The Vessel

By: Adam Nevill

Narrated by: Bridget Thomas

Length: 4 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

An eerie folk horror novel from the author of Cunning Folk, The Reddening, The Ritual, No One Gets Out Alive and the four-time winner of the August Derleth Award for Best Horror Novel.

"A watcher may remark that after sleeping for so long, the building appears to have been roused."

Struggling with money, raising a child alone, and fleeing a volatile ex, Jess McMachen accepts a job caring for an elderly patient. Flo Gardner–a disturbed shut-in and invalid. But if Jess can hold this job down, she and her daughter, Izzy, can begin a new life.

Flo's vast home, Nerthus House, may resemble a stately vicarage in an idyllic village, but the labyrinthine interior is a dark, cluttered warren filled with pagan artefacts.

And Nerthus House lives in the shadow of a malevolent secret. A sinister enigma determined to reveal itself to Jess and to drive her to the end of her tether. Not only is she stricken by the malign manipulation of the Vicarage's bleak past, but mercurial Flo is soon casting a baleful influence over young Izzy. What appeared to be a routine job soon becomes a battle for Jess' sanity and the control of her child.

It's as if an ancient ritual was triggered when Jess crossed the threshold of the vicarage. A rite leading her and Izzy to a terrifying critical mass, where all will be lost or saved.

©2022 Adam L. G. Nevill (P)2022 Adam L. G. Nevill

Critic reviews

"You don’t read an Adam Nevill horror novel: you live it." (The Guardian)

Worth it!

You may be hesitant to use your credit on a book that’s only 4 and some hours. At least I have this problem. Just get it. You won’t regret it. If you’re not a fan of horror, you will like this. It’s not scary, it’s creepy. That might make a difference in how you choose a book. It’s also got a lot of heart, interesting characters, and a great plot. Loved it. Narrator has the calm, soothing British accent. She was wonderful. Can’t really go wrong with Neville.

This was so different!

The narrator was excellent. I enjoyed the story immensely- it is not what you expect. Short but satisfying.

strange ,creepy .

I loved it! There was no dragging out the story. Suspenseful very strange and tons of creepy.

Loved it!

Great book! Very spooky and the narrator does an amazing job.
I think Nevill is one of greatest writers of his time. Many of his stories, including this one, make the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
I'm also glad I listened to the audio book, it was even better listening to the scary scenes.

Slow story, predictable ending

I was told this was an intense book and so scary. It was predictable and slow. Not happy I spent a credit. Don’t waste tour credit check it out from the library.

Nice but kinda saw it coming…

Definitely not his best book, not as good as “cunning folk” or “the ritual” but not terrible either. Definitely recommend reading it twice so you can understand what’s really going on, even though the story is easy to follow there’s a bunch of little details that you probably want to look at again. 3/5

Great story

I love all of Nevill’s work, very gifted author with out a doubt to it!

Enjoyable, but predictable.

I grew up on horror movies and novels, and the premise of this story is nothing new. It is well-written and well-voice acted. The story had a hard time keeping my attention at times as I listened to it while driving, but when it did get my attention, it held on to it with a death grip. While not scary, it does its best to try to make you feel unsettled. You may have a good idea of where it's going, but seeing how we get there is still a fun journey. It's a short listen at 4.5 hours, but it doesn't overstay its welcome and gets right to the point, so I appreciated that.

Loved it

It kept my interest and there was very creepy parts as well as a good ending.

Great story

I loved the imagination of this story. It was short but worth it. The ending was written so well, would love to see this as a movie.

Enjoyable short story

As a short story I enjoyed it. Looking forward to reading more by the author.

Overhyped!

It's an OK story. Narration was a little odd. A few words were said really oddly, which irked me, and some of the storytelling was a little repetitive.

Meh

Had a couple of creepy moments but on the whole I’m glad it was so short.

Good but not his best

I've read everything Nevill has written and listened to them too. This is not his best although that is still a high bar.
If you're looking for a top class listen go for Cunning Folk or The Ritual first. Both are fantastic and very well read. Then come back and get this one!

Waste of a credit

Brief and boring. Not up to usual AN standard. Will be asking audible for a refund.

big fan of this writer but not this story

just not for me and short. look forward to the next one I'm sure. The characters were okay but not gripping or particular scary. pretty dull all round. short story sort of feel to it.

Another cracking folk horror

Again Adam Nevill has delivered a brilliant folk horror tale. Shorter than his usual fare but gripping none the less.
well worth checking out, the narrator was chosen to compliment the story completely and delivers a flawless performance.
Can't wait fo the next one.

Wonderful!

Beautifully written and very skillfully read. I loved The Vessel!!! Wish I could explain why but that would be spoiling it 😀