The Harbinger of Vengeance

Author's Enhanced Edition

By: Jon Athan

Narrated by: John Lescault

Length: 4 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

Shawn Scott has the perfect life—a rewarding career, a nice house, a loving wife with a healthy baby on the way. But after running into an old acquaintance—a strange man named Aiden Anderson—his life is thrown into a terrifying tailspin. Aiden knows Shawn’s darkest secrets. And he wants to punish Shawn for his history of ruthless bullying by playing a special "game".

Shawn must complete five challenges reflecting the bullying of their past, each one more disturbing than the last. If he fails or quits, his worst secrets will be revealed to the world—secrets with the power to ruin his life.

“The bullied becomes the bully...and the bully becomes the bullied.”

Jon Athan, the author of Am I Beautiful? and The Law of Retaliation, invites you to experience a brutal game of vengeance.

Rewritten and reedited from the ground up, the 2023 author’s enhanced edition of this book is an uncut, uncensored, and extended version of Jon Athan’s debut novel. It is the definitive The Harbinger of Vengeance experience.

Warning: This book contains graphic content. Listener discretion is advised.

©2016, 2023 Jonathan Sixtos (P)2023 Jonathan Sixtos

I had to buy this as soon as Amazon notified me!!

LOVED IT. Totally relatable to what goes on in my own head. I've been binging on ALL of Jon Athan's since discovering him last year!! Not for easily offended people, although I'd say this is one of his less gory books. More please!!

Very intense painful suspense

From the notes from the author after the book ends, he talks about this being his first published novella, and a few years ago, he went back to it to rewrite it and bring the story closer to his present standards, extend it, and give it the extra polish. And I didn't know it was his first story he released, which is a good way to start with his books.

This is very much a revenge story, and I wasn't too sure what to expect, what do these 5 challenges entail. I'll say that it's very creative, it goes places that I wasn't expecting, and the author does know just where the line is and how close to the edge he should go. It's not a splatter gore fest, I mean you can't finish 5 challenges if you're dead, that would be a bad plan. What it does is very painful and outright disgusting. I mean it's not as gross out as The Slob by Aron Beauregard, but it's still shocking and revolting.

The book really kept me interested, especially to keep listening to find out what's next and what exactly this 5 and final challenge is, what's the end game of this grueling night of punishment? I was kept in suspense to the very end.

As for the narration, the narrator has a very professional voice, in a way almost a little too sophisticated sounding to talk about all the bodily fluids and bullying cringe stories, but he does a great job, it's what you get when you hire a seasoned professional who will read anything you put to page.

So good!

I was shocked to hear at the end that this was his first novella! So well written, so disturbing and terrifying. Sure the ending was predictable, but still so heartwrenching and certain descriptors made me feel like I need a shower.

Jon Athan is a name I hear a lot in Extreme Horror recommendations, to the point that I assumed his work was more "mainstream horror" and never gave him a chance. But he's highly recommended for a reason! I can't wait to read/listen to more of his work!