Lets just say, it is a good story! It brings to mention other stories in the bedlam bible series, and a little more sense of what the 8 story building is, but if you want to know more I’d advice you to get a copy of this audio book and listen to this story, read by Connor Brannigan, I swear, read by him it sounds much more creepy and terrible, but in a very nice way, you just want to come back for more.

This story, don’t really take place in 8 story bulding but after listening to other stories in bedlam bible series, you just know when something is familiar ^____^ and I don’t really want to give spoilers, but I really recommend this audiobook, if you, like me, like weird and creepy stories, with immortal and strong beings, well this is just out of our alley.

Thank you NetGalley and Doom Fiction Audio for the free AAC and this is my honest opinion.

This is book 5 in the Bedlam bible series. The series itself is described as '"A Strange History of Madness Inside the Eighth Block Tower." Having never read the other books this doesn't feel confusing or out of place to a newcomer. Anyone can comfortably jump straight into this and enjoy it as a stand-alone or seek out the rest of the series. this book follows the mythical creation of 'Old Joe booth.'

During this book, I found that my favourite part of the book was the way in which it is divided up into four poems, yet it is set up in such a masterful way. Each poem deals with a different season in the creation of "Joe booth." I found this writing style unique and fascinating to watch how things changed over time and how they came to be. It was something I had never experienced before and it helped show the passage of time and how things were changing, it was like being a fly on the wall watching events unfold.

This book is fast-paced and short, and the audiobook little over 44mins at the regular speed I listen between 1.5x-2.0x speed on audio and had this done in less than half an hour. The audiobook is a great way to start your morning with a short audiobook. It can be read through in roughly half the time as a typical audiobook and can be listened to while you are getting ready for work or when you are riding the bus at night. This book was an extremely interesting read for me, and I would recommend that other readers read it as well. I look forward to reading the rest of the books as well.

I really enjoyed this book. I found it to be a quick and fun read. This is the first book I've read in the Bedlam bible series and it was very enjoyable to read from start to finish. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good quick read. And if you haven't read this yet I would highly recommend it, especially for people who love the suspense and intrigue of a good story. I found the author's (William Pauley III)
descriptive writing to be immersive, providing just enough detail in each scene to make it realistic and engaging for the reader while still remaining light on its feet.

It is clear that the narrator does a fantastic job of voicing the various characters in the story. His narration of the words on the page made me feel as though I was actually there experiencing the story with him, and I really enjoyed his narration of the words. His acting skills were excellent, and sometimes, it was hard to tell that he was all one person doing the voices.

This is a short but very interesting book that I highly recommend to any reader that enjoys horror short stories. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this short story by William Pauley III. It was full of suspense and was eerie at times too with a thick atmosphere.

Overall I give this 5/5 stars.

***A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.***

Eerie and horrific are the first things that come to mind! I had goosebumps almost the entire time I was listening.

This was a fantastic short listen. It flowed like a ballad/poetry but read like a short story. I definitely wish I had listened to the first few portions before this one but the lyrical writing was so engaging that it didn’t really matter. I loved the imagery and the cadence of the narrators voice.

When I downloaded the audio version of this book from Netgalley I had no idea this was part of a series. I had never heard of The Bedlam Bible before this. This book is the story of a character from that series, Old Joe Booth

This is so short I can say much about the plot without going into spoilers so I’ll just say this was absolutely fantastic. I love the lyrical way it’s written. The writing is beautiful and horrifying at the same time. I really got pulled into the story despite the fact that it’s so very short. I find the character of Old Joe Booth fascinating. I need to read more about him/it. Like I said previously I read this as an audiobook and narrator really helps bring the story to life. I don’t know if the rest of the series has audiobooks but I’m hope that they do and that they kept the same narrator for the whole series.. Listening to this really made me want to pick up their other books in said series to see if they’re just as good as this. Overall I very much recommend this to horror fans.

With great narration by Connor Branigan we read once again about the 8th tower and hear about the ballad of Old Joe Booth it is set into four parts Spring, summer, autumn and winter and every book so far gets a mention. It isn’t long but I found it very entertaining and it left him with the question is Joe Boothe the monster? I really love the books

A gem of a epic poem that adds to this author's weird and wonderful lore. Impressive control of language.

This is a short, creepy, beautifully written and narrated poem that leaves you wanting more. I didn't realize that it was book 5 of 7 but was able to understand without having read the previous books. I am definitely going to check out the others now! I hope it is the same narrator (Connor Brannigan) as he was very good! Pick this up if you want something short, creepy, and thought provoking.

I loved this audio book, even though it was short! The words used by William Pauley III reminded me on poetry. Everything was described in a way that I could easily "see" it right in front of me, made possible through such artistic words. Not once did the author lose my attention, which wasn't just because of the compelling storyline, but also due to the pleasant narrators voice.

*I've received an early copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Ballad of Old Joe Booth is the fifth installment in the Bedlam Bible, the series that follows the residents of the 8th block tower and all the creepy things that happen. This is not my first book in the series so I had some familiarity and I believe that helped in my enjoyment of this short story.

For this book and the others in the series that I have read, the writing is haunting and atmospheric and just very well done. The way these unsettling stories are told is different from anything I have experienced.

The author's note in the beginning says this is more of an intermission before we go into the back half of the series. I wish all intermissions were this good.

As for the narration Connor Brannigan returns and continues to have perfect narration for this series. His voice is a match made in heaven for these stories.

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

The love the Bedlam Bible series and was so happy to get this next installment! As always the narration was impecable and the story dives a little more into the character known as Old Joe Booth, who is some creepy incantation of the devil. The whole series is so unbelievably believable in our culture nowadays! Hopefully I can get to sleep tonight without nightmares! I can’t wait until the next installment!

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

Description:

Some monsters are impossible to see.

This is The Ballad of Old Joe Booth.

An epic poem in four parts.

A song for Eighth Block.

My Thoughts:

I really didn’t know what to expect going into this epic poem. It pack a punch with its creepy and descriptive language. The narrator was fantastic.

An intriguing short story of cosmic doom and dystopia. This tale is sinister and foreboding with elements of folklore in the telling, the atmospheric writing really anchors you into the horror of the surroundings. I enjoyed the use of seasons to break up the story into historical parts.


I have recently been listening to The Complete Short Stories of J.G. Ballard and it definitely has a flavour of his work, along with a large spoonful of H.P. Lovecraft. If you enjoy the weird and wonderful ideas they conjure, then I would definitely recommend this work for you.



I can’t comment on the rest of the series as this is the only one I have read and the author notes that it is quite different to the other books. However based on this, I would definitely be interested in listening to the rest of the The Bedlam Bible series.

The narrator had an excellent voice, which simultaneously soothed and filled me with dread.

This book was really interesting. I didn’t really know what I was getting when I came into this audiobook, but it was really short. It was actually really thought-provoking and the store in concert was quite interesting. I will probably look into some more books in the series. I would highly recommend just doubling and trying it out as it is very very short. It does get you thinking I would recommend

This is like reading a Bible in an alternative universe.
For someone who hasn't read the series this is attached to, I still liked it. The story is short (45 minutes in audio format), and gives the origin myth for a character from the series The Bedlam Bible. The character fits the mold of "old god" or a monster from Norse mythology, something with a name that hunts and is immortal but not invincible.
I say this story is liking reading the Bible because the story is broken and just moves on. Old Joe is being his best immortal self. and he "learns" that the Bedlam Bible exists and will give someone the power to kill him, and so he must hunt and destroy the book... remember, this is a horror in our universe, who will tell him this? Doesn't matter, plot over everything. As someone who grew up with the Bible, the style fits the story extremely well. It doesn't matter how he learns this, he just needs to, so he does, obviously.
The story ends with a very Biblical logic that sets up (I assume) part of the series. As an origin myth, awesome. As a stand-alone story, I enjoyed it enough to look into the series some more, but not enough to recommend it to someone in conversation.
**I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

With great narration by Connor Branigan we read the 38th tower and hear about the ballad of Old Joe Booth it is set into four parts Spring, summer, autumn and winter and every book so far gets a mention. It isn’t long but I found it very entertaining and it left him with the question is Joe Boothe the monster? I really love the books from this collection and cannot wait for the next one. I find William Pauley threes imagination something I think I get but no I totally enjoy it can you add Connor Branigan‘s narration and it makes for the perfect audiobook. I received this book from NetGalley and doomsday press but I’m leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I went into this story not knowing that it was a sequel until listening to the first chapter. Would I have enjoyed it more had I read the first few books? Perhaps, but I still bloody loved it. Atmospheric, great writing, and weird. The audiobook narrator is on point. If anything it has made me want to read the other books.

Listening to this audiobook, I cannot believe I have never heard of The Bedlam Bible before. I am extremely curious to see what I have been missing out on. The descriptive writing is incredible and the narrator definitely helps make this one a great, quick listen. I am very curious to hear more.

I got this because I wanted a quick listen and something creepy. It did not disappoint. Perfect when you have a short attention span and want to be chilled to the bone. I loved all the creepy descriptions and the overall vibe!