Evil Kids and Snakes - Lots and Lots of Snakes

 

TITLE: Dark Things Crawl Out

AUTHOR: C.S. Magnuson

PUBLISHER: Horrorsmith Publishing

PUBLISHING DATE: March 5, 2024

PAGES: 231   

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS: Four different men have been locked inside the new jail in the town of Tiefer Spalt, built from the limestone of the Hellion Ridge mines. But no one comes to check on them...No one comes to let them out. 

And something strange waits in the snow outside, singing, inviting nightmares. 

Four paths have met at the crossroads, and choices need to be made. Their lives will never be the same. 

One mountain. One chance. Will they be able to save themselves?

MY THOUGHTS: The important thing to keep here in mind as I review this book is that I am terrified of snakes.  So, the fact that I enjoyed this book so much says something about the author and the tale she weaved between the cover pages. 

This book is definitely a creature feature.  Four men from different walks of life end up in two jail cells outside the small town of Tiefer Spalt, Oregon in the 1920's.  Unbeknownst to him, the rich man, who owns a mining company, has awakened something that has slumbered for years deep below his mines.  The bootlegger is just trying to mind his own business when the sheriff arrests him to "look good" to some officials.  The old man is a drunk who parents migrated from overseas to follow a priest who believed the town was home to a sleeping "mutterworm." And finally, the fourth man is cruel and sadistic serial killer.  All summer local children have been dying from snakebites.  Fate happens to bring all of these men together one cold, snowy night.  However, as the days go on, no one shows to provide food or heat and they can't help but wonder what singing they are hearing at night.  They finally manage to break out but what they find is the whole dead congregated at the local church.  However, the whole town is also dead.

The four men are forced to work together to discover what happened and how to end it.  During this endeavor, they encounter evil dead kids, snakes, and several other worm-like creatures.  The author definitely doesn't shy away from horrific, gruesome scenes and there was a feeling of dread over me the entire time I was reading.  I loved the ending and although not really shocked by the twist, loved how it was carried out.  Magnuson gave me four very unlikeable characters but had me invested in the moves of each and every one.  I loved the folklore aspect and the way the past was woven with the present to give the reader a well-laid foundation for the plot.  

If you like creature features, then you should definitely put this one on your radar.  The recent releases I've read from Horrorsmith Publishing definitely has me excited about what's to come.

MY RAING: 4 Paws

A Slow Trip Into Madness

 

TITLE: Their Hearses

AUTHOR: E.L. Giles

PUBLISHER: Horrorsmith Publishing

PUBLISHING DATE: April 1, 2024

PAGES: 125   

SOURCE: From Publisher

FROM GOODREADS: Years ago, John Berryman was responsible for the deaths of his two children and their nanny. But John Berryman was never seen or heard from again. He simply...vanished.

Now, decades later, someone has finally purchased John Berryman's rambling old house. Marc Larose is no stranger to loss. He hopes to bring the decaying structure to its former glory, a warm place where his family can heal and begin anew, but if these walls could talk, they'd speak of death. Only, Marc isn't listening. 

Something vengeful still lingers in the shadows of the old willow, and it has its eyes set on Marc. It isn't long before he is caught in the tangles of mystery, fear, and deceit, where forces beyond his control are vying for his very soul. Will Marc figure out who...or what...is haunting his new home before he becomes its next victim?

MY THOUGHTS: I guess I have discovered that I may not be that big of a fan of grief horror.  However, I do not think that should reflect negatively on this book or the author as Giles has done a great job with his latest book.  This book filled me with sadness, an overwhelming feeling of dread, and anxiety - not bad for 125 pages!

Marc lost his son to a tragic accident over a year ago.  Since then, he has distanced himself from his wife and daughters.  Hoping to rebuild his family, he has purchased a fixer-upper in a local town.  Marc starts to work on the place and as he does, learns that maybe has has made a mistake.  The home is the location of a triple homicide, with two victims being young children, similar in age to his children.  Marc starts to become obsessed with a particular location under a weeping willow on the property, and also with the spirit telling him how he can be reunified with his lost son.

This novella is technically a sequel to Giles' book Will-o the Wis but the publisher is clear it can also be read as a standalone. However, as a completist, I did pick up the other book first and I think it made reading Their Hearses that much more intense.  Marc is full of grief and Giles makes the reader experience his grief alongside Marc. It didn't take long before I felt like I was falling into the same despair as the main character.  

My main problem with this book was basically that I may have read it too closely to a recent death of a family member, so it only intensified an already present feeling of dread and depression.  So, as I said, I found Their Hearses to be well-written and quite interesting, but I will probably be staying away from grief horror for a while.  If you enjoy this subgenre of horror though, this is definitely a book you will want to grab. 

MY RATING: 3 Paws