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Practitioners
Dreams aren’t just for the sleeping.
After the murder of his wife, Officer Henry Stapleton struggles to move on. He begins experiencing nightmares that seem more like reality. Far beyond simple grieving. Looking for answers, he visits a mysterious new healing center, owned by real estate mogul Paul White. There’s just one problem. The man doesn’t exist. Though his name appears on his properties, there is no evidence of White’s birth, no social security number, no means of tracing whatsoever. Henry begins to believe White is to blame for these visions. And they’re spreading to others.
Joined by his partner George Patrick, the two travel deeper into the collective nightmare infecting Bellview, a once quiet town now in the grasps of unknown evil.
Reality may not be as concrete as Henry Stapleton once thought…
After the murder of his wife, Officer Henry Stapleton struggles to move on. He begins experiencing nightmares that seem more like reality. Far beyond simple grieving. Looking for answers, he visits a mysterious new healing center, owned by real estate mogul Paul White. There’s just one problem. The man doesn’t exist. Though his name appears on his properties, there is no evidence of White’s birth, no social security number, no means of tracing whatsoever. Henry begins to believe White is to blame for these visions. And they’re spreading to others.
Joined by his partner George Patrick, the two travel deeper into the collective nightmare infecting Bellview, a once quiet town now in the grasps of unknown evil.
Reality may not be as concrete as Henry Stapleton once thought…
- GenresHorror
266 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 16, 2018
6 people are currently reading
198 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
August 2, 2018
Recovering from the death of his wife, Officer Henry Stapleton is on a downward spiral of booze. His wife's killer winds up dead, or does he? Henry visits a New Age healing center and starts experimenting with lucid dreaming. But what will he do when he discovers the machinations of a man who may not exist?
I follow Patrick Lacey on Twitter and I was all over this one as soon as I saw the cover.
The story feels more like a detective story than anything else a lot of the time. Henry Stapleton, benched after the death of his wife, tries to piece together the identity of Paul White, a guy buying up more and more of town and the mastermind behind Crystal Dreams, a New Age healing center that has opened up.
The book starts simply enough but escalates once Henry begins studying lucid dreaming. From there, it reminds me of the crazy ass second half of Keeper of the Children, with lots of crazy shit happening in dreams.
There was a few editing bumps, par for the course for small press horror. The writing was seamless, meaning I couldn't ever tell more than one person wrote it. Even half asleep on a plane to Las Vegas, I couldn't set the book aside. Four out of five stars.
I follow Patrick Lacey on Twitter and I was all over this one as soon as I saw the cover.
The story feels more like a detective story than anything else a lot of the time. Henry Stapleton, benched after the death of his wife, tries to piece together the identity of Paul White, a guy buying up more and more of town and the mastermind behind Crystal Dreams, a New Age healing center that has opened up.
The book starts simply enough but escalates once Henry begins studying lucid dreaming. From there, it reminds me of the crazy ass second half of Keeper of the Children, with lots of crazy shit happening in dreams.
There was a few editing bumps, par for the course for small press horror. The writing was seamless, meaning I couldn't ever tell more than one person wrote it. Even half asleep on a plane to Las Vegas, I couldn't set the book aside. Four out of five stars.
July 15, 2018
Authors Matt Hayward and Patrick Lacey inject fresh life and more than a few sparks of originality into some familiar and well-worn tropes in Practitioners from Bloodshot Books, genre-hopping with apparent ease to flesh out a novel that feels like a dream come true.
On the trope side of things, we have police officer, Henry Stapleton, who is reeling from the death of his wife and is fueled by revenge. Thankfully, Hayward and Lacey upend our familiarity with such a heavily trod character almost immediately. Stapleton, it turns out, is completely off his rocker and his vivid recollections of finding and torturing his wife's killer are psychotic breaks with reality. What's more, he's having waking dreams that lead him to a spate of fresh corpses. His attempts to control his lucid dreaming send him even deeper down the rabbit hole, straight into a paranoid nightmare that could reshape and destroy reality.
Practitioners is a novel all about escalation. The more things Stapleton tries to fix, the worse things get. While Hayward and Lacey embrace the initial noir aspects of their pseudo-cop drama, their story stretches beyond any one genre, preferring to take an everything but the kitchen sink approach. Equal parts cop shop, horror, and fantasy, Practitioners is a hefty blend of cross-genre scares that admirably chugs along without losing sight of its cataclysmic destination.
Stapleton's journey from police officer to dream warrior comes off far more plausible than it should, which is a credit to how well the author's have constructed this story. It helps that Stapleton is initially presented as a bit of a suspect character and we're never quite sure how crazy grief has made him. Hayward and Lacey slowly weave in the supernatural elements, giving us small doses that are just enough to jilt expectations, while embellishing Stapleton's waking-world life with enough paranoia, New Age mysticism, and investigative do-right to prepare us for the headlong dive into madness. This is a book that starts off small and personal and blows up in a wildly cataclysmic and bloody climax that presents a war on two different fronts of consciousness.
It's heady stuff to be sure, but the authors make it all look disconcertingly easy. Practitioners is a highly successful collaboration and the styles of Dublin-based Hayward and Massachusetts-native Lacey mesh seamlessly. I didn't notice any peculiarities in syntax, cultural oddities, or awkward turns of phrase that occasionally occur between authors writing together from opposite sides of the pond.
If I must voice one complaint, though, it's that the various dreams and dream worlds Stapleton journeys through never quite felt strange enough for me. Through it all, there's a certain linearity and even almost-normalcy to it, despite even the occasional appearance of strange creatures. While there's a healthy dose of oddity to the surrounding events that prompt Stapleton to travel between his neighbor's dreams, I wish some of the dream states he found himself in were even more unusual. More often than not, the authors rely on presenting dreams that are either alternate realities where the dreamer engages in particular sexual fetishes or the book's setting of Bellville is depicted as an apocalyptic wasteland. While this latter depiction of Bellville is well-rendered, I could have done with a bit more variety in the various dreamy landscapes. It is also possible I'm simply too inured to stories of my wife's crazy dreams.
While I loved Practitioners and its pulp-noir and chaotic creature-feature sensibilities, few things within Stapleton's lucid dreams are as weird as my darling wife's dreams after she's had Chinese food. This is perhaps too high a bar to set, though, as even the most wildly inventive and creative writer would have a tough time competing with some of my wife's doozies in dreamland. Personally, it's rare that I even remember any of my own dreams, so it's entirely possible my wife is just weird and Practitioners depictions of dream-life are more common and realistic than my spouse's anecdotes would lead me to believe. So, as far as complaints go, this one is certainly nothing to lose sleep over.
Hayward and Lacey pack in enough freshness and a few honestly earned surprises to make Practitioners a book I can easily recommend. It really did hit all the right buttons for me between its awesomely designed cover by Rachel Autumn Deering, and a highly cool concept and well articulated vision from the authors, one that exists on multiple planes of reality and features some neat-o fantasyland magic and killer monsters. I mean, who doesn't love killer monsters?
[Note: I received an advanced review copy of this title from the author.]
On the trope side of things, we have police officer, Henry Stapleton, who is reeling from the death of his wife and is fueled by revenge. Thankfully, Hayward and Lacey upend our familiarity with such a heavily trod character almost immediately. Stapleton, it turns out, is completely off his rocker and his vivid recollections of finding and torturing his wife's killer are psychotic breaks with reality. What's more, he's having waking dreams that lead him to a spate of fresh corpses. His attempts to control his lucid dreaming send him even deeper down the rabbit hole, straight into a paranoid nightmare that could reshape and destroy reality.
Practitioners is a novel all about escalation. The more things Stapleton tries to fix, the worse things get. While Hayward and Lacey embrace the initial noir aspects of their pseudo-cop drama, their story stretches beyond any one genre, preferring to take an everything but the kitchen sink approach. Equal parts cop shop, horror, and fantasy, Practitioners is a hefty blend of cross-genre scares that admirably chugs along without losing sight of its cataclysmic destination.
Stapleton's journey from police officer to dream warrior comes off far more plausible than it should, which is a credit to how well the author's have constructed this story. It helps that Stapleton is initially presented as a bit of a suspect character and we're never quite sure how crazy grief has made him. Hayward and Lacey slowly weave in the supernatural elements, giving us small doses that are just enough to jilt expectations, while embellishing Stapleton's waking-world life with enough paranoia, New Age mysticism, and investigative do-right to prepare us for the headlong dive into madness. This is a book that starts off small and personal and blows up in a wildly cataclysmic and bloody climax that presents a war on two different fronts of consciousness.
It's heady stuff to be sure, but the authors make it all look disconcertingly easy. Practitioners is a highly successful collaboration and the styles of Dublin-based Hayward and Massachusetts-native Lacey mesh seamlessly. I didn't notice any peculiarities in syntax, cultural oddities, or awkward turns of phrase that occasionally occur between authors writing together from opposite sides of the pond.
If I must voice one complaint, though, it's that the various dreams and dream worlds Stapleton journeys through never quite felt strange enough for me. Through it all, there's a certain linearity and even almost-normalcy to it, despite even the occasional appearance of strange creatures. While there's a healthy dose of oddity to the surrounding events that prompt Stapleton to travel between his neighbor's dreams, I wish some of the dream states he found himself in were even more unusual. More often than not, the authors rely on presenting dreams that are either alternate realities where the dreamer engages in particular sexual fetishes or the book's setting of Bellville is depicted as an apocalyptic wasteland. While this latter depiction of Bellville is well-rendered, I could have done with a bit more variety in the various dreamy landscapes. It is also possible I'm simply too inured to stories of my wife's crazy dreams.
While I loved Practitioners and its pulp-noir and chaotic creature-feature sensibilities, few things within Stapleton's lucid dreams are as weird as my darling wife's dreams after she's had Chinese food. This is perhaps too high a bar to set, though, as even the most wildly inventive and creative writer would have a tough time competing with some of my wife's doozies in dreamland. Personally, it's rare that I even remember any of my own dreams, so it's entirely possible my wife is just weird and Practitioners depictions of dream-life are more common and realistic than my spouse's anecdotes would lead me to believe. So, as far as complaints go, this one is certainly nothing to lose sleep over.
Hayward and Lacey pack in enough freshness and a few honestly earned surprises to make Practitioners a book I can easily recommend. It really did hit all the right buttons for me between its awesomely designed cover by Rachel Autumn Deering, and a highly cool concept and well articulated vision from the authors, one that exists on multiple planes of reality and features some neat-o fantasyland magic and killer monsters. I mean, who doesn't love killer monsters?
[Note: I received an advanced review copy of this title from the author.]
September 20, 2018
I've been noticing more and more collaboration novels in the horror genre lately. I've always been curious as to how two different authors can concoct a story together and keep everything seemlessly cohesive. Matt Hayward and Patrick Lacey are able to do just that in Practitioners. You really can't tell who wrote what. The tone, pacing, characters and delivery are evenly matched. So kudos to them for being able to utilize the age-old saying, "Two heads are better than one."
Practitioners uses elements of A Nightmare on Elm Street, Phantasm, Hellraiser, and various Lovecraft tales and brings it all together through the plight of Henry Stapleton. Henry is a police detective on administrative leave while he attempts to pick up the pieces of the senseless and seemingly random murder of his wife. Henry is trying to make sense of it all, but appears to be losing his mind due to his excessive drinking and inability to seperate hallucinations from reality. In an attempt to get a handle on his life, he visits a spirituality center in a downtown strip mall that promises to teach him how to interpret and control his troubled dreams. This is where the story picks up steam and crosses back and forth from crime drama to horror to fantasy and back again. Oddly enough, this is also when the story becomes more focused. Even though I was enjoying the characters, I felt that the beginning was too muddied to understand what I was reading. I get that the writers were trying to keep everything in shadows, but to me, maybe the delivery could've been a little better, a little clearer. All in all, a solid story from two talented authors.
3 1/2 Alternate Realities out of 5
You can also follow my reviews at the following links:
https://intothemacabre.com
http://intothemacabre.booklikes.com
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5...
Practitioners uses elements of A Nightmare on Elm Street, Phantasm, Hellraiser, and various Lovecraft tales and brings it all together through the plight of Henry Stapleton. Henry is a police detective on administrative leave while he attempts to pick up the pieces of the senseless and seemingly random murder of his wife. Henry is trying to make sense of it all, but appears to be losing his mind due to his excessive drinking and inability to seperate hallucinations from reality. In an attempt to get a handle on his life, he visits a spirituality center in a downtown strip mall that promises to teach him how to interpret and control his troubled dreams. This is where the story picks up steam and crosses back and forth from crime drama to horror to fantasy and back again. Oddly enough, this is also when the story becomes more focused. Even though I was enjoying the characters, I felt that the beginning was too muddied to understand what I was reading. I get that the writers were trying to keep everything in shadows, but to me, maybe the delivery could've been a little better, a little clearer. All in all, a solid story from two talented authors.
3 1/2 Alternate Realities out of 5
You can also follow my reviews at the following links:
https://intothemacabre.com
http://intothemacabre.booklikes.com
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5...
February 20, 2019
In the next edition of what the fuck did I just read: This book owned me, cover to cover. A cosmic horror story on a level I've rarely read before, seeing both Hayward and Lacey both at the current pinnacles of their respective careers. If you want monsters, mayhem, and bloody terror, you'll find it here in spades.
October 16, 2018
A fantastically unique horror story! You can see my video review HERE.
July 20, 2018
Loved it! Whodunnit crime, mystery, intrigue and horror.... Thought I had it figured out, but it keeps on giving! Highly recommend
December 13, 2018
A damaged cop discovers the new age center may be a front for something sinister in this cosmic horror noir novel. Lucid dreaming, dimensional portals, murderous cults, nightmarish monsters, and loads of bullets fill the tale. A little slow in the beginning, once it picks up, the authors take you on a lunatic, gore-splattered ride.
November 19, 2018
Originally posted on my blog http://undivineinterventions.blogspot...
Practitioners. I'd been extremely excited to read this one since it had been announced. Patrick Lacey and Matt Hayward are two of my favorite authors putting out books today, both of which put out novels last year that made my "best of 2017" list.
Those novels, We Came Back and What Do Monsters Fear, are both highly recommended and if you haven't read those, you're missing out. Stop missing out and go buy a copy of each. Ten of each, give em out as Christmas gifts.
Anyway, I learned that this would be coming out by Bloodshot Books, who for my money, are putting out some of the best horror fiction on the market today. Not only does Pete Kahle, the man behind Bloodshot (and author in his own rite), have a great eye for exciting new talent, but he makes sure each book the press outs out looks fantastic. Books you can judge by their cover, for sure.
By all accounts of those involved in this one, looked like it was going to be a winning recipe of great horror reading fun.
So how did it turn out?
Read ahead...
If you read the blog/my reviews regularly, you should by now know what I tend to enjoy. Fast paced, gory stuff that tends to nod it's head to cult-classic horror of the eighties without compromising character or plot. My taste is anchored in the fact that I was an avid horror film fan before I felt the same about books, watching some of my favorites at younger than five. Books that move with cinematic pace always tend to be my jam.
I often read books like one would watch a film, visualizing the locales, casting the characters with actors of choice, so on and so forth.
The more a novel allows me to do that, the more I tend to enjoy it. Of course, there's exception to every rule. But, by and large, this is how to win Brandon over as a reader.
Practitioners does the whole cinematic pace and presentation perfectly, a short novel that kicks off in full-swing and doesn't let up until you close it.
The book rings loudly of late 80s/early 90s horror, reminding me of something Charles Band's Empire Pictures would have had released. Hell, when I did my "mental casting" I totally had Band-regular, Tim Thomerson, in the lead role, that of burnt-out cop and protagonist, Officer Henry Stapleton.
Henry has recently lost his wife to murder, in a town where murder doesn't often occur. He's an understandable mess as a result, on leave from work and having unbearable nightmares.
When he attempts to get these dreams under control, he finds himself in the middle of a whirlwind of violent murder, supernatural real estate tycoons and mantis dream-monsters hell-bent on eating human flesh. All of this is tied to a plan to takeover the small town of Bellview...
Exploding bodies, creatures busting out of wounds and all sorts of self-mutilation light up the pages of Practitioners, so if that strikes your interest, it's for you.
It's all done with tongue firmly placed in cheek, moving at a clip. It's literature junk food, done perfectly.
I would have appreciated a bit more depth, more meat on the bones of the book, but it's just not that kind of story. Nor is it meant to be. It's supposed to be fun for the culty-horror crowd.
So, culty-horror crowd, grab this one up! Think Cronenberg and Henenlotter collaborating on a Elm Street sequel that Band is putting the money up for. If that sounds like your cup of tea, Practitioners will work for you.
4/5.
Practitioners. I'd been extremely excited to read this one since it had been announced. Patrick Lacey and Matt Hayward are two of my favorite authors putting out books today, both of which put out novels last year that made my "best of 2017" list.
Those novels, We Came Back and What Do Monsters Fear, are both highly recommended and if you haven't read those, you're missing out. Stop missing out and go buy a copy of each. Ten of each, give em out as Christmas gifts.
Anyway, I learned that this would be coming out by Bloodshot Books, who for my money, are putting out some of the best horror fiction on the market today. Not only does Pete Kahle, the man behind Bloodshot (and author in his own rite), have a great eye for exciting new talent, but he makes sure each book the press outs out looks fantastic. Books you can judge by their cover, for sure.
By all accounts of those involved in this one, looked like it was going to be a winning recipe of great horror reading fun.
So how did it turn out?
Read ahead...
If you read the blog/my reviews regularly, you should by now know what I tend to enjoy. Fast paced, gory stuff that tends to nod it's head to cult-classic horror of the eighties without compromising character or plot. My taste is anchored in the fact that I was an avid horror film fan before I felt the same about books, watching some of my favorites at younger than five. Books that move with cinematic pace always tend to be my jam.
I often read books like one would watch a film, visualizing the locales, casting the characters with actors of choice, so on and so forth.
The more a novel allows me to do that, the more I tend to enjoy it. Of course, there's exception to every rule. But, by and large, this is how to win Brandon over as a reader.
Practitioners does the whole cinematic pace and presentation perfectly, a short novel that kicks off in full-swing and doesn't let up until you close it.
The book rings loudly of late 80s/early 90s horror, reminding me of something Charles Band's Empire Pictures would have had released. Hell, when I did my "mental casting" I totally had Band-regular, Tim Thomerson, in the lead role, that of burnt-out cop and protagonist, Officer Henry Stapleton.
Henry has recently lost his wife to murder, in a town where murder doesn't often occur. He's an understandable mess as a result, on leave from work and having unbearable nightmares.
When he attempts to get these dreams under control, he finds himself in the middle of a whirlwind of violent murder, supernatural real estate tycoons and mantis dream-monsters hell-bent on eating human flesh. All of this is tied to a plan to takeover the small town of Bellview...
Exploding bodies, creatures busting out of wounds and all sorts of self-mutilation light up the pages of Practitioners, so if that strikes your interest, it's for you.
It's all done with tongue firmly placed in cheek, moving at a clip. It's literature junk food, done perfectly.
I would have appreciated a bit more depth, more meat on the bones of the book, but it's just not that kind of story. Nor is it meant to be. It's supposed to be fun for the culty-horror crowd.
So, culty-horror crowd, grab this one up! Think Cronenberg and Henenlotter collaborating on a Elm Street sequel that Band is putting the money up for. If that sounds like your cup of tea, Practitioners will work for you.
4/5.
October 12, 2018
There is always that moment of trepidation when you go into a book that is written by two authors. Sometimes it can just go so horribly wrong. Luckily this is not one of those times.
Matt Hayward (Brain Dead Blues, What Do Monsters Fear?) and Patrick Lacey (Dream Woods, Bone Saw) work off each other beautifully to craft a very cohesive and well thought out story. The authors have melded their individual styles seamlessly.
Henry Stapleton is a police officer grieving the loss of his wife. Plagued by visions and nightmares that are becoming more realistic day by day. In hopes of finding answers he turns to a mysterious new healing center that has opened in town. But what connection does the center have to the evil that is descending on his town, and what will it cost Henry as he tries to stop it.
Part police thriller and part cosmic horror, the authors deliver a page-turner from start to finish. Hayward and Lacey have created two different worlds. One is the real world that the characters live in, the other is a perverse duplicate, dark and horrific. It is the main characters new found ability to to traverse these two worlds that really kicks this story into overdrive. The authors use the shifting between worlds at a rapid-fire pace, at times you do not know which world you are in until a subtle (or sometimes not-so-subtle) difference is noted. Henry is a great character, he is flawed, but you will find yourself rooting for him as he deals with the horrifying events occurring around him. And Paul White is the perfect foil. You never get too much background, and you really don't want it. He is a malevolent creature, just outside your vision, but always listening, always knows what is going on. I have also come to the realization that after reading this story I will never look at a Praying Mantis the same way again.
One thing that really stands out in this story is the atmosphere. There is always a heavy sense of dread hanging in the air. The authors build on this as the story progresses until it reaches a head at its action-packed and thrilling finally.
The authors have created a intricate new mythos and it would be very interesting to see them continue it with another book. Hopefully we will see these characters again in the future.
Matt Hayward (Brain Dead Blues, What Do Monsters Fear?) and Patrick Lacey (Dream Woods, Bone Saw) work off each other beautifully to craft a very cohesive and well thought out story. The authors have melded their individual styles seamlessly.
Henry Stapleton is a police officer grieving the loss of his wife. Plagued by visions and nightmares that are becoming more realistic day by day. In hopes of finding answers he turns to a mysterious new healing center that has opened in town. But what connection does the center have to the evil that is descending on his town, and what will it cost Henry as he tries to stop it.
Part police thriller and part cosmic horror, the authors deliver a page-turner from start to finish. Hayward and Lacey have created two different worlds. One is the real world that the characters live in, the other is a perverse duplicate, dark and horrific. It is the main characters new found ability to to traverse these two worlds that really kicks this story into overdrive. The authors use the shifting between worlds at a rapid-fire pace, at times you do not know which world you are in until a subtle (or sometimes not-so-subtle) difference is noted. Henry is a great character, he is flawed, but you will find yourself rooting for him as he deals with the horrifying events occurring around him. And Paul White is the perfect foil. You never get too much background, and you really don't want it. He is a malevolent creature, just outside your vision, but always listening, always knows what is going on. I have also come to the realization that after reading this story I will never look at a Praying Mantis the same way again.
One thing that really stands out in this story is the atmosphere. There is always a heavy sense of dread hanging in the air. The authors build on this as the story progresses until it reaches a head at its action-packed and thrilling finally.
The authors have created a intricate new mythos and it would be very interesting to see them continue it with another book. Hopefully we will see these characters again in the future.
September 25, 2018
Hmmm. This is a tricky one to review, maybe because it was a group-read and I have a lot of respect for the author for taking the time to talk to us humble readers about his work, and risking not having some of us enjoy it and hearing about it! Anyway, my thoughts....
The Good Bits
The idea of another world, an alternate reality or something layered over the top of ours has always intrigued me, and I thought they pulled this off really well (think Stranger Things ). There were some very creepy, unsettling images and I definitely wanted more of this.
I also got a very clear sense of the small-town-vibe they were aiming for, and felt really immersed in the setting.
The Other Bits
I can't imagine what it is like to actually co-write a short story with another author, let alone a novel, and while I have huge respect for those who pull it off, I didn't feel this was one of the more successful times. I found at times the dialogue could be very stilted, though not always, and the characters behavior was often inconsistent with their thoughts and actions.
I also felt a wee bit let down about the two female characters. One fitted into the best-mates-wife-hates-me box. The other had big tits, a kind heart and was up for a sympathy shag. So minus 1 star for crappy female characters.
I'll probably give both authors another read, as I love this genre of horror, but I'm hoping to get a bit more consistency with their characters.
The Good Bits
The idea of another world, an alternate reality or something layered over the top of ours has always intrigued me, and I thought they pulled this off really well (think Stranger Things ). There were some very creepy, unsettling images and I definitely wanted more of this.
I also got a very clear sense of the small-town-vibe they were aiming for, and felt really immersed in the setting.
The Other Bits
I can't imagine what it is like to actually co-write a short story with another author, let alone a novel, and while I have huge respect for those who pull it off, I didn't feel this was one of the more successful times. I found at times the dialogue could be very stilted, though not always, and the characters behavior was often inconsistent with their thoughts and actions.
I also felt a wee bit let down about the two female characters. One fitted into the best-mates-wife-hates-me box. The other had big tits, a kind heart and was up for a sympathy shag. So minus 1 star for crappy female characters.
I'll probably give both authors another read, as I love this genre of horror, but I'm hoping to get a bit more consistency with their characters.
August 9, 2019
The use of dreams in horror has a very long history, since you can get creative with the nightmare visuals. Here we have a beat cop named Henry, who is depressed after the brutal murder of his wife. As such, he’s experiencing weird dreams even when he’s awake. He checks himself into a clinic to learn lucid dreaming and to learn what’s controlling the dreams of the city.
Right off the bat, I love Henry and his partner, George. They’re written as relatable flawed people in a bizarre situation. I also love how this was closer to a mystery story with horror elements, rather than a straight up scary story. Now, personally I think the nightmares could use some work. It had good moments, but nothing too extreme. This book also did a good job of having you constantly guess what’s real or not, which is essential in this type of book.
If you want something that combines Se7en with Nightmare on Elm Street, give it a shot!
Right off the bat, I love Henry and his partner, George. They’re written as relatable flawed people in a bizarre situation. I also love how this was closer to a mystery story with horror elements, rather than a straight up scary story. Now, personally I think the nightmares could use some work. It had good moments, but nothing too extreme. This book also did a good job of having you constantly guess what’s real or not, which is essential in this type of book.
If you want something that combines Se7en with Nightmare on Elm Street, give it a shot!
December 21, 2018
Hayward and lacey are doing the lords work, whether working in a collaboration or writing solo. This book deals with some heavy subject matter and will leave you drained by the end. Highly recommend!
December 28, 2018
Heck of a good book. The characters and plot were great. I dug it from start to finish.
October 25, 2018
Really more of a 2.5 star read for me...
I had really high hopes for this one. I'd heard tons of great things, the cover was GORGEOUS (I know, I know, I shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but I do!), and the premise definitely sounded like it would be up my alley. Unfortunately despite the interesting premise, a lot of things in this novel fell flat for me.
Henry is a career cop, the widower of his town's first murder victim in decades. After shooting his wife's killer, he begins having delusions...or so he thinks. As his dreams lead him further into the mystery of his wife's murder, he begins to realize that maybe his delusions aren't so delusional after all.
Again, the concept for this book was fantastic. There are some really excellent parts in the middle of the book where Henry is really experimenting with the dream world that I really loved. The dream world aspect and lucid dreaming were fascinating to me, and definitely something I wish more horror novels explored. But things went a bit too off the rails for me. There was a lot going on here, and given the short length of the novel, many of the elements don't get fully explored. I wanted more info on the interactions between the two realities, more background on Julia's murder...and I didn't get it because the novel wasn't long enough to really refine some of the things it explores. I found the timeline a bit complicated to follow at times, but I think that may have been intentional so I can forgive that. Really my biggest problem was how cliched the ending felt. It took on this odd cop/military drama feel that didn't fit with the rest of the story. It just wasn't my bag.
I'm definitely interested in checking out more works by both of these authors, even if this one didn't quite work for me. I thought the idea was interesting despite the issues I had with its execution, and I do want to see what else the authors come out with for sure.
I had really high hopes for this one. I'd heard tons of great things, the cover was GORGEOUS (I know, I know, I shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but I do!), and the premise definitely sounded like it would be up my alley. Unfortunately despite the interesting premise, a lot of things in this novel fell flat for me.
Henry is a career cop, the widower of his town's first murder victim in decades. After shooting his wife's killer, he begins having delusions...or so he thinks. As his dreams lead him further into the mystery of his wife's murder, he begins to realize that maybe his delusions aren't so delusional after all.
Again, the concept for this book was fantastic. There are some really excellent parts in the middle of the book where Henry is really experimenting with the dream world that I really loved. The dream world aspect and lucid dreaming were fascinating to me, and definitely something I wish more horror novels explored. But things went a bit too off the rails for me. There was a lot going on here, and given the short length of the novel, many of the elements don't get fully explored. I wanted more info on the interactions between the two realities, more background on Julia's murder...and I didn't get it because the novel wasn't long enough to really refine some of the things it explores. I found the timeline a bit complicated to follow at times, but I think that may have been intentional so I can forgive that. Really my biggest problem was how cliched the ending felt. It took on this odd cop/military drama feel that didn't fit with the rest of the story. It just wasn't my bag.
I'm definitely interested in checking out more works by both of these authors, even if this one didn't quite work for me. I thought the idea was interesting despite the issues I had with its execution, and I do want to see what else the authors come out with for sure.
October 15, 2018
This is the first story I have read from either author, and it won’t be my last!! This is a fantastic story! It has great characters, creatures from another dimension, gore, horror, loss, helplessness, friendship, and a hero! What more could you want...oh, and I noticed some familiar names used for some of the characters!! Great story!!
July 29, 2018
The Practitioners is a short novel written by two excellent young authors who have made this collaboration feel like a complete whole. At no point did the novel feel like two people had written it. This was very well done. This novel also is not tied to one genre but easily incorporates horror, fantasy and mystery in one seamless package. The characters in this book were well created and I was definitely invested in their lives and struggle. There are monsters in this book and they were well created as well. A large part of the book involves dreams and another dimensions filled with the evil creatures. Usually dream sequences are not my thing but I found this alternative world or reality interesting and fun. There is a good amount of action and gore in the book that fit in the story perfectly. One of the big themes in the book was love and loss and the need for revenge. Also there was the struggle between obtaining selfish but understandable goals and doing what is right. I enjoyed this struggle and felt satisfied with the resolution of the story. This is a book that offers things that many different types of readers should enjoy.
June 4, 2019
This was a very good book with some down right creepy images. I really identified with Henry and would definitely enjoy more stories in this world.
June 22, 2020
Read in basically 1 sitting
This book was fun, and action packed. I couldn't put it down. I'm hoping for a sequel ( hint, hint).
This book was fun, and action packed. I couldn't put it down. I'm hoping for a sequel ( hint, hint).
April 11, 2021
These two authors are great!
This is like a Wes Craven movie in novel form. So good!
This is like a Wes Craven movie in novel form. So good!
July 29, 2021
This one was a slog to get through, despite its being pretty short. Pedestrian, sophomoric, and uninspired.
June 30, 2020
All I have to say is that this book was a masterpiece, and that's all that matters or SHOULD matter. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty in America. You don't go around lynch mobbing people's reputations. That is bordering on criminal. If this guy wrote Practitioners, he's alfuckingright with me. You know, when you start trying to ruin everyone's reputation due to your sad ideology, all you do is sacrifice your own credibility. You people look insane right now. It's like you all forgot that adults sometimes talk dirty. What are you, children?
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