Warning: Forget everything that you define as normal after you buy this book.
The first words of the book are both gripping and shocking, and they grip us by the amount of shock they deliver, this, all, of course, in a pleasing way. We find the words of “THE ACOLYTE PRAYER” that dares to, at once, shake our thoughts of limitation and open our minds to the impossible possibilities that are nothing but possible, if that makes sense, and forces us readers to choose between believing the words and not believing in them. We, of course, choose the believing part, at least within the words of this book that is already teasing our minds and making us wonder and wander on what to expect. What a nice start by Bil.
We don’t wait much before the graphic horror begins, as we get into the haunted Miskatonic forest , where creatures of unimaginable proportions, shapes and with uncanny abilities show themselves.
You know when you see a movie and there’s that sensation that everything is going to workout GREAT, no matter what happens? Yeah, you won’t get any of that here, just pure terror, hopelessness and mysterious creatures, mysterious creatures that will send chills down your spine! GOOOOSSSSEBUMPSSSSSSS !!!! OMGGGGG!!!!! The imagery is STRONG and disproportionately horrid!! Oh my GOD! This book is NASTY! I love it, hahahahahahhaahahhaha.
Ok this is some great horror here. Oh god, this is not for the weak, at all. DAMN! Ew, ohhhhh, there are scenes that will cling to your mind and give you nightmares, oh good god, Bil knows how to make readers look away and contain vomits, god, this is graphic, oh man. Ew…
So what is this book about after all. This book is about a VERY, VERY, VERY strange forest and Dr. Heller. Heller, an ordinary man, with an unimpressive life, working as a professor to the University of Miskatonic, that dares to take a tour on the mysterious forest of that little and isolated town in search for a little wonder, and he finds more than just a little, he finds SO MUCH wonder that he has to run for his life the first time he is there.
We have Heller, the curious professor, trying to reveal the mysteries of this haunted place, but this forest is able to defend and protect itself from all that try, many times by eating everyone that tries to leave, not only that, but, there are entities that are coming to bring the end of times, “The Others”.
Bil Richardson has one of those narratives that just lifts one of the corners of your mouth and let’s it hang there for a while to only lift it again shortly after, while to story ranges from curious to comedic and mysterious, always picking your curiosity and challenging your mind with the possibilities, with sarcasm and corky humour. NICE!
The way Bil uses the natural elements to increase the terror, suspense and the anxiety that fill the scenes of the book are IMPRESSIVE! The use of the clouds, the night, the moon, the description of the buildings, trees, the floor and even the grasses, add up to each and every scene to build the image of something unholy and macabre on the mind of the reader, it is truly impressive. VERY, VERY Nice.
The book is freakish, to say the least, freakish, yet the is true beauty in it, and one of the reasons for the beauty of this book, is that there is a laser-intense focus on the Native American history, folklore and mysteries. It’s very nice to read a book focused on that instead of just your plain old and standard novel about what we already know and have read about a million times plus one. It IS nice to read a book focused on folklore, on culture, on ancient mysteries, traditions, churches and although it all might be fiction, the sense of curiosity towards these themes, and the respect for the lore behind Native Americans and old Amerindian civilizations it brings to readers, is something very cool. Nice touch in there by Bil.
Another thing that I found very cool about this book is that it doesn’t focus just on our main character. In fact, it doesn’t focus much on characters as they are apparently treated as means to tell the story. This is about the story itself, that evil place, the Maji Aki, and the many things, elements, surrounding it and its many mysteries, and this approach made this book very much interesting.
“The depths of depravity that humans could descend to knew no bounds. And the horrors they could inflict upon each other were legion. The lows they could reach were a bottomless pit, a well, a cesspool of soul-destroying immensity. “
This is some quality writing right here! You have action, horror, terror, suspense, humour, mysteries, plot twists, sorcery and most of what you can ask for, packed in a single book! This is great, a totally pleasing read that will touch every sense in your body, most of the times, in very unpleasant ways, and let me tell you that this book will “tick” you.
If you are a Horror fan, or like to get the “hibbie-gibbies”, do get this book now.
Pros:
- Fluid narrative with a great pace and flow
- VERY descriptive narration
- The imagery of the scenes stick into your brain long after you stopped reading, that’s how impactful this book is
- Great characters, very well constructed
- Great action scenes, with LOTS of Science Fiction in here as well
- Lovely side-stories
- Lots of plot-twists
- A great ending
- A great start of a book
- Unpleasant to the core. This book is NOT for the weak of stomach, believe me.
- Great villains and description of evil things. This took evil to a whole new level, literally. Impressive.
Cons:
- There’s a passage about possessing a woman that can be improved
Scribble's Worth 