Review: Blood Feud

Blood Feud by Cullen Bunn

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Horror/Dark humor Reading Level: Ddult

Disclosure: I picked up a copy of this book while it was free during an Amazon promotion. I am happy to provide an honest review.

Synopsis: Imagine the legendary feud between the Hatfields and McCoys ... if the McCoys were a clan of demon-summoning sorcerers who stopped at nothing to destroy their rivals.

The Stubbs and Whatleys have been at each other’s throats for as long as anyone in the town of Spider Creek, Missouri, can remember. A Stubbs baby pops out of his mama hating the Whatleys, and the Whatleys teach their brood from a young age how to fling rocks with cruel accuracy in case a Stubbs wanders too close to their land. The Stubbs are a rowdy, trouble making bunch, but the Whatleys—

Folks speak of the Whatleys in hushed whispers.

According to local legend, the Whatleys run naked in the woods, beating out strange tunes on deerskin drums, making animal sacrifices beneath the Old Gallows Tree on Summit Ridge, and meeting with the devil himself on pitch black nights.

Sometimes, legends are true.

When the Whatleys make a bargain with dark forces to rid them of the meddlesome Stubbs clan, four unlikely heroes form the only line of defense between a ravenous legion of ghoulish, vampiric creatures and the unsuspecting world beyond the boundaries of the sleepy Ozarks community.

Excerpt: "I’ve got a story to tell—a story about how me and a couple of poker buddies squared off against the very legions of Hell … and maybe even saved the world. 

"Like all good yarns, this one has its share of action, adventure, mystery, and romance. As for how it ends, though, you’ll have to judge for yourself. Me, I’ve always been partial to happy endings—the singing cowboy riding off into the sunset—but I reckon that just ain’t the way of the world.

"This story’s got vampires, too, loads of them, but not in the beginning.

"It began, for us at least, with spiders."

My Thoughts: Short and sweet, horror for true horror lovers. Note: If spiders wig you out, skip this one! I love the “voice” of the narrator: folksy and humorous, but the understatement only underscores the dangerous, serious, and horrific circumstances in which he finds himself.

The story flows smoothly, providing enough information for us to get a peak into the minds of the main characters while at the same time giving us a good idea of the world in which they live, plus moving briskly through the story. I particularly enjoyed R.F.’s granddaddy’s little sayings that are sprinkled through the book.

Fans of old-school King, Koontz, Edward Lee, and Robert McCammon should enjoy this twisted little yarn. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend that if you like horror, you grab this little jewel.



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