I want to start by thanking Grey Matter Press for sending me an advance copy of the book in return for an honest review.
About the Book
The Fearing, begins with Book One: Fire & Rain where humanity faces a series of catastrophes spawned by a worldwide event that unleashes all of mankind’s greatest fears.
In the American high desert, vacationers returning from a road trip are thrust into a heart-stopping flight from death as they try to avoid a cataclysmic end.
In rural Missouri, the lives of a group of high school students are destroyed after their small town is devastated and they’re forced to confront the end of everything they’ve ever known.
And on the eastern seaboard, there’s someone else. An enigmatic man who thrives on despair and embraces all fear. A man with his own dark and sinister goals. Someone who wants to ensure humanity goes out with the biggest bang possible.
- Paperback: 110 pages
- Publisher: Grey Matter Press
- ISBN-10: 1950569004
- ISBN-13: 978-1950569007
Get a copy here
Dark Reads Review
The fearing is a serialised Supernatural, apocalyptic novel from John F D Taff, and I am super excited about it! This really feels like the beginning of what I just know is going to be an epic story, the concept of this story has me all sorts of curious and I love the fact that it has been serialised.
I literally cannot wait for the next installment!
The publication schedule is between July and November 2019.
- Book One: Fire & Rain — 9th July 2019
- Book Two: Water & Wind — 20th Aug 2019
- Book Three: Air & Dust — 1st Oct 2019
- Book Four: Earth & Ember — 11th Nov 2019
This first part (Fire and Rain) is told from multiple perspectives.
We start with Adam in New York. Adam is scared of absolutely everything, his anxieties have taken over his whole life until now, he has decided to face his fears head on. He soon realises that he can sense other peoples fears, what would happen if they came true?….
It is clear that Adam’s character is going to be key, I am really intrigued to see where his story goes!
The next group of characters are Carli, Sarah and Kyle, three high school students in Missouri when a tornado hits the area the three survive but the area is devastated. I really love these three characters except Carli, maybe I just love to hate her.
And finally we have a group on a bus who are travelling to Arizona when an earthquake hits California.
I think Taff’s writing is absolutely fantastic, I have become totally invested in this story, the imagery is perfect, the three narratives actually feel different, New York feels like New York and the same goes for the other two settings.
The characterisation is also fab, they all have distinct personalities and quirks I think Sarah is my favorite so far. For me, this is just brilliant after such a short snippet of the story. I feel more invested in this story and characters than I have after reading 300 pages of a book so Kudos to Taff for that!
The Fearing so far is fast paced and has left me with a creeping sense of dread for what is yet to come!
The Fear is coming. All of it.
You are going to need to get yourself a copy of this book!
About The Author
From The Authors website
John F.D. Taff is a Bram Stoker Award®-Nominated author with more than 30 years experience, 90+ short stories and five novels in print.
His first fiction collection, Little Deaths, was named the best horror collection of 2012 by HorrorTalk. Jack Ketchum called his novella collection, The End in All Beginnings, “one of the best novella collections I’ve read.” His new fiction collection, Little Black Spots, will be available from Grey Matter Press in the Spring of 2018.
Look for more of his work in anthologies such as Cutting Block Book’s Single Slices, Gutted: Beautiful Horror Stories, The Beauty of Death, Shadows Over Main Street 2 and Behold: Oddities, Curiosities and Undefinable Wonders.
Taff lives in the wilds of Illinois with three pugs, two cats and one long-suffering wife.
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