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Bane County #1

Bane County: Forgotten Moon

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The large river-island of Bane County has a troubled past; but some histories are eagerly forgotten, especially those written in blood.

Nestled into the foothills of the National Wildlife Refuge, the small rural town of Silver Canyon seems idyllic to most; but a long-slumbering evil is about to reawaken.

Seventeen-year-old Bryce McNeel is your average teenage boy, living on a cattle ranch with his grandparents. Well, average genius, but he prefers to keep that fact to himself, no one likes a know-it-all.

When Bryce learns of a series of grisly deaths and mutilations that occurred decades earlier, his curiosity gets the better of him. Together with his cousin Jackson, Bryce sets out to learn more about the macabre event; but as they delve deeper into the history and legends of Bane County, the two boys are horrified by what they find.

Unfortunately, history has a way of repeating itself.

As friends and neighbors begin to go missing, or worse, they find themselves embroiled in a battle for their young lives.

374 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 10, 2016

285 people are currently reading
662 people want to read

About the author

J.R. Rice

9 books181 followers
J R RICE is the Author of Bane County: a Horror / Suspense / Thriller Series.

Bane County is an Epic Saga consisting of:
Five full-length novels, and A Short Story:

Bane County: Forgotten Moon (Book 1)
Bane County: Returning Moon (Book 2)
Bane County: First Moon (Book 3)
Bane County: A Short Story (Book 3.5)
Bane County: Hungry Moon (Book 4)
Bane County: Last Moon (Book 5)

The New Bane County Spin-off Series, entitled: DARK TIMBER: A Jackson Campbell Thriller (Book 1) is Available Now.

Book 2 of the New Series, entitled: DARK FLYERS: A Jackson Campbell Thriller (Book 2) is available now.

Book 3 - Return to Bane County will be out next year.

An Active Member of the Horror Writers Association, J R RICE lives on a large island, near the edge of a dark forest, with his beautiful wife, unruly children, dogs that he loves and cats that he tolerates, and one very nasty monster who lives under his bed and never shuts up.

He enjoys interacting with readers, so please feel free to join him at:

Facebook.com/JRRiceAuthor

Twitter.com/JRRiceAuthor

Goodreads.com/JRRICE

Instagram.com/JRRiceAuthor

https://www.youtube.com/c/JRRiceAuthor

https://www.tiktok.com/@jrriceauthor

https://www.reddit.com/user/JRRICEauthor

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jrriceauthor

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5 stars
670 (69%)
4 stars
204 (21%)
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65 (6%)
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14 (1%)
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7 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 203 reviews
Profile Image for The Talented Miss Ripley.
338 reviews
March 31, 2018
Blood curdlingly good!

The large river-island of Bane County has a troubled past; but some histories are eagerly forgotten, especially those written in blood.

Nestled into the foothills of the National Wildlife Refuge, the small rural town of Silver Canyon seems idyllic to most; but a long-slumbering evil is about to reawaken.

Seventeen-year-old Bryce McNeel is your average teenage boy, living on a cattle ranch with his grandparents. Well, average genius, but he prefers to keep that fact to himself, no one likes a know-it-all.

When Bryce learns of a series of grisly deaths and mutilations that occurred decades earlier, his curiosity gets the better of him. Together with his cousin, Jackson, Bryce sets out to learn more about the macabre event; but as they delve deeper into the history and legends of Bane County, the two boys are horrified by what they find.

Unfortunately, history has a way of repeating itself.

As friends and neighbors begin to go missing, or worse, they find themselves embroiled in a battle for their young lives.

The first thing I thought about when I saw this book is, “Oh this cover is bad a@$! Without a question. I held onto this book for some time and then decided yeah I have to read this. I’m so glad I did. There was so much blood and gore what’s a girl to do. This book for me reminded me of the way Stephen King wrote The Stand which was a huge plus for me. This wolf in this book is vicious and leaves no body unturned.*shivers*

I don’t want to say too much in this review because it’s such a good read I will say just read! It’s a fantastic book and very creative storyline! Highly Recommend!
10 reviews1 follower
January 8, 2017
Great beast/werewolf story

I liked the mystery surrounding the beast. I also liked the setting and characters. I can 't wait to read more by this author.
4 reviews1 follower
June 18, 2018
Incredibly good read

One of the best books I've read in a while. Solid story line, good characters, and an interesting tale. Give it a read. You wont be disappointed.
Profile Image for Christian.
93 reviews8 followers
July 10, 2025
Wow. This is my first time reading anything by this author but I’m super impressed. Absolutely speechless. Usually when you think “werewolf fiction” you can’t help but think about the cheesiest stories imaginable. This was the exact opposite. It had me at the edge of my seat and always wanting more. After finishing book 1 I’ve immediately added the rest of the series to my kindle. Can’t wait to continue the story! Highly recommended
Profile Image for Laura Thomas.
1,552 reviews108 followers
November 21, 2019
I was browsing for something scary to read and happened to come across this book. Juts look at that cover. Wanting to know more, I read the synopsis. An isolated little town in a National Wildlife Refuge. Mutilated bodies and missing people. A legend from the past. All of these pinged my radar as a good fit. Oh, and the werewolf. Just look at the cover and you’ll see what I mean.

Right from the beginning the writing pulled me in. The characters were brought to life. Bryce and his cousin, Jackson, were typical teens on the cusp of adulthood. Close as brothers, they had each other’s backs. A brutal killing too close to home had them worried And then a near death experience with something monstrous pushed them to dig for answers. To find out what was lurking in the woods.

There were so many scenes that raised the hairs on the back of my neck. The suspense was huge. I just knew things were going to go horribly wrong. People were going to continue to die. My worry for Bryce and Jackson and their families made the reading so intense. I was afraid to continue but couldn’t stop. Often enough authors kill off their characters. I was really hoping that wouldn’t happen with these.

About that werewolf. Now that was one nasty beast. It liked to play with it’s food. And it was sentient. Not just a monster. I can’t think of much that is scarier than a huge creature, darn near unstoppable, being able to think, to plan and stalk. How do you fight that?

I love a wicked werewolf story. And I like to read horror stories at night when the house is quiet and the only light is the glow from my reading lamp on the headboard of my bed. As soon as I finished this, I got out of bed, opened up my computer and grabbed the next book. I couldn’t wait to continue with this series.
Profile Image for The Girl with the Sagittarius Tattoo.
2,934 reviews387 followers
November 6, 2019
This probably deserves three stars, but I'm mad that the rating I saw on this book was so inflated. The typos, misspells and overall missing proof process made reading this a distraction.

Quick: When is a werewolf not a werewolf? When it's a Manbearpig… or something equally idiotic in Bane County.

Not scary, not interesting, not good. Just frustrating.
129 reviews5 followers
September 20, 2022
This is probably the best book I have ever read!

This book is almost impossible to put down. The story is wonderful, the characters are great. I was grabbed from the first few pages. If you are looking for a good werewolf story, you can't go wrong with this one. I plan to start reading book two tomorrow.
3 reviews
December 13, 2020
Couldn’t put it down!

This has to be the quickest I have ever read a book. Kept me
intrigued and wanting more the whole time! Actually had my heart racing during the suspenseful scenes as well. Great job!
3 reviews1 follower
January 9, 2019
Great book

I loved it. Very exciting and keeps you hooked to read more!!! Highly recommend. If you into werewolves then you need to read this.
Profile Image for Yours Truly.
57 reviews
September 30, 2019
Well, that was… something, I guess? To give credit where credit is due, I will say that up until about the halfway mark I was holding steady at a two-star review, but after that… well, the one good thing it had going for it was really not enough for me to say I liked it, in the end. So, let’s start with what’s bearable about this novel:

It has the same overall feeling as an ’80s monster flick. It’s sort of like a cross between Silver Bullet, The Monster Squad, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2: there’s a spunky, precocious teenage protagonist who comes out on top despite the fumbling and bumbling of inept small-town law enforcement officials, his loyal but floundering best pal, his dotty but doting grandparents, a couple of hot teenage girls with whom he can flirt when not hunting monsters, an old Romanian Gypsy seer who imparts ancient but cryptic knowledge about the vile monster upon our young hero, a Native American who appears just long enough to provide supplementary knowledge about the rumors among indigenous people of a walking wolf-beast before disappearing back into the woods, and a monster of unknown origins and purpose who seems to exist solely to revel in over-the-top carnage.

Now, that’s not to say that all of those things made this novel likeable. Not at all. It’s like flipping through your television channels, passing all sorts of things you genuinely like but for which you are just not in the mood, only to land on what you identify in a nanosecond as The Gate – suddenly, the voice of your inner child squeals with glee at the memories of those ridiculous demon things, and the next thing you know, you’re rolling your eyes through the entire remaining hour of this movie for which you haven’t given a second thought in three decades and which, if asked, you would readily admit was a dreadful, dreadful movie.

The catch, of course, is that The Gate – and movies like it – were made 20 – 30 years ago, when it was acceptable to have such stereotypical characters and people didn’t expect much from their horror save gallons of blood and buckets of bits. But now it’s 2019, and I just…

I expect more from a modern horror novel. At the very least, I expect the author to know how to use some goddamn punctuation. Maybe it’s different in the DTF version (Dead Tree Format – i.e., paper) of the novel, but in the digital version, the punctuation is a damn mess. It’s all over the place. The overuse and misuse of something as basic as the common comma was a terrible diversion – they appear in place of an ellipsis, to separate coordinating adjectives, and just seemingly at random.

But beyond that, I expect so much more. I’m not the sort of reader who holds all books to modern standards and expectations, regardless of when they are written or in what context certain attitudes are expressed (i.e., I’m not outraged at Gone with the Wind‘s use of the “n” word, I don’t grow indignant at Catcher in the Rye‘s throwaway attitude towards women in general, and I don’t become exasperated in the least by the punctuation or prose of Austen, Dickens, or Swift), but with a book written in 2016, I expect more.

I expect the inclusion of a Native American character to mean more than some guy in the woods with a name like “Sam (Insert-Adjective-Here)-Feather” whose sole purpose is to regale our teenage wunderkind with the indigenous local legends surrounding the werewolf. Which, in case everyone’s forgotten in these post-Twilight years, isn’t really a Native American “thing” – some indigenous tribes have legends of skin-walkers, but the werewolves as we know them are a distinctly European invention.

I mean, with the inclusion of the old Romanian Gypsy seer, we pretty much had our go-to for exotic foreign wisdom, right? Oh, and let us not forget that the old Romanian Gypsy seer has a granddaughter, who is, predictably, very beautiful, very close to her aged grandmother, and a talented seer herself.

The remaining characters are pretty familiar to anyone who grew up watching those 80s horror films, as well: the over-zealous but well-meaning deputy, the bumbling and swaggering sheriff, a few fluff characters who are there solely so they can die gruesome deaths, a couple of fluff characters added as diversions, and, of course, the big, bad beasty. Who is… y’know… big. And bad. And clawed. And fanged. And fuzzy all over. Y’know… basically a werewolf, but without the wer.

There are a couple of scenes where characters try to make stands against said werewolf and another couple which demonstrate the unreliability of vehicles in the direst of circumstances. Some people go missing, but that’s okay, because they’re mostly non-entities, anyway. A couple of dogs go down hard, which is lamentable and unnecessary, but they died defending their humans, so I guess most people would find that noble and acceptable.

The ending had that Night Gallery: The Caterpillar feeling (you know the one: “… and females lay eggs…”) – you knew before you even got to that point that it wasn’t over, there was no way it was over, but when you hear it, all you can do is throw your hands up, because of course it would go that way.

If you’re in the mood for some 1980s monster-slasher nostalgia, you may be into this one. Personally, when I’m in the mood for that sort of thing, I just go watch one of my childhood faves, so I’m going to walk away from Bane County and hope to never return.
2 reviews1 follower
September 17, 2023
Love it.

Could not put it down. Best horror novel I have read in a long time.
I am looking forward to read the rest of the series.
Keep writing Mr. Bryce.

Profile Image for Pamela.
Author 52 books182 followers
July 8, 2016
The large river-island of Bane County has a troubled past; but some histories are eagerly forgotten, especially those written in blood.

Nestled into the foothills of the National Wildlife Refuge, the small rural town of Silver Canyon seems idyllic to most; but a long-slumbering evil is about to reawaken.

Seventeen-year-old Bryce McNeel is your average teenage boy, living on a cattle ranch with his grandparents. Well, average genius, but he prefers to keep that fact to himself, no one likes a know-it-all.

When Bryce learns of a series of grisly deaths and mutilations that occurred decades earlier, his curiosity gets the better of him. Together with his cousin, Jackson, Bryce sets out to learn more about the macabre event; but as they delve deeper into the history and legends of Bane County, the two boys are horrified by what they find.

Unfortunately, history has a way of repeating itself.

As friends and neighbors begin to go missing, or worse, they find themselves embroiled in a battle for their young lives.



Maybe it is not the best werewolf horror I've read, but it is damn close to it.

Bryce McNeel and his cousin an best friend, Jackson, live in Bane County. It is 1991 and the start of their last year of high school. September is also the month of the harvest moon--the one that only happens every nineteenth years. A beasts rises from one of the abandoned silver mines in the Refuge, a National wildlife refuge. It stalks prey; not deer or fowl, but humans. It relishes prey that can beg for it life, meaning that this is no ordinary beast like bear or mountain lion or wolf, but something out of man's legends and myths. Like in succeeding years of this harvest moon , people are killed and eaten, what is left found, while others vanished without trace. And Bryce began reading up on werewolves and legends and even formulates a scientific theory of something that may be an unknown creature that inspired these legends. It is obvious this theory will lead to the sequel.
As a horror author myself and the werewolf and other shapeshifters my favorite supernatural beings (along with ghosts, of course), I always enjoy a different way of writing the werewolf story. Like The Wolfen by Whitley Strieber, where another race of intelligent beings live with us on this planet, and no doubt, behind the legend of the werewolf. J. R. Rice did it sort of this way, twisting it to be his own story.
Want something to scare you? Then Banes County: Forgotten Moon will get your heart racing and maybe even have you double-check to make sure your doors and windows are locked. So grab something silver and visit Bane County for a hair raising time.
Profile Image for Annalee Adams.
Author 38 books86 followers
September 7, 2018
This is an exceptional book. I liked how it hinted at the romance element in the beginning but then twisted with the bridge event, returning to the horrific gore it had originally displayed.
I thought my books were scary... but nothing in comparison to Bane County.
I can happily say I truly enjoyed reading this book and the second one (I'm on the third now), and admire JR Rices style of writing. He manages to absorb you into the story, especially the darker parts when the beast salvates his kills.
Fantastic!
Profile Image for Amanda.
171 reviews2 followers
June 10, 2020
I could not put this book down. Horror and disaster books are my favorite and I was browsing for a new book and came across the Bane County series and decided to give it a try. I am so glad that I did because I really enjoyed this book. I thought the author did a great job of developing characters that were interesting and easy to like and I really loved how the author tied in science to the story. Instead of having just a monster story, the author added scientific aspects to make the story more believable. I can't wait to read the rest of the books in this series.
Profile Image for Serenity.
742 reviews31 followers
December 30, 2018
Excellent!

I dearly love werewolf stories of this nature. No sex, no human turning into a werewolf. Just good old, 'werewolf coming to kill you' book!

The author definitely has talent! Well written, great characters, great imagery. I found myself on the edge of my seat a lot throughout this book. I LOVED the gore!!

I am so looking forward to reading more by this author, and will be highly recommending him to others!
Profile Image for CryssyD113.
10 reviews1 follower
June 2, 2018
Absolutely loved this book!!!

I loved this book! I can't wait to start the next book!! The story is very original, nothing like anything I've read before! I definitely fell in love with the characters and the setting! I was sucked into this book from the very beginning I had a very hard time putting it down!!! I highly recommend this book!!!!
Profile Image for Sylvia Adams.
422 reviews
November 14, 2018
Wow! Great Book

Totally enjoyed reading this book. I read it in one day, I just couldn’t put it down. I loved the characters and am really intrigued by the “werewolf “. I’m starting the second book immediately.
Profile Image for David.
41 reviews5 followers
January 15, 2019
Great book. The story is really exciting and full of u foreseen story twists. Highly recommend
69 reviews1 follower
July 9, 2021
In full (moon) command.

Wow! I've read so much werewolf literature that I probably forgotten half of it but this offering (bane county )does a couple of things which are different and truly impressive. The first thing is that the author creates a mythical world that makes sense, allows for beauty and horror and intrigue. I was initially on the fence but bought in fully. It reminds me of creations like the seven kingdoms or other mythical places that are on just on the border of belief but certainly within interest. The other thing that this author does that's so impressive is his command of the language. It serves him in every scenario he puts forward whether it's comical language in a funny scene or utterly terrifying, visceral, carnage in scenes of violence. He does it with perfectly and creates a great roller coaster ride for the reader. I can't wait to get into the remainder of the books. the characters are some of the best I've read, the premise works, the violence is exquisite and the beast is... Well the beast is magnificent
Profile Image for Johnathan Breeland.
250 reviews5 followers
November 8, 2018
Terrifying Thrill Ride

There's not a lot of things that I can say to convince you of how good this book is but you can tell by the reviews that it's great book in many ways though it's a lot better than great,I definitely found myself sweating at certain times for the characters in the book being very scared for them and hoping that they would get out of whatever was about to happen to them,especially the sheriff and his run out of the forest,so if you haven't started this book you should definitely start reading it, this is a truly terrifying Thrill Ride that has it all suspense,Gore,Thrills, Adventure, nostalgia and most of all horror, hell in many ways it's a coming-of-age story of Bryce and what happened to him in the year of 1991, this book brought back a lot of feelings cuz I was young during the same year,the same age, if you want to read a one-of-a-kind werewolf novel that is balls to the wall terrifying check out this book,you will not be disappointed
4 reviews
January 25, 2021
An amazing display of Horror, Suspense and even a little mystery.

I just got done reading Bane County: Forgotten Moon and I gotta say it was an amazing book! This book perfectly captures just how truly terrifying werewolves are if they're treated with the proper care and J.R. Rice does that perfectly here. I loved the setting, I thought the characters were good and fleshed out, the werewolf itself is SUPER CREEPY and there is plenty of tension and suspense as well with a little bit of mystery thrown in for good measure. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a nice horror/suspense book to sink their teeth into (pun intended).
Profile Image for Wayne Murphy.
87 reviews7 followers
April 26, 2020
Definitely not the Stephanie Meyer's garbage

Well I have been rocking around with this series for over a year I have been so over the Werewolf genre for a long time now since LKH and Meyer's turned the genre into romance erotic vomit for lonely people. This book after taking a chance FINALLY kicked me right between the eye's. I paged turned all the way to the end and am getting ready to start the second. Thanks and blessings to the author who has enough sense to bring the M back in Monster. And THANK YOU for keeping these monster's monstrous and for not turning them into European rejects with hair down to there waist debating on whether an uncut penis is better than a cut penis. Go away Hamilton!
3 reviews1 follower
June 7, 2023
Rating: Several Rooms

I liked it. While wild, stomach turning descriptions of out of control violence can add to a scary story, it is those bumps in the middle of the night that ratchet up the heartbeat and make the backs of your arms feel oh so weak. Good story. One way I rate scary stories is by how many lights do I turn on in the house: one lamp, one room, several rooms, or entire house.
4 reviews1 follower
August 15, 2020
Nail biter-Good read

This book and author was recommended by a co-worker. And I wasn't disappointed. The story line is very intriguing, mysterious, scary and a nail bitter. I found myself looking forward to getting back to the book to see happens next. Going to continue the serues of Bane County.
3 reviews1 follower
September 2, 2019
Fantastic

Very exciting and we'll written. This is a good story for readers of all ages. The warning in the beginning is accurate. There are some macabre death descriptions. I loved it!
Profile Image for Sophia.
23 reviews
November 22, 2020
Gripping

This book got me hooked from the start. Your rooting for the main character from the start. I can't wait to read book 2 in the series. My heart was pounding all the way through.
2 reviews
Read
January 25, 2021
Have now read all of the series and have to say enjoyed them immensely. Always read before I go to bed as am a terrible insomniac! I did find them hard to put down at times . Do have a lot of vivid dreams when I sleep and even managed a werewolf nightmare so that’s a good book !! Anyway great series if you like this kind of book it’s well worth a read and looking forward to the next one !
45 reviews1 follower
September 10, 2023
Perfection

So well written. I found myself squirming fearfully a few times with the foreboding horror. Great characters. A slightly different take on the typical werewolf story. Which made it even better and original. Can't wait to read next in series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 203 reviews

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