The Creeper: an atmospheric, chilling horror from the author of The Watchers
£0.90
Superstitions only survive if people believe in them…
Renowned academic Dr Sparling seeks help with his project on a remote Irish village. Historical researchers Ben and Chloe are thrilled to be chosen – until they arrive.
The village is isolated and forgotten. There is no record of its history, its stories. There is no friendliness from the locals, only wary looks and whispers. The villagers lock down their homes at sundown.
It seems a nameless fear stalks the streets, but nobody will talk – nobody except one little girl. Her words strike dread into the hearts of the newcomers. Three times you see him. Each night he comes closer…
That night, Ben and Chloe see a sinister figure watching them. He is the Creeper. He is the nameless fear in the night. Stories keep him alive. And nothing will keep him away…
Reviewers on A.M. Shine:
‘A dark, claustrophobic read.’ T. Kingfisher
‘Readers get an intimate glimpse into the fraying edges of each character’s psyches… Will appeal to fans of Kealan Patrick Burke, Josh Malerman, and Scott Smith.’ A.E. Siraki, Booklist
‘An ideal read for the Halloween season, or any time you want some spookiness in your life!’ Beauty and Lace
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Additional information
| Publisher | Head of Zeus — an Aries Book, 1st edition (15 Sept. 2022) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 2542 KB |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Not Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 293 pages |
by Arosfa
I bought this after reading ‘The Watchers’ with which I was extremely impressed and in all honesty this book has some truly deeply scary moments.
When Ben and Ciara are sent on an historical mission by the mysterious Dr Alec Sperling to an isolated community they only expected to bring back information with them. The whys and wherefore you will have to read for yourself! I did find some of the chapters a little too padded out, but the Irish do like their ‘Craic’ it doesn’t detract from the subject matter of the book and I would recommend it to anyone, just be careful looking out of your window 3 times ????
by Croatoan
An archeologist and historian are hired by a mysterious academic to investigate a creature of folk tales told only by those living in an isolated village cut off from the modern world. The villagers live in fear of The Creeper, a being who it is said that should you see him 3 times, you will surely die by his hand the next night. Chloe and Ben head off to the village, and it’s all downhill from there.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s a slow burning, atmospheric tale grounded in legend and folk horror. The Creeper itself is a memorable creature and throughout I got a Wicker Man mixed with Night of the Demon (Casting the Runes) vibe whereby a sceptic becomes a believer as the horror mounts.
Definitely an author to keep an eye out for.
by M. Cooper
There’s nothing terribly original here, the story borrows elements from Wicker Man, Slenderman and even the movie Jeepers Creepers. It starts off well and builds up the atmosphere pretty well, if slowly and perhaps with fewer chills than would be ideal. However, the twist/reveal completely undermines the build up and makes it all end in a rather limp and silly fashion.
by Christine
A very gothic, creepy folk-horror. The imagery and the characterisation was strong. I almost wanted the story to play out for longer, as the conclusions felt a bit rushed. Overall an enjoyable read
by garydow
Tir Mallacht – an Amish-style village in Ireland, remote, cut off from civilisation and entirely self-sufficient and the apparent origin of an urban legend known as the Creeper. Wealthy recluse Alec Spalding employs two young researchers – Chloe and Ben – to visit the village and attempt to discover more about the legend and are met largely with a wall of silence, however their suspicions are awakened when a young girl offers them a warning.
Although this is slow burn, there are some genuinely creepy moments as the young pair begin to turn from sceptics to believers to out and out terrified and the author does a great job of gradually cranking up the tension throughout. The interaction between Ben and Chloe is great, often humorous and eventually a realisation that they need each other more than they initially wanted to admit.
This was a new author to me and I’ll certainly be looking out for other titles. Definitely recommended and a great read for the current spooky season or at any other time!
by Richard Barber
For me, this is 4.5. A great story, creepy and atmospheric. I loved the setting and the way it managed to find a path through modern day rationality into mysticism and superstition.
by Sakinah
I really enjoyed this story. It really gripped me and I found I just wanted to keep reading to see what would happen next. I then went on to read the author’s other book titled “The Watchers” and that was equally brilliant. I look forward to reading more from this author.
by Kindle Customer
This story was a good example of how gothic horror should be portrayed. A perfect balance of the macabre, being both descriptive and melodramatic. Unfortunately, I could not take to the two main characters in the story, Ben and Chloe, their personalities being a mixture of entitlement and ignorance. In addition, I couldn’t understand how the ‘cursed ‘ village of Tir Mallacht, with its inbred and deranged populace could have stayed below the radar for the last 200 years. After all the Irish Republic is not a large country. That said, this was a solid tale of greed, corruption and absolute horror.