Sallow Bend

By: Alan Baxter

Narrated by: Joe Hempel

Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

Something old and deadly has awoken.

When two teenagers go missing from the small, rural town of Sallow Bend, the residents come together to search for them. Little do they suspect that finding the wayward girls will be the start of their problems. An old evil is rising, and only one man seems to realize that everyone is in danger and this is not the first time it’s happened. With the carnival in town, people want to have a good time, but for many, this will be the worst time of their lives.

“Alan Baxter is an accomplished storyteller who ably evokes magic and menace.” (Laird Barron, author of Swift to Chase)

“Baxter delivers the horror goods.” (Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts and The Cabin at the End of the World)

“Step into the ring with Alan Baxter, I dare you. He writes with the grace, precision, and swift brutality of a prizefighter.” (Christopher Golden, New York Times best-selling author of Ararat and The Pandora Room)

©2022 Alan Baxter (P)2023 David N. Wilson

Wow! Pleasant Surprise!!

I was suspicious of this book simply because there weren't many reviews. However, the reviews were all great, I've never followed this author, the story seemed cool AND the book was on sale! Turns out I have a new author to follow! It was creepy, gripping and the ending was satisfying! Two thumbs up!

Charming 1970s-Esque Horror

"Sallow Bend" was an engaging experience; the performance was captivating and the narrative (with twists and turns) was enough to quickly hook me. The tone, writing and characters were similar to horror paperbacks from the 1970s... I was surprised to learn that the writing is far more contemporary. If that kind of Bradbury-small-town-mystery vibe is your speed, "Sallow" is likely to fill that need.

Intriguing premise and strong narrator

Sallow Bend is a "small town with a dark secret" story, complete with a traveling circus, so you know exactly what you're getting. Easily digestible with some strong beats of horror, the story itself drags from repetitive passages, monologuing villains, and a few stereotypical character traits and tropes that we can all do without.

That said, it's a well-paced story that kept me engaged, with strong narration from Joe Hempel, so I recommend it.

Ok story but...

Sorry but the narrator ruined this book for me. I struggled to finish this, but I did because the story was interesting enough to do so, but I was irritated by the narration the entire time. On top of it all I had just returned a book, which I don't do often, because the narration was God awful, to find out I purchased another book (this one) with the same narrator! I will be more careful to find that out from now on!

Another hit for Baxter!

Over the last few years I have quickly become a huge fan of Alan Baxter. The range in which he can write is incredible. Whether it’s a creature feature like The Roo, or a cosmic horror collection like The Gulp/Fall series, he’s nailed each trope. I was excited to see how he handled more of a slow burn in this small town folk horror. I was not disappointed! The dread and mystery builds with each page and all comes full circle in a satisfying conclusion. Joe Hempel did an amazing job narrating as usual, and it really brought this story to life. Highly recommended!

Pretty Good Story

This book was just “good” 3.5 stars really. If you can catch it on a deal, do it. The plot wasn’t crazy original, think a mix between Stephen King’s “IT” and Dean Koontz’s “Odd Thomas”. But again, still pretty good. I am on the fence with the narrator.

80s-Style Teen Witch Horror

3.5 A modern male feminist take on an 80s-horror-style book. Those old blood-soaked paperbacks are great, but why do they have to be so sexist all the time? Here comes Sallow Bend, a well-executed mix of pulp 80s horror and modern liberal politics. It's exciting and I agree with all this!

It's a thoughtful story about a teen witch who returns as part of a curse on a town who uses her powers to kill harassing men. So the townsfolk have to ask themselves, "How can I not be a sexist piece of shit to survive?" The main characters are surprisingly queer-positive and the violent deaths are gruesome. It's a balanced mix of horror and preachiness. I liked the worldbuilding around the evil spirit and how it implanted false memories in the town's people. Mid, but interesting and easy to read. Fairly spooky too.

Awesome

Missing kids and creepy carnies? Sign me up! This one was an almost instant hit with me. It not only had a great plot, but sympathetic and relatable characters, as well as a good bit of creepy, atmospheric ambiance. I couldn't help but relate to Caleb because I, too, am weird and solitary, and find other people exhausting. His character drew me in immediately and kept me entertained, constantly thinking "Same, Caleb." This was a first for me from this author but I will absolutely be back for more.

Really 3.5 stars

Better then average 3 star rating but doesn't quite reach 4 stars in my opinion. However, I did enjoy it enough to look up more books by Alan Baxter since this is my first book by him. I will listen to more of this works.
Only complaint was it was a tiny bit predictable but overall good.

Great listen for the person looking for a supernatural touch!

Love this listen! I was pleasantly surprised how good it was ! A little spooky and mysterious.