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It Sustains
When Adam was 15, a terrible thing happened. So terrible that he and his father ran away in an attempt to put it behind them.
But the past is not so easy to shake off. And a new start does not necessarily mean a better start.
Who is the figure at the top of the stairs? Whose is the face in the mirror? What is the thing in the pond? And why does Adam often feel he is being followed, only for his pursuers to dissolve into shadow when he turns to confront them?
When Adam was 15, a terrible thing happened. So terrible that he believed it to be the worst thing of all. But he is about to find out that there are far worse things waiting out there....
But the past is not so easy to shake off. And a new start does not necessarily mean a better start.
Who is the figure at the top of the stairs? Whose is the face in the mirror? What is the thing in the pond? And why does Adam often feel he is being followed, only for his pursuers to dissolve into shadow when he turns to confront them?
When Adam was 15, a terrible thing happened. So terrible that he believed it to be the worst thing of all. But he is about to find out that there are far worse things waiting out there....
- GenresHorror
184 pages, Paperback
First published April 28, 2013
About the author
Mark Morris
132 books247 followersLibrarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Mark Morris became a full-time writer in 1988 on the Enterprise Allowance Scheme, and a year later saw the release of his first novel, Toady. He has since published a further sixteen novels, among which are Stitch, The Immaculate, The Secret of Anatomy, Fiddleback, The Deluge and four books in the popular Doctor Who range.
His short stories, novellas, articles and reviews have appeared in a wide variety of anthologies and magazines, and he is editor of the highly-acclaimed Cinema Macabre, a book of fifty horror movie essays by genre luminaries, for which he won the 2007 British Fantasy Award.
His most recently published or forthcoming work includes a novella entitled It Sustains for Earthling Publications, a Torchwood novel entitled Bay of the Dead, several Doctor Who audios for Big Finish Productions, a follow-up volume to Cinema Macabre entitled Cinema Futura and a new short story collection, Long Shadows, Nightmare Light.
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Mark Morris became a full-time writer in 1988 on the Enterprise Allowance Scheme, and a year later saw the release of his first novel, Toady. He has since published a further sixteen novels, among which are Stitch, The Immaculate, The Secret of Anatomy, Fiddleback, The Deluge and four books in the popular Doctor Who range.
His short stories, novellas, articles and reviews have appeared in a wide variety of anthologies and magazines, and he is editor of the highly-acclaimed Cinema Macabre, a book of fifty horror movie essays by genre luminaries, for which he won the 2007 British Fantasy Award.
His most recently published or forthcoming work includes a novella entitled It Sustains for Earthling Publications, a Torchwood novel entitled Bay of the Dead, several Doctor Who audios for Big Finish Productions, a follow-up volume to Cinema Macabre entitled Cinema Futura and a new short story collection, Long Shadows, Nightmare Light.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 31, 2018
Review copy
Pete Kahle at Bloodshot Books is a personal hero of mine. He has an eye for finding books which have only appeared as limited edition releases in the small press and getting the authors to bring their work to a wider audience.
This time around Pete was able to get Mark Morris to allow his company to publish It Sustains which was originally released by Earthling Publications five years ago. Don't get me wrong, I love limited editions, I'm a collector myself, but once the books are sold out it's important to get these works to the masses.
In many ways It Sustains is a story about loss. In Adam's case, it's about the loss of his mother.
Less than to hours into the New Year, not long after she had kissed me goodnight and told me that this would be our best year ever, Mum was dead.
The writing is strong and powerful. Genuine encounters with real people. Characters with a lot of texture. Morris is able to convey what a particular character is feeling with a few carefully chosen words.
I really enjoyed this read, but when I was finished, I had no idea what just happened. But, that's OK. It Sustains was not so much about what happens in the end as it was about the journey. Overall, it was a very satisfying read and one I would certainly recommend.
It Sustains has been re-released in both paperback and Kindle formats by Bloodshot Books. If you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited you can read it at no additional charge. Also, if you are an Amazon Prime member you can read it for FREE using the Kindle Owners Lending Library.
From the author's bio - Mark Morris has written over twenty-five novels, among which are Toady, Stitch, The Immaculate, The Secret of Anatomy, Fiddleback, The Deluge and four books in the popular Doctor Who series.
Pete Kahle at Bloodshot Books is a personal hero of mine. He has an eye for finding books which have only appeared as limited edition releases in the small press and getting the authors to bring their work to a wider audience.
This time around Pete was able to get Mark Morris to allow his company to publish It Sustains which was originally released by Earthling Publications five years ago. Don't get me wrong, I love limited editions, I'm a collector myself, but once the books are sold out it's important to get these works to the masses.
In many ways It Sustains is a story about loss. In Adam's case, it's about the loss of his mother.
Less than to hours into the New Year, not long after she had kissed me goodnight and told me that this would be our best year ever, Mum was dead.
The writing is strong and powerful. Genuine encounters with real people. Characters with a lot of texture. Morris is able to convey what a particular character is feeling with a few carefully chosen words.
I really enjoyed this read, but when I was finished, I had no idea what just happened. But, that's OK. It Sustains was not so much about what happens in the end as it was about the journey. Overall, it was a very satisfying read and one I would certainly recommend.
It Sustains has been re-released in both paperback and Kindle formats by Bloodshot Books. If you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited you can read it at no additional charge. Also, if you are an Amazon Prime member you can read it for FREE using the Kindle Owners Lending Library.
From the author's bio - Mark Morris has written over twenty-five novels, among which are Toady, Stitch, The Immaculate, The Secret of Anatomy, Fiddleback, The Deluge and four books in the popular Doctor Who series.
November 14, 2019
I was prepared to give this a 3-3.5 star rating, as it was a decent story, although more of a tale of a teen boy dealing with grief and adversity with just a hint of the supernatural for about the first 70%. Then an absurd twist occurs, and while the story revs up the horror, it ultimately has such an abrupt and unsatisfying ending as to undo all the good parts from early on.
January 22, 2018
Genre - Coming of Age/Horror
Publication Date - December 30, 2017
Format - Kindle
Pages - 154
Stars - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
I’d like to start by giving a shout out to Pete Kahle owner/publisher of Bloodshot Books and an author in his own right for gifting me a digital copy of this book.
“It Sustains” by Mark Morris is a suspenseful coming of age read with supernatural elements. There’s something or someone lurking and creeping about in the shadows and behind the trees in this very adventurous rollick in a rural English village. Fast paced with strong character descriptions; the horror element or supernatural element is very subtle and somewhat systematic. I enjoyed the rhythm and flow of this book. It’s a very smooth read. It’s a quick read, however it is filled with many dimensions. My only negative is that I would have liked a more constructed ending. It seems to me at least to have ended rather abruptly. I think we could have taken another 20 or so pages to tidy up the ending and give us a clearer understanding. I was in no way confused, but I think there was room for more here. All in all it was a very enjoyable and believable read.
Mark Morris is the author of over 20 novels and I hope to read more of his work in the very near future.
Synopsis (from back cover): When Adam was 15, a terrible thing happened. So terrible that he and his father ran away in an attempt to put it behind them. But the past is not so easy to shake off. And a new start does not necessarily mean a better start. Who is the figure at the top of the stairs? Whose is the face in the mirror? What is the thing in the pond? And why does Adam often feel he is being followed, only for his pursuers to dissolve into shadow when he turns to confront them?
When Adam was 15, a terrible thing happened. So terrible that he believed it to be the worst thing of all. But he is about to find out that there are far worse things waiting out there....
Publication Date - December 30, 2017
Format - Kindle
Pages - 154
Stars - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
I’d like to start by giving a shout out to Pete Kahle owner/publisher of Bloodshot Books and an author in his own right for gifting me a digital copy of this book.
“It Sustains” by Mark Morris is a suspenseful coming of age read with supernatural elements. There’s something or someone lurking and creeping about in the shadows and behind the trees in this very adventurous rollick in a rural English village. Fast paced with strong character descriptions; the horror element or supernatural element is very subtle and somewhat systematic. I enjoyed the rhythm and flow of this book. It’s a very smooth read. It’s a quick read, however it is filled with many dimensions. My only negative is that I would have liked a more constructed ending. It seems to me at least to have ended rather abruptly. I think we could have taken another 20 or so pages to tidy up the ending and give us a clearer understanding. I was in no way confused, but I think there was room for more here. All in all it was a very enjoyable and believable read.
Mark Morris is the author of over 20 novels and I hope to read more of his work in the very near future.
Synopsis (from back cover): When Adam was 15, a terrible thing happened. So terrible that he and his father ran away in an attempt to put it behind them. But the past is not so easy to shake off. And a new start does not necessarily mean a better start. Who is the figure at the top of the stairs? Whose is the face in the mirror? What is the thing in the pond? And why does Adam often feel he is being followed, only for his pursuers to dissolve into shadow when he turns to confront them?
When Adam was 15, a terrible thing happened. So terrible that he believed it to be the worst thing of all. But he is about to find out that there are far worse things waiting out there....
February 17, 2014
In this novella, Mark Morris provides an artfully rendered and wholly authentic expression of adolescent emotional turmoil and grief. The horror element of the tale didn't work quite as well for me as the character study, and I think the story would have benefited from another 50 pages or so to make the ending less abrupt and to establish more the plausibility of the revelations that occur in the final pages.
November 13, 2016
Picked up a copy of this hard cover book in a fortunate trunk hall. The book is a short novel with a fast-paced, tight writing style. A commercial approach to writing and characterization that delivers a professional product, the writing also has a slight literary bent, reminiscent of Clive Barker and Phil Rickman.
Set in rural England, the book has a dark, isolated feel in which Morris leaves the reader feeling slightly claustrophobic. The characters' plight is driven by supernatural forces and realistic misgivings, rather than fortuitous bad decisions sometimes found in the genre. The reader should take notice of every circumstance in order to understand the means the writers utilizes to pull the story together. Anyone familiar with supernatural horror should understand the subtle conventions that Morris utilizes to achieve the ending. This story has a concrete explanation for the supernatural occurrences, and reflects a solid study in the horror field. Morris also tackles interpersonal relationships and grief in a mature and sophisticate manner.
I found the book a pleasure to read and place it on par with any novella or short novel that has come out in the last five years. This book is a solid 4.5 and well worth the purchase price.
Set in rural England, the book has a dark, isolated feel in which Morris leaves the reader feeling slightly claustrophobic. The characters' plight is driven by supernatural forces and realistic misgivings, rather than fortuitous bad decisions sometimes found in the genre. The reader should take notice of every circumstance in order to understand the means the writers utilizes to pull the story together. Anyone familiar with supernatural horror should understand the subtle conventions that Morris utilizes to achieve the ending. This story has a concrete explanation for the supernatural occurrences, and reflects a solid study in the horror field. Morris also tackles interpersonal relationships and grief in a mature and sophisticate manner.
I found the book a pleasure to read and place it on par with any novella or short novel that has come out in the last five years. This book is a solid 4.5 and well worth the purchase price.
July 13, 2014
Very, very subtle horror in this one. I just wasn't in the best headspace for it, I think. Recommended for fans of the more intricate and milder toned supernatural horror.
July 17, 2019
This was a quick read and thank god it was. Yikes. The amount of unneeded sexual content was everywhere. This story spoke of 4 requirements (blood, tears, sweat and semen) but seemed to focus on one of them. I did start to like the conclusion, where shadow people are emerging from buildings and objects. However I think I would have enjoyed this more if there was a larger focus on the ending and overall mythology. 🐍
August 23, 2026
Ahh the tension!!! This book is a short novella by Mark Morris who is an author that I have never read before. It is Literary Horror at its best. It starts out with a bang and builds from there. I could not put it down. If you are looking for a quick read that is extremely well written and really packs a punch, I highly recommend this one!
June 25, 2020
Slow burner
I liked the book but it finished unexpectedly and somewhat frustratingly. Authors prerogative I guess. Not my favourite book of his.
I liked the book but it finished unexpectedly and somewhat frustratingly. Authors prerogative I guess. Not my favourite book of his.
June 28, 2020
Crazy, creepy read
It was a slow burn. Beautiful prose and suspenseful. It kept me hooked from the first to the last page. I recommend this book to all horror fans.
It was a slow burn. Beautiful prose and suspenseful. It kept me hooked from the first to the last page. I recommend this book to all horror fans.
October 7, 2021
Earthling did a great job on this book. Great novel about loss. Really great characters. Creepy story as well. I really enjoyed this book a lot.
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November 1, 2017i enjoyed it ... not quite what i expected and the monster in the marsh wasn't really explained - short and sweetly eerie
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews