Hollow Folk by Andrew K. Clark — A trippy ride through a hotel trapped in time by the sins of the land’s past.

Cover Image courtesy of

Quill and Crow Publishing 

No, this is not some ripoff of The Shining by Stephen King, but it does share some common ideas. This is arguably the third book in Clark’s Dark Things series, although it’s billed as a standalone. The first two books are connected by family histories that overlap. You wouldn’t know there was a connection to the first two books here if you didn’t have the privilege of reading them, but there is, and that connection is the hotel’s location in the Hollow and a similar backstory involving a dreadful religious past.

Clark plays with a deeply flawed rural Christian history in these books, a history that intertwines with an evil backwoods folklore that creates some sexually charged creepy stuff relating to our fears, our inhibitions and our carnal desires. We are guilt ridden by what we are taught by the church, but it can fuel us into unconscionable acts that are worse than the sins we have been taught to feel bad about. …I’m speculating here, as I’m only halfway through the book at this point. But maybe I’ll leave this part in to prove this isn’t some stupid AI summarization and to prove I was right.

Anyway…yes. My speculation still feels spot on. The book has three Holloway employees trapped in time when the hotel’s grandfather clock—and every clock—stops ticking at 3 AM. The characters, Ethan (our narrator), Teresa and Kal, begin having weird experiences with ghosts and creatures who may or may not be real as they try to figure out what the hell is going on. The existing guests have essentially disappeared, and the hotel itself seems to be gradually overtaken by poisonous things and gothic creatures of menace.

Also, Ethan and Teresa are falling in love. It’s a weird and creepy developing relationship filled with bugs and body horror linked to a heartbreaking past buried deep underground. It’s an interesting read filled with creatively gross and erotic scenes that will evoke readers to say “what the hell..?”

The gothic nature of this book is more reminiscent of a Shirley Jackson piece, although there are plenty of nods to King’s Overlook Hotel.The hotel feeds the characters and makes them complacent in a way that is sometimes frustrating, because it doesn’t foster propelling the story forward at times. But there is a reason for this that makes sense. It’s not a book for everyone, but if you enjoy the weird and grotesque, and you’re not shy of explicit sexual scenes, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy it. 

Some of it was too much for me, because I was thinking, “guys, we get it. You’re mad hot for each other, and the weird stuff that’s happening during the sex doesn’t creep you out, but come on! Your buddy’s gone missing and this isn’t natural. Where’s the moment of freaking out?” But like I said, there is a definable reason…

It’s a solid piece of weird, dark romance/horror. But it is weird. It is dark. It is erotic. You have been warned.

Find Hollow Folk here, or at your favorite online book retailer.

Where Dark Things Rise by Andrew K. Clark — A solid addition to the Dark Things series

Cover Image courtesy of
Quill and Crow Publishing

The second installment of the Dark Things series by Clark is as good as the first one, if not better. The first, Where Dark Things Grow, tells the story of Leo and Lilyfax as they grow into young adulthood in depression era Appalachia. Leo is the one who draws from a special darkness in the first book, as he tries to overcome the allure of its power in order to right things for the underprivileged, in his case, the poor.

In book two, we focus on Leo's grandson Gabe, and Gabe's potential love interest Mina. This installment is set in the 1980s, with Gabe being mentored by the ways of his grandparents, Leo and Lilyma, and with Mina being the one who struggles with a darkness as she learns to wield it.

If you are a fan of the first book, you will appreciate the relationship of the elder characters in their later years. You will appreciate how they've grown and the heartbreaks they face with the coming of age. And if you’re of a certain generation (X) you might appreciate the time setting of the book, because these new characters are teens in the 80s. Clark hits the ambiance of the iconic 80s without breaking a sweat—right there with the right vibes of Stranger Things.

But this second book weaves in a great deal of religious horror too—something I happen to be drawn to, whether reading it or writing it. It addresses the extremes of the religious right, and how it can hurt the very communities it pretends to be helping, because in this book—while the underprivileged are still targets for the villains of the story—so are teenage girls and members of the lgbtq community. These new characters are just trying to find themselves in a world where some people want to define what is righteous and what is wrong with rigidly drawn lines, and the anger and frustration that comes from this struggle is where dark things rise.

This book is a solid entry in a new era of dark, religious themed horror. Thanks to the author, the publisher and the HWA for giving ARC access to this book. Click on the cover image for adirect  purchase link. Or, here: Where Dark Things Rise Purchase Link