Come Back to the Swamp
Working on completing her ecology graduate degree, Bernice is doing invasive species research in Cleary Swamp when she is confronted by a mysterious hag who says she is the swamp’s caretaker. When Bernice discovers that the hag is actually a woman named Rebecca Hallett who disappeared in the swamp decades before she attempts to remove the strange old woman from Cleary Swam
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Come Back to the Swamp is a 111 page novella set in a swamp, featuring Bernice, a student working on her graduate degree in ecology when she comes across an old woman claiming that she IS the swamp. Yep. You read that right. This story isn't something I would normally read, sort of a cross between supernatural and mild horror. It reads like an episode of Tales From the Crypt, unnerving with some humor thrown in. Overall good writing with a novel plot.
I was provided an ARC of ...more

A little bit spooky and really quirky, this novella was a whole lot of fun. We follow Bernice, a grad student who is spending the summer working on clearing invasive plant species out of the local swamp. One day as she toils away, Bernice is suddenly accosted by this clearly-not-all-okay-in-the-head old lady who quite forcibly demands that Bernice cease and desist doing harm to the swamp. Freaked out, Bernice flees, only to feel foolish later whe ...more

Not exactly my cup of tea, but this was well written and entertaining in a strange sort of way. More of a low-level creepiness than outright horror-fantasy, the tension was apparent throughout this short book, and it might make me think twice before I go traipsing off into the swamp or forest.

Bernice is doing invasive species research in Cleary Swamp for her graduate degree in ecology when she is confronted by a strange woman who claims to be the swamp. When Bernice uncovers that the old woman is a missing person named Rebecca Hallet who disappeared ages ago, she tries to get her some help. However, Rebecca has a supernatural connection to the swamp itself. The swamp knows that Rebecca's body isn't going to last m ...more

New to audiobook, Laura Morrison’s Come Back to the Swamp is the spooky, swampy, supernatural solution to your June novella-audiobook needs!
Half space-opera, half ecological manifesto, Morrison weaves fantasy, science fiction, and a chilling atmosphere into a punch-packing novella that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The story follows ecology-grad student Bernice as she discovers a strange old woman orbiting the swamps of Cleary Sw ...more



A short unnerving story about swamp magic and a legacy passed down through chance.
I liked the idea of the swamp magic and how it was passed from one person to the other, but I found the story to be a little lacking in detail, I needed a bit more substance. I wanted to know more about the previous swamp witch, I wanted to feel more for the main characters and I wanted more history about the swamp.
Fans of short, easy t ...more

Come Back to the Swamp is the story of Bernice, a Masters stude ...more

The biggest issue I had was I didn’t care for Bernice very much, particularly after her interactions with Kevin. I fully admit though, that I tend to have an issue with very little tolerance for annoying c ...more

Working on completing her ecology graduate degree, Bernice is doing invasive species research in Cleary Swamp when she is confronted by a mysterious hag who says she is the swamp’s caretaker. When Bernice discovers that the hag is actually a woman named Rebecca Hallett who disappeared in the swamp decades before she attempts to remove the strange old woman from Cleary Swamp, but little does Bernice know that Rebecca has a mystical bond to the area—one t ...more

A darling, hopeful, and inspiring story, COME BACK TO THE SWAMP is a story of Cleary Swamp near Detroit, and the amazing adventures of a graduate student in Ecology. Bernice is determined on a Ph.D. track in environmental sciences, and part of her work is to try to eradicate invasive, non-native species. But in the swamp Bernice encounters a wild woman who insists she stop, because she is the swamp. Only a short time passes before the woman announc ...more



This novella is a quick read that combines B-movie horror with a more serious ecological message.
Bernice is battling invasive non-native species’ in the middle of Cleary Swamp when she stumbles across a mysterious old woman. The woman claims to BE the swamp, but Bernice’s research into the area’s history suggest that she may be a loc ...more

Then up pops this elderly woman who looks likes she’s been living rough in the swamp. She claims to actual ...more


Come Back to the Swamp was a very quick read, closer to a short story than a novella. Despite this, Bernice and Kevin were sympathetic characters, and their development helped drive the story forward. The swamp setting was unique, and one I enjoyed, though the magical link and powers of its caretaker was left somewhat underexplained. Likewise, the story’s antagonist was not given as much motivation or backstory as I would have li ...more

9.5/10
I walked in reading this book with very few expectations; I have never read anything by this author before, but I was interested in the book because of the interesting premise and the fact that the author happens to be an environmental scientist and obviously knows a thing or two about the subject that this book covers. This book offers sharp witticisms and well-written passages that joins together as ...more

Come Back to the Swamp by Laura Morrison is one of those novella that you can just imagine on the screen. The story is simple. Bernice, a graduate student is in the swamp trying to help clear out non-native plants when she runs into an old woman who claims she is the swamp. Using superhuman strength and speed, she drives Bernice out of the swamp. This starts a chain of events that really does feel like an episode of the new Creepshow or Twilight Zone TV series.. There are so many classic element
...more

This book starts out more like a horror book than science fiction as the situation is paranormal, much like my favorite book, The Ruins. Once you accept that, it is what it is, the story goes smoothly. Since I was given an ebook, I couldn't cheat and peek at the ending because I reall ...more


It's an almost familiar narrative, the swamp needs a human caretaker and will go to extraordinary lengths to make sure it gets what it needs. While that is definitely creepy, you don't get the feeling that the swamp is 'evil' - it's just a force of nature doing what it has to to survive.
I felt that the characters could do with a bit more fine tuning, they don't se ...more

Story 4 Stars
Performance 5 Stars
Overall 4 Stars
COME BACK TO THE SWAMP reminded me of a spooky, intriguing episode of the Twilight Zone. The novella is bizarre and twisted, but with a message - beware of your ecological footprint. While not preachy, the author makes known her ecological views as she seamlessly weaves science and magic together. I love the supernatural aspect of the story. Adding a voice to the swamp was an interesting and thought provoking point of view ...more




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I have had this book before release date and started reading it as soon as it got the book.
This was a cute book. Nothing fancy but I enjoyed it. If you like a good swampy novel, this one is for you. It does have it small moments of eerie to it but I enjoyed it. The Swamp will call to you!!!
Thank you to Black Spot Books for sending me this book to review.