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Hell Spring
In the twilight of March 21, 1955, eight people take cover in their local general store while a thundering torrent and flash flooding threatens life and livelihood alike. None of the eight are everything they claim to be. But only one of them hungers for human souls, flesh, and blood.
An overflowing waterway destroys their only path of escape. The tiny band of survivors is forced to confront themselves and each other when a peculiar stranger with a famous face tries to pick them off one by one.
Can the neighbors survive the predator in their midst as well as the 100-year flood that drowns the small town of Lost Hollow?
Or will they become victims of the night the townsfolk all remember as Hell Spring?
An overflowing waterway destroys their only path of escape. The tiny band of survivors is forced to confront themselves and each other when a peculiar stranger with a famous face tries to pick them off one by one.
Can the neighbors survive the predator in their midst as well as the 100-year flood that drowns the small town of Lost Hollow?
Or will they become victims of the night the townsfolk all remember as Hell Spring?
374 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 21, 2022
20 people are currently reading
1063 people want to read
About the author
Isaac Thorne
14 books249 followersIsaac Thorne is a Middle Tennessee man who has, over the course of his life, developed a modest ability to spin a good yarn. Really. He promises.
He considers himself a lover of books, music, movies. His philosophy on his life is that it's all one giant experiment.
He considers himself a lover of books, music, movies. His philosophy on his life is that it's all one giant experiment.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 173 reviews
August 4, 2022
3.5/5
Some reviews are tougher to write, I find, the longer I’ve been reading and leaving reviews.
I really enjoyed Thorne’s debut – ‘The Gordon Place,’ and loved the location. So much so, that when Isaac reached out to see if I’d be up for reading this one, also set in the same place, I was all over it. There’s something about that singular connectivity that really works to draw a reader in – look at King and more recently, Malerman and Baxter.
I was also really, really intrigued with the setup. Almost a reverse or flipped ‘Mist’ idea – instead of a heavy storm/fog rolling in, the characters are stuff in a General Store in 1955 when a flood occurs. Of course, this is a horror novel and there’s something out there that comes in and this is the main aspect of the entire novel. The discovery of the truth within the confines of the store.
Thorne did a solid job on a number of aspects, but I lament the missed opportunities.
What I liked: As I said, the story takes place predominantly within Beard’s General Store, those lucky enough to escape the deluge and flood waters take stock in their surroundings, but also with the other folks present.
Thorne does a fantastic job of creating a wide cross-section of society, and we see how the residents of this small town are God-fearing people, worried that anything they do will prevent them from eternal bliss in the afterlife. It’s this aspect that really dominates the story and becomes the be-all end-all for survival.
There’s a lot that goes on inside the pages, but at the same time, not a lot. It’s hard to describe and I’ll attempt to dig deeper in a moment, but Thorne does a great job of showing the rapid decay of acceptable behavior in a cramped space between the people.
What I didn’t like: I think this would’ve worked significantly better if this was a novella instead of a novel. There’s sections that have a lot of extreme ‘fluff’ in parts that seemed to take away from the flow of the story as well as the tension and the acceleration.
Additionally, the form that the entity takes (Marilyn Monroe) really drove me crazy. I’m not a big fan of moments like these, as it takes away some of the imaginative aspects of it for me as a reader.
Why you should buy this: Overall, I did enjoy this one, I just didn’t love it. It felt good to return to this place that Thorne is creating and the cross-section of characters was a bonus.
Thorne did a great job of creating some chaotic moments and for that, I was able to get past the extra ‘fluff.’
I think this one will be a love it or leave it book for many people. The meat is there, solidly on the bone, I just wish it had less gristle.
Some reviews are tougher to write, I find, the longer I’ve been reading and leaving reviews.
I really enjoyed Thorne’s debut – ‘The Gordon Place,’ and loved the location. So much so, that when Isaac reached out to see if I’d be up for reading this one, also set in the same place, I was all over it. There’s something about that singular connectivity that really works to draw a reader in – look at King and more recently, Malerman and Baxter.
I was also really, really intrigued with the setup. Almost a reverse or flipped ‘Mist’ idea – instead of a heavy storm/fog rolling in, the characters are stuff in a General Store in 1955 when a flood occurs. Of course, this is a horror novel and there’s something out there that comes in and this is the main aspect of the entire novel. The discovery of the truth within the confines of the store.
Thorne did a solid job on a number of aspects, but I lament the missed opportunities.
What I liked: As I said, the story takes place predominantly within Beard’s General Store, those lucky enough to escape the deluge and flood waters take stock in their surroundings, but also with the other folks present.
Thorne does a fantastic job of creating a wide cross-section of society, and we see how the residents of this small town are God-fearing people, worried that anything they do will prevent them from eternal bliss in the afterlife. It’s this aspect that really dominates the story and becomes the be-all end-all for survival.
There’s a lot that goes on inside the pages, but at the same time, not a lot. It’s hard to describe and I’ll attempt to dig deeper in a moment, but Thorne does a great job of showing the rapid decay of acceptable behavior in a cramped space between the people.
What I didn’t like: I think this would’ve worked significantly better if this was a novella instead of a novel. There’s sections that have a lot of extreme ‘fluff’ in parts that seemed to take away from the flow of the story as well as the tension and the acceleration.
Additionally, the form that the entity takes (Marilyn Monroe) really drove me crazy. I’m not a big fan of moments like these, as it takes away some of the imaginative aspects of it for me as a reader.
Why you should buy this: Overall, I did enjoy this one, I just didn’t love it. It felt good to return to this place that Thorne is creating and the cross-section of characters was a bonus.
Thorne did a great job of creating some chaotic moments and for that, I was able to get past the extra ‘fluff.’
I think this one will be a love it or leave it book for many people. The meat is there, solidly on the bone, I just wish it had less gristle.
July 23, 2022
I have a feeling that this will be one of the more difficult reviews that I write this year. Not because
I didn’t like Hell Spring (I did), and not because I have a million things to nitpick (I don’t). No, it will be difficult because I am not certain how well I’ll be able to convey a sense of “could have been” with my words and descriptions.
I’ve been penning amateur reviews for over a decade, but this is my first NetGalley ARC, and I picked it because it’s from a smaller publisher. As a writer for a small publishing house myself, I wanted to share the indie love. It also just sounded appealing; I love horror that takes place in bygone eras. Especially when the stories take real historical events and weave them into the narrative. It builds more connective tissue between the reader and the novel, infusing the tale with an air of relatability.
I confess that I’d never heard of Isaac Thorne prior to selecting his book. Turns out, he’s won some accolades and recognition for his debut novel The Gordon Place, and my hat is off the fellow. Getting attention is hard these days; fiction is a flooded market and then some. To receive kudos for a debut novel is truly a feat.
As with all my reviews, I will attempt to keep spoilers to a minimum. My reasoning for this is two-fold; first, I firmly believe that books of any and all genres are simply more enjoyable when the reader goes in blind, stripped of all preconceived notions and expectations; and second, out of respect for the author, who put countless hours of time and effort into crafting spine-tingling tales. Robbing the stories of their intended impact, in my opinion, is a great disservice to the person who penned them. So, if it’s not mentioned in the official synopsis, I will do my level best to avoid mentioning it here.
Let’s get the technical aspects out of the way first: Hell Spring is a multi-POV horror story, told in third-person past tense, and clocking in around 98,000 words. It needs to be said up front, and it’ll be referenced later; Isaac Thorne can WRITE. The dude clearly loves words of all shapes & sizes, and fills the pages near to bursting with them. And I’m on board with that…except…well, like I said, we’ll get to that later.
First, the good:
It’s a hell of a concept. The single town setting works well for horror stories (this one included), adding a claustrophobic feeling to the narrative that only heightens the tension radiating from the pages. The villain of the tale (the monster, if you will) was unique, and the individual characters (main & supporting) were fleshed out well. The vernacular was era-appropriate, and motivations were believable and relatable.
Hell Spring is also a pretty low-stakes affair, which I can appreciate. Not every story needs to be an “end of the world” type of tale. With only a handful of characters and a largely single-location setting, Mr. Thorne kept the story intimate and small-scale.
The story is also PoC and LGBTQ+ friendly, which I applaud. The queer romance within is believable and grounded in the reality of the time. Regardless of Mr. Thorne’s orientation, I was glad to see him stepping out of the traditional confines of small-town horror. Again, my hat is off.
And, it must be stated that I did not find a single grammar or punctuation error within Hell Spring. Which is a level of quality that is hard to find, regardless of whether the book is from a well-known publisher, or a small up-and-coming brand.
The bad:
So, here we are. The dreaded moment of dissention. The showdown at the NetGalley corral. The reason that I cannot give the book more stars.
It’s too wordy, and overly purple-prosey.
I know, I know, as readers we want detail. I get it. Also, I say it’s too wordy, knowing full well that I am someone who, with my own writing, tends to go a little overboard. It’s only natural as a writer to want to fill the page with every single thing we can, in order to give our readers the maximum amount of immersion within the story. We come up with some pretty cool passages. Some great descriptors. Some awesome combination of words that really hammer home the EXACT feeling or image. And we want to use ALL of them.
However, just because we want to doesn’t mean we should. At least not all the time.
And why is that? Well, I suppose I’d liken it to waterboarding.
Water is good, right? Life-giving and refreshing. Rejuvenating and cleansing. But too much water? That’s bad news. It can wash things away (like the flood in this book) or choke things out. And that’s what happens within Hell Spring. There is so much narrative, so many excessively large descriptors and passages, and so many reminders of what just transpired a few pages ago, that the overarching story gets drowned within the particulars. It goes from being benign to malignant.
For example, when one of the characters is in a vehicle, we are treated to the driving process in excruciating detail. Like, which gear he’s in. Why he’s in that gear. Which gear he’s shifting to next. It’s all very well written…and all very unnecessary. This same level of specificity extends to nearly every action taken by every character in every chapter. When the minutiae of each character’s basic movements and actions are described in just as much detail as the main interactions and plot-progressing events, it grinds the whole affair down to nearly a halt.
And that, to me, is a shame. Mr. Thorne has talent. It cannot be denied. But instead of crafting what could have been a taut and tight little horror gem, we instead get inundated with so many details that the story’s impact is diminished. There’s a whole lot of showing AND telling, and not enough trusting of the reader. Hell Spring is 98,000 words, but would have been much more effective at 70k-80k words. Purple prose is effective in small doses, but when it hijacks much of the word-count, that’s a problem.
So, I’m left being stuck in the middle. I wanted to love Hell Spring. I really really did. But as the words kept piling on, and as we kept getting reminded of the same things over and over and over again (quite unnecessarily), I was left feeling frustrated, longing for what could have been. It’s doubly frustrating because this was clearly a labor of love for Mr. Thorne, and so much work went into it.
3 out of 5 stars.
I didn’t like Hell Spring (I did), and not because I have a million things to nitpick (I don’t). No, it will be difficult because I am not certain how well I’ll be able to convey a sense of “could have been” with my words and descriptions.
I’ve been penning amateur reviews for over a decade, but this is my first NetGalley ARC, and I picked it because it’s from a smaller publisher. As a writer for a small publishing house myself, I wanted to share the indie love. It also just sounded appealing; I love horror that takes place in bygone eras. Especially when the stories take real historical events and weave them into the narrative. It builds more connective tissue between the reader and the novel, infusing the tale with an air of relatability.
I confess that I’d never heard of Isaac Thorne prior to selecting his book. Turns out, he’s won some accolades and recognition for his debut novel The Gordon Place, and my hat is off the fellow. Getting attention is hard these days; fiction is a flooded market and then some. To receive kudos for a debut novel is truly a feat.
As with all my reviews, I will attempt to keep spoilers to a minimum. My reasoning for this is two-fold; first, I firmly believe that books of any and all genres are simply more enjoyable when the reader goes in blind, stripped of all preconceived notions and expectations; and second, out of respect for the author, who put countless hours of time and effort into crafting spine-tingling tales. Robbing the stories of their intended impact, in my opinion, is a great disservice to the person who penned them. So, if it’s not mentioned in the official synopsis, I will do my level best to avoid mentioning it here.
Let’s get the technical aspects out of the way first: Hell Spring is a multi-POV horror story, told in third-person past tense, and clocking in around 98,000 words. It needs to be said up front, and it’ll be referenced later; Isaac Thorne can WRITE. The dude clearly loves words of all shapes & sizes, and fills the pages near to bursting with them. And I’m on board with that…except…well, like I said, we’ll get to that later.
First, the good:
It’s a hell of a concept. The single town setting works well for horror stories (this one included), adding a claustrophobic feeling to the narrative that only heightens the tension radiating from the pages. The villain of the tale (the monster, if you will) was unique, and the individual characters (main & supporting) were fleshed out well. The vernacular was era-appropriate, and motivations were believable and relatable.
Hell Spring is also a pretty low-stakes affair, which I can appreciate. Not every story needs to be an “end of the world” type of tale. With only a handful of characters and a largely single-location setting, Mr. Thorne kept the story intimate and small-scale.
The story is also PoC and LGBTQ+ friendly, which I applaud. The queer romance within is believable and grounded in the reality of the time. Regardless of Mr. Thorne’s orientation, I was glad to see him stepping out of the traditional confines of small-town horror. Again, my hat is off.
And, it must be stated that I did not find a single grammar or punctuation error within Hell Spring. Which is a level of quality that is hard to find, regardless of whether the book is from a well-known publisher, or a small up-and-coming brand.
The bad:
So, here we are. The dreaded moment of dissention. The showdown at the NetGalley corral. The reason that I cannot give the book more stars.
It’s too wordy, and overly purple-prosey.
I know, I know, as readers we want detail. I get it. Also, I say it’s too wordy, knowing full well that I am someone who, with my own writing, tends to go a little overboard. It’s only natural as a writer to want to fill the page with every single thing we can, in order to give our readers the maximum amount of immersion within the story. We come up with some pretty cool passages. Some great descriptors. Some awesome combination of words that really hammer home the EXACT feeling or image. And we want to use ALL of them.
However, just because we want to doesn’t mean we should. At least not all the time.
And why is that? Well, I suppose I’d liken it to waterboarding.
Water is good, right? Life-giving and refreshing. Rejuvenating and cleansing. But too much water? That’s bad news. It can wash things away (like the flood in this book) or choke things out. And that’s what happens within Hell Spring. There is so much narrative, so many excessively large descriptors and passages, and so many reminders of what just transpired a few pages ago, that the overarching story gets drowned within the particulars. It goes from being benign to malignant.
For example, when one of the characters is in a vehicle, we are treated to the driving process in excruciating detail. Like, which gear he’s in. Why he’s in that gear. Which gear he’s shifting to next. It’s all very well written…and all very unnecessary. This same level of specificity extends to nearly every action taken by every character in every chapter. When the minutiae of each character’s basic movements and actions are described in just as much detail as the main interactions and plot-progressing events, it grinds the whole affair down to nearly a halt.
And that, to me, is a shame. Mr. Thorne has talent. It cannot be denied. But instead of crafting what could have been a taut and tight little horror gem, we instead get inundated with so many details that the story’s impact is diminished. There’s a whole lot of showing AND telling, and not enough trusting of the reader. Hell Spring is 98,000 words, but would have been much more effective at 70k-80k words. Purple prose is effective in small doses, but when it hijacks much of the word-count, that’s a problem.
So, I’m left being stuck in the middle. I wanted to love Hell Spring. I really really did. But as the words kept piling on, and as we kept getting reminded of the same things over and over and over again (quite unnecessarily), I was left feeling frustrated, longing for what could have been. It’s doubly frustrating because this was clearly a labor of love for Mr. Thorne, and so much work went into it.
3 out of 5 stars.
August 8, 2022
I like the writing and the characters. Each character has their own personality and I can definitely see the characters as existing in small, close-knit towns. Thorne’s writing really works for me because he doesn’t “tell” you the story. Also, there are zero grammatical errors. (At least that I could see😅) which makes readability smooth. I also dig the atmosphere and intense build up of fear amongst the residents as events unfold. For those who enjoy stories that make them feel claustrophobic or hopeless, or fans of stories like “The Mist” by Stephen King, read this
Oh, it’s also cool to mention that it’s based off of actual flooding events from Tennessee.
****Spoiler****
Honestly I thought the idea of the “creature” being an iconic figure (Marilyn Monroe) was fun. I love Marilyn Monroe, so for me it was cute/cool.
August 7, 2022
I really enjoy claustrophobic tales like this. A group of people stuck in one place as chaos ensues. This was a fun tale with well fleshed out characters and a fresh idea
July 24, 2022
3.5 stars rounded up to 4
This turned out to be such a cool novel. It's set in a fictional town of Lost Hollow, Tenessee. Most of the plot happens in 1955, when a huge thunderstorm strikes the little town, causing 'a hundred-year flood'. The novel follows 8 characters, all residents of Lost Hollow, who have found themselves trapped inside Beard's General store. It's that type of closed space horror. The novel opens up from the POV of a wolf, or a wolf-like creature, battling inside an arena against a weird, phallic looking creature. That first chapter completely threw me off and I almost regretted picking up the book, but I stuck with it and I am so glad I did. The wolf somehow gets teleported to our realm and it is ravenous, it will not stop until it finds food. The Beard's General store is awfully close to the spot where the wolf showed up.
Isaac Thorne has a damn good writing style. It is so wordy, descriptive, tediously detailed, and for the nost part I enjoyed it. At times, I found the pacing to be too slow for my liking simply because how descriptive his writing style is. It is also multiple POV, which I'm not a fan of. It mostly worked, but there were instances where we get the same moment in the story told from 2 characters perspective, which is fine; but maybe the book would've worked better if it was written as a dual narrative (the wolf and main character Peter). That's just a thought though, who am I to say what's better.
Without spoiling too much, I must add that the wolf transforms into a Marilyn Monroe look-alike, thinking it will appeal more to the people and make them help feed her. That concept escalated into something quite horrifying. I absolutely loved how Thorne created that type of creature and the way it would feed in our realm.
Interesting fact is that this novel was inspired by true events. On March 20th 1955 there was a thunderstorm that caused one of the biggest floods in Tennessee. Also on May 1st 2010 there was another huge flood that drowned the whole of middle Tennessee. Props to Thorne for raising awarness for such events.
One more thing I that pleasantly surprised me is that one of the characters is queer. That character is presented as someone who is from an abusive household, and is affected by internalised homophobia. It's important for those types of stories to be represented in books/tv shows/movies and other media without being the centre of the story. That kind of background is not the most important thing about someone, but it is a big part of their life. I hope I got my point across.
Anyway, this is a cool small-town horror novel, wonderfully written, quite engaging, and I enjoyed it.
(Thank you to Edelweiss for the review copy)
This turned out to be such a cool novel. It's set in a fictional town of Lost Hollow, Tenessee. Most of the plot happens in 1955, when a huge thunderstorm strikes the little town, causing 'a hundred-year flood'. The novel follows 8 characters, all residents of Lost Hollow, who have found themselves trapped inside Beard's General store. It's that type of closed space horror. The novel opens up from the POV of a wolf, or a wolf-like creature, battling inside an arena against a weird, phallic looking creature. That first chapter completely threw me off and I almost regretted picking up the book, but I stuck with it and I am so glad I did. The wolf somehow gets teleported to our realm and it is ravenous, it will not stop until it finds food. The Beard's General store is awfully close to the spot where the wolf showed up.
Isaac Thorne has a damn good writing style. It is so wordy, descriptive, tediously detailed, and for the nost part I enjoyed it. At times, I found the pacing to be too slow for my liking simply because how descriptive his writing style is. It is also multiple POV, which I'm not a fan of. It mostly worked, but there were instances where we get the same moment in the story told from 2 characters perspective, which is fine; but maybe the book would've worked better if it was written as a dual narrative (the wolf and main character Peter). That's just a thought though, who am I to say what's better.
Without spoiling too much, I must add that the wolf transforms into a Marilyn Monroe look-alike, thinking it will appeal more to the people and make them help feed her. That concept escalated into something quite horrifying. I absolutely loved how Thorne created that type of creature and the way it would feed in our realm.
Interesting fact is that this novel was inspired by true events. On March 20th 1955 there was a thunderstorm that caused one of the biggest floods in Tennessee. Also on May 1st 2010 there was another huge flood that drowned the whole of middle Tennessee. Props to Thorne for raising awarness for such events.
One more thing I that pleasantly surprised me is that one of the characters is queer. That character is presented as someone who is from an abusive household, and is affected by internalised homophobia. It's important for those types of stories to be represented in books/tv shows/movies and other media without being the centre of the story. That kind of background is not the most important thing about someone, but it is a big part of their life. I hope I got my point across.
Anyway, this is a cool small-town horror novel, wonderfully written, quite engaging, and I enjoyed it.
(Thank you to Edelweiss for the review copy)
December 19, 2022
This one was an interesting, wacky ride. I loved it. At the beginning, I was unsure of it because of some of the descriptions, but all the characters are so intriguing that it was hard to put the book down. All the neighbors being stuck in a store during a crazy event gave off the same creepy, suspenseful vibes as The Mist (especially when the book takes a terrifying religious turn). I was a bit surprised when Peter became our main protagonist as I was really rooting for Donna, but I came to greatly like his character once his head was clear of all the religious nonsense. I really liked the ending, but I kind of wish the time loop/deja vu had been explained and focused on a bit more. Overall, this was the perfect read for a gray stormy day!
September 11, 2022
This story is quite different from any other I’ve read, I feel this is gonna be a love or hate book. I personally did like the story, following everyone’s individual story leading them to be stranded at the store. I must admit at some points in the book I got lost but soon picked it back up again, I think because there are quite a few characters to follow. But all in all a great unique story about a group of people that all have their own problems and demons, getting stranded in a general store in the middle of nowhere with a demon that loves to feed on guilt and shame.
May 8, 2023
If you can get past the first chapter of this book, then it's a fairly decent read - my only criticism would be it's way longer than it needs to be and would maybe have worked better as a short story/novella. I'm not squeamish but the first chapter has far too many descriptions of ejaculate and for my liking, as we learn about the hell hound trapped in an arena with a giant penis (yes really!!) who escapes to earth and starts feeding off the sin of humans disguised as Marilyn Monroe. The characters get picked off one at a time and there's a good bit of fast forward scenes at the end to wrap things up.
I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.
Thank you to Netgalley, Lost Hollow Books and the author.
I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.
Thank you to Netgalley, Lost Hollow Books and the author.
October 22, 2023
Isaac Thorne has been on my radar for quite a while now. I am also a Tennessee Native and have been meaning to read his novel, 'The Gordon Place', and having read this title now, I am definitely going to bump it up the list and stop procrastinating!
There is something that's just so enjoyable about reading a fictitious tale, set in your stat. It makes it feel immerisive in a way. While 'Hell Spring' is fictitious, Middle TN truly did suffer an absolutely horrendous flood in 2010. I personally was displaced due to the flood, I was at work, and by the time I was able to close and leave, my route home was no longer passable. Luckily for me, there were no Marilyn's that day!!
"From the day of her birth-- or her creation, or her evolution, or whatever process had belched her into existence-- the gigantic phallus in the center of the fiery arena had wanted her for it's own."
The opening chapter of this book is rough and definitely had me asking what I had gotten myself into. I think it's important to establish what Marilyn is. While it starts a little nasty, the rest of the book is tame in comparison. The story is essentially of seven individuals with their own sins and guilt who find themselves stranded as the result of a flood. They unsuspectingly expose themselves to a "demon" and because of their inability to overcome their guilt and work cohesively, they feed her with their shame.
"Our sins. But it wasn’t our sins that did us in. At least, that’s what Pastor Mark thinks. It was our willingness to judge, to raise ourselves as judge and jury above one another for sins that aren’t even really sins. Or at least they shouldn’t be. Not where there’s love. I don’t think they should be, anyway."
There are seven main characters (and a demon) trapped in the general store, and each have their own sins/guilt. There is quite a range of sins. Things like homosexuality, theft, pornography use, and even murder just to name a couple. I think an important takeaway from this is that we all have our own guilt, shame, and sin, and if we allow it to, that it can and will destroy us.
I definitely appreciated that Thorne dedicated chapters to presenting each of the characters and their backgrounds. He definitely did a phenomenal job with character development and world building. My sole complaint is that some things were overexplained, and there was a bit of fluff in the story that I think the story would have been just as strong or potentially stronger without.
Another thing that I think is worth mentioning is that Thorne included two queer characters in this story. One is a white male, while the other is a POC. Peter is a queer male who suffers extensively in an abusive and homophobic household and, in turns suffers from his own internalized homophobia. Sam is a queer POC and while not a main character, he does have a strong supporting role.
Inclusivity in writing is so very important. The issues presented within the story are very real-life horrors (especially in 1955, and I think they should be represented while not necessarily being the sole focus. I think that Thorne presented these queer struggles in a way that was respectful and added more depth into these particular characters' backgrounds.
Overall, this is a great story, and I would recommend this to readers, especially those who have a love for small town horror.
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.
There is something that's just so enjoyable about reading a fictitious tale, set in your stat. It makes it feel immerisive in a way. While 'Hell Spring' is fictitious, Middle TN truly did suffer an absolutely horrendous flood in 2010. I personally was displaced due to the flood, I was at work, and by the time I was able to close and leave, my route home was no longer passable. Luckily for me, there were no Marilyn's that day!!
"From the day of her birth-- or her creation, or her evolution, or whatever process had belched her into existence-- the gigantic phallus in the center of the fiery arena had wanted her for it's own."
The opening chapter of this book is rough and definitely had me asking what I had gotten myself into. I think it's important to establish what Marilyn is. While it starts a little nasty, the rest of the book is tame in comparison. The story is essentially of seven individuals with their own sins and guilt who find themselves stranded as the result of a flood. They unsuspectingly expose themselves to a "demon" and because of their inability to overcome their guilt and work cohesively, they feed her with their shame.
"Our sins. But it wasn’t our sins that did us in. At least, that’s what Pastor Mark thinks. It was our willingness to judge, to raise ourselves as judge and jury above one another for sins that aren’t even really sins. Or at least they shouldn’t be. Not where there’s love. I don’t think they should be, anyway."
There are seven main characters (and a demon) trapped in the general store, and each have their own sins/guilt. There is quite a range of sins. Things like homosexuality, theft, pornography use, and even murder just to name a couple. I think an important takeaway from this is that we all have our own guilt, shame, and sin, and if we allow it to, that it can and will destroy us.
I definitely appreciated that Thorne dedicated chapters to presenting each of the characters and their backgrounds. He definitely did a phenomenal job with character development and world building. My sole complaint is that some things were overexplained, and there was a bit of fluff in the story that I think the story would have been just as strong or potentially stronger without.
Another thing that I think is worth mentioning is that Thorne included two queer characters in this story. One is a white male, while the other is a POC. Peter is a queer male who suffers extensively in an abusive and homophobic household and, in turns suffers from his own internalized homophobia. Sam is a queer POC and while not a main character, he does have a strong supporting role.
Inclusivity in writing is so very important. The issues presented within the story are very real-life horrors (especially in 1955, and I think they should be represented while not necessarily being the sole focus. I think that Thorne presented these queer struggles in a way that was respectful and added more depth into these particular characters' backgrounds.
Overall, this is a great story, and I would recommend this to readers, especially those who have a love for small town horror.
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 6, 2022
After a beginning chapter that metaphorically knocked me senseless, HELL SPRING settled down into a no-holds-barred, going-wild spree with deft foreshadowing while simultaneously delving into serious issues [including LGBTQ+ characters, racism, domestic violence, and a swift riff of character devolution; and that's just the humans!]. But the story is not about "just the humans," though among them they manage to be entertaining, frightening, delightful, worrisome, kind, scary....you know, that usual human "stuff."
Added quite clearly to the usual human auras are an imaginatively conceived "otherworldly" Cosmic incursion, not one anybody else would think of....and the balance of human "sins" and crimes and immoralities up against an entity from Beyond which literally tracks and devours the frailties of Humanity....I find that more terrifying than the concept of being trapped in a canyon with a raging wildfire on three sides and an oncoming tsunami on the other side.
Excuse me while I go compose my mind for Nightmares.
Added quite clearly to the usual human auras are an imaginatively conceived "otherworldly" Cosmic incursion, not one anybody else would think of....and the balance of human "sins" and crimes and immoralities up against an entity from Beyond which literally tracks and devours the frailties of Humanity....I find that more terrifying than the concept of being trapped in a canyon with a raging wildfire on three sides and an oncoming tsunami on the other side.
Excuse me while I go compose my mind for Nightmares.
June 6, 2023
Just a few thoughts, might add more later:
1) Not going to lie, I attempted to start this book the night before I actually did start it, but the first few pages were so strange, I decided to try again the next day when I could focus more lol
2) As a native Nashvillian, reading about flood events in Tennessee is scary enough in itself, let alone adding a hell dog or whatever-it-was into the mix.
3) This book was odd, but I can say I’ve not read anything quite like it before. It was claustrophobic and really tackled some big issues in a non-contemporary setting, namely racism, domestic violence, interracial coupling and homophobia. I really enjoyed the critique of small-town society and how so-called Christians can be. My dad’s side of the family lives in southern Middle Tennessee, so I felt like I was reading about their small town.
4) The author is a very talented writer. However, the book did feel a little long in places, and it might’ve been more effective if some scenes were cut or if the story was just shorter in general. Regardless, I felt each of these characters’ lived experiences, and when the inevitable deaths came, they packed an emotional punch. The author also did a good job with making me change my perspectives on the characters; because they were presented in a certain light, it was easy to judge them and their choices, but once they confront their issues, my judgments were turned on their heads. I thought this was very well done.
1) Not going to lie, I attempted to start this book the night before I actually did start it, but the first few pages were so strange, I decided to try again the next day when I could focus more lol
2) As a native Nashvillian, reading about flood events in Tennessee is scary enough in itself, let alone adding a hell dog or whatever-it-was into the mix.
3) This book was odd, but I can say I’ve not read anything quite like it before. It was claustrophobic and really tackled some big issues in a non-contemporary setting, namely racism, domestic violence, interracial coupling and homophobia. I really enjoyed the critique of small-town society and how so-called Christians can be. My dad’s side of the family lives in southern Middle Tennessee, so I felt like I was reading about their small town.
4) The author is a very talented writer. However, the book did feel a little long in places, and it might’ve been more effective if some scenes were cut or if the story was just shorter in general. Regardless, I felt each of these characters’ lived experiences, and when the inevitable deaths came, they packed an emotional punch. The author also did a good job with making me change my perspectives on the characters; because they were presented in a certain light, it was easy to judge them and their choices, but once they confront their issues, my judgments were turned on their heads. I thought this was very well done.
September 15, 2022
Hell Spring
By Isaac Thorne
“Forget your gods. Forget your masters. Those were passing things. If your mother was disappointed in you, well, that was the loneliest feeling in the universe.”
4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Wow. The first chapter of Hell Spring is absolutely wild and something I was NOT expecting. I don’t want to spoil anything so I won’t go into any detail, but it was one big surprise! I have to say though, it got me hooked. I had to know what else Thorne had in store for me.
I love books that are set in one isolated place as there tends to be more character development, more dialogue and more story. Hell Spring takes place in Beard’s General Store where a few of the townsfolk are trapped due to a flood. There is something in there with them which is where the horror element comes in. It’s not scary, as such, but there are definitely creepy moments and a hell of a lot of gore. Thorne doesn’t pull his punches and has a George R R Martin attitude towards his victims!
Hell Spring is imaginative, inclusive, and gave me a definite Stephen King vibe. Thorne is a descriptive writer which I enjoy, and I found his characters engaging. I’m definitely going to have a look at his other works.
By Isaac Thorne
“Forget your gods. Forget your masters. Those were passing things. If your mother was disappointed in you, well, that was the loneliest feeling in the universe.”
4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Wow. The first chapter of Hell Spring is absolutely wild and something I was NOT expecting. I don’t want to spoil anything so I won’t go into any detail, but it was one big surprise! I have to say though, it got me hooked. I had to know what else Thorne had in store for me.
I love books that are set in one isolated place as there tends to be more character development, more dialogue and more story. Hell Spring takes place in Beard’s General Store where a few of the townsfolk are trapped due to a flood. There is something in there with them which is where the horror element comes in. It’s not scary, as such, but there are definitely creepy moments and a hell of a lot of gore. Thorne doesn’t pull his punches and has a George R R Martin attitude towards his victims!
Hell Spring is imaginative, inclusive, and gave me a definite Stephen King vibe. Thorne is a descriptive writer which I enjoy, and I found his characters engaging. I’m definitely going to have a look at his other works.
August 23, 2023
I really enjoyed this one! I love a good snowed in trope and that’s what this is, except with a flood instead of snow.
Eight people take cover in a general store on March 21, 1955 from a massive thunderstorm and flash flood. All of them have secrets. But only one of them hungers for human souls, flesh, and blood.
I found it very amusing the demon took the form of Marilyn Monroe because she saw teenage boys looking at a porn magazine and decided that’s what she needed to look like for humans to find her appealing 😂 honestly I got big Evie from Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King vibes from her.
BIG props for including an interracial gay relationship even though the book takes place in 1955. The book did a good job of addressing how that’s taboo during those times while not making it the main focus.
This author does an amazing job of fleshing out his characters. Each one had their own backstory and I really felt connected to them.
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
4.5 stars rounded down only because the first chapter was entirely too long and could have been shortened quite a bit while still getting the point across.
Eight people take cover in a general store on March 21, 1955 from a massive thunderstorm and flash flood. All of them have secrets. But only one of them hungers for human souls, flesh, and blood.
I found it very amusing the demon took the form of Marilyn Monroe because she saw teenage boys looking at a porn magazine and decided that’s what she needed to look like for humans to find her appealing 😂 honestly I got big Evie from Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King vibes from her.
BIG props for including an interracial gay relationship even though the book takes place in 1955. The book did a good job of addressing how that’s taboo during those times while not making it the main focus.
This author does an amazing job of fleshing out his characters. Each one had their own backstory and I really felt connected to them.
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
4.5 stars rounded down only because the first chapter was entirely too long and could have been shortened quite a bit while still getting the point across.
February 1, 2023
First i want to thank the author for sending me the book to review. I really enjoyed this read, it did give me Richard Laymon and Stephen King vibes. The writing style is one that pulls me into the story and flows so well. I cannot wait to see more from Isaac Thorne he does horror well.
August 8, 2022
First I want to thank Isaac Thorne for the copy in exchange for an honest review. :)
My reviews are generally short and sweet - to the point.
So here goes:
This story was good. Not the best I’ve ever read, but good nonetheless! It’s definitely worth a try if you’re looking for something just a little different than the usual. It started off in a very odd way (a good thing!!!!) that had me a little confused at first but then it started making sense.
Give it a try! You won’t regret it :)
My reviews are generally short and sweet - to the point.
So here goes:
This story was good. Not the best I’ve ever read, but good nonetheless! It’s definitely worth a try if you’re looking for something just a little different than the usual. It started off in a very odd way (a good thing!!!!) that had me a little confused at first but then it started making sense.
Give it a try! You won’t regret it :)
October 19, 2022
It is March, 1955 and a sudden storm sends a ‘100 year’ flash flood through the town of Lost Hollow. Eight very different locals seek shelter in the local general store, looking to stay safe from the raging torrent of water threatening to wash everything in its path away. But are they safer inside? The sudden appearance of a mysterious stranger begins to tear the group apart - literally and figuratively. Telling you any more about the story will be a spoiler, so I will refrain.
The first chapter is a bit rambling, and discombobulated, but when you read it, and persist with the book, it comes together to make sense as relevant, required background. The story then continues to jump from the point of view of each of our motley cast of characters. This really sets out the backstory of each, develops them as people, and allows us to fully understand who they are, and why they are in this situation.
Time is taken to really detail each event that occurs, drawing out the horror to the maximum. Yet for all its horror, for all the loss, for all the lies, shame, evil and deceit, the struggle in the fight between good and evil, the story ends on an unexpected note. I have not read anything by Issac Thorne before, but this piece of excellent writing will definitely send me looking for more. An excellent horror read which will leave you questioning your human decency and how you would measure up!
*I received this copy from NetGalley for review, but all opinions are my own.
The first chapter is a bit rambling, and discombobulated, but when you read it, and persist with the book, it comes together to make sense as relevant, required background. The story then continues to jump from the point of view of each of our motley cast of characters. This really sets out the backstory of each, develops them as people, and allows us to fully understand who they are, and why they are in this situation.
Time is taken to really detail each event that occurs, drawing out the horror to the maximum. Yet for all its horror, for all the loss, for all the lies, shame, evil and deceit, the struggle in the fight between good and evil, the story ends on an unexpected note. I have not read anything by Issac Thorne before, but this piece of excellent writing will definitely send me looking for more. An excellent horror read which will leave you questioning your human decency and how you would measure up!
*I received this copy from NetGalley for review, but all opinions are my own.
October 7, 2022
I received this book as an ARC, and this is my honest review.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. From the first few pages, you are pulled into this nightmare that you can't wake up from. This was such a well-written paranormal horror story. I love when a horror story is also filled with greatly developed characters that are unique, relatable, and complex. The perfect book to read during the spooky season. Thanks, again to Isaac Thorne for the arc I really enjoyed it and will be looking forward to reading more by you.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. From the first few pages, you are pulled into this nightmare that you can't wake up from. This was such a well-written paranormal horror story. I love when a horror story is also filled with greatly developed characters that are unique, relatable, and complex. The perfect book to read during the spooky season. Thanks, again to Isaac Thorne for the arc I really enjoyed it and will be looking forward to reading more by you.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 18, 2022
I am so very thankful to have received an ARC of this book!
The main characters in this book all have some personal struggle they are going through, something they are fighting against. They all find themselves together at the local general store due to severe flooding. They all have secrets they are keeping. But there just so happens to be a stranger that knows everything they are thinking and everything they have done. And this stranger. This thing…wants to feed off them.
The story that follows is one that will keep you hooked.
This book is creepy and thrilling and has some religious aspects and some supernatural aspects and it’s a fun and wild ride.
Truly enjoyed it and recommend giving it a go!!
The main characters in this book all have some personal struggle they are going through, something they are fighting against. They all find themselves together at the local general store due to severe flooding. They all have secrets they are keeping. But there just so happens to be a stranger that knows everything they are thinking and everything they have done. And this stranger. This thing…wants to feed off them.
The story that follows is one that will keep you hooked.
This book is creepy and thrilling and has some religious aspects and some supernatural aspects and it’s a fun and wild ride.
Truly enjoyed it and recommend giving it a go!!
May 3, 2025
3.5 rounded up to 4
A demon released from hell who takes on the form of Marilyn Monroe to lure unwitting victims so it can suck their sins from their bodies as sustenance… sounds epic. I really loved the concept of this book and the characterisation, along with their back stories were enjoyable to read; however, there was something odd about the book that didn’t work. I guess because a lot of it took place in one location it became a little repetitive and the face off between the demon and the MC just wasn’t as dramatic or worth the build up to it. Nevertheless, an enjoyable read.
A demon released from hell who takes on the form of Marilyn Monroe to lure unwitting victims so it can suck their sins from their bodies as sustenance… sounds epic. I really loved the concept of this book and the characterisation, along with their back stories were enjoyable to read; however, there was something odd about the book that didn’t work. I guess because a lot of it took place in one location it became a little repetitive and the face off between the demon and the MC just wasn’t as dramatic or worth the build up to it. Nevertheless, an enjoyable read.
September 27, 2022
It's 1955 and a small town is being threatened not only by a major flood, but also a demonic hell dog preying on 7 locals who take refuge in a general convenience store. Thanks to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this novel. Disgusting, gory, graphic, and creepy this was AMAZING! 4.5/5 stars. I'm giving it a lot of high praise since I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style and story telling. I enjoyed all POVs in this story and it was a fast read for myself. Looking forward to reading more by this author, and definitely will be talking about this fun story for a while.
December 18, 2022
On March 21 1955, Donna Gilliam and her husband got into a fight as Ted couldn’t stand baby Theo crying all the time. He threw her against the door jam and she ended up with cuts and bruises all over. Then he made her go to Theo where he forced her into the rocking chair to breastfeed and he went to finish getting ready for work. Theo suckled on her breast so he stopped crying but as soon as Donna put him down, he started his wailing again so Ted came straight back into the nursery but Donna was waiting for him. A picture had smashed with the glass all over the floor and Donna had picked up a shard of glass to use if needed as she had already been beaten up by Ted that morning and she was fearful for her and Theo’s lives. As Ted reached out for her, she used the piece of glass to stab him in the neck and loads of blood spurted out and he sank to the ground. Donna ended up with a deep gash on her right hand and couldn’t get it to stop bleeding to start with but eventually it stopped and she wrapped clean bandages round it. Once sorted, she got a clean dress on then sorted baby Theo out with a bottle of milk which he greedily gulped down. She realised she would have to leave and quickly before they found Ted’s body. Once Theo was settled down, she started to quickly pack stuff for the baby and got some of her stuff from the garage, rather than pass Ted’s body, into the car. She decided to go to the hospital for a check up on Theo and get her hand checked at Hollow River Hospital. Upon leaving the house and getting into the car, huge raindrops started to fall which wasn’t great for Donna as she only occasionally drove the car and the drive to the hospital was quite a way. She managed to get as far as Beard’s general store but the rain was getting too bad to drive in and that was the only place to call in at.
Peter Mayberry decided he had to go to hospital after an accident with a nail and a part of his body. After tidying himself up a bit and managing to get dressed in some clothes he could wear, he left home to drive to the hospital in the pouring rain. He pulled up alongside the roadside when the rain got too much and came down quicker than he could clear the windscreen. His sore bits were throbbing. He started to feel sick so opened the car door to throw up outside. When he was pulling the door shut, he noticed a dog or wolf shaped animal opposite watching him. The eyes were hypnotic and caught his attention as the animal stalked towards him. There was like a red light coming from the slits in its eyes. Once the animal got closer to the car, the stride length went from four to two and its height extended upwards. The dark fur fell off and open sores showed in its place. The eyes went from red slitted to more round human shaped. Peter got lost in those eyes and next felt warm fingers caressing him on his face, his shoulders and pushing him back inside the car and over to the passenger seat. The animal got into the car with him and started to lick his neck while Peter called his lover’s name. The animal said, ‘no.’ It said, ‘My name is Marilyn. I am here to help you, Peter Mayberry. If you are willing to help me.’ She let her fingers run down his body and onto his damaged part of his body. Her fingers managed to unwrap it, get the nail out and the sensations running through his body were like nothing he had felt before. ‘Will you help me?’, she asked. ‘Yes’, he replied. She held his damaged body part between her two palms and he was healed. Then the car was filled with a fog and an eerie red glow. Marilyn was gone. A large tree came down on the road just in front of him as he did a U-turn to go home, so he did a U-turn to go to Beard’s general store and hoped he could get across the bridge without it being submerged. He finally made it to Beard’s as he got across the bridge okay.
Mark MacDonald ran the church and did the church accounts and got so much for this from the collections each Sunday as his wages. Also, he banked the collections into the bank. One week he decided he would increase his wages just a little bit to allow him a few more bits, like petrol to fill the car, money for the bills and groceries, etc. So, on this wet and rainy day, he decided to go and pay his bills and fill up his car at Beard’s general store. He got stuck there in the downpour as well.
Elijah Wynn, Eli for short, went to Beard’s general store for some flour for Mrs Blalock but he was a friend of Jerry’s so he stayed at the store for a few hours and got caught in the downpour. He lived on the Blalock’s farm and was one of their farmhands.
Kathy and Jerry Beard, are mother and son. Jerry helped out and did the petrol side of things while his mother was the owner. She took over after her husband died. They were always at the store and were there on the day of the downpour. Jerry was always getting into trouble for something or another, today his mother found his naked Marilyn Monrue calendar under the cash register. She told him to throw it out outside in the downpour and it was whilst Jerry was doing this that he found a naked person on the stoop of the general store in the pouring rain. Peter helped him get her inside and Kathy gave some towels plus a pair of overalls for her to wear. She says her name is Marilyn and has a face that looks vaguely familiar.
Who is this stranger has that turned up from nowhere, completely naked? Can she be trusted? When will the rain stop? Will they be flooded out? Will they be safe there?
This was an intriguing book to read, combining a flood with a demon, a sin-eater or whatever. Reading about the different characters and their possible sins they had committed then how they were treated was brilliant. Some great descriptive work in that part of the book and throughout the book. My first Isaac Thorne book but I will be reading more of his work.
Peter Mayberry decided he had to go to hospital after an accident with a nail and a part of his body. After tidying himself up a bit and managing to get dressed in some clothes he could wear, he left home to drive to the hospital in the pouring rain. He pulled up alongside the roadside when the rain got too much and came down quicker than he could clear the windscreen. His sore bits were throbbing. He started to feel sick so opened the car door to throw up outside. When he was pulling the door shut, he noticed a dog or wolf shaped animal opposite watching him. The eyes were hypnotic and caught his attention as the animal stalked towards him. There was like a red light coming from the slits in its eyes. Once the animal got closer to the car, the stride length went from four to two and its height extended upwards. The dark fur fell off and open sores showed in its place. The eyes went from red slitted to more round human shaped. Peter got lost in those eyes and next felt warm fingers caressing him on his face, his shoulders and pushing him back inside the car and over to the passenger seat. The animal got into the car with him and started to lick his neck while Peter called his lover’s name. The animal said, ‘no.’ It said, ‘My name is Marilyn. I am here to help you, Peter Mayberry. If you are willing to help me.’ She let her fingers run down his body and onto his damaged part of his body. Her fingers managed to unwrap it, get the nail out and the sensations running through his body were like nothing he had felt before. ‘Will you help me?’, she asked. ‘Yes’, he replied. She held his damaged body part between her two palms and he was healed. Then the car was filled with a fog and an eerie red glow. Marilyn was gone. A large tree came down on the road just in front of him as he did a U-turn to go home, so he did a U-turn to go to Beard’s general store and hoped he could get across the bridge without it being submerged. He finally made it to Beard’s as he got across the bridge okay.
Mark MacDonald ran the church and did the church accounts and got so much for this from the collections each Sunday as his wages. Also, he banked the collections into the bank. One week he decided he would increase his wages just a little bit to allow him a few more bits, like petrol to fill the car, money for the bills and groceries, etc. So, on this wet and rainy day, he decided to go and pay his bills and fill up his car at Beard’s general store. He got stuck there in the downpour as well.
Elijah Wynn, Eli for short, went to Beard’s general store for some flour for Mrs Blalock but he was a friend of Jerry’s so he stayed at the store for a few hours and got caught in the downpour. He lived on the Blalock’s farm and was one of their farmhands.
Kathy and Jerry Beard, are mother and son. Jerry helped out and did the petrol side of things while his mother was the owner. She took over after her husband died. They were always at the store and were there on the day of the downpour. Jerry was always getting into trouble for something or another, today his mother found his naked Marilyn Monrue calendar under the cash register. She told him to throw it out outside in the downpour and it was whilst Jerry was doing this that he found a naked person on the stoop of the general store in the pouring rain. Peter helped him get her inside and Kathy gave some towels plus a pair of overalls for her to wear. She says her name is Marilyn and has a face that looks vaguely familiar.
Who is this stranger has that turned up from nowhere, completely naked? Can she be trusted? When will the rain stop? Will they be flooded out? Will they be safe there?
This was an intriguing book to read, combining a flood with a demon, a sin-eater or whatever. Reading about the different characters and their possible sins they had committed then how they were treated was brilliant. Some great descriptive work in that part of the book and throughout the book. My first Isaac Thorne book but I will be reading more of his work.
August 21, 2022
3.5 rounded to 4 stars
I’m the twilight of March 21, 1955, eight people take cover in their local general store while a thundering torrent and flash flooding threatens life and livelihood alike. None of the eight are everything they claim to be. But only one of them hungers for human souls, flesh, and blood. An overflowing waterway destroys their only path of escape. The tiny band of survivors is forced to confront themselves and each other when a peculiar stranger with a famous face tries to pick them off one by one.
This is a tricky review to write. A want to start off by saying Overall I did enjoy this book very much and I am fortunate for the opportunity to receive the ARC ebook and the opportunity to review this work.
Isaac Thorne’s novel Hell Spring is a beautifully written isolation horror novel with multiple POVs. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and learning their dark secrets. I’m a bit of a pop culture junkie so appreciated the Marilyn Monroe tie in. This was a strong story by a skilled writer. The story was strong and I can see this transiting very well to film.
While there was a lot that a enjoyed with novel the biggest issue I had was that I felt that were a lot of missed opportunities with the editing process. I appreciate that, as far as I can tell this book was typo free. However, I feel more of a focus should have been put on restructuring some elements and omitting others. I felt the chapters not taking place in 1955 seemed to take away From the overall story and made it drag a bit. The backstory of the antagonist may have been better left a mystery. Not knowing the origin is often the most effective and unsettling in horror. The characters secrets were disclosed upfront whereas, I think revealing them slowly while in isolation would have been more effective in adding tension. The bigger issue was being reminded of the same information over and over. climactic moments in the story were diminished by information that has already been well established.
Despite these issues I would strongly recommend picking this book up if you’re a fan of the genre. I will
Be purchasing a physical copy in the near future. I look forward to Reading Isaac Thorne’s future work.
I’m the twilight of March 21, 1955, eight people take cover in their local general store while a thundering torrent and flash flooding threatens life and livelihood alike. None of the eight are everything they claim to be. But only one of them hungers for human souls, flesh, and blood. An overflowing waterway destroys their only path of escape. The tiny band of survivors is forced to confront themselves and each other when a peculiar stranger with a famous face tries to pick them off one by one.
This is a tricky review to write. A want to start off by saying Overall I did enjoy this book very much and I am fortunate for the opportunity to receive the ARC ebook and the opportunity to review this work.
Isaac Thorne’s novel Hell Spring is a beautifully written isolation horror novel with multiple POVs. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and learning their dark secrets. I’m a bit of a pop culture junkie so appreciated the Marilyn Monroe tie in. This was a strong story by a skilled writer. The story was strong and I can see this transiting very well to film.
While there was a lot that a enjoyed with novel the biggest issue I had was that I felt that were a lot of missed opportunities with the editing process. I appreciate that, as far as I can tell this book was typo free. However, I feel more of a focus should have been put on restructuring some elements and omitting others. I felt the chapters not taking place in 1955 seemed to take away From the overall story and made it drag a bit. The backstory of the antagonist may have been better left a mystery. Not knowing the origin is often the most effective and unsettling in horror. The characters secrets were disclosed upfront whereas, I think revealing them slowly while in isolation would have been more effective in adding tension. The bigger issue was being reminded of the same information over and over. climactic moments in the story were diminished by information that has already been well established.
Despite these issues I would strongly recommend picking this book up if you’re a fan of the genre. I will
Be purchasing a physical copy in the near future. I look forward to Reading Isaac Thorne’s future work.
October 2, 2022
Based (in part) on a real event, Isaac Thorne’s ‘Hell Spring’ transforms one of Tennessee's historic hundred year floods (during March of 1955) into a masterful slice of noir-tinged, small-town/natural disaster horror.
The story opens with a somewhat familiar premise: following an ominous prologue, we are introduced to the town of Lost Hollow. Ravaged by a powerful storm, several residents seek refuge in the local general store. Enter a mysterious stranger in need of shelter. But when the residents bring the eerily familiar woman inside, all hell (quite literally) begins to break loose. Paranoia starts to take root as each resident is forced to confront their deepest, darkest sins. Cut off from the outside world, the seven neighbors soon realize that the stranger in their midst is not who (or what) she appears to be.
In many ways, Isaac Thorne’s ‘Hell Spring’ feels like an amalgamation of vintage King-esque horror and a modern graphic novel. Utilizing multiple character POV’s, Thorne skillfully adds one layer of intrigue upon another. As others have noted, many of the characters start off as wide-stroke caricatures, but most of the cast evolves as the story progresses. The simmer-to-a-boil pacing may not be for everyone, but Thorne succeeds in sustaining a sense of suspense from cover to cover.
For his part, Thorne’s hyper-descriptive prose is a good fit for this genre—there are more than a couple of hair-raising moments and the man’s scene-setting is second-to-none. That said, ‘Hell Spring’ is a marked example of a ‘very good’ book that’s a couple of characters too many (and about fifty pages too long). A couple of minor edits would easily remedy the occasionally lumbering pace. That admittedly subjective gripe aside, Isaac Thorne’s ‘Hell Spring’ is a solid read that should appeal to fans of horror en masse.
The story opens with a somewhat familiar premise: following an ominous prologue, we are introduced to the town of Lost Hollow. Ravaged by a powerful storm, several residents seek refuge in the local general store. Enter a mysterious stranger in need of shelter. But when the residents bring the eerily familiar woman inside, all hell (quite literally) begins to break loose. Paranoia starts to take root as each resident is forced to confront their deepest, darkest sins. Cut off from the outside world, the seven neighbors soon realize that the stranger in their midst is not who (or what) she appears to be.
In many ways, Isaac Thorne’s ‘Hell Spring’ feels like an amalgamation of vintage King-esque horror and a modern graphic novel. Utilizing multiple character POV’s, Thorne skillfully adds one layer of intrigue upon another. As others have noted, many of the characters start off as wide-stroke caricatures, but most of the cast evolves as the story progresses. The simmer-to-a-boil pacing may not be for everyone, but Thorne succeeds in sustaining a sense of suspense from cover to cover.
For his part, Thorne’s hyper-descriptive prose is a good fit for this genre—there are more than a couple of hair-raising moments and the man’s scene-setting is second-to-none. That said, ‘Hell Spring’ is a marked example of a ‘very good’ book that’s a couple of characters too many (and about fifty pages too long). A couple of minor edits would easily remedy the occasionally lumbering pace. That admittedly subjective gripe aside, Isaac Thorne’s ‘Hell Spring’ is a solid read that should appeal to fans of horror en masse.
May 5, 2023
This book was wild, but I loved it.
Upon reading the synopsis of Hell Spring, I was immediately intrigued. It sort of reminded me of the movie 'The Mist', which is one of my favorite horror films. The characters find themselves trapped together in their local General Store with an a creature from hell during a freak storm. We quickly learn that each character is not what they seem, they all have secrets they're trying to keep. Some secrets are darker than others. I like that this book isn't just a one track, focusing solely on the creature terrorizing the characters. I like that Thorne dives a bit deeper and gives us a backstory on each individual character, so we're able to see things from their point of view.
I will say, I was a little taken aback in the first couple of chapters. I wasn't prepared for the "living mountain" nor the "bubbling soup of white-hot lava" it spewed. So, that threw me for a bit of a loop and had me thinking that maybe this book wasn't what I had expected. However, we quickly move away from the odd goings on in Hell and begin to focus more on the story as well as the other characters. I also really like the fact that the creature assumed the form of Marilyn Monroe in order to appeal to others. I thought this was a really neat aspect of the story.
I really enjoyed this book. It was definitely strange but well written, and I really enjoyed the premise. I don't think think this would be everyone's cup of tea, but if you're into the strange and unusual, I'd definitely recommend giving it a go.
Also, I would just like to point out that I really like this cover. I will be purchasing a paperback copy of this book solely for the purpose of displaying it in my home. It's a demonic pin up version of Marylin Monroe - I'm sold.
Upon reading the synopsis of Hell Spring, I was immediately intrigued. It sort of reminded me of the movie 'The Mist', which is one of my favorite horror films. The characters find themselves trapped together in their local General Store with an a creature from hell during a freak storm. We quickly learn that each character is not what they seem, they all have secrets they're trying to keep. Some secrets are darker than others. I like that this book isn't just a one track, focusing solely on the creature terrorizing the characters. I like that Thorne dives a bit deeper and gives us a backstory on each individual character, so we're able to see things from their point of view.
I will say, I was a little taken aback in the first couple of chapters. I wasn't prepared for the "living mountain" nor the "bubbling soup of white-hot lava" it spewed. So, that threw me for a bit of a loop and had me thinking that maybe this book wasn't what I had expected. However, we quickly move away from the odd goings on in Hell and begin to focus more on the story as well as the other characters. I also really like the fact that the creature assumed the form of Marilyn Monroe in order to appeal to others. I thought this was a really neat aspect of the story.
I really enjoyed this book. It was definitely strange but well written, and I really enjoyed the premise. I don't think think this would be everyone's cup of tea, but if you're into the strange and unusual, I'd definitely recommend giving it a go.
Also, I would just like to point out that I really like this cover. I will be purchasing a paperback copy of this book solely for the purpose of displaying it in my home. It's a demonic pin up version of Marylin Monroe - I'm sold.
November 15, 2023
The first chapter was a whirl wind of me asking “what the f*** did I get myself into?” in the best way possible. For a moment, I thought I received the wrong book 😅 I urge anyone that reads this to heed caution on that first chapter and know that you’re going into something wild. It eventually makes sense but that first chapter was a doozy.
Now that my warning for the opening chapter is out of the way, let’s get down to brass tacks. This was a decent small town horror novel that I did end up enjoying. A unique concept in an isolated setting with fantastic characterization each with backstories.
Seven people in a small town end up having to stay and take shelter in a small grocery store when a severe thunderstorm and flash flood traps them in and a mysterious stranger arrives. Each of the strangers has their own secrets and their own sins and but only one feeds off of those sins. Claustrophobic/ “The Mist” vibes for sure here. The antagonist in this book was wholly unique and really interesting. Issac Thorne can write some horrific moments. It’s not jump scare horror but definitely a slow burn tense suspenseful/ creepy horror with some gory and grotesque moments for sure.
I really enjoyed the inclusiveness of his writing and his characters considering this story takes place in a small Tennessee town in 1955! I will say it may have been a bit too long as some parts were overly expressive but overall the writing was excellent and this was a really good small town horror novel if you like otherworldly/ paranormal and psychological horror stories.
Now that my warning for the opening chapter is out of the way, let’s get down to brass tacks. This was a decent small town horror novel that I did end up enjoying. A unique concept in an isolated setting with fantastic characterization each with backstories.
Seven people in a small town end up having to stay and take shelter in a small grocery store when a severe thunderstorm and flash flood traps them in and a mysterious stranger arrives. Each of the strangers has their own secrets and their own sins and but only one feeds off of those sins. Claustrophobic/ “The Mist” vibes for sure here. The antagonist in this book was wholly unique and really interesting. Issac Thorne can write some horrific moments. It’s not jump scare horror but definitely a slow burn tense suspenseful/ creepy horror with some gory and grotesque moments for sure.
I really enjoyed the inclusiveness of his writing and his characters considering this story takes place in a small Tennessee town in 1955! I will say it may have been a bit too long as some parts were overly expressive but overall the writing was excellent and this was a really good small town horror novel if you like otherworldly/ paranormal and psychological horror stories.
September 17, 2022
Initially this was an author request via an email. I received it as a PDF download, but it was too hard to read on my tablet. So, when looking through NetGalley shortly after, I came across it and requested it. I was granted the request and dove in pretty much immediately.
I have to admit this story starts off really weird. I almost stopped reading it. But I really like to concept of the book and was hoping it would get better after the weirdness of the first chapter. And it did. The concept is definitely interesting. A small town in 1955 is overtaken by a devastating rainstorm that washes out a bridge near a local general store. Eight people are caught in the storm and take refuge in the store. What they don't know is that there is one among them that is not what they seem. They have a hunger, a hunger for sin and human souls. Can the townsfolk survive not only the storm outside but the one also brewing inside the store?
While I really enjoyed the concept of this story it was a tough read. The book long and very detailed. Now, I realize that I am not a writer and maybe some people enjoy the deep details and that's fine, but I feel this could have been a novella. The author is very talented and as I've already said, I really like the concept of this story. Overall, I was happy to have been contacted and happy to have read it. The horror aspect is definitely there, and, in the end, the story is rather interesting. I received this book free from NetGalley for an honest review.
I have to admit this story starts off really weird. I almost stopped reading it. But I really like to concept of the book and was hoping it would get better after the weirdness of the first chapter. And it did. The concept is definitely interesting. A small town in 1955 is overtaken by a devastating rainstorm that washes out a bridge near a local general store. Eight people are caught in the storm and take refuge in the store. What they don't know is that there is one among them that is not what they seem. They have a hunger, a hunger for sin and human souls. Can the townsfolk survive not only the storm outside but the one also brewing inside the store?
While I really enjoyed the concept of this story it was a tough read. The book long and very detailed. Now, I realize that I am not a writer and maybe some people enjoy the deep details and that's fine, but I feel this could have been a novella. The author is very talented and as I've already said, I really like the concept of this story. Overall, I was happy to have been contacted and happy to have read it. The horror aspect is definitely there, and, in the end, the story is rather interesting. I received this book free from NetGalley for an honest review.
January 12, 2024
“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒙𝒊𝒆𝒕𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚'𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒚𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒃 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝒇𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒑 𝒖𝒑𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒏, 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒃𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒊𝒕, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏'𝒕 𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒃𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒍. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒎 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆.”
When Isaac Thorne offered to send me a copy of his novel, 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠, to review, I accepted with admittedly low expectations. The premise was certainly interesting (a group of people holed up in a general store are preyed upon by a demon taking the form of Marilyn Monroe), but it was so far-fetched that I wasn’t sure how it could possibly be executed. (To good effect, anyway.) But lo and behold, I finished the book with fresh, hot tears streaming down my face.
From giant phalluses spewing acidic cum, to hellhounds shape-shifting into Old Hollywood starlets, 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 is a deluge of bizarre horrors. But it’s also a shockingly moving exploration of redemption, self-atonement, and religious trauma that particularly resonated with me, as a gay man from the south.
If you’re looking for your next horror fix, I implore you to check out this little doozy! It’s breezily paced and remarkably well-written, with a cast of sympathetic and morally complex characters, and a healthy amount of scares that are sure to satisfy fans of Stephen King, such as myself.
When Isaac Thorne offered to send me a copy of his novel, 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠, to review, I accepted with admittedly low expectations. The premise was certainly interesting (a group of people holed up in a general store are preyed upon by a demon taking the form of Marilyn Monroe), but it was so far-fetched that I wasn’t sure how it could possibly be executed. (To good effect, anyway.) But lo and behold, I finished the book with fresh, hot tears streaming down my face.
From giant phalluses spewing acidic cum, to hellhounds shape-shifting into Old Hollywood starlets, 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 is a deluge of bizarre horrors. But it’s also a shockingly moving exploration of redemption, self-atonement, and religious trauma that particularly resonated with me, as a gay man from the south.
If you’re looking for your next horror fix, I implore you to check out this little doozy! It’s breezily paced and remarkably well-written, with a cast of sympathetic and morally complex characters, and a healthy amount of scares that are sure to satisfy fans of Stephen King, such as myself.
August 27, 2022
Contains spoilers: I’d like to thank author Isaac Thorne for sending me an ARC of his book Hell Spring, of which I throughly enjoyed reading. My amateur review does not do this book justice. Hell spring had me on the edge of my seat from the get go. A definite page turner that’s hard to put down. A must for a lover of the Horror genre. Read the shocking prologue and get plunged straight into your worst nightmare where fear, guilt and shame are food for a shape shifting creature that’s been spat up straight from hell.
Do you like god fearing small town 1950’s vibes? A broke pastor, a wife beater, a homosexual man still being controlled by his dead abusive god fearing mother, a murderer and so much more, then this is the book for you. Guess what that’s just in the first six chapters.
Can the town and its people be saved? Is there a hero among them? Can the creature be destroyed before it’s too late? Guess you’ll have to read Hell Spring and find out for yourselves.
This was a 4 and half star read for me. I will be reading Isaac Thornes other books and look forward to seeing what else is published from this brilliant author.
Do you like god fearing small town 1950’s vibes? A broke pastor, a wife beater, a homosexual man still being controlled by his dead abusive god fearing mother, a murderer and so much more, then this is the book for you. Guess what that’s just in the first six chapters.
Can the town and its people be saved? Is there a hero among them? Can the creature be destroyed before it’s too late? Guess you’ll have to read Hell Spring and find out for yourselves.
This was a 4 and half star read for me. I will be reading Isaac Thornes other books and look forward to seeing what else is published from this brilliant author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 15, 2022
Hell Spring is an intriguing horror story about Tennessee’s 1955 floods. The story starts off with an introduction into the tragic event, and builds up into the characters, for example, the stranger looking for shelter in the general store at Lost Hollow’s local store. The horror events begin, and the residents are amazed and scared of what will happen next. The author does well to blend the modern and vintage aspects of the story which makes it come alive, and turns it into an interesting read.
The story is thrilling because of the well-crafted suspense, and the author allows for the cast to evolve, which brings a better understanding and various points of view while following the plot. The investment into the characters, shows how much the author cares about describing human feelings, their behaviors, and contributions to the story. It’s a joy to see characters finding their emotions and fixing their mindset that defines who they are, and how they relate with other people. It’s touching to see how the author covers real life issues like family feuds, that are a great part of what happens in the current world. The story exposes the weaknesses and brings out the strengths in the Lost Hollow residents, making it a memorable moment in their lives.
The story is thrilling because of the well-crafted suspense, and the author allows for the cast to evolve, which brings a better understanding and various points of view while following the plot. The investment into the characters, shows how much the author cares about describing human feelings, their behaviors, and contributions to the story. It’s a joy to see characters finding their emotions and fixing their mindset that defines who they are, and how they relate with other people. It’s touching to see how the author covers real life issues like family feuds, that are a great part of what happens in the current world. The story exposes the weaknesses and brings out the strengths in the Lost Hollow residents, making it a memorable moment in their lives.
December 15, 2022
It is March 21, 1955 and eight people shelter in their local general store while a storm rages and flash flooding blocks their only route out as it floods the small town of Lost Hollow. Meanwhile one amongst them harbours a secret hunger for warm flesh and souls. But then all them have shameful secrets. Who survives?
This is an extreme horror so trigger warnings apply before reading.
The characters are really well drawn, their back stories detailed and they are all flawed and yet familiar. The story is disturbingly discombobulating with some real stand out shocking scenes. It feels claustrophobic and the tension is visceral. Although there is a demon in the mix it is actually the humans who are are the real monsters but, there is a very strong dose of dark humour throughout which I really liked. The first chapter is wild! The writing is very descriptive and the horror graphic. Pacing was generally good although slowed down in places mainly due to the amount of characters and the nature of a demonic horror. I really enjoyed it. 4 stars.
I received a free e-book of this story for my honest review. Thank you to Book Sirens and the author.
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