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69th out of 208 books
—
143 voters
Bottled Abyss
by
Benjamin Kane Ethridge (Goodreads Author)
YOU'VE TAKEN PAYMENT FOR A DEATH THAT DOESN'T BELONG TO YOU. WHAT WERE THREE ARE NOW ONE, AND I AM FURY...
Herman and Janet Erikson are going through a crisis of grief and suffering after losing their daughter in a hit and run. They've given up on each other, they've given up on themselves. They are living day by day. One afternoon, to make a horrible situation worse, the...more
Herman and Janet Erikson are going through a crisis of grief and suffering after losing their daughter in a hit and run. They've given up on each other, they've given up on themselves. They are living day by day. One afternoon, to make a horrible situation worse, the...more
Paperback, 332 pages
Published
June 30th 2012
by Redrum Horror
(first published June 1st 2012)
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Congratulations to Benjamin Ethridge for Bottled Abyss appearing on the final ballot for the 2012 Bram Stoker Awards.
Bottled Abyss is a novel in the horror genre, so one expects physical and psychological gore, but what I found most interesting and enjoyable was the River Styx folklore brought forward to a modern setting where the mythical cosmology is developed into a fascinating scenario far more frightening than brain spatter. The buildup was restrained in pace, but held my interest enough t...more
Once I had thought to become the scholar of the representation of the land of the dead in literature. This was indeed the original plan for my PhD dissertation, a history of Hades from Homer to H.D., until one pithy advisor quipped: "In how many volumes again?" Still, in recent years I have read often of the otherworld in Gothic and Horror texts and could still probably write up a little something about this sub-tradition within the Gothic sub-genre of the short story, novel, and even, occasiona...more
The best way to describe Bottled Abyss is dark. Benjamin Kane Ethridge in his sinister and brooding style weaves a spellbinding tale that uses the mythos of the River Styx in a way only he can tell. He does this by exploring the psyches of his main characters, all of them flawed in some major fashion. The novel's two main characters, Janet and Herman Erikson suffer the ultimate tragedy of losing their daughter in a tragic hit and run accident. As expected, they don't cope with it well. Herman tr...more
I like Benjamin Kane Ethridge. He’s a fantastic writer, and a nice guy to boot. When I found out I’d be working with him on Limbus, Inc., I decided that I would do a little research on the guy, and what better way than to read his latest, Bottled Abyss. I was not only impressed—I was surprised as well.
Here’s the book’s description.
Herman and Janet Erikson are going through a crisis of grief and suffering after losing their daughter in a hit and run. They've given up on each other, they've give...more
Here’s the book’s description.
Herman and Janet Erikson are going through a crisis of grief and suffering after losing their daughter in a hit and run. They've given up on each other, they've give...more
The terrible price of working miracles is one of my favourite horror themes and one that Benjamin Kane Ethridge explores to gruesome effect. Bottled Abyss mixes Barker-esque blood baths with ancient mythology to create a story that sprints along checking off genres as it goes. What begins as an eerie exploration of a traumatised relationship, twists into a dark thriller and then finally contorts itself into grand fantasy.
This mix of the mythic and mundane is at its most effective in the first se...more
This mix of the mythic and mundane is at its most effective in the first se...more
I was introduced to Ethridge's work last year with Black & Orange which easily became one of my favorite books of the year. Ethridge's talent for turning folklore and myth into his own device stays strong in his new book, Bottled Abyss. The story initially starts off about Herman and Janet, a married couple who lost their young daughter recently to a hit and run driver, and all the trauma which that entails. While looking for their lost dog, Herman meets Charon the Boatman, and learns first...more
3 AND 1/2 STARS
Author Benjamin Kan Ethridge won the Bram Stoker award for his first novel, Black And Orange, and he is one of the stronger up-and-coming writers in the genre. Ethridge always seems to produce very original, daring, and thought provoking work. His new book, Bottled Abyss, is no exception.
The concept was quite original and shifted from various perspectives as the novel unfolded, smoothly mixing elements of Greek mythology into a gritty modern adult fairytale. The dark and macabre t...more
Author Benjamin Kan Ethridge won the Bram Stoker award for his first novel, Black And Orange, and he is one of the stronger up-and-coming writers in the genre. Ethridge always seems to produce very original, daring, and thought provoking work. His new book, Bottled Abyss, is no exception.
The concept was quite original and shifted from various perspectives as the novel unfolded, smoothly mixing elements of Greek mythology into a gritty modern adult fairytale. The dark and macabre t...more
When Herman and Janet Erikson’s young daughter, Melody, is killed in a hit and run accident, their lives quite literally fall apart. Janet is consumed with suicidal thoughts and seeks solace in alcoholism, while Herman finds himself increasingly unable to cope with his wife’s inability to move past her pain, to the point where he begins to despise her. When their dog goes missing in the coyote infested desert near their home, Herman sets out to find the animal. When he finds the dog near death,...more
In BOTTLED ABYSS, Stoker award winning novelist Benjamin Ethridge proves what we all suspected-- that he is the rising star of Horror Fiction. Ethridge has created a totally gripping tale of Dark Fantasy and has again built for us a complex mythological world which competes with greek mythology in its scope and description. Ethridge makes this world so believable that we are chilled as we consider all we believed about life and death. More exciting, he does it within the confines of our own, ver...more
Benjamin Kane Ethridge has masterfully written this dark, beautiful, disturbing, and moving tale. The most stunning thing about it is the characterization. You really get engrossed in their lives and are emotionally invested into what will happen to them.
The interweaving of Greek mythology into modern times is done effortlessly, which I can't imagine was an easy task. The only "negative" I feel from the book was there was a point in which one of the characters acted in such a way that gave me p...more
The interweaving of Greek mythology into modern times is done effortlessly, which I can't imagine was an easy task. The only "negative" I feel from the book was there was a point in which one of the characters acted in such a way that gave me p...more
REVIEWED: Bottled Abyss
WRITTEN BY: Benjamin Kane Ethridge
PUBLISHED: June, 2012
This is an epic novel that furthers Greek mythology by bringing it into modern times. Fascinating and thoughtful explanations as well as a rich plot and diverse characters. This is not the kind of book that you can skip a few pages and think you're going to understand what's going on - there's a lot of information and sub-plots the author has woven together, and it takes some endeavor to keep up with the reasoning for...more
WRITTEN BY: Benjamin Kane Ethridge
PUBLISHED: June, 2012
This is an epic novel that furthers Greek mythology by bringing it into modern times. Fascinating and thoughtful explanations as well as a rich plot and diverse characters. This is not the kind of book that you can skip a few pages and think you're going to understand what's going on - there's a lot of information and sub-plots the author has woven together, and it takes some endeavor to keep up with the reasoning for...more
Bottled Abyss weaves an intricate story around the resurrection of Nyx, Greek goddess of the night, and the reemergence of her river Styx in the California Badlands.
The tale is told through the eyes of several characters, at times using stream of consciousness as a device to bring the reader in close during high points of tension. The primary characters, Janet and Herman Erikson, tell their own struggle over the untimely death of their daughter, and become unwitting catalysts for the manifestati...more
The tale is told through the eyes of several characters, at times using stream of consciousness as a device to bring the reader in close during high points of tension. The primary characters, Janet and Herman Erikson, tell their own struggle over the untimely death of their daughter, and become unwitting catalysts for the manifestati...more
Great story line with characters that jump right off the pages and into your heart! Really enjoying this one.
Bram Stoker Award-winning author Joe McKinney couldn’t be more right in his praise quote when he says that Bottled Abyss, the second novel from fellow Stoker Award winner Benjamin Kane Ethridge, is “…a book grabs you from the opening line and refuses to let you go.”
Bottled Abyss is dark fantasy at its darkest, the horror elements leaning toward the fantastical side of the spectrum. It’s an absorbing read that will remain with you long after you’ve turned the last page. Ethridge is the real deal,...more
Bottled Abyss is dark fantasy at its darkest, the horror elements leaning toward the fantastical side of the spectrum. It’s an absorbing read that will remain with you long after you’ve turned the last page. Ethridge is the real deal,...more
Herman and Janet's life is filled with pain. Melody their daughter was hit and killed by a car. After that Janet drank to much and thought of killing herself. Herman had a hard time coping with this. One night their dog Lester runs away from home. Herman is determined to go out and find Lester. Herman finds Lester near death. A stranger appears and save Lester by letting him drink from this ancient looking bottle. After Lester drinks from the magic bottle, he cough's up a gold coin. Herman wante...more
I've been a fan of Benjamin Kane Ethridge's work since Black and Orange, and his new novel lived up to my expectations. Beautifully written with vivid imagery and compelling dialogue, Bottled Abyss is a contemporary twist on mythology: a man finds a bottle filled with a strange fluid, and this discovery sets of a series of events that ends up changing the world. Populated by figures such as Charon, the Ferryman of the River Styx, and the Fury, Kane uses these ancient ancient creatures to explore...more
Feb 14, 2013
Adam Light
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2013-february-reads,
horror
Bottled Abyss was a Kindle freebie at the time I picked it up. I had no expectations when I plunged into it, which worked in my favor BIG TIME!
This novel began in a dark, sad and desolate setting and then progressed into some of the bleakest most depressing realms.
Yet, somehow it proved to be one of the most fascinating books I have read in quite some time.
Etheridge turned ancient mythology upside down and kept the twists coming in a relentless fashion.
The characters were all so well developed,...more
This novel began in a dark, sad and desolate setting and then progressed into some of the bleakest most depressing realms.
Yet, somehow it proved to be one of the most fascinating books I have read in quite some time.
Etheridge turned ancient mythology upside down and kept the twists coming in a relentless fashion.
The characters were all so well developed,...more
Benjamin Kane Etheridge has crafted another brilliant novel to complement his award-winning debut BLACK & ORANGE, and this one is certain to see similar accolades! An ancient legend and a bottle of mysterious liquid are at the center of this modern tale of loss and supernatural revenge. Loaded with many shocking surprises--as well as a lesson about power and responsibility--BOTTLED ABYSS will take you on a chilling, visceral ride that you will want to explore more than once!
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I'll be honest - I didn't fully understand this book. I really wanted to love this book and I truly enjoyed how I couldn't predict anything. That said, I can't imagine people behaving like the main characters in this story. I realize this is fiction, but I didn't understand the character's motivations for some of their actions; a lot of the behavior just seemed irrational. I also found some of the material hard to digest until I realized I was reading disjointed thoughts in the character's head....more
The rating is more likely 3.5, because I really did like the idea and the story. The characters were typical human beings and their portrayal and interaction between them was superbly done, very very convincing. However, they were too unlikable for my taste, with exception of Faye and Herman (although he had his flaws too), so it was difficult for me to actually care for them. The mythological segments were quite intriguing, especially the surreal one towards the end of the book, but I must conf...more
Got this when I saw that it was a Bram Stoker nominee, and it was well worth the reading. Takes an interesting twist on Greek mythology and brings it into the modern day. The characters were well fleshed out--though I got to say, none of them were particularly sympathetic--and the death scenes were great. I'd read Ethridge again, and I recommend this one to anybody who loves horror of the oldest variety.
An incredibly dark, emotionally draining novel that will make your brain break out in a cold sweat. Ethridge borrows from Greek Mythology, yet takes the material and goes places you never expected by the road least travelled. A powerful work by a powerhouse of an imagination.
Hot off the heals of his first novel, the Bram Stoker Award winning "Black and Orange", comes Benjamin Kane Ethridge's novel, Bottled Abyss, and it's fantastic! Greek mythology brought to the present, combined with mystery, sadness, great characters, blood and guts, and gangsters--it's all in this one and he manages to weave it together flawlessly as he tells a wonderfully original horror tale. Highly recommended! Beware The Ferryman and The Fury!
Bottled Abyss is easily on my list of favorite books of 2012 and is a definite contender for favorites of the decade. Benjamin Kane Etheridge has crafted a beautifully realized tale that mingles the mythical with the everyday. From the scenes of the daily lives of a despondent couple living in a bleak desert to the mythical ferry crossing the river to the land of the dead, each scene comes to life and builds on the one before.
If you want to read a fascinating masterfully executed story read Bott...more
If you want to read a fascinating masterfully executed story read Bott...more
Man, it is so nice to read a horror novel that isn't about vampires or friggin' zombies. BKE definitely knows his stuff and uses the River Styx mythology to great effect in this wonderful, tragic story.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
So good! This is the first book I've read by this author, but won't be the last. Satisfying read with no gaping holes. Horror that goes beyond gore. I just loved it.
Sloppy, often confusing, boring, and not a bit scary. Honestly, they must just hand out Stoker Awards to anyone...
Jun 09, 2012
Kirsty
marked it as to-read
Sounds really original. Looking forward to reading this one
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOTTLED ABYSS nominated for a Bram Stoker Award | 1 | 4 | Feb 25, 2013 02:46pm | |
| Horror Aficionados : Bottled Abyss | 2 | 39 | Jan 22, 2013 09:17am | |
| Stoker Preliminary Ballot 2012 | 1 | 2 | Jan 22, 2013 09:16am | |
| Bottled Abyss on 2012 Tomb Top Ten | 1 | 2 | Jan 10, 2013 05:52pm | |
| Have some horror in a bottle... | 1 | 4 | Sep 16, 2012 01:35pm |
Benjamin Kane Ethridge is the Bram Stoker Award winning author of the occult fantasy novel BLACK & ORANGE. He also wrote a master's thesis entitled, "CAUSES OF UNEASE: The Rhetoric of Horror Fiction and Film." Available in an ivory tower near you. Ben lives in Southern California with his wife and children. When he isn't writing, reading, videogaming, he's defending California's waterways and...more
More about Benjamin Kane Ethridge...
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Mar 08, 2013 01:19am