Riverwatch

by Joseph Nassise

A forgotten chamber secreted beneath a river An ancient evil that lies slumbering in the dark. A guardian determined to fulfill his duty to his last, dying breath.

As something dark and deadly takes to the skies over Harrington Falls, Jake Caruso and his friends, Sam Travers and Katelynn Riley, find themselves drawn into a primeval conflict set in motion centuries before. When fresh blood is spilled and the death toll mounts, these three friends will find themselves faced with a terror beyond imagination, one that will require every vestige of their strength, faith, and determination to confront.


PRAISE FOR RIVERWATCH
Nominated for the International Horror Guild Award for Outstanding Achievement in a First Novel

Nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel

"A modern gothic thriller...scary...remarkable." - Denver Rocky Mountain News

"Nasty, vicious, and perhaps most insidious of all - seductive." - Midwest Book Review


ABOUT THE
Joseph Nassise is the author of more than a dozen novels, including the internationally bestselling Templar Chronicles series (HERETIC, A SCREAM OF ANGELS, A TEAR IN THE SKY) and several books in the Rogue Angel action/adventure series from Gold Eagle.

He's a former president of the Horror Writers Association, the world’s largest organization of professional horror writers, and a two time Bram Stoker Award and International Horror Guild Award nominee.

You can visit him on the web at

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Fantasy, Thriller, Ebooks

340 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 27, 2000

About the author

I'm the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than fifty novels, including the Templar Chronicles series, the Jeremiah Hunt trilogy, and the Great Undead War series. I've also written several books in the Rogue Angel action/adventure series from Gold Eagle. I'm a former president of the Horror Writers Association, the world's largest organization of professional horror writers, and a multiple Bram Stoker Award and International Horror Guild Award nominee.

When I'm not writing, I'm hanging out with dogs, practicing recurve archery, or off-roading in the desert around my home in Phoenix, AZ.

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid story of contractors in a small town uncovering a monster hidden underneath a deserted mansion and the people who gather to fight it. I listened to the audio book, and it made a fine Halloween story. Some creepy moments and some good action moments. The characters don't always make the smartest decisions, but they felt in character. I gather this is an early story by Joseph Nassise, but even so, I found myself caring about the characters.

[David Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

To say this story is a rollercoaster ride is an understatement, this review is based on listening to the Audible version of Riverwatch. This is a solid horror story with well-developed believable characters, who each have very human weaknesses, but when pushed have an inner-strength that pushes them toward their goal. While the overall story is the ancient battle between good and evil, Mr. Nassise has told it in such a way that it fully captured my interest and held it until R.C. Bray read the final line.

[Eero · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is fitting that the main characters play a Dungeons and Dragons type game, because the plotting here has a similar, shall we say modular, quality. Everything is pretty much laid out at the beginning: a winged demon (actually the last member of an ancient and forgotten eeeee-vil race) has been imprisoned in a secret vault, and once stupid humans accidentally release it, it starts killing people at night. The remaining question is how the heroes will be able to stop it.

I must confess that I pretty much started skimming through the book as soon as the simplicity was evident. It is not horribly bad, although the writing is clunky and prone to using too many adjectives for dramatic effect. The author consistently uses the word "affect" instead of "effect", and the word "resurrection" is misspelled in a chapter title.

The mythology behind the story is not bad, although it presumes that ancient peoples were idiots and incapable of inventing or building anything by themselves without the help of a mysterious elder race. The character Sam spouts some idiocy about the Easter Island statues, pyramids and the Mayan civilization, but I guess it could be just his half-assed knowledge, gleaned from dubious sources, speaking. (Although in some ways Sam might be a stand-in for the author.)

For a first novel this is not bad, but could use some polishing.

[Estelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gripping first chapters but quickly turned into a bit of a mess.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I’ve read this year! If you love intense action then this is the one for you. It’s horror but more in the line of monster hunting. Sort of reminds me of Jeremy Robinson’s writing and maybe some of Jonathan Yanez’s urban fantasy. I loved the elderly man, Gabriel. He is older than people realize though. He has been a guardian of humanity for centuries. He helps protect against an evil man has long forgotten. A creature unlike any other. But this creature has been set free from its prison and only Jake and his friend, along with a sheriff can help him destroy it. There are some really scary parts where after listening I had some bad dreams about a creature chasing me. I love books that do their job of getting to me lol. I really got attached to the characters and, not to spoil anything but some don’t survive the task so I was upset when that happened. But this made it all the more real to me as a reader. This story brought a whole new meaning to things that go bump in the night.

[Jay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good horror bits and a couple good plot twists still didn’t quite save this book for me, but I’ll cut the author a little bit of slack since it was his first. Only a little, because clunky writing (“seconds later the nightshade’s deadly talons raked the air where he’d been standing milliseconds before” — so was it seconds or milliseconds?), unnecessary explanations that treat the audience as illiterate (“he nodded to show he understood,” “he shook his head to disagree,” “he asked in reference to [topic we literally read about a sentence ago]”), a some heavy exposition dumps, a very convenient lack of communication to drag out the conflict, and some clear hatred of cats on the author’s end, it was a struggle to get through after about 30%, but struggle I did. Not worth.

[Diane Stevenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best horror books I’ve ever read!! Well written with a great story, this hooked me right up to the very end!! Highly recommend this book and this author, if you’re a fan of horror and urban fantasy!!

[Trevor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good supernatural story, as a long dormant evil is awakened. Nice build up, as good goes against evil. If you don't find a body, never assume it's over!!

[Horror Guy · Rating 2 out of 5]

An okay creature book that dips too deep into fantasy territory for most of the horror to remain intact.

[Richard Carlsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a terrific book that would make an amazing movie with the right director. For once an ending that isn’t a letdown like happens in most horror novels.

[Carol A Smiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rivitting

A must read action from beging to end I would recommend this to any one interested in scarry good books

[Cinzia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Non l'ho finito, troppo noioso e lento

[Fhasyyati · Rating 2 out of 5]

about a gargoyle-looking ancient trapped beast that
came to a release because of a drunk himbo smashed a stone in a crypt. My very first horror/ supernatural book. Not really into satans n witchcraft beings. Overall not really my cup of tea but good enough as an intermezzo after reading a heavy topic like self improvement 😅

[cheska (bookishdaylight) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The first chapters got me just putting the book down just because there's nothing happening but when you get to the middle part that's where it'll get interesting. I like the part where the beast just roams at night. Since it bothered me a little bit and there are times that it's just intense that I just really need to put the book down and just breathe.

[Veronica-Lynn Pit Bull · Rating 1 out of 5]

After reading "Riverwatch" I was curious to see what the other reveiws looked like; knowing this was a debut novel and having been personally momunentally disappointed. I feel like I read a different book than everyone else. IMHO The plot was predictable, seemed to drag on forever and was just plain old BORING!. I had to force myself to finish it and on several occassions cursed my obsessive need to finish every book I start. I was hopeful when the book started out. Moloch reminded me of the monster from Jeepers Creepers, which was fine; because all things considered he was a faily unique and interesting nemesis. But boy, was it ever all downhill from there. As someone else mentioned (although they were considerably more charitable than I) the author's habit of constantly telling you what absolutely everyone was thinking all of the time drove me insane. I also found the author's need to explain everything exasperating. It felt like he was saying "see it really can happen, this really is plausibe"...and frankly it really wasn't. I found the characters fairly under developed and wasn't able to connect with or care about any of them. My most enjoyable moment was finishing this book, knowing I could move on to something else!

[Carl Alves · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Riverwatch, Jake Caruso and his construction crew, while performing construction on the old Blake mansion, come across a hidden tunnel. This piques Jake's interests, and he feels compelled to explore the tunnel, even beyond what is required as part of the job. They come across a stone chamber that had been covered for centuries. If you've read enough horror novels or watched enough horror movies, you know what comes next. In a tried and true trope, they unleash an ancient creature who begins to wreak havoc on the town of Harrington Falls.

There isn't anything overly original about Riverwatch. It's a plot line that has been done before, but nonetheless Joseph Nassise did an expert job on the execution. The writing is at a high level, done by a writer who exhibits nothing but professionalism and shows a high skill level. There is sufficient tension and suspense throughout, along with good horror elements that keep the story going without any lulls in the plot. The novel is well crafted and well worth reading.

Carl Alves - author of Blood Street

[Jorgen Schäfer · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the mystery novel Riverwatch by Joseph Nassise, construction workers find an ancient statue in an abandondened tomb. When they return with the property owner, the statue is gone, and a corpse is in the tomb instead. Soon, others are killed as well.

The narrative starts out well in the style of Lovecraft, but soon switches to describing the evil explicitly, turning the book from a horror novel I might have enjoyed into a mixture of mystery and splatter which is not exactly my kind of genre. And while the text is mostly written fluidly, the story is a bit too cliché and the characters remain flat and uninteresting thorough the book, so I was actually happy it was over when it was.

I suspect I might have enjoyed the book more if it had been my type of genre. So if you enjoy mystery books about ancient evils splattering in the modern world, you might like it.

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I stopped reading this book. I didn't like it from the first few pages, but I persevered, hoping that it would get better. It didn't. I'm not sure what page number I got to. It might have been around 60. Definitely after 40.

I'm not really into this genre right now which may have been part of the problem. The other issue was the writing style. It was the type of narration that reminded me of stuff kids do in middle school. "He ate a sandwich. He felt sad. He went to sleep." Obviously, that was not a quote from the book, but it could have been. The sentences and ideas seemed very simple. There was barely any imagery. I didn't feel anything for any of the characters.

Oh well. I'm sure I didn't pay much for it anyway. I got it at either Goodwill or a used book store.

[Elke · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a hidden chamber is discovered at a construction site, a centuries old monster is set free. When a series of of gory murders takes place, a small group of ordinary people sets against the bloodthirsty threat.

Although the story does not seem to be very original, I can highly recommend this first novel, because it offers some new ideas and twists (e.g. where did the monster originate).

This book delivers some solid horror. Though we may know what to expect from the story, it never gets boring, thanks also to the gripping and fluent writing.

And because you know how a typical monster story goes, you are curious it will end this time, who of our heroes will survive, and wether the monster will be defeated or not. Get the book and find out for yourself!

[VanHalen · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, I found Mr. Nassise because of a horror pod-cast I listen to. He was reading his newer novel, Heretic.

I liked the free reading of Heretic and when a co-worker had this book, I asked his opinion & he gave it to me when he was finished.

It has an excellent style, and good pace. The story is nice with the beginning being excellent.

There are a couple of inconsistencies in the plot/facts in the book which have caused me to make the rating down, which is a shame because it speaks not only to the author, but the editor, Amy Pierpont, for missing the errors.

I expect that I will get another book from the author, but can't fully recommend this one due to the problems I found.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, I have to give this book 5 stars. Some reviewers have had complaints. This is earlier Nassise than some of his other works. There are sections that seem to wander, but to me, I LOVED the extra information, foreshadowing, and historical detail that he adds. Not all who wander are lost, and this book definitely isn't lost. I loved it.

This book rewrites early history, plays with the ideas of Elder races, malevolent beings, and their rebirth. An evil entity called Moloch escapes it's prison and begins to hunt again. An unlikely band of heroes finds themselves living a modern D&D nightmare as they attempt to battle this ancient evil. With some guidance from an Elder on his last days, they will do what they can to end this evil before it can spread across the world.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It definitely kept me reading, and I had no problem accepting the premise of a predatory winged creature running amok in present-day America, but my suspension of disbelief almost broke down when the "resident skeptic" started blathering about how we have "no explanation" of how structures like the Pyramids and the statues of Easter Island were built. Yes we do. He also named someone I never heard of as the discoverer of ancient Troy. (It was Heinrich Schliemann.)

On the whole, though, it was a pretty good story and worth the read.

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like this book. I just kept on reading, because I wanted to know if it would get any better.
The story is about an ancient beast that escapes again and wants to kill all humans, so the beast has to be killed. In my opinion there isn't more to the book than that. It was predictable, not original, not that well written (I felt like there was put too much effort in wanting the sentences to look nice) and it took me a long time to finish it, although it isn't that big a book. I wouldn't recommend it.

[Albert Yates · Rating 5 out of 5]

the book was a little slow to begin, but once the plot has started to advance once the crypt had been opened I could not find enough time in the day to read this book.

having an ancient creature who once hunted humans for sport running free through modern day America would be a pretty intense but when the only person strong enough to defeat it is on his last legs, he must find a new guardian with enough will to defeat the creature and restore peace to this quiet town.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an odd book. The author has the knack of storytelling, but his mechanics aren't very good. This is bad for two reasons. First, it muddles things for the reader. Second, it jars the language-sensitive reader out of the story. I really wanted to give the book a two, but I gave partial credit for the author sounding like a really nice guy.

Also, somehow the kindle edition has randomly inserted words and missing words. This happens a lot. Also jarring.

[Emmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly eerily spooky, it was enjoyable. However, in Chapter 14, there were several mentions of a character named "Hudson" that never made sense and haunted me til the end ...
It was also strange that although there were mentions of some murders, some were the ones we witnessed or knew about, yet others came out of left field. Maybe I expected too much- but the author had built it up to those expectations.

[Angie crosby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horror book, about the last of a breed of flying 'demons', and the people who find themselves fighting to kill it before it kills more citizens of there city. Good fast paced book, different yet easy to read.
Quite good, would read it again and recommend it.

[Solim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though parts of the story were cliched I still enjoyed it. I knew how it was going to turn out for the most part but it was still interesting. I liked the whole background of the races that have been fighting for ages. It was like an Angels vs. Demons type of thing.

[Nia Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book ears ago and I really liked it. It actually made me a bit jumpy. Perhaps it was because I was younger... Still. the story stuck with me for years to come. Very enjoyable horror novel.

[Jacqui · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea had promise, but definitely fell short.