Bone Harvest

By: James Brogden

Narrated by: Liz Jasicki

From the critically acclaimed author of Hekla’s Children comes a dark and haunting tale of an ancient cult wreaking bloody havoc on the modern world.

Struggling with the effects of early onset dementia, Dennie Keeling now leads a quiet life. Her husband is dead, her children are grown, and her best friend, Sarah, was convicted of murdering her abusive husband. After Sarah’s tragic death in prison, Dennie has found solace in her allotment, and all she wants is to be left to tend it in peace. Life remains quiet for 12 years, until three strangers take on a nearby plot and Dennie starts to notice unnatural things. Shadowy figures prowl at night; plants flower well before their time. And then Sarah appears, bringing dire warnings and vanishing after daubing symbols on the walls in Dennie’s own blood.

Dennie soon realizes that she is face-to-face with an ancient evil - but with her dementia steadily growing worse, who is going to believe her?

©2020 by James Brogden (P)2020 by Blackstone Publishing

that first part!

goregous opening chapters that ultimately lead to a fun slow burn folk horror with an anticlimactic and fatalistic end — worth it for the first half alone

weird, very weird!

after the first hour and a half I almost returned this book. but I gave it a chance. it got better but really strange. good story line. the narrator did a good job.

Good book and reader

I have sure if I’d finish the book at first but I’m glad I did because it got better and better!

Great story of supernatural

The tale is interesting and goes through time following the main character throughout the ages. Combination of many things from action to suspense to violence and the supernatural. Having read over 200 on books on here, this is an original story that captures your imagination. Well written, good narration. Not for the faint of heart.

Slow Burn Folk Horror

IF YOU LOVE - AHS Roanoke, The VVitch, Antlers, True Detective S1, Midnight Mass - you'll probably enjoy this book

OVERALL - 5/5, will read again, love the layered themes of the plot, characters i enjoyed following through their lives and as they met one another, a perfectly set backdrop to contrast with the main conflict.

horror - 3/5, while i found the horror elements intriguing, for the most the most part there are no jumpscare moments. there is a fair amount of blood, guts and everything nice but be warned, there is animal death/mutilation. luckily its really not to animals we have an emotional connection to ( the pets are safe ), so just proceed with caution if you are extremely sensitive to such topics. the first bit is told during ww1, so yeah, war.

characters - 5/5, no matter what the book summary says, dennie (the old lady) is not the main character for the simple fact that there are multiple - we spend a lot of time with each and get to know their fears, aspirations, vices and beliefs. dont get stuck that you dont meet dennie right away, because you spend the time before her gaining a pivotal foundation for the rest of the events that take place. a sign of good characters - even if they're on the dark side so to speak, you cant help but hope they get a happy ending too.

spice - 3.5/5, there are some spicy scenes ( yay! ), but nothing is very detailed ( aw shucks ) and most of the action trails off once we meet dennie and her neighbors.

plot - 5/5, while i LOVE the premise and overall story, there are moments where it tends to slow down : not a problem for me personally could be a dealbreaker for someone else. the characters carry the story in these moments so theres *something* going, but if you're here for ACTION! you might be disappointed. the religious horror elements were well thought out and surprisingly unique. there is intentional social commentary embedded in the main and sub plots, but they are expertly subtle until the author brings them to the surface. the mixing of past and present works extremely well with the focus of an ancient god and his followers existing in the modern age. wild, primordial nature meets garden plots in small town england.

narrator - 4/5, there was pretty distinct voices and cadences for each character, but some of the male and child vocals seemed off