Ghost River

De: Chad Ryan

Narrado por: Andrew Gibson

Everything dies in the desert.

A standalone dark fantasy horror novel for adults, performed in full by Andrew Gibson — for listeners who love Stephen King, Clive Barker, and Peter Straub. Part American magical realism, part Southwestern Gothic, all darkness.

Some places have a history so dark it stains the dirt. Orphan Rock is one of them.

Minister Northamm was born a snake — a boonchild who can invade minds. But that door swings both ways, and what came knocking was the Pigfather, the same devil that drove his father to ruin. One day it will claim his son, Markus, to continue its dogma of pain.

Esther was kidnapped as a teenager and brought to Orphan Rock to survive and appease the Pigfather's bloodlusts. In that hell, she and young Minister fell in love and dreamed of escape — but under the Pig's barbaric rule, they had no future of their own.

So they made a bloody bargain with the Pigfather's mortal enemy: Delora, the Crooked Woman, eater of children. Her price was their unborn daughter, Shelby — transformed into something with an endless hunger and a taste for human flesh to rival Delora's own.

Now Delora's Grim Seed rises. The pigs are crossing over for war. And Orphan Rock itself is tearing free from the earth. Trapped between two ancient evils, the Northamms will do anything — sacrifice anything — to survive one more day together.

Even if it means becoming monsters themselves.

A voice-driven descent best heard in the dark. [Runtime: 16 hours.]

Content warning: extreme horror. Graphic violence, sexual assault, body horror, child endangerment, and disturbing supernatural imagery. Not for the faint of heart.

What listeners and readers say:

"Ryan's writing style rivals any of the horror superstars… an in-your-face, down-in-the-muck, beat-the-hell-out-of-your-soul ride." — Matt Hardman, Author

"A mashup between Clive Barker and Stephen King. I'd highly recommend it for any Barker or King lovers." — Dawn Hosmer, Author

©2020 Chad Ryan (P)2026 Chad Ryan

Dark, Disturbing, and Impossible to Stop Listening

Ghost River is definitely not a book for the faint of heart. This story is dark, weird, disturbing, and filled with more gore and horror than I usually read, but somehow I couldn't stop listening.

The world Chad Ryan created is unsettling from the very beginning, and it only gets stranger as the story unfolds. There is so much happening, ancient evils, supernatural horrors, twisted bargains, monsters, and plenty of graphic and disgusting moments, but the story never felt confusing. Despite all the chaos, the plot was easy to follow, and I found myself constantly wanting to know what would happen next.

What impressed me most was the writing. The characters felt real, even when they were faced with impossible choices and horrifying circumstances. The story explores how far people will go to protect the ones they love, even when the cost is unimaginable.

The audiobook narration by Andrew Gibson was excellent. He brought the characters to life and did a great job capturing the eerie atmosphere and emotional intensity of the story. His performance made the experience even more immersive and helped keep me engaged through all 16 hours.

Be aware that the content warnings are there for a reason. This book contains extreme horror, graphic violence, body horror, and some truly disturbing scenes. There were moments when I found myself thinking, "What on earth am I listening to?" Yet I kept pressing play because I was completely invested in finding out how it would all end.

If you're a fan of dark fantasy horror, Southwestern Gothic stories, or books that push boundaries and aren't afraid to get messy, Ghost River is worth checking out. It's strange, brutal, and unforgettable.

Horrific, fantastic.

A true horror in every sense of the word. A dark fantasy of the southwest sprall.

Perfect Horror

This is a wonderfully original story. Its everything that one could want in horror. This is not cheap thrills type of horror but the horror that really scares just by imagery alone. The characters are perfection. Horror resides in them. True evil can be found within them. They are nasty and hellish.
I enjoyed the author's writing because it was not cheap thrills. It was truly horrific. Every evil thing that can happen to a human being is written nicely and not for gratuitous reasons but because it fits with the storyline. The author creates imagery that will stay resident in your mind for a while after you pause the audiobook.
The audiobook was performed by Andrew Gibson. I think that he did a great job. The characters voices were clear, and they were separate from each. I think he gave life to Chad's horror perfectly.
As some who thinks that Stephen King is overrated and that his best work was when he was high on drugs, I think that the author has shown more talent in this story than Mr. King has lately.
Thank you to StoryOrigin for this complimentary copy.

Wildly Original

Wildly original, warped, and creepy as hell!

There is a lot to unpack here and I'm not sure I'm able to describe it in such a way as to get your attention. First things first, though, if you have any triggers this may not be the book for you. It's brutally violent, with wild ideas, places and creations. If you think you might have a problem with it, you probably will and it's really best that you stay away.

Now, picture a family living in a small desert town. Next, throw out any ideas you might about that family and enter the world of Ghost River. A world where ancient promises and vows are still upheld to this day. A world where people and children become...transformed. A world where the corruption goes all the way down, deep into the dirt. Now, the scene has been set and I will add nothing more to spoil the story for you.

Focusing on how this book made me feel-it was a full range of emotion. At times I was happy for Minister and Ester, (not sure how it's spelled, since I listened to this on audio), and at other times I pitied them, and yet at other times, I loathed them. The coyote and the snake. The Pig Father. Spider girl and the boy wrapped in barbed wire. The sisters of sorrow. The boy king. Machado the sheriff. All of which had my emotions changing from one moment to the next.

Ghost River features an old world trying to stand fast against the approaching modern world. Bad as that old world was, I still am not sure that the new world will be any better. As I mentioned, I experienced a full range of emotions while reading and I know I will be thinking about this world for a long time. Even though it took a bit of patience to stay with this, I trusted in the author's ability to make it all clear, and he eventually did. It's astonishing to me that this is the author's debut novel. I am excited to see what he does next!

The narrator, Andrew Gibson, is new to me, but he did a terrific job with this. I'll be keeping an eye out for his name on Audible, because I was truly impressed.

Highly recommended, but please heed my warning above, and the author's warning at the beginning of the book. Then, prepare to be blown away!

*Thanks to the author for the Audible download in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!

It’s all in there

This is a ride for horror fans, it packs in everything that you would expect for the genre and the narration is on point. As far as the story goes it was good though there was something missing that I couldn’t put my finger on. Great performance, decent story. Give it a shot.