THE MORASS: SERVANT OF THE FLY GOD novella by Zachary Ashford (Crystal Lake Publishing, July 14, 2023 release date) Kindle edition
Synopsis on the Goodreads website . . . . .
What if you had been kidnapped by a serial killer and your only hope of escape was cut off by rising floodwater?
The Australian Outback is a place mired in myth, folklore, and rumour that’s inspired some of the best horror fiction and creature horror books. Some say it’s full of deadly creatures. Others claim it’s rife with serial killers hunting for backpackers and stranded tourists. Whatever the cause, young people in central Queensland are disappearing and the locals are frightened.
Katy is fresh from college and ready to research and write her magnum opus, a book investigating the many disappearances of outback youths in Australia. When she meets Kip, a guitarist on his way to the city, she knows she’s onto something good and that she can prove her observation that there’s nothing there for the youth of today and they’re running away, searching for employment and prospects in the city.
Unfortunately, she’s wrong. In this terrifying cosmic horror book, there is a killer in the outback. One that thinks God is the ancient creature that lurks in the swamps near his property. With floodwaters rising, he’s certain Katy and Kip are the sacrifices that will allow the entity to emerge from the morass and cleanse the world of sinners. One terrifying abduction later, he has them both imprisoned.
As they struggle to escape the terror and the torture, their desperate fight for survival will lead only to more horror. Because their kidnapper is not crazy. His god is real. His god is hungry, and it is screaming to be reborn.
My Four-Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . . .
Aarrrggghhh! This one gets under your skin and wriggles around. Ugh! THE MORASS is a quick read, a fascinating blend of body horror, extreme horror and cosmic horror (with its' Lovecraftian creature.)
A novella, but I took as long to read this as I usually do a novel - - simply because the descriptions were so vivid that I needed to put some pauses between chapters for full appreciation.
If Ashford simply focused on the serial-killer-with-a-serious-fly obsession the story would still be pretty frightening. I was reminded of both the Wolf Creek film and series (Shudder TV) but that creepy thing hanging out around the meteor impact site took this to another level entirely.
The prologue foreshadows enough that I anticipated a horrifying and exciting reading experience, and this did not disappoint. This has to be the most revolting as well as most elaborate depiction of a swarm of troubling black flies as I am likely to read/encounter. The main character is truly deranged and frightening with a grotesque appearance. When Ashford introduces the sentient maggots into the story I could almost taste them. Ugh!
The character depictions are more detailed that you sometimes find in a novella, and go beyond the usual. You'll become attached to some of these characters, and Ashford will make you regret that. I began to feel both their pain and disgust.
Zachary Ashford, thank you for the horrible (but exciting) reading experience.
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