Reviews

The Ballad of Old Joe Booth by William Pauley III

bobbiejowoo's review against another edition

fast-paced

3.25

I love that, while I never know what the heck to expect within the pages of William Pauley III's stories, I am always guaranteed a very particular combination of bizarre imagery, mood and entertainment. You will always KNOW when you're reading one of their stories the style is so beautiful and unique. 

This one is very short compared to others in this series but don't let that fool you it may be short but it is mighty! Atmospheric, creepy and darkly imaginative. I had a little more trouble following along with the narrative of this one- it sort of read like a fever dream in the best kind of way-This one will haunt me.

jessicaessica's review

4.0

First, I enjoyed the narrator for this book. The voice was calming. Which made the book a bit more eerie.

Second, I picked up this series on this book. I really NEED to read the ones before this. I NEED to know what lead up to this.

Now, onto the review. I am glad I didn't listen to this book when I trying to go to sleep (I usually fall asleep reading). It would definitely color my dreams something fierce if I had. This book got to me the way Stephen Kings It did when I was 13. Crabs will look different to me now.


This book was provided for free by Doom Fiction & NetGalley to review.

thequeenoftoads's review

4.0

I went into this story not knowing that it was a sequel until listening to the first chapter. Would I have enjoyed it more had I read the first few books? Perhaps, but I still bloody loved it. Atmospheric, great writing, and weird. The audiobook narrator is on point. If anything it has made me want to read the other books. I want to know more.

I listen to this courtesy of Netgalley.

thebookstack's review

4.0

Many thanks to Netgalley for letting me listen to the audiobook ARC of this!

When I selected this from Netgalley, I was unaware that it was part of a series that I had neither read nor heard about - but after this I will certainly be going back and reading the others.
The writing conjured such eerie and visceral imagery, along with such an intriguing story that I was able to follow despite having no context of other entries in the series.
It's exactly the creepy short narrative I have been craving, and - though I have previously proclaimed not being a fan of poems - this has got me interested in this form of poetry!

Brilliant work, and I would highly recommend it!

bookishtrina's review

5.0

Yes! Yes! Yes! The Ballard of Old Joe Booth by William Pauley III is an exceptional addition to The Bedlam Bible series. The Ballard of Old Joe Booth is book #5 and does not disappoint! Horrific, creative, and beautifully told, I absolutely loved this terrifying tale... and the cover is everything! The cover really adds a sense of horror to the story. I am officially waiting with bated breath for the next book.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

trisha_thomas's review

3.0

This was a surprised and a good one at that. I hadn't read the story before nor after this one - although it sounds like it's in the middle of a book. So I listened to this one as an audio, standalone. The narrator did a great job, giving a story to the lines of verse and poem. I loved the guys digging in their pockets and the lore around what lived there. But the story lost me a bit after they gave it one last thing and moved on to pinchers and eating book pages and whatnot. So while I loved the beginning, the end was a bit odd but I'm glad I gave it a try.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

mikefromarkansas's review

3.0

This is a nice little intermission in the Bedlam Bible series by William Pauley III. I listened to the audio book and it was super quick. It mentions the lost books of the Bedlam Bible. I’ve read a couple of those and all excellent bizarro fiction.

I wish to thank NetGalley and Doom Fiction Audio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

maggieluong's review

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

julesbarthe10's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

Every Tale I read in this series has been wonderfully dark and eerie and vivid with imagery. I feel as though this could be its own TV series like Tales of the Crypt. The stories are creative, short, and thorough. All slowly linking together. This is a very interesting series I have stumbled in on and i like every eerie minute.

nelli_lakatos's review against another edition

5.0

I am obsessed with this series, every book is amazing and you can read them as a standalone as well because they still make perfect sense.
This was so interesting and amazing, I highly recommend this series to everyone!

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for an AudioARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.