"I mean, sure, it's hardcore horror, don't get me wrong..."

And so, one of the characters sums up my experience of Gothic. I wanted to hate it, put it down, and a few times, I did just that. I'm a lifelong fan and reader of supernatural horror. Name a prolific or famous horror writer, and I've read them. Most of me was just NOT OKAY with this book. Trigger warnings alone include physical and sexual violence, gender-based violence, domestic abuse, suicidal ideation, and ugh just general creepiness.

Plot-wise, it's like The Shining only in that it's a desk instead of a hotel. That's it. There are several references to The Shining, which I thought was just odd because it felt gratuitous and far too generous a comparison.

While this review may be acerbic, I did give it two stars - one for the fact that I managed to finish it (more a star to myself then, maybe?) and another for the fact that I genuinely did not hate the entire book. In fact, I went from a genuine dislike of the protagonist to realising that he had simply been written as a complex and self-loathing character, which came as a relief after some pretty sickly sexism right from the off. The unraveling of the story of the desk's origins was also pretty gripping.

I'd say that the writer shows so much potential if they might just cut back on the just devastating and gratuitous violence and spend .more time developing those characters and origins which pillared an otherwise tedious and sickly read.
Of course, if this book was specifically written to be some kind of allegory or even a caricature of itself or the sub-genre, I entirely missed the point. Just someone let me know, would you?

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Philip Fracassi, and for access to this arc in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Were you a young horror fan in the 80s? Did you cut your teeth on stories full of misogyny and the male gaze and jam-packed with sexual violence? Do you long for times when stories were just, you know, a lot rapey-er? If so, Philip Fracassi's story of an ancient evil lurking in a cursed desk and the washed-up horror author who falls prey to its thrall is definitely going to tickle your disgusting fancy, you repugnant piece of shit. Crawl back into your hole and read this gross, awful book, I guess.

Such a terrifying read, but so so good. Listening to Tony Braxton's Unbreak My Heart would never be the same again.

Author Tyson Parks receives an antique desk for his birthday from his partner, Sarah, in hopes that it will free him of his writer’s block. Unbeknownst to them the desk has a dark and tragic past that will bring Tyson to the edge.

This is a thought provoking novel that touches on compulsion and obsession. Very reminiscent of Stephen King’s older novels. The character development was well executed and you can feel the intense dread within his writing. Chilling and suspenseful I would recommend this book. Due note: content warnings include domestic abuse and sexual assault.

This is Fracassi’s first book I have read and it will not be my last. I will definitely be looking into his catalog of works.

I want to thank NetGalley, Philip Fracassi and Cemetery Dance Publications, Trade Paperback and Ebook for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

True to his best self, Fracassi does it again!
Gothic blends two old horror tropes: the cursed or haunted objects, and the idea of selling your soul for wealth.

I couldn't put it down - Fracassi has become my go-to when it comes to horror.
He masters the genre. The "creep" factor is very well written, and the descent into madness just pulls you in.
Gothic will be your next favourite.

Gothic books are my favorite kind to read, so of course I had to read this one based on the title alone. This is the first Philip Fracassi book I have read, and I am so glad that I did. Since finishing Gothic, I have purchased A Child Alone with Strangers, and I eagerly await the reprint of The Boys in the Valley. Fracassi has such a unique voice and style, while simultaneously reminiscent of vintage King and Laymon.

Tyson's Parks' rapid descent into madness (all thanks to a cursed desk) and the ripple effect on those around him, gripped me for days. Much like Tyson's ability to work on his newest novel for hours on end, I too read this book for probably way to long of stretches than is healthy. I loved the flashbacks to the 1600/1700's as we follow the desk/alter as it changes ownership (or is it the desk that does the owning?). I feel like that could be an entirely separate book on its own, and one I would definitely read.

Definitely pick this up if you enjoy the style/atmosphere of vintage 80's horror, cursed objects or possession stories. I plan to purchase a physical copy on publication day, it was that good!

It took some time for this to really get going, but once it does it REALLY gets moving. This imparts such an intense sense of dread, the horror is incredibly visceral.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Feb 3, 2023
Horror author and screenwriter Philip Fracassi’s new novel, “Gothic” adds a haunting, no-holds-barred, next level creep factor to the genre, with a terrifyingly dark premise and a pulse-pounding plot.
Author Tyson Parks receives an antique desk for his fifty-ninth birthday from his partner, Sarah, in hopes that it will free him of his writer’s block. Across the continent, a young woman named Diana has paid a lot of money in hopes of finding a long-lost family heirloom, an item with a dark and tragic past that Diana knows she must locate in order to keep it, and the people around it, safe from harm. Her investigation leads her to the home of Tyson Parks. The desk, however, is inspiring Tyson, and he’s not willing to part with it. Tyson has written more books with the desk as its muse than he has in years, even though the desk is causing Tyson to have dark thoughts, and causing even darker actions, Tyson will not give the desk up. Nor is it willing to give him up…..
Fracassi is an award-winning author, with so many books in his repertoire that I can’t even count. That being said, I am disappointed to admit that “Gothic” was my introduction to this author and screenwriter.
Tyson is the main protagonist of this story, although Sarah and Diana (and Tyson’s daughter, Violet) do share their thoughts in small segments periodically. As a middle-aged author, desperate to once again have the fame his first novels brought to him, Tyson is likable and relatable- until he isn’t (this is an intentional move on Fracassi’s part), although I was too enraptured in the plot to not want to see how Tyson’s arc ended. As strange as it seems to me to classify the desk as a “living entity”, this is entirely the case. Fracassi’s depictions of the antique behemoth are terrifying, and they will definitely give you chills.
Tyson, the character, has an understandable envy and adulation of the great Stephen King, and it is obvious from Fracassi’s writing that he has a fair amount of love for the King as well. In fact, Tyson even makes a quip about his desk being similar to the possessed car, Christine, in King’s novel by the same name. Although it is hard to compete with the Great One (of Horror, not Hockey), Fracassi definitely has the talent to come close. “Gothic” is paralyzingly scary, and I loved every minute of it.

Gothic by Philip Fracassi First Impressions:
Loved the Cover! I have an irrational fear of horns and antlers. Don’t Judge. I immediately loved one of the main characters, Sarah. On the flip side, I hated Tyson from the beginning. The biggest main character was the desk and that behemoth scared me. A shiny black desk with screaming faces as drawer pulls.

Gothic kept me reading the whole way through. The atmosphere and dread was palpable. I wanted Sarah to run, to find a safe house; I’d even take a safe hole. The ending was gut wrenching.

Wonderful read! But I only expect the best from this author and will continue to read everything he puts out.

Gothic by Philip Fracassi blew me away—what a read to finish 2022!
I’m new to the horror genre, and Fracasi delivers. Gothic introduces us to Tyson Parks, a has-been in the writing world. When his partner try’s to spark inspiration, we slowly start to see a descent into madness. Gives off ‘The Shining’ vibes as we see Tyson struggling with reality and losing himself.
There is a section that is told in flashback, which initially I was very bored with, however this information proves very useful later. Overall, I can’t say enough for this book, from the chilling suspense to character development it was all wonderfully executed.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I was really into both the plot and the characters of the book. The characters were enjoyable to read about. I do wish there was a bit more from Ben and Diana. I would have liked to see them interacting with Tyson and the family a bit more than they did. I was also not a big fan of the backstory of the desk and the placement felt a bit off for me.

Overall, I liked this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

Tyson Parks, once upon a bestselling author, is struggling both creatively and financially. He’s already spent the advance he received for the book he was supposed to be writing and his agent isn’t exactly thrilled that the work in progress Tyson presents to him doesn’t even remotely resemble the pitch. Sent away with an impossible deadline and strict instructions to write the book he was supposed to be writing, Tyson feels defeated.

Sarah, Tyson’s partner, goes all out for his birthday, buying him a one of a kind antique desk. They both hope this will give Tyson the boost he needs to get back in the game.

Now, instead of completing the historical horror novel he wanted to write, Tyson finds himself embroiled in a real life historical horror, one that’s almost three hundred years in the making.

I found this book easy to get into and I was keen to see how the history of Tyson’s desk impacted on his present. Almost immediately I started comparing Tyson to Jack Torrance. It was hard not to. The author even references Jack, and adds a few other King references in for good measure.

I was completely on board until the on page rape scene. I love so many types of horror: body horror, slashers, supernatural horror, gore, psychological horror, monster horror… This rape scene, though? It seemed to me that it was only there as a plot device, showing the reader that the desk is influencing Tyson to act in a way that he never would without it. There are so many ways you can show me that someone is morphing into a bad guy without using rape to do it. Sexual assault has its place in fiction but not when there’s no sensitivity given to the material.

“But here’s the reality: when you are joined with someone for over a decade of life, and when that decade has been a good decade - a litany of loving moments, shared compassion and consistent, unflagging support - you build a level of trust, a balustrade of understanding, of love.
Of forgiveness.”

This just made me mad. Oh, and then there’s this.

“It was up to Sarah to decide now. Was their story over, or had the future already been written?
Sarah leta out a held breath, her shoulders slump and she leans forward, her forehead to his chest. She allows him to give himself back to her, and she to him.“

Tyson, Sarah might forgive you for brutally raping her but I don’t.

If it wasn’t for this scene, I probably would have continued to enjoy this read. It coloured everything I read after it, though, and I never made it back to my initial enjoyment.

Because I really liked the way this novel started, I’d be interested in trying another book by this author. I’d definitely check out the reviews first to make sure I chose one that’s right for me.

Content warnings include domestic abuse and sexual assault.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Cemetery Dance Publications for the opportunity to read this book. I’m rounding up from 2.5 stars.

So this is one of those holy crap no holds barred tales of absolutely vivid horror. It’s the kind of story that stays with you long after the last page.

It’s definitely reminiscent of the beautifully dark horror of the 1980’s, yet feels fresh, modern, and extremely eerie.

And THAT DESK. Yeah, that’s a nope for me. Immediately kindling!

I was torn between love and loathing for Tyson, but as the book went on, his foibles became a little too much for me. I got to the point where I wanted dark things to eat him so that other people in his life would be okay.

No hints as to how it all ends. I’ll just say it’s a gut punch of a book and a very satisfying read.

• ARC via Publisher

First off— a huge thank you to NetGalley and Cemetery Dance Publications for the opportunity to read this book!

This book starts off with a horror author, Tyson Parks, who is on a tight deadline to produce a new book. The problem: he doesn’t want to write what he originally pitched, and he doesn’t feel inspired. In fact, Tyson has not felt inspiration in a long time. With his birthday right around the corner, his wife, Sarah, wants to give him a gift to rekindle this inspiration. She finds the perfect antique desk, that she thinks will do just that. And it does. However, there is a more sinister and dangerous backstory to this antique. One that will affect Tyson’s life more then he could ever imagine.

I really liked this book. I will say, it did take me a little while to get into it, but once I got hooked… I was hooked. I liked getting a glimpse into Tyson’s life, without knowing a lot of his backstory. The author was very descriptive with his character, and I could see how he changed throughout the story. I also liked Sarah, and his daughter, Violet.

I found this book atmospheric, creepy at times and I liked the idea that his books somehow made people so crazy things. It was interesting that he was writing all these things and had NO idea what he was writing. I would have liked to see more of the confrontation with Ben throughout the story. I found that interesting, especially with the newspaper clippings.

I will say that I did not like Diana, and I do not think she added anything to the story. If she was intertwined more within the story, instead of just being a somewhat “convenient character,” I think it would have added more. I felt the story was a little disjointed when she became involved, especially in the middle. I didn’t expect things to end up that way… and it seemed like it was the climax of the story. However, it wasn’t… because we jumped to one year later, and there were still about 50 (or so) pages more to go.

In addition, weaving in more of the story behind the desk.. throughout the book, might have also made it flow a little better. I also felt the quick couple chapters about this made me feel like I was almost reading another book.

I also HATED the rape scene and the lack of conversation around that. I did not like that Sarah just forgave him… and acted like “well he isn’t USUALLY like that, so..” that was the only part of the book that really rubbed me the wrong way. He does not get a pass because she “thinks” he has changed. That is a crock if you ask me. That does not justify this scene at all.. I just don’t like how Sarah was portrayed in that scenario.

I would have also liked more discussions on him actually acting different. It was like we, as the readers knew, Sarah and Violet knew… but they never said anything. They just almost accepted that he was suddenly working all hours of the day, and acting weird, and having outbursts.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC!

~ ~ ~

Author Tyson Parks has hit a wall in his career. Unable to impress his publishers with his latest works, Tyson worries that he may be washed up after all. Until he's gifted The Desk. Then everything changes. So what if he's not been himself lately? It doesn't matter that he can't even remember what he's written so long as the publishers are eating it up. And they are. Tyson Parks has made his comeback. But at what cost?

~ ~ ~

This was my first book by this author, and I was completely wowed by the end! The first handful of chapters were a little bit of a struggle for me, but once the story got going I could not put it down. Gothic was everything I was hoping it would be and more. It had strong 70s - 80s horror vibes and reminded me a lot of early Stephen King, particularly The Shining. The whole descent into madness was wonderfully terrifying and seriously left me breathless with how dark it went. Really brings to mind the old adage "be careful what you wish for." Absolutely recommend this book to those who enjoy bleak stories that pay homage to older horror.

I had just about given up on new horror when I decided to take a chance with an intriguing title (and cool cover) that kept popping up on my Facebook feed. As a fan of gothic fiction, I had to check it out. I'm so glad I did because I absolutely loved this old-school page-turner. A complete discussion is coming to my YouTube channel soon. I just want to get it out there that GOTHIC is great! There were a few formatting issues, but nothing that distracted me from the story. This might be my best read all year, definitely the best new-fiction read. Do check it out if you can.

Rating: 3.5 stars. Genre: Horror
Received via Netgalley

I enjoyed the creepy and horror vibes the author did for the story. It did catch my attention right away. The scenes about the table and what it was used for in the past was a good intro for the book and the story line. Then pass the 70ish% part of the book when most of the characters meet each other and find out the motives in the characters is where it gets interesting. This would have been better if it was made a novella and/or an audiobook. A good read during the fall/Halloween time.

I didn’t like all the parenthesis throughout the novel, it distracted and made me automatically skip it. The chapters that was slow, which was in the body of the novel, had one liners as the last sentence placed for shock value and left me confused rather than intrigued. Some of the characters should have been emphasized and if not, should be removed from the story. Scenes of horror was well described but felt unfinished. Scene of SA- felt blown off, which left me feeling WTF, not in a good way. The ending could have been better and once again felt unfinished.

Overall, I enjoyed reading the scenes of gore and horror. The beginning was good, then skip to the 70% mark is where it picks up again, then the climax of the story was horrific but then the story goes back down. Felt like a roller coaster ride spanned out in 400 pages.

Fans of Stephen King will love this creepy horror novel by Philip Fracassi. It was one of the best horror books I've read this year. It kept me on the edge of my seat. This was the first book I've read by Fracassi, but I can't wait to read more.

This book delves into human nature and how far will you go to get what you want and be successful. Tyson Parks is becoming a washed up author until his wife gifts him a writing desk. Once he starts writing, he can't stop and his writing is more horrific than it has ever been. Tyson rides to fame, but without consequences. His books have unleashed a terror that he can't stop and is affecting his loved ones.

On paper (get it?) Philip Francassi’s “Gothic” sounded like everything I would want in a horror novel. A struggling horror writer is given a desk for his birthday and he turns his career around. Was he do or is something seriously going on with that desk?

While I enjoyed the journey, the story was missing a little something. I’m not quite sure it was, but I think it might have been our protagonist. Horror author Tyson Parks starts out as a likable guy, but the success and the possibly demonic desk does a number on his charter and actually makes the dude quite unlikeable. That’s what Francassi was trying to do, and he succeeds, but it turns the book into a bit of a harder read as the charters that we continue to care about are just forced to endure misery throughout the book.

“Gothic” is certainly not a happy read and there are some really messed up things that occur, but it’s still very good horror in the vain of Bentley Little and Laymon with a touch of early King.

Check it out, just don’t expect to feel super upbeat afterwards.

Received a complimentary ARC of Gothic by Philip Fracassi from Cemetery Dance Publications/NetGalley. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the flyleaf copy for if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of a summary.

BOOK REPORT
Oh good Lord. I’ve obviously got just about the sense God gave lettuce and am not to be trusted, to boot, because it was only last month when I said—for the record—and I quote: “I don't need to be reading any more books about people writing books. It's just as simple as that.”

Yet here we are…..

To put it as plainly as I can, I found this book to be both derivative and unbelievable. As in, derivative all the way back—way, way back—to The Red Shoes. As in, the Hans Christian Andersen dark faerie tale, not the 1948 movie of the same name.

And truly, y’all, I for sure don’t need to be reading any more books about middle-aged white male authors who are past their prime yet still living in New York City trying to craft that just one more best seller. Ugh.

FLYLEAF COPY
On his 59th birthday, Tyson Parks—a famous, but struggling, horror writer—receives an antique desk from his partner, Sarah, in the hopes it will rekindle his creative juices. Perhaps inspire him to write another best-selling novel and prove his best years aren’t behind him.

A continent away, a mysterious woman makes inquiries with her sources around the world, seeking the whereabouts of a certain artifact her family has been hunting for centuries. With the help of a New York City private detective, she finally finds what she’s been looking for.

It’s in the home of Tyson Parks.

Meanwhile, as Tyson begins to use his new desk, he begins acting... strange. Violent. His writing more disturbing than anything he’s done before. But publishers are paying top dollar, convinced his new work will be a hit, and Tyson will do whatever it takes to protect his newfound success.

Even if it means the destruction of the ones he loves.

Even if it means his own sanity.

Advance Praise
"Not since The Shining has the descent of a writer into madness been so masterfully rendered on the page.” - Ross Jeffery, Bram Stoker-nominated author of Tome

“A high creep factor chiller with a sinister edge that had me reading well past my bedtime. Frightening and fun, and deliciously original!" — James A Moore, author of the Blood Red trilogy and Cherry Hill.