Price Manor: The House That Burns

by Mike Salt

In the first installment of the Price Manor series from the Deadline Horror Collective, Mike Salt conjures a grisly tale of love, loss and buildings that shouldn't be...

As a wildfire rips through Steelhead, a small group flees the blaze - only to discover a mansion with dark walls in the wake of the fire, a mansion that wasn't there before...

Soon, they'll discover that the evils of this house are far more dangerous than anything outside.

Genres: Horror

164 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 24, 2022

Reviews

[Samuel (Still Reading Sam) M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Tucked into the tree line was a house. No, not a house. A f*cking mansion..."
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Minor spoilers/ review for Price Manor: the House That Burns by Mike Salt aka @mike_salt
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Kevin and Becky are fleeing their home in Steelwood as a fire rips through the land. They soon meet up with their friends, Cam and Trish and neighbours Alana and Steven. But when the group tries to escape they come across a strange manor, Price Manor to be precise. But the Manor should not be and wasn't there yesterday. The group ventures inside but what awaits them in Price Manor?...
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Mike very kindly send me this as an ARC and i was intrigued. It's a new series from a number of authors AND my first from Mike. So doubly new
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This is a very strong story! I liked it a lot and didn't want it to end! Initially I didn't click with the cast and characters but the more it goes on the more the characters grow upon you. When you enter Price Manor you really get the scene and imagery of this intimidating building which I liked a lot. There's a lot of strangeness awaiting you inside Price Manor but you'll like it! A number of secrets, twists, turns await you! It's a fun, frightening, fast paced read and one I'd recommend reading if you like horrors. It ends on a great note! My only thing was I didn't click with the cast but by the end I really did like them all! But that's just me being me. Mike did a great job here!
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Overall 4.5/5 ⭐
I look forward to where the series goes and what's next from Mike! If you are looking for a new horror series, check this out!

[Brutal Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not going to lie, I had to put this book down a couple of times...mainly in the evening....mainly before bed....mainly in the dark. Immediately from the first page, Mike Salt's "Price Manor: The House That Burns" thrusts its readers into chaos. With no warning or build up, Mike Salt eats through traditional writing tropes and goes straight for the jugular with heinous imagery meant to torment and disturb. Between an all consuming fire engulfing anything in its path, to a random mansion that shows up out of nowhere, to being trapped in a room with the most vile of horrors dressed up to look like the very things our characters love, this title is absolutely relentless. Reading "The House That Burns" is like having a nightmare of your own autopsy, then waking up to the realization that you're strapped to a metal table in the Coroner's office. It's like running away from a predator, only to find they've been chasing you straight into their home and there's nowhere left to run. Essentially, "The House That Burns" is designed to terrify you in every way you can think of. It personalizes horrors to each character's triggers and holds back any ounce of closure you could want while wrapping things up in a nice nerve-racking, unsettling bow for its readers to dwell on. It's genre defying, anxiety inducing, and fast paced. Trust me, once you start, you will not want to slow down and get stuck in "Price Manor: The House That Burns".

[Michael Goodwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A group of people trying to rescue someone while fleeing a wildfire become trapped inside a house that appeared out of thin air. This isn't just any house. This is Price Manor, a haunted house unlike anything you've ever read about before, and it doesn't just want to scare you. It wants to isolate you from your friends and once it has you alone... Well, nothing good happens when you're alone in a haunted house, right?

Salt knows how to write an action-packed story. There's no time for a preamble, he just slams the accelerator down and you've got no choice but to hold on tight. From beginning to end, everything about this story is classic Salt. Action, heart, humor, and horror abound in this fast-paced story, and the ending sets it up perfectly for a future installment.

First in a series from the Deadline Horror Collective, THE HOUSE THAT BURNS is one hot story you won't want to miss.

[Luciano Bernaroli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m enthusiast to welcome you all in Price Manor…In the first installment of the Price Manor series, @mike_salt conjures a grisly tale of love, loss and buildings that shouldn't be... 

As a wildfire rips through Steelhead, a small group flees the blaze - only to discover a mansion with dark walls in the wake of the fire, a mansion that wasn't there before.
Soon, they'll discover that the evils of this house are far more dangerous than anything that burns outside.

A truly original and terrifying story, whose chapters frantically follow each other in a crescendo of anxiety and despair, totally satisfied expectations but definitely not recommended for those suffering from claustrophobia!

It’s the first of three, grab your copy now, get lost in the corridors of Price Manor…

[journalofhorror · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is going to be an absolutely promising project. Many incredible indie authors are involved and each writer is getting their own novella to make the series about Price Manor. What an amazing idea!

So, Mike is welcoming us to the Price Manor, a huge mansion that literally appeared in the middle of nowhere when a group of people tried to flee a wildfire spreading in their town. The mansion then lures them all inside and soon they will wish they'd rather burned in the wildfire.

There's sooo much happening in there. The word "haunted" is really not describing enough. I think the most appropriate word would be HELL! It's a fun read and I just couldn't stop, I literally finished it in one go. The were many incidents that made my skin crawl.

As soon as I started I immediately recognised Mike's style. Everything Mike makes happen is happening very fast, it makes you feel the tension and there's this typical irony and humour the characters are able to produce almost effortlessly.

But one thing that made me want to praise this novella so much is that I see the extreme improvement with Mike's writing. It seems so elevated, so much more captivating and yet, still the same "Mike style".

This started sooo good and I can't wait to read more about Price Manor.

[Cobwebs and Bookmarks · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW… so this is my first Mike Salt novel and all I can say is he really knocked it out of the park for the first installment for the Price Manor series. It is balls to the wall immediately, no long build up or anything. Fantastic take on the haunted house trope and throwing a different spin on it. He gave the house a personality and a voice that felt like it was a character in itself. I didn’t want to set this book down. I am super stoked to check out more of Salt’s work as well as more of the Price Manor series as it comes out. Really hard to get into detail with out spoiling the fantastic plot.

[Catarina Prata · Rating 5 out of 5]

The House that Burns is the first installment in the Price Manor series. And what an astonishing start!
Filled with scary imagery, The House that Burns is the perfect example of two things I love: haunted houses done right and cool final plot twists.
The characters were automatically interesting and you couldn't help wanting them to survive, the hauntings were creepy and written to perfection to bring you that tingling cold at the base of your spine. The house itself is a perfect new addition to the bigger names of haunted houses, and Mike Salt's addictive, neck-breaking hauntingly paced writing style was the perfect touch to a premise that already had it all.
If you love horror, you have to read this novella.

[Erica Summers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Price Manor is a great tale for anyone searching for a variety of horrific events and phobias wrapped together with an action-packed plot from start to finish. Its a great, more traditional horror novel (vs extreme or splatterpunk) since there wasn't a ton of detailed gore. The plot is great. Without any spoilers: While escaping a town ravaged by fire, this gang stops by a mysterious mansion that simply appeared but was not there the day before) on their way out of town. They soon find their call to action to save the inhabitants from certain death. But what they find, instead, is a bizarre scenario where the house has taken a life of its own (think Rocky Horror Picture Show but with monsters and spirits and walls that bleed.) Personally, for me this was a 4 star read because the action is just non-stop. It didn't ever really lull. My reason for the 4 stars instead of 5 is that personally I never grew any sort of love or hatred for any of the characters. There's just so much action that you're focused on the plot and the characters feel like they could be anybody. Two days later, I actually can't remember a single character's name. But I certainly remember all of the gnarly hellish things happening to them along the way. Its not very gory and doesn't contain any explicit sex. Despite being riddled with horrifying events, there aren't many trigger warnings (like rape or death of a dog or anything.) I'm looking forward to reading more by Mike Salt for sure. I've just purchased three more of his books and I have high hopes for them after this one. I would also recommend this for anyone who enjoyed Welcome to Nightmare Island by Devin Cabrera as it has a similar sort of vibe.

[Brittany Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is nuts, and I mean that in the best way. A wildfire raging *and* they get trapped in a mind-bending, ghoul-infested Mansion—are you kidding me?? It had me stressed out of my mind! This was an incredibly imaginative tale that kept me wondering what was coming next, and dreading it all at the same time. Salt did a wonderful job at crafting an action-packed spooktacular.

My only question is…what Tenacious D classic were they going to sing?

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun fast paced novella. The action starts with 2 couples trying to escape a raging forest fire and never lets up. They find a house in the middle of the forest and that’s when the craziness starts. I liked the characters and was rooting for them to find a way out. I never got bored and will definitely read the next installment.

[Mike Salt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man, this book gave me pink eye.

[Vix · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this - definitely my kind of story! Plus how gorgeous is the cover art?

The creepy images it conjured, the desperation I could feel as the group tried to escape the house (manor, I mean manor - please don't hunt me down 😱). There wasn't a moments rest reading the story, so I felt I was right there alongside them. I definitely went on the entire journey with them and can't believe that ending, I didn't see it coming.

The way the characters interacted with each other and how the manor affected them was great; it gave little insights into their personalities. I can confidently say I would be of no use if I was landed in that scenario, as much as I'd like to think otherwise.

I can't believe I have to wait for the next two books in the series to be released. Also, I'm intrigued to see how it will play out as each book is written by a different author. The House That Bleeds is next by Jamie Stewart (@jamie.stewart.33), then The House That Falls by Jay Alexander (@jay.writeshorror).

If you're a fan of horror and all things scary, then this book is for you - just be ready to read it in one sitting as it's not one you can put down once you begin. I also don't recommend reading it late at night... in the darkness... where anything could reach out and grab you...

*I received a complimentary copy of the e-book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Mocha Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading THE HOUSE ON HARLAN, (I. Want. A. Sequel!!!) I was pretty excited to learn Mike will be writing the first installment of the Price Manor series. The story snatches you from the first page and leaves you wanting more after reading the last line. The story follows a group as they wander into a house that appeared over night. They soon discover that the house is not only alive, but it's also hungry.
Mike's writing reminds me a bit of Lee Child's in how it's good, detailed and suspenseful without being leaden with poetic proses. His characters are so real, you might find yourself comparing them to people you know in real life. And there's so much creepiness on the pages. This book is scary and is a must-have for fans of haunted houses that contain more than just ghost.

[Austrian Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first novella I’ve read by Mike Salt, an author I’ve been aware of for a while now on Instagram/Twitter, mainly through his encouraging messages to other writers to keep on writing, and timely reminders that books won’t write themselves. He’s right on both counts, and his positivity was a factor that played to my decision to pick up Price Manor – the other contributing factors were the lush cover from Jay Alexander and the concept – several authors contributing to a series based around a location – the Manor itself – with Mike kicking off the series.

Addressing the writing, Mike’s voice is eminently readable. The chapters are kept short and generally end on points of tension, which sweep the novel along, the reader caught up in the action and wanting to know how each chapter’s situation will be resolved. That’s standard among thriller horrors that I have read, and that format serves Salt well here, there is no doubt that the pages flew by. Mike’s voice certainly helped the effect – whilst I can’t say I was particularly attached to any of the characters, the situation they found themselves in (a raging fire, sweeping across the land) added the background tension that gave relevance and motivation to enter the mansion in the first place – rescuing others is both a noble and human response and Salt, by showcasing that not all of the characters wanted to enter the mansion - and were instead more interested in fleeing the area – made the situation more believable and wrenched up the tension dial.

All of which brings us to the Manor itself – the focus of the series, and the base of the stories to follow.

It was…

Frustrating.

And I say that with the awareness that I am not a horror film fan or even a “casual” horror film fan or observer (they give me the willies. I run from the room). I can quite readily believe that my experience in Mike’s book will be completely different from a true horror film aficionado’s experience. I’m a horror book nerd, and worse, a details nerd. I want to know all of the answers, the how, what and why’s of a scare, and readers of this novella should know, going in, it’s more of a classic horror film novel – you aren’t going to get all of the answers, though Mike presents the answers that he reveals in a believable enough way.

In horror films, sometimes things happen that make no sense – they are visually horrific moments that are sometimes used as jump scares or as psychological scares. Is it real, what we are watching? Or some form of hallucination? Reading Price Manor has the same effect – I have no idea if some of the visual effects Salt describes here are similar to events in films, but the whole novel has that cinematic quality about it – the reader is thrust from one horrific scene into the next.

At some point, we learn that the house is trying to kill the intruders. We never learn why, or the logistical “how?” it can do the things it does, but honestly that’s not important – the adrenalin and testosterone Salt injects into the novel is either going to have you on the edge of your seat, biting your lips ragged and remembering to breathe occasionally, or shaking your head, frustrated at the logical inconsistency of the house itself.

I was somewhere in the middle.

Contradictions abound - a room filling with blood, with a ghost hanging above the blood, that is going to kill two trapped people if it touches them (drowning in blood versus heart-attack touch from the ghost)– but the ghost is scared of the blood? It can’t kill them if they go under the blood? Why would the house (that wants to kill the two people) put a ghost in a room that was obviously incapable of killing the people due to exactly an element in that room that the house put into that room as well? The blood was coming from somewhere - the house put it into that room, but then put an “allergic-to-blood” type ghost in there to finish off the job?

Hmm. Let me think about that one for a second…

The visuals of it are fantastic, of course. The two elements – rising blood, and a deathly ghost, whose touch will kill you – great cinematic moments – but sensical? Nope.

Or a corridor that gets smaller and smaller the more you go down it (the house changing the laws of physics and space/time), until you are crawling along in a tight space, until you are jammed into a wedge-like hole, only to find a spider-like monster waiting at the end of the tunnel you are trapped in. The physical dimensions of the house can change, so the house has made that tunnel smaller and smaller, to make it harder for the person to escape the monster at the end of that tunnel. So, when the trapped person starts to go backward, why doesn’t the house make the tunnel going backward smaller as well? It wants to kill this person, right? That’s the endgame here, or? It can't change the corridor if someone is going backward?

Hmm. Let me think about that one for a second…

Regardless, there are elements here that were truly creepy, that I thought worked really well. The shadow whispering into one character’s ear, changing their attitude, making them volatile – that was great. Really nasty image. This is a true melting pot of ideas thrown together to scare the bejeezus out of the reader, and ignoring my inner nerd asking-all-the-damn-questions, I can still say I loved the concept of the novella, and Mike’s outstanding visual narration. If ever there was a book that needed turning into a film, this is it. I wouldn’t understand everything in the film, but I’d have left that theatre scared shitless and thinking it was money well spent.

How do I rate this? I’m not sure my own nerd-detail-needs-the-answers-to-every-element reviewer self is qualified to rate this book, which honestly, is one of the most visually arresting horror novellas I’ve read. Salt brings his own completely mad psychologically challenging trauma onto the horror table. I can shake my head at the questions I’ll pin him down on, whenever we get together to share a beer (or fruit juice, I don't drink alcohol) and I’ll have a ton of questions for him, like “What the hell was that?” or “why didn’t the house just drop them through a hole through several floors until they splatted on the basement cement?” – but there’s no doubt that he set up a fantastic premise for the following authors.

I’m giving this 4⭐ ‘s for sheer cinematic brilliance, and I still don’t know what it was I just watched.

Read.

What I just read.

Watched.

I think maybe I watched this book.

Mike – I’ll be sure to pick up a copy of The Valley. Read you soon.

[Alicia Toothman · Rating 4 out of 5]

In typical Mike Salt fashion, Price Manor was an incredibly twisty story.

I never knew what to expect between the top of the page to the bottom. Things changed so fast within the house.

The characters fighting their way through while unraveling mystery surrounding the house itself was so satisfying!

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novella will take you on a fast, gory, fiery and action-packed scare through a most terrifying house.
The story is not the usual slow creep through a haunted house horror story. Mike Salt plunges straight into action from the start with the main characters running from danger.
Excitement of the initial fright, switches to more of an uncanny and and unsettling kind of scary.The sense of weirdness is soon introduced as they stumble across Price Manor. Everything about this house is just wrong.
Just when you are finding your bearings, there's more full-on danger and escalating terror.
A quick exciting read. There are with horrific things happening every moment to this bunch of friends and neighbours. The danger and pace keeps escalating until you think you're dying in the house with them.
I was shocked by the ending, which makes me need to read the next installment even more. I'm loving where this series is going possibly/ hopefully with some cool retro 80's horror vibes...
The concept of a series with each installment written by a different author is such a cool collaboration idea too.

[looneybooks79 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book review ‘Price Manor: The house that burns’

A few weeks ago, Mike Salt launched a competition where you could win a character’s name in his next book. Never thinking I would win, I participated and lo and behold… I won 😅

Now his book has been published and I just want to say sorry… sorry for those who have to pronounce my Belgian last name (luckily it’s only in there once) 😂

This being said: I loved what @mike_salt did here… a haunted house story where Fear Street meets Channel Zero (creepypasta) in a new urban legend! And the fun isn’t over yet because this is only the first in a new series (@jamie.stewart.33 & @jay.writeshorror are writing their own chapter in the series)!

I read this one in one sitting, it was just unputdownable! Little spoiler ahead ‼️ - I had the best death I could wish for 😂

Please give me more! Will it be the same manor? Will we see more of the characters in this book? I cannot wait to get the next instalment!

And is that a nod to Vincent Price we’re getting here? A house on haunted Hill? 😆

Great job, Mike! Well done! Indie horror really is the best!

[Dave Musson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally decided to dive into Price Manor and am now feeling more than a little foolish for leaving it this long.

What a terrific way to kick off the series with this frenetic offering from Mike Salt! From start to finish the pace is unrelenting, the action is frantic, and the result is heart-stopping.

Of course, the house is the star here and I was a big fan of what chief architect Salt gave us. Bleeding walls, shifting corridors, uncanny shadows and disturbing, violent creatures within them. Heck, even the wallpaper was freaky.

The short chapters kept this thing moving and had me racing to its excellent conclusion. I did find some of the characters and their quips a bit grating, and a couple of the sequences lost me a little, but other than that I had a mighty fine time and hope to never see that house in real life!

[Jamie Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 to The House That Burns by Mike Salt.

A small group of people are escaping a wildfire that is consuming their hometown. Things look dire until one of them remembers an old logging road out of town that might save them. In journeying along if they discover something that shouldn’t be, a manor of epic proportions that wasn’t there before. To make matters even alarming there’s someone still inside!

Mike Salt delivers what he does best pedal-to-the-floor action, suspense and dread. I’ve come to regard Mike as one of the best authors at putting families in danger, not surprising as he is a family man himself. Yet, The House That Burns is Salt breaking through a glass ceiling and working on another level. It is a epic rollercoaster of a ride.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

"He didn’t care for Steven, but once they got out of here, he was going to buy that motherfucker a drink."

Holy shit Mike Salt, you did it again my friend. If you want a book that is going to give you the heebie jeebies and keep you looking over your shoulder as you walk down hallways, this is the book for you.

Three couples enter a house that shouldn't be there while trying to flee a forest fire. Obviously a mysterious house in the middle of the woods that they've never seen before is a bad sign. And then the house tries to kill them.

This book was just so good! Old school horror movie vibes galore, creeps and chills and scary imagery aplenty--I couldn't put it down. And the ending! Yes please--I need more. And there were funny moments where I actually laughed out loud. This is a must-read for horror fans. Seriously, don't pass this one up.

[Jules · Rating 5 out of 5]

I became a fan of Mike Salt after reading the Linkville Horror Series, so of course I had to check out Price Manor: The House that Burns.

This ish was insane! It was like every nightmare I could relate to rolled into one. Spouse made you mad in your dream? Got it. Sinister forces trying to keep you from finding what you’re looking for? Got it. A house that knows things from your past you want to keep hidden? (I mean…Manor) Got it. As if running from a natural disaster wasn’t enough, these characters are living in a hell conjured by their darkest fears…among the other things that go bump in the night. Salt delivers a variety of emotions: anxiety, humor, fear- giving life to a new series worth reading.

[Jessica Wireman Couch · Rating 5 out of 5]

AFREAKINGMAZING from the first word to the ending ( that ending though ROCKED THE BOOK) this Author takes you on a full circuit of nightmares. Price Mannor is no joke, it's like Stephen King meets Alfred Hitchcock with a side of the original childhood boogeyman who decided to have a drink together. The creativeness and signature style of Mike Salt shines through out the entire story. These friends and well a local theorist have no choice but to try and out run a earth eating fire, the only problem a place named Price Manor. Grab a drink snack and keep the lights on you won't be able to put this down once you start.....

[summer | the.hellbound.reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know I can always count on Salt for a good spooky story. This one did not disappoint. Although this book was quite different than anything I have read by Salt I absolutely loved it.

Kevin and Becky are fleeing their home as a blazing fire lights up their town. They stop to help a friend and that’s when shit starts to hit the fan.

The group finds a haunted mansion that draws them in. I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to give away any of the grisly details. I will say that the ending was on point and I’m picking up the second book in this series immediately.

If you like a good haunted house story this one won’t disappoint!

[Abigayle Meyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. Dark. Frightening. Hard to put down.
Intense from the beginning, we follow Becky and Kevin as a fire devours their home town. During their escape they come across Price Manor in the woods, which most definitely was not there before…
I really enjoyed the writing of this book and how it progressed. It was twisted and spooky and you just want to keep turning the pages to see what happens to these characters.
I would highly recommend this first installment of the Price Manor Series! Looking forward to reading the next book, The House that Bleeds.

[1X?X3 1X?X3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fellow author, I decided it was time to dive into authors I follow on Instagram. What better place to start than a project a few are working on together? I didn't know what to expect when I started this novella because everyone has a different definition of 'Horror'. The story gave off John Dies In The End (great book) vibes with all the humor stuffed into the gruesome scenes. It's a quick read and flows well. The short chapters race you through the tale. Salt sets up a lot of potential for his team to work with, so I'm excited for the next novella. Well done.

[Kimberly Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has temporarily ruined me. I don’t even want to pick up another book. I just want to let this one… linger.

Absolutely amazing book! I can’t express enough how much I loved every second of this story. The anticipation that I felt with each page was truly astonishing. The level of attachment that I held for each character was immense (and heartbreaking). I honestly lost count of the amount of times my jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

Horror at its finest.

An easy 5 out of 5!

🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

[H. Everend · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I have to say is WOW!! Mike does it again with his gripping storytelling style...it leaves the reader hooked from the first sentence all the way way the very end. I thoroughly enjoyed most of the characters; the vivid attention to detail is incredible and the feeling of dread kept coming back ᴛʜᴇ! I want more! Looking forward to the next installment in the series and for Mike's next book! Exceptional job!

[Ashley Kerkove · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read, different vibe than Salt’s other books. I constantly had a “what is happening” neon sign flashing in my brain, throughout the book because it was so twisted. Goosebumps flickering. Think The Shining… but a cracked out, twisted, Mike Salt masterpiece.

I really love the idea of the sequel with returning characters BUT by a different author?! Crazy talk.

If you’re looking for a quick, creepy-thriller read. You’ll love The House That Burns.

[Willie Heredia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mike Salt delivers again! This time in the new Price Manor series. Salt's ability to create suspense is once again effective in a fast-paced plot. This is a great first installment for what appears to be a solid collection of stories by truly talented authors. The House That Burns is a quick read but the events that take place make you look forward to more in the series. Looking forward to reading more of Salt's work!

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had a blast with this quick hit, heart punching novella. Mike Salt tells the twisting story of a struggle for survival from a forest fire that drives a group of friends to a mysterious manor where they become the chess pieces in a supernatural chess match spanning the manor and possibly time itself. The story is told with a serrated edge and near constant, pounding pulse that left me wanting more.