Genre: Horror
Length: 135 Pages
Publisher: Cemetery Gates Media
Release date: April 30, 2019
Synopsis: Could you prevent a major disaster if you knew it was coming? Would your friends and family even believe you? What if you were an average high school freshman and seemingly the only person who could save your town from utter destruction? THE THRUMMING STONE is a sci-fi horror novella (with interior illustrations by Ryan Sheffield) about teen siblings who discover a nightmare-inducing monolith in the woods near their home. Once unleashed, premonitions and apocalyptic visions spread throughout their high school like a plague.
Review copy provided in exchange for an honest review
Having read most, if not all, of John Brhel and Joe Sullivan’s books, I love the world they set many of their stories in, the town of Lestershire. I dig the way they work in previous books and a reference to Valleyview Cemetery. I’ve fast become a big fan of coming of age or YA adventure stories. The Thrumming Stone hit the mark with great characters trying to survive high school and tricky world of being a teen. The Thrumming Stone dropped me off in the early 90’s and into the world of Joe and Jason, and a mysterious monolith. I can tell the 90’s was a fond time for the author as he visits it often in his books, and I enjoy the call backs and references to that time as well.
The Thrumming Stone was a fast-paced story and I couldn’t put it down. I was right there with Joe trying to figure out what was going on. The mystery behind the stone and the message it was trying to tell was cool. We get a few pieces of the puzzle as Joe and his sister deal with nightmare visions of their town burning. When Joe puts all the pieces together it is nearly too late for him and his friends. But an easy mystery wouldn’t be fun, now would it?!? I dug the apocalyptic feel and horror aspects that John Brhel and Joe Sullivan weaved into their story. We also get some fantastic illustrations like what I saw in Cold Corpse. As a bonus, John Brhel and Joe Sullivan included a preview of their upcoming At the Cemetery Gates horror series. I’ve been a fan of John Brhel and Joe Sullivan for a few years running and their latest effort, for me, was another winner.
Link to purchase The Thrumming Stone
John Brhel, biography
Hi. My name is John Brhel. I write fantastical stories about demons, ghosts, magicians, and regular ol’ Joes. I’m the co-author of two books, Marvelry’s Curiosity Shop and Tales From Valleyview Cemetery, with my good friend Joe Sullivan. With Joe, I am also a co-founder of Cemetery Gates Media, a publisher of rich fantasy and horror stories. I am currently working on new stories with Joe, as well as my own novel.
When I’m not writing fiction, I work full-time as a communications manager at Binghamton University, where I manage social media, publish press releases, write magazine articles, and a whole bunch more. I also use all of these same skills as a freelance copywriter, as which I have experience writing content for everything from consulting firms to tech startups to rock bands and more.
Joe Sullivan, biography
Writer of horror tales (Corpse Cold: New American Folklore; What Waits in the Dark; Tales from Valleyview Cemetery; At the Cemetery Gates Series), paranormal fantasy (Marvelry’s Curiosity Shop; Carol for a Haunted man; Her Mourning Portrait and Other Paranormal Oddities), black comedy (Resurrection High); hiker, songwriter, and co-founder of Cemetery Gates Media.
Follow Brhel & Sullivan projects at:
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Cemetery Gates Media
Twitter: @CemeteryGatesM