GtPGKogPYT4p61R1biicqBXsUzo" /> Google+ Book Review: Worship Me by Craig Stewart | I Smell Sheep

Saturday, January 13, 2018

Book Review: Worship Me by Craig Stewart

Worship Me
by Craig Stewart
August 1, 2017
358 pages
Publisher: HellBound Books Publishing LLC
Something is listening to the prayers of St. Paul’s United Church, but it’s not the god they asked for; it’s something much, much older.

A quiet Sunday service turns into a living hell when this ancient entity descends upon the house of worship and claims the congregation for its own. The terrified churchgoers must now prove their loyalty to their new god by giving it one of their children or in two days time it will return and destroy them all.

As fear rips the congregation apart, it becomes clear that if they’re to survive this untold horror, the faithful must become the faithless and enter into a battle against God itself. But as time runs out, they discover that true monsters come not from heaven or hell…
...they come from within.



It is hard for me to find a horror story that I can buy into and feel on a visceral level. Worship Me was a wonderful surprise. The author does an amazing job of creating relatable characters. But in this case, I feel like the author created individuals. None were just thrown in as monster fodder. And there is a lot of messy killing in this one.

Not only were the characters realistic, the plot which seemed predictable, was actually not. I did not see the twist at the end. It was a "Holy crap...no, he didn't. HA!" moment. Some deaths you see coming, some you don't. You quickly realize there are no special snowflakes in this story.

There is physical horror (gore) but it isn't slasher porn. It was appropriate for the "monster" and its end game. There is also psychological horror as humanity breaks down and people make their choices. 

The writing is excellent and I hate to do this because everyone compares horror writers to him, but Stewart's storytelling in Worship Me reminds me of early Stephen King.

This would have been a 5 sheep but the big showdown fight at the end went on for too long and stretched what I thought the human involved was physically capable of handling. A little over the top drawn out unnecessarily. I might have skimmed through some of it... but everything else was spot on!

4.25 "This is gonna hurt" Sheep





SharonS
About the Author:
website-twitter
Craig Stewart is a Canadian author and filmmaker who learned how to count from the rhyme, "One, two, Freddy's coming for you."

He's a creator and connoisseur of everything horror; never afraid to delve into the dark, and then a little further. His written works include short stories, film scripts, articles, and most recently, a novel.

He has also written and directed several short horror films that have enjoyed screenings across North America.

No comments:

Post a Comment