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It Sleeps Below: A Cosmic Horror Novel
Dark mystery and Lovecraftian cosmic horror meet in this chilling psychological horror novel from William F. Gray.
The line between real and imaginary is a dark blur.
After thirteen-year-old Samantha Morris almost drowned in her parents’ lake, the nightmares that followed paled in comparison to the real-life horrors of watching her mother descend into madness.
By the end of the summer, Kate Morris disappeared without a trace.
Now an adult, Samantha is faced with another unexpected loss in her partner Ellie as well as the return of the nightmares.
Only now, they’re bleeding into her waking hours, forcing her to question her own sanity, and they’re only getting worse.
As the line between real and imaginary continue to blur, physical manifestations of her dreams beg the is she losing her mind like her mother, or is she being targeted by something far more sinister?
Lovecraftian cosmic horror and dark mystery meet to form It Sleeps Below, a horror novel with grief and loss at its black, beating heart. Read if you dare.
The line between real and imaginary is a dark blur.
After thirteen-year-old Samantha Morris almost drowned in her parents’ lake, the nightmares that followed paled in comparison to the real-life horrors of watching her mother descend into madness.
By the end of the summer, Kate Morris disappeared without a trace.
Now an adult, Samantha is faced with another unexpected loss in her partner Ellie as well as the return of the nightmares.
Only now, they’re bleeding into her waking hours, forcing her to question her own sanity, and they’re only getting worse.
As the line between real and imaginary continue to blur, physical manifestations of her dreams beg the is she losing her mind like her mother, or is she being targeted by something far more sinister?
Lovecraftian cosmic horror and dark mystery meet to form It Sleeps Below, a horror novel with grief and loss at its black, beating heart. Read if you dare.
- GenresHorror
398 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 24, 2026
43 people are currently reading
4389 people want to read
About the author
William F. Gray
8 books81 followersWilliam F. Gray is the bestselling author THE DEVIL WITHIN US ALL, a small town horror novel inspired by the evil average people are capable of on an everyday basis. Taking cues from his own experience and the world at large, Gray creates horror that attempts to worm itself into your heart as well as your mind. His self-published debut THE MAN BEHIND THE DOOR tackles themes such as grief, trauma, and addiction through the lens of a ghost story, the main character of which is inspired by his own late father, while his latest effort OUR FATHERS' BURDEN is Appalachian horror that focuses on the stigma that still surrounds mental health issues, especially amongst men.
He currently lives in West Virginia with his wife, son, and daughter while working as a Lead Pharmacy Technician. His hobbies include reading, playing video games with his wife, and playing music.
He currently lives in West Virginia with his wife, son, and daughter while working as a Lead Pharmacy Technician. His hobbies include reading, playing video games with his wife, and playing music.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 24, 2026
Third time I've read this complex and dense horror book. The first was about two years ago: I finished it in one sitting, engrossed in the skilled way the author had brought grief and Lovecraftian horror together. The second was on the occasion of the book's first (2025) release: I was still committed to the attractiveness of the book's core idea (a mysterious entity residing in a lake haunts the mind of a deeply traumatized young woman). It's quite smart and original, since it allows for a possibility Lovecraft himself never really explored: how his brand of supernatural horror might impact someone already deeply hurt, someone psychologically and mentally destroyed, one who's already lost it, so to speak, already swimming in dark waters, her rationality in ruins before any mental crumbling due to cosmic horrors has even begun. Gray develops this idea with merciless realism, deep insight and profound understanding. He has great empathy for Samantha, his main character, even though he's put her through the blender already and she will experience even more cruelty and internal upheaval throughout the book. The third read, a few days ago, allowed me to appreciate the literary subtleties better: the architectural care with which Gray makes the twists feel so natural and inevitable is simply admirable and deserves the highest praise.
However, I felt (and still feel) a lack of balance between the psychological aspects of the story and the supernatural elements: there's just too much emphasis on Samantha's traumatized mind, to the detriment of any cosmic horror threads. This might have easily been a psychological-slash-cult thriller without any supernatural aspects at all: a book entirely about mental issues, an allegory about disturbed minds and the people affected by them.
The practically one-sided emphasis on Samantha forces the story to be a slow-burn for the better part of the novel. Lots of repetition and indecisiveness, because Sam, I felt, is discovering herself along with the reader (that's a good thing), but she's doing it too realistically for a work of fiction: she takes TOO long doing it, almost the whole book, and this for me didn't work very well as fiction. Adding insult to injury, the entity just never seemed sinister enough to me - as a supposedly cosmic, otherdimensional threat meant to be taken seriously, it remained underdeveloped and stunted. I so wanted the creature to feel E-V-I-L! It didn't.
Of course, that's just me. Most people, I reckon, will relate more easily to Samantha's predicament, she does feel very real and extremely well fleshed out. But for me, Sam was too much of a good thing.
The book's second release includes a novella, "The Haunting of Dale County Lake," taking place after Sam's story. I really enjoyed it, and it certainly allows the entity to manifest in several interesting ways, more organically tied to the tale. Predictably, I want more!
Overall, this is a book to be experienced. It takes a woman's mind and pushes it to its limits, no apology given, a real deep dive into grief and trauma throughout. If you enjoy fiction about mental issues, family drama and cult horror, this is not a book to be missed!
March 4, 2026
Things are not always what they seem. That's a central theme in William F. Gray's new release, "It Sleeps Below," and it's a lesson the book's main character, Samantha, learns the hard way more than once. The story opens with Sam receiving a strange phone call from her girlfriend, Ellie, in which something seems off. Ellie doesn't sound like herself, and when Sam learns she killed herself in a car crash before the call even came through, she begins to suspect that it hadn't really been Ellie on the phone at all.
A trail of similar enigmatic breadcrumbs, combined with fragmented memories of a near-drowning experience from her past, soon leads Sam back to her childhood home along the shores of Dale County Lake. The area, once lined with vacation homes, has fallen into disuse, its cozy cabins abandoned, and lakefront vistas overgrown and weed-choked. Only Sam's father remains, and while he's glad to see her again after a prolonged estrangement, the feeling isn't exactly mutual. Sam's mother had disappeared years earlier after a mental health crisis, and in the aftermath, Sam's father fell into alcoholism. Even though his drinking is now under control, Sam isn't sure whether or not to trust him, and despite medications to combat the same mental illness her mother suffered, Sam also isn't sure if she can trust herself.
In trying to face the ghosts of her past, including the day she'd nearly drowned, Sam slowly discovers an awful truth hidden beneath the deceptively tranquil surface of Dale County Lake, a terrible secret that's been eagerly awaiting her inevitable return.
There's a lot of grief and anger in this book, and Gray presents both through an unflinching (and sometimes unflattering) lens. A heartbroken Sam doesn't always deal with Ellie's death with grace, instead lashing out at everyone around her, even friends and family trying to offer her comfort. She's angry at them for her loss, and with herself, as she begins to consider all the signs she'd been oblivious to, hints that Ellie might have been unhappy and considering suicide in the days and weeks leading up to her crash. She's also furious with herself for not seeing the same hints of mental instability in her mother years earlier, and her father for failing to recognize them, too.
There's also a lot of healing in the story. As Sam unravels the supernatural mystery that binds her to the lake, she also begins to make peace with Ellie and her parents -- and herself -- and rediscover reasons to look to the future again, rather than dwell on the past. The past, unfortunately, isn't quite as willing to let her go.
Sam is a great character, and her emotional growth and development keep the story anchored even as the more horrific elements come into play. The reader empathizes with her struggles, both of the real and supernatural varieties, and we want to see her come out on the other side. Even when Gray seems determined to keep knocking her down with one new plot twist after another, Sam gets back up. It's like that Pink song says: "We're not broken, just bent," and no matter how many times Sam gets bent a little closer to her mental breaking point, she manages to soldier on. She's a heroine worth rooting for, and she gives it all she's got.
Gray is a terrific storyteller, his descriptive narrative painting clear pictures in the reader's mind of the people and places Sam encounters along the way. Although we never get more than glimpses of the "Senex Deus," or "old god" lurking within the depths of Dale County Lake, Sam's encounters with it are unforgettable, thanks to Gray. From the first passages of the book's prologue, in which Sam recalls seeing an unfamiliar, bright blue sun on the day she nearly drowned, Gray leaves us with the sense that whatever it is, this entity is ancient, omnipotent, omnipresent, and sinister.
"It Sleeps Below" is a dark parable about overcoming personal demons. Whether it's mental illness, addiction, or literally a cosmic entity that wants to swallow your soul, Gray's story reminds us that no matter the odds, or how desperate the fight, by holding fast to the people we love -- and who love us in return -- we can survive. We might be battered and bruised in the aftermath, but even so, we'll carry on, and in that lesson, there's a glimmer of hope to be found for us all.
A trail of similar enigmatic breadcrumbs, combined with fragmented memories of a near-drowning experience from her past, soon leads Sam back to her childhood home along the shores of Dale County Lake. The area, once lined with vacation homes, has fallen into disuse, its cozy cabins abandoned, and lakefront vistas overgrown and weed-choked. Only Sam's father remains, and while he's glad to see her again after a prolonged estrangement, the feeling isn't exactly mutual. Sam's mother had disappeared years earlier after a mental health crisis, and in the aftermath, Sam's father fell into alcoholism. Even though his drinking is now under control, Sam isn't sure whether or not to trust him, and despite medications to combat the same mental illness her mother suffered, Sam also isn't sure if she can trust herself.
In trying to face the ghosts of her past, including the day she'd nearly drowned, Sam slowly discovers an awful truth hidden beneath the deceptively tranquil surface of Dale County Lake, a terrible secret that's been eagerly awaiting her inevitable return.
There's a lot of grief and anger in this book, and Gray presents both through an unflinching (and sometimes unflattering) lens. A heartbroken Sam doesn't always deal with Ellie's death with grace, instead lashing out at everyone around her, even friends and family trying to offer her comfort. She's angry at them for her loss, and with herself, as she begins to consider all the signs she'd been oblivious to, hints that Ellie might have been unhappy and considering suicide in the days and weeks leading up to her crash. She's also furious with herself for not seeing the same hints of mental instability in her mother years earlier, and her father for failing to recognize them, too.
There's also a lot of healing in the story. As Sam unravels the supernatural mystery that binds her to the lake, she also begins to make peace with Ellie and her parents -- and herself -- and rediscover reasons to look to the future again, rather than dwell on the past. The past, unfortunately, isn't quite as willing to let her go.
Sam is a great character, and her emotional growth and development keep the story anchored even as the more horrific elements come into play. The reader empathizes with her struggles, both of the real and supernatural varieties, and we want to see her come out on the other side. Even when Gray seems determined to keep knocking her down with one new plot twist after another, Sam gets back up. It's like that Pink song says: "We're not broken, just bent," and no matter how many times Sam gets bent a little closer to her mental breaking point, she manages to soldier on. She's a heroine worth rooting for, and she gives it all she's got.
Gray is a terrific storyteller, his descriptive narrative painting clear pictures in the reader's mind of the people and places Sam encounters along the way. Although we never get more than glimpses of the "Senex Deus," or "old god" lurking within the depths of Dale County Lake, Sam's encounters with it are unforgettable, thanks to Gray. From the first passages of the book's prologue, in which Sam recalls seeing an unfamiliar, bright blue sun on the day she nearly drowned, Gray leaves us with the sense that whatever it is, this entity is ancient, omnipotent, omnipresent, and sinister.
"It Sleeps Below" is a dark parable about overcoming personal demons. Whether it's mental illness, addiction, or literally a cosmic entity that wants to swallow your soul, Gray's story reminds us that no matter the odds, or how desperate the fight, by holding fast to the people we love -- and who love us in return -- we can survive. We might be battered and bruised in the aftermath, but even so, we'll carry on, and in that lesson, there's a glimmer of hope to be found for us all.
February 24, 2026
“It’s time to come home… come to the lake.”
Full disclosure: I’ve read this book twice now, and I’m glad I did. The second read caught little details and bits of foreshadowing that flew past me the first time. The author really throws all the punches at Samantha, our main character. He doesn’t make it easy for her, emotionally or otherwise. Sam feels real. Her grief is written so well that it almost feels uncomfortable at times, like you’re witnessing something deeply personal. The book also touches on the importance of mental health in a way that feels organic to her journey, which I appreciated. I was hooked from the beginning, and that connection carried me straight through to the ultimate twists. I think the twists were handled perfectly. There’s enough groundwork laid that they don’t feel random, but it’s subtle enough that you’re not likely to guess right away. When it clicks, it clicks. This book features several of my favorite tropes: otherworldly entities, water horror (which is my favorite subgenre), and something else I can’t name without spoiling it, but you’ll know when you get there. That added layer deepens the story in a way I didn’t expect. Going in, I was honestly expecting more of a straightforward creature feature. Instead, what I got was a perfect blend of Lovecraftian dread and grief horror. The cosmic elements and the emotional core feed into each other beautifully.
On my first read, I thought Samantha’s dream sequences felt a little repetitive. However, after sitting with it, especially on my reread, it felt intentional. The repetition mirrors the nature of grief and trauma. It hit harder once I understood what the story was doing. The imagery throughout this novel is hauntingly beautiful - dark and atmospheric in a way that lingers. You can practically feel the dampness and weight of it. The dialogue is strong, too, realistic, and emotionally charged. You can feel the power behind what’s being said, and sometimes what isn’t. I also loved the relationship between Sam and her dad, and how it changed as the story went on. I enjoyed the reasoning behind why the entity appeared and what it promised Sam. That motivation adds complexity instead of just being “scary thing shows up.” If I had one critique, I would’ve liked a bit more about the entity itself, and maybe a deeper focus on the supernatural side rather than leaning quite so much into the psychological. I will say, though, the ending worked for me. It doesn’t wrap everything up in a neat bow. There’s room left for interpretation, and maybe more from this universe. I’ll leave it at that to keep this spoiler-free.
Overall, this was a good book. The fact that I wanted to reread it says a lot. If you’re into grief horror with cosmic undertones, emotional depth, and beautifully dark imagery, this is absolutely worth picking up.
I appreciate William for sending me an electronic copy of his book.
Full disclosure: I’ve read this book twice now, and I’m glad I did. The second read caught little details and bits of foreshadowing that flew past me the first time. The author really throws all the punches at Samantha, our main character. He doesn’t make it easy for her, emotionally or otherwise. Sam feels real. Her grief is written so well that it almost feels uncomfortable at times, like you’re witnessing something deeply personal. The book also touches on the importance of mental health in a way that feels organic to her journey, which I appreciated. I was hooked from the beginning, and that connection carried me straight through to the ultimate twists. I think the twists were handled perfectly. There’s enough groundwork laid that they don’t feel random, but it’s subtle enough that you’re not likely to guess right away. When it clicks, it clicks. This book features several of my favorite tropes: otherworldly entities, water horror (which is my favorite subgenre), and something else I can’t name without spoiling it, but you’ll know when you get there. That added layer deepens the story in a way I didn’t expect. Going in, I was honestly expecting more of a straightforward creature feature. Instead, what I got was a perfect blend of Lovecraftian dread and grief horror. The cosmic elements and the emotional core feed into each other beautifully.
On my first read, I thought Samantha’s dream sequences felt a little repetitive. However, after sitting with it, especially on my reread, it felt intentional. The repetition mirrors the nature of grief and trauma. It hit harder once I understood what the story was doing. The imagery throughout this novel is hauntingly beautiful - dark and atmospheric in a way that lingers. You can practically feel the dampness and weight of it. The dialogue is strong, too, realistic, and emotionally charged. You can feel the power behind what’s being said, and sometimes what isn’t. I also loved the relationship between Sam and her dad, and how it changed as the story went on. I enjoyed the reasoning behind why the entity appeared and what it promised Sam. That motivation adds complexity instead of just being “scary thing shows up.” If I had one critique, I would’ve liked a bit more about the entity itself, and maybe a deeper focus on the supernatural side rather than leaning quite so much into the psychological. I will say, though, the ending worked for me. It doesn’t wrap everything up in a neat bow. There’s room left for interpretation, and maybe more from this universe. I’ll leave it at that to keep this spoiler-free.
Overall, this was a good book. The fact that I wanted to reread it says a lot. If you’re into grief horror with cosmic undertones, emotional depth, and beautifully dark imagery, this is absolutely worth picking up.
I appreciate William for sending me an electronic copy of his book.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
TW: Suicide, mental health issues, drowning, alcoholism
This was such a good book!
When she was a kid, Sam almost drowned in a lake. She doesn't remember what happened and it's weird because she was an excellent swimmer; she just remembers her mother resuscitating her. Sam was plagued by nightmares about the lake and felt there was something sinister lurking below. After her rescue, her mother started acting strange. She was going out into the woods at night and seemed to be losing her grip on reality. After a few weeks, her mom disappeared. Sam's father handled everything by becoming an alcoholic and Sam was left basically on her own. As soon as she could, Sam left and never looked back.
In the present, she's been diagnosed as bipolar and is on some heavy medications. She was doing well overall but a few weeks ago, the nightmares started to return. It's then followed by Sam's girlfriend, Ellie, dying. As the nightmares worsen, Sam decides to return home to see if she can understand what's happening now and what happened then.
The book is told in the first person and the author does a great job of showing Sam's confusion, depression, and struggles. It was frustrating at times since I wanted to know what was going on and didn't want to wait! It was done very well and we, as the reader, learn along with Sam.
The author did a great job with the relationship with Sam and her dad. Sam left 20 years ago and hasn't spoken to her father since. After her mother left, her father went from a non-drinker to severe alcoholic over night. About 10 years after Sam left, her father got sober, but Sam didn't know that until she came home. Watching Sam and her father struggle to reconnect while dancing around everything that happened at the lake felt realistic.
When we finally learn what's going on, it was a bit of a surprise. Unsurprisingly, we find out there was something in the lake, but learning about the other different aspects and components was not what I expected. It was well done and fit within the story that the author was telling.
The author includes a bonus novelette/novella with a different set of characters. That added an additional layer to the story and had similar vibes to Mira Grant's "Into the Drowning Deep".
In the afterword, the author talks about how he initially submitted this novel and then rewrote 2/3 of it. Then there was an issue with their book distributor where the novel was about to be released, but then was pulled. I'm glad the author stuck with this novel against his challenges, since this was such a great book and I'm grateful to have read it.
Thank you to the author and publisher for this advance review copy.
This was such a good book!
When she was a kid, Sam almost drowned in a lake. She doesn't remember what happened and it's weird because she was an excellent swimmer; she just remembers her mother resuscitating her. Sam was plagued by nightmares about the lake and felt there was something sinister lurking below. After her rescue, her mother started acting strange. She was going out into the woods at night and seemed to be losing her grip on reality. After a few weeks, her mom disappeared. Sam's father handled everything by becoming an alcoholic and Sam was left basically on her own. As soon as she could, Sam left and never looked back.
In the present, she's been diagnosed as bipolar and is on some heavy medications. She was doing well overall but a few weeks ago, the nightmares started to return. It's then followed by Sam's girlfriend, Ellie, dying. As the nightmares worsen, Sam decides to return home to see if she can understand what's happening now and what happened then.
The book is told in the first person and the author does a great job of showing Sam's confusion, depression, and struggles. It was frustrating at times since I wanted to know what was going on and didn't want to wait! It was done very well and we, as the reader, learn along with Sam.
The author did a great job with the relationship with Sam and her dad. Sam left 20 years ago and hasn't spoken to her father since. After her mother left, her father went from a non-drinker to severe alcoholic over night. About 10 years after Sam left, her father got sober, but Sam didn't know that until she came home. Watching Sam and her father struggle to reconnect while dancing around everything that happened at the lake felt realistic.
When we finally learn what's going on, it was a bit of a surprise. Unsurprisingly, we find out there was something in the lake, but learning about the other different aspects and components was not what I expected. It was well done and fit within the story that the author was telling.
The author includes a bonus novelette/novella with a different set of characters. That added an additional layer to the story and had similar vibes to Mira Grant's "Into the Drowning Deep".
In the afterword, the author talks about how he initially submitted this novel and then rewrote 2/3 of it. Then there was an issue with their book distributor where the novel was about to be released, but then was pulled. I'm glad the author stuck with this novel against his challenges, since this was such a great book and I'm grateful to have read it.
Thank you to the author and publisher for this advance review copy.
February 24, 2026
Gray’s best? I think it might be. From start to finish this was a fantastically dark ride into deep cosmic waters. Oddly, It Sleeps Below is very similar plot wise to the book I just finished. FMC returning to a setting where they’ve experienced trauma and trying to discern if they’re having a mental breakdown or not. Normally the repetition might get to me but both books were great and Gray has really outdone himself with It Sleeps Below.
In ISB we follow Samantha after her partner of many years dies abruptly. Mentally Sam is struggling hardcore and has started experiencing nightmares and hallucinations which she hasn’t had in years. She returns to her childhood home to confront personal and familial demons and try and get her head straight. Things quickly crumble into an inescapable ordeal.
The pacing is great. There’s some gore but Gray doesn’t lean too heavily into the imagery so it didn’t make me squirm too badly. Sam is a very sympathetic protagonist. We’re in the same age bracket, my mother also died when I was young and I have an alcoholic father. So it was pretty simple to slip on her shoes, so to speak. Gray discusses in the afterword that he had to write this book twice and one of the big changes between versions was dialing back on some of the twisty aspects. I think this was a great decision. I much prefer books that are more grounded and not just trying to confuse the reader with incredulity. If cosmic horror with a side of grief is your jam, I’d definitely recommend this one. The protagonist is very dimensional and there is that struggle to figure out which aspects are mental health related and which are supernatural. All in all a dope read and definitely shows Gray is riding the horror renaissance wave and is here to stay.
In ISB we follow Samantha after her partner of many years dies abruptly. Mentally Sam is struggling hardcore and has started experiencing nightmares and hallucinations which she hasn’t had in years. She returns to her childhood home to confront personal and familial demons and try and get her head straight. Things quickly crumble into an inescapable ordeal.
The pacing is great. There’s some gore but Gray doesn’t lean too heavily into the imagery so it didn’t make me squirm too badly. Sam is a very sympathetic protagonist. We’re in the same age bracket, my mother also died when I was young and I have an alcoholic father. So it was pretty simple to slip on her shoes, so to speak. Gray discusses in the afterword that he had to write this book twice and one of the big changes between versions was dialing back on some of the twisty aspects. I think this was a great decision. I much prefer books that are more grounded and not just trying to confuse the reader with incredulity. If cosmic horror with a side of grief is your jam, I’d definitely recommend this one. The protagonist is very dimensional and there is that struggle to figure out which aspects are mental health related and which are supernatural. All in all a dope read and definitely shows Gray is riding the horror renaissance wave and is here to stay.
February 27, 2026
Being a big fan of cosmic/lovecraftian horror I jumped at the chance at reading this and was glad I did. It Sleeps Below, while a slow burn hit all the right notes for me. It features fully fleshed out characters with character development, struggles with mental illness and the fallout of trauma from an event suffered at an early age. Add to that, a cosmic entity located in a remote lake and I had a great time turning the pages.
Samantha is a character that has been shaped by her past in a traumatic fashion and when she finds herself alone after the sudden death of her girlfriend, she struggles to deal with it in a healthy fashion. Given her father's history of alcoholism, and her reliance on medication for her mental health, it's doubly hard.
She had left her family home twenty years ago as a teenager after her mother went missing and her dad fell into the drink and she has almost no friends for support. She is beset by visits by an entity insisting she "come back home" which she could entirely be forgiven for thinking is her mind playing tricks on her but she does return all the same, hoping to find answers.
What she finds is the answers she is looking for but also something far more sinister that could prove to be much more than just her undoing.
It's a lengthy book and though the story is a slow burn, I found the payoff entirely worth it.
Great for those who enjoy cosmic horror.
Samantha is a character that has been shaped by her past in a traumatic fashion and when she finds herself alone after the sudden death of her girlfriend, she struggles to deal with it in a healthy fashion. Given her father's history of alcoholism, and her reliance on medication for her mental health, it's doubly hard.
She had left her family home twenty years ago as a teenager after her mother went missing and her dad fell into the drink and she has almost no friends for support. She is beset by visits by an entity insisting she "come back home" which she could entirely be forgiven for thinking is her mind playing tricks on her but she does return all the same, hoping to find answers.
What she finds is the answers she is looking for but also something far more sinister that could prove to be much more than just her undoing.
It's a lengthy book and though the story is a slow burn, I found the payoff entirely worth it.
Great for those who enjoy cosmic horror.
March 1, 2026
It Sleeps Below by William Gray is the latest new release from Wicked House, and it is a fantastic book!
After Sam experiences a tremendous loss in her life, she heads back to her childhood home on the lake. Between her past traumas, current nightmares, and a complicated relationship with her father, she has a lot of demons. Throw in the entity in the lake and she sure has a lot to contend with! If you’re into grief horror, cosmic horror, suspense, mystery and all-around just phenomenal writing, I’d highly recommend checking this out.
I do have some of his books in my TBR pile, but this was my first read by William. I am definitely looking forward to diving into more of his work!
After Sam experiences a tremendous loss in her life, she heads back to her childhood home on the lake. Between her past traumas, current nightmares, and a complicated relationship with her father, she has a lot of demons. Throw in the entity in the lake and she sure has a lot to contend with! If you’re into grief horror, cosmic horror, suspense, mystery and all-around just phenomenal writing, I’d highly recommend checking this out.
I do have some of his books in my TBR pile, but this was my first read by William. I am definitely looking forward to diving into more of his work!
March 2, 2026
I felt so many emotions while reading this book and it touched a spot deep in my heart. At times I was confused as to what I was reading. I mean is this a grief horror or cosmic horror or what? Truth is, I’m glad the author didn’t choose just one! This story is perfect the way it is and I love that the afterword tells of all of the work that went into perfecting this. It’s just the icing on the cake! There are so many twists and turns and I was literally left on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book! The character development is superb and you truly care deeply about many of them. Including Mooshoo! I love the ending and I honestly wouldn’t change a thing.
October 4, 2025
After the death of her partner, Sam finds herself haunted by waking nightmares. While questioning her mental state, grief pulls her back to her childhood home by the lake—a place tied to her near-drowning as a teenager, her mother’s mysterious disappearance, and her strained relationship with her alcoholic father. But the past isn’t the only thing waiting for her there.
This is a deeply character-driven novel. While the first half moves at a slower pace, it’s a deliberate build that enriches the story. Without this focus on character development, the emotional weight of the later revelations would not have hit nearly as hard. I found myself full of empathy for both Sam and her father, and it’s these layered, flawed characters that make the book so compelling.
I’d recommend It Sleeps Below to anyone who enjoys grief horror with a touch of the cosmic. It’s unsettling, emotional, and beautifully written.
I received an ARC from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is a deeply character-driven novel. While the first half moves at a slower pace, it’s a deliberate build that enriches the story. Without this focus on character development, the emotional weight of the later revelations would not have hit nearly as hard. I found myself full of empathy for both Sam and her father, and it’s these layered, flawed characters that make the book so compelling.
I’d recommend It Sleeps Below to anyone who enjoys grief horror with a touch of the cosmic. It’s unsettling, emotional, and beautifully written.
I received an ARC from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.
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