale of 1 to 10, the lovecraftian/eldritch horror, this was a solid 11. The atmosphere was perfect, the plot was groteque, the horror was spectacular. Where it felt off was the lack of character depth. Which is typical of eldritch horror, like ill say this is a grade A eldritch horror, if you're into monster horror and gory endings, get this book. I wish i got to know Keri better, but i give it points for style and sticking to it fiercelessly. Loved it, recommend.
May 13, 2024
The first time of reading a book by Primary Hollow and I thought that her book Eldritch Beasts was very good indeed. As a big fan of Lovecraft, I found the plot and storyline very similar to some of his books. Not that that is a bad thing at all. I also noticed when the townsfolk were talking to the outsiders (tourists) their speech was similar to the caretaker in the classic ghost film, The Haunting, "You city folk coming here, thinking you know it all" Brilliant as The Haunting is a top favourite of mine too. Looking forward to the next in the series.
March 8, 2023
Eldritch horror
This is a great story for fans of Cthulu, monsters, or eldritch horror. Plenty of mystery and horror throughout. The ending happens pretty quickly and just stops, so it probably could've been tweaked a little. Can't wait for the next one
This is a great story for fans of Cthulu, monsters, or eldritch horror. Plenty of mystery and horror throughout. The ending happens pretty quickly and just stops, so it probably could've been tweaked a little. Can't wait for the next one
November 23, 2023
Ok first this book needs an editor.
There are a lot of problems with this that a good editor can fix.
A few inconsistencies, I couldn’t get into any of the characters. All the characters, except for Alistar and Keri, are inconsequential. You get brief history’s for each character but not enough to make you care about them, but they are prevalent enough to keep popping up.
A bit more history as to the world this takes place in would also be helpful. At first I thought it was a modern story. When I started reading it I discovered it’s set in an alternate world from ours. As to what year it is, is a little confusing.
Thinking back on it this book needs to be longer, fill out the characters more, and a little more focus on the world building
Now…what drew me to it. I was led to believe it’s a Lovecraftian horror story. It’s….not? Not really. Sure the first people could be considered as spawn of Dagon but….it’s not. Whenever I hear a story is Lovecraftian I expect the madness, the other worldly. The monsters in this are good, described as warped monstrosities. But if that’s why it’s considered “Lovecraftian”…well…it needs more than that.
I have the next three books to this series, I do plan on reading them, hopefully the story gets that other worldly ness to it.
There are a lot of problems with this that a good editor can fix.
A few inconsistencies, I couldn’t get into any of the characters. All the characters, except for Alistar and Keri, are inconsequential. You get brief history’s for each character but not enough to make you care about them, but they are prevalent enough to keep popping up.
A bit more history as to the world this takes place in would also be helpful. At first I thought it was a modern story. When I started reading it I discovered it’s set in an alternate world from ours. As to what year it is, is a little confusing.
Thinking back on it this book needs to be longer, fill out the characters more, and a little more focus on the world building
Now…what drew me to it. I was led to believe it’s a Lovecraftian horror story. It’s….not? Not really. Sure the first people could be considered as spawn of Dagon but….it’s not. Whenever I hear a story is Lovecraftian I expect the madness, the other worldly. The monsters in this are good, described as warped monstrosities. But if that’s why it’s considered “Lovecraftian”…well…it needs more than that.
I have the next three books to this series, I do plan on reading them, hopefully the story gets that other worldly ness to it.
February 19, 2024
Wasn't exactly what I was looking for. But not terrible.
May 29, 2025
Almost did not finish the book. I REALLY wanted to like this series, it is just boring. Very little cosmic eldritch horror. More just cardboard characters dealing with scary things. Think reading a playthough of silent hill or resident evil. Sure there is a story, but it would be so much more fun to play the game itself or even watch a playthrough instead of a book narration. I was rooting for the monsters to just kill everyone and go onto end the world. There seems to be a whole series based on this, but i am so checked out i will not bother with the rest.
Read
September 2, 2025I purchased this audio book with the hope that it was going to be a series I could sink my hooks into. Sadly, the program I was using glitched so bad that I would need to stay on top of the playback...which isn't really the point of an audio book.
Additionally, it wasn't engaging enough to try.
Additionally, it wasn't engaging enough to try.
January 14, 2023
Gripping fantasy book
The descriptions in this book are thorough.
The events in the story are hard to predict.
I would recommend this book for those who are fans of Lovecraftian horror stories.
The descriptions in this book are thorough.
The events in the story are hard to predict.
I would recommend this book for those who are fans of Lovecraftian horror stories.
September 8, 2024
If I could give it negative stars I would.
January 21, 2025
Intriguing little read. Interested to know more of the lore behind the monsters and why those specific villiage/town were effected!
December 30, 2023
Originally posted on the book blog Creature From the Book Lagoon.
Even though I have been working on my TBR piles this year, I picked up Eldritch Beasts on a whim one day while browsing the library audiobooks. :D I have never heard of this book series or author before, but I am a big fan of cosmic horror! I figured, what the hell, lets give it a go!
Eldritch Beasts is so entertaining. Great Lovecraftian vibe. Lots of nasty beasts and plenty of gross body ick. D: I LOVED it.
There are several characters. Each chapter is a different point of view. Even though there are a ton of characters to keep tabs on, it never felt confusing who was who or what was what. It was very easy to follow what was going on in the plot. :) The plot was well balanced between all of the PoVs.
A plus is that all the characters are likable. Even the bad guys or the cranky people, I enjoyed them all. Each person’s slice of the story added more to the plot or gave clues to the back story. Nobody over stayed their welcome. Each chapter was just the right amount.
I was highly entertained with Eldritch Beasts. So happy I picked it to read. The cosmic horror was delightfully disgusting. I am excited to see it that it is a series! I can’t wait to read more from this author. 🙂
Even though I have been working on my TBR piles this year, I picked up Eldritch Beasts on a whim one day while browsing the library audiobooks. :D I have never heard of this book series or author before, but I am a big fan of cosmic horror! I figured, what the hell, lets give it a go!
Eldritch Beasts is so entertaining. Great Lovecraftian vibe. Lots of nasty beasts and plenty of gross body ick. D: I LOVED it.
There are several characters. Each chapter is a different point of view. Even though there are a ton of characters to keep tabs on, it never felt confusing who was who or what was what. It was very easy to follow what was going on in the plot. :) The plot was well balanced between all of the PoVs.
A plus is that all the characters are likable. Even the bad guys or the cranky people, I enjoyed them all. Each person’s slice of the story added more to the plot or gave clues to the back story. Nobody over stayed their welcome. Each chapter was just the right amount.
I was highly entertained with Eldritch Beasts. So happy I picked it to read. The cosmic horror was delightfully disgusting. I am excited to see it that it is a series! I can’t wait to read more from this author. 🙂
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews