Father of Lies

A Darkly Disturbing Occult Horror Trilogy Series, Book 1

By: S. E. England

Narrated by: Henrietta Meire

Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Ruby is the most violently disturbed patient ever admitted to Drummersgate Asylum, high on the bleak moors of northern England. With no improvement after two years, Dr. Jack McGowan finally decides to take a risk and hypnotizes her - with terrifying consequences.

A horrific dark force is now unleashed on the entire medical team, as each in turn attempts to unlock Ruby's shocking and sinister past. Who is this girl? And how did she manage to survive such unimaginable evil? Set in a desolate ex-mining village, where secrets are tightly kept and intruders hounded out, their questions soon lead to a haunted mill, the heart of darkness, and the father of lies.

©2015 Sarah England (P)2016 Tantor

Not a fan of this one

It started out well, interesting characters and storyline but I had difficulty with the constant changing POV, and by the time I caught on to what was happening, I figured out I was not a fan.

Excellent

I would've given this book 10 stars across-the-board if possible. It is so well-written the characters are well developed and the narrative oh my God she was beyond good. This book is well worth your money or credit

The terror is in the real possibility

Most horror stories involve characters and events far outside of the human experience. While entertaining, if not overdone, I can always take mental refuge in the thought that this is far-fetched make-believe. I've always felt real horror involves real possibilities. And so it is the case with this book--it's believable. This is one of the most frightening stories I've ever read/heard. As for the writing, the author keeps the story moving forward at different paces. The dialogue was believable. With one exception (repeated solo visits to the creepy townsite, sometimes at night), people behaved as people do. The language was imaginative. The narrator did a strong job of varying her cadence and pitch for the different characters and scenes.

good, narrator spoke a little fast.

I would recommend it. scary. I liked it very much. didnt want it to end.

Slow Down!

I think this could get a full 5 star review if I had been able to understand what was happening. The narrator speaks SO FAST! I started over 3 times before I decided to just let it play and absorb what I could.
The story was creepy and unlike anything I've read before. I purchased the other 2 and I really hope she doesn't read them as fast as this one.

Mind blowing

I never really cared to write review unless a story really sticks with me and this was an amazing narration mind-blowing plot twist also very engaging it always keeps you wondering I definitely recommend the narrators and the author

Solid story. Pace and accent took some getting used to.

This is a really solid story and listen. Characters are interesting. Character differentiation from the narrated is well done, and really effectively includes the character-specific smugness, timidity, maliciousness, etc.

Too many of the “scary” scenes would work better in a film than an audiobook. The main character “starts running when she sees what’s in his hand,” but what the thing is is held for a big reveal several minutes later, which was a bit of a drag out for me.

Nearly all of the gripping reveals were saved for the last 30 minutes, and I wish some of them had been placed throughout the story rather than all at the same time. Seemed like a sequel grab.

Overall, entertaining listen and would recommend it.

A merely 'ok' read

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I will start by saying that the authors style of writing was fantastic. I enjoyed the mental pictures she painted throughout the story. Having said that, I did not thoroughly enjoy the book. I am a HUGE horror book fan, and I did not find this story terrifying in the slightest. I felt only slightly entertained at most. The ending was a little hurried and sort of confusing almost forcing you to read the second book, which unfortunately, I will not be doing.

What was most disappointing about S. E. England’s story?

The most disappointing thing about this story was the inability to satisfy my twisted need for horror. She constantly moved from one character to the next, and after a while it left you wondering if the poor girl (Ruby) had actually been the one going through all of this.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narrator was amazing. I did not find her narrating too fast or anything, and, I found her accent amazing. Her demon voice was definitely spooky haha

Was Father of Lies worth the listening time?

Overall, I don't think this is worth the listen. This book is mediocre at best.

Incredibly Scary and Exquisitely Written

Father of Lies tells the story of Ruby, a deeply disturbed girl in her mid-twenties at a psychiatric hospital in northern England. She was brought in after trying to stab a man named Paul Dean and deemed unfit to stand trial; she is diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, because she exhibits signs of lost time and multiple personalities/identities. Her psychiatrist, Dr. Jack McGowan, has spent two years with Ruby and nothing has helped the young woman, so he decides to hypnotize her. Afterwards, an extreme evil that had lied in Ruby's head is unleashed to the room where Dr. McGowan and Nurse Becky are. From that moment on, everything for the team of individuals helping Ruby has changed, because they opened the door to something they don't understand and never would have believed in prior.

S.E. England is definitely one talented writer and she definitely has created a horrifying story that will stay with me. I love horror, but, with novels, it seems hard for writers to actually encapsulate fear. In film, it seems a little easier, because they can rely on jump scares, soundtrack, and visuals. 'Father of Lies,' however, is just as scary as any film I've ever read and even rivals the books about the true accounts of Ed and Lorraine Warren. It was so hard to leave this book to do other things, so I left things undone. Be prepared to stay put reading for hours on end.

As far as rating, I'm giving the book a solid A and the narration by Henrietta Meire an A-. For some reason, it took me an hour to get used to the voice. I'm not sure if it was the accent or if it was the narration in general, but Ms. Meire definitely grows on you. If, for some reason, you don't like the narration, give it some time. Most likely, you'll get to enjoy her narration.

great

once you get used to the accent it was a good book to listen to