Warding by Kev Harrison (Author) (Review)

The Mommies Reviews

I would like to share a new book with you called Warding by Kev Harrison (Author) which I received a PDF Copy of in exchange for this review. Inside this post is my affiliate links. If you click on the links and make a purchase I will make a small percentage from the items you purchase.

Warding was a book I wasn’t able to read on my own because of the witchy-goodness inside the novel and it being dark but with David reading the book with me I was able to finish the story. David said he would like to read more books from this Author which I would pass on because I don’t like this type of story.

Warding brings us a story about a young lady and her home which has a “odd, rancid odour” making her believe something dreadful lurked in Kate’s new home. When she investigated the cellar with her dog, and the animal barked, “Short, sharp sounds that spoke of menace,” David said he thought there would be a corpse or a creature entombed inside the brick wall. David couldn’t wait to read more while I wasn’t sure I wanted to move forward because if it was scary I might never sleep agaon.

David let me know Kate dug away the mortar, and saw a bright green eye. Why would anyone drown a black cat, and stash it in the cellar? And how could the corpse be so well preserved? David read more of the story which I listened to and for me, the tale became stranger, and suspense built keeping me on the edge of my seat.

“The cat’s body had been shorn from below the neck on one side. If you like gory this is the story for you because the skin was emblazoned with vivid red symbols. The mouth was open in an endless cry, canines posed in warning.” Be prepared because its going to get rocky from here on out. Harrison blended psychological horror with visceral descriptions and dashes of dark humor.

David wanted me to let you know the Author Warding kept him entertained from the first page until the finale and he believes anyone who likes horror should read this novel. The author even included notes for us and the story features historical elements and that part of the story I did like.

About the book:

First published by Things in the Well, closing out the anthology, BELOW THE STAIRS: TALES FROM THE CELLAR (featuring stories by Clive Barker, Chad Lutzke, Ramsey Campbell, Paul Kane, Theresa Derwin and many more), ‘Warding’ is available for the first time as a standalone novelette.

Featuring stunning cover artwork by Graphics in Design, packed with easter eggs from the story, this revised edition of WARDING comes complete with an introduction and author’s notes on inspirations, story craft and even music related to the piece.

From Kev Harrison, author of CINDERS OF A BLIND MAN WHO COULD SEE, THE BALANCE (coming early 2020) and more than twenty published short stories, comes WARDING, a tale of subterranean supernatural horror.

“When Kate moves into her new home, she is looking for a fresh start. All that changes when her dog, Tigger, starts digging at a wall in the basement. The rank smell gives way to a medieval relic pertaining to witchcraft and superstition. But, in this modern age, such things can be seen for what they are: pure hokum…

About the author: Kev Harrison

Kev Harrison is a writer of dark fiction and English language teacher from England, living and working in Lisbon, Portugal. He has previously lived in various areas of the UK, as well as Turkey and Poland.

He is a staff writer for This is Horror and has had short fiction published in a variety of magazines and anthologies, including Lost Films, from Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing, Below the Stairs: Tales From The Cellar from Things in the Well, Aphotic Realm Magazine’s ‘Fangs’ issue and ‘In Darkness Delight: Creatures of the Night from Corpus Press. He has also had short fiction featured on The Other Stories and Tales to Terrify podcasts. Thirteen tales of his short fiction are now collected in his debut collection, Paths Best Left Untrodden.

His acclaimed debut novella, ‘The Balance,’ a work of folk-horror with eco-horror themes, is available now, from Lycan Valley Press. He has two releases in Demain Publishing’s Short Sharp Shocks! range: ‘Cinders of a Blind Man Who Could See’ and ‘Curfew’. His second novella, ‘Below,’ is available now from Brigids Gate Press.

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates