this felt like a fever dream but in the best way possible. it was weird and creepy and disgusting, maybe even a bit confusing but interesting and so original. the best way to describe this book is that it gave off the same vibes as the reddit spooky stories on tiktok and for me that makes it a must read. out of curiosity at least. for sure it wasn't something life changing but the creativity is top level.

"He began kicking the furniture and screaming at the top of his lungs because his frustration was boiling and flowing and the pain in his arm was excruciating and growing and the residents were bitching and moaning and the creature above was howling and groaning."

As expected from the eight block series, it was a juicy, sour and amazing little ride. What I love about this series is the bizarreness and environment. The action is so terribly cool, almost tangible. This book starts off at a really thrilling pace. Even in the small number of pages and the fast paced action, the author somehow manages to get me attached to the characters too. This spooky nonsense is just incredibly wild. I just love everything about it.

The prose is very explicit and thrilling. It is just so casual and conversational which makes the situations seem all the more real. There are endless good things about this series and I will always recommend it.

I enjoyed this book. It’s funny how it was able to stick with me. I started reading this book Back in Oct, got away from reading for quite some time yet I still had this book with me when I picked it back up to finish it.

Un audiolibro intrigante y atrapante desde el primer momento. Es una historia corta, ideal para un día de lluvia y un café en la mano. El libro está bien narrado, estuve todo el tiempo dudando sobre qué era real y qué no, el autor juega con nuestra mente, haciendo que vaciles sobre absolutamente todo y todos. Pero no sólo es una novela que te va a producir intriga y temor, sino que también va a hacer que sueltes algunas risas. Sin dudas fue un libro que me encantó y del cual tengo muchísimas ganas de releer.
Muchas gracias a NetGalley por la copia del libro <3.

An intriguing and engaging audiobook from the first moment. It's a short story, ideal for a rainy day and a coffee in hand. The book is well narrated, I was doubting all the time about what was real and what was not, the author plays with our minds, making us hesitate about absolutely everything and everyone. But not only is it a novel that will intrigue and fear you, but it will also make you laugh a few times. Without a doubt it was a book that I loved and that I really want to reread.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the copy of the book <3.

What a kooky little collection of short stories. I think my jaw was slack for at least half of it and there were definitely a few full body shivers. I quickly realized there was nothing I shouldn’t expect.

It was spooky, gory, super atmospheric. I could see it all perfectly in my minds eye. It would make a really cool mini tv series or graphic novel.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

I got chills from this book!
I was expecting a different kind of scary, but I was not disappointed by how things turned out.

The characters are well-written, and the narrator tries to give them different voices.

Everything felt so real! I loved the descriptions. They truly immerse the reader in the book.

The narrator's voice fitted so well, creating an equally creepy atmosphere.

Two chapters, two different main characters, with different problems to deal with.
Was any of it real?
Or was it all because of The Tower?

This was not for me. The two novellas were kind of little too weird for me. The first story didn’t really work for in that it was boring, and the two problematic elements (homophobia & misogynistic comments) just ruined the story for me without being challenged. The second story was just ok despite thinking there was some random possible connect to the first book.

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The Tower - William Pauley III

Welcome to 8th Block, can you hear the hum? That’s the radiation consuming the building, your body and mind.

The Tower, book 1 in ‘The Bedlam Bible’ series has 3 separate stories, equally bizarre involving the residents of 8th Block that link together.

This is a weird little read, but actually really good.
Fantastic characters, bonkers storylines, and some humorous moments that had me chuckling like I had spent too long in 8th Block myself!

I’ll definitely be checking out book 2

Recommended for fans of bizarre/weird fiction

The Tower, the first in the Eighth Block series, serves as an introduction into the lives of the towers residents. For me this is the start of a re read of the series, and I’ve noticed the last book actually transitions well back into this one. The characters are real, they all have personalities that jump off the page, despite belonging to this unusual spot that is not of this world. The stories are weird and a lot of fun!

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy for an honest review

I enjoyed listening to ‘the Tower’ it was really interesting. The narration was really well done

Would highly recommended

Rating 4 stars

Another great story. I am really enjoying reading these books. I can't wait to get my hands on the entire series and reread them to connect them even more. On the surface they don't seem to have a ton in common except setting, but the more I read the more I am seeing how deeply they do connect and I love it.

4 stars

I’ve read the 7 books of the Bedlam Bible in the wrong order. I’ve already read 4 of them and now just getting to book 1- The Tower. There are 3 stories in this short Novella. All bizarro, odd, creepy and absolutely insane. I loved it. It’s a good introduction to the going ons in the tower of 8th block, where bad things happen yet the police stay clear of the place. It might be the high level of radiation. Stay away from the tower. Once people enter, they never leave. Well, they don’t leave alive. This is a fun and disturbing book. I love everything this author writes. I highly recommend.

Thanks NetGalley and Doom Fiction audio for a copy of the audiobook. The narrator, Connor Brannigan, is the best. He has the perfect voice for these tales. This is my honest opinion I voluntarily give this review.

This book is a fun horror story. If you're looking for a good light-hearted spooky tale, I highly recommend this book. It's a series of three short stories, all interwoven around the setting of a haunted tower in a dystopic future Chicago. The residents inside the tower are slowly going crazy from radiation and can't leave the haunted tower. I particularly liked the last story in the book as it paralleled Little Shop of Horrors. Two young people work in a shop with a grumpy old man, the young woman has an abusive boyfriend, and the young man has a mystical creature that eats the boyfriend, letting the two young shop people be together. It's a fun story :)

Ridiculously entertaining collection of stories about residents of an unusual apartment block. Each resident we encounter has a strange story and the building affects them all differently. Is it the building? Or is it the insanity of the residents themselves. I suppose we will never know.

I’ve been really enjoying expanding what genres I read recently. In this quest for finding things that scream “DIFFERENT” I found the Bedlam Bible series. Initially, I was so drawn to these books because of the strange covers every book in the series has. After looking closer, I discovered that the subject matter was very off the wall and I was sold. I listened to the first book in the series, “The Tower”, on audiobook and really enjoyed the narrator. The closest thing I can think of to compare this book to is the podcast “Welcome to Night Vale”. With radiation in the walls, mysterious clones, and a god living next door (who may or may not be an air mattress) this story will challenge your view of reality.

Through this story, I discovered I really enjoy this specific type of fiction and will absolutely be checking out the rest of this series.

Another crazy mini audio series by William Pauley III, this definitely works as an audio, the narrators voice suits the style of writing and keeps me interested. It’s left me feeling pretty freaked out, it has left me completely disturbed but also wanting to hear more as I have questions and I want to know what’s eating the meat!

This dystopian tale takes listeners on a journey into a world where the boundaries between reality and madness are certainly blurred. The haunting atmosphere is brought to life by the audio narration.

I feel like the audiobook format adds an extra layer of intensity to the narrative, with the narrator's voice capturing the desperation and madness that pervades the story. As I learned more about the lives of the residents, I was drawn into the reality that sanity was a scarce commodity and sickness was an ever looming threat.

This audiobook was chilling and definitely thought-provoking and will leave you haunted by the world that the tower is based in. The audio version just made everything that much more vivid to me and I definitely enjoyed the narration.

Thanks NetGalley for the early opportunity to explore this world and this is my honest review!

I received this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. The Tower is an interesting listen. The characters are all typical of the people you would find in an apartment complex, but with a touch of madness. There were inconsistencies in the naration that made it hard for me to make it through the first chapter. For instance, in the first story he seems to lack the inflection and intonation to properly convey the character. He did a much better job later conveying different tones and even different voices, so it was odd that he did not choose to narrate the first story similarly. The stories were loosely connected the way that people who live or work in the same building would be. The Invalids is the story that shines brightest here by far, pulling me in more to try to solve the mystery. I'm interested to hear more about the residents of the tower in the next installments. I just wish the narration did a better job of pulling me in.

I received the audiobook as an arc rom NetGalley.

This is a great novella for fans of absurdist humor like John Dies at the End or The Sandman. The novella includes two short stories, both about the residents of this tower (mental institution, prison?). As with most horror in this genre, there is a lot of suspension of disbelief required, but the author makes this easy by laying a groundwork that drops the reader comfortably into the tower.

I gave the book 3 stars because while the setting is great, there is little character development beyond the craziness. I didn't find myself relating to or empathizing with the characters.

The audiobook narrator was the perfect choice for this novella. The tone and inflection of his voice made this fun book even more fun, bumping the overall review up to 4 stars.

I'm really glad that I did these out of order. I appreciate that book one is often for building a scene, but after 30 minutes of repeatedly hearing about the radiation in the walls I had to turn it off. It was pretty much every other paragraph and was so frustrating.