Reviews

Agony's Lodestone by Laura Keating

hauntedorchid's review

5.0

“Graves could be visited, ashes scattered or held. But a disappearance rips a hole in the world the size of a life, and through it sighs a terrible and uninvited wind, repeating a single note: Gone.”

Twenty years ago, Aggie’s older sister Joanne went for a walk in the woods… and vanished from the face of the earth. When finally a videotape surfaces that might hold a clue to Joanne’s unsolved disappearance, Aggie and her brothers set off to the forest in the hopes of finally discovering what happened to her.

Part found-footage horror, part survival story, part meditation on grief, Agony’s Lodestone is by turns chilling, mysterious, and moving. I was hooked and fascinated by the twists and turns of this unique novella, which is short and compelling enough to read in a single sitting. Tenebrous Press has an eye for great stories and this one is no exception. Perfect for fans of Laurel Hightower and Catherine McCarthy.

ab_yards's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Reminiscent of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT with a found-footage impetus, but make it an emotional, sibling dynamic driven allegory on grief and coping with familial trauma.  

babyfacedoldsoul's review

4.0

A really original concept that was well executed. The author manages to convey a couple jump scares throughout the book which really speaks to their talent to do so through a written medium. The author absolutely nails accurate representation of complicated sibling dynamics.

bravesirtoaster's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

richtate's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

AGONY'S LODESTONE is a wonderful example of a full-bore horror novella. There's so much emotion packed into a hundred pages, it'll leave your head spinning. With shades of found footage, time slips, and a bunch of other existential horrors, this story feels wholly unique. It's a wonderful little novella that unpacks a grave worth of grief. 

arielmarkenjack's review

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The #sfnovellaofthemonth for June 2023 is Agony's Lodestone by Laura Keating, published in April 2023 by Tenebrous Press.

A lot of the most effectively terrifying horror I have read comes from a place of engagement with the devastation of losing someone important. Agony's Lodestone is a perfect example of how frightening it is to contemplate the shape of life carved out by loss. Each of its central characters has, in their own way, lived their entire adult life around the hollow space where their lost sister, Joanne, once lived. The near-tangible presence of that hollow makes it uncommonly easy to believe in each character's choices--both before and after the present-day events of this shockingly eerie novella.

Contributing to the effectiveness of Agony's Lodestone is its beautifully immersive landscape. Keating's descriptions of the coastal New Brunswick setting provide just enough information for readers to easily picture--and smell--the mysterious, gorgeous, and uncanny backdrop to the adventure Joanne's siblings find themselves on when they set out to chase down a new clue about her long-ago disappearance. Agony's Lodestone offers atmosphere in spades, perfectly calibrated to serve the story without obscuring any of the plot's emotional impact. 

Agony's Lodestone is quite a stunning exploration of things remembered, forgotten, and warped by guilt and grief. I thoroughly enjoyed this novella, and I recommend it to anyone who likes reading about complex relationships and the horror that may be found just under the surface even in the midst of natural wonders.

thebibliovile's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

jaslen2470's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

ericarobyn's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

Agony’s Lodestone by Laura Keating is a disquieting story of a family looking for answers after the disappearance of their sister. Filled with fever-dream-like sequences and terrifying thunderous booms of the waves crashing in caverns below, this tense tale will have you so nervous to see what’s coming next!

This family has almost given up on finding answers after so many years. But when the youngest brother arrives back in town, saying he found a lead, the three siblings get together and go to the location where their sister was last seen.

Unfortunately, they’re not alone. A film crew that recently wrote off the youngest brother is there as well, racing to find answers first. Once both groups enter the forest, they quickly learn that things are not normal or safe.

Shifting between the past and the present, each step gets us closer to seeing both what happened and why the siblings each carry a burden of guilt, as well as what’s going on now and what must be done next.

My Favorite Passages from Agony’s Lodestone

It was a Friday afternoon, but the light had a Sunday morning quality, dreamily pressing against the drawn living room curtains and playing at the dusty hem with long, golden fingers.

“I may not know showbusiness, but I don’t need to be a proctologist to know an asshole when I see one, either.”

The ground further up the service road was deeply uneven, pocked with holes wide enough to snag a foot, maybe break an ankle in. Soon the way began to fade until there was only a memory of a road. The terrain was so rutted it was as though someone had dragged an enormous plow along it; years of winter run-off carving a network of leaf-choked streams and puckered scars in the crusty earth.

What was currency, any currency, but an exchangeable form of time?

My Final Thoughts on Agony’s Lodestone

Reading this book is like sitting in the woods alone, hearing the snap and cracking of nearby branches, just waiting for something to pop out of the darkness.

Horror fans that enjoy the unsettling with a big focus on family and not a lot of answers, this is one for you!

thathorrorbish's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5