Emerging author David-Jack Fletcher has released his debut comedy-horror novella, The Haunting of Harry Peck (Rack and Rune Publishing), available now from Amazon.
The story revolves around a young man who is pressured into killing a chicken, only to be haunted by its vengeful ghost. Fletcher draws on classic horror tropes to explore a totally true (made up) history of animal hauntings. With the help of Vegan Shaman, can Harry save his eternal soul from the wrath of the chicken?
Readers Beware: This book is completely true. The murders. The spilled blood. The incident in the bathtub…
When Harry Peck kills a chicken, he never expects the scratching under the floorboards. Or the awful clucking coming from the darkness. As the haunting gets worse, it becomes clear what the chicken wants. It wants Harry dead. It wants his soul.
Can the mysterious Vegan Shaman save Harry? Or will his soul be devoured like … well, chicken?
Inspired by classic horror, this book explores the totally true history of animal hauntings and will make you think twice about eating meat… and then make you hungry for it.
Available now on Amazon, the Book Depository, and many other online retailers. David-Jack is currently providing free copies for reviewers.
1 comment
Full disclosure, I’m not a fan of horror due to my acute capacity for empathising with fictional characters; it can feel way too real for me. So, I found myself closing the pages and walking away when the vivid depictions were more than I could bear. For most people, I’m sure the intensity of horror is well-measured. With that said, the patina between reality and fiction is never dull in this extemely well-written tale. Many times, Peck’s world and world history are disturbingly familiar, and while I may have closed the pages occasionally they didn’t stay closed for long. The characters are compelling, jocular, shocking, awkward and above all, highly relatable. It is a tale of tales, captivating and cogent, horrific and humourous. While building to a turbulent climax, connections are revealed between seemingly disparate elements. Mesmerising sub-plots drew me in and witty interjections helped me survive this thrilling read. Frankly, I was enthralled and I comfortably/uncomfortably consumed this book over a lazy weekend.