Well, I finally got round to reading Bill Halpin’s The Cult of Eden, and wasn’t disappointed.
The story follows newlyweds Will and Shannon and their new-born baby, and it’s through their ordeal that the novel focusses its crosshairs on the main thematic exploration of the story: the dichotomy between good and evil, manifested through two sides of the same religious coin. Without giving too much away, it is opposing beliefs in the same god that fuels the conflict between our heroes and villains of the story. Bill has expertly avoided the pitfalls of flimsy antagonistic motivations and concocted villains driven by a perversion of the very same beliefs that the protagonists hold. The idea is as fascinating as it sounds, and the execution is masterful.
Besides thematic considerations, The Cult of Eden torpedoes along with solid, punchy prose and enough grisly twists and turns to keep even the most seasoned horror reader captivated. I’ll be interested to see where Bill takes the story in his proposed future instalments, and have high hopes for this expert horror scribe.
Nice one, Bill!
-GG