Memories can be altered by the passage of years, but those that are buried never change.
Based on true events.
Michael thought the past was over, that the exorcism of a decade ago had closed the door. But when Michael's family dies, he's drawn towards a strange presence. This presence, Six, teases Michael, showing him a history, forcing him to write it all down, but why? The visions Michael is given begin to unravel a twisted story of two families bound together by a sinister force. As the events become more overwhelming, Michael allows Six to access a part of himself he denied the beast years ago. He realized no matter how far he ran from his past, there was no escaping Six.
As Michael is struggling to survive, another man, Father Covington, enters the room Michael occupied for days. The young priest sees Michael, a chair, and hundreds of pages of parchment flying around the room moments before a set of large doors slams shut, sealing them inside. The pages call to the young priest, playing on his curiosity, but he buries his desire, his fears, and tries to help the broken man. As he does, an overwhelming chill closes in around them, forcing Father Covington towards the chair and the forming book. He sits upon the chair, finding comfort in the support of the old wood. Suddenly, he's somewhere else, inside someone else, experiencing a world he'd never know.
Thanks to Lucas Graeves for sending us Night Worms review copies of this novel in exchange for honest reviews! Six releases on January 6, 2019.
So, this book. What a way to start the year off!
It is quite obvious when reading this novel that it comes from a place of passion—this comes from the heart. In the Boy’s Life-esque introduction, the reader is told “some” of the events in the narrative are based on true events, and I could certainly see that. The unfolding plot . . . these characters . . . they sizzle, they ooze life and passion . . . this is a story that, I’d bet, needed to be told. It probably would not leave the author’s mind until it was spilled on the page.
I must admit, however, I was a bit skeptical (and worried) during the first few chapters. Six gives off strong The Exorcist and Hellraiser vibes, though things do move on and this becomes its own fully realized body. And some of the mechanics of the story were a bit unclear (how and why, exactly, was Father Covington thrust into Mike’s mind — don’t worry! I am not saying anything that is not in the synopsis!), but my questions were eventually answered.
Six is a sinister, rollicking book that is part horror show and part coming of age journey: the result is a fair and enjoyable mix. An interesting, albeit slightly confusing, first half is made up for with a screw-tight latter half and satisfactory conclusion. A solid read!
SIX is finally here!! I read this back on my cruise to Italy over the late spring/early summer. If anyone follows me on Instagram and saw a photo of me reading my Kindle in an infinity pool overlooking the Mediterranean sea, then THIS is what I was enjoying!! I plan on re-reading and giving a full review! As a matter of fact, I believe this will be a Night Worms read, too! So excited! Annnnnnnnd... word is there is a slight twist to the ending from the edition that I read! BUT YOU ALL NEED THIS!!!
Six is a mixture of an emotional coming-of-age tale and a raw and disturbing story of demons and exorcism.
Quite the interesting combination, right?
There are two stories at play: the present-day secret basement of a church where a long-tortured man and a priest are being held by a demon named Six; and their pasts: the childhood memories that formed them, the shames they'd prefer to forget, and how they intertwine.
Though these narratives may not seem overly compatible, what I kept coming back to while reading was the power of the personal demon, how we all walk around with something on our backs, something whispering in our ear that we aren't good enough or reminding us about the times that we've made mistakes in the past. Of course, that is just our own selves trying to keep us down (for what reason??) and not a demon from hell like the one the characters in this book deal with, but isn't that always the metaphor of exorcism? Taking out that bad part that is making us less than we are, less than we could be.
In this sense, Six is a very dark and very personal book. I definitely felt the emotional resonance of many scenes, felt the characters bleeding their stories out.
The book did feel like it needed some tightening up to me. Stylistically, I did not find myself fully engaging with the work; it was often overly wordy when concise language would have cut out some of my confusion with what was actually happening. It also kept me at a distance from really getting to know the characters and living inside their heads, because no one really thinks like that in the privacy of their own mind. It just felt overwritten at times.
If you are into tales about demonic possession, this is definitely an interesting and unique read to add to your list.
My thanks to author Lucas Graeves for sending the Night Worms copies of this book to read and review.
Six is Lucas Graeves' debut horror novel that I read with the Nightworms review group. While I think there were a lot of promising moments, this book was a bit of a mixed bag for me.
I was hooked at the beginning - the opening is interesting, and I was very curious to know what was going on...then I got confused. I feel like there is an excellent core story here, but that it just needs to be a bit more refined.
Things felt way too complicated at times. I had a hard time keeping track of characters, and it took me a bit to grasp where/when things were happening, and who they were happening to. I eventually got the hang of it, but there were some convoluted moments. There are two plots happening, and sometimes I would get invested in one, and then be disrupted by the other shortly after.
I do want to say that the ending ties everything together nicely, and I have a better understanding of what was going on now. I had a much better time with the second half of the book.
One other issue that I had was with the women and minorities in this book. I wish that there would have been a little more balance. The minorities were only in existence in this world for Native American magic, and women were only around for death, sex, or rape. While these aspects did play a role in the story at large, I wish that these characters wouldn't have been so flat. They were only there to move the story along for the main characters. Since Lucas did such a good job of fleshing out the main characters in Six, I would love to see what happens with a more diverse cast.
Lucas wrote some genuinely creepy scenes, and I was pretty intrigued by the demonic entity Six once everything wrapped up. Although I had a complicated experience with Six, I would definitely try another horror book from Lucas & I'm looking forward to seeing what he does next.