Father of Lies: The Complete Series by Steve Stred

Rating: ★★★★★

Genre: Horror

Format: Paperback

Pages: 382

Read: 02/26/22

Amazon Synopsis:

EXTREME CONTENT WARNING!

This book contains scenes of extreme violence and sexual content. Do not purchase this book if you are easily offended or require trigger warnings!

Beginning in October, 2019, Steve Stred released three of the darkest, most depraved novellas – Ritual, COMMUNION, and Sacrament (**Nominated for a 2022 Splatterpunk Award for Best Novella!**).

These three novellas completed the ‘Father of Lies’ trilogy, telling the story of a disturbed man trying to open the cosmic gates and enter the Black Heavens to live forever. Inspired by Steve Stred’s research acquired while joining a real cult, the stories from the trilogy have already become favorites within the horror world.

Now, here for the first time, is the complete and definitive ‘The Complete Father of Lies Series.’

Featuring;

- All three novellas

- An exclusive foreword by Sonora Taylor

- An exclusive essay by cover artist Mason McDonald

- A bonus fourth story ‘Eucharist.’

- ‘The Battle Raged On and On’ essay from the author, answering reader questions about the trilogy

Review:

"I've come, it is your time. We must meld together. The time of ascension is upon us. The blood of necessity flows through one of you. Let us open the black heavens, let us corrupt each other and bring forth the tortured. You've been chosen."

Ritual: This is where the darkness begins. We are introduced to Brad, seemingly a somewhat normal person living a typical life. He is devoted to his religious beliefs and the Father. He believes by completing what is asked of him, he will be the chosen one. Father believes he will open the gates to Black Heaven and ascend into immortality.

(The darkness and depravity in the first installment is utterly disturbing. Not only the story that was crafted, but the vivid imagery and the graphic content. When a story has me commenting into the abyss with such statements as: Holy sh*t, Oh, that's disgusting, Wow, etc. I know that I am completely immersed and invested in what I am reading. I honestly had to take a couple of days before starting the second story. It was so chilling and creepy!)

Communion: Detective McKay is investigating the aftermath of the commune. As he is working to solve the mystery and uncover all the secrets of the cult, he becomes the newest chosen. Delving deeper into the back story of Father and his ambitions of reaching the Black Heavens.

(Darkness and depravity ensue as the acts upon humanity are doled out upon the followers of Father. He is merciless. The overall experience had the dread creeping in as the dark shadows from the blackness enter and the inclusion of gruesome imagery once again had me looking around corners, and shivering with anticipation.)

Sacrament: Fathers sordid ambitions are coming to its fruition.
"I stand before you, your Father, the chosen. I stand as the true vision of chaos and energy, of cosmic connection and hope. Come my children, return to our land."
Father has no remorse and he will stop at nothing to fulfill his vision of reaching the Black heavens and immortality. The acts he performs on himself and his flock are depravity personified.

"Before there was light, before there was dark, there was only chaos! Energy unharnessed, awaiting a destination. When the dust settled and the scorned have been eradicated, man, woman, and child shall stand shoulder-to-shoulder with hoof and horns."

(Religious beliefs, demons, and dark gods. Whispers from the dark and shadows creeping in are chilling. The unimaginable acts upon the followers filled my heart and soul with sorrow as the story unfolded and the ending came reaching up from the depths of dreadful darkness. It has been completed and there is no happiness, only darkness and ash!)

"Outside, beasts bellowed, creatures roared and the wayward souls screamed in terror."

This also includes a bonus novelette, "Eucharist" and the "Book of Lies".

All the afterwards included, added an enrichment and understanding of why Steve wrote this. It would not have been the same without them. He also answers readers most asked questions.

Just knowing the background of how and why this was written makes this even creepier!

An absolute gem!!

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/

Amazon Author Page:

https://www.amazon.com/Steve-Stred/e/

Review Links: 

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/

https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/

Love Story by Matthew Vaughn

Rating: ★★★★

Genre: Horror

Format: eBook

Godless Exclusive

Read: 02/26/22

Goodreads Synopsis:

John loves his girlfriend Tina, he thinks she is beautiful and all around perfect. But then John meets Sarah and is immediately attracted to her. John invites Sarah over to his place and thinks that the three of them will have a great polyamorous relationship, and John doesn't really care what Sarah thinks about it.

Review:

"Oh, fuck did we tie one on last night. Tina, my girlfriend, the love of my life, and I."

John loves Tina with all of his heart. He cares for her every need with TLC.
When John meets Sarah, the two become three during Johns passionate escapade of unadulterated depravity.

Vaughn weaved this short story into an unsettling, wicked 'Love Story'. Gushing with perversion in spades!

Definitely not a love story I ever want to be a part of!

A Godless Exclusive any fan will surely enjoy! 

Goodreads Author Page: 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/

Amazon Author Page:

https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/

Review Links:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/

The Window by Glenn Rolfe

Rating: ★★★★★

Genre: Occult Horror

Format: eBook

Pages: 250

Read:02/19/22

Amazon Synopsis:

What kind of demons await you tonight?For Richie, life's constant cheap shots are adding up. When he finds something is watching him, he never dreamed that it would show him everything he ever wanted.When his son, James, comes to stay for the last month of summer, the changes in his father's behavior come to the forefront. What is his father doing staring into the window in the middle of the night?Was the fiery spark in the dark real? Or is Jame's imagination getting the best of him?Summer's almost over.And life is about to change.Will James be able to save his father? Or is it already too late?The Window holds the answers...and the key.The new and terrifying novel from Glenn Rolfe, author of LAND OF BONES and BECOMING

Review:

"He didn’t notice the reflection he’d left in the kitchen window as it watched him drive away."

Richie is not only battling the demons that are reflecting back at him. He is battling his inner demons. A recent divorce, feeling failure as a parent, struggling with a new relationship and not being able to satisfy, drinking too much and the daily grind.

“Young love. It’s a beautiful thing. Cherish it, especially when it comes in the summer. When you get older, life likes to barge its way in.”

Richie's son James is struggling with having to move to a new town, his mom's new boyfriend, going to a new school, leaving his best friends and the town he loves living in, make new friends, and falling in love with his best friends sister. James is spending the summer with his father and looking forward to one last amazing summer with his friends, but he ends up battling the demons possessing his father.

The demons have their own story which we are introduced to right from the beginning. Their ways of possession are use of enticement and sexual seduction. They are relentless, depraved, and will stop at nothing to achieve their goal. As more is revealed about them, their story is actually a bit sad.

"There was no light without the darkness. It’s all part of the world we live in. The shadows we walk through, and the challenges and the adversity we face."

There are lots of characters throughout that play an important role in this coming-of-age/horror novel. Characters to love, dislike, and feel empathy for. Strong friendship bonds, young love, family affairs, and undertones of religious beliefs. Strengths and weaknesses of inner battles and the battle against the darkness of the demons trying to cross back into the realm of the world.

What I love the most is the ability to feel the authors own personal touch within. Snippets of favorite authors, books, movies, and music. It is always a joy to get a feeling of an author including bits of themselves and feeling a connection. Those nostalgic feelings that make me smile.

I enjoyed this one!

(TW: Blood, guts and gore. Sexual scenes that may be disturbing).

Goodreads Author Page: 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/

Amazon Author Page:

https://www.amazon.com/Glenn-Rolfe/e/

Review Links:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/

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Finding Heaven by Donna A. Latham

 

Rating: ★★★★

Genre: Horror

Format: eBook

Pages: 19

Read: 02/19/22

Amazon Synopsis: 

A journey through Hell to find Heaven. What would you endure to obtain what you desire the most?

"Standing before the gates of Hell she looks up to meet the gaze of the skull resting above them, watching her although there is no life in those eyes."

A woman's entering into hell as her fire burns with desire. She must endure all that is given her from the bringer of Hell. She must persist through the agony and the burning fire within her soul to become one with her master of pain. This is her becoming, her journey through hell to find heaven.

Seductive and Spicy! Beautifully written!

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/

Review Links: 

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/

Cannibal Creator by Chad Lutzke

Rating: ★★★★

Genre: Horror

Format: Paperback

Pages: 175

Read: 02/12/22

Amazon Synopsis:

When a pair of collaborating authors take their families on vacation to Barbados, their plans turn sour when they find themselves in the midst of quasi-primitive cannibals. As tensions rise and secrets are revealed, survival isn't the only challenge they face.

Review:

"Before the children walked away, heading into the dense jungle, the boy--with his arms full of murder--studied the area once more and said, "Thank you, God."

Kevin and Vicki, their son Caleb along with Ross, Jennifer and their daughter Melanie are stranded on an island of cannibals. What started out as a trip of hopes and dreams becomes a nightmare. Their only hope is to fight to survive. The abhorrence they witness and become a part of is chaos and confusion as death surrounds them.

Imagine the helpless feeling of a pilot having a stroke and no longer able to fly the plane you are traveling on. The fright of crashing and wondering if you are going to survive. The realization hits as you discover you have landed on an uncharted island. No idea where you are, how you will survive and be rescued.

"They could see the blue of the sea about one hundred yards from where they stood, but a look around in every other direction offered nothing but dense jungle."

The discovery is made that you are not alone and you are suddenly fighting for survival against the inhabitants of the island. Who are they, how did they get there, and why are they savage killers?

A recommended read as there are many unexpected surprises revealed and you may just find yourself feeling sorry for characters that you may not expect to. Step into the jungle and go on a savage adventure and encounter the horrors within.

Goodreads Author Page: 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/

Amazon Author Page:

https://www.amazon.com/Chad-Lutzke/e/

Review Links:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/

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In the Arctic Sun by Rowan Hill

Rating: ★★★★

Genre: Horror

Format: eBook

Pages: 137

Read: 02/10/22

Amazon Synopsis:

The trees of Alaska’s Arctic wilderness have always been Sarah’s sentries and her house, a fortress, isolated from society and an abusive marriage.

Until it isn’t.

The arrival of a new neighbor and an oil company drilling through primordial, cold earth changes the forest of her valley. It bleeds through the serenity and disrupts her home, her sanity. Plagued with insomnia from the midnight sun, Sarah increasingly suspects something is using her sanctuary to hide from the bright, incessant light. An insidious menace, ancient and beyond explanation, using the wilderness for cover. Her personal demon that cares nothing for Sarah or her mental health. Something that won’t stop until it takes it all.

Review:

"Light only had meaning with dark to punctuate it."

Set deep in the remote Alaskan wilderness, during the days of uninterrupted daylight where sleep doesn't come easy and the sounds from the silence play with the deep recesses of the mind. We are introduced to our protagonist, Sarah. Recently separated, she is living alone when she begins to hear and see things and comes to believe an ancient creature is living deep in the darkness of her basement. Sadly no one believes her and her sanity is questioned as her world spirals into fear and confusion.

The deep remoteness can be felt along with the anxiety and the build up of suspense. My mind was questioning the protagonists mental capacity as the decisions she was making became more and more unsettling. Although the sun was shining the creature exudes this consuming darkness and casts a dark shadow spreading out towards a foreboding doom.

The ending was perfection and had my mind reeling with thoughts long after finishing.

Great debut! 

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/

Amazon Author Page:

https://www.amazon.com/Rowan-Hill/e/

Review Links:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/

Beyond the Creek by Nico Bell

Rating: ★★★★

Genre: Horror

Format: eBook

Pages: 127

Read: 02/09/22

Amazon Synopsis:

When Alex Foster accepted the caregiver position with the eccentric Nox family, she was issued a single rule. Don’t wander past the creek. Alex isn’t interested in exploring the Nox’s vast wooded property. After escaping an abusive past, her sole focus is building a safe future for herself and her unborn baby. Except, a series of chilling events threatens her happily-ever-after. Now, she must fight to survive an ancient evil before all hope is lost.
There’s something beyond the creek, and it’s hungry.

Review:

"Alex Foster never expected to survive her past; now she had no choice but to face the future." Alex has fled from an abusive relationship. Pregnant and alone, she has to try to rebuild her life and provide safety for herself and her unborn child. She feels fortunate to find a place to live and a job she can rely on. She becomes a private caregiver for the Nox family. Eccentric and somewhat unfriendly, Alex learns the Nox family has many dark secrets. She comes to cherish little Callie and will do anything to protect her from the darkness that lies in wait "Beyond the Creek". Shrouded in mystery and evil intentions, we are spell bound to the unraveling of the hidden secrets. Alex's journey becomes one of survival, the pure love and protection of motherhood, and more than one underlying threat. Supernatural, creepy and sinister , a creature that just may scare you and give you the chills. A pretty strong female protagonist, considering she is pregnant and yet she stands strong and fights with all the strength she can muster. A surprise element pertaining to the Nox family women and little Callie is quite a twist that may cause you to squirm with shivery tingles. A bit of revenge in the end that put a smile on my face! Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/ Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Nico-Bell/e/ Review Links: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/ https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/

The Ghosts of Thorwald Place by Helen Power

Rating: ★★★★

Genre: Paranormal Suspense

Format: eBook

Pages: 377

Read: 02/04/22

Amazon Synopsis: 

Rachel Drake is on the run from the man who killed her husband. She never leaves her safe haven in an anonymous doorman building, until one night a phone call sends her running. On her way to the garage, she is murdered in the elevator. But her story doesn’t end there.

She finds herself in the afterlife, tethered to her death spot, her reach tied to the adjacent apartments. As she rides the elevator up and down, the lives of the residents intertwine. Every one of them has a dark secret. An aging trophy wife whose husband strays. A surgeon guarding a locked room. A TV medium who may be a fraud. An ordinary man with a mysterious hobby.

Compelled to spend eternity observing her neighbors, she realizes that any one of them could be her killer.

Review:

"The man who walks in shadow is not of this world. He was never human. He was created by humans." "He is a manifestation of all the dark urges, the wicked desires and cruel impulses of those who inhibit this building. He thrives on the pain, the fear, the hate, the evil that lives in every one of us."

Rachel has fled from a life she feels is threatened by the person that murdered her husband. She now lives a reclusive life in Thorwald Place. She never leaves her apartment or interacts with the other tenants. It is a place with high security and protection, at least, that is what she thinks until the day comes where she feels threatened again and decides to flee. As she is trying to flee, death finds her at the most unexpected moment, she finds herself stuck in the afterlife and tethered to her place of death. As she is pulled from place to place, she learns about her neighbors, all the things about their lives that she didn't know when she was alive. Many dark secrets are revealed and her frustration rises as she is trying to understand why she is trapped and not allowed to move on. She learns that the person who murdered her husband is not who she thought it was and she also learns who the person is that murdered her. While all of this is happening to her ghostly self, she meets the other ghosts tethered to the building, one that is very threatening, "the man who walks in shadow."

The whole concept of this was so entertaining and intriguing. We are told the whole story through the voice of Rachel in her ghostly form. She learns so much more in death than she ever did in life. She comes to care so much for the neighbors and feels compelled to help them in any way she can, which in reality she can only watch as she is powerless to be able to do anything. It was so exciting to learn of all the hidden secrets of the neighbors who personified a perfect life, but in truth there was so much sadness and darkness. It was also a big surprise to find out who the real murderers were. This was all just so compelling and had just enough mystery to keep me intrigued. Then there was the macabre ghosts that added the ominous, shivery elements.

Suspenseful and easily able to completely get lost in, this is a really great debut novel!

I received a complimentary copy from Blackthorn Book Tours. Thank you so much for the kindness. Always appreciated!

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/

Amazon Author Page:

https://www.amazon.com/Helen-Power/e/

Review Links:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/

https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/