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It Came from the Floodwaters
Not yet published
Expected 13 Mar 26"So you're like a vampire? All we have to do is survive until morning?"
Silence settled over the apartment as everyone processed this. The Elder "You won't."
Tam is alone in their Savannah apartment when a hurricane blows in.
Rain falls, streets flood. When water comes pouring into the building's lobby, it brings with it an old pine box.
Inside that box is something ancient, something evil. It arises, and it begins its feast.
Now as people are dying, the survivors gather together in one small apartment, desperate to live through the storm and live through the night.
But the evil lurks right outside their door. It's hungry, it's patient, and it has all night long to kill every last one of them.
Silence settled over the apartment as everyone processed this. The Elder "You won't."
Tam is alone in their Savannah apartment when a hurricane blows in.
Rain falls, streets flood. When water comes pouring into the building's lobby, it brings with it an old pine box.
Inside that box is something ancient, something evil. It arises, and it begins its feast.
Now as people are dying, the survivors gather together in one small apartment, desperate to live through the storm and live through the night.
But the evil lurks right outside their door. It's hungry, it's patient, and it has all night long to kill every last one of them.
139 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication March 13, 2026
6 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 11, 2026
Since WHEN can a vampire just enter of its own accord?
Enter scene, we find Tam, our NMC, that’s right, NONBINARY main character, moping about their apartment, daydreaming about being anywhere but alone during the treacherous hurricane occurring outside.
You see Tam is polyamorous, and has a few partners, but one in particular, Heather, is their main partner that they live in the apartment with. And Heather doesn’t like it when their home is left unattended. After all, someone has to be around to make sure their non-existent pets don’t go hungry…
Anyway, as Tam is busy being melancholy, some of the other tenants of the building are experiencing the nightmare of all nightmares, and it starts when one of them finds that the lower floor lobby of the building is flooded, and they are all trapped.
Not only that, but out from the depths of the floodwaters, a long, plain wooden box that is suspiciously the size of a coffin floats its way to the surface, and someone… or something… is knocking from the inside of it.
When some would be hero pries open the box, it unleashes hell upon the rest of the building, and Tam, along with a very stereotypical rag tag crew of other tenants, just have to survive the night without getting caught up in the darkness of The Elder.
This book was fun, campy, and cinematic. It read like I was watching a movie.
A very different take on the usual lore surrounding vampirism, but we love a bit of creativity to give a little spin to an existing concept.
The book was short, coming in at 139 pages, so not a huge amount of room for character development, but I think Tam’s story was nicely well rounded. The other characters were definitely mostly cookie cutter stereotypes, but I think it worked for what the author was going for.
Enter scene, we find Tam, our NMC, that’s right, NONBINARY main character, moping about their apartment, daydreaming about being anywhere but alone during the treacherous hurricane occurring outside.
You see Tam is polyamorous, and has a few partners, but one in particular, Heather, is their main partner that they live in the apartment with. And Heather doesn’t like it when their home is left unattended. After all, someone has to be around to make sure their non-existent pets don’t go hungry…
Anyway, as Tam is busy being melancholy, some of the other tenants of the building are experiencing the nightmare of all nightmares, and it starts when one of them finds that the lower floor lobby of the building is flooded, and they are all trapped.
Not only that, but out from the depths of the floodwaters, a long, plain wooden box that is suspiciously the size of a coffin floats its way to the surface, and someone… or something… is knocking from the inside of it.
When some would be hero pries open the box, it unleashes hell upon the rest of the building, and Tam, along with a very stereotypical rag tag crew of other tenants, just have to survive the night without getting caught up in the darkness of The Elder.
This book was fun, campy, and cinematic. It read like I was watching a movie.
A very different take on the usual lore surrounding vampirism, but we love a bit of creativity to give a little spin to an existing concept.
The book was short, coming in at 139 pages, so not a huge amount of room for character development, but I think Tam’s story was nicely well rounded. The other characters were definitely mostly cookie cutter stereotypes, but I think it worked for what the author was going for.
February 9, 2026
Huge thanks to the author for sending me an arc of It Came From The Floodwaters in exchange for an honest review! This novella comes out March 13th and I cannot recommend it more!!!
I had such a blast reading this!!! The atmosphere in this is so tense and eerie, made even more intense by reading it during a storm - highly recommend doing so yourself!! I had genuine chills at one point because everything added together to give me a right spookin’!
And when I tell you it’s not just a vampire novella, it’s an Eldritch-style vampire!! Get out of TOWN!!! I loved it!! So creepy, and malevolent!! So sinister!! No notes, except Seann - prequel?? Sequel??? Anything more??? Please 🥹
I think the real measure of a horror story in any medium is how it conveys it’s societal message - as all the best horrors are really about the actual world - and I really, really loved the exploration and discussion around personal identity in this; from gender and sexual identity, to the emotional fulfillment of kink lifestyles, it was respectfully and beautifully done.
Tam is a great main character, and I loved Britt so damn much!! The characters are all so wildly different and from such an array of backgrounds, and they read so very real; the writing is very well done here! I slipped into the world so quickly too, which you need with a novella!
I could go on and on about how much I enjoyed this and why, so how about March 13th you get this, read it, and we can chat away about it, whatdya say? 😉 😘
I had such a blast reading this!!! The atmosphere in this is so tense and eerie, made even more intense by reading it during a storm - highly recommend doing so yourself!! I had genuine chills at one point because everything added together to give me a right spookin’!
And when I tell you it’s not just a vampire novella, it’s an Eldritch-style vampire!! Get out of TOWN!!! I loved it!! So creepy, and malevolent!! So sinister!! No notes, except Seann - prequel?? Sequel??? Anything more??? Please 🥹
I think the real measure of a horror story in any medium is how it conveys it’s societal message - as all the best horrors are really about the actual world - and I really, really loved the exploration and discussion around personal identity in this; from gender and sexual identity, to the emotional fulfillment of kink lifestyles, it was respectfully and beautifully done.
Tam is a great main character, and I loved Britt so damn much!! The characters are all so wildly different and from such an array of backgrounds, and they read so very real; the writing is very well done here! I slipped into the world so quickly too, which you need with a novella!
I could go on and on about how much I enjoyed this and why, so how about March 13th you get this, read it, and we can chat away about it, whatdya say? 😉 😘
December 7, 2025
Thank you to the author for an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of this novella in exchange for an honest review. At the time of writing, It Came From The Floodwaters is due out March 13th, 2026. It is available for digital preorder on Kindle, Apple Books, Thalia and more.
It Came From The Floodwaters is a multi-POV and wonderfully queer survival story told over the course of a night. Literally no character we meet is safe from a grizzly demise (which I always love) and the book is fast-paced and quickly gets stuck into the premise.
The great cast of characters is well developed considering the length of the book. I appreciated the injection of diversity, as queerness and horror go hand-in-hand, though it was the toxic male perspective that was the most interesting to experience the story through. The story has a lot of fun with monster survival horror tropes but does little to subvert or elevate them. I think a novella was the right choice for this story, but it would benefit from another 20-ish pages to better explore the connection between the main character’s identity and the antagonist.
Overall, a quick and easy read that was a fun time. My main critique would be that there’s nothing particularly memorable or unique. I doubt I will think of this again or find a reason to recommend it over other horror novellas. I would be interested in reading more from this author, however, especially if they tackled a novel-length horror story.
3.5/5 stars
It Came From The Floodwaters is a multi-POV and wonderfully queer survival story told over the course of a night. Literally no character we meet is safe from a grizzly demise (which I always love) and the book is fast-paced and quickly gets stuck into the premise.
The great cast of characters is well developed considering the length of the book. I appreciated the injection of diversity, as queerness and horror go hand-in-hand, though it was the toxic male perspective that was the most interesting to experience the story through. The story has a lot of fun with monster survival horror tropes but does little to subvert or elevate them. I think a novella was the right choice for this story, but it would benefit from another 20-ish pages to better explore the connection between the main character’s identity and the antagonist.
Overall, a quick and easy read that was a fun time. My main critique would be that there’s nothing particularly memorable or unique. I doubt I will think of this again or find a reason to recommend it over other horror novellas. I would be interested in reading more from this author, however, especially if they tackled a novel-length horror story.
3.5/5 stars
January 26, 2026
3.5⭐️
ARC provided in exchange for an honest review
It Came from the Floodwaters is a fast, atmospheric horror novella that wastes no time getting to the chaos.
A group of apartment residents are trapped inside their building during a violent storm that knocks out the power and floods the lobby — and then something ancient arrives with the water. What follows is a claustrophobic fight for survival as the building becomes a battleground.
Barbour does a great job giving each character a distinct personality, which made it easy to follow a large cast even in a short page count. The setting is especially effective — the flooded, darkened apartment building adds to the tension and sense of isolation, and the story moves at a brisk, cinematic pace.
My only small gripe is that I wanted more: more history behind the antagonist, and a bit more space to let the ending breathe. The story leaves some questions unanswered, which will work for some readers, but I personally would’ve loved a little extra flesh on the bones.
That said, this is a fun, quick horror read with strong atmosphere and a great premise, and I’ll absolutely be checking out more from Seann Barbour in the future.
ARC provided in exchange for an honest review
It Came from the Floodwaters is a fast, atmospheric horror novella that wastes no time getting to the chaos.
A group of apartment residents are trapped inside their building during a violent storm that knocks out the power and floods the lobby — and then something ancient arrives with the water. What follows is a claustrophobic fight for survival as the building becomes a battleground.
Barbour does a great job giving each character a distinct personality, which made it easy to follow a large cast even in a short page count. The setting is especially effective — the flooded, darkened apartment building adds to the tension and sense of isolation, and the story moves at a brisk, cinematic pace.
My only small gripe is that I wanted more: more history behind the antagonist, and a bit more space to let the ending breathe. The story leaves some questions unanswered, which will work for some readers, but I personally would’ve loved a little extra flesh on the bones.
That said, this is a fun, quick horror read with strong atmosphere and a great premise, and I’ll absolutely be checking out more from Seann Barbour in the future.
December 4, 2025
It Came From the Floodwaters is a gripping, pulse-tightening plunge into creature horror at its most atmospheric. Seann Barbour creates a world where rising waters don’t just threaten homes,they threaten humanity itself. The dread is slow-building yet explosive, creeping in through every ripple, shadow, and bubbling surface.
The creature at the core of this story is unforgettable. Barbour balances vivid, cinematic horror with grounded human emotion, making the terror hit even harder. The pacing stays tight, the stakes rise quickly, and the tension never lets up.
If you enjoy horror that feels both classic and fresh—something that blends folklore with environmental fear—this is an absolute standout.
A must-read for fans of creature features, eerie landscapes, and stories that linger long after the final page.
February 6, 2026
This creepy novella was such a fun read! Part vampire, part zombie, part locked in horror and the perfect amount of darkness. I enjoyed following this motley crew of characters trying to survive being trapped in an apartment building during a hurricane, trying to survive the night as the floodwaters and body counts rise. The atmosphere is suffocating and the “creatures” were so perfectly terrifying and unique in a way that will keep me thinking about this one for a long time.
Many thanks to the author for the opportunity to read the arc in exchange for an honest review!
Many thanks to the author for the opportunity to read the arc in exchange for an honest review!
December 5, 2025
This novella is a nasty little story about a decidedly frightening vampire and the a terrifying night trying to stay alive.
A savage storm rips through Savannah Georgia and floods the streets and, unfortunately, floods the lobby if an apartment building, leaving the residents trapped inside. But something came with the flood. Something ancient, horrific, and extremely hungry.
As it eats its way through the building in the course of a single night, a rag tag varied group are holed up in one apartment while the vampiric creature turns its victims into undead slaves. Even if the survivors can last until daybreak, they might not be able to survive each other as tensions run high.
The setting of this book gives off those creepy claustrophobic vibes and the vampire in question is truly a terrifying one. There's nothing sparkly or romantic about it.
The characters are vastly different and well written. A non-binary, a couple of younger dudes who love video games, a woman who's boyfriend has become part of the undead horde, and a conservative gun nut type who kinda detests them all. This leads to a lot of friction as they're all locked in the same apartment together trying to survive.
It won't take you long to read but it'll still give you all those dread filled feelings. I highly recommend it. I received a copy of this book from the author. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.
A savage storm rips through Savannah Georgia and floods the streets and, unfortunately, floods the lobby if an apartment building, leaving the residents trapped inside. But something came with the flood. Something ancient, horrific, and extremely hungry.
As it eats its way through the building in the course of a single night, a rag tag varied group are holed up in one apartment while the vampiric creature turns its victims into undead slaves. Even if the survivors can last until daybreak, they might not be able to survive each other as tensions run high.
The setting of this book gives off those creepy claustrophobic vibes and the vampire in question is truly a terrifying one. There's nothing sparkly or romantic about it.
The characters are vastly different and well written. A non-binary, a couple of younger dudes who love video games, a woman who's boyfriend has become part of the undead horde, and a conservative gun nut type who kinda detests them all. This leads to a lot of friction as they're all locked in the same apartment together trying to survive.
It won't take you long to read but it'll still give you all those dread filled feelings. I highly recommend it. I received a copy of this book from the author. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.
Review of advance copy received from Author
A diverse cast of characters with nothing in common except for the apartment building they reside in are brought together with one common goal... to survive the night.
Two life-threatening situations are occurring at once. The flood waters are rising, and so are the dead. Or should I say the undead? The hurricane is only one danger the residents will face. As the water rises, trapping them in the building with no way to escape and no way to call for help, it carries with it a coffin that has something hungry inside.
Storms are one of my favorite horror tropes. Nothing grabs my interest quicker than a dark and stormy night. When a supernatural element is thrown in, with no means of escape, it's an extra added bonus. This was a quick and intense read that takes place over the course of a single evening in the lives of people who probably would not normally have bothered with each other. The fast pace and clash of personalities drew me in right away. This "Elder" that has come out of the coffin seems to have a connection to one of the characters. I wish that had been explored in more depth, but otherwise I would not change a thing.
My thanks to Seann Barbour for the paperback copy
Two life-threatening situations are occurring at once. The flood waters are rising, and so are the dead. Or should I say the undead? The hurricane is only one danger the residents will face. As the water rises, trapping them in the building with no way to escape and no way to call for help, it carries with it a coffin that has something hungry inside.
Storms are one of my favorite horror tropes. Nothing grabs my interest quicker than a dark and stormy night. When a supernatural element is thrown in, with no means of escape, it's an extra added bonus. This was a quick and intense read that takes place over the course of a single evening in the lives of people who probably would not normally have bothered with each other. The fast pace and clash of personalities drew me in right away. This "Elder" that has come out of the coffin seems to have a connection to one of the characters. I wish that had been explored in more depth, but otherwise I would not change a thing.
My thanks to Seann Barbour for the paperback copy
Review of advance copy received from Author
Very high 3.5 stars rounded up
Our story focuses on the residents of an apartment buidling that is hammered by a storm. When the power goes out, everyone assumes that's the worst thing that's going to happen to them tonight. Until the lobby begins to flood, and with the water comes an ancient and thirsty evil. As the residents are picked off one by one, a few barricade themselves in an apartment to try and survive the night.
This was a wild and bloody ride with a little something for every horror fan. A pinch of zombies, a dash of vampires, a sprinkling of "we're trapped here till morning", and a whole gallon of blood.
Seann did an excellent job painting scences, I could picture everything in my mind so clearly, to the point that it almost felt like reading a novilization of a movie.
I was nervous when the cast of characters just kept getting bigger and bigger, but Seann made it easy to keep track of everyone. Honestly, I wish we'd gotten more lore on The Elder and how it picked its target.
But I think we can all agree, Heather ain't shit and I hope Tam dumped her.
Thank you to the author for giving me the chance to read and ARC of this story!
Our story focuses on the residents of an apartment buidling that is hammered by a storm. When the power goes out, everyone assumes that's the worst thing that's going to happen to them tonight. Until the lobby begins to flood, and with the water comes an ancient and thirsty evil. As the residents are picked off one by one, a few barricade themselves in an apartment to try and survive the night.
This was a wild and bloody ride with a little something for every horror fan. A pinch of zombies, a dash of vampires, a sprinkling of "we're trapped here till morning", and a whole gallon of blood.
Seann did an excellent job painting scences, I could picture everything in my mind so clearly, to the point that it almost felt like reading a novilization of a movie.
I was nervous when the cast of characters just kept getting bigger and bigger, but Seann made it easy to keep track of everyone. Honestly, I wish we'd gotten more lore on The Elder and how it picked its target.
But I think we can all agree, Heather ain't shit and I hope Tam dumped her.
Thank you to the author for giving me the chance to read and ARC of this story!
Review of advance copy received from Author
What a thrilling, swift read! A heartfelt thank you to the author for giving me an ARC.
Seann Barbour has truly sunk their fangs into me with this novella! Firstly, I was so happy with the LGBTQ and BIPOC representation. I don’t see that too much in the authors I read, and it was a welcome change. The character and world-building were truly impressive, crafted with such a short page count. Barbour’s writing style is reminiscent of Stephen King, making you care about even the smallest of characters.
The action in this novella is as fast-paced as a vampire’s midnight chase, and absolutely no character is safe, leading to jaw-dropping moments that left me breathless.
It Came From the Floodwaters comes out March 13, 2026, and you don’t want to miss it!
Seann Barbour has truly sunk their fangs into me with this novella! Firstly, I was so happy with the LGBTQ and BIPOC representation. I don’t see that too much in the authors I read, and it was a welcome change. The character and world-building were truly impressive, crafted with such a short page count. Barbour’s writing style is reminiscent of Stephen King, making you care about even the smallest of characters.
The action in this novella is as fast-paced as a vampire’s midnight chase, and absolutely no character is safe, leading to jaw-dropping moments that left me breathless.
It Came From the Floodwaters comes out March 13, 2026, and you don’t want to miss it!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Oh this was fantastically fucked up in the best way, trapped in a small room due to what started out as just some bad weather and soon buried into a murder fest, these people are panicked, stressed and desperate to survive the storm and whatever is picking them off.
I tried so hard not to get attached to any of the characters because when I am reading anything that’s a multi POV type and marked as horror, I know there’s a chance my favorite wont make the final scene, but Sean made that very hard to do.
As this thing closes in on those left in the building, with no way to get out, with out dying in the storm raging outside, the pickins are looking real easy and when they start to turn on each other, even if they survive the creeper, they might not survive each other.
I tried so hard not to get attached to any of the characters because when I am reading anything that’s a multi POV type and marked as horror, I know there’s a chance my favorite wont make the final scene, but Sean made that very hard to do.
As this thing closes in on those left in the building, with no way to get out, with out dying in the storm raging outside, the pickins are looking real easy and when they start to turn on each other, even if they survive the creeper, they might not survive each other.
December 25, 2025
3.5 Stars. Thank you to the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!
The strongest thing about this novella was its cast of characters, they were all well developed and I enjoyed learning more about them and their stories.
My main critique is, I wanted to learn more about the Elder and why they were there - what was their purpose? That was never really fleshed out; we never learn what their ultimate goal is.
It’s obvious the Elder and Tam are connected somehow - this is hinted at but never really explained.
I’d like to read more from this author, particularly I’d like to see what they could do with a full-length book!
The strongest thing about this novella was its cast of characters, they were all well developed and I enjoyed learning more about them and their stories.
My main critique is, I wanted to learn more about the Elder and why they were there - what was their purpose? That was never really fleshed out; we never learn what their ultimate goal is.
It’s obvious the Elder and Tam are connected somehow - this is hinted at but never really explained.
I’d like to read more from this author, particularly I’d like to see what they could do with a full-length book!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Scurry was one of my favorite reads of 2025. Sean Barbour follows that terrific novel with this tight, single location horror gem. Even in novella form he fills his story with great character work. There is a scene early on where we go from apartment to apartment meeting each of the residents of this doomed building. Each only get a paragraph or two but it’s enough to get not only a feel for character but also a smart way of mapping out our location going forward. Just an amazing way of set building and character work. Couldn’t put this down and finished in a couple hours. Give yourself a great evening read, you will not be disappointed!
February 6, 2026
Received an ARC from the author - I thought it was good, I haven’t read a whole lot of vampire-esc stories so I liked that it felt a little folky, I liked the characters, I felt like they were all written really well. I just wish there was more back story of the elders and the clear connection between them and the main character.
Otherwise a fun and short read, thank you for sending me the ARC!
Otherwise a fun and short read, thank you for sending me the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Vampire stories are always my go to, and this story was incredible. So well written, the characters are relatable in their battles, and this is a thrilling, on the edge of your seat read.
Review of advance copy received from Author
this was a fun little vampire story and i enjoyed it a lot!! some pretty good queer rep as well! all the men in this one sucked (realistic) but even the unlikable characters were well written
Review of advance copy received from Author
This quick read packs a punch! It's creepy, claustrophobic and so much fun! I love this fresh take on vampires! Thank you so much to the author for the ARC copy, and I look forward to reading more.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews