The Ballad of Old Joe Booth

The Ballad of Old Joe Booth tells the creation myth of the cosmic horror that comes to be known as Old Joe Booth. As someone who is not familiar with the rest of the Bedlam Bible books, this was an accessible glimpse into the world that has made me eager to find out more.
The prose has a warm, inviting rhythm that which juxtaposes nicely with the grim and hellish scapes that are being described. Although it did get repetitive in parts, I felt that this only added to the feeling of listening to a biblical passage. However, I could understand how some people would find this rhythmic repetitiveness to be soporific, and it can be a little difficult to concentrate on, or at least a little too easy to let the mind wander and miss something.
I enjoyed the way the book was split into the four seasons as we follow the life of Joe Booth. It flowed quite smoothly from something very reminiscent of a biblical creation passage to something more akin to an Arthurian legend. The content itself, and particularly the descriptions of denizens of this hellscape, also put me in mind of William Burrows Naked Lunch. There was some very satisfying use of alliteration
The narrator of the audiobook, Connor Brannigan, clearly had a lot of fun recording this book. His voice is incredibly rich and smooth, and puts me in mind of Jack Fox, who narrated Asimov’s Foundation Series back in the day. He manages to bring in the seasoning of a Southern Gothic Minister without being too heavy handed with it.
Overall I would happily recommend this, particularly to fans of horror podcasts like of Old Gods of Appalachia or Malevolent.

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!

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.***

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.

I am totally reading this series out of order and you know what? It still makes sense.

This one was a short, creepy, and awesome tale about Old Joe Booth and some poor fellas who should have walked away.

I cannot actually go into much details as this is short enough that details could spoil the whole thing but lets just say I would be side eyeing any crabs that may get near me.

Connor narrates this one so well that I was sucked in from the first word.

I was not familiar with this author or the Bedlam Bible series, but this creepy installment has definitely fed my curiosity. I did the audiobook and through #Netgalley and Connor Branigan does an excellent job narrating this origin(?) story of Old Joe Booth, one name for a cosmic horror that goes through the seasons. Labeled as an epic poem, the creepy writing adds to the haunting sense of dread.

This was creepy, macabre, and hellish. In the best way possible.
I have only listened to one other installment of the Bedlam Bible saga, and listening to this one has just solidified how much I want to delve into all the others. Whilst I did enjoy the other one more (White Fuzz), I think that was simply because it was a longer fleshed-out narrative, whereas The Ballad of Old Joe Booth really did feel like listening to a chilling archaic bible passage.

The writing was super atmospheric and above all else, creepy as hell. Connor Brannigan’s narration added so much, and was super immersive. He was the PERFECT choice for narrator.

Thank you to Doom Fiction and NetGalley for providing me with an Audio ARC. All opinions are my own.

Many thanks to Netgalley for letting me listen to the audiobook ARC of this!

When I selected this from Netgalley, I was unaware that it was part of a series that I had neither read nor heard about - but after this I will certainly be going back and reading the others.
The writing conjured such eerie and visceral imagery, along with such an intriguing story that I was able to follow despite having no context of other entries in the series.
It's exactly the creepy short narrative I have been craving, and - though I have previously proclaimed not being a fan of poems - this has got me interested in this form of poetry!

Brilliant work, and I would highly recommend it!

I am obsessed with this series, every book is amazing and you can read them as a standalone as well because they still make perfect sense.
This was so interesting and amazing, I highly recommend this series to everyone!

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for an AudioARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Good ole' Joe.

I love the Bedlam Bible series.

Very strange.

Very good.

I wish there was a signed limited omnibus edition of The Bedlam Bible series. I would be buying it for sure.

Well, that was interesting and i mean that in the good way. I've never listened to anything like that before. The story had a grew flow and had great descriptors. I liked Part summer the best.

The ballad of Old Joe Booth is more a book of verse than a clear narrative. You get the sense of being cut loose from ordinary thinking through unique syntax and strange word forms. Is Old Joe Booth the enemy or a path to transcendence? The utter ambiguity as to the answer is something that had me pondering this story for hours after reading. Worth the time to listen twice!

Yes! Yes! Yes! The Ballard of Old Joe Booth by William Pauley III is an exceptional addition to The Bedlam Bible series. The Ballard of Old Joe Booth is book #5 and does not disappoint! Horrific, creative, and beautifully told, I absolutely loved this terrifying tale... and the cover is everything! The cover really adds a sense of horror to the story. I am officially waiting with bated breath for the next book.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

A delicious slice of horror from the Eighth Block, and I suspect the backstory to what will become the main antagonist (or maybe not, who can tell where this series will go).
Another excellent tale wonderfully narrated.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. This was wonderfully creepy. It was giving me shivers up and down my spine as I listened to this. I didn't realize this was part of a series until after I started listening but thank goodness it was easy to get into. I would highly recommend this. It's short and so very scary.

First I was not aware that this was book 5 in a series. I do need to pay more attention to whether or not it is a book in a series. So I did not follow everything. That being said I really enjoyed it. The book is in verse which was a perfect choice for the story. It flowed really well and I enjoyed it enough I will be looking for more books in this series.

4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook of The Ballad of Old Joe Booth by William Pauley III.

The Ballad of Old Joe Booth is the fifth installment of William Pauley III's Bedlam Bible. Despite this, however, The Ballad of Old Joe Booth could be read as a standalone easily.

This was a haunting piece that I listened to whilst taking a bath. A stupid decision, as the author did an incredible job of capturing the fear and unknown of the depths. I was enthralled rather quickly by Old Joe Booth, and found the tale both harrowing and thrilling.

The narrator, Connor Brannigan has a deep purr that made the story all the more mysterious. An excellent narration of a brilliant tale.

Grabbed on a whim and did not expect something like Cormac McCarthy performing a sponatenous stream of concious horror mashup of Howl and Ragnarok.

I realized when I started this that I hadn’t read ALL of the previous books, but that didn’t make this any less enjoyable. I enjoy a solid horror story, and I’m definitely one for short stories too.

This definitely had its moments. There were definitely relatively gross descriptions of gory scenes so if you’re not here for that then move on because it starts almost immediately. It’s a solid story to tell us about Old Joe Booth and the intro gives us the information needed to tell us exactly who Old Joe Booth is.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to #NetGalley and Doom Fiction for the Audio ARC

Brannigan is the perfect voice for this dark monster tale told through the form of an epic poem. This is the creation myth that goes with the larger Bedlam Bible series (which I have not read). However, this quick ballad stands on its own.

The imagery is clear and fits with the expectations of a horror reader. The lyrical nature of the piece keeps the reader engaged and moving through the myth.

If you like monsters and horror, and you need a short jolt this is a great option.

Apparently, this is part of the Bedlam Bible series and I haven't read any of the previous installments but looking at how interesting this read was, I would look for them. Also, I look forward to the next installment.

I listened to the audiobook provided by net galley as an ARC.

The audiobook is well-narrated and engaging, with the voice actor effectively conveying the atmospheric and suspenseful nature of the stories. The different narrator’s perspectives are clearly delineated, allowing the listener to easily follow the shifting perspectives and add depth to the overall story.

Altogether, if you're a fan of horror audio books or enjoy stories that explore haunted places and mysterious characters, the audiobook version of "The Ballad of Old Joe Booth" seems to be a good choice. The atmospheric narration and effective use of horror elements make for an engaging and immersive listening experience.

A short, standalone story that supposedly is close to the middle of the Bedlam Bible. Divided into four seasons, our voyagers struggle to overcome the demon of Old Joe Booth. Images evoked from the story were reminiscent of old timey Sci-fi movies crossed with the horror of Stephen King and madness of Apocalypse Now. The scariest demons are the ones we wrestle with within ourselves. Not for the faint of heart, ‘The Ballad of Old Joe Booth” reads like a psychological horror Odyssey. Short enough to dive into multiple times within one day. Another fascinating, bizarre symbolic fever-dream to pull readers deeper into the Bedlam Bible series.

Since the Dawn of time, the Old Joe Booth has been feasting on creatures of this world without a care.
An epic poem that tells us the life of Old Joe Booth.

Well ... I am not entirely sure what the heck, I was listening too. But I can tell you that I loved it . Found it utterly creepy and the narration was above awesome. Really. The voice took me in and never let me go. I was mesmerized. the narration gave life to a nightmare and good god, did it feel right. It's the right author, with the right narrator. Great Combination, that is quite hard to find.

A delightfully short and spooky addition to Pauley’s cosmic horror lore starring the eldritch entity itself. Visceral and bizarre, and exceptionally narrated by Connor Brannigan, ‘The Ballad of Old Joe Booth’ serves as a great addition to the Bedlam Bible as well as a top notch quick cosmic horror fix.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, William Pauly III, and Doom Fiction for the opportunity to listen to an advanced listening copy of this poetic epic in exchange for an honest review.

I love the narrator's voice, it fit perfectly with the mood of this ballad.

The ballad itself was a quick listen (only 45 minutes) and an interesting story.

I have not read anything by this author previously, however the quick introduction ensured I missed nothing. The narrator was perfect, bringing this haunted story to life. It reminded me strongly of Edgar Allan Poe. This was a quick listen, but packed a punch.

The Ballad of Old Joe Booth is a cosmic horror poem that is different from what I read from this author. It is super short and the narrator was phenomenal. I really enjoyed it. I think this is a great introduction for the author too. Thanks to the publisher for this arc.

Im so into this series! I need to read them all. I loved this short creepy story about Old Joe Booth. He is a version of the devil and those who came into contact with him should have turned around and gone home. I just love the weird horror! I cannot wait to read the next book in this series. I enjoyed the narration on the audio. Thank you to NetGalley and Doom Fiction Audio for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I received this audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is the 5th book in the Bedlam Bible series, but I haven't read book 2 or 3 yet because they were archived on Netgalley before I had a chance to download them. In any event, it isn't necessary to have read the previous books, as this one is stand-alone.

The Ballad of Old Joe Booth is a captivating tale narrating the genesis of the enigmatic cosmic horror entity known as Old Joe Booth. The Bedlam Bible, an extraordinary compilation encompassing every book in the series, holds the key to Old Joe Booth's demise. Learning of its existence, and the potential fatal nature of the Bedlam Bible, Old Joe is prompted to embark on a relentless quest to eradicate this ominous tome. With its evocative descriptions and thrilling narrative, this eerie and delightful short story by William Pauley III is yet another resounding success.

Firstly, I really enjoy The Bedlam Bible series because all of them can be read as standalone books imo. I don’t read them in order either. The Ballad of Old Joe Booth is just that- a ballad. It’s definitely lyrical and poetic. I love how different it is than the other two books I’ve read in the series, yet it still invokes the same feelings and vibe (though I loved the others as well). Don’t read this if you can’t understand the fact that you probably won’t understand. Just accept that and know that not everything needs an explanation. Just read it and let your mind go. Does that make sense? Maybe not. This book, this series, requires you to relinquish your view of reality. Like I said before, kinda horror, kinda bizarre, kinda sci-if. Also, I don’t think I’ve mentioned this in previous reviews but the narrator kills it every time.

Why haven't I come across this series on Amazon or on Audible before. Fantastic, Lovecraftian, weird, and utterly brilliant. I absolutely loved it!!
Narration is perfect, making this a fabulous, dramatic performance :) . The only drawback is that this is way too short, I could listen to this for hours on end!

Definitely going to read the other volumes in this series! Thanks for this fantastic listening experience.

Have been thoroughly entertained and I’m apparently halfway through this series called The Bedlam Bible. Having listened to the audio versions of books one to four and now book five, you would think I would have some sort of handle on how it all fits together or would have given up. I dont! But I’m totally hooked!! One thing though is for certain, I don’t want to meet Old Joe Booth on a dark night. Or in fact a sunlight day either. Thank you to Doom Fiction and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

This story story was cute and simple to listen to. It's around an hour in length. I loved the way the layout was in the story. Instead of chapters, it's in parts like a play. The narrator was the best luck for this book!

WOW, this was a ride. To be completely honest, I felt confused throughout the prologue and the first part of the book. Was this story about a bug? However, I continued to listen because Connor Brannigan's narration/voice was so soothing. I officially want to listen to anything he reads! His dialogue of the five men - goodness gracious. SO GOOD.
I also really loved the detailed description of the story. I am someone who needs dialogue, but the way the description flowed and created this world in my mind, I did not mind that the dialogue did not occur until halfway through. The ending was great, too.

Overall - a great story!

I listened to this book not knowing it was a part of a series until I got into it. It made me want to go back and read the rest of the series! Beautiful poetry and imagery.

A short, surprisingly eerie audio telling of the Ballad of Old Joe Booth with a stunning narrator who really manages to draw the audience into this story. Dipping a little bit into horror, this entertained me for the short span it holds and I'm sure I will revisit this shortstory again for the vibes and the storytelling. Would recommend!

First, I enjoyed the narrator for this book. The voice was calming. Which made the book a bit more eerie.

Second, I picked up this series on this book. I really NEED to read the ones before this. I NEED to know what lead up to this.

Now, onto the review. I am glad I didn't listen to this book when I trying to go to sleep (I usually fall asleep reading). It would definitely color my dreams something fierce if I had. This book got to me the way Stephen Kings It did when I was 13. Crabs will look different to me now.

I received the audiobooks version of this story thanks to NetGalley

Connor Brannigan as narrator = chef’s kiss 👨‍🍳💋

This book was about half the length of the others in the series possibly even shorter, but it makes sense for it to be that way.

It’s all starting to come together for me. Each book in the series adding in the details and highlighting the connections.

Can’t wait to get into the next one.

I’m really loving this series and anything by this author lately. Each book can be read by itself and there is always interesting characters! This was a quick listen and I was left wanting more.

Part of a series. Horror at its best. This one gave me the creeps, definitely going to get other books in the series. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook

The Ballad of Old Joe Booth is creepy and atmospheric. This is a terrifying eldritch kind of horror, made somehow beautiful through Pauley’s prose. The narrator brings a nice preachy vibe. I would highly recommend for fans of Old Gods of Appalachia or the Magnus Archives.

The Ballad of Old Joe Booth by William Pauley III Narrator Connor Branigan was a great quick listen and was creepy great for Halloween sitting in a woods around a camp fire with ya friends, A great audiobook to impress your friends lol. I loved listening to it with my sister in my garden on a summers night the atmosphere was brilliant!

Every Tale I read in this series has been wonderfully dark and eerie and vivid with imagery. I feel as though this could be its own TV series like Tales of the Crypt. The stories are creative, short, and thorough. All slowly linking together. This is a very interesting series I have stumbled in on and i like every eerie minute.

Okay. I think this might be the most crucial piece to the Eighth Block stories as a whole. The Ballad of Old Joe Booth is exciting to read if you’re already familiar with Pauley’s growing universe of stories, but would serve as a perfect jumping in point if someone doesn’t mind going out of order. I think that’s part of what makes it so special.

There’s some titles referenced here that could be exciting or intriguing depending what you’ve read prior to this.There’s also a cool intro by the author! As a segment it’s hard to review but yeah, check it out!

3.5 ⭐️ . This story is similar to other stories in the “BB” series - just as creepy and weird. This is a separate very short story. In the “Bedlam Bible”series it's more like an interlude.
It's poetic and creepy. What I liked most, was the atmosphere. But the ending is kind of odd.
Amazing narrator’s job!
Thanks to NetGalley for the free audiobook.

"A bundle of bizarre musings" if the perfect way to describe these stories and the horrors the Eigth Block has to go through. After reading this one I realized I was definitely reading this out of order so I now have to go back and read 2 and 4 I believe. This was a short(15 minutes at 3x speed), eerie ode, sort of read like a diary or confession maybe? Either way the narrator does a wonderful job bringing these stories to life.

I loved this. It's creepy. It's strange. It has echoes of Poe if he meet the Devil when he was in Georgia. The narrator is amazing. is voice matches perfectly with this ballad.

Man, for such short reads these books pack a lot of punch! Nothing wrong with some lunch hour horror!

This book is introduced as an intermission in the bedlam bible series- however, this is anything BUT a filler.

“We must remember there are some reading these books who have yet to face this terrible beast head on. Surely, in the eyes of these fortunate souls, these sacred texts are but a bundle of bizarre musings and nothing more - weird for the sake of being weird.” Those who get it, GET IT.

If you had told me when I started this series that one of these books would make me cry, I would have thought the radiation in the walls was starting to get to you. This starts off strong with a deeply moving authors note and transitions into a beautiful story that reads more like poetry to me than anything else.

Pauley’s writing is so fucking genius. There is no other way for me to explain it.

The Ballad of Old Joe Booth by William Pauley III.
Narrated by Connor Brannigan.
A Song For Eighth Block.
The Bedlam Bible #5.
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.
I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. I loved the narrator. I loved the cover that's what drew me to this book. 5*.

Started out a bit confused by the lore, but the longer I listened to it the better it got. The ending is very fitting, not every horror story needs a hero and a happy end. The body horror was horrifying in a good way and left me slightly nauseated. The narrator manages to campture the atmosphere perfectly, giving the whole story a poetic feel.

Weird for the sake of being weird and I oddly like it.

If someone had told me I was going to be reading a poem/song for NetGalley I really would have told them that they were confused.

But here I am.

Nice addition to The Bedlam Bible. Book 5.

WHY do the hardback & PPB have different covers? Choices … cuz this is a cover buy!

Absurd. I’ve got a couple more to read.

Really enjoyed the book from start to finish. Author wrote this with great pace. This book is now one of my top books of the year for sure. Loved every second of this book.

Weird and wonderful, another to get your mind racing and keep you listening.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

4 stars. While this hasn’t been my favorite in the series, I can’t deny that this is masterfully written and extremely witty. I enjoyed the style of writing and it really demonstrates the author’s talent. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Another random story written by Pauley III and yet again I find myself enjoying it although I wish this one was slightly longer.

This book had amazing descriptions! The narrator of the audiobook was the perfect choice. Nice and creepy. A quick enjoyable book.