I had the pleasure of running into Sam at an author event in recent months, and the cover of Edenville caught my eye. We struck up a conversation, and I ended up buying a copy (which he was kind enough to sign) because he was so incredibly sweet.
Little did I know, he was about to tell me one of the most unique and horrific stories I've read in a long time.
"The Shattered Man, with wild hair / You better run, avoid his stare / If you see him, you are through / Cuz chances are? He already has seen you."
When aspiring author Campbell Marion had a weird dream, he did the only thing he knew to do: write a book about it.
The dream, which took place in an unfinished attic, involved a man who slaughtered his entire family, then used the blood to draw a rudimentary stick figure on the wall. The blood from such a cruel act changed the chemistry of the wood within the attic wall, bringing the figure to life and opening a portal into other realms and the horrors within them.
Eventually, the house was torn down, the boards from the wall were separated as they became reused in various ways, and the portal was broken. The figure on the wall became known as The Shattered Man.
It was Cam's best work yet, and he was certain that it would change his life.
"He followed the story as it twisted in new directions, moving of its own accord. He'd always heard stories do that, but he'd never seen it firsthand. It was strange. Something was curling out of him, stinging his eyes as it needled its way out of its nest in his brain."
Cam's book, fittingly titled The Shattered Man, caught the attention of the Department of Creative Writing at Edenville College, and he was quickly invited to come aboard as a writer in residence for the upcoming fall semester.
The well-known department was founded by Matthew Slitter back in 1973, and it evolved into one of the most highly respected and sought-after programs for developing writers. It gained even more notoriety after Slitter's mysterious disappearance in 1990.
The offer seemed almost too good to be true, but for Cam, this was the big break he deserved. However, his girlfriend Quinn felt differently.
Having grown up in nearby Leaden Hollow, Quinn had heard stories about Edenville and the surrounding Renfield County. She didn't know if all the stories were true, but she knew hers was—and she never wanted to see that place again.
"Why do I want to go anywhere, when all I do there is sit and wish for more?"
After a lengthy discussion, Quinn agrees to accompany Cam to check out the college under one condition: any weird vibes, they turn around and head home.
Unfortunately, Cam's ego gets the best of him. This is the opportunity he's worked for all his life! So what if the sunflowers that cover the college campus seem to be alive, turning their heads to follow him, and the attic of his provided house is the exact attic from his dream? He'd just keep those details to himself.
While Cam is busy at work, Quinn finds herself spending more and more time at the Edenville Library, hoping to find some answers about her last visit to Renfield. This eventually leads her to the Edenville Historical Society, where the town's seemingly endless population of little old ladies promise to help her—but she quickly learns that knowledge comes at a price.
As Cam adjusts to his new life as writer in residence, he notices that other members of the department seem a little too interested in his writing. Specifically, the details of what happened to the pieces of wood that made up The Shattered Man, and what would happen if they were all collected and reassembled.
Why was Cam really brought to Edenville? What truly goes on behind the many locked doors of the Creative Writing Department? Whatever happened to Matthew Slitter?
You'll have to read Edenville to find the answers—but be warned: you may not want to know.
"The human heart is to fragile to contain horror for long. It has too many chambers, too many holes. Material will leak out eventually, one way or another. You must express and exorcise, for without an outlet, a tributary, your heart will simply pour out inside yourself, until you're full to bursting. You can die that way. Slowly, over the course of decades. So, hell. Let the people write."
Alright, I'm gonna be honest: this had a rocky start for me. It may just be because I was short on time and only reading a chapter here and there, but it took me a while to get absorbed in the story. There were a lot of characters, and while there were no issues with the characters themselves, I feel that the same result could've been achieved with less of them. It made things a bit chaotic and difficult to follow.
Cam and Quinn also took a while to develop. I didn't feel much of a connection with either of them in the first half of the book, but they more than made up for that in the second half. Again, this also may have been because my reading pattern was very broken up at first.
I want to include a warning as well as a huge commendation to Sam: this book is disgusting. It takes a lot to gross me out, but there's one particular scene that did it. I'm not mad about it, just thoroughly impressed.
If you're looking for a unique horror read and can live with some graphic, gnarly details that may or may not scar you for life, look no further!
As always, thank you so much for checking out the blog. If you've read this far and especially if you've read Edenville, be sure to join me on Discord. I'd love to hear your thoughts and discuss it with you—including the part that horrified me the most.
Also, be sure to subscribe so you can be notified about future posts! I have lots of ideas, and I can't wait to see where this blog will take us. Thank you so much for being a part of it.
'•.¸♡ Go Crows! ♡¸.•'
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