"As he sits there, smiling and sipping cabernet sauvignon, watching the women work, he's surprised to find himself wondering what it would be like to see their insides."

Fantastic outing from Fracassi here. I expected nothing less after reading his story collection Behold The Void a couple years ago.

Gothic is a bleak throwback to the pulp horror that heavily inspired it. It's dark as hell with a fantastically written protagonist in Tyson Parks. It's nice reading from the point of view of another writer struggling with imposter syndrome and writers block.

I can't wait to see what Fracassi does next.

In most books, authors lay down no more or less than the story, often skillfully and enjoyably. But the horror greats, the Kings and Barkers and Jacksons, imbue their stories with a part of themselves. This book has that in spades - real personality, and a genuinely endearing storytelling voice.

I didn't expect a story about a desk to pull off in so many fun directions, including a very cool old school horror vibe, a pulpy adventure sideline, and a gothic fantasy replete with warlocks and portals, all anchored by the more familiar territory of a loving modern family. It was unexpected and downright scary - one particular passage gave me literal goosebumps.

A "writer going insane" story will always draw comparisons to King stories like The Shining and The Dark Half, but Gothic has its own peculiar vibe that sets it apart.

Because we get to know our imperfect but loveable protagonist and horror writer, Tyson Parks, so well in the first half of the book, the mounting dread, madness, confusion, violence, and awful glee he cycles through in the back half feel all the more real, and terrible.

Gothic finds something fresh and horrifying in that classic old horror staple: be careful what you wish for.

Equal parts visceral horror and visceral humor, this book had me laughing even as I cringed. When a past-his-prime horror writer is gifted a desk that was once used as a sacrificial altar, he finds himself very...inspired. Haunted even. Possessed, maybe. In trouble, definitely!

I couldn’t stop scrolling to the next page. I was absolutely captivated and eager to find out what’s next. I love the characters and the story line and that it’s not the same typical happy ending where everything is alright, it is a true mess with the supernatural prepare for the consequences & those consequences can be deadly. 10/10.

Another amazing story from the new voice in horror. Great plot, great characters and overall creepy as hell story. Loved every word of it. Philip fracassi is becoming the one in horror. Finally finding out what real horror is. Loved ut

I was liking the story but the format (it was a pdf) was very hard to read on kindle. I’ll pick this one up on release for sure though

On his 59th birthday, Tyson Parks—a famous, but struggling, horror writer—receives an antique desk from his partner, Sarah, in the hopes it will rekindle his creative juices. Perhaps inspire him to write another best-selling novel and prove his best years aren’t behind him.

A continent away, a mysterious woman makes inquiries with her sources around the world, seeking the whereabouts of a certain artifact her family has been hunting for centuries. With the help of a New York City private detective, she finally finds what she’s been looking for.

It’s in the home of Tyson Parks.

Meanwhile, as Tyson begins to use his new desk, he begins acting... strange. Violent. His writing more disturbing than anything he’s done before. But publishers are paying top dollar, convinced his new work will be a hit, and Tyson will do whatever it takes to protect his newfound success.

Even if it means the destruction of the ones he loves.

Even if it means his own sanity.

This book had a great writing style and shock factor at points but I felt the book was missing something. I don’t really know how to explain it without spoilers. I found myself irritated with Tyson and his self-pity. He puts himself into situations where you know the outcome will not be good, and he gets upset when they don’t work out. Getting past that and the slow burn, it’s an okay book. It wasn’t boring by any means, but I do prefer a fast passed book with more detail on things that seem important.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing a free e-arc for me to review.

All opinions are my own.

The cover and the premise of this book were enough to grab my attention.
So I had expectations going into it. It didn’t disappoint.
The author has created an eerie atmosphere, well thought out characters and a really well written story. I stormed through this one, I loved it!
Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for my arc.

“Gothic” has been my first introduction to Philip Fracassi but he will now be an auto-buy based on this novel!! My God, to say that I was unprepared to like this as much as I did, is an understatement. This is like a Stephen King and Clive Barker mash up in all the best ways.

We get several points of view throughout the novel. We are first introduced to Diana Montresor. The last link in a family stoked in tragedy. Will she be able to recover the artifact that haunts her family? Can she do so before her Grandfather passes? She has hunted relentlessly and discovered the artifact has been repurposed to a desk and has been shipped to America.
Our main character, Tyson Parks, is desperate for a break. Once a bestselling author he has now spent his advance on a book he cannot deliver on. All of this changes on his 59th birthday when he receives an antique desk from his wife. He becomes quite literally possessed to write. He begins losing time and his mind, but he is suddenly writing better than he has before.
The true evil nature of the desk plays out through the novel and it is definitely a battle to the last page.



#oldschoolhorror #NetGalley #cemeterydance

I hate doing this, because I as a reader have great respect for anyone who writes and puts it out there for the public, but in all honesty, I did not finish this book. I got more than halfway through and I just had to stop. The writing was slow and overindulent in areas it didn't need to be and the back story was out of place. The whole book (to this point) felt very disjointed. I was hoping for the best, but it doesn't quite do anything for me. I apologize to the author for this review.

When I first started reading “Gothic” by Philip Fracassie I thought to myself, what an interesting way to start this book off. I will admit I did have a hard time putting this down because I liked the goosebumps I got from reading this. The altar is a desk in disguise and this was an amazing turn because I did not expect that, it was fascinating that the desk made a lot of bad things happen right before it was delivered to Tyson’s home. The writing was absolutely perfect in my opinion and I just want to say that lately, I have been on the hunt for a book that would make me just a little scared. “Gothic” delivered just that for me. I am beyond impressed by this book because I became interested immediately from the cover as well as the title but when I read the blurb, I knew this would be an interesting read. After I finished this, I can happily say that I'm excited to see what this brilliant author will write next and I will be looking into his other books.

Thank you #NetGalley for providing me with a copy for my honest review which I am more than happy to give about this spine-tingling book.

.*trigger warning* domestic violence, rape

Gothic is one hell of a first novel. Philip Fracassi preforms a sort of necromancy on altar of the overdone and tired “struggling writer” trope, breathing new and terrifying life into it. With plenty of nods to icons of horror, Gothic is self-aware enough of its audience and the world it exists in, while also taking the piss when appropriate and poking fun at the very genre it’s a vessel for.

While the characters in Gothic aren’t anything groundbreaking, they are surprisingly fleshed out and developed – even some of the characters who get much less time on the page. Tyson is relatable to anyone who has suffered from Imposter Syndrome or failed at any stage of pursuing their dreams. Sarah is relatable if you’ve ever been the one to help carry a relationship forward and shouldered a burden. Violet was my favorite character and I wish she had been developed more and had more instances from her POV.
As the crux of the plot deepens, Tyson is pushed and pulled in uncharacteristic ways, a hand of pure evil clasped firmly to his throat. Sometimes a Muse wants more than to inspire.

This novel shocked me. It unnerved me. I read a lot of horror and it rarely makes me look around the room and leave a light on when I leave a room. Gothic whispered to me, had me skittering on all fours looking for a safe place to read.

Philip Fracassi is now front and center on my author radar. I’ll be blindly buying whatever he’s done before Gothic and welcoming anything that comes after. Cemetery Dance has a new master of horror among its ranks

DNF - I didn't make it past the prologue. I have come to the unfortunate realization that these sections can truly ruin the bulk of a story & they more often than not annihilate any proper build to the series of events that are meant to follow. This, I acknowledge, is entirely personal & many might have absolutely zero issue with this. However, in this case, I could not for the life of me find it in myself to want to continue reading. Perhaps the tone of the story takes a drastic change but, the introductory writing style was not for me.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I really struggled to finish it.

The story had so much potential. I loved the cover and the premise, but I feel it failed to deliver.

I couldn't warm up to -or care about any of the characters and honestly didn't see the point of some of them. Tyson, our main character, is not very likable (always whining and wallowing in self-pity) and only gets worse after he gets the desk/altar.

The book could have been 100 pages shorter and with fewer points of view.

I would have loved to read more about the backstory/lore of the altar instead of having things that didn’t bring much to the story.

I give this book 2,5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This is an honest review, and all opinions are entirely mine.

Tyson Parks is a famous horror author with many bestsellers. But lately he feels old and frustrated and cannot come up with a good story. Money is running out and he needs inspiration. Sarah, the love of his life, gives him an antique desk for his 59th birthday to inspire him. And HO. LEE. MO. LEE. things go bad quickly.

The desk is also being sought by a mysterious woman, as it is an alter used for centuries for her family’s dark arts.

This book is very well written. Every word is precise and weighty and ominous. Fracassi creates Tyson and Sarah’s characters so easily, quickly engaging the reader with their congenial home life and ordinary worries. But then the desk arrives and WOW, the book darkens so quickly and so powerfully.

Scary SCARY stuff begins to happen, as the desk begins to wield it’s power and manipulate Tyson.

Fracassi is a grifted horror writer and I will look for more of his work.

4.5/5
This is the first novel from Philip Fracassi I have read, but won't be the last. I've had a tough time finding a really good horror novel lately, but this one got me out of the slump. Unique but classic at the same time. There are references to King's work woven into the story, which I also loved.
The story hooked me in right from the start and I couldn't put it down. Even the opening quote at the beginning of the novel sets the mood right from the get go.

This book was amazing. One of those books that you feel your eyes pulling you farther along the page faster than you can read. But you just HAVE to know what's going to happen. It's that good. I love how Fracassi always throws a wrench in the mix to change things from the normal predictable route. I had a blast reading this. It reminds me of one of my favorite movies, in the mouth of madness by Carpenter. Must read for any horror fan.

Ok, last year I read Philip for the first time with an ARC of boys in the valley and wow. Here I am now starting Gothic only the second novel wondering can lightning strike twice….. yes it can! Mr Fracassi does a great job of building this world with struggling author Tyson Parks and his family, agent etc…. His wife find him a gift for his birthday that turns out to be a desk with supernatural powers. So an evil desk? That’s the story then? It is and it works amazingly. From about the 40% point I binged to the end his writing just puts you in a flow state where it is effortless to cruise the pages and the characters in the story all work so well together. There is vivid imagery and some pretty intense scenes along the way. You will not be underwhelmed by this one

Gothic was a stunning novel, with graphic descriptions that helped the reader to put themselves into the story and live the horror.

I received a copy of this novel through netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Philip Fracassi has probably written one of my favorite horror novels I’ve read so far this year. Such a great story, with great characters that ultimately you feel both hatred for as well as pity.
I enjoyed the pace of the novel and the ebb and flow of the story as we progressed through just like the characters.

Truly a fascinating read and one I enjoyed.