[Book Review] The Damned Ones- Chris Miller

Reviewer’s Note: The Damned Ones is the second book in Chris Miller’s cosmic horror series. See my review of the first book, The Damned Place here. 

In The Damned Ones, Chris Miller returns us to Winnsboro, Texas and reacquaints us with the surviving heroes of The Damned Place. Twenty-six years after the horrific events that nearly resulted in the end of the world, Jim, Freddie, Ryan and Honey are all grown up. They’ve spent most of their lives trying to forget what happened out at that damned house. Unfortunately for them, something huge is coming and they might have to save the world again.

One thing that is apparent when reading The Damned Ones is just how much Miller has come into his own as an author since The Damned Place. That isn’t to say that The Damned Place wasn’t a damned good story; well-written with excellent characters and plot. It’s just that in the first book of the series, Miller’s influences were clear. The undertones of Stephen King and Stranger Things were undeniable and evident. With The Damned Ones, Miller has completely come into his own. The story is wholly original and 100% Miller, and it’s great.  

Rather than the main plot thread being the conflict between kids and their bullies, The Damned Ones sees a grown Jim Dalton as the Chief of Police trying to solve a string of brutal murders. The two major points of view here are Jim’s and Norman’s. If the name Norman sounds familiar, it’s because Norman Reese is the younger brother of Jake Reese, the head bully from book one. A small side character in the first book, Norman takes the stage front and center in The Damned Ones. Just like in the first book, a Reese boy is the main human antagonist. I absolutely loved Norman as the big baddie. All his life, he has been convinced by his mother to believe that he is God’s chosen, and will play a pivotal role in bringing His word to all of creation. To keep this spoiler-free, I’ll just say that she was not entirely wrong. 

Quite possibly the most successful aspect of The Damned Ones is Miller’s horrifying portrayal of absolute religious mania. The Reese family is nuts. Norman’s mother Cherry is convinced beyond all doubt that her loving boy has been called upon by God Almighty to fulfil a Great Purpose. That core, unshakable belief is what drives her every move, and what shaped Norman into who he had to be in order for this story to take off. Being inside both of their heads is surreal. The absolute delusion, the ridiculous mental gymnastics of justification are genuinely terrifying. Miller managed to get inside the head of this perfect storm of delusion, narcissism and grandeur. The scariest part is that it all seemed so real. People like this could actually exist. Religion has been behind some atrocious acts throughout history, and that level of realism really hit home with Norman and Cherry. 

When it comes to blood-guts-and-gore, The Damned Ones is in a whole different league than its predecessor. Obviously with the plot being a grisly string of murders, there’s gonna be some blood. Miller writes these violent gore-fests with grace, balancing beauty and blood, passion and pain. The murder scenes were easily my favorite scenes in the novel (except maybe the climactic finale). Miller gives just enough background on each victim so that you can really put yourself in their shoes before he brutally chops you down while you’re there. The murder scenes were somehow both fun and haunting and actually scary all at once. 

When it comes time for the final showdown, Miller cranks it up and just lets it fly. The final few chapters get progressively more brutal and wild and unpredictable. By the time the end came, I was flying through pages at 3 AM, practically inhaling the story. In my opinion, the way Miller chose to end the book is damn near perfect. This ending hit heavy. This is no story where the heroes hold hands and use the power of love to come through unscathed. Miller uses your heart as a punching bag, just letting you have it. Maybe I’m a softy, or maybe it’s cause I’ve got my first kid on the way. But the epilogue moved me damn near to tears. 

The Damned Ones is a beautiful, violent, wild ride. Like returning to your hometown after years abroad, the setting and characters are comfortably familiar, but time has had its effect. Being back with the characters we know and love from The Damned Place really adds a punch to this one, but it would be a solid work even without reading the first novel. Miller has stepped up his game in the bloodshed department while managing to keep the story character-centric. Fans of slashers, cosmic horror and religious mania will absolutely love it. No doubts about it, you need to read Chris Miller’s The Damned Ones.

You can purchase a copy on Amazon for $5.99 (Kindle) or $15.98 (paperback).

[Book Review] Boy in the Box- Marc E. Fitch

Boy in the Box tells the story of a fateful accident that destroys the lives of a group of friends. While on a hunting trip in the Adirondack Mountains for a bachelor party, one of the friends accidentally shoots and kills a young child. In a panicked effort to save themselves, they devise a plan to bury the boy and never speak of it again. Despite seemingly getting away with their crime, the men spend the next decade in guilt-ridden stress. When a new development is set to begin digging in the area where the body was buried, the group must return to that fateful mountain to ensure that their dark secret won’t be uncovered. Along the way, they begin to realize that they aren’t alone in the woods, and that just maybe there is more at play than they understand.

While at first, Boy in the Box seems to follow a pretty straight forward storyline of murder, cover-ups and intrigue, there is far more to be found here. From the start, Fitch builds a sense of foreboding and dread. The scenes set in the dark woods are nerve-racking, with a looming sense of primal terror. This mounting fear of things stalking in the night is expertly crafted. Fitch sets an uneasy scene and pumps in tension to the bursting point. The narrative strolls along with nail-bitingly charged lulls punctuated by heart-racing climaxes. The effect is a slowly increasing sense of madness. As the atmosphere built and the situation became more and more desperate, I found myself racing along, lost in the story. I detest spoilers and usually have good self-control, but there were times while reading Boy in the Box that I had to actively keep my eyes from wandering down the page to see what happens. That is very rare for me and speaks highly of the atmosphere and tension Fitch was able to create. 

The story is told mainly through the eyes of Johnathan, who’s bachelor party started the whole chain of events. Jonathan has spent the last ten years stricken with guilt and paranoia, to the point of ruining his marriage. Perhaps it is just Jonathan’s personality, but I did find some of the exposition to be rather verbose. Fitch’s prose is colorful and well crafted, ripe with similes and metaphors and all manner of thorough description. This is not, by default, a bad thing. There were, however, moments which seemed to drag on due to Fitch’s wordiness. I will say that I believe this writing style aids in the building of that ever-important atmosphere and sense of madness. 

Perhaps the weakest point of Boy in the Box lies with the main characters. Jonathan, Conner, Michael and Gene are all well constructed, fleshed-out characters with unique personalities, and motivations. There just isn’t much growth to be found. Other than some notable plot points, the characters are largely unchanged as the story progresses. For some reason, I just found it a bit hard to care about them. Maybe it’s because right from the beginning of the tale, we know that they’ve done something terrible. Maybe it’s because we view the world through the lense of Jonathan’s thoughts; guilty, self-loathing and grim. For whatever reason, I just had a difficult time connecting with these characters. 

I always like to dedicate some time during a review to discuss a story’s antagonist. Simply put, Fitch knocked this one out of the park. The dark forces in Boy in the Box were not at all what I expected going in, and Fitch keeps things shadowy throughout. We slowly learn more about what is happening, but there is never a full reveal. What we do find out is equal parts fascinating and utterly horrifying. Horror works best when it can make the reader imagine themself and their loved ones in the situation at hand. In the case of Fitch’s evils, that thought alone is enough to run my blood cold. 

Boy in the Box is a masterpiece of suspense, with major overtones of hopelessness and dread. Fitch cites Adam Nevill’s The Ritual as a major influence, and I can definitely see that. Fans of dark, atmospheric, and psychological horror will be right at home here. If action, violence and gore is more your speed, perhaps this isn’t quite the read for you. Despite my personal inability to connect with the characters, they are well written, and the story itself is incredibly immersive. If you’re okay with a slow burn that’ll have you looking over your shoulder, pick up Marc E. Fitch’s Boy in the Box.

You can purchase a copy from Flame Tree Press for $24.95 (hardback), $14.95 (paperback) $6.99 (eBook). Also available through Amazon.