Review of Father

[Justin Christensen]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Father" by Zachary Greaton.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Father by Zachary Greaton is a fantastic horror story that begins with a missing person report and ends in a Lovecraftian symphony of horror that I found, frankly, delightful. It felt like a classic cult horror story to me, with all of the suspense and drama that I could hope for.

After a deliciously short and ominous prologue, the book opens with the main character, Jess, speaking with a police officer about the sudden disappearance of her sister, Sarah. Jess is not satisfied with the efforts of the police in searching for her sister, so she takes matters into her own hands. Little does she know that Sarah has fallen in with a religious group, led by a man with somewhat unconventional views on sin, redemption, and sacrifice. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll just say that the story played out much like you might expect, including a twist at the end that would have made a young M. Night Shyamalan proud.

I don’t have much negative to say about Father. There was a dramatic reveal that I felt was somewhat rushed, but I can’t say much about that without giving crucial details away, so I won’t go into it. I am a big fan of classical horror (Poe, Lovecraft, etc.), and I think that Greaton did a phenomenal job of marrying some of my favorite elements from those classics with modern storytelling. The ending, in particular, I thought was incredibly well done. All of the loose threads from the book were wrapped up neatly, and a hook was set for a potential sequel that I would love to get my hands on.

I would rate this book an easy five out of five stars. There is some profanity and a little bit of sexual content, so it is probably best suited for adult readers. If you are a fan of horror, you will almost certainly enjoy this book.

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Father
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[Charles Benson]

Cult horror rarely strikes the perfect balance between atmosphere and shock, but Father sounds like it pulls it off with eerie precision. The way the story spirals from a missing person case into something drenched in cosmic dread genuinely intrigues me—especially with a religious cult at the center. I’m sold on the idea of a Shyamalan-style twist laced with Lovecraftian flair; that combo isn’t easy to nail, and now I really want to see how Greaton pulls it off.

[camily vitoria]

I really love stories involving cults, and this Lovecraftian vibe caught my attention right away. I’m already curious to find out what happened to the sister and that crazy religious leader. Super excited to read it!

[NetMassimo]

You had me at Lovecraftian! Seriously, this seems like a good horror stories that uses some classic elements of this genre and tells a story that gets wrapped up neatly, which not always happens in horror stories. Thank you for your great review!