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Cries from the Crypt

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A free full-length horror companion featuring selected Writings by Adam L. G. Nevill.

Stories, missing chapters, advice for writers, recommendations, author interviews, and more.

206 pages, ebook

First published July 19, 2016

13 people are currently reading
645 people want to read

About the author

Adam L.G. Nevill

76 books5,589 followers
ADAM L. G. NEVILL was born in Birmingham, England, in 1969 and grew up in England and New Zealand. He is an author of horror fiction. Of his novels, The Ritual, Last Days, No One Gets Out Alive and The Reddening were all winners of The August Derleth Award for Best Horror Novel. He has also published three collections of short stories, with Some Will Not Sleep winning the British Fantasy Award for Best Collection, 2017.

Imaginarium adapted The Ritual and No One Gets Out Alive into feature films and more of his work is currently in development for the screen.

The author lives in Devon, England.

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5 stars
33 (32%)
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42 (41%)
3 stars
23 (22%)
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2 (1%)
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
Profile Image for Spencer.
1,491 reviews41 followers
October 6, 2016
This was a very different and interesting book, made even better by the fact that you can get it for free by subscribing to his emailing list.
I really liked the idea and execution of this book, offering deleted scenes and alternate endings to previously published novels, interviews, advice for writing and even short stories.
I've been a massive Adam Nevill fan for years now and this was a very welcome surprise as I hadn't read any of the content included before. The quality of the removed writings is very high and is a testament to Adam's skill, that even removed sections of his books are brilliantly written. I would definitely recommend this to his fans, although there is a lot of spoilerish information so if you haven't read all of his fiction I'd tread carefully through this.
Profile Image for Caroline.
991 reviews46 followers
July 30, 2016
This is great companion piece by Adam Nevill, containing two short stories that chill one to the bone, interviews with the author, unpublished chapters from his novels and advice for aspiring horror writers. I have now greatly expanded my "want-to-read" list. Thank you Adam for this informative read.
Profile Image for Kyriakos Sorokkou.
Author 6 books213 followers
Read
April 21, 2025
Ο ΓΥΡΟΣ ΤΟΥ ΚΑΡΚΙΝΟΥ ΣΕ ΟΓΔΟΝΤΑ ΜΕΡΕΣ
Μέρος Θ: Φως στο τούνελ με τα κουρκουλούκια

Νιώθω σαν Σίσυφος. Δε θα κάνω ποτέ catch up με τις κριτικές που χρωστώ.

Μετά τον Ελέφαντα της Σιαφάκ πήρα το συγκεκριμένο.
Το έκανα παύση για να συνεχίσω συνανάγνωση το Γαϊδούρι του Ζάνου και το συνέχισα ως το τέλος.

Προτελευταίο βιβλίο κατά τη διάρκεια της χημειοθεραπείας.

Βιβλίο που ολοκλήρωσα 3 μέρες μετά την τελευταία (ημερήσια) δόση φαρμάκου.
Μια βδομάδα πριν δω τη γιατρό μου για πρώτη φορά μετά το τέλος της χημειοθεραπείας.


Αναγκαστικά ηλεκτρονικό βιβλίο διότι μόνο σε αυτή τη μορφή υπάρχει.

Δίνεται δωρεάν σε όποιο εγγραφεί στο newsletter του συγγραφέα. Adam Nevill συγγραφέας τρόμοι από την Αγγλετέρα.

Και όταν λέω τρόμου το εννοώ. Λείπει η πολυλογία του Στίβεν Κινγκ.
Και φυσικά ο Νέβιλ κατάφερε να με τρομάξει με λιγότερα βιβλία από ότι ο Κινγκ.

Με το συγκεκριμένο έκλεψα λίγο αλλά δικαιολογούμαι. Περιέχει 2-3 διαγραμμένες σκηνές από κάποια μυθιστορήματα που δεν έχω διαβάσει ακόμα.
Έστω και διαγραμμένες ήθελα να αποφύγω τυχόν σπόιλερς.

Εκτός από αυτές τις σκηνές περιέχει συνεντεύξεις 2 διηγήματα και σκέψεις σε στυλ δοκιμίου (συμβουλές/κριτικές/προτάσεις) για την λογοτεχνία τρόμου.

Θα ήταν ιδανικό να το είχα και σε χάρτινη μορφή αλλά ας μην ειμεθα πλεονεκτες.
Profile Image for Droydicus Malojan.
32 reviews8 followers
July 28, 2016
A nice freebie from Mr. Nevill featuring two short stories, some unpublished chapters from 'Apartment 16', 'The Ritual' and 'No one here gets out alive' along with some interviews, essays and advice for aspiring horror writers.
Profile Image for Ollie.
279 reviews67 followers
September 14, 2020
I first came across Adam Nevill a few years ago when I borrowed his novel The Ritual from my local library in London. I worked at the time with charity events, including treks, and the story's plot piqued my curiosity as it was about four male university friends going for a hike in Sweden and things going horribly wrong for them ala Deliverance and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (with the supernatural thrown in.)

A few years later, now living in a remote farm in Brazil, I noticed that Nevill had made three short stories available for free on Kindle. Through that download I found out I could get this ebook for free from his website if I signed up for his newsletter. The ebook featured alternate endings to some of his novels and, what interested me, his thoughts on writing horror plus a pair of short stories.

I'm in firm agreement with Nevill's view on writing, that it's all about revision. Getting something down on paper is easy; the trick is to revise and revise, until you are happy with each sentence. If you can find a way to fall in love with revision, you can probably make it as writer (though on this part Nevill may disagree as he's fairly pessimistic about the horror market.)

From having read The Ritual plus the short stories here and a few of his novel samples, I've also realised that Nevill is a master at nature writing. He really knows how to conjure setting, whether it's a dark forest in Sweden, the Lake District or the English southern coastline. He's at his strongest when writing folk horror. The first story in this collection, “Little Mag’s Barrow”, about a narcissistic London media type that gets tricked to spending a night in a creepy cottage, is worth the download alone.
Profile Image for Gabriella.
156 reviews13 followers
January 5, 2022
"Cries from the Crypt" is an enjoyable accompaniment to Nevill's work, and has definitely expanded my "to-read" list! I thought the interviews were particularly interesting, as they provided insights into Nevill's writing process, inspirations, and the themes which haunt his novels. His analyses of "The Ritual" and "The Last Days" were especially thought-provoking. I'd love to see more analysis of "The Reddening" and "Cunning Folk", which I think are two of his strongest and most gripping novels.

I also enjoyed learning about Nevill's devotion to literature outside of the horror genre and his practice of careful editing and rewriting. The impact of both is clear in his novels and short stories - I always feel that I'm in the presence of a skilled writer and story-teller, so I can fully immerse myself in the story. Nothing worse than being jarred out of a tale by small errors, cringeworthy scenes, or clunky expression! Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone interested in horror, weird tales, cults, psychology, the writing process - and of course, in Nevill's work in general.
Profile Image for Benjamin.
91 reviews1 follower
May 4, 2024
First off, this was a free collection that I received after signing up for Adam Nevill's newsletter, and I certainly can't turn down a free book.
Anyway.
Contained within are a collection of stories, interviews, and deleted scenes from his books. Each one is excellent, and I particularly enjoyed his interviews which offered insight on his character, and on the horror genre in general. I will definitely reread this if I ever get around to writing myself, and I highly recommend this collection for fans of Nevill.
Profile Image for Jim Reddy.
309 reviews13 followers
May 20, 2024
This free ebook is available to download after subscribing to the author’s newsletter. It includes two short stories, deleted chapters from his novels, numerous interviews, essays, and advice for aspiring writers. One of the essays is his appreciation of Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce. Reading it at a young age is what made him focus on becoming a writer.

There’s a lot of content for a free book and I found it all interesting. I enjoyed the stories, the interviews and essays gave lots of insight into the author, and I found the writing advice really helpful, especially the chapter on a writing course that he taught at the Birmingham Library.
214 reviews
July 13, 2017
An excellent selection of odds and ends from author Adam Nevill. I did not read the alternate endings or deleted chapters since I don't want to spoil the novels which I have yet to read. The interviews are great and give great insight into the writing craft and how it applies to horror. Nevill really takes his job seriously and spent years honing his skills to produce horror stories with some literary ambitions. Scattered throughout the ebook are many book recommendations that I will get to in time. In fact I bought M R James entire ghost story catalog shortly after finishing the book as he was a great influence on Nevill.
Profile Image for Dan.
506 reviews3 followers
August 27, 2016
A couple of shorts, some writing advice and reprinted interviews. There's a fair bit of repetition across the interviews, but considering Mr Nevill has made this available for free, it's churlish to moan. If you're already a fan, it's well worth getting hold of. If not, read one of the novels first!
Profile Image for Periodic.
172 reviews3 followers
September 12, 2016
I feel like all these free short story books are ramping up for the big release of Nevill's newest next year...I can't wait.
Profile Image for Adam Dawson.
384 reviews31 followers
March 4, 2021
5 / 5 for ‘Cries From The Crypt’ by Adam Nevill

I smashed through this eBook in 2 days and I enjoyed it immensely. It’s somewhat similar in scope to Stephen Kings ‘Secret Window’ Collection, not exclusively a short story collection. This one is a mix of short stories, essays, interviews and a few ‘lost chapters’ from Nevill’s published novels.

There is no way I could give this anything less than full marks, and there are three main reasons for this;

1. The variety of work included here is excellent. The two short stories were both wonderful. Tense, creepy and unsettling and especially in the case of the second story, enjoyably revolting. The writing advice sections were very interesting, with some great advice given and some enjoyable insights into Nevill’s preferred process. The essays on the authors favoured films and books were enjoyable and persuasive and the interviews were all enjoyable and interesting, especially as they are printed in chronological order, so we get to see Nevill’s thoughts as he matures as a writer and breaks into success as a horror author. Finally, the lost chapters give us another slice of information or insight into books we’ve read, and previews for books yet to be read. This wide range of writings made this a really engrossing read.

2. There isn’t a single wasted sentence in this book. Nothing feels surplus or unneeded - everything is well presented and, in different ways, of great interest. It’s rare that a book of any format has not got a single negative.

3. All of the writings that are provided in this book, Nevill could have easily packaged into different projects and received a fair payment for them. He’s a writer - this book is some of his work, and he could have easily been paid for these interesting offerings. I’d have paid for this book happily. But no, Nevill offers this ebook completely free of charge on his website. No cost whatsoever. How rare is that?! What a wonderful way for an author to connect with his fans.

A joy to read from start to finish. Thank you, Adam Nevill. My horns are well and truly raised to you.

5 / 5
Profile Image for Jay Rothermel.
1,299 reviews23 followers
September 1, 2024
Cries from the Crypt is a free ebook from Adam Nevill's website: a goody bag for those who sign up for his unobjectionable newsletter. The book consist of alternate chapter drafts from some novels, two short stories not previously published in Nevill's two books of selected stories, a couple of essays, and a handful of interviews.

The interviews are repetitive by their very nature. But one details his harrowing as a night porter and security guard in swanky apartment buildings in London.

The story "Little Mag's Barrow" (2011) is a folk horror delight. A tyrannical publishing boss is loaned an old getaway cottage by one of her abused employees; the isolated location is richly observed. Just desserts.

The story "Estrus" (2010) is horror with a capital H. Our protagonist slowly realizes his woman roommate is not what she appears to be. This is real nightmare stuff.

Nevill's essay celebrating the movie "The Omen" is a high point of the collection. "Advice to Writers 3: Horror Workshop Crib Sheet" is also useful, with solid insights into reading horror classics and making a start on one's own writing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Mackenzie Starnes.
45 reviews3 followers
November 13, 2024
"Write what burns." 4.5 stars

At the end of many of his novels, Nevill offers a brief insight to how the story came to be, which I have always loved. This book is an even deeper dive into his motivations behind and approaches to several of his novels, with interviews and deleted scenes that made me feel like I had the director's cut of a movie.

His advice for writers makes me want to write, and makes me think maybe I can.

Favorite quotes:
"Dust glittered and drifted through darkness like plankton in a sunken wreck."
"When we consider the plague of rape, enslavement, repression and domestic violence that women are still subjected to, then the screaming hotties in demin shorts who are chased and dispatched by 'antiheroes' offer no insight into anything but morbid physical butchery. Where fiction has an advantage is in an exploration of the inner lives of characters, particularly of victims."
Profile Image for Steve.
114 reviews
June 8, 2017
Available free for download once subscribed to Adam's website.
A well received collection of interviews, deleted chapters, short stories and advice for writing.
Quite a few spoiler alerts if you haven't read any of his novels but the chapters are titled so its easy to avoid the spoilers of the novels you haven't yet read
I haven't yet read No One Gets Out Alive so i did miss out the referenced chapter.
I found the back history very interesting.
if you are a fan of Adam Nevill's works it is a must read
Profile Image for Christian.
586 reviews42 followers
March 12, 2018
What can you say? Tis is a great offer for all fans of Nevill's writing. You can get this collection of essays, interviews, short stories and scenes for free on his homepage and again I wouldn't hesitate! The two short stories in here are good, although not my favourites, being rather of the kind which exercises a chosen setting with little to do actually for the character. My favourite was the third writing advice with a six-part exercise.
Profile Image for Sara.
558 reviews14 followers
July 22, 2017
A wonderful gift for Adam Nevill fans. Cries from the Crypt is a free ebook that can be sent to you through Nevill's official website. It starts and ends with a short story and is filled with interviews, deleted chapters from a few books, musings, and advice for aspiring writers.
Profile Image for Angela.
133 reviews4 followers
January 1, 2023
A real cornucopia of short stories, deleted scenes and alternative endings alongside author interviews and essays on writing.
I especially enjoyed the behind the scenes look into how the author writes. There were even writing exercises to try out.
Profile Image for Jeff.
18 reviews4 followers
July 24, 2020
Like a little notebook of stories, advice, interviews. Loved it
Profile Image for Morgan.
Author 11 books12 followers
April 21, 2021
I loved this, it's the book equivalent of a Bonus DVD with lots of behind the scenes and author interviews as well as your very own How to Write Horror mini-course and two short stories from one of today's most successful horror authors!
I'd love an updated version of this at some point as there are a couple of things that I'm pretty sure the author has changed his mind about since 2016 (topic: self-publishing), as well as taking his writing into ever more interesting directions (Wyrd and Other Derelictions, for example). Well worth checking out for anyone who likes Adam Nevill. If you don't know Adam Nevill then try out some of his other stuff and come back for this when (not if!) you're a fan!
Profile Image for Andy B.
99 reviews5 followers
January 17, 2024
A love letter to horror in a thoughtful, enthusiastic hand. Free books shouldn't be this excellent!
Profile Image for Abi.
144 reviews
March 11, 2017
3.5 stars. truthfully I only read Little mags Barrow and Estrus. the rest was deleted or alternate scenes from novels I've yet to read or interviews, advice and such.
Profile Image for Aura.
135 reviews11 followers
September 13, 2016
Just to be clear - I did not read the interviews or the advice for starting writers, just the short stories and deleted scenes. I enjoyed that part very much although I do understand why the scenes were cut now. The books did not suffer as a result of it.
Profile Image for GD.
1,121 reviews23 followers
December 2, 2019
This is a free book of short stories, interviews, and novel outtakes from the great Adam Nevill. You can just download it from his website. Everything in it is great.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews

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