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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
Devil's Creek has so many elements in a book that I find enticing, one of the main factors being cults. I always find cult books so intriguing and I devour them! Small towns are another trope I gravitate towards and this book has got that covered perfectly. This is a fairly big book and I am going to put it down as one of those "Epic Reads" because it deserves that distinction. Devil's Creek takes us to the past and back to the present, and it does so effortlessly while keeping us engaged and wanting more. The cult leader is a true terror to read about and I can say I would never want to be anywhere near him or his followers. This is one of those horror books that you feel deep inside you, and can even hear dark whispers when you are alone. It is scary on a whole new level - and that is why Todd Keisling is going to be an auto-buy author from here on for me! His massive cast of characters in Devil's Creek felt like true family, friends, and enemies where applicable, and Keisling just writes them so perfectly. 4.5 stars!
Quite possibly the perfect cult horror book. I highly, highly, highly recommend this book.
Todd Keisling’s novel Devil’s Creek manages to pack in a whole lot of horror! In 1983 Kentucky, Father Jacob Masters of the Lord’s Church of Holy Voices plans a sacrifice to his dark lord under the earth. He has fathered six children on six women, solely for this purpose. The children’s grandparents raid the church and steal the kids away, leaving the church to burn and killing Father Jacob. The six half-siblings become known as the “Stauford Six,” and they never really fit in in the town of Stauford. Jack, one of the Six and a successful artist who makes bank from his nightmares, returns to town when his grandmother, Imogene (Genie), dies so that he can settle her estate. Only Genie is the last of the grandparents to die, and it triggers a return of Father Jacob.
I love the six siblings–they have a complex web of relationships. Susan wants to follow her father. Zeke is a misfit who ends up providing drugs to the chief of police. Jack is an artist; Stephanie is a radio DJ playing “the Devil’s music” despite the protest much of the town has kicked up. Chuck is a lawyer, and Bobby became a reverend. Bobby’s the only one who had a child, rebellious 15-year-old Riley. These people definitely have depth to them. There’s a certain closeness to them–the Stauford Six against the world–and yet lines are drawn between them. Riley is stoked to meet his Uncle Jack, and spends a lot of time with his Aunt Stephanie, who handles his rebellion much better than Bobby does. All six have been severely traumatized, and each of them has handled that differently.
Father Jacob has his sights set on the world this time around, starting with the population of Stauford. The god beneath the earth that he follows is definitely not of this world. My only mild bit of cognitive dissonance came from some letters found in a book of Imogene’s research notes, regarding a strange idol found beneath the church. There’s a letter from a professor at Miskatonic U, and even mention of the Necronomicon. Since the author had done such a brilliant job of making this book feel real, that pulled me out of things a bit. That’s seriously the only negative I had in the entire thing.
Content note for child abuse and rape, sexual content, a brief bit of animal harm, incest, and racial violence/racism.
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2020/07/review-devils-creek-todd-keisling/
I love the six siblings–they have a complex web of relationships. Susan wants to follow her father. Zeke is a misfit who ends up providing drugs to the chief of police. Jack is an artist; Stephanie is a radio DJ playing “the Devil’s music” despite the protest much of the town has kicked up. Chuck is a lawyer, and Bobby became a reverend. Bobby’s the only one who had a child, rebellious 15-year-old Riley. These people definitely have depth to them. There’s a certain closeness to them–the Stauford Six against the world–and yet lines are drawn between them. Riley is stoked to meet his Uncle Jack, and spends a lot of time with his Aunt Stephanie, who handles his rebellion much better than Bobby does. All six have been severely traumatized, and each of them has handled that differently.
Father Jacob has his sights set on the world this time around, starting with the population of Stauford. The god beneath the earth that he follows is definitely not of this world. My only mild bit of cognitive dissonance came from some letters found in a book of Imogene’s research notes, regarding a strange idol found beneath the church. There’s a letter from a professor at Miskatonic U, and even mention of the Necronomicon. Since the author had done such a brilliant job of making this book feel real, that pulled me out of things a bit. That’s seriously the only negative I had in the entire thing.
Content note for child abuse and rape, sexual content, a brief bit of animal harm, incest, and racial violence/racism.
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2020/07/review-devils-creek-todd-keisling/
Just finished and was completely floored by this novel.
This cult horror juggernaut is a must read, and deserves all the praise and awards it’s sure to win. One of the best horror novels I have ever read! All the stars!
This cult horror juggernaut is a must read, and deserves all the praise and awards it’s sure to win. One of the best horror novels I have ever read! All the stars!
Give me that old time religion and it’s good enough for me.
When you turn the last page of Devil’s Creek, by Todd Keisling, you read that despite the completion date being in 2019, the starting date was in 2007. This story made quite a journey in order to get into our hands. Oh, you haven’t ordered a copy yet? Go to it, I’ll be right here. Got it? Good. One of the big obstacles on that journey was finding a publisher willing to invest in a 400 page book. Two acknowledgements need to be made at this point.
First, kudos to Todd Keisling for not compromising and chopping one hundred plus pages off this story. Frankly, it didn’t have the weight to lose. Everything you read in these pages is integral to the final product. Second, kudos to Silver Shamrock for being the type of publisher that says this is a story worth telling and it needs 400 pages to say what it has to say, we’re going to make that happen.
Right from the beginning we’re in high gear. Keisling wastes no time establishing Jacob Masters as an utter creep who has no problem taking advantage of women and children. This is the second really excellent antagonist of 2020 I’ve read who uses religion as a foothold to grasp at power. Masters, however, has backup of the evil, supernatural cosmic variety coming from beneath the Church of the Holy Voices. I said religion before, but this church gathering is unquestionably a cult, and though the book starts off with a demonstration of how depraved these people are, the main focus is on the survivors thirty years later.
Devil’s Creek is Kentucky fried small-town horror done right, although I’m a yankee, what do I know? The way Keisling puts the events together is almost background noise at first while we get to know the people of the town. This execution is inevitably going to draw some Stephen King comparisons, but in a good way. If you can remind people how they felt reading Salem’s Lot for the first time, you are unquestionably doing something right. Getting to know the survivors, the Stauford six, as well as we do is a big reason this novel succeeds, and to drive home an earlier point, if Keisling was forced to cut this world-building and character development, the novel may not have been so successful. Here I’m thinking mainly of Jack and Riley, arguably the two main characters. We spend a lot of time getting to know them outside just the main story, and it truly helps us invest in them. There’s also an argument to be made for Keisling creating one of the most kick-ass female characters we’re likely to read this year in Imogene Tremly.
This is only my second Keisling book after Scanlines, but I’m noticing a bit of a no one is safe, and do be prepared to expect the unexpected theme building. Bad things happen here, and the descriptions are always extremely vivid, calling on all the senses. You can smell the dirt and decay under the church right along with the characters, you can hear the rending and other horrible things being done in some of the more graphic scenes, you can see the
blue eyes glowing in a dark forest, you can taste the dirt being shoved into your mouth. Far be it from me to attempt to predict the future, but this is a novel that just might have what it takes to stand the test of time. Fans of cult, small town, misguided religion, and character- driven horror are all going to find a lot to like here, and I will do my best to feign surprise when Devil’s Creek starts showing up on a lot of best of 2020 lists.
I received a digital copy from the publisher for review consideration
When you turn the last page of Devil’s Creek, by Todd Keisling, you read that despite the completion date being in 2019, the starting date was in 2007. This story made quite a journey in order to get into our hands. Oh, you haven’t ordered a copy yet? Go to it, I’ll be right here. Got it? Good. One of the big obstacles on that journey was finding a publisher willing to invest in a 400 page book. Two acknowledgements need to be made at this point.
First, kudos to Todd Keisling for not compromising and chopping one hundred plus pages off this story. Frankly, it didn’t have the weight to lose. Everything you read in these pages is integral to the final product. Second, kudos to Silver Shamrock for being the type of publisher that says this is a story worth telling and it needs 400 pages to say what it has to say, we’re going to make that happen.
Right from the beginning we’re in high gear. Keisling wastes no time establishing Jacob Masters as an utter creep who has no problem taking advantage of women and children. This is the second really excellent antagonist of 2020 I’ve read who uses religion as a foothold to grasp at power. Masters, however, has backup of the evil, supernatural cosmic variety coming from beneath the Church of the Holy Voices. I said religion before, but this church gathering is unquestionably a cult, and though the book starts off with a demonstration of how depraved these people are, the main focus is on the survivors thirty years later.
Devil’s Creek is Kentucky fried small-town horror done right, although I’m a yankee, what do I know? The way Keisling puts the events together is almost background noise at first while we get to know the people of the town. This execution is inevitably going to draw some Stephen King comparisons, but in a good way. If you can remind people how they felt reading Salem’s Lot for the first time, you are unquestionably doing something right. Getting to know the survivors, the Stauford six, as well as we do is a big reason this novel succeeds, and to drive home an earlier point, if Keisling was forced to cut this world-building and character development, the novel may not have been so successful. Here I’m thinking mainly of Jack and Riley, arguably the two main characters. We spend a lot of time getting to know them outside just the main story, and it truly helps us invest in them. There’s also an argument to be made for Keisling creating one of the most kick-ass female characters we’re likely to read this year in Imogene Tremly.
This is only my second Keisling book after Scanlines, but I’m noticing a bit of a no one is safe, and do be prepared to expect the unexpected theme building. Bad things happen here, and the descriptions are always extremely vivid, calling on all the senses. You can smell the dirt and decay under the church right along with the characters, you can hear the rending and other horrible things being done in some of the more graphic scenes, you can see the
blue eyes glowing in a dark forest, you can taste the dirt being shoved into your mouth. Far be it from me to attempt to predict the future, but this is a novel that just might have what it takes to stand the test of time. Fans of cult, small town, misguided religion, and character- driven horror are all going to find a lot to like here, and I will do my best to feign surprise when Devil’s Creek starts showing up on a lot of best of 2020 lists.
I received a digital copy from the publisher for review consideration
I have been anticipating this novel for a long time. Following Todd on social media and seeing his teases throughout the writing process was torture. I'm not going to lie, this built a lot of hype which almost always leads to disappointment. I blow things up so much in my head that they cannot possibly live up to expectations. I am happy to say this is one of those rare exceptions to that rule.
This book hits the ground running from chapter one and instantly sucked me in. I was not expecting such a bold opening and had to brace myself for the ride. The book begins with a cult gathering that happened over 30 years prior and it sets the groundwork for a dark, twisted tale that will thoroughly engross and maybe gross out even those with the strongest stomachs. This is a story that deals with some heavy, dark subject matter and Keisling does a masterful job pacing the story and keeping the reader enthralled throughout. At least he did in my case. I think that Genie is one of my favorite characters I have encountered in a book. She reminded me of mother Abigail from The Stand but infinitely more badass. I want to avoid spoilers because I think that this book is truly best experienced without any preconceived ideas. If you are into horror and/or cults, even the darker sides of religion then this is the book for you. Highly recommend. 5 out of 5
This book hits the ground running from chapter one and instantly sucked me in. I was not expecting such a bold opening and had to brace myself for the ride. The book begins with a cult gathering that happened over 30 years prior and it sets the groundwork for a dark, twisted tale that will thoroughly engross and maybe gross out even those with the strongest stomachs. This is a story that deals with some heavy, dark subject matter and Keisling does a masterful job pacing the story and keeping the reader enthralled throughout. At least he did in my case. I think that Genie is one of my favorite characters I have encountered in a book. She reminded me of mother Abigail from The Stand but infinitely more badass. I want to avoid spoilers because I think that this book is truly best experienced without any preconceived ideas. If you are into horror and/or cults, even the darker sides of religion then this is the book for you. Highly recommend. 5 out of 5
A small town, an unnamed god, grief, family, blood and gore, monsters and resurrections, this story has it all. Devil's Creek is located just outside of Stauford, Kentucky, and is the place where Jacob Masters formed his death cult, the Lords Church of Holy Voices. On this compound he preaches to a nameless god, offering up his children and the blood of his followers as a sacrifice. The church was burned to the ground in 1983, and we follow the six surviving children, as adults, in the present day, navigating life while also trying to stop Jacob Masters from coming back to finish what he has started.
I really enjoyed this book; a solid 4 stars. The background of the church was interesting and following the six survivors in current day was a good way to get a wide view of what’s going on in the town. Jacob Masters is a despicable character, and you can’t help but root against him and cheer on the survivors trying to destroy him. The writing was quite good with some really gruesome scenes that were well done.
The ending felt a bit lacklustre after such a build up, but I ultimately did like the outcome. The book also felt a bit long and repetitive at some parts, but I would still highly recommend it to scratch pretty much any horror itch. A super fun and readable novel. I will definitely be picking up more of Todd Keisling’s works in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for a digital copy of the book for review.
This review was posted to NetGalley, Goodreads, Instagram and a more detailed review is on my personal blog.
I really enjoyed this book; a solid 4 stars. The background of the church was interesting and following the six survivors in current day was a good way to get a wide view of what’s going on in the town. Jacob Masters is a despicable character, and you can’t help but root against him and cheer on the survivors trying to destroy him. The writing was quite good with some really gruesome scenes that were well done.
The ending felt a bit lacklustre after such a build up, but I ultimately did like the outcome. The book also felt a bit long and repetitive at some parts, but I would still highly recommend it to scratch pretty much any horror itch. A super fun and readable novel. I will definitely be picking up more of Todd Keisling’s works in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for a digital copy of the book for review.
This review was posted to NetGalley, Goodreads, Instagram and a more detailed review is on my personal blog.
A creepy and terrifying read that kept me hooked. Great atmosphere and world building, excellent storytelling and well thought characters.
It's highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
It's highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.