Gothic

By: Philip Fracassi

Narrated by: Eric Fox

Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

On his 59th birthday, Tyson Parks—a famous, but struggling, horror writer—receives an ornate antiquarian desk in the hopes it will rekindle his creative juices. Perhaps inspire him to write another best-selling book and prove his best years aren’t behind him…

As Tyson begins to use the new desk, he finds himself writing copy at an unfathomable speed, becomes so focused on writing that he binges on all-night, all-day sessions that take a serious physical and psychological toll.

Soon, Tyson begins acting strange. Violent.

Meanwhile, a mysterious woman, Diana Montresor, is making inquiries with her sources around the globe for the whereabouts of a certain artifact she, and her family, have been hunting for centuries.

As forces converge on Tyson’s world, he faces the hardest choice of his life: Does he let go of his new muse, allow it to be taken back to the void of history where it belongs? Or does he continue to live as the desk’s mouthpiece, not only regaining his glory days as a famous writer, but achieving levels of success he’s only dreamed of?

As the desk—and the force that lives inside it—grows stronger, he must choose.

Before it’s too late.

©2023 Philip Fracassi (P)2023 Vibrance Press

Critic reviews

"A dark and delirious journey into the unraveling of a mind, Gothic is the accursed 21st century bastard child of the 70s horror boom and John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness. Deadly, compelling, and pulls no punches."—BRIAN EVENSON

"GOTHIC is the literary equivalent of the abyss gazing right back at you from the hellish depths of its pages. Don't lean in too close, lest you fall into this nightmarish novel and never find your way out again."—CLAY MACLEOD CHAPMAN, author of Ghost Eaters

"Stylish, atmospheric, and chilling, GOTHIC is an affectionate ode to the horror greats, and an effective reminder that Philip Fracassi is destined to become one of them. One of my favorite reads of the year so far."—KEALAN PATRICK BURKE, author of Kin and Sour Candy

A simple premise, results in a chilling story.

Tyson Parks is a famous horror novelist has-been who is in desperate need of a new best-selling book. His girlfriend Sarah gifts him a very expensive, gothic-looking desk for him to write his next bestseller on. As soon as he starts writing on the desk, he's sent into a dangerous writing trance. On the other side of the world, a mysterious woman is desperately seeking this desk in order to destroy it and end the evil curse attached to it. From the moment this desk entered his life a gory, violent story begins and Tyson literally cannot type fast enough.

I really enjoyed this book. It's a good psychological episode and/or descent into madness story. There were many moments where I had to pause and come back to it later in order to recompose and separate myself from the events unfolding in the book. It's this type of reaction that makes this a true horror story for me. Masterfully done Mr. Fracassi.

Excellently written

Solid narration and expertly worded prose knock this out of the park. A thrilling listen.

Once I started, I couldn't stop.

Fracassi's writing has a way of sticking with you long after you've finished (read Altar). This novel is no different. Great narration as well. Worth the price or credit; you won't regret it.

Another Fracassi Hit

I finished the audio book today and loved it. "I didn't even stop to shit, man!" Philip has a way to hook you into a story where you need to know what's coming next. Philip has so many different voices in his head that no 2 books are the same. There are some horrific moments in this book that I won't forget. The whole time you're reading this book you just want to get to the end because you need everything to be okay.
Eric Fox narrates this wonderfully. Each character has their voice and they are believable. If I see him on another book that would be an instant buy.

Was just ok

Reminded me of those paperbacks from Zebra or Pinnacle back in the 80s and 90s. Had a distinct touch of nastiness that was unpleasant, to be honest. And at the end, I kinda felt like "what was that all about?" I love the author's other work but this one gets a solid "meh" from me.

Solid tension and great narration

Overall I gave this 4 stars because it was written too well, contained great tension, for me to give it anything less. And the narration was wonderful. With that being said, while the tension and dread were there throughout, I can’t say I cared what happened to the “protagonist”. I absolutely want to read more of Fracassi’s work though because it’s obvious why he’s one of the names that gets brought into the conversation when talking about modern horror

Expertly Written and Narrated

This book was SO entertaining and trust me I am so picky when it comes to audiobooks. 10/10 would reccomend to anyone who is into horror. This made me want to write a horror book honestly (maybe without a desk tho) lol.

This brutal old-school horror novel delivers

Gothic took me back to the horror books I snuck off my mom and dad's shelves in the late 70's / early 80's - raw, unfiltered, brutal, and truly unsettling. The prose feels elevated and literary. The story, though not new, is beautifully executed - it pushes all the right buttons, and evokes all the right feelings. As for the story itself - objects possessed by evil are one of my favorite tropes, The characters really come fully to life, likable, or not, and their individual descents into madness and terror are striking and powerful. Fracassi is really gifted at creating characters that inspire strong emotions in the reader. I found myself genuinely infuriated and anxious and truly sad, as if I were reading stories about people I know. The ending initially left me wanting a bit more, but the more I thought about it after the fact, the more I settled into it.

I will for sure read more books by this author. I keep hearing raves about The Boys in the Valley on the Books of Horror facebook group, so that will probably be next.

Wow!!!

I really enjoyed this book! I did feel sorry for the main character and his family, but I was really interested in how this story would turn out and if the author is planning a sequel to this novel?? The narration was great!! Somehow, I had heard about this author and listened to this book and am reading A Child Alone with Strangers on my Kindle. I love that each book is so different!! I am intrigued by this author and will continue to read his books. I could see this book becoming a movie and it would be a great horror movie! I definitely recommend this book!

It was alright!

I mean, it was a good book. It held my interest. But it’s not one that I would honestly tell someone to spend a credit on…. But if it’s free, then sure! I just didn’t feel it was well written. It left loose ends, and it wasn’t scary really at all. It had potential… but I dunno I didn’t care a whole lot for it. If you’re extremely into paranormal novels like I am, I don’t recommend it because you’ll be disappointed.