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The Godsend
THE CHILD...
Bonnie. Born in mystery of an unknown mother. Abandoned the morning of her birth. Adopted by the Marlows, who already have four children of their own.
THE OBSESSION...
Once unleashed, where will it end? The ultimate evil. Profound. Shattering. Ask Bonnie - demonic possession is child's play.
THE NIGHTMARE...
At first they are accidents. The crib death of the Marlows' baby. The drowning of their son. Then a third child's neck is broken. And the unspeakable is begun...
Bonnie. Born in mystery of an unknown mother. Abandoned the morning of her birth. Adopted by the Marlows, who already have four children of their own.
THE OBSESSION...
Once unleashed, where will it end? The ultimate evil. Profound. Shattering. Ask Bonnie - demonic possession is child's play.
THE NIGHTMARE...
At first they are accidents. The crib death of the Marlows' baby. The drowning of their son. Then a third child's neck is broken. And the unspeakable is begun...
223 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1976
22 people are currently reading
1311 people want to read
About the author
Bernard Taylor
103 books93 followersBernard Taylor was born in Swindon, Wiltshire, and now lives in London. Following active service in Egypt in the Royal Air Force, he studied Fine Arts in Swindon, then at Chelsea School of Art and Birmingham University. On graduation he worked as a teacher, painter and book illustrator before going as a teacher to the United States. While there, he took up acting and writing and continued with both after his return to England. He has published ten novels under his own name, including The Godsend (1976), which was adapted for a major film, and Sweetheart, Sweetheart (1977), which Charles L. Grant has hailed as one of the finest ghost stories ever written. He has also written novels under the pseudonym Jess Foley, as well as several works of nonfiction. He has won awards for his true crime writing and also for his work as a playwright. It was during his year as resident playwright at the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch that he wrote The Godsend. There Must Be Evil, his latest true crime study, is to be published in England in September.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
August 31, 2016
I'm a lover of stories about evil children- I can't help myself. I'm happy to report that I loved this story too.
Alan and Kate have four children already when they meet a mysterious pregnant woman in the park. In a strange series of events, the woman ends up birthing her child in Alan and Kate's house and the story begins.
From there the atmosphere and tension continuously builds, always leaving the reader guessing. Always leaving the reader wondering at the truth. This story was skillfully told-you can feel the emotions of the parents as incidents continue to occur-and at times you want to hug them and at others you just want to shake some sense into them!
It was delicious!
To summarize, this book was a roaring good time, especially for those of you that grew up with movies and books like The Omen or The Bad Seed. If you like that type of story, you should pick up this novel. It's fast paced, atmospheric, suspenseful and just plain fun!
Highly recommended!
Alan and Kate have four children already when they meet a mysterious pregnant woman in the park. In a strange series of events, the woman ends up birthing her child in Alan and Kate's house and the story begins.
From there the atmosphere and tension continuously builds, always leaving the reader guessing. Always leaving the reader wondering at the truth. This story was skillfully told-you can feel the emotions of the parents as incidents continue to occur-and at times you want to hug them and at others you just want to shake some sense into them!
It was delicious!
To summarize, this book was a roaring good time, especially for those of you that grew up with movies and books like The Omen or The Bad Seed. If you like that type of story, you should pick up this novel. It's fast paced, atmospheric, suspenseful and just plain fun!
Highly recommended!
March 23, 2024
The Godsend earns it right as a horror classic with Taylor's sure-footed prose and a deep sense of foreboding that just grows and grows. Right off the bat, we know this will be a tragedy, as our narrator (and main protagonist) informs us that something Bad happened, and here is his story. Taylor deftly introduces Marlowe family, the father (the narrator), his wife Kate, and their brood-- three boys and a girl, the oldest about 6.
The narrator was born and raised in a small, sleepy English town and now lives there again with his wife and kids in the house his father left him. He works as an illustrator for kids books while his wife, a former actress, now takes care of the kids. One day the family heads to the local lake for a picnic and encounter a very pregnant woman; a few day later the same woman stops by their house. Not sure what to do, they invite her for dinner, but she still shows no impetus to leave. Finally, she starts to go, only at once starts having birthing pains. Well, she gives birth to a bouncing baby girl, but the next day she splits and basically vanishes.
Kate is still nursing their youngest child, so taking care of newly arrived Bonnie does not seem too much of a deal. After some time, they decide to adopt Bonnie, and she becomes the newest Marlowe. Shortly after that, death starts to stalk the Marlowes, beginning with their youngest, who shared a crib with Bonnie...
Taylor really drew me into this story and kept me engrossed, not because of a mysterious plot or twists and turns, but the overall tone of despair that haunts the pages. The Marlowes were living an rather idyllic existence until the arrival of Bonnie and then 'tragedy' struck again and again, leaving them bereft. This did remind me of The Bad Seed in so far as the main antagonist is a creepy kid. I usually do not dig creepy kid stories (and geez were they rife in the 70s/80s horror scene), but the focus here is not little Bonnie, but the meltdown of the Marlowes and the torments of our narrator. 4 evil kids!!
The narrator was born and raised in a small, sleepy English town and now lives there again with his wife and kids in the house his father left him. He works as an illustrator for kids books while his wife, a former actress, now takes care of the kids. One day the family heads to the local lake for a picnic and encounter a very pregnant woman; a few day later the same woman stops by their house. Not sure what to do, they invite her for dinner, but she still shows no impetus to leave. Finally, she starts to go, only at once starts having birthing pains. Well, she gives birth to a bouncing baby girl, but the next day she splits and basically vanishes.
Kate is still nursing their youngest child, so taking care of newly arrived Bonnie does not seem too much of a deal. After some time, they decide to adopt Bonnie, and she becomes the newest Marlowe. Shortly after that, death starts to stalk the Marlowes, beginning with their youngest, who shared a crib with Bonnie...
Taylor really drew me into this story and kept me engrossed, not because of a mysterious plot or twists and turns, but the overall tone of despair that haunts the pages. The Marlowes were living an rather idyllic existence until the arrival of Bonnie and then 'tragedy' struck again and again, leaving them bereft. This did remind me of The Bad Seed in so far as the main antagonist is a creepy kid. I usually do not dig creepy kid stories (and geez were they rife in the 70s/80s horror scene), but the focus here is not little Bonnie, but the meltdown of the Marlowes and the torments of our narrator. 4 evil kids!!
May 31, 2015
Alan and Kate Marlowe are a happy, young couple with four children of their own. When a series of circumstances lead to an abandoned newborn baby girl being left in their care, they look at her as a godsend, and eagerly incorporate her into their lives.
It doesn't take long before grievous misfortunes begin occurring once baby Bonnie is brought in.
I admit that I had a preconceived notion of this being another "Omen" or "Bad Seed" story, but it was so much more! Taylor's writing style has such an elegant flow, that you become a part of this story, yourself. His characters are complex and extremely well developed. The atmospheric tension NEVER relents once it worms its way into your imagination. In the Godsend, I feel that the strength lies in what is not outwardly expressed, but in what the emotions merely "imply". The possibilities will run rampart in your mind, creating a horrifying tale so tangible and so much more effectively than any words could ever convey.
The Marlowes--and Bonnie--will stay in your thoughts regardless of how you may wish to be rid of them.
Highest reccommendation!
It doesn't take long before grievous misfortunes begin occurring once baby Bonnie is brought in.
I admit that I had a preconceived notion of this being another "Omen" or "Bad Seed" story, but it was so much more! Taylor's writing style has such an elegant flow, that you become a part of this story, yourself. His characters are complex and extremely well developed. The atmospheric tension NEVER relents once it worms its way into your imagination. In the Godsend, I feel that the strength lies in what is not outwardly expressed, but in what the emotions merely "imply". The possibilities will run rampart in your mind, creating a horrifying tale so tangible and so much more effectively than any words could ever convey.
The Marlowes--and Bonnie--will stay in your thoughts regardless of how you may wish to be rid of them.
Highest reccommendation!
October 19, 2022
This book was fire! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Hands down the best story about evil children I've ever seen in a movie, or read in a book.
I don't have kids and It still hit me hard! My guy -Bernard Taylor- delivers a simple story like a 12 gauge shotgun blast to the chest. Talk about masterful storytelling...damn, this guy was good! It was damn near Impossible to put down once the story gets going.
The writing was superb. The character development was spot on. The pacing was pitch-perfect. The ending was perfect.
An absolute must-read!
Hands down the best story about evil children I've ever seen in a movie, or read in a book.
I don't have kids and It still hit me hard! My guy -Bernard Taylor- delivers a simple story like a 12 gauge shotgun blast to the chest. Talk about masterful storytelling...damn, this guy was good! It was damn near Impossible to put down once the story gets going.
The writing was superb. The character development was spot on. The pacing was pitch-perfect. The ending was perfect.
An absolute must-read!
March 25, 2021
3.5 Stars
Admittedly, the story was quite predictable, but I still enjoyed it. Bernard Taylor has a cozy narrative style that always feels very comforting to read. Huge content warnings for harm to children.
Admittedly, the story was quite predictable, but I still enjoyed it. Bernard Taylor has a cozy narrative style that always feels very comforting to read. Huge content warnings for harm to children.
November 11, 2023
Amo los libros de terror ochenteros, me hacen bien al alma. "La enviada" fue una lectura que abordé en el momento justo, ya que se trata de una historia bastante ligera (y, por momentos, bastante cliché) sobre una niña muy especial que llegará a la vida de los protagonistas para cambiarlo todo. Como mencioné anteriormente, el tema del libro está bastante quemado al día de hoy, e incluso en su entonces estaba en su auge y se veía con cierta frecuencia. Pero no por eso le tengo menos cariño. Fue una experiencia agradable, ya que extrañaba ese estilo de escritura tan clásico de la época. Además, me parece que es un poco injusto juzgar un libro de los 80 con una mirada actual.
February 10, 2016
Bernard Taylor is such a unique and unassuming voice in the world of horror fiction. His writing style is direct, very easy to assimilate and read, a type of cosy horror and just when you think it is safe he confronts you with something totally unexpected.
Alan and Kate live the idyllic life, in the picturesque village of Little Haverstraw, with their four beautiful children Sam, Davie, Lucy and baby Matthew. Alan is an illustrator and he works from his own studio close to the family home, and Kate is occupied with four busy and adventurous children. “A dragon-fly darted, hovered and darted, close to the bank. Flies hummed in the warm air. The flower in Kate’s hair slipped, tilted, and I reached up and secured it. I kissed her again, lightly. Now, I thought, now –just as it is; I wanted nothing to change” This is exactly what I love about Bernard Taylor, he gives you hope, he creates the illusion that you are safe in his hands, he paints a picture of the idyll as he invites you into his confidence with the shiftyeyed look of a black mamba!
They make the acquaintance of a pregnant young lady called Jane Bryant who they invite to their home and unexpectedly the baby is born. Immediately the mother disappears and after some deep soul searching Alan and Kate welcome baby “Bonnie” into their new extended and wonderful family. The story now adopts a more sinister feel as catastrophe and tragedy become the everday norm and Alan and Kate must now confront their worst fears as they fight to retain their sanity amidst the realization that the new baby has a dark and evil intent.
The Godsend did not quite inspire and entertain me as much as Sweetheart Sweetheart or The Moorstone Sickness but it was still an excellent read in the very creative and gentle style of Bernard Taylor. This is not horror that is graphic but rather relies on the reader and his imagination to create a picture in his mind and by doing so he can almost experience the story and live the tragedy as it unfolds.
Alan and Kate live the idyllic life, in the picturesque village of Little Haverstraw, with their four beautiful children Sam, Davie, Lucy and baby Matthew. Alan is an illustrator and he works from his own studio close to the family home, and Kate is occupied with four busy and adventurous children. “A dragon-fly darted, hovered and darted, close to the bank. Flies hummed in the warm air. The flower in Kate’s hair slipped, tilted, and I reached up and secured it. I kissed her again, lightly. Now, I thought, now –just as it is; I wanted nothing to change” This is exactly what I love about Bernard Taylor, he gives you hope, he creates the illusion that you are safe in his hands, he paints a picture of the idyll as he invites you into his confidence with the shiftyeyed look of a black mamba!
They make the acquaintance of a pregnant young lady called Jane Bryant who they invite to their home and unexpectedly the baby is born. Immediately the mother disappears and after some deep soul searching Alan and Kate welcome baby “Bonnie” into their new extended and wonderful family. The story now adopts a more sinister feel as catastrophe and tragedy become the everday norm and Alan and Kate must now confront their worst fears as they fight to retain their sanity amidst the realization that the new baby has a dark and evil intent.
The Godsend did not quite inspire and entertain me as much as Sweetheart Sweetheart or The Moorstone Sickness but it was still an excellent read in the very creative and gentle style of Bernard Taylor. This is not horror that is graphic but rather relies on the reader and his imagination to create a picture in his mind and by doing so he can almost experience the story and live the tragedy as it unfolds.
November 26, 2016
No good deed goes unpunished in this killer kid book about a smug clutch of middle class inertia monkeys who are so content with their own cozy lives that nothing can be done except to unleash an adopted child who soon wipes the complacent, idiot grins from mum and dad's faces with the dead bodies of their other children.
August 13, 2019
4 stars--I really liked it.
Bernard Taylor is an excellent horror writer--he really makes you really care about his characters before he ruins their lives! This book has some particularly distressing things happen. I'm glad Valancourt has brought some of his titles back into print. Recommended for horror readers.
Bernard Taylor is an excellent horror writer--he really makes you really care about his characters before he ruins their lives! This book has some particularly distressing things happen. I'm glad Valancourt has brought some of his titles back into print. Recommended for horror readers.
March 26, 2019
The Godsend is a tense and emotional story about a family who take in an abandoned baby. The parents, Alan and Kate, already have one daughter and three sons but when this baby enters their lives they immediately fall in love with her, name her Bonnie and she becomes part of their family. As time goes on, the family experiences tragedy upon tragedy and Alan begins to suspect adorable Bonnie is to blame.
This was my second Bernard Taylor novel and while I didn't love it quite as much as Sweetheart, Sweetheart it was still a really solid and excellent story. There is something about Taylor's writing that just really works for me. Maybe it's the Britishness. It's quietly beautiful and captivating, and has a bit of a cosy feel in that I can just fall into it and become totally absorbed in the story and the characters. The tension and emotion throughout the story was very well done and I did not see the ending coming.
This was my second Bernard Taylor novel and while I didn't love it quite as much as Sweetheart, Sweetheart it was still a really solid and excellent story. There is something about Taylor's writing that just really works for me. Maybe it's the Britishness. It's quietly beautiful and captivating, and has a bit of a cosy feel in that I can just fall into it and become totally absorbed in the story and the characters. The tension and emotion throughout the story was very well done and I did not see the ending coming.
May 30, 2015
Well, that was traumatizing.
July 3, 2015
3.5. (Or to do a Kemper, 3.76). I think this ends up getting a "liked it" rating rather than something a bit higher simply because the idea of evil child wreaking havoc is so played. Which is not Taylor's fault -- he wrote this in what, 1977? Was Macauley Culkin even born then? Be that as it may, this deserves its three and a half stars since the trope is well-presented and the writing is solid. The only thing I really missed here was an elaboration on exactly where this kid came from, though I guess that is left intentionally mysterious to add to the believability and ordinary horror of the this-could-happen-to-you device. The ending is rather horrifying in a non-grotesque, but utterly human way, though the impact is lessened since you could see it coming from a mile away. Nonetheless, if you love yourself some evil children, look no further.
December 8, 2016
Well-paced thriller following in the footsteps of the 1970s evil children era. Bonnie is all blonde curls and twisted machinations as she steadily destroys her adopted family, sibling by sibling. The narrative runs at a steady clip and the characterization is a bit tepid, but a fast enjoyable read, nonetheless. The ending came across as trite with a typical cliffhanger that really didn't come as a surprise. Not my favorite of the "bad children" books, but fairly decent.
October 11, 2015
This book flows very, very well. Before you know it, you've finished it. I would have liked a little bit more horror but if you really think about Kate, it's pretty messed up.
July 26, 2015
This book is a cross between Rosemary's Baby and The Omen. The Marlowe's are blessed with four wondering children. One day in the park. the family meets this mysterious pregnant woman. The woman goes back to the Marlowe's house and has her baby. Later on in the day, Kate goes to check on her and she has vanished. Allan and Kate grow to love Bonnie and want to make her a part of the family. When Bonnie is adopted, strange things begin to happen at the Marlowe household. Allan believes that Bonnie is to blame for the evil things that are destroying his family. Kate defends Bonnie, saying that she is only a small helpless child. Allan and Kate's relationship is turning into an emotional roller coaster ride. Bernard Taylor is a good writer and an excellent storyteller. I would highly recommend this book!
November 2, 2025
So I've been tinkering with ChatGPT over the past few weeks, getting book suggestions and I must say I've been delighted with the experience. As Halloween approached, I used it to find a horror novel I might like, based on what I do like.
I had never heard of Bernard Taylor before, but it came recommended and so I gave Godsend a shot.
This is a typical 70s evil child horror novel, and as such, entirely predictable!
But, the writing was terrific. Very good pacing and realistic dialogue, and it was short, so not a big time commitment.
3.5 stars overall, but I will definitely Sweetheart, Sweetheart (his most popular) on my radar.
I had never heard of Bernard Taylor before, but it came recommended and so I gave Godsend a shot.
This is a typical 70s evil child horror novel, and as such, entirely predictable!
But, the writing was terrific. Very good pacing and realistic dialogue, and it was short, so not a big time commitment.
3.5 stars overall, but I will definitely Sweetheart, Sweetheart (his most popular) on my radar.
August 3, 2017
Valancourt publish vintage horror books, a number of which appeal to me and are sitting on my shelf. This is a "evil child" book, a horror sub-genre which I have never read. For these reasons I was excited to start reading The Godsend. I love the cover on this Kindle edition as it is like the paperback. I can't stand poor quality, cheap covers on e-books.
Baby Bonnie is adopted by a family of six, two parents with four children, after her mother disappears. She quickly settles in and the horror begins for the family. Slowly, Bonnie's adoptive father begins to suspect she is not a sweet innocent child. That she is responsible for what is happening. He is the only one who knows the truth about Bonnie as he alone tries to save his family.
I liked that there was no explanation of who or what Bonnie is. The Devil's child? A demon? Or a evil psycho kid? It occurred to me that maybe the father was going mad. That blaming an evil Bonnie was his way to relieve his anger and guilt at what was happening to his family. That Bonnie was just an innocent child.
As the father of a two year old daughter the parent's emotions resonated with me throughout the book. What would I do? How would I react?
It is a bleak and creepy story with an impending sense of doom. It reads at a great pace and I wanted to get to the end to find out what was going to happen. It did not disappoint.
I have Sweetheart, Sweetheart on my shelf and I shall look out for more books by Bernard Taylor.
Baby Bonnie is adopted by a family of six, two parents with four children, after her mother disappears. She quickly settles in and the horror begins for the family. Slowly, Bonnie's adoptive father begins to suspect she is not a sweet innocent child. That she is responsible for what is happening. He is the only one who knows the truth about Bonnie as he alone tries to save his family.
I liked that there was no explanation of who or what Bonnie is. The Devil's child? A demon? Or a evil psycho kid? It occurred to me that maybe the father was going mad. That blaming an evil Bonnie was his way to relieve his anger and guilt at what was happening to his family. That Bonnie was just an innocent child.
As the father of a two year old daughter the parent's emotions resonated with me throughout the book. What would I do? How would I react?
It is a bleak and creepy story with an impending sense of doom. It reads at a great pace and I wanted to get to the end to find out what was going to happen. It did not disappoint.
I have Sweetheart, Sweetheart on my shelf and I shall look out for more books by Bernard Taylor.
October 26, 2013
Good 1970s style horror. We've all been exposed to lots of evil-child stories as horror fans. I liked the "cuckoo" analogy to this one. It's also very well written. Stories told in the 1st person can be problematic as the narrator already knows the outcome before he/she begins telling you what happened to them. This novel overcomes that challenge in a fair way. No gore and grue in this one, so if that's your thing you may be disappointed. Fans of The Other should like it.
February 6, 2016
Oh man, "Godsend" sucked me in last night and I had to know what will happen next. Chills went down my spine as Bonnie, the baby joined the family. Sometimes books about happy families just annoy me. Nothing about this happy family annoyed me. But things go bad and this adorable family will never be the same. Oh, my heart.
February 9, 2025
a rather siily dark narrative
full of tension, calamity and
drama about bad decisions:
just how blind are parents
allowed to be, anyway? :o
full of tension, calamity and
drama about bad decisions:
just how blind are parents
allowed to be, anyway? :o
February 21, 2016
Alan and Kate have the perfect family with four young children. Until they take in a pregnant drifter and she gives birth, leaving them with the baby girl. The couple adopts her, names her Bonnie and loves her just as much as their other children. But as she grows older, the other children begin to die in horrible ways. Alan blames Bonnie, but Kate is blinded by her love for the child and can't see that she's evil. Alan must get Kate to see the truth about Bonnie before she kills all their children.
The Godsend is slow to start, but once Bonnie enters it picks up the pace. And then it was hard to put down. I wanted to keep reading to know what Bonnie would do next and when Alan and Kate would finally figure out that it's her hurting the other children.
I had a love/hate relationship with the characters. I loved Alan and Kate, but hated how dumb they were at times. At least Alan eventually figured it out. Sometimes I just wanted to slap Kate for being such a moron. All of the kids were cute and didn't deserve what Bonnie dished out.
I don't want to give anything away, but the ending is bleak and depressing. But it matched the tone of the book. It would've been odd to suddenly wrap everything up with a happy ending.
If you love killer kids, I highly recommend The Godsend.
Read more of my reviews at http://littlemisszombie.blogspot.com
The Godsend is slow to start, but once Bonnie enters it picks up the pace. And then it was hard to put down. I wanted to keep reading to know what Bonnie would do next and when Alan and Kate would finally figure out that it's her hurting the other children.
I had a love/hate relationship with the characters. I loved Alan and Kate, but hated how dumb they were at times. At least Alan eventually figured it out. Sometimes I just wanted to slap Kate for being such a moron. All of the kids were cute and didn't deserve what Bonnie dished out.
I don't want to give anything away, but the ending is bleak and depressing. But it matched the tone of the book. It would've been odd to suddenly wrap everything up with a happy ending.
If you love killer kids, I highly recommend The Godsend.
Read more of my reviews at http://littlemisszombie.blogspot.com
June 14, 2016
Lo leí sin saber absolutamente nada del autor ni de la historia, fue una compra a ciegas y de puro instinto ( Me gustó la portada :P ), y resulto ser una de las mejores historias que he leído en lo que va del año, historia algo simple, capítulos cortos, siempre se mantiene en un mismo ritmo, tenia tiempo que quería leer algo de niños diabólicos ó poseídos y por fin encontré uno que me gustó, solo puedo decir que odio a Bonnie y sobre todo a Kate, ya no digo más porque seria spoiler, no le puse 5 estrellas porque todavía no se si me gustó ese final ó no, aparte como dije, la historia es un tanto simple, pero si es una lectura recomendada...
February 23, 2019
"You could stand by the plum-trees and hear the buzz of the wasps' wings as they settled on the over-ripe fruit."
I like the way Mr. Taylor writes about nature and the supernatural. Like SWEETHEART, SWEETHEART, THE GODSEND opens outdoors, this time at a family picnic rather than a graveyard, and with a wasp poking around instead of that brilliant ghost story's busy spider. While THE GODSEND's menacing force of nature turns out to be inspired by a parasitic bird rather than by a spider or wasp, it's no less vicious. I knew nothing of the story and was quite shocked by the unusual, unspeakable horror this brisk read "delivers".
At least, I was initially. Along with his flair for the Romantic, Mr. Taylor also has a matter-of-fact knack for conveying plot twists or character developments that could easily be comical if attempted by a lesser writer. This and his exquisite pacing carried SWEETHEART, SWEETHEART convincingly through what could have been awkward territory. But here, what was initially shocking became, in repetition, first routine, then predictable, and finally, regrettably, ridiculous. Furthermore the domestic setting, many scenes of arguments, and a conclusion that simply presented more of that darn Godsend's same old routine left me disappointed, especially compared to the sweeping, seductive SWEETHEART and its hellish climax.
I enjoyed this book more than Tryon's similarly-themed HARVEST HOME. Both books feature sterility panic triggered by mumps (an artist in each case), and the women of Cornwall Coombe would surely join with this couple in disapproving of the disinterested vagabond mother who shows more interest in smoking her cigarettes than in comforting her newborn infant. I wonder what they would make of little Bonnie - a scarecrow, or a leader?
I like the way Mr. Taylor writes about nature and the supernatural. Like SWEETHEART, SWEETHEART, THE GODSEND opens outdoors, this time at a family picnic rather than a graveyard, and with a wasp poking around instead of that brilliant ghost story's busy spider. While THE GODSEND's menacing force of nature turns out to be inspired by a parasitic bird rather than by a spider or wasp, it's no less vicious. I knew nothing of the story and was quite shocked by the unusual, unspeakable horror this brisk read "delivers".
At least, I was initially. Along with his flair for the Romantic, Mr. Taylor also has a matter-of-fact knack for conveying plot twists or character developments that could easily be comical if attempted by a lesser writer. This and his exquisite pacing carried SWEETHEART, SWEETHEART convincingly through what could have been awkward territory. But here, what was initially shocking became, in repetition, first routine, then predictable, and finally, regrettably, ridiculous. Furthermore the domestic setting, many scenes of arguments, and a conclusion that simply presented more of that darn Godsend's same old routine left me disappointed, especially compared to the sweeping, seductive SWEETHEART and its hellish climax.
I enjoyed this book more than Tryon's similarly-themed HARVEST HOME. Both books feature sterility panic triggered by mumps (an artist in each case), and the women of Cornwall Coombe would surely join with this couple in disapproving of the disinterested vagabond mother who shows more interest in smoking her cigarettes than in comforting her newborn infant. I wonder what they would make of little Bonnie - a scarecrow, or a leader?
October 6, 2015
If evil children are your thing, this is one of the best evil child books of recent memory. Might even convince you to have an evil child of your own.
August 24, 2023
Terror con niños macabros que más puedo pedir
July 2, 2023
Here is what I will say about this book: for a creepy kid horror, it goes hard. Most of them don't have the guts to go this hard with threats of death/actual death of children. Sure they will give you one dead kid at the very beginning of the story just to get you warmed up, but after that it will just be garden variety peril. This book is not interested in that.
There's a decent amount of problematic yikes-y stuff around adoption here, which is pretty par for the course in this subgenre of horror with an adopted child, but is worth addressing specifically because this one goes a lot harder with this part than any other I can recall.
All that said, it's fine. I was surprised at how well parts of it went, and other parts drove me up the wall. I know 70's parenting had a different style but the way these people will just doze off while their kids are off playing gets ridiculous after a while. I yelled at this dad a few times. I did at least like that he was a real parent instead of being very checked out, although there is a whole lot of woman-entirely-fulfilled-through-motherhood here that I didn't love. I didn't even mind all the small children in the book, until near the end when one of the children, now 10, still talks like she's 6 as she was at the beginning.
Can't say I really recommend the audio as this is a book where most of the dialogue comes from women and children and the male narrator just gives them all the same reedy high pitched nasal voice that makes you want to cry.
There's a decent amount of problematic yikes-y stuff around adoption here, which is pretty par for the course in this subgenre of horror with an adopted child, but is worth addressing specifically because this one goes a lot harder with this part than any other I can recall.
All that said, it's fine. I was surprised at how well parts of it went, and other parts drove me up the wall. I know 70's parenting had a different style but the way these people will just doze off while their kids are off playing gets ridiculous after a while. I yelled at this dad a few times. I did at least like that he was a real parent instead of being very checked out, although there is a whole lot of woman-entirely-fulfilled-through-motherhood here that I didn't love. I didn't even mind all the small children in the book, until near the end when one of the children, now 10, still talks like she's 6 as she was at the beginning.
Can't say I really recommend the audio as this is a book where most of the dialogue comes from women and children and the male narrator just gives them all the same reedy high pitched nasal voice that makes you want to cry.
February 10, 2021
The Godsend is creepy for its restraint and memorable for keeping all the action completely in the frame of aftermath and theory. It's not an unreliable narrator tale, and you know pretty much from the beginning the new little bundle of "joy" is going to be a turning point for slow, excruciating doom, but its written in a way that will keep you at the edge of your seat anyway. Like any horror story, you know the idyllic home life of the Marlows can't last, but you're pulled into hoping, caring that there will be some other way. I also admire that icy, totally resigned ending.
March 24, 2021
3.5 Stars
The Godsend by Bernard Taylor is an entertaining if predictable read. I felt like I knew where it was going and in many cases it did just that. But, I still felt anxiety and tension on the way to the events in the book. There is something about Taylor's writing style that appeals to me and makes for a comfortable read. I definitely want to read more by this author.
The Godsend by Bernard Taylor is an entertaining if predictable read. I felt like I knew where it was going and in many cases it did just that. But, I still felt anxiety and tension on the way to the events in the book. There is something about Taylor's writing style that appeals to me and makes for a comfortable read. I definitely want to read more by this author.
Want to read
September 12, 2017This hardcover edition is number 40 of 250 copies for sale and is signed by:
Bernard Taylor
Bev Vincent
Lisa Desimini
Bernard Taylor
Bev Vincent
Lisa Desimini
June 30, 2019
Thank you to my husband, who suggested I read this creepy, insidious horror book. Like THE BAD SEED, Bonnie of THE GODSEND is just pure evil. Bernard Taylor uses a less is more style that leaves room for interpretation, which I liked a lot. I can't wait to read more of these old horror books!
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