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That Which Should Not Be

by Brett J. Talley (Goodreads Author)

4.11 of 5 stars 4.11 · rating details · 302 ratings · 112 reviews

Miskatonic University has a long-whispered reputation of being strongly connected to all things occult and supernatural. From the faculty to the students, the fascination with other-worldly legends and objects runs rampant. So, when Carter Weston's professor Dr. Thayerson asks him to search a nearby village for a book that is believed to control the inhuman forces that rul...more

Paperback, 260 pages

Published October 7th 2011 by JournalStone (first published October 1st 2011)

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That Which Should Not Be
by Brett J. Talley (Goodreads Author)

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* 2011 HWA Bram Stoker Finalist for Superior Achievement in a First Novel.
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Apr 07, 2012 Steve rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-books, horror, pulp

Whew! What a ride! Early on it was a bit bumpy, with an overabundance of clichés and, what I originally thought to be a slight or creaky structural start . The main character, Carter Weston, a student at Miskatonic University, is tasked by his professor, Dr. Thayerson, with recovering an evil book, Incendium Maleficarum(“The Inferno of the Witch”). Weston arrives at the sea side town where the book is hidden, during a bad storm, and walks smack dab into a bunch of old guys, who almost seem to ha...more Whew! What a ride! Early on it was a bit bumpy, with an overabundance of clichés and, what I originally thought to be a slight or creaky structural start . The main character, Carter Weston, a student at Miskatonic University, is tasked by his professor, Dr. Thayerson, with recovering an evil book, Incendium Maleficarum(“The Inferno of the Witch”). Weston arrives at the sea side town where the book is hidden, during a bad storm, and walks smack dab into a bunch of old guys, who almost seem to have been waiting for him, with stories to tell. If you’re a fan of the genre, you’ve seen this set up before, particularly in movies. At this point Talley is really piling it on, both with clichéd language and familiar horror tropes. But I’m still hanging in there, because I love EVIL BOOK stories, and this one, intriguingly, has TWO (the other being the standard Lovecraftian Necromonicon).

What happens next is the old guys start telling their terrible tales. At this point Talley’s story telling takes over, and he’s pretty good at it. He’s also clever, because he connects stories and myths, not normally associated with Cthulhu, in a way that is utterly believable (and darkly fun). For example, the first story is about a bunch of hunters encountering a Wendigo, which happens to be the title of a really great story by Algernon Blackwood. This story is not in that category, but it’s gory fun, with a substantial amount of wilderness dread. Actually, it may even be the weakest story, but Talley is creating threads that will eventually bear fruit by the end of the book. The following stories, one in a Carpathian “convent,” another in a New England asylum, had me recalling Hammer films of old. They also had me recalling the great pulp writers, Howard, Burroughs, Lovecraft (of course), and Poe (in particular, his Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym). All of these allusions, familiar character types, exotic settings, etc., add up, leaving you with the sense, in part at least, that the novel is paying homage to Pulp Horror. But unlike Paul Malmont’s wonderful Chinese Death Cloud Peril, Talley’s effort absorbs the past and makes it his own. Easier said than done, but he pulls it off. Talley’s not just tipping his hat to the past, but taking the stuff he digs, and reinventing it. At one point, late in the book, the evil guy, wrapped in his evil cloak, along with his crew of zombies, invades Charleston Harbor. That’s some crazy and inspired stuff. It had me thinking if there was a lost chapter to Arthur Gordon Pym, this scene would be it. I can’t think of any higher praise.

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12 likes · like · see review

Sep 26, 2011 Anne Petty rated it 5 of 5 stars

Caveat - I was sent an advance review copy of this book by the publisher with an invitation to review if I felt it was worthy. I enjoyed the book greatly and admired the skill with which it was written, so I chose to review. This is NOT a paid review.

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For those who like their horror Old School, That Which Should Not Be is a delicious treat. Channeling a potent witches’ brew of H. P. Lovecraft, August Derleth, Algernon Blackwood, and Bram Stoker, Brett J. Talley pulls out all the clas...more Caveat - I was sent an advance review copy of this book by the publisher with an invitation to review if I felt it was worthy. I enjoyed the book greatly and admired the skill with which it was written, so I chose to review. This is NOT a paid review.

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For those who like their horror Old School, That Which Should Not Be is a delicious treat. Channeling a potent witches’ brew of H. P. Lovecraft, August Derleth, Algernon Blackwood, and Bram Stoker, Brett J. Talley pulls out all the classic horror tropes to craft a dark foreboding pall of a story that is all his own.

The narrative structure – tales within a tale, framed by the larger narrative told through a “found” manuscript – draws not only from the Lovecraftian heritage, but from Stoker’s Dracula as well. In fact, the book is full of nods to icons of gothic fiction. The setting begins in Lovecraft’s mythical Arkham, Massachusetts, and moves northward up the rocky coast, where our hero meets a quartet of informants in a windswept tavern aptly called The Kraken. Here the novel takes a Boccaccian turn, wherein a group of people trapped in a confined space swap tall tales to pass the time. The main narrator, university student Carter Weston, listens entranced to loosely connected stories from a woodsman, a lawyer, a doctor, and a ship’s captain whose tale comes after the guests have departed the snowbound tavern.

The four tales that make up the core of the book could stand well enough on their own as compelling novellas, but Talley skillfully weaves them into a larger tapestry based on Lovecraft’s premise of the return of the Old Gods. Drawing from the deep well of world folklore and legend, we have a Wendigo legend in the trapper’s tale; the lawyer’s East European story of hidden rituals in a ruined mountain abbey that does not require the presence of vampires; the doctor’s tale set in a Massachusetts hospital for the insane reminiscent of the asylum scenes from Dracula (complete with its own Renfield character as well as a doctor named Harker and a professor named Seward); and, finally, the captain’s tale of a cursed sea voyage.

Talley has the period diction nailed, with very few slippages. Not an easy feat when you have five different narrators to voice. The narrative style takes a page or two of getting used to, but once you’ve settled into the time period, Talley’s stories unfold with a decadent, mist-shrouded 19th century atmosphere worthy of Poe himself. The “found” manuscript or diary style of narration of necessity creates some distance from the reader, but Talley still manages to bring his various narrators vividly to life so that we care what happens to them and feel fully invested in their storylines.

Talley is at his best in setting mood and atmosphere, and his writing style truly shines in the passages describing weather and landscape, whether it’s the mythic Miskatonic woodlands of Massachusetts, a snowy coastal nor’easter, a careening carriage ride through the Carpathians, or moonlit vistas in old Arkham. Especially captivating, and constituting the best written passages in the novel, are the seafaring episodes. These are so well rendered one could easily believe the author’s salty dog credentials come from dire personal experience. It’s no surprise that the final story, Captain Gray’s tale paying homage to the Flying Dutchman legend and Coleridge’s “The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner,” and even Poe’s “Lenore,” is the best of the four and constitutes the book’s gripping climax. Captain Gray’s narrative brings the main storyline back into the present and merges Weston’s immediate quest with the larger premise of the novel: the attempt by misguided humans to reawaken the Old Ones as described in Lovecraft’s Cthulu mythos.

There is much of Blackwood’s style in Talley’s writing. Blackwood was described by his peers as a mystic, naturalist, conservationist, outdoorsman, and genuine intellectual interested perhaps more in the terrors of the mind and the powers of the unseen than the physical acts of horror themselves.

This is not to say that That Which Should Not Be doesn’t have its graphic, pure horror moments – an early image of the Wendigo devouring its prey qualifies nicely, as does the bloody Sisters’ sacrifice in a cursed abbey. But much of the book’s satisfying gothic terror stems from the mind’s contemplation of nighttime frights and what lurks, gibbering, beyond ordinary perception. In old-style gothic novel writing, what the reader congers in his or her imagination, with skillful prompting from the author, produces a much stronger, lingering sense of terror than detailed graphic descriptions, shocking as they may be at the moment of reading. As we all know, the mind is a dark and dangerous place.

That’s why reading Talley’s book just before bedtime is not a good idea. But then, once you’ve started, it’s impossible to stop.
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10 likes · like · see review

CD September 24, 2011

Is this a paid review? The book is not even available to or for professional/retail distribution including retailers, libraries, or...more
Sep 24, 2011 05:44pm

CD September 24, 2011

I've asked in other comments to various reviews on this book "Is this a paid review?" The book is not even available to or for profe...more
Sep 24, 2011 06:21pm

Anne Petty It's called an ARC (advance review copy). Most publishers send them out to selected reviewers to help generate interest in a book well in advance of i...more
Sep 25, 2011 07:25am

Jan 07, 2013 Bandit rated it 5 of 5 stars

After several tries to win this book through GR giveaways, I finally found a copy at the library. Well worth the effort of locating, this book is exactly what an award winning Bram Stoker nominated novel should be. It's a lovecraftian homage at its finest, 5 tales in one (although only 3 of those are really lovecraft inspired), every one as horrifying and compelling as the next. Cosmic horror by nature is one of the most effective kinds there is, because it reduces us to mere specks before the v...more

8 likes · like · see review

Dec 23, 2011 Maxine McLister rated it 4 of 5 stars

Carter Weston is a student at Miskatonic University (fans of HP Lovecraft will recognize this name), a university which is considered by the superstitious to be 'witch-haunted', a place where nameless rites could be heard echoing through its hallowed halls. Weston is enlisted by one of his professors to retrieve an ancient relic which is believed to be hidden in a neighbouring town. When he arrives at his destination during a blizzard, he seeks shelter at a nearby inn where he is invited to join...more

4 likes · like · see review

Mar 13, 2012 Marvin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, kindle

This review has been approved by Cthulhu Kitty...

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Sometimes you just gotta bow to the masters.

In That Which Should Not Be, Brett J Talley's tribute to Lovecraftian horror, he does just that. But he also manages to freshen up the Cthulhu Mythos, rustles some new scares into an old reliable war horse, and gives us what may be the best horror novel of 2011.

Talley's debut novel is a delight of atmospheric horror while not flinching from more violence scenes when it needs to. A Miskatonic...more

17 likes · like · see review

Jan 10, 2012 William M. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

4 AND 1/2 STARS

This Lovecraftian story is the debut novel of author Brett J. Talley and is one of the better first novels I’ve read. Talley’s atmospheric style certainly doesn’t feel like a first time writer and I was even more impressed with how frightening it was to read. It’s not often I look up from a horror novel to peer around the room or through open doorways because of a strange noise or fleeting shadow I caught from the corner of my eye. This book caused me to do that and I’m not ashame...more

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Aug 25, 2011 Jeffrey Wilson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Author Brett J. Talley has breathed new life into legends and stories as old as the Cthulhu creature itself. More importantly, he has captured the voice of the legendary writers who go before him. Told in the classic literary horror style of Lovecraft, Shelley, and Stoker, this book is alive with imagery and rich characters which bring to life the terrifying story in a way that will keep you up at night long after you have turned the last page.

Told through the eyes of five main characters, the b...more

3 likes · like · see review

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Jeffrey Wilson CD,

Your comments reflect the attitudes that always drive me away from boards like this. It sounds like perhaps you didn't enjoy the book as much as I...more
Sep 25, 2011 09:20am

Jeffrey Wilson SO Mr. Talley went on to garner a Bram Stoker award nomination for his book-- apparently many others share my "gushing" opinion.

Still not a peep, or m...more
Jun 16, 2012 06:59am

Aug 07, 2011 Cassie McCown rated it 5 of 5 stars

That Which Should Not Be
By: Brett J Talley
ISBN: 9781936564149
Published October 7, 2011 by JournalStone
Available Format: Paperback, ebook

My Rating: ★★★★★

That Which Should Not Be is the winner of JournalStone’s 2011 Horror Writing Contest!

As a student at the mysterious Miskatonic University, Carter Weston is accustomed to the well-known reputation of the school’s association in all things occult and supernatural. When Professor Thayerson sends Carter on a secretive search for a dark and powerful b...more

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Oct 03, 2012 David Elkin rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have read the first two tales-This is a GREAT book

The book did not disappoint. Talley has done a marvelous job of recreating the atmosphere of Lovecraft. The book moves along crisply and I plan to read his second book, The Void soon.

He got everything right and unlike HPL, he is not as pessimistic as the original author. Under $6 in ebook format, just a great romp.

A quick follow up. I read this in ebook format. NRP today talked about schools getting rid of textbooks. S. Korea is aiming for th...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 19, 2012 Jay rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was flat out fantastic. Probably one of my favorite horror books ever now. The book takes you through a few short stories within the story, and I felt it worked out really well. I thoroughly enjoyed the short stories told within the book by some of the characters, in particular the legend of the Wendigo. Eventually everything ties together and works its way towards the climactic ending.

I think this was a great piece of Lovecraftian horror and would recommend it for anyone who enjoys th...more

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 24, 2011 Clayton Bye rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dark-fantasy, dark-fiction, fiction, horror

The Review...

http://www.thedeepening.com/horror/20...

1 like · like · see review

Jan 04, 2013 Jen marked it as to-read

Great Lovecraftian story!

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 13, 2011 Isamlq rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-galley

"I was Thomas of old, condemned not to believe, lest I see. Alas time would come when mine would see and mourn because of it."

It's that line that I held to because while its beginning was solid, the middle tried what little patience I had. I wanted to see what Carter saw and see I did... eventually. Talley writes with images in mind. He makes That Which Should Not Be dark and scary and confusing and new (at least to me it was.) The problem is it got too much at times even if the beginning pique...more "I was Thomas of old, condemned not to believe, lest I see. Alas time would come when mine would see and mourn because of it."

It's that line that I held to because while its beginning was solid, the middle tried what little patience I had. I wanted to see what Carter saw and see I did... eventually. Talley writes with images in mind. He makes That Which Should Not Be dark and scary and confusing and new (at least to me it was.) The problem is it got too much at times even if the beginning piqued my interest. Starting with the MC shoved right into the action with little preparation, the 'thereafter,' was another matter. The middle tried me sorely because I wanted more of Carter, only what I got were stories within a story. A good deal of this is a couple of broken men telling their tales to an untested young man. Taken individually said stories ran along the lines of that fantasy/horror/sci-fi TV show, Amazing Stories. So it's horror, old school style; a lot of waiting and thinking and imagining less the blood and gore.

I suppose what bugged me was the waiting. Waiting for the connection to be made. Waiting for Carter's role to become clear. Only, if I'm absolutely honest it was precisely the same waiting that built it up and had me considering, thinking about how those stories would connect. Were they connected? Could they be connected? Take Jack's Wendigo; Daniel scholomance, haunted abbey; William and his asylum; Captain Gray and his book; and finally, Carter and his search. Each bit was very easy to envision given the attention to detail. I mean, just consider this line, "Even with the blinding snow and darkened skies, some unknown glow illuminated the oily sea as it boiled and undulated under the ever gathering barrage." But all that said, the final 'reveal' was simply interesting, ala- Amazing Stories.

Too bad about the cover, because scary as it may look, it does look a teensy bit cheesey. And this book is not cheesey...a bit slow at times but after a while, there really is a good story (a couple of stories) in here. What I liked most: it doesn't mess about, but simply throws Carter into it. I will even admit to liking the back and forth between the then and now. I suppose considering this isn't a book I would typically read it really isn't bad. Heck, it's actually pretty interesting. Interesting enough that it had me making up theories and looking for connections.

2.5/5(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Sep 23, 2012 Esmeralda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 5-stars, books-i-won, favorites

I just finished this book, and God, I got goosebumps. It was good better than good. I enjoyed the charcacters and the voice of the author. You can tell that the author put a lot of thought into his story. The individual stories weave passages together beautifully.You actualy feel like a character in the book. You can picture everything; words become vivid images. If you are looking for a unique and exciting book this is the one.
Edit:(forgot) Thank you for giving me this opportunity to read this...more

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Aug 28, 2012 Ray Bliss rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-general

That which should not be by Brett J. Talley.

25% If you love Lovecraftian horror and Cthulhu Mythos, I think you will really enjoy this book. I'm only about 1/4th of the way through the book and can't wait to read more.

50% The story is going strong. It’s a bit cliché, but then when you’re dealing with the elder ones you know that madness is the result. What is not to like about madness! I only wish I could have gone to Miskatonic University.

75% I had the strangest dream last night...

100% I have f...more

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Oct 06, 2012 Colleen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, sci-fi, fantasy

I loved this book. Talley did amazingly well at capturing the Victorian-Lovecraftian language and feel, and that's what I'm looking for in a Cthulu-based book. And Talley takes no prisoners. The main character is studying at Miskatonic University. One of the characters has possession of the Necronomicon. Things with tentacles are featured prominently. Incantations are cast in languages that man cannot pronounce, and the city of R'lyeh rises somewhere southerly.

The basic plot is that our main ch...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jun 07, 2012 Mark Kessler rated it 3 of 5 stars

As I was doing a little research for something totally unrelated (I’m still not sure how I found it), I ran across an interesting discussion on a blog site. It concerned Amazon reviews. It seems that an author had challenged the validity of another author’s reviews. Several fans weighed in and then a third author became involved. Curiosity got the better of me and I wandered around look at these authors, their works, and their reviews. Never having heard of any of them, I could not make an info...more

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Apr 28, 2012 Hal Bodner rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was thrilled that this book was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award last year. Though there were several excellent books in contention, for some reason, "That Which Should Not Be" strikes me as being quintessentially what the Stoker Award should be about.

Talley takes a series of traditional horror tropes and cleverly tweaks them to fit into a broader Cthulu tapestry-- a tapestry that Talley weaves with great dexterity. There's nothing fundamentally original or earth-shattering here; each stor...more

3 likes · like · see review

Apr 16, 2012 Ken rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow, this was a really good, spooky book. Can't wait to see what this author does next.

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 14, 2012 Troy Mccombs rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'm a HUGE fan of H.P. Lovecraft. He's part of the reason I got into writing (especially this genre) in the first place. I've read almost every story he's written. He is my favorite author.

So no wonder I bought this book. Besides, look at the cover--it's freakin' Cthulhu! Gotta love him!

Anyway, I started reading this book with a mixture of excitement and dread. On one hand, I wanted to read a Lovecraftian story. On the other hand, many have ruined his style by writing stories (or making movies)...more

4 likes · like · see review

Aug 14, 2011 Andres rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sonyreader

This book is composed of several stories in fine Lovecraftian tradition, which are really only linked because of this, excepting the last one. They are very well written, and the author is well versed in the Cthulhu mythos. I will definitely keep an eye open for further additions to the mythos from this writer.

No spoilers here, just a brief summary of the main plot. The protagonist, a student at Miskatonic U, is sent on a mission to recover an eldritch tome (no, not the Necronomicon, something f...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 07, 2011 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars

The things that go bump in the night, the zombie apocalypse, the amount of money it takes to fill up your gas tank are horrors that may seem truly frightening - until you read what is in store for humanity inside the covers of this book.

Carter, a student at a university known for its dabblings in the occult, the otherwordly, and the possibly demonic, is asked by his professor to undertake a particularly daunting task. A book known as Incendium Maleficarum has been rumored to be nearby, and Cart...more The things that go bump in the night, the zombie apocalypse, the amount of money it takes to fill up your gas tank are horrors that may seem truly frightening - until you read what is in store for humanity inside the covers of this book.

Carter, a student at a university known for its dabblings in the occult, the otherwordly, and the possibly demonic, is asked by his professor to undertake a particularly daunting task. A book known as Incendium Maleficarum has been rumored to be nearby, and Carter must go searching for the book. Fate and the book have things worked out just a tad bit differently.

When Carter comes into a lonely little town, a blizzard to take on all other blizzards arrived before him, and he must struggle to find a place to get some hot food and shelter while the storm runs its course. The book starts its move. Carter runs into a motley crew in the pub he is using for a bite to eat and shelter from the bitter winds. These four people have stories to tell that will chill your bones.

The final story comes when the 'leader' of the group invites Carter to stay the night with him in his ocean front mansion. Book - checkmate. The horrors in store for the world are just now being placed to take control of all. And we have never imagined the dreadful things the deepest, darkest places of the world have been hiding.

This is a masterfully written piece of work. There are smaller stories that you get to be a part of while wandering down the adventure with Carter. At first, you may not see the point of these musings, but once you get to the end, everything that you have learned, all of the stories that have been shared, all tie together into one giant puzzle you never realized your were putting together until the last piece falls. Then you sit transfixed thinking, how in the world did I not see that coming, all the while rubbing the goosebumps from your skin from the horrors that you just lay witness to.

This isn't a graphic story, there are a few instances in there where you may have some spilled entrails, but the most horrifying part is the book itself. What it can do, what it can bring forth, what could be lying in wait. If you have an imagination like mine, this book will leave you thinking long into the night, and several days later you will still be thinking of the tales, how each part wove it's way in relation to the others. Brett's debut book is nothing short of superb.
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11 likes · like · see review

Jun 28, 2011 Christopher Payne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: journalstone

Miskatonic University has a long-whispered reputation of being strongly connected to all things occult and supernatural. From the faculty to the students, the fascination with other-worldly legends and objects runs rampant. So, when Carter Weston’s professor Dr. Thayerson asks him to search a nearby village for a book that is believed to control the inhuman forces that rule the Earth, Incendium Maleficarum, The Inferno of the Witch, the student doesn’t hesitate to begin the quest.

Weston’s journe...more

8 likes · like · see review

May 10, 2012 Samuel rated it 3 of 5 stars

A pulpy, competently executed action-horror book. It's probably best approached like a collection of short stories; the frame story is a little on the vestigial side, and a large portion of the book is the main character being told spooky mythos stories by various people. The stories themselves are mostly nice little exercises in tension and atmosphere. Honestly, it's probably better that the book is done this way as it avoids tedium through sheer variety in locations and set pieces. What keeps...more

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Nov 23, 2011 Tanja Seppä rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, horror

The day after I added this book, I had a goodread friend request from Brett Talley. It took a moment before I realized that was the author of this book. My second thought was a worried "what if I hate the book, dare I write a candid review?" Anyone who cares to see how thoroughly I can thrash a book can read my review of Lucinda Riley's "Hothouse Flower", a novel which should never have been written and much less published. At any rate, I didn't hate this book at all so I needn't have worried.

T...more

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Apr 25, 2012 Eirian Phillips rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Questions of sanity and good 'old fashioned' tales of horror.

At first, I thought this was going to be slow going and that I wasn't going to enjoy the story at all. The 'old world' feel to the language and the slow pace at the beginning of the book all screamed to my mind that it was going to be something I would not enjoy. However, I persevered, and I'm very glad that I did, soon becoming lost in the telling of the tales and While to book pays homage to Lovecraft, I believe Brett J. Talley manag...more Questions of sanity and good 'old fashioned' tales of horror.

At first, I thought this was going to be slow going and that I wasn't going to enjoy the story at all. The 'old world' feel to the language and the slow pace at the beginning of the book all screamed to my mind that it was going to be something I would not enjoy. However, I persevered, and I'm very glad that I did, soon becoming lost in the telling of the tales and While to book pays homage to Lovecraft, I believe Brett J. Talley manages to maintain his own authorial voice through the pages of his book.

The story follows the quest of a young man, sent on an errand by his university professor to retrieve a book renowned for its evil. On the way he meets a group of people who each tell him their own, chilling stories, which feed into the creepy, unsettling nature of the book. The characters are strong, their tales compelling, and within the pages of the novel they all - particularly the main character, Carter Weston - evolve and grow through their experiences, something especially important in a story like this if one is to maintain a degree of believabiliy among such fantastical tales.

The only point I questioned in all of the story is how or why such ancient powers as the ones with which Carter et al are in conflict should be repelled by Judeo-Christian signs and symbols when they are said, many times during the course of the stories, to pre-date Christianity by countless centuries, but once I moved past that, and settled back into the story, I could not fault the suspence and overall 'creepiness' of the storytelling.

What I especially liked, which crept up on me after I realised I had got myself lost in the story, was that each of the four tales told by the characters Carter meets on his journey, has some element that feeds into the final conflict in the main story, and the fact that, in the end, the whole thing came full circle.

Stories within a story, within an overarching raison d'etre all build a compelling and well crafted, chilling tale of ancient evil and mankind's ongoing struggle with the things that go 'bump in the night' that we can only sometimes see, more often feel... and with that which should not be.(less)

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Sep 02, 2011 Nora Weston rated it 5 of 5 stars

Carter Weston believes even before he knew the name of Miskatonic University...that he was already gravitating toward it, and so much so he never understood what home was until he arrives on the witch-haunted grounds. Located in Arkham, Massachusetts, Miskatonic University’s rich history, including wild rumors of occult activity, soon fascinates Carter to the point he agrees to help Dr. Thayerson retrieve an ancient book called the Incendium Maleficarum...Inferno of the Witch. Thayerson states t...more Carter Weston believes even before he knew the name of Miskatonic University...that he was already gravitating toward it, and so much so he never understood what home was until he arrives on the witch-haunted grounds. Located in Arkham, Massachusetts, Miskatonic University’s rich history, including wild rumors of occult activity, soon fascinates Carter to the point he agrees to help Dr. Thayerson retrieve an ancient book called the Incendium Maleficarum...Inferno of the Witch. Thayerson states the Incendium Maleficarum, “means passion, total subjugation of oneself to the dark arts, to turn over body and soul to their devices. It is the most ancient of all books of witchcraft, the grimoire of grimoires.”

And so the adventure into madness begins. Carter Weston’s obsession with all things supernatural, lead him to discover not only secrets about the Incendium Maleficarum, but of another ancient book called the Necromonicon, which is an otherworldly spell book. When brought together, the two books become unbelievably dangerous in the wrong hands...hands that desire to exert untold power over the earth and beyond. In nearby Anchorhead, Carter meets Jack, William, Daniel, and Captain Jonathan Gray. These four men tell great tales saturated by evil that seem too horrible to be true, yet each man transports Carter to the past where bloodshed is found and the terrors are very real. The stories build tension—create an atmosphere of mystery and fantastic horror urging the reader to turn every page faster...and faster to discover what lies ahead for Carter Weston.

"That Which Should Not Be" by Brett Talley is an exciting, fast-paced read. It makes the outer-limits of reality, where dreams and nightmares collide seem alive with wicked mischief that is hungry to feed on the fear of all who encounter its dread. The characters within this marvelous book share frightening stories about ancient evil...legendary beasts, and occult happenings that bring chaos and violent deaths to some, all to set the stage for Carter to meet his fate. The way "That Which Should Not Be" invites the reader to travel along with Carter is smooth, seemingly safe because although Carter knows he has been sent on a risky mission, he is skeptical about the true nature of evil whether it is concealed in a beast...or a man. If the battle between good against evil interests you, and if you ponder at all about how far a man will go to protect others, pick up "That Which Should Not Be."
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Aug 26, 2011 Jenn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Carter Weston is a college student at Miskatonic University, where the fascination with legends and the occult run rampant.
One infamous book named the Incendium Maleficarum, The Inferno of the Witch resurfaces and Weston’s professor and mentor asks him to procur the book for him and get it back to him immediately so that it can be locked away forever, Weston jumps on the chance to get the book for his professor.
His journey to find the book won’t take him long in miles but the men he will encount...more Carter Weston is a college student at Miskatonic University, where the fascination with legends and the occult run rampant.
One infamous book named the Incendium Maleficarum, The Inferno of the Witch resurfaces and Weston’s professor and mentor asks him to procur the book for him and get it back to him immediately so that it can be locked away forever, Weston jumps on the chance to get the book for his professor.
His journey to find the book won’t take him long in miles but the men he will encounter will tell him stories that will take him back in time to places in their lives that changed everything for them forever.
Carter is a non believer in all of the legends but can’t help but be intrigued by their stories and notice the similarities.
During Carter’s journey, his faith and beliefs will be tested.
Can a hand full of men overcome an unimaginable evil that has been lurking around since before man???
I can not even begin to describe to you how very much this book captivated me!
The very first page in this book piqued my intrest and it was very hard to put down.
I would have read this story in one sitting if real life weren’t always interrupting me!
Brett Talley is a wonderful storyteller!
His depictions of places and events had me so fascinated that I even had to google some of them to see if they did in fact exsist.
That Which Should Not Be covers various legends and religious beliefs about the inevitable end of days and the unholy beings that will try to take over the world.
What made this story so chilling to me was the fact that Talley used many real legends and scriptures.
Unlike a lot of horror stories, Talley doesn’t use gore to scare you.
He uses faith and facts, which makes the story that much more realistic and terrifying.
This is one of the best horror stories that I have read in a very long time and I know that it will stay with me in the back of my mind even longer.
I look forward to more work from this author as he has now gotten another huge fan in me!

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CD September 24, 2011

I've asked in other comments to reviews on this book "Is this a paid review?" The book is not even available to or for professional/...more
Sep 24, 2011 06:17pm

Jenn CD wrote: "September 24, 2011

I've asked in other comments to reviews on this book "Is this a paid review?" The book is not even available to or for pr...more
Sep 24, 2011 07:40pm

Aug 05, 2011 Debbie Heaton rated it 3 of 5 stars

A long whispered reputation of a connection to the occult and supernatural echo in the halls of Miskatonic University. When Dr. Thayerson approaches one of his students about searching for a book believed to hold the inhuman forces that rule Earth, Carter Weston doesn's hesitate to volunteer. The book, Incendium Maleficarum, The Inferno of the Witch, proves to be a problem when it's brought back and Carter realizes the grave mistake he's made. Without intent, he has played a role in the potentia...more

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Oct 28, 2012 Travis rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

A very entertaining romp through the world of the Cthulhu Mythos. This book inspired me to break out my copy of the Arkham Horror board game for the first time in six months! Mr. Talley has written a solid first novel that should help lure many readers into the world of Lovecraft.

1 like · like · see review

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Horror Aficionados : Hunting For That Which Should Not Be	87	176	Jun 14, 2013 04:27pm
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About Brett J. Talley

Visit me at www.brettjtalley.com!

A native of the South, Brett Talley received a philosophy and history
degree from the University of Alabama before moving to witch-haunted
Massachusetts to attend Harvard Law School. When people ask, Brett
tells them he writes for fortune and glory. But the truth is the
stories in his head simply refuse to stay put. Brett loves every kind
of fiction—from horror to liter...more

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