Title: The Body Will FollowAuthor: Rob E. Boley
First Published: September 15, 2020
Publisher: Silver Shamrock Publishing
Pages: 152
Genre: Horror, Paranormal
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Rating:
Synopsis:
When Carrie reclaims her body after being possessed by a hedonistic gang of dark spirits, life as she knew it is over. Before, she was a thirty-something data analyst who enjoyed preparing vegetarian meals, decorating her vintage home, and training for marathons. Now, she’s lost everything—her savings, friends, career, and reputation. The police want to question her for an array of crimes. Homeless and diseased, she’s also the star of her own mortifying viral video.
That’s not all that’s changed. She can now see ghosts, though not the traditional specters from books and films. These earthbound souls exist at the mercy of the physical world, where grass impales their feet and rain riddles their astral bodies like bullets. When she meets Daniel—who first encountered her body on a one night stand during the spirits’ debaucherous joy ride, they forge a friendship rooted in home-cooking and bondage. Just as Carrie finds a new normal, she discovers that sinister spirits have possessed another victim.
Will she risk everything she’s rebuilt to save a stranger?
Buy the Book: AmazonReview
Ghostly possession is one of those genres in horror that I feel doesn’t get enough appreciation compared to other more glamorous monsters and supernatural beings. The Body Will Follow showcases the horror of being possessed, and how a person’s carefully constructed life can be ripped to shreds in a short amount of time. It was both horrifying and campy and reminded me of the types of horror novels I grew up with.
The story follows Carrie, a thirty-something with a good job, a nice house, close friends, and a healthy lifestyle. She is horrified when she realizes she doesn’t have control of her body as the ghostly ‘wishes’ wreak havoc on her body and her life. I appreciated that the story continues with the horrible aftermath, the chaos, and the suffering that is wrought on the victim. This story took ghostly possession to a new level.
Carrie reads the auras of the people around her like mood rings, while important to the plot of the story, I also found this tedious after a while. The story never explains what any of the colors mean, so without prior knowledge or looking it up, the constant readings become fluff. I didn’t care much for the gag humor which changed the tone of the novel from frightening to urban fantasy. In all, it was amusing and I had a hard time putting it down. I think it can work for the right readers, the book is wild, weird, and a little wacky, it’s an offbeat novel that had some high points that stand out.
Quote
“Empty her head. The body will follow.”
Content Warnings
View Spoiler »About the Author
About Rob E. Boley
Rob E. Boley likes to make blank pages darker. He lives with his wife and his daughter in Dayton, Ohio. By day, he manages and analyzes big data. Yet each morning before sunrise, he rises to strike terror into the hearts of the unfortunate characters dwelling in his novels, stories, and poems. His fiction has been seen lurking in places such as A cappella Zoo, Pseudopod, Clackamas Literary Review, and Best New Werewolf Tales. His poetry has been known to prowl in publications such as Eye to the Telescope, California Quarterly, Horror Writers’ Association Poetry Showcase, and Undead: A Poetry Anthology of Ghosts and Ghouls. He co-founded Howling Unicorn Press with his wife, author Megan Hart, to conjure tales that thrill, chill, and fulfill.
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