Seep

Congratulations, Eric. This is one of the best books I have read on this site. It introduces a horrifying scenario which you have brought to life with evocative descriptions - I could feel the sun beating down on that eerie little dust-bowl town - and strong characterisation. Professional and well-written and I'm glad I wasn't reading it late at night! Well done. Come on you publishers - this easily deserves an early publication. Will back and star soon
.

Eric, I read the whole book and have now had time to offer a considered view of my impressions. Very impressive pitches give a flavour of the book's content, provoking a potential reader to go further. I'm intrigued by your decision to base the novel on the remarkable instance of mercury poisoning in a small town in the Gard. I lived in France for many years and the story is very familiar. Moving the action to Southern USA in the 1920s, an era defined by poverty and hardship, is fascinating and you deserve great credit for the manner in which the story transfers so successfully.
I'll content myself with an overall view, this story enfolds exceptionally well with strong characterisation and an enviable ability to evoke the feel of the period.
The juxtaposition of differing Points of View, often in parallel, will provoke discussion I'm sure - it certainly did in my own novel. I'd strongly recommend leaving well alone - for me the device works very well and adds considerably to the narrative. Yes, it may make the reader concentrate a little more, but that's never a bad thing!
Strong detail and a compelling storyline ensure this works very well. I've read a great many books on this site and this is up there with the very best. You have evidently carried out diligent research and this adds greatly to the reader's enjoyment. It's a gripping and at times gruesome tale, beautifully rendered and I commend your work. I fully expect this book to earn the success it deserves, both on tis site and in the wider world of readers.
Jake.

A warning to readers who plan on looking at only one or two chapters, this story will hook you. Mr. Laing is a master at describing violent action and shifting POVs. One feels the grimy, broken world these characters wade though, the pain of their cuts and bruises and burns, and mostly the madness that seeps into their thoughts, a delirium that is well-anchored and almost too easily imaginable. I shuddered more than once.

Reading this story is like entering into the ultimate nightmare. Suddenly the world has turned into the normality of horror. This is so well written, it is absolutely horrifying (which of course, I love) gripping, impossible to put down. The style makes great use of the vernacular, and the whole thing does what this type of novel should do, take you in, and mercilessly spit you out, in a breathless fit of terror :)
Very good, and backed!

Seep-

Stephen King, move over. You've been outdone.

This is chiling not only in the subject but in the way it's told. Psychosis is tainting the minds aof the people and in their separate POVs, the reader knows this. There is no guilt or remorse in Walter handling his father's body, only method. This is very well done.

Only nit--and this is a personal pet peeve--is the shift of POV from Walter to his father and back in ch1 and from Caleb to Walter at the end of ch2. You make the switches quite effortlessly but I can't help wondering if the scenes wouldn't be even stronger if they remained in one mind.

I would have this on my shelf at home right next to your other book. Literary gold. Backed without question. -Barb (Silent Hoofbeats and Whispers through the Aspens)

Hey Eric, here's the long-promised comment, I apologize for being so slow. Obviously, I'm already a fan.

This book is so sinister, I love it! you are one prolific man, mr. laing. You do a great job of drawing in readers through the setting, it seems to creep around out, and it's almost sticky -- I'm thoroughly repulsed in many scenes with the corpse, which is of course, the point. Many fans of thriller genre would no doubt appreciate your work -- the dead chickens build nicely to larger corpses, and everyone in the town reacts so differently, the young and old having the weight of their perspective commanding their behavior. Especially interesting are the young, how death so quickly becomes a norm to them and psychosis blossoms. On my shelf now and on the list for continuos re-backing.

I have read the whole of Seep having bought it for my kindle at the ridiculously cheap price of 99 cents.

Seep is a terrifying story of madness and evil, yet with a brilliant human touch and sensitivity that kept me hopeful - and reading avidly - until the final pages. It's not a read for the squeamish or faint of heart!

I found the setting and characters compelling throughout. The story builds to an incredibly tense climax in the saloon bar. I repeatedly thought what a fantastic movie could be made from this novel. It has the classic unrelenting pressure characteristic of Stephen King's horror novels - do I need to say more?

Oh, but I do!

if you like the beginning of this book you should DEFINITELY go and buy a copy and read it all (at that unbelievably cheap price!!). You won't be disappointed!!

Kate

Some good ideas here, but perhaps a little tweaking is needed.

I liked the tension in the father-son relationship, but I found myself wondering how old Walter is. I understand that the father would look on him as a "boy" regardless of his years, but how is the reader supposed to view him. Maybe a line or two is needed - you don't need to be explicit; "early teens" etc.

Some of the analogies jarred with me. "Quail from the brush" in particular. Would "pheasant" work better.

Given the year that this is set in, the younger generation were perhaps more defferential to their elders than present day. With that in mind, Walter is quite scathing of them. There is nothing wrong with this, but I wonder if a brief description of a trigger event would be useful - why is he so aware of their frailty when children usually view their parents as immortal? (up to a point).

Some of the dialogue feels slightly cumbersome or too wordy;
"You say the chickens, they're all dead?" - the comma breaks it up to much, although I know what you are driving at. Perhaps "You say all the chickens are dead?" (italic "all"). There are a number of areas like this.

Similarly, perhaps a run through some the descriptive pieces;
"Even before the turkey buzzards had made the forsaken corpse, found easily enough out in the middle of the field..."
Something is missing here. Made "for" the forsaken corpse? Again there are a number of places like this, perhaps where two sentences have become entangled.

Overall there is enough here for me to want to keep reading, but a clean up is necessary. I've not rated or backed, but let me know when you have amended and I'll come back for another look.

Martin

Stunning. You write with a flow that is too good for me to resist.
Next to SK I have a new favourite Writer, His name is J Eric Laing.
Some folk are just natural born writers.
Christian.
Backed and rated a 6.

really great piece. you are finally nearing the desk...not my usual genre but well done and i want to see you succeed with this book....
j
what every woman should know

Hi Eric,
This is a wonderfully atmospheric novel, well rooted in place and time. It's a fantastic historical incident to plunder yet you've really made it come alive with a brilliant array of characters and some lovely dialogue.

To the nitty gritty..
I love the cover and the title. I thought your long pitch was good (what a fantastic premise to a story and great to put the true life version in there too, really gripping). I thought your short pitch could be more intriguing, leaving more space for your readers' imagination. The first sentence is OK, but the last sentence about the fatal nature of life is a bit too grim. It might put some readers off, I guess we want someone to be alive at the end... or some hope/salvation.
I felt the start was a little slow. You could cut out much of the first 6 paragraphs, "The last of the chickens is dead" would be an utterly fantastic first line.
I was a little disappointed not to have some more normality before the madness/sickness creeps in. I know chp 2 goes back, and I really liked that, but because it comes after chp1, it spoilt the joy of the music/fair etc for me. Might be better to start with the fair, building the tension from there. Not sure.
My concern was also that because there is so much dark, it wasn't balanced enough with light. You need both to keep reading on, or at least the promise of some light. Maybe a little black humour injected in here or there. I can't judge because I only read the first few chapters, but that would be my concern as a reader, 'should I continue with this if it's going to be unadulteratedly depressing?' We need a bit more balance & hope.
But aside from those very slight niggles, it was very well executed and darkly inventive.
6 stars from me.
All the best,
Sharda.
We were doing a reading swap... would love to hear your feedback on mine when you get the chance. p://www.authonomy.com/books/42835/mr-unusually-s-circus-of-dreams/

Hi Eric,
A frightening tale that is "creepy real." You get extra points for featuring horses, even though they were harmed in the making of your story.
Top marks, and a place on my shelf soon.

ILoveHorses

Great setting, really well written, and a delightful end to chapter 2. I've come across some great "horror" novels over the past few weeks here on Authonomy and from what I've read so far this promises to be right up there with the best of them. Although I don't think you mention a year I'm picturing a setting along the lines of westerns I've watched in the past, Tombstone comes to mind, particularly during your scene with the brothers sat in the saloon talking about what the town needs.
It's no surprise that this is ranked as highly as it is, the surprise is that it isn't higher. For now I'm giving it a good stack of stars with a view to shelving it when I next have a switch around. I'd love to read more but those other owed reads are calling. Shame.
Best wishes,
James

Just noticed when I scrolled up to the stars, 1927.

Eric - this is right up me street. A fine achievement, six stars, backed, and I will write comment in more detail later. Thanks for a great and horrific read - Fan K

Hi Eric,

I saw that 'Seep' was recommended on a post in the forum and I decided to check it out.

I just wanted to say that I think it's amazing! The way you write chilled me to the bone, but I just could not stop reading. I've got that dreadful feeling in my stomach that I get whenever I'm completely horrified (the sign of a good horror book in my opinion!) - the only other writer that I've ever had the same feeling with is the master of horror, Stephen King, and I'd say that 'Seep' is definitely on a par (if not above) with him! This is an utterly engrossing book, and as much as it chilled me, I wanted to read on (the only reason I haven't is because a) if I read any more, I'm not going to get my own work done that I was planning on doing today because I'll have to read it all and b) I'll give myself nightmares). 'Seep' also reminds me of 'The Crazies', only well, better lol.

Good luck with the rest of your writing, and I hope that 'Seep' gets the recognition it deserves! I'm going to back it right now!

Rachel

Would be great to see this climb the ED chart even more. You've done a great job capturing the core story and the pitch alone made me really keen to read it. I'm a big fan of horror fiction and you haven't disappointed with this. Really like your writing style and will keep reading past the 4 chapters I've read so far

Highly starred and good luck for the ED

Lee :-)

Okay so I am reading on, but I have to stop after Chapter 1 and comment. Oh my! How wonderfully horrible. And that cliffhanger at the end of the chapter - masterful! The tension is visceral in this chapter, with a sense of bleakness that put me in mind of The Road.
Minor question mark over the shift in pov to the father - but difficult to see how you could do without it.
Anyway, I was going to read the one you have on here about Rome (historical fiction-ista me) but am really glad I started reading Seep. Your pitches are great. This story has me hooked.
Kate
The Licenser.

Seep is extraordinary. The description, the accuracy of the detail, and the brilliant way it builds towards a moment, such as the discovery of Petry’s body, makes it really stand out. The convincing Evers Gang in chapter 4, “gaunt and forever hungry-looking”, and their plan is captivating. I’m onto ch5 and I hardly ever get this far into a novel in one reading. Excellent work. Highly rated.

Hey Eric, I'm new on here and Seep is the first book I read. Great stuff. Just about perfect writing. So glad I found it (except that it makes me think I need to do lots of editing before I put my own book up here).

I found the flow of the words very smooth, and your book, a pleasure to read. I liked the transition from sentence to sentence and from paragraph to paragraph. This is a well written story from what I can see.

Fantastic writing from what I've read so far. It sort of reminds me of Stephen King's Desperation novel. Six stars.

It's very well written and the first chapter holds the interest. A few very minor bumps, like "had been eluding" instead of "had eluded" him; and I thought leading with Walter watching the men and then following with the opening paragraph might flow a tad better. But that's only because I'm cranky and looking for something negative to say. Also, there were a few instances where I thought "Walter" should have been replaced with a pronoun. A good, creepy opening, all in all.

Great first chapter, Eric. I love your voice, the mood, the setting, and some of the gruesome details provided through the boy's POV. You've used all of these things effectively to kick off a creepy tale. And great suspension built with the boy headed upstairs to deal somehow with his suffering mother.

As a distanced reader, I spotted a couple of questionable word choices: his father 'pecked' at him? Sounded too funny for the mood you want to establish, because it came right after talk of chickens. His father 'dressed' him? Not familiar with that to mean some form of violent act (whenever I work with British colleagues--not sure where you're from and none of my business--they'll often use a word or term and I'll say, Huh?). Better to be universal and I have to remind myself of that also. Last, the first paragraph was a bit of a weak link for me. I'd personally rather you start with the second paragraph somehow and work the exposition/set-up details in more slowly and seamlessly throughout.

It is a creepy tale and I plan to read more. I remember watching something about this type of blight/infection on the history channel or somewhere and it reminds me of modern day explanations for lycanthropy and also the movie Ravenous with Guy Pearce. Don't worry too much about my suggestions. Overall this is awesome work!

Dean

Eric,

I'm very impressed with your writing and with this story. You've done an incredible amount of research (how else could you have created such a vivid setting) and have brought the time period to life. I love all the sensory details, the dialogue that fits the era, and the suspense. Your descriptions and word choices are great, like here: Caleb was suprised the notion hadn't come to him sooner. Like a thing of its own accord, his wounded and freshly bleeding hand crept down into his dungaree's deep hip pocket and crawled about amongst its few contents in search of his box of matches.
I've only read the first five chapters, but wanted to tell you my first impressions. I'll keept reading. It's no wonder this book is doing so well. Highly starred.

Susan/Greenleaf (Chameleon)

This one caught my interest and I'll have to read on. I could be mistaken but wasn't Pont-Saint-Esprit believed to have been a CIA experiment where they polluted the waters with the hallucinogen LSD. People involved in such CIA experiments have sued and won up to 750 thousand dollars. Events alledgedly took place in the sixties. Will have to check it out.

A wonderful read with high rating and on my watch list now.

on my shelf - good luck!

You deserve my backing for being so mad.!

I'm queuing this in my watch list to read, but I have to say– what an amazingly creepy title!

Wow, this genuinely scared me... Probably shouldn't have read it this late at night in the dark on my own, because I am definitely going to have nightmares.

I love the plot, it was tense and gripping and very intriguing. The whole thing had a cinematic feel to it. I really enjoyed reading this. Highly starred :)

RK Summers
The Albion Pages

:-)

Hello Eric--
book- Seep-

Time does fly- i read some chapters some 412 days ago and thought it had great potential.
Well - after reading some more now, that potential has been realized- it has shot up in the rankings, and deserves every plaudit it gets, and it has got many.
What a gripping plot, so eerie and atmospheric, the story just lingers on in the minds eye. it's just one very good historically related story.
Good luck ERIC and i give it my six stars with pleasure.
Tom Bye
book- from hugs to kisses.
Glance at mine please, i think you might like chapters12 and or 39 thanks

Seep is a very good creepy book. Highly recommended.

WA

There's an edge to this writing that feels quite cold - but that's the way a story like this should be told. Dispassionately and with distance.
Apocalyptic books are not usually my thing (I like a little hope personally), but the writing here is strong and the story seems quite compelling.

Good luck - I hope it does well.

Diana
Pascual's Birthday

Not sure what it is about the writing - it is atmospheric and 'spooky'..

I love the way you paint the scenes and the narrative prose which pulls the story along.

The first chapter leads well into the second - a good 'hook'..
Enjoyed reading this.
Backed.

Had another read of Seep tonight and was struck by how bloody good it is, same as the first time I read it. Why hasn't this been on the ED yet, when a string of far lesser works have made it in that time? Mental, just mental.

Another full stars and supported till the end (sooner, rather than later I hope.)

Disturbing, wonderfully written and well edited, couldn't find a single mistake. Good luck with it, and backed.

Wow. This is perhaps the most polished piece I've read on authonomy. I didn't make a single note as I read through the first chapter. First, there was no need to, and second, I was too caught up in your writing, the story, and the problem Walter faces. Then with the end of chapter one, how could I not read on?

Your narrative is tightly written and engaging. Walter's thoughts are quite sick, but they're intriguing nonetheless. When we switch to Caleb in chapter two, I thought the transition might be jarring but you pulled it off with ease. Both chapters contain great characterization.

As a history teacher, I find there are far too few historical fiction novels that manage to entertain and inform. Yours does both. I'm impressed! Highly rated and recommended.

Seep

Have read deeply into this now, think I have enough to comment, hopefully usefully. To the pitch first, well, I think it is pretty much pitch perfect, except for the line about the tendrils of madness growing deeper and spreading wider. Forget tendrils, just say, in my opinion, the madness spreads, if you need a similie then go for something liquid, like a stain. That works better with the title too; stains seep, particularly stains of dark liquid, like blood.

My next cooments may come across as harsh and I am sorry for that Eric but I think you are such a clever writer, with such a strong and confident style I feel I just have to mention it. There are way, way too many words in that first chapter and not enough plot. I am not sure where Seep is in the drafting process, but what I found was a plot I was very interested and intrigued to read bogged down in flowery metaphors and quirky slantways narrative. The internal run-on thoughts of the boy, re bugs, ants, magnifying glasses, each of them on their own are loverly, beautifully constructed things, but they didn't do plot for me, which is what I wanted more of in that first chapter. Walter's private initiation into the madness is a great place to start, but the insanity and chaos seems to have spread to the plot delivery in some instances, I wanted to red line so many of your beautiful phrasing and cleverness, not because they weren't clever and beautiful, but because they were like. Like a scuplture in a vegetable bed in the garden, out of place and distracting.

You have gorgeous plot here and a cracking pitch and easily the writing talent to deliver on it. My own view is that you could deliver us amongst the madness and the plot with half the words and really tighten this manuscript. You have the discursive style of a John Irving, your authorial voice is cultured and seasoned, you know stuff and you have a great way of looking at the world. You have a great title and a great pitch, but I wanted more plot bang for my buck in chapter one, if that's through the microcosm sneak-peek of Walter's experience reflecting the macrocosm disaster to come that's fine, but it needs tightening.

Story is king someone said to me in a comment on my own book the other day. Story is king indeed, I think and you have a cracker here, a real cracker, but you need to unshackle it from the ranging words and flights of fancies and free it from over-writing and thinking and let it fly. A comforting thought, perhaps it is because I can see that tendency in more own writing that I have been so hard on you. Heavily into re-drafting my own book I know I need to shed 60,000 words probably of a 160,000 word manucript to free my story. I am a bloody surgeon on the body of my story, I hope my bedside manner's been okay Eric. You are an interesting and intelligent writer and I am going to promote your books to others because you have such a strong voice.

Best wishes and good luck and hope I didn't cause too much offence
Andrew W
(Benevolence)

"It had the pus" — brilliant in its simplicity

Offal— such an uncommon word. I wonder if using it twice in the first chapter makes it loose its punch. I know they're far apart,but it stood out so I thought I'd at least mention it.


splitting open the flesh into a little, red, ragged frown — great

—Having recently been chastised for giving someone less than complete adoration, I debated writing this. But came back to add it because for me it disrupted the linear flow in an otherwise smooth read. In the paragraph that starts "Walter was still too far . . ." I'd switch the order of the two sentences. Of course, minor adjustments would have to be made. When I read the first sentence I wis still at the foot of the porch. (Yay, I'm in your creepy story. I kinda like Walter. Does that make me a sicko? When the horse wasn't available I half expected him to tie his father to a goat and lash the animal until it drug Daddy through the field)

I've just recently made a three changes on my shelf. I'll keep you on my WL and put you up when I make changes again.

Bill
HH

Hi Eric

I've read two chapters, and I don't think there's much point in continuing before a post a comment, as next to nothing stood out at me. It is very well written, and slightly unpleasant. It took until the second chapter to get the feel for where it is all set, as I didn't read the pitch properly. I thought at first it was fairly modern, then chapter 2 made me think wild west, then I finally read the pitch. Anyway, here's the few notes I made:

The first line of chapter 2 (I found absolutely nothing in C1) seems one or two words too long. Perhaps 'Two months before the dark days began...' ?

"Leave 'em be! Let em' go!" - I think you'll need to decide which side the apostrophe goes. At the start, I believe.

'SomeONE old soul...'?

I don't know about having the paragraph about Avery, leading straight into a thought from Betty.

Lastly, 'And they hard to keep fresh...' - did you mean to say 'they'? He seems to be capable of saying "they're" elsewhere, but I'm not sure if it's a mistake or what he actually said.

I don't really have anything particularly helpful to say. I have no doubt it will be pretty easily published. I don't usually like books like this, but I liked everything I read here. It's probably the most polished book I've come across on here, and reads as though it's already published. Good luck with it :)

Bravo! You are a master of description. Happy to put your work on my shelf. Hope you have a chance to take a look at Dark Side by CC Brown.
61BBboy

Very well written, only read the first chapter so far, but will be reading more soon. Backed.

Eric - I've no literary training nor ever published so feel free to deal with my comments as you wish.

I've read through this 4 times now and have some mixed comments. Overall it's grabbed me firmly and the characters and scenes have me hooked. Where I have doubts it's how the pace..

There's a strong voice here and I remember having a similar impression when I read Cicada. The synopsis tells us everything - and I may even suggest gives away too much of the story there.

You've indicated an inexplicable psycosis grabs the town and you dump the reader right into the deep end. Walter stays with me throughout this read; very strong character and clearly hooked to the reasons for this madness. The writing is stark, each time he appears, leaving father to the vultures and watching the discovery of his mother by Caleb, another great character. The hairs do tingle as we imagine him watching others in his house.

Then we have the Evers Brothers, hard bitten men who stuble across Colonel Hawkins as he starts to destory his own farm. The dialogue for each supports and the sense of doom hangs over this read throughout.

But I feel you've overplayed the dark side and need to juxtaose it with normality. I would personally like to have seen this build a little more slowly - rather than have packs of wild dogs; perhaps keeping that opening Chapter, but then create a sense of normaility in the town, leaving the reader aware they cannot avoid fate, but slowly build that tension. Hitchcock was the master and I thought of him often as I was reading.

I can recall almost every scene I've read here, every character and the story itself. It is a powerful read but that overbalance towards stark death and the isanity that awaits started to lsoe its strength by about Chapter 5.

I'll back this for its potential - with some editing I believe this will be a superb unable to put down read. Best. Steve.

"Seep, a gruesome reminder of the fatal nature of life."

That is the best pitch line I've heard. I would literally subtitle the book that, on the cover.

"Seep: a gruesome reminder of the fatal nature of life."

Hi Eric,

Love the title and the premise. I’m very eager to read this…even moved it up to the top of my read list.

Pitches: Delete the ellipse (four dots…ellipses are three dots, but you don’t need it at all. They’re overdone and do nothing for you in the context it’s used.)

This is great stuff, Eric. The only small thing I found was the occasional missing comma here and there (for instance, “With no lights or lamps lit…” I’d insert a comma after “lit”). No biggie. I love your voice. I know that’s one of those gray area things people always say, but I really mean it. It’s so easy to get into the head of your narrator and slip into the story through the prose.

When I get room on my shelf, I will certainly back this. High stars for now. Good luck with this.

If you get the chance, I’d invite you to check out my pitch and read on if it interests you. I’d love to know your thoughts.

All the best,

Phil
(Deshay of the Woods)

To be honest I was a little confused as to what was going on when I started reading this but now at the end of chapter 3 I don't want to stop! I love the introduction of characters as the story moves along, the feeling that nowhere is safe and the fact that no one seems to know what is happening or why. Fantastic description, detail and dialogue- reading this puts you into the town itself, making it easy to imagine what it would be like. Little hooks at the end of your chapters are good too- you get the feeling you know what is going to happen and have to keep reading to find out.
I have two spaces that have recently become free on my shelf, so as soon as I am able I'll be adding this to it.
Best of luck for the future with this one!

Hello Eric, and thanks for backing my book. I read the first chapter of Seep, and was impressed.

This is really good work. You pay particular attention to describing the things that move the characters. Even when the action is tame, what's going on in the character's mind is a seamless dialogue of movements, peppered with artful descriptions of small things that tie the story to the reader's mind.

Ah, this bit with the delusion of dressing Walter out like a slain buck, and the knuckles - really good.

I love Walter's dispassionate regard for the fantastic things going on around him. 'I got your days..' love it.

Glad this was recommended to me. I'm shelving Seep.

-Throck

Good short pitch, though I don't think you need the last sentence.

Long pitch makes me want to read the book, but I wonder if it's wise to explain that ergot was probably the reason for the madness in the French village, as it could easily be seen as giving away the plot for the novel (not that I've read the novel yet, so I don't know if this is the case). Better perhaps to leave the explanation of the French event as a mystery.

Chapter one. Intriguing and absorbing. Nicely balanced horror and matter-of-factness. Genuine cliffhanger ending. Means I'm going to have to read chapter two. No choice.

Chapter two. No! You've gone into backstory! Probably a good idea, but most frustrating to this reader. I'm going to have to put this on my watchlist and return when I have more time.

General impression: utterly absorbing. Great story-telling. Great style.

This is really good stuff, Eric. I read on for pleasure and so have no notes - but there weren't any nitpicks in any case.

We've started from the same point - a fascination with the Dancing Plagues - but you have chosen the dark path and this is deliciously so. The atmosphere is there from the off - the confusion as madness takes hold - and the scene setting, characterisation etc etc is very strong.

I love it. And am happy for this to sit on my shelf indefinitely. Will read on when I have time.

Wow, saw this by accident in the weekly charts .... but glad, v glad I found it. Great story, well written, scary and you promise a lot but most importantly ... you deliver.

Will come back for more, hooked me right in
Dooz

This is a review of the first of the first three chapters.

First off, I need to touch briefly on the prose which managed to be both evocative without ever straying into the realm of overbearing. Nearly every paragraph had a simple, yet memorable line. Little details dazzle. Like the mention of the clay hardened roads in the middle of town, or a near abandoned farm field. The language seemed appropriate, not so much for the time frame, but rather for the setting.
The town itself seems to be a throwback to another era. Isolated from the rest of society, the town takes on the feel of some old West frontier. Elements like the farmsteads and the saloon, and the three brothers on the run from the regulators(on horseback) add to this timeless effect.

I enjoyed the omni pov and lack of focus on a particular character as well as the overlapping time frames and scenes. The effect of this technique is to slowly build tension up as we go. The author adds to this effect by incrementally introducing different threats madness, the outlaws, the wild dog, with each scene, while at the same time being stingy about revealing the nature of the disease or affliction effecting the town.

The reader feels as though this threat is somehow supernatural in origin. It feels like an entity in and of itself.

Gripping opening!

A few words felt misplaced, but I found myself wrapped up in this - sort of Stephen King meets To Kill A Mockingbird ...

Interesting concept and well done!

I chose to read this after enjoying another of your books (Scissors and Tweed). What a difference in these works! This was all sorts of crazy. Very, very creepy. Such descriptive powers you have. This is not a book to read right before dinner.

You've pulled me to you like a cruel master. I lie helpless at your feet.

(I did find a few typos. If you want them, let me know. I'd feel funny mentioning them now, lying helpess at your feet this way.)

Wonderful book.

I finally am catching up on my WL. I wish I'd come to Seep quicker. I haven't read very far yet but I can tell this is a book I would choose off the shelf of a bookstore. I'm kind of letting my shelf ride through the end of the month so some people in the top 5 don't freak out. Next month I plan to back this book.