Publisher:
Lost Hollow Books

Publication Date:
09/21/2022

Copyright Date:
N/A

ISBN:
9781938271540

Binding:
Paperback

U.S. SRP:
19.99

HELL SPRING

By Isaac Thorne

IR_Star-black
IR Rating:
4.0
Isaac Thorne creates characters who feel like real people in HELL SPRING and then puts them through the wringer, but doesn’t get much beyond the surface of their suffering in this brisk, well-constructed horror story.
IR Approved
In 1955 an incredibly powerful storm floods the small town of Lost Hollow, and eight people shelter in the general store—joined by a hellish predator determined to feed off of their worst impulses, guilt, and shame.

When a book begins with a group of dog-like demons feeding off damned souls while fleeing the regular ejaculations of an enormous phallus, you might expect a bizarro experience to follow. But author Isaac Thorne creates characters who feel like real people and then puts them through the wringer, but doesn’t get much beyond the surface of their suffering in HELL SPRING, his brisk, well-constructed horror story. Thorne reels in the tone once one of the hellhounds somehow escapes and finds itself in the midst of a Storm of the Century in Lost Hollow, Tennessee. As the floodwaters close roads and make it impossible to go anywhere, eight locals gather in the general store run by Kathy Beard.

Each of these people has a secret—the local pastor has been stealing from the collection plate, a battered young mother has recently murdered her abusive husband in self-defense—which is what draws the creature to Beard’s store; it feeds off guilt and shame and especially likes the savory flavor of murderers. Assuming the image of Marilyn Monroe glimpsed from a copy of the actress’s famous early nude poses, the hellhound first feeds off the troubled Peter Mayberry, a man tortured by his mother’s abuse and his homosexuality. When Marilyn, as he comes to think of the demon, feeds on him she leaves him without any shame or guilt for the first time in his adult life—and the immense relief he feels (despite apparently being rapidly aged as a result) makes him believe her to be an angel. Peter decides to serve her, and sets about helping the others gain the same sense of peace that he’s experienced. This doesn’t go entirely as planned. The pastor, Mark MacDonald, realizes what he’s up against and attempts to fight Marilyn off—only to be completely consumed and reduced to an insect-like creature that Peter stores in a bucket. As the others meet similar fates, Peter grows more and more decrepit—and begins to doubt Marilyn’s goodness.

Thorne has a firm hand on his characters, who start off as caricatures but slowly develop into real people who struggle with their flaws. Peter’s relief at having all of his guilt magically removed is an interesting twist, and just when readers think a character like the pastor will be defined solely by greed and weakness he surprises by being the first to see through Marilyn’s charade and fight back. Thorne avoids the mistake of making his characters totally awful or totally good, instead opting for a nice bit of complexity. The horror aspects are never particularly jolting, however. Each character meets their end quickly, and with approximately zero sense that they might escape their fate there’s a lack of tension—while Marilyn’s weaknesses are telegraphed to the reader almost immediately, only one of the characters picks up on the clues, and then only at the end. And the characters having exactly one point of guilt and shame limits how deep Thorne can get into each one, making the fundamental dynamic of the tale lack a bit of depth. But the story moves along efficiently and never loses interest. And the final confrontation between a much-weakened Peter and the creature is handled with flare and originality, leading to a surprisingly sweet final act.

Isaac Thorne creates characters who feel like real people in HELL SPRING and then puts them through the wringer, but doesn’t get much beyond the surface of their suffering in this brisk, well-constructed horror story.

~Jeff Somers for IndieReader

Publisher:
Lost Hollow Books

Publication Date:
09/21/2022

Copyright Date:
N/A

ISBN:
9781938271540

Binding:
Paperback

U.S. SRP:
19.99

HELL SPRING

By Isaac Thorne

Isaac Thorne’s HELL SPRING is an accomplished, imaginative, and finely detailed primeval horror with a seam of black humor running through a narrative that is entertaining, visual, and nicely stylized to the era. A sharply drawn and realistic cast ensure the characters’ private demons are as compelling as the one they have to confront.