Shadows of the Woods

by Duncan Thompson

Faceless shadows, a night that will never be the same, and a sinister force. If you go down to the woods tonight, you're in for a sinister surprise.

When a stag party decide to camp in the woods, they soon discover that a malevolent force has them in their sights. As the unknown creeps ever closer, Joe and his friends must survive. To survive, Joe must learn to fight. If he fights, he could lose it all.

A rollercoaster ride of blood, sweat and tears, Shadows of the Woods will keep you hooked, all whilst throwing nostalgic homage to slashers of the late seventies and early eighties.

A Night Terror that you won't be forgetting any time soon.

148 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2020

About the author

Duncan Thompson has spent most of his life in a small market town in West Yorkshire -- the same town in which most of his stories are set under the guise of Ravenfield. Duncan has been writing works of fiction since the age of seven. In those early days, his stories often involved himself and his friends being transported to fantasy worlds. However, as a teenager, Duncan fell in love with horror movies and his writing took a whole new direction.

Duncan works in financial services and lives with his partner and their two young children. He also has slight obsession with Spider-Man, the actor Bruce Campbell, as well as having an addiction to vinyl records, coffee and Lego.

Reviews

[Yvonne (the putrid Shelf) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shadows Of The Woods is like a bullet to the jugular! Holy crap this book was good! The title gives us insight into two sides of the same coin. A shadow instantly made me think of the claustrophobia, the darkness creeping in ready to take us. One misstep, the sound of twigs being snapped underfoot…was it someone out there or our active imagination? My gut feeling whilst starting this book was that shit was going to hit the fan fairly quickly…boy was I right?!

The opening was both sweet and utterly destructive. A marriage proposal whilst out camping with the backdrop of fireworks, dead romantic, right? Well, in any other location it probably would have been. Insert the heady mix of paranoia, shadows creeping into night affected vision and eerie sounds would make anyone question their decisions. The ambiguous opening has you confused and questioning the characters reality…just what the hell happened? An accepted proposal. Dangers lurking in the night. A trashed tent. An animal or something more sinister?

Joe is a highly competitive young man. He takes his fitness very seriously and prides himself on not only his physique but his fitness levels. He’s engaged to the love of his life, Linda, and he’s setting off on his stag do with his friends and his brother, Tony. No weekend in Amsterdam for Joe, nope, He’s having a camping weekend in the druid forest. Maybe in hindsight Amsterdam would have been safer. I connected immediately with Joe’s inner narrative and his need to care for everyone. A big brother. He’s definitely the groups conscience.

Arriving at the Druids woods instantly has that look over your shoulder, lock all your doors type horror. The ice-cold water drifting down your spine, all that was missing was the creepy string quartet to make you soil yourself all that quicker. The camping trip doesn’t go according to plan and deciphering motives and behaviours of the antagonists was both puzzling and exciting. Shadows Of The Woods had me aching for answers to my questions but in all honestly its best to just let the novel guide me to the truth. You are in seriously good hands with Duncan Thompson.

The events contained within that night opens some big ass cans of worms. Reminiscing about childhood, relationships with siblings, romantic relationships Duncan Thompson weaves a web so intricate but so beautifully human that we can’t help but become invested in not only the human aspect of the story but the supernatural part too.

Joe discovers all manner of horrific things in those woods and it will take everything that he has to survive. As I turned the pages of my kindle, I’m pretty sure my eyes were bugging out of their sockets with the fear that became instilled in me. Duncan Thompson has truly highlighted the battle of good vs evil and the truth is a heavy load. No-one leaves Shadows Of The Woods unscathed.

Shadows Of The Woods is an adrenaline fuelled trip of a lifetime. It’s the type of book where you constantly tell yourself “just one more page” and before you know it you’ve read the final one. You really won’t sleep after finishing this in the dead of night!

Thanks to Emma@ Damppebbles book tours for a copy of the book and my place on the blog tour, always a pleasure.

[Honestmamreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book it had everything I love about creepy stories. I'm a sucker for a good horror film, but I've got to admit that the classic 80s and 90s slasher and scary movies are the best.

And, Shadows Of The Woods follows all the ingredients needed for a scare fest. But, if you roll your eyes at way out there storylines or things that go bump in the dark, then maybe this book isn't for you. However, if like me and unexplained beings rolling around the woods giving people the heeby jeebies is your thing. Then let me introduce you to Shadows Of The Woods.

Ok, so a stag party decides that the perfect place to celebrate is in a wood. Of course it is. And, a loved up couple also think that setting up camp in a creepy old forest is perfect. Are you getting Blair Witch vibes? Good because that's what it's like, strange things start occuring and people go missing. It all gets tense and strange. Will anyone survive the wrath of the Shadowmen?!?

Shadows Of The Woods is a super read. Its pure nostalgia of the classic slasher films we all grew up loving.

[ReadandRated · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars from me

Well I already wasn't a fan of camping and it's fair to say that Shadows of the Woods has sealed the deal on that one...

This is a proper, good old fashioned scarefest absolutely packed full of tension, anticipation, suspense, shock and terror!

I really liked that the 'threat' was a tangible thing rather than a whispered suggestion or a hint of an imagining - these things were RIGHT IN YOUR FACE with no question of whether it was just a twig snapping, or an animal innocently snuffling by, nope, there were shadowmen and they want to kill you!

Scary stuff, great read to pack into the pack of anyone you know who is going off camping with their mates!

[Emily Portman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I’ve found myself a new author who has perfected the horror genre, oh my god! Reading this book gave me goosebumps from the strong first chapter all the way to the end and I was genuinely surprised with how much I enjoyed this. I’ve not read a good horror book for years and I’m so glad I stumbled upon this gem. It’s absolutely terrifying, I’m not going to lie, and it was the book I needed to really get into this genre again. You can really tell the author was in his comfort zone when writing this book and it seems the words just came naturally to create a horrifying tale. The description was incredible and really helps you to visualise the scenes in the book from start to finish. Creepy, captivating and gruesome as hell. I loved it!

You can read my full review over on my blog: https://aquintillionwords.com/2020/07...

[Zoé-Lee O'Farrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, when you read a book that reminds you of your two favourite ever horror authors you know you are on to a winner. With the traits I love of Jonathan Janz and Richard Laymon we take a trip to the woods. Today we go camping and join a stag party. You would think things would get out of control, they do….but not how you would think!

When I was not sitting with my jaw dropped, I was sitting there with my lips curled with the utter grimness of it all. Things escalate at such a rapid pace it is literally a nightmare and it’s one which will want you to keep the lights on and avoid the shadows….especially at night and in a wood!

But no alas the story doesn’t end there! Nope! It travels to the police station where hell is trying to break loose in an Aliens/Species kind of way! What I did love, the names of the police! Curtis, Carpenter, Campbell, Englund, Craven, Raimi what a nod of respect! Just epic! I did have a chuckle with excitement seeing these names!

This is the first book I have read by Thompson and if all his books are this bat-s**t crazy well he can count me as a fan! Thankfully I didn’t have goosebumps this time, but I was unnerved at times which is a good sign. I do love a book that can unsettle me, I mean as I type, I have a feeling of something behind me, but I won’t turn around. I have the prickly sensation at the back of my head, but nope not looking…now we know there is nothing there…but you see the fear that Thompson has put there! Pure ecstasy of a thrill! Yes, I think I am broken!

It is not for the faint-hearted but it’s a heart-thumping adventure. The crackling of the woods, the screams of the shadows. If this was a movie, my mum and I would be straight in the cinema. With opening scenes that would remind me of Blair Witch, hearing noises but not seeing, with demons that resemble the Slenderman, and the pure silence and isolation of the woods. Yup, I would watch that in the daylight, on a hot sunny day!

I look forward to my next adventure with Thompson, it’s a no brainer that I will read something else by him. He has a way of unsettling you, grossing you out and will use your fears against you. Epic!

[Philomena Callan Cheekypee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I jumped into this and didn’t realise it was a horror story (totally my fault- sometimes I like to jump in lol)I don’t watch horror movies but I do like the odd horror read when it’s done right.

This was a brilliant read. I felt I was sucked in from start to finish. I read this in one sitting as I couldn’t put it down.

I’m glad we don’t go camping or walks in the woods as I think I’d be giving it a wide berth for a while lol

Can’t fault this story. I’ll definitely be looking to read more from this author in the future.

[Nicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow...just wow, this book is one hell of a thrill ride as along with Joe, his brother Tony, friends Charlie and Mike plus other characters who appear later in the book, the reader finds themselves launched from one part of the terrifying ride to another. As with the diverse characters, the reader is barely allowed the opportunity to take a breath between each horrific encounter between the characters and the deadly, sinister shadowmen. But what or who are these mysterious creatures who chill you too the bone every time they appear? Where are they from and what do they what? As with any group that appear in these types of stories wether it be in films or literature, joe and his friends were a mixed bag of relatable individuals, there was the relatively new member, the annoying one, the outgoing athletic one and the shy one who was harbouring a secret. I love stories that are set amongst the trees, I always think that forests add atmosphere to a story and can seem sinister and otherworldly even in broad daylight, never mind in the dead of night when you can hardly see and all you can hear is your own footsteps that sound so.loud no matter how carefully you tread or maybe it's not your footsteps,maybe it's the footsteps of whoever or whatever is pursuing you.

Shadows Of The Woods is a incredible,atmospheric page turner that is a spine chilling blend of thriller, horror and the supernatural with a added dash of folk lore and pagan rituals. It's very well written and has the reader captivated from the first page, right through to the unexpected and unpredictable conclusion. I would love to watch a film adaptation of this brilliant story. Worth far more than five stars and very very highly recommended.

[Kelly Van Damme · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got the book, started reading it right away, on a beautifully balmy day in May. There’s just something about reading horror in the sunshine that tickles me. Maybe because it reminds me of childhood summers spent reading Stephen King in the garden and reading horror in the garden now makes me feel a little nostalgic? Or maybe because if you get chills from reading a novel while basking in the sun, you know it’s a good one. Honestly, I’m not sure I’d even dare read this in the dark, lest I see the shadows move a little too much… Perhaps I should point out that I have an extremely vivid imagination that has no difficulty whatsoever transposing a book’s creepy crawlies to my own life.

Admittedly, it doesn’t take that much to have me jumping at shadows. I mean, who knows what is lurking in them?! Shadows of the Woods takes that primal fear a step further: what if we shouldn’t be afraid of the evil hiding in the shadows, but of the shadows themselves? When night falls and shadows are all that is left, how are you supposed to protect yourself? Because naturally, torches will blink and ultimately falter, cell phones and batteries will die, fires will peter out, and before long there is nothing between the person and the shadows that are stalking him…

Joe takes his brother and two mates out in the woods for a stag party. One of the guests reckons they should have gone to Amsterdam instead, and I really do think he was right! I’ve never been camping, I’ve never seen the allure, or perhaps I saw too many films in which camping went wrong, in any case, if I were ever so inclined, I sure as hell am not anymore! A sacrifice was made in the woods before Joe and his crew arrived (yes it is described, it’s an animal and it doesn’t suffer much, but I’m just putting it out there for those of you who can’t deal with any kind of animal cruelty) and some sort of shadowy demons have entered the mortal realm. It gets bloody and a little gory, but the aspect that got to me was the feeling of “there’s nowhere left to hide” that permeates the novel. Reminiscent of an 80s slasher movie, the night seems endless while the characters are desperately trying to make it ‘til morning.

Shadows of the Woods is an atmospheric kind of horror with the sort of intangible monsters that are somehow way scarier than whatever werewolves, vampires, axe-wielding madmen and the like can throw at you. I thoroughly enjoyed it and if you’re in the market for a quick, fun but scary story, this may be the one for you!

[Benjamin Locke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly let me start by thanking the great folks at Panther Publishing for the advance copy to review! Horror is not my usual jaunt but having heard about this book and some of the early opinions, I jumped at the chance of being able to review Duncan Thompson’s Shadows of the Woods.
Ok, so let's start with a general idea of the plot. Four guys go in to the woods for a stag do. Simple right? Wrong! The book starts you with a nice introduction to the story, giving you a sense of what you can expect throughout the remaining pages, and what you can expect is a no holds barred, gore filled, cold blooded horror fest! I mean this book starts right where it means to go on. Within the first few pages you are left as breathless as the characters and just as scared and shocked. From there, with the introduction of the main cast of characters, it just gets colder, more brutal and more awesome!
This book has everything a true horror fan might want. Creepy setting, plenty of spine curling gore, helpless characters being picked off one after the other, truly horrifying imagery brought beautifully to life by the author, dark supernatural and ritualistic undertones and a pace that requires the reader to be in peak physical condition or risk a horrible end for themselves as well as the tormented souls on the page.
The setting is brought to life wonderfully as are the ‘shadows’, of all things. More and more detail is dribbled to us through each chapter with each little bit more disturbing than the last. Im not usually one to be creeped out by a book but the descriptions and tone in Shadows Of The Woods definitely gave me the willies at times!
I must also add that this is not a huge doorstep of a book, which I like. The chapters are on the shorter side which is no bad thing and, as someone with a busy life and a brain that won’t let me stop between chapter headings, this is a win for me. Not only that but mostly the chapters fling you from one character to the next each time. Each chapter leaving you with goosebumps and hairs standing on end before throwing you headfirst in to the next bloodbath. It didn’t take me too long to get through at all and if you’re the type of person who likes to steam through a book in a weekend, this could just be for you. Just don’t read it in the dark, or at the very least, make sure you’ve got a good torch and plenty of batteries to keep the shadows at bay!
If you are looking for something fast paced, with great imagery, plenty of chills, thrills and scares and will keep you flipping the pages either until they run out or your heart gives out, then Duncan Thompson’s Shadows Of The Woods is probably for you.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shadows of the Woods is an incredibly fast-paced horror novella! From the very start, you jump into the action and are left wondering what is going on in the woods. The tension rises as the friends split up and go through the woods (haven't these guys ever seen a horror film? #1 rule: Never split up!). The monsters themselves are terrifying and scary, and while it's not possible to have a jump scare in a book, there were a few sections in part one that shocked me and gave me a bit of a jolt!

The first part of the story is terrifying, while the second half takes place around the police team investigating what's happened. It had a slightly different feel as the start focuses on the investigation, but I enjoyed it a lot too. Again, it's very fast-paced, and the tension ramps up again towards the fantastic conclusion.

I think the only thing that bothered me during part 2 was that the front door is locked — they are automatic doors and the power is out, so they can't operate. There is apparently no other way for the team to leave the building. Don't all automatic doors have a safety unlock in case this happens? But even so, is there no back door? No way to get down from the rooftop? Health and safety regulations on public buildings are pretty strict when it comes to having multiple exits — but this was only a minor issue as it's necessary for the story to progress!

I loved that the whole story feels very B Movie-esque. This was amplified in part 2 when we meet Officers Campbell and Raimi — a nod to Evil Dead legends Bruce Campbell and the Raimi brothers. I think that Joe's fiancé, Linda, is also likely to be an Evil Dead reference too. There's also a fair bit of gore and blood squirting — this book isn't for the squeamish! Along the way, Joe has lots of one liners which I enjoyed and gave the story a more light-hearted, 'campy' feel. Overall, Shadows of the Woods is a fantastic, quick read — perfect for fans of more campy humour and B movies.

[Debbie Ioanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to claim compensation from the author and publisher for my new fear of the woods. Goodbye Centreparcs holidays… I ain’t going anywhere near a gathering of trees. NOPE! Ha!

A ‘night terror thriller’ indeed, the book delivered, and then some. This was a terrifying story of people being targeted by the unknown, which kept me guessing throughout; what are these shadows? Why are they killing people so viciously? What’s their beef? It was very unsettling but I was gripped to the story.

It had the right element of gruesome horror blended with mystery and the supernatural which you don’t often get in the book world. There is a lot of information to take in but the chapters are bite sized so you’re not too overloaded at once.

The very descriptive details had me cringing as I could hear the main character Joe trying to repair the wound to his stomach, ‘click-crunch of the stapler’, ouch! There was such a great use of imagery and cringery.

There are all aspects of horror in this book when one of the Constables considers a transfer to Bradford South…
“I applied for a transfer to Bradford South.”
“You got a death wish?”
I would prefer to face the Shadowmen, haha. Being from Bradford, I found that conversation humorous and did a little chuckle to myself :) but was soon brought back to the gruesome fictional world created by Duncan.

Definitely a story worthy of five stars.

[Lynne Piza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can openly admit this was one of those that I went in totally blind! Obviously I read the blurb when I signed up for the tour but I mostly remembered that this was a spooky kind of horror and wanted to enjoy every moment without re-reading the blurb and having some sort of idea!

I’M SO GLAD I DID THAT! I had absolutely NO idea what to expect, what was coming next, where it was going to go or how it could possible end and for me that made it so exciting!

This for me was definitely a horror, spooky, gory, evil read! With lots of blood she’d, lots of chasing and lots of ‘don’t go there’ moments!

I loved the creation of the shadow men, In my mind (don’t ask me why) I imagine them as scary, faceless, stick men that are black (clearly mum brain taking over). The way they move through the shadows, the scream, their attack and what they can do to people! The attention to detail that the author has put in is incredible … even down to the smell the shadowmen carry around with them!

I really liked the main character Joe, I did feel incredibly bad for him right from the beginning! The things he had to experience! One thing he suffers is so extremely gruesome, gory and graphic!

With this being quite a quick read it was quick to get in to the action, it was so fast paced with the chase being on CONSTANTLY! There was never a dull page and I SERIOUSLY think this would make an amazing film! Like a Jeepers Creepers, Freddy Krueger kind of thing, SUCH an amazing concept! Someone needs to jump on this amazing idea!

I found the lead up to the ending so thrilling with no idea how it could possibly end and ended up really enjoying it! A HUGE climax and a clear ending!

I’d like to give this book 4 – 4 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!! A fast paced, bloody, gory, demon filled horror novel! I’m excited for more from this author! I do love a quick read 😀

[Sharon Rimmelzwaan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shadows Of The Woods by Duncan Thompson is a Night Terror Thriller, and boy! It certainly leaves you with the night terrors!
A book that is a brilliant mix of all types of horror, slasher, from years gone right up to the contempary like the supernatural.
Joe Costello decides he wants to camp in the woods for his highly individual stag night.Well, what a way to start! This night brings everything and more than you would expect.I likened this book to Blair Witch, that scares me enough, but, to be honest, this is even scarier for me, more detail and a more rounded story. As the night goes on the the atmosphere deepens and then, any, absolutely any, noise is guaranteed to frighten the living daylights out of you.
The author seems to have the knack of playing on the readers fear or fears just as the more recent horror films or series are able to. One thing I do know, I will be avoiding camping for a long time to come, locking the doors and keeping the lights on too!
A superbly crafted horror from the start! Thanks to Damp Pebbles Blog Tours for the book to take part in this spine tingling spooky Blog Tour.

[LJ (ljwritesandreviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joe and his friends decide to go camping for his stag do but instead of a nice lad’s night out, they find something sinister and end up fighting for their lives. Who will survive?

Shadow of The Woods is a short sharp shock filled book!

There was plenty of fast paced action, adventure and horrifying scenes for any horror fan to get their teeth into.

This very much a monster driven story and my goodness the monsters were a little terrifying! I don’t want to give away any spoilers but I’m very wary of shadows now.

The book did contain the old camping in the woods trope but I feel the author made it their own and took a fresh spin on it.

There was quite a large cast of characters and with this being a novella, I felt we didn’t get to know the characters quite as well as I’d liked.

Shadow of The Woods is at times a gruesome and adventure packed novel that I genuinely couldn’t predict when I was reading it.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a real fast paced horror read. One to keep the pages turning and an ending which was not predictable at all. It kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to read on

[Sylv.net Sylvia Kerslake PA · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read the synopsis about Shadows of the Woods, I knew I had to read it.

I read this in two really dark evenings and at times I had to search the room for shadows.

A very scary, spine tingling read which I loved. My imagination ran wild which makes this a book definitely worth reading.

Characters were well written, and those shadow people, well can't say much more than 'shudder'.

I am hoping that there will be more from Duncan especially if the books are like this one.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shadows of the Woods is an unsettling story that entwines many aspects of horror, both in its contemporary and classical forms, that is what grabbed my attention. Duncan has created his own world of horror with a nodding homage to the genre that he loves. We meet Joe Costello within the first few pages of Shadows of The Woods, he is the dotting fiancé, physically fit with a kind hearted interior. I really liked Joe as the main protagonist, I think he was developed really well, he's about to get married and for his stag do he's decided to do it his style - take a guess where he takes his stag party? This sets up the foundation of this shadowy tale, with it's mixture of 70's/80's slasher feels, injected with a fresh dose of horror that could be compared to an American Horror Story - Supernatural hybrid, it's just perfect for readers who want a hold your breath, adrenaline read. Think The Blair Witch Project, but better with more depth of characters and storyline.

Duncan has written a bite-sized read that is packed full of mood-setting language that has helped to create a chillingly good atmospheric setting, as well as the inclusion of paranormal and dark folklore elements. Shadows Of The Woods has many goose-pimple provoking layers, ones that will have you speeding through the short punchy chapters, this makes it way too easy to read one more chapter, even when it's past your bedtime! Along with the language, settings and atmosphere, you can bet that Shadows Of The Woods will play on various fears, from being watched, to chased etc, it'll definitely increase one's heartrate. This fright-fest quickly becomes a mysterious, malevolent game of cat and mouse, one that is psychologically but one that will also keep your doors and windows locked! You'll definitely be avoiding the woods after reading this night terror! *All the lights required*

So, grab a copy, keep the lights on or if you're not afraid of the woods, turn off all the lights, grab a blanket and maybe some snacks, then you're ready to dive into and unleash the darkness trapped within Shadows Of The Woods. Yes, it's a great addition to any horror lovers TBR.

[Charley Henly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won’t lie that to begin with, I was pretty apprehensive about this book – but at the same time I was intrigued to say the least, just from the description. From the get go it was straight in with the story. I find with a lot of horrors and thrillers there’s a lot of background building, which is quite unnecessary most of the time. Whereas this was so fast-paced, but not too fast paced that you wouldn’t grasp the story.

From the first chapter you can definitely see Thompson’s film directive skills come in, particularly with the way the beginning of the story is set out. At first I was worried that so much had happened at the beginning that there wouldn’t be enough to the storyline to keep the momentum going – but I was wrong on this! There was so much more to the story about who the ‘Shadows’ were and how they had been summoned. It was very interesting to say the least!

This is definitely a book that I could see as a film, and a particularly jumpy one at that. It definitely has the scare-factor to become a horror, and in some aspects it is your typical horror, especially the opening scene!

I would definitely recommend giving this a read, I highly enjoyed it! And if you’re someone who enjoys thrillers, this will keep you on the edge of your seat for sure!

[Niall Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant read. High octane and edgy writing. A breath of freah air.