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4.56 AVERAGE
4.56 AVERAGE
Ok, so yes, I wrote one fourth of this book, but I'm not reviewing my parts. This review is about the other author's parts.
The prologue is by Alice Stone - I think this is the perfect set up for a horror story. Creepy, engaging and leaves you wanting more.
It's All In Your Head is one of the short stories and is by Shantel Brunton. Oh my goodness when I first read this story it gave me chills and made me feel very uncomfortable. But that's what you want from a horror story, right? A great short story that fits perfectly into the book.
The characters of Brandis and Mikhail and the short story The Peak are written by Dr. Stuart Knott. I think Stuart's writing is ingenious. I can also relate to Brandis' character so much. Stuart has a way of really drawing you into his world and connecting with his characters. Again, a certain part really gave me goosebumps!
The character of Aster and the short story The Broadcast are written by Harriet Everend. Aster is a likeable character, one you root for from the start. I love Harriet's style of writing in first person. It's quirky and different.
I've loved working with these talented authors on this book!
The prologue is by Alice Stone - I think this is the perfect set up for a horror story. Creepy, engaging and leaves you wanting more.
It's All In Your Head is one of the short stories and is by Shantel Brunton. Oh my goodness when I first read this story it gave me chills and made me feel very uncomfortable. But that's what you want from a horror story, right? A great short story that fits perfectly into the book.
The characters of Brandis and Mikhail and the short story The Peak are written by Dr. Stuart Knott. I think Stuart's writing is ingenious. I can also relate to Brandis' character so much. Stuart has a way of really drawing you into his world and connecting with his characters. Again, a certain part really gave me goosebumps!
The character of Aster and the short story The Broadcast are written by Harriet Everend. Aster is a likeable character, one you root for from the start. I love Harriet's style of writing in first person. It's quirky and different.
I've loved working with these talented authors on this book!
I absolutely LOVED this book! Such a page-turner & kept me captivated until the very end.
I don’t make a habit of reviewing my own books, but had to make an exception for “The Summoning” to praise the efforts of my fellow contributors. My original idea was to write an anthology book in order to bring some of my unproduced short story ideas to life, but I was heavily encouraged by H. Everend to expand the scope and bring in some other indie writers to add a little more variety.
For “The Summoning”, I wrote the chapters featuring Frederick “Freddy” Brandis, the short story he wrote in the narrative (“The Peak”), the dialogue and scenes featuring the enigmatic host, Howard LaVey, and all of the chapters directly told from Mikhail Orlov’s perspective. H. Everend and Daria Lavrenteva assisted with Mikhail’s backstory and language, and I also provided the gang direction, notes, andcontext for the house and the frame narrative. Brandis is a very morose character, one who has failed to really make it as an author; he’s ready to walk away when he receives LaVey’s invitation, and only makes the trip because of the generous compensation offered by the old man. Mikhail is an abrasive and antagonist brute whose been riding the success of his one book for some time; he goes out of his way to cause trouble amongst the other writers, but hides a dark past and is a surprisingly tragic figure even with all his reprehensible actions.
H. Everend was a perfect candidate for this project given her own background with shifting narratives in horror, and she really brought a lot of her own experiences and personality to the character of Aster Callahan. Aster’s a sassy American and easily the most well-known of the authors present; she isn’t afraid to speak her mind but finds an unexpected truth about herself at LaVey House. H. Everend also wrote Aster’s short story, “The Broadcast”, a haunting tale about a town full of people who mysteriously disappear, and her unique use of internal voice really helped add a lot to Aster’s personality.
Jessica wrote Rhiannon Hughes’ chapters. Rhiannon is a pretty successful Welsh writer who is maybe one drink away from becoming a full-blown alcoholic. She takes an immediate dislike to Brandis, while also forging a quick, close friendship with Aster and throwing herself into her writing despite all the drama and horrifying events that unfold throughout the week. Jessica also wrote Rhiannon’s short story, “The Devil’s Graveyard”, which was inspired by a haunted graveyard from Jessica’s youth and follows a new kid in town being told of a local legend that tests the patience of a malevolent force. I think one of the things I enjoy the most about Jessica’s work are the little things, such as Rhiannon’s writing process, her complex interactions with Brandis and Mikhail, and the horrific event that befalls her in LaVey’s library!
H. Everend came through again by bringing in Shantel Brunton to contribute Mikhail’s short story, “It’s All in Your Head”. Shantel has one of the most macabre imaginations I’ve seen from an indie author and she definitely indulges herself with her story. After being impressed by “The Muscus” and her work ethic, I was excited when burgeoning indie writer Alice Stone came onboard to whip up a prologue for us. Alice also has an incredibly creative imagination and really helped us to think more about the layout, atmosphere, and structure of the story. Alice’s prologue helps establish a sense of mystery and ambiance to LaVey House and to give a tantalising taste of how strange LaVey’s abode is, and she really took an active role in putting together some promotion and marketing for the book.
“The Summoning” was a big project that was full of firsts for me. Although we live all across the UK and on different continents, it was easy to stay in touch online and to iron out any obstacles without much difficulty. After writing a few chapters and giving a sense of what I wanted from the project, I was incredibly impressed with how quickly everyone caught on and were able to add individual pieces that still felt like part of a greater whole.
Consequently, it wasn’t difficult at all to structure the book into a comprehensible but unique timeline that allowed the narrative to clearly switch between characters and time periods. It was a massive project, but one I found very rewarding and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. I’ll be forever grateful to H. Everend, Jessica Huntley, Alice Stone, and Shantel Brunton for their support and contributions to the book and I wish them, and the book, nothing but success going forward.
For “The Summoning”, I wrote the chapters featuring Frederick “Freddy” Brandis, the short story he wrote in the narrative (“The Peak”), the dialogue and scenes featuring the enigmatic host, Howard LaVey, and all of the chapters directly told from Mikhail Orlov’s perspective. H. Everend and Daria Lavrenteva assisted with Mikhail’s backstory and language, and I also provided the gang direction, notes, andcontext for the house and the frame narrative. Brandis is a very morose character, one who has failed to really make it as an author; he’s ready to walk away when he receives LaVey’s invitation, and only makes the trip because of the generous compensation offered by the old man. Mikhail is an abrasive and antagonist brute whose been riding the success of his one book for some time; he goes out of his way to cause trouble amongst the other writers, but hides a dark past and is a surprisingly tragic figure even with all his reprehensible actions.
H. Everend was a perfect candidate for this project given her own background with shifting narratives in horror, and she really brought a lot of her own experiences and personality to the character of Aster Callahan. Aster’s a sassy American and easily the most well-known of the authors present; she isn’t afraid to speak her mind but finds an unexpected truth about herself at LaVey House. H. Everend also wrote Aster’s short story, “The Broadcast”, a haunting tale about a town full of people who mysteriously disappear, and her unique use of internal voice really helped add a lot to Aster’s personality.
Jessica wrote Rhiannon Hughes’ chapters. Rhiannon is a pretty successful Welsh writer who is maybe one drink away from becoming a full-blown alcoholic. She takes an immediate dislike to Brandis, while also forging a quick, close friendship with Aster and throwing herself into her writing despite all the drama and horrifying events that unfold throughout the week. Jessica also wrote Rhiannon’s short story, “The Devil’s Graveyard”, which was inspired by a haunted graveyard from Jessica’s youth and follows a new kid in town being told of a local legend that tests the patience of a malevolent force. I think one of the things I enjoy the most about Jessica’s work are the little things, such as Rhiannon’s writing process, her complex interactions with Brandis and Mikhail, and the horrific event that befalls her in LaVey’s library!
H. Everend came through again by bringing in Shantel Brunton to contribute Mikhail’s short story, “It’s All in Your Head”. Shantel has one of the most macabre imaginations I’ve seen from an indie author and she definitely indulges herself with her story. After being impressed by “The Muscus” and her work ethic, I was excited when burgeoning indie writer Alice Stone came onboard to whip up a prologue for us. Alice also has an incredibly creative imagination and really helped us to think more about the layout, atmosphere, and structure of the story. Alice’s prologue helps establish a sense of mystery and ambiance to LaVey House and to give a tantalising taste of how strange LaVey’s abode is, and she really took an active role in putting together some promotion and marketing for the book.
“The Summoning” was a big project that was full of firsts for me. Although we live all across the UK and on different continents, it was easy to stay in touch online and to iron out any obstacles without much difficulty. After writing a few chapters and giving a sense of what I wanted from the project, I was incredibly impressed with how quickly everyone caught on and were able to add individual pieces that still felt like part of a greater whole.
Consequently, it wasn’t difficult at all to structure the book into a comprehensible but unique timeline that allowed the narrative to clearly switch between characters and time periods. It was a massive project, but one I found very rewarding and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. I’ll be forever grateful to H. Everend, Jessica Huntley, Alice Stone, and Shantel Brunton for their support and contributions to the book and I wish them, and the book, nothing but success going forward.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed reading the different character accounts and their stories. You could tell they were written by different people, yet each chapter blended well together within the story, which must have been a difficult balancing act. Would definitely recommend this book.
Unfortunately, the thing that really stuck with me was that I really didn't get on with the ending and thought it was very clunky. For me it just didn't work with the rest of the story and the setup. Definitely unexpected but in the wrong way. This is why the stars aren't higher sorry
Unfortunately, the thing that really stuck with me was that I really didn't get on with the ending and thought it was very clunky. For me it just didn't work with the rest of the story and the setup. Definitely unexpected but in the wrong way. This is why the stars aren't higher sorry
dark
medium-paced
The Summoning is a horror novel that gets in your head. It finds those dark fears inside you and feeds off it. It is so much more than one story as well, as five authors come together to LaVey House to write their own stories for an anthology.
"𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥, 𝘱𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥. 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬…𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳. 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮..."
The Summoning has the feel of The Shining crossed with The Haunting of Hill House with the deep mental dread of House of Leaves.
"𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥…𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨..."
This is an impressively compiled novel with five authors, five different contributors to a horror novel that is so cohesive.
"𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥, 𝘱𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥. 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬…𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳. 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮..."
The Summoning has the feel of The Shining crossed with The Haunting of Hill House with the deep mental dread of House of Leaves.
"𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥…𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨..."
This is an impressively compiled novel with five authors, five different contributors to a horror novel that is so cohesive.
adventurous
dark
This was one hell of a read! It was really interesting to have the characters written by different authors. Some were more likable than others (looking at you, Mikhail) but they were all incredibly well written and seemed very really. It was also nice to have 4 short stories embedded into to main story. As for the plot itself, it's really intriguing. What's happening is not really clear in the beginning, -even if the title gives a general idea- creating a mysterious and eerie atmosphere. The reveal comes at the very end, and what a reveal! I will not say more, I can only advise you to read the book and find out
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Yes, I am a co-author on this book, but this review is in dedication and about the others on this project as well. This was quite the undertaking of a job in several ways (varying schedules, timezone differences, life in general), but this book still got written, edited and published to the world at a fairly decent time frame.
Firstly, I would like to thank and appreciate Dr. Stuart Knott for asking me to be on this project back in mid-2021. When he told me the original idea he had in mind, I fell in love with the concept near instantaneously. It was such a unique and cool structure that I didn't feel I could turn it down. Stuart has a brilliantly macabre mind and (for me personally) has a way with words that'll keep you engaged from beginning to end. His writing of Brandis was extremely meta to me (considering a lot of Brandis is like Stuart himself) and his writing of Mikhail was excellent and made me want to simultaneously hug him and punch him in the throat
What can I say about Jessica that probably hasn't already been said? ☺ Her writing is brilliant and easy to digest for me. She was one of the first indie authors on IG that I became "friends" with. Jessica is hard working and passionate and her writing of Rhiannon reflects that. I personally feel Rhiannon needs a prequel story; such a fascinating character.
I helped bring Shantel onto the project and that was an excellent decision. Her dark and twisted mind was perfect for this collaboration. Her submission of Mikhail's short story was unsettling and left a chill down my spine.
Having Alice on the project as well made it feel more complete. Stuart brought her on and after reading her short story, The Mucus, it wasn’t a contest. Alice contributed by submitting the prologue for The Summoning.
Firstly, I would like to thank and appreciate Dr. Stuart Knott for asking me to be on this project back in mid-2021. When he told me the original idea he had in mind, I fell in love with the concept near instantaneously. It was such a unique and cool structure that I didn't feel I could turn it down. Stuart has a brilliantly macabre mind and (for me personally) has a way with words that'll keep you engaged from beginning to end. His writing of Brandis was extremely meta to me (considering a lot of Brandis is like Stuart himself) and his writing of Mikhail was excellent and made me want to simultaneously hug him and punch him in the throat
What can I say about Jessica that probably hasn't already been said? ☺ Her writing is brilliant and easy to digest for me. She was one of the first indie authors on IG that I became "friends" with. Jessica is hard working and passionate and her writing of Rhiannon reflects that. I personally feel Rhiannon needs a prequel story; such a fascinating character.
I helped bring Shantel onto the project and that was an excellent decision. Her dark and twisted mind was perfect for this collaboration. Her submission of Mikhail's short story was unsettling and left a chill down my spine.
Having Alice on the project as well made it feel more complete. Stuart brought her on and after reading her short story, The Mucus, it wasn’t a contest. Alice contributed by submitting the prologue for The Summoning.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Murder