Unknowing, I Sink

a strange and horrifying novella

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Pub Date Oct 01 2022 | Archive Date Oct 16 2022

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Description

Julian finds a summer job cleaning a mansion belonging to Mr V, an eccentric recluse obsessed with arcane knowledge. The man’s grotesque, swollen appearance, caused by an unknown condition that keeps him bedridden, initially disturbs Julian. And those creepy terra cotta statues lurking in the shadows don’t help to ease his nerves. But the rich old man wants to pay him more than he ever imagined.

While Julian struggles to understand his new employer’s discursive monologues, a dreadful ache grows inside his chest. Where has this feeling come from? How is it that a statue’s blank stare can cloud his mind? And what bizarre and horrifying secrets will he discover when Mr V’s esoteric philosophies become manifest?

Julian finds a summer job cleaning a mansion belonging to Mr V, an eccentric recluse obsessed with arcane knowledge. The man’s grotesque, swollen appearance, caused by an unknown condition that keeps...


Advance Praise

“A wonderfully strange and gripping novella, imbued with creeping dread and a strong sense of the grotesque. Highly recommended.”
— Matthew M. Bartlett, author of The Stay-Awake Men & Other Unstable Entities

“Dread-inducing and memorable.”
— Christi Nogle, author of Beulah and The Best of Our Past, the Worst of Our Future

Unknowing, I Sink will drag you into a gelatinous pit of abject horror. The dread begins on page one and balloons until its shocking finale. With Huguenin’s literary mastery and unapologetic weirdness, he’s our Southern-fried Clive Barker.”
— Nick Roberts, award-winning author of The Exorcist’s House and Anathema

“A chilling inferno of the strange and unsettling. Huguenin’s story quietly creeps while burrowing deep into your grey matter. . . . Small but mighty, [it] will blow your doors off.”
— Brian James Lewis, Damaged Skull Writer & Reviewer

“One of the most literary horror books that I’ve picked up in the past year. . . . If you’re looking for creeping horror with a satisfying twist and excellent writing, pick up Unknowing, I Sink.”
— Daphne Strasert, HorrorAddicts.net

“A wonderfully strange and gripping novella, imbued with creeping dread and a strong sense of the grotesque. Highly recommended.”
— Matthew M. Bartlett, author of The Stay-Awake Men & Other Unstable...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9780997147452
PRICE $6.99 (USD)

Average rating from 27 members


Featured Reviews

Unknowing. I Sink is a novella and a short read. I finished it in one setting. A strange and unsettling read. A little bit creepy, a little bit gross. It was intriguing and made me want to read more. Overall it was a short, interesting story to read between other books.

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Think I'll be put off eggs for a while after this one
Great little novella, with an intriguing plot.
I found it a little hard to visualize Mr.V physically but understanding his personality and characteristics were instantaneous.

I devoured this book almost as fast as Mr.V

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All Julian wanted was a summer to earn enough cash to buy a car so he could impress a girl he has a crush on. But when he takes the job cleaning the mansion of Mr. V, an eccentric and rather creepy old man, he had no idea what he was getting himself into. Timothy G. Huguenin’s short novella hooked me right from the start, even making my skin crawl when he first introduced us to the mysterious Mr. V. He’s creepy, has some very strict rules, and his diet (especially how he is served) is nausea inducing, lol. I have to say much of the story actually had a Stephen King-ish feel about it. It kept me hooked from start to finish, though I must admit I had a little difficulty completely visualizing the ending, it was so odd…which honestly seemed completely fitting for this creepy tale. I’d like to thank Timothy G. Huguenin and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Unknowingly, I Sink.

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Unique storytelling and haunting feeling that will follow me for days to come yet! Unknowing I Sink by Timothy G. Huguenin accomplishes in 80 pages what many books require hundreds of pages to do. It captures both the mystery of Dr. V with an unparalleled creep factor of the house in which this story mostly takes place. Another aspect of this story is Julian coming of age and starting to truly figure out some of the harder truths of life. Julian has to to discover the truth behind Dr. V and his mysterious disease/deformity, and that reveal is a twist that many readers will love. Blending science fiction, haunted houses, and creepy benefactors, Unknowing I Sink is a story you don't want to miss!

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3.5 stars

A great and gross novella. I dont often read body horror, or anything too gross to be honest, but this was a good way to dip my toes into the genre. A very quick read, and I did enjoy the characters. There’s definitely some gross parts, and it’s light in the horror, but overall a good one sitting read.

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This is an awesome horror novella. I was able to read this within a couple of hours. I could not put this down until I finished it.

15 year old Julian got a new summer job working for Mr. V, an eccentric recluse living in a mansion. Julian is hoping to save enough money to buy a car for himself, and hopefully impress a girl he likes.

This story is immersive and strange. I enjoyed every bit of it. It almost reads like poetry. The prose was smooth and elegant.

Thank you #NetGalley and Independent Legions Publishing for sending me the ebook to read and review.
#UnknowingISink by Timothy G. Huguenot

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Talk about less being more and this novella would be a prime example. This is a tense, chill filled little story that keeps getting creepier and creepier until you're about to pass out from holding your breath.

Atmospheric, unpredictable, and utterly horrifying, this novella is definitely one you need to read just in time for the spooky season!

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Julian is 15 years old, and two weeks from now he will be 16, and what is that all American teenagers want more in the world? To have their own car and have their romantic interest ride with them and maybe let them do something, but first Julian needs to get the money to be able to get a car, and for that he gets a job, and with that idea and through his father he gets a job in the house of a very wealthy and mysterious old man, his main job there is to clean and also prepare lunch for the old man, and always 15 eggs, yeah the old man is really weird, but to work there, he has a very important rule, he cant, not even to check for the time, look into his phone, it is better to leave his phone at home, and to make things weirder, he doesn’t get a fixed some of money, he gets what the old man thinks is fair, also there’s cameras all over the place to see what he is doing…

This was a very short read, but very creepy, amusing and gross hahah I know those are words that you don’t usually use in the same sentence, but is true, I think if you like short stories that will creep you out but at the same time you could relate to what the Main character wants to do, yeah this story is for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Timothy G. Huguenin for the free ARC and this is my honest opinion.

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Unknowing, I Sink by Timothy G. Huguenin.
Julian finds a summer job cleaning a mansion belonging to Mr V, an eccentric recluse obsessed with arcane knowledge. The man’s grotesque, swollen appearance, caused by an unknown condition that keeps him bedridden, initially disturbs Julian. And those creepy terra cotta statues lurking in the shadows don’t help to ease his nerves. But the rich old man wants to pay him more than he ever imagined. While Julian struggles to understand his new employer’s discursive monologues, a dreadful ache grows inside his chest. Where has this feeling come from? How is it that a statue’s blank stare can cloud his mind? And what bizarre and horrifying secrets will he discover when Mr V’s esoteric philosophies become manifest?
Omg. Brilliant read. Creepy and spooky are eerie. Loved the cover. 5*.

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This is creepy, spooky, and just a little bit gross. It has great atmosphere. The author has set a chilling, disturbing vibe throughout, and the story is quite mysterious. Not everything is fully explained, but with the hints given, readers can imagine and piece together their own version of the backstory and truth of Mr V’s nature. I appreciate the ambiguity very much.

This is a gem! I enjoyed reading every word, and highly recommend it!

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Unknowing, I Sink by Timothy G. Huguenin is a horror novella about a young boy who wants to buy a car so he starts working for a reclusive man to back some money over the summer.

I love horror novellas and this was no exception. This grossed me out in the best way and the foreboding atmosphere was perfect. I wouldn’t recommend this book to everyone because it is really strange but anyone who likes weird horror should check this out.

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I was initially drawn in by the cover art and interesting title. And if I’m honest, Nick Roberts’ blurb calling him a “Southern-fried Clive Barker”. Bring it on.

This was a short read, coming in at a scant 92 pages. But as the saying goes, good things come in small packages. Unknowing, I Sink is the story of a young man named Julian who takes a summer job cleaning the mansion of an old eccentric recluse. The job is strange from the start. Julian performs his job duties while being instructed via intercom. His first in person interaction with his employer is at lunch time, and it is thoroughly strange. He becomes aware of his employer’s mysterious medical condition, but doesn’t really know what’s going on. He’s just happy to get out of that room and back to work. He feels like something is a little off, but he has no idea.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me. This book is delightfully creepy. Huguenin really pulls off the whole impending doom thing, as I felt the tension and dread right along with Julian. It checked off a lot of boxes for me. Interesting cover? Check. Well written? Check. Creep factor? Double check. Ick factor? Oh yes, check. I’ll be reading more of Huguenin’s work for sure. I’ve already signed up for his newsletter.

Big thanks to Timothy G. Huguenin and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. You can pre-order Unknowing, I Sink on Amazon and begin reading it on October 1, 2022. This will also be available via Kindle Unlimited and Audible.

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This is a weird, absorbing, gruesome read that manages to be at the same time direct and poetic.

The writing grabs you from the very start and even though the more you read, the less you understand about what is happening (like our boy in the story), it is just impossible not to keep going till the end.

I loved the author's style and I'm already reading another one of his books.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange from my honest review.

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I just finished Unknowing, I sink by Timothy G. Huguenin and here are my thoughts.

Julian gets a summer job so he can buy a car. He gets a job cleaning the mansion of the elusive Mr V, an eccentric man who has a thing for knowledge.
Problem is the man is grotesque in appearance but the pay is good and it comes daily, he will be car ready in no time.
The house is full of cameras and there is nowhere for Julian to go where he cannot be seen. The strange man and the odd conversations have Julian on edge. What horrifying secrets might Julian unwittingly uncover?

This novella blew my mind. I didn’t know what to expect from such a short read but it checked all the boxes. The eccentric Mr V needing his eggs on his belly and barely cooked? CRICKEY!
Really enjoyed the description of the house and the weird conversations they both had. Had me really intrigued all the way through and the ending…. WHOAAAAAA
Did not expect that ending. So well done. Great writing and I was really engaged!
4.5 stars! What a book!
Thank you #netgalley and #timothyghuguenin for my review copy!

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