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Non-Practicing Cultist
Early 1970s.
A Vietnam veteran systematically dismantles the murderous cult he was forced to join as a young orphan...
(with a cover by Adrian Baldwin)
PLEASE This title has been published under its original American spelling and contains American spelling throughout.
A Vietnam veteran systematically dismantles the murderous cult he was forced to join as a young orphan...
(with a cover by Adrian Baldwin)
PLEASE This title has been published under its original American spelling and contains American spelling throughout.
78 pages, Paperback
Published December 8, 2021
About the author
Scott J. Moses
14 books122 followersScott J. Moses is the author of the forthcoming novel My Name Is You (Truborn Press, ‘27) and the novella Our Own Unique Affliction (Shortwave Publishing, ‘25). An Active Member of the Horror Writers Association, he has sold over twenty-five short stories to, but not limited to, Cosmic Horror Monthly, The NoSleep Podcast, Planet Scumm, and elsewhere. He also edited What One Wouldn’t Do: An Anthology on the Lengths One Might Go To. He is Japanese American and lives in Maryland. You can find him on Instagram @ScottJ_Moses or scottjmoses.carrd.co. He is represented by IAG for TV/Film.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 3, 2021
I’m a sucker for cult stories and revenge plots, so a marriage of the two is right up my alley!
Scott J Moses has crafted a novelette brimming with anxious energy and mounting dread. The story sucks you in immediately, making it clear this will be a tale of violence and unholy events. The writing is punchy and electric and full of vivid details. Set in the dark swamps of Louisiana, we find ourselves with a protagonist we want to root for as he seeks vengeance against the cult that perverted his youth.
The pacing moves along smoothly in the beginning, revealing our protagonist’s background and motivation through flashbacks that dovetail perfectly with the present story, before turning outright frenetic in the second half. That’s when things get wild in a way you just need to read for yourself.
Truth be told I’m a little mad at the author for cutting it short. I want more of this character, this story. I want a series of cross-country romps full of escapades and rooting out creepy cults. I love what’s here, but I’m selfishly stewing for more!
Scott J Moses has crafted a novelette brimming with anxious energy and mounting dread. The story sucks you in immediately, making it clear this will be a tale of violence and unholy events. The writing is punchy and electric and full of vivid details. Set in the dark swamps of Louisiana, we find ourselves with a protagonist we want to root for as he seeks vengeance against the cult that perverted his youth.
The pacing moves along smoothly in the beginning, revealing our protagonist’s background and motivation through flashbacks that dovetail perfectly with the present story, before turning outright frenetic in the second half. That’s when things get wild in a way you just need to read for yourself.
Truth be told I’m a little mad at the author for cutting it short. I want more of this character, this story. I want a series of cross-country romps full of escapades and rooting out creepy cults. I love what’s here, but I’m selfishly stewing for more!
July 7, 2021
Page-turning Short
Seriously, this should be a longer story. Excellent at this length, I can see it having enough scope to fill a novel or novella. Atmospheric and tightly:written, a great read.
Seriously, this should be a longer story. Excellent at this length, I can see it having enough scope to fill a novel or novella. Atmospheric and tightly:written, a great read.
December 11, 2021
A short cult revenge story. Quite an enjoyable read.
July 8, 2021
Review to come
July 9, 2021
Another masterpiece of thought, mystery and yes wanting more!! Good Job to the up and coming Author, we’ll done!!!
July 6, 2021
** Edited as review is now live on Kendall Reviews! **
I’ve not read anything by Scott J. Moses before this release, but the synopsis sounded intriguing. The only thing that kind of made me wonder if I’d enjoy this was the Vietnam Vet angle. Maybe it’s because of being Canadian, or maybe it’s just that I don’t have a huge fondness for war based stories overall, but I don’t get that sucked into a story when Vietnam is a potential key component. Knowing that this was based around a man who returns to the cult he was forced to join as a kid, I pushed aside any personal negativity I have towards war stories and dove in.
What I liked: This is a fast, brutal read. If you’ve read any of my own cult based releases, you’ll be in for a treat. We follow a guy as he is invited back to the cult he left long ago. A cleansing is underway and his ‘old blood’ is necessary for the members to be able to take that next step in their ritual. But not is all as it seems.
Moses gives us hints as the story unfolds, but the final third really answers all of the questions he’s teased and we shift into another gear. Things happen fast and furious and the action was great. I especially enjoyed the merging of the events that are happening with the ritual shift.
The ending of this was spot on and opens up a lot of potential for Moses to revisit this world or even this specific cult.
What I didn’t like: As I said before, I don’t really get amped for Vietnam PTSD flashback stuff, it is used as a way to try and make us empathize with the character and see just how deep his connections to the cult go, but for this reader, it wasn’t that revelatory or connected.
Why you should buy this: If you dig cult stories, you’ll want to jump all over this. It is an easy, single-sitting read that’ll feel like you’ve just read a novel or watched a sprawling movie. Moses writes with gusto here and the characters all work really well to create a claustrophobic read.
Good stuff.
I’ve not read anything by Scott J. Moses before this release, but the synopsis sounded intriguing. The only thing that kind of made me wonder if I’d enjoy this was the Vietnam Vet angle. Maybe it’s because of being Canadian, or maybe it’s just that I don’t have a huge fondness for war based stories overall, but I don’t get that sucked into a story when Vietnam is a potential key component. Knowing that this was based around a man who returns to the cult he was forced to join as a kid, I pushed aside any personal negativity I have towards war stories and dove in.
What I liked: This is a fast, brutal read. If you’ve read any of my own cult based releases, you’ll be in for a treat. We follow a guy as he is invited back to the cult he left long ago. A cleansing is underway and his ‘old blood’ is necessary for the members to be able to take that next step in their ritual. But not is all as it seems.
Moses gives us hints as the story unfolds, but the final third really answers all of the questions he’s teased and we shift into another gear. Things happen fast and furious and the action was great. I especially enjoyed the merging of the events that are happening with the ritual shift.
The ending of this was spot on and opens up a lot of potential for Moses to revisit this world or even this specific cult.
What I didn’t like: As I said before, I don’t really get amped for Vietnam PTSD flashback stuff, it is used as a way to try and make us empathize with the character and see just how deep his connections to the cult go, but for this reader, it wasn’t that revelatory or connected.
Why you should buy this: If you dig cult stories, you’ll want to jump all over this. It is an easy, single-sitting read that’ll feel like you’ve just read a novel or watched a sprawling movie. Moses writes with gusto here and the characters all work really well to create a claustrophobic read.
Good stuff.
August 9, 2021
This was a 2.5 for me, rounded up to three for Goodreads and Amazon. I’ll try to explain some of my thought behind this.
I enjoyed the initial idea behind this story (I love me some cults), the quest to mend wrongs, the set up was perfect, the trip to the island, the travelling over the lake that was a little reminiscent to me of the river Styx all of this was so well written by Moses that he had his hands around my throat - the story for me seemed to unravel a little after the mask scene where he soon arrived.
I just couldn’t keep track of what was going on, with such a slow and steady build up with very few characters, which I loved - soon we are thrust into a story with so many character and each seemed to blend into the other, the only definition their masks.
I was confused I’ll admit it.
The piece itself is very well written, there’s nothing wrong with the prose - I’m a fan of Moses’ work and his short story collection ‘Hunger Pangs’ was one of my favourite collections I read last year. The man can write, there is no denying that and I’m sure people will really enjoy this offering, but for me it felt too grand for the stories length - many questions I had remained unanswered and I just feel that this story had a lot more to say and if it was given more of a page count it could have extended some of that slow burn dread and set up at the start - but for me towards the stories conclusion it just seemed a bit chaotic.
But these are my thoughts - I know many people and people I admire who have reviewed this and given it fours and fives… it just didn’t do it for me, and that’s okay, stories aren’t for everyone, but it won’t stop me checking out more of Moses’ work in the future!
Also a stand out quote for me in this was ‘The only reason I believe in God anymore is that I want someone to blame.’
I enjoyed the initial idea behind this story (I love me some cults), the quest to mend wrongs, the set up was perfect, the trip to the island, the travelling over the lake that was a little reminiscent to me of the river Styx all of this was so well written by Moses that he had his hands around my throat - the story for me seemed to unravel a little after the mask scene where he soon arrived.
I just couldn’t keep track of what was going on, with such a slow and steady build up with very few characters, which I loved - soon we are thrust into a story with so many character and each seemed to blend into the other, the only definition their masks.
I was confused I’ll admit it.
The piece itself is very well written, there’s nothing wrong with the prose - I’m a fan of Moses’ work and his short story collection ‘Hunger Pangs’ was one of my favourite collections I read last year. The man can write, there is no denying that and I’m sure people will really enjoy this offering, but for me it felt too grand for the stories length - many questions I had remained unanswered and I just feel that this story had a lot more to say and if it was given more of a page count it could have extended some of that slow burn dread and set up at the start - but for me towards the stories conclusion it just seemed a bit chaotic.
But these are my thoughts - I know many people and people I admire who have reviewed this and given it fours and fives… it just didn’t do it for me, and that’s okay, stories aren’t for everyone, but it won’t stop me checking out more of Moses’ work in the future!
Also a stand out quote for me in this was ‘The only reason I believe in God anymore is that I want someone to blame.’
July 22, 2021
I’m a sucker for cults; reading or watching about them, of course, not actually joining them. Not yet anyway.
Add to my cult-loving another SSS! release that deals with this subject matter, I just had to get involved.
Jim is the narrator here, on his way to some kind of secret meeting out in the sticks. While we’re not aware of what he’s up to straight away, various flashbacks throughout indicate Jim-boy has had a troubled past, both in his ‘Nam days, and his childhood.
Well, he’s off to see the cult. But once he gets there he’s revered by these people as one of the ‘old school’, as it were. But he’s there for another purpose, and blood’s about to flow.
The cult itself was delivered really well. The rituals were creepy and mysterious, and the masks they wore – the images created bring chills even as I sit and write this. Usually in these tales, you really fear for the poor protagonist as they enter a strange world they don’t understand. But with Jim, you’re fully aware shit’s going down, and I certainly enjoyed the ride.
This is a fast-paced read so I won’t say too much else about the plot, but even with a limited page count the world created had so much depth and history. Yeah it could have been longer, but that’s a minor gripe, it wasn’t like I expected a SSS! novel or anything.
Cult-lovers, horror-lovers and everyone else, unite and join… or die!!
Add to my cult-loving another SSS! release that deals with this subject matter, I just had to get involved.
Jim is the narrator here, on his way to some kind of secret meeting out in the sticks. While we’re not aware of what he’s up to straight away, various flashbacks throughout indicate Jim-boy has had a troubled past, both in his ‘Nam days, and his childhood.
Well, he’s off to see the cult. But once he gets there he’s revered by these people as one of the ‘old school’, as it were. But he’s there for another purpose, and blood’s about to flow.
The cult itself was delivered really well. The rituals were creepy and mysterious, and the masks they wore – the images created bring chills even as I sit and write this. Usually in these tales, you really fear for the poor protagonist as they enter a strange world they don’t understand. But with Jim, you’re fully aware shit’s going down, and I certainly enjoyed the ride.
This is a fast-paced read so I won’t say too much else about the plot, but even with a limited page count the world created had so much depth and history. Yeah it could have been longer, but that’s a minor gripe, it wasn’t like I expected a SSS! novel or anything.
Cult-lovers, horror-lovers and everyone else, unite and join… or die!!
July 19, 2021
ⓇⒺⓋⒾⒺⓌ
Non Practicing Cultist - Scott J Moses
Hands up if you love a revenge story 🤚🏻
Hands up if you love a cult story ✋🏻
Now how about we mix the two together and throw in a Vietnam vet hell bent on retribution? 🙌🏻
Sound good? You Damn right it does!
Non Practicing Cultist is a very short story, (under 40 pages) part of the ‘ A short sharp shocks! Book’ series from Demain Publishing.
If I’m being completely honest, I didn’t love this story as much as I did the stories in Scott’s collection Hunger Pangs, (I gave that 10/10) I feel NPC would of benefited from being longer - perhaps selfishly I just wanted more - however, this is another impressive short from the up and coming author.
In under 40 pages Scott still manages to write a wonderful atmospheric read, with believable characters that’ll keep you flicking through from start to finish
Definitely pick this up, it’s available now and for next to nothing on kindle.
I cannot wait to see what Scott J Moses has in store for us next.
Non Practicing Cultist - Scott J Moses
Hands up if you love a revenge story 🤚🏻
Hands up if you love a cult story ✋🏻
Now how about we mix the two together and throw in a Vietnam vet hell bent on retribution? 🙌🏻
Sound good? You Damn right it does!
Non Practicing Cultist is a very short story, (under 40 pages) part of the ‘ A short sharp shocks! Book’ series from Demain Publishing.
If I’m being completely honest, I didn’t love this story as much as I did the stories in Scott’s collection Hunger Pangs, (I gave that 10/10) I feel NPC would of benefited from being longer - perhaps selfishly I just wanted more - however, this is another impressive short from the up and coming author.
In under 40 pages Scott still manages to write a wonderful atmospheric read, with believable characters that’ll keep you flicking through from start to finish
Definitely pick this up, it’s available now and for next to nothing on kindle.
I cannot wait to see what Scott J Moses has in store for us next.
July 6, 2021
Scott Moses is a fresh new storm in the genre. The first appreciation; style. Anyone who reads Moses' work will be delighted how easy and free-flowing the narrative stands. It's climbing a tree with perfectly placed branches for every step to the top. I don't make reviews on content, there are too many ways to drop a spoiler. "Non-Practicing Cultist" has a hard edge that moves quickly to the final scene, it wastes no time with bullshit we don't need.
August 15, 2021
Wow, I am seriously impressed with how much story Moses is able to cram into this short story. There is a whole world here and the only downside is I wanted more! I hope the author plans to visit this world again. Great, descriptive prose and a great cult story for fans of the subgenre
August 1, 2021
An action-packed cult short
Moses became an instant favorite with his collection, HUNGER PANGS. This new short is exciting, creepy, and bloody. It's definitely recommended for fans of horror.
Moses became an instant favorite with his collection, HUNGER PANGS. This new short is exciting, creepy, and bloody. It's definitely recommended for fans of horror.
December 6, 2022
I mean, I like it.
August 11, 2021
I think I found this through Goodreads and I'm very appreciative of it. I am really enjoying delving into these "A Short Sharp Shock! Books" and this one is a brief read, but definitely a bit of a horror gut punch? It's deadly serious and I felt like I was holding my breath while reading, the tension was palpable for me.
#tacticalhorror
#tacticalhorror
December 23, 2021
So cleverly woven - light SPOILERS
I'm a fan of the Short Sharp Shocks range, and this one was no exception. I have to admit, at the beginning, I felt this was well written, but seemed to be moving in a fairly obvious direction.
Yeah, I was seriously wrong about that. Once they arrive at the shack, all bets are off and from there on in, I was locked in, with no way off the ride but to get to the end. Superb and dark as hell.
I'm a fan of the Short Sharp Shocks range, and this one was no exception. I have to admit, at the beginning, I felt this was well written, but seemed to be moving in a fairly obvious direction.
Yeah, I was seriously wrong about that. Once they arrive at the shack, all bets are off and from there on in, I was locked in, with no way off the ride but to get to the end. Superb and dark as hell.
January 12, 2022
Entertaining cultish horror story that grasps your attention from the very first page getting darker as it progresses
July 19, 2021
Excerpt from review on Horror Oasis:
"From the first page, Moses weaves threads into the story in a masterful fashion, turning what initially seem to be benign details into narrative threads, only to pull them when least expected. There’s a thrilling unpredictability to Non-Practicing Cultist, one which had me eager to dive back in for a second read."
https://horroroasis.com/non-practicin...
"From the first page, Moses weaves threads into the story in a masterful fashion, turning what initially seem to be benign details into narrative threads, only to pull them when least expected. There’s a thrilling unpredictability to Non-Practicing Cultist, one which had me eager to dive back in for a second read."
https://horroroasis.com/non-practicin...
April 20, 2022
I love cult stories and this cult was really interesting. Scott's writing is so atmospheric. You can feel the humidity, the sweat, taste the air. I only wish it was a little longer so I could learn more about the cult.
July 23, 2023
Top notch writing here, and a great little story.
I will definitely read more from this author. No question.
Very close to a five star read.
I will definitely read more from this author. No question.
Very close to a five star read.
July 8, 2021
Scott Moses wrote a short story about a cult (one of my favorite subjects) from the eyes of someone wanting to destroy the cult. It was compelling and action filled. I was excited throughout the whole book, and terrified by the animal masks. The visuals I had in my head caused me to shudder.
This was all about the imagery and world building. I felt like I was in the south, some secretive small town. The townspeople suspicion of newcomers and the big scary woods encroaching on the town space. The actual cult and characters were so real. The quirky girl barkeep who hides a secret, the rough trucker with the shotgun on the too small gun rack.
If you like cults mixed with visual horror you’ll love this book like I did!
This was all about the imagery and world building. I felt like I was in the south, some secretive small town. The townspeople suspicion of newcomers and the big scary woods encroaching on the town space. The actual cult and characters were so real. The quirky girl barkeep who hides a secret, the rough trucker with the shotgun on the too small gun rack.
If you like cults mixed with visual horror you’ll love this book like I did!
February 11, 2023
Sorry Scott, I didn't "review bomb" you. Your writing just isn't that good.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews