The Ceremonies

Spending the summer in a cabin in the woods? Then The Ceremonies is a darn fine choice. The first time I read it was on a camping trip, and I was captivated by the way Klein describes the empty, lonely wilderness surrounding the Poroth Farm (the main location of the tale).

The protagonist of the book is an English professor who’s writing a book on the Gothics, and through the course of the book name drops a ton of classic horror novels and stories from the early 20th century. This book is not only a tremendous cosmic/folk horror novel, but… show more.

I have a real weakness for ‘doorstopper’ books. Mighty tomes in which you can lose yourself and this is a folk horror that allows you to do just that.

Klein’s The Ceremonies takes place in an isolated farming community where their religion is central to their way of life. Into this mix you bring two outsiders whose arrival trigger the attempts of the Old One to bring back his supernatural master.

Again, nature and setting are at the forefront of the story, adding to the atmosphere which, combined with certain demonic characters, brings in that sense of otherworldliness and isolation.… show more.