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sinisterhorror's review against another edition
4.0
I was provided a copy of Worship Me by Craig Stewart by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Worship Me by Craig Stewart is about a group of people attending church on a Sunday. St. Paul’s United Church is an isolated church, perfect for the actions undertaken by the Behemoth. Through an estranged member of the congregation he find egress with, he brings his message of salvation. Things quickly start to go downhill.
Craig Stewart is definitely an author I will be watching. Worship Me grabbed me from the very first word and I was hooked. The pacing was quick, but not so quick that you don’t get to know and care about the characters. You feel for them and their situation and struggle with the choices they are forced to make. The viewpoint of the book changes, letting you get to know several of the characters more intimately. They’re all unique, with their own struggles and views on various subjects. One character, Angela, is your main focal point. You’re quick to empathize with her situation and how it personally affects her. One of my favorites was Chris, who isn’t struggling with his sexuality, but who is into a guy who’s kind of aloof in terms of his feelings for Chris. I do wish Craig had explored his sexuality in opposition to his religious beliefs. But it was great to have a gay character who wasn’t cliched. The other characters also feel fully formed, and not cliche or stereotypical.
The novel doesn’t feel super long and the pace is steady enough to flesh out the characters and plot points, but not too quick where it feels like you don’t get a good idea of what’s going on and why people feel the way they feel. And the ending was a nice surprise too. I didn’t expect things to end the way they did.
The text was free of spelling and grammar errors, which is something I appreciate in a novel. One or two errors is fine. Things slip by. I get that. But I’ve read some novels that have errors on nearly every page. It completely takes me out of the enjoyment of reading a book. So it’s nice to not have to deal with any of that.
I definitely recommend Worship Me to any horror fan, especially fans into religious horror. And I definitely want to read more stories from Craig Stewart.
As an interesting side note, I live two doors down from a St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. Haven’t noticed anything spooky going on around there yet.
Worship Me by Craig Stewart is about a group of people attending church on a Sunday. St. Paul’s United Church is an isolated church, perfect for the actions undertaken by the Behemoth. Through an estranged member of the congregation he find egress with, he brings his message of salvation. Things quickly start to go downhill.
Craig Stewart is definitely an author I will be watching. Worship Me grabbed me from the very first word and I was hooked. The pacing was quick, but not so quick that you don’t get to know and care about the characters. You feel for them and their situation and struggle with the choices they are forced to make. The viewpoint of the book changes, letting you get to know several of the characters more intimately. They’re all unique, with their own struggles and views on various subjects. One character, Angela, is your main focal point. You’re quick to empathize with her situation and how it personally affects her. One of my favorites was Chris, who isn’t struggling with his sexuality, but who is into a guy who’s kind of aloof in terms of his feelings for Chris. I do wish Craig had explored his sexuality in opposition to his religious beliefs. But it was great to have a gay character who wasn’t cliched. The other characters also feel fully formed, and not cliche or stereotypical.
The novel doesn’t feel super long and the pace is steady enough to flesh out the characters and plot points, but not too quick where it feels like you don’t get a good idea of what’s going on and why people feel the way they feel. And the ending was a nice surprise too. I didn’t expect things to end the way they did.
The text was free of spelling and grammar errors, which is something I appreciate in a novel. One or two errors is fine. Things slip by. I get that. But I’ve read some novels that have errors on nearly every page. It completely takes me out of the enjoyment of reading a book. So it’s nice to not have to deal with any of that.
I definitely recommend Worship Me to any horror fan, especially fans into religious horror. And I definitely want to read more stories from Craig Stewart.
As an interesting side note, I live two doors down from a St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. Haven’t noticed anything spooky going on around there yet.
mxsallybend's review against another edition
4.0
Just how dark is Worship Me by Craig Stewart? Well, it's about as dark as a dead monster's soul, rotting for eons, trapped inside a black coffin, so deep beneath the Earth that the light of day may as well be a myth. It is so dark, it's brilliant, challenging just about every assumption you have about the genre.
You know that unwritten rule about sticking with your primary POV character? Forget it. Everybody here is expendable. How about that cliché where churches are sanctuaries from evil? Forget that too. St. Paul's United Church is not a refuge, it's a horrifying prison. Oh, and what about the trope of the 'good' child, the one who's special innocence is destined to save the day? Yup, forget that as well. Sure, there are some kids who stand up and try to take on that role, but . . . well, some sacrifices are different than others.
Worship Me is largely populated by unlikeable characters, but that's actually refreshing. They're all ordinarily human, imperfect souls whose only common bond is the church they share. There are a few secrets, but this isn't one of those books where a shattering heart-felt revelation will save the world. Sure, there are a few characters who you suspect might be of significance, but don't get too attached to those suspicions because bad things happen, and they happen fast.
As for what the story is about, it's pretty simple. A missing husband returns to proclaim the worship of an ancient entity, and he gives his fellow parishioners two days to choose which of their children they will sacrifice to it. Just to ensure they know he's serious, he performs a few hellish miracles, before leaving them trapped inside. Attempts at escape don't end well, and it doesn't take long before the good people of St. Paul's United Church begin to turn on one another.
This is a dark tale of supernatural horror, but it is the darkness of the human soul that makes it truly chilling. It's relentless in its terror, and glimpses of light and love are only there to be cruelly quashed. As for the finale - where, so often, horror falls flat for me - Stewart builds a perfect climax, and then layers on not just one, but several twists in the epilog. If you want a story that will give you chills, something to enjoy as you ready for Halloween, Worship Me is a perfect read. Be warned, however, it may have you second-guessing church next weekend.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
You know that unwritten rule about sticking with your primary POV character? Forget it. Everybody here is expendable. How about that cliché where churches are sanctuaries from evil? Forget that too. St. Paul's United Church is not a refuge, it's a horrifying prison. Oh, and what about the trope of the 'good' child, the one who's special innocence is destined to save the day? Yup, forget that as well. Sure, there are some kids who stand up and try to take on that role, but . . . well, some sacrifices are different than others.
Worship Me is largely populated by unlikeable characters, but that's actually refreshing. They're all ordinarily human, imperfect souls whose only common bond is the church they share. There are a few secrets, but this isn't one of those books where a shattering heart-felt revelation will save the world. Sure, there are a few characters who you suspect might be of significance, but don't get too attached to those suspicions because bad things happen, and they happen fast.
As for what the story is about, it's pretty simple. A missing husband returns to proclaim the worship of an ancient entity, and he gives his fellow parishioners two days to choose which of their children they will sacrifice to it. Just to ensure they know he's serious, he performs a few hellish miracles, before leaving them trapped inside. Attempts at escape don't end well, and it doesn't take long before the good people of St. Paul's United Church begin to turn on one another.
This is a dark tale of supernatural horror, but it is the darkness of the human soul that makes it truly chilling. It's relentless in its terror, and glimpses of light and love are only there to be cruelly quashed. As for the finale - where, so often, horror falls flat for me - Stewart builds a perfect climax, and then layers on not just one, but several twists in the epilog. If you want a story that will give you chills, something to enjoy as you ready for Halloween, Worship Me is a perfect read. Be warned, however, it may have you second-guessing church next weekend.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ARC of this title from the publisher in exchange for review consideration. This does not in any way affect the honesty or sincerity of my review.
zraitor's review against another edition
5.0
–>I received a free copy of this in exchange for an honest review.<–
The Sunday service of St. Paul’s United Church is besieged by a dark being from the woods claiming to be their new God...
The story handles a big cast of characters, spending time with each and their inner thoughts and opinions towards one another. They are full of petty squabbles and gossip, before they are set upon by a man, thought missing, now proclaiming to bring them before a new God. His unexpected return causes everything underneath to spill over.
Dealing with issues of domestic abuse, fitting in with a community, and musings about the true nature of God and religion, the characters are excellently done and are like real people, a mix of good and bad and filled with often conflicting and hypocritical thoughts. No tired archetypes and filler characters that only exist to advance the plot here.
There's quite a bit of world-building here, but it's paced perfectly and happens while the plot also advances, so you're not bogged down by info and waiting for things to happen. When the horror starts you see and feel the character's lives being torn apart.
That horror being absolutely gruesome and brutal. The author almost lovingly deploys a straight razor again and again horribly mutilating victims. The being is capable of things right out of a body horror movie, so steel your stomach. Extreme acts of violence are commonplace here, and you can believe the characters would fall before this thing as their new God to attempt to save themselves from it.
I wasn't expecting a book that's three hundred and fifty-eight pages long and filled with a lot of character point of views to read so fast, but it did. It never gets too bogged down and keeps the tension by giving the characters two days to choose a child to sacrifice, a choice that destroys their relationships and pits them against each other.
Extremely well written, full of horror, and well-developed characters. I loved the pondering about religion and God and people coming to terms with an ugly, brutal existence. Worth the read
The Sunday service of St. Paul’s United Church is besieged by a dark being from the woods claiming to be their new God...
The story handles a big cast of characters, spending time with each and their inner thoughts and opinions towards one another. They are full of petty squabbles and gossip, before they are set upon by a man, thought missing, now proclaiming to bring them before a new God. His unexpected return causes everything underneath to spill over.
Dealing with issues of domestic abuse, fitting in with a community, and musings about the true nature of God and religion, the characters are excellently done and are like real people, a mix of good and bad and filled with often conflicting and hypocritical thoughts. No tired archetypes and filler characters that only exist to advance the plot here.
There's quite a bit of world-building here, but it's paced perfectly and happens while the plot also advances, so you're not bogged down by info and waiting for things to happen. When the horror starts you see and feel the character's lives being torn apart.
That horror being absolutely gruesome and brutal. The author almost lovingly deploys a straight razor again and again horribly mutilating victims. The being is capable of things right out of a body horror movie, so steel your stomach. Extreme acts of violence are commonplace here, and you can believe the characters would fall before this thing as their new God to attempt to save themselves from it.
I wasn't expecting a book that's three hundred and fifty-eight pages long and filled with a lot of character point of views to read so fast, but it did. It never gets too bogged down and keeps the tension by giving the characters two days to choose a child to sacrifice, a choice that destroys their relationships and pits them against each other.
Extremely well written, full of horror, and well-developed characters. I loved the pondering about religion and God and people coming to terms with an ugly, brutal existence. Worth the read
jwdonley's review
4.0
First and up front I must let you know that I was provided a digital copy of Worship Me in exchange for a fair review.
Now that we have that out of the way, let’s dig in!
What did I think of it? Well, it was good. A fun read that I would recommend to my horror loving friends.
It had a bit of a slow start and introduced a ton of characters very quickly, making it hard to pin point who the main character was until a few chapters in. But once things really got rolling, I was hooked as Craig drug me along towards the climax of the story and beyond. I loved how the small town drama broiling between all of the characters boiled over in every worse way possible.
It definitely had some creative (and very gory) kills sprinkled throughout.
Be ready for some truly mind-haunting imagery. I still can’t get a particular scene from the church basement banished from the back of my mind.
All in all I give this story a solid 4 out of 5 stars.
And I recommend this to any horror hound who likes a bit of splatter in their fiction. I would compare this to Stephen King’s The Mist, with fewer creatures but more religion fueled terror.
Definitely check it out!
https://jwdonley.com/joe-reviews-worship-me-by-craig-stewart/
Now that we have that out of the way, let’s dig in!
What did I think of it? Well, it was good. A fun read that I would recommend to my horror loving friends.
It had a bit of a slow start and introduced a ton of characters very quickly, making it hard to pin point who the main character was until a few chapters in. But once things really got rolling, I was hooked as Craig drug me along towards the climax of the story and beyond. I loved how the small town drama broiling between all of the characters boiled over in every worse way possible.
It definitely had some creative (and very gory) kills sprinkled throughout.
Be ready for some truly mind-haunting imagery. I still can’t get a particular scene from the church basement banished from the back of my mind.
All in all I give this story a solid 4 out of 5 stars.
And I recommend this to any horror hound who likes a bit of splatter in their fiction. I would compare this to Stephen King’s The Mist, with fewer creatures but more religion fueled terror.
Definitely check it out!
https://jwdonley.com/joe-reviews-worship-me-by-craig-stewart/
barnsey's review
3.0
It starts as a normal Sunday service at St. Paul's United Church. That is until Angela Morris' missing husband bursts through the doors. He brings with him a dark and evil entity known as the Behemoth. The Beast. Now the terrified congregation must decide which child to sacrifice for their own lives to be spared.
Worship Me is a surprisingly good read. It's packed full of horrific action as the congregation battle to save themselves from the malevolent force that has entered God's holy house. There's blood and gore aplenty as the churchgoers descend into terror-stricken chaos. Fingers are pointed and accusations cast as they battle to save themselves.
The writing is expressive and articulate, although I found the story a little slow to get started. There's a fine line between setting the scene, introducing characters and losing the interest of the reader. Once it cranks up a few notches it's actually quite good.
* My thanks to author Craig Stewart for providing me with a copy of this book.
Read my review on my blog: https://bit.ly/2KAjaIM
Worship Me is a surprisingly good read. It's packed full of horrific action as the congregation battle to save themselves from the malevolent force that has entered God's holy house. There's blood and gore aplenty as the churchgoers descend into terror-stricken chaos. Fingers are pointed and accusations cast as they battle to save themselves.
The writing is expressive and articulate, although I found the story a little slow to get started. There's a fine line between setting the scene, introducing characters and losing the interest of the reader. Once it cranks up a few notches it's actually quite good.
* My thanks to author Craig Stewart for providing me with a copy of this book.
Read my review on my blog: https://bit.ly/2KAjaIM
ann_tamimi's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this goreish horror read. How easily the "devoted" change their tune when faced with extreme challenges. And happily there was no fairy tale ending. I'm looking fwd to more horror reads from this author.
lauriereadslohf's review against another edition
4.0
We all need a little darkness in our reading lives, if only to escape the darkness of reality, right? Well, I sure do and this book was gruesomely dark, unrelentingly evil and I loved nearly every black page but especially those where selfish hearted people meet their demise most painfully.
Does that make me evil too?
The story begins when a horrible wife abusing man named Rick finds his bliss while praying to a structure in the woods. That structure houses The Behemoth, the one and true God, the God of hellfire, damnation and exquisite pain to all who fail to bow down properly. Rick and The Behemoth infest a local church filled with loyal devotees and demand fealty to their new God as well as make an offering of an innocent child or they all die . . . Just one child though, this Behemoth is not greedy even though there is a basement filled with kiddos.
So, what follows is the evil that happens when humans are asked to make such a terrible decision to save their own hides. All of their ugliness, self-preservation and selfishness come crashing to the surface and spewing through their mouths and thoughts. Some become sheep, just going along with what they know instinctively is very wrong. This all feels so very real and the author does a fantastic job of bringing this terror-filled this scenario to life.
“All was not right in the house of God.”
Terrible, gory things happen at the level of early Clive Barker gruesomeness, mostly to people who deserve it but just know that no one is truly safe, even if they’re not a jerk. I enjoyed the spontaneity of the murders even when I was sad to see someone decent go because it upped the odds. The characters were well drawn and the brief moments of light and hope make the darker bits stand out all the more. My only minor complaint is that there is a bit of head hopping which I noticed most nearest the end. I don’t typically notice such things but there were a few pages that I had to go back and reread to clarify who was speaking.
The ending was very fitting and one I didn’t see coming. I loved the visceral brutality of it all and the picture it paints of the most horrible creature of all: humans.
Read this one if you dare!
Does that make me evil too?
The story begins when a horrible wife abusing man named Rick finds his bliss while praying to a structure in the woods. That structure houses The Behemoth, the one and true God, the God of hellfire, damnation and exquisite pain to all who fail to bow down properly. Rick and The Behemoth infest a local church filled with loyal devotees and demand fealty to their new God as well as make an offering of an innocent child or they all die . . . Just one child though, this Behemoth is not greedy even though there is a basement filled with kiddos.
So, what follows is the evil that happens when humans are asked to make such a terrible decision to save their own hides. All of their ugliness, self-preservation and selfishness come crashing to the surface and spewing through their mouths and thoughts. Some become sheep, just going along with what they know instinctively is very wrong. This all feels so very real and the author does a fantastic job of bringing this terror-filled this scenario to life.
“All was not right in the house of God.”
Terrible, gory things happen at the level of early Clive Barker gruesomeness, mostly to people who deserve it but just know that no one is truly safe, even if they’re not a jerk. I enjoyed the spontaneity of the murders even when I was sad to see someone decent go because it upped the odds. The characters were well drawn and the brief moments of light and hope make the darker bits stand out all the more. My only minor complaint is that there is a bit of head hopping which I noticed most nearest the end. I don’t typically notice such things but there were a few pages that I had to go back and reread to clarify who was speaking.
The ending was very fitting and one I didn’t see coming. I loved the visceral brutality of it all and the picture it paints of the most horrible creature of all: humans.
Read this one if you dare!
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