"Devil's Creek" Book Review
Written by Steve Pattee
Published by Cemetery Dance Publicatoins
Written by Todd Keisling
2020, 520 pages, Fiction
Released on January 9th, 2023
Review:
I’m not a fan of books, shows, or movies about cults. Well, ‘not a fan’ is too harsh. That subgenre of horror just isn’t my go-to. I admit there’s an irony to that statement since I absolutely love The Sacrament (but I credit that love to my fascination with the whole Jim Jones thing) and I like Red State probably more than I should. But, overall, I find cults ho-hum. So why the hell am I reviewing Todd Keisling’s Devil’s Creek, a book about an evil cult? I’ll tell you why: when everyone whose opinion you trust on books tells you to read the damn novel, you read the damn novel. And, before I get into it, I’m going to tell you too: Read the damn novel.
I honestly don’t know where to start with this review. It’s been a minute since I read much of anything over 250 pages. If I’m completely honest, I didn’t know going into Devil’s Creek it’s a hefty 500+ pages. And hot damn if it didn’t feel like an old friend giving me a giant hug after being MIA for just over two years—the amount of time since I read Duncan Swan’s MONSTRE: Volume One. But I digress.
I’ve often heard people say the novella offers the best page length for horror, but I cannot disagree more. The best page length for horror is the amount it needs. If the story can be told in 150 pages, fantastic. If it takes 500 pages, sign me up. Because Devil’s Creek needs every one of its pages to tell its story, and what a story it is.
Lord knows I hate doing a synopsis, but the gist of the whole thing is the book follows a variety of characters who are survivors of a cult mass suicide. The majority of those followed are the children of Jacob, the leader of the cult. These survivors are known as the “Stauford Six” (the Kentucky town this takes place in is Stauford), and none have fully been able to put their past behind them.
When Imogen, the grandmother of one of the six, dies, her grandson Jack returns to take care of her estate. His timing is perfect, as the proverbial shit is about to hit the fan, and Daddy is coming home for his children. Let the games begin.
Keisling takes his time putting things into play, and it’s refreshing. There’s no hurry to get to the end. He fleshes out each character so you have a solid opinion of them, good or bad. As I said, even at 500+ pages, every word is important. None of it is filler. Keisling leads you through all of these broken lives until you feel like you know them. Then when things really get rolling, you’re completely invested.
There’s a point in the book when everything is suddenly escalated and the pace ramps up tremendously. I hate the ‘roller coaster ride’ description because it’s so cliché, but dammit, it applies here more than any book I’ve read in recent memory. That first giant hill the coaster goes up that seems to always take forever is Keisling putting all the players in place. Once he accomplishes that, BOOM!, you’ve crested that hill and are traversing down full-speed ahead into death, destruction, dirt, and worms. So many worms. That speed keeps up the remainder of the book, and you can’t do anything but hold on and hope for the best.
The beauty of Devil’s Creek is it doesn’t matter if you’re like me and not a fan of books with cults. Quality writing doesn’t care what genres or subgenres you do or don’t like. A great book is a great book, and Devil’s Creek is a great book. Praise Father Keisling.
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