Cover Image: The Moor

The Moor

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Member Reviews

This scary story started out great, but by the middle I had lost pretty much all interest in how it was going to end. I loved the creepy setting of the moor though

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A dark and atmospheric yarn, the plot reels you in and doesn’t spit you out until the last page!!! Loved it! A new author for me but will definitely be looking out for more

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THE MOOR had such great potential beginning and alternating with newspaper clippings of young teen disappearances from a national park with a dark history, but unfortunately fell flat and short of my expectations.

The evil presence was easy to depict early on in this teen field trip....really would have liked more on ITS history, and segments of the storyline were just too similar to others of its kind.

Great setting though, and this short easy read did keep me interesting enough to find out how it all played out, but a bit too hokey and not much scary here for this horror lover.

2.5 Stars with a round-up to 3.0 for the unexpected _ _ _ _ _ _ _.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Unbound for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Like many areas of life in the past few decades - ever since the birth of the internet and then, later, social media - publishing has been going through a tumultuous period. Long established business models have been thrown into flux. Are traditional publishers fit for purpose? What about literary agents? Certainly some, like the ever impressive author Mark Dawson, have turned their backs on the lot and carved out lucrative careers in self-publishing.

A problem with self-publishing however is how does one separate the wheat from the chaff? When anyone can publish a novel, how does one know whether it’s any good and professionally edited, or just thrown out there? How can one separate the budding Mark Dawsons from those who just aren’t any good?

An alternative model to both traditional publishing and the pitfalls of self-publishing might be crowdfunding and that’s where an intriguing new service called Unbound comes into play. Basically, authors pitch their novel to Unbound. If Unbound think they have merit, they then put them up on their site for readers to crowdfund. The money raised goes to the cost of professionally producing the books - editing, proofreading, cover design, etc - and as with any crowdfunding campaign, those funding the novel get various rewards, such as a special first edition.

Intrigued by this idea, I found one of their titles - The Moor by Sam Haysom - on Netgalley, the review service I use and decided to give it a read. Was it any good?Had Unbound done its job and found a gem?

Well yes, they have.

The Moor follows a group of boys - Gary, James, Tom, Matt, and newcomer to their school Tim - on a camping trip in Rutmoor National Park with Tim’s dad, Mr Stevens. Rutmoor has a bit of a reputation, people having gone missing and died in mysterious circumstances. Mr Stevens is a charming man and the other parents love him, he’s also a skilled hill walker, hence them readily agreeing to entrust their children in his care. Sat around the campfire one night, the conversation of the Moor’s reputation comes up and Mr Stevens tells them all a gruesome ghost story which sets them all on edge. As the trip continues unpleasant things being to occur.

The novel is told from various characters point of view, it also switches between the time of the trip, when the boys were aged 13, and the present, where the surviving boys are adults. As the novel progresses, we gradually learn which of the characters survived their outing to the more, what happened and why.

Sam Haysom tells his story with aplomb. The characters are well rounded and this is a spooky and creep tale which will have readers turning the pages quickly, wanting to know what happens. This is a really good debut horror and it’s no surprise to me that none other than Owen King, Stephen King’s son and a horror writer in his own rite, has recommended The Moor.

In fact, so impressed was I by The Moor, that on the strength of this novel I’ve got involved with Unbound and pledged money to one of their titles in development. If they can find author’s like Sam then they might well be a worthy addition to the publishing landscape.

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So, I'll start by saying that the back and forth timeline here kind of bugged me at first. It wasn't seamless for me. However, once I got used to that, I was all in.

The book has shades of Stephen King. It's very atmospheric and it's got a kind of a slow build. It doesn't truly feel like horror...until it does.

Once the author lets us in on what's really going on in those woods, it's hard and fast horror - and I didn't want to look away from the page.

And as for the ending? What a terrific surprise that was!

I'll happily read the author again!

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A tense and atmospheric novel, with skilful handling of multiple perspectives and a genuinely unexpected twist.

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I could not finish this book due to the descriptions of animal abuse. I wish I had known that animal sacrifices and killing was a huge part of the book because I never would have requested it.

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

The premise sounded hones, but I just didn’t like it as much as I thought I would. The folklore part just seemed to be thrown in there without any reason, except that it was a campfire story. Usually with folklore, it ends up being something close to the story to make it appear cohesive. The bad guy in this one just came out of left field. And no really backstory on who he was or what made him like that.

I think the story would be really great if it were fluffed out some more. It needed more detail.

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Paranormal sightings and boys disappearing on a camping trip?! I was totally in!!

I am a huge huge horror fan... would consider this more on the horror side then mystery/thriller. I haven't read a great horror novel in awhile... so I had my hopes held high for this one including the 4-5 star reviews from other friends. BUT, unfortunately... I just thought this was pretty lame and fell extremely flat for me.

I have seen many excellent horror films.. including fantastic ghost stories and this one I would have to say was comical/goofy. Once the plot was revealed.... I literally was thinking... "this is joke right?" This just reminded me a little of a child's horror story.. if that makes any sense? I was rolling my eyes frequently... and that's never good in my eyes haha.

I was holding on to the ending finishing the story off with a bang... but I felt it was just even more disappointing.

This was definitely an easy book to read and I read this fairly quickly over a day and a half. I think the author does a great job engaging his readers!

Overall, 2.75 stars rounded down on this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Unbound Digital for the advanced arc in exchange for my honest review.

Published to GR: 6/10/18
Publication date: 5/8/18

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The Moor is a short, fast paced thriller that didn't quite live up to its potential but at the same time was entertaining and very atmosphere. Author Sam Haysom tackles a recent theme, that of friends getting stranded in camping, boating and hiking trips in unfamiliar and cruel territory. James Dickey did it best long ago in Deliverance, but other writers have also had success plumbing the theme. A series of unsolved missing children cases and gruesome pet murders have haunted the moors around Devonshire an:d Cornwall for the past 50 years, becoming the stuff of area legend. When a group of 5 13-years attempt a 3-day hike with one of the boy's fathers, the reader know what's in store and and soon two go missing. It's clear who the killer is halfway through the book, but that only heightens the tension and suspense surrounding the ill-fated trip. Haysom does a great job conjuring up the menace and foreboding of the endless moors, which become silent witnesses to the boys' growing fears. The ending was unexpected and abrupt. All in all The Moor is deserving of 2.5 to 3 stars. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC COPY.

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I am not sure why I didn’t enjoy this novel more; a story about an evil creature/entity killing people who are out hiking on the moors is just the kind of book I enjoy.

However, this one didn’t work very well for me. As soon as the identity of the killer is revealed, fairly early on in the story, I felt as if the rest of the novel was just a bunch of familiar horror tropes, with an abusive husband and father, a group of young boys who pick on the weak one and the adult version of some of the children returning to the family home to try and better understand the strange events they experienced.

I wish I had enjoyed it more, but unfortunately I can only give this two stars.

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A group of boys goes out camping with a friends dad. He starts by telling them scary stories that are legend in the area. But as the book continues you know something is wrong with someone in this group. People start dying. This is a good book for people who are easily jumpy. Thank you to NetGalley for letting me review this book. #TheMoor #NetGalley

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Camping and survival go hand in hand...don't they? You are sleeping in a tent, preparing your own meals, hiking miles and miles each day over tough and unforgiving terrain. Pushing yourself, seeing what you can accomplish, the feeling of joy when you reach the top! There's the campfire, the comradely of being with your peers, telling ghost stories around the fire. This should have been a rite of passage for these boys - it should have been! Shouldn't excursions such as this one be one of the things that an individual looks back on later in life with a sense of nostalgia and happiness?

Unfortunately, this was not a trip that will ever be looked back upon with a sense of nostalgia. Things started out well. They had their supplies, they were feeling brave, cocky and energetic. But not everything goes as planned. There are squabbles and bad feelings which are enhanced by not sleeping well after hearing ghost stories before bedtime. But they will tough it out and complete the walk. Won’t they?

But then there is that scream in the night and strange things being to happen. A rabbit's foot is found outside of a tent. Could the rabbit have been attacked by another animal? Could those stories told around the campfire be true? Is their imagination working overtime? Is the Moor a safe place to be?

From the description, it is clear that something is going to happen on this camping trip. Boys begin to disappear, but why? How? Throughout the book there is a feeling of dread. Going in, I knew something would happen and the Author did a great job of having me wonder just what that "something" could be. From his vivid descriptions, I could see the young teens looking around their campsite for their missing peer. Whispering about what they should do, voicing their concerns, trying to be brave. Their concern and fear jumping off the page as they continued their walk/hike.

I would consider this a light horror-ish book. Nothing is too graphic nor scary. There is more of a sense of foreboding and anticipation. The waiting - the dread- you know something is going to happen - but WHAT!?! You heart may beat a little faster as you read, because like the teens, you have no idea what is going to happen next!

This is a well written fast paced little book! I enjoyed the teens on this trip. Even the one who wasn't so like-able, I felt for once I knew his backstory. This is a book which quietly sneaks up on the reader. I hope people who normally don't like horror give this book a chance. I don't believe this book will keep anyone up at night or give them nightmares, but it may make you think twice about camping! This book was enjoyable and delivered a solid story.

Thank you to Unbound digital and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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5 Teenage boys and a father go off camping and horrible things happen. Is it the ghost of folk-lore or something more sinister causing these incidents? This started out really good, then somewhere in the middle, for me, went off-kilter. SH managed to tie the ending up ok, but I didn't really care for the "problem".

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review.**

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Enjoyed the book, although I think it's more suited to YA. It does have an interesting plot, and the characters are well-drawn, so I finished it easily. Teens and 20-somethings should find it sufficiently scary, and I recommend it to them for a good weekend read.

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I found this to be a good, quick read. The Moor starts with a ghost story around a campsite and turns into something so much more after boys begin to disappear. I thought it was uniquely written going back from the days of the event to the present, sprinkling in newspaper articles from past to present day.

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The Moor by Sam Haysom was received direct from the publisher.  Character development is a overly strong suit of this author.  Take that statement as you will as to me, it was kind of slow and I skimmed a LOT at the beginning.  Once it got going, it was a good "old style" creepy story and others seemed to enjoy it.  Dont get me wrong, I will read more by this author and I hope you at least give him a try, my tastes are fast moving and gory.

3 Stars

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Set in the southern moorlands of the Devonshire area of England, “The Moor” opens with a 1951 newspaper clipping recounting the mysterious disappearance of two children from Rutmoor. Throughout the novel further clippings are interspersed between chapters which flip between 2015 and 2002 where most of the action is set. The clippings give shrouded clues of the direction in which the story is heading, with pets and small animals being ritualistically killed and mutilated. Initially, all this chopping and changing is a tad distracting, but once you get the hang of the style and multiple points of view, over the two time periods, the novel gets easier to follow as it progresses. The larger sections are set in 2002 when the friends are young teenagers, with the 2015 part picking up the same characters thirteen years later. If you do struggle with the opening, make sure you stick with it, as it is well worth it.

In the summer of 2002, a group of 13-year-old boys go on a camping trip in Rutmoor National Park, accompanied by the newest member of their friendship group, Tim, and his dad who is a skilled hill walker. They set out to walk and climb their way across the park, taking in all the different peaks which is seen as a local challenge. However, Rutmoor has a reputation for unpredictable weather and strange disappearances, which Mr Stevens tells the boys about during the first evening around the campfire. Local folklore stories claim these disappearances are caused by the ghost of a beautiful red-haired witch found hanged nearby in the early 19th century. Next morning, Gary, the joker of the group is missing from his tent, along with all his things. There is no mobile phone service, they are miles away from help, the group begin to argue, and their problems are just beginning. But for the reader the fun is just beginning.

Not everyone survives, and the author keeps this cleverly keeps the reader guessing as the plot in the main 2002 unfolds and quickly picks up pace, culminating with a dramatic conclusion thirteen years later which ties both strands together. The author builds tension with lots of nice touches, such as a severed rabbit foot outside one of the tents. Is this someone playing a prank or one of the group playing a prank? You’re never quite sure, but as the rain begins to lash down, every broken tree looks threatening to the frightened boys. An animal skull is much more terrifying as the author nods towards “The Blair Witch Project” and familiar horror landmarks.

The multiple points of view between Gary, James, Tom, Matt, and Tim works particularly well and the boys are convincing and likable characters. Their banter is natural and entertaining. Ranging from the clown Gary, who always takes the joke too far, or the sporty and confident Tom to the overweight James. Tim is the socially awkward and introverted new member of the friendship group, who has issues that are revealed as the book develops.

Sam Haysom does a fine job of making the most of a terrific natural setting. In many ways Rutmoor National Park is the star of the book. It’s incredibly well drawn, and through the eyes of these teenagers you’ll feel the rain, mist and wind whistling through their tents. Welcome to England! The initial nods to the 19th century witch were a little too obvious and I was delighted to see the author take the story in a different direction. Also, because it was set in 2002, mobile phones had not yet become advanced enough to play a significant part of the story which I really liked.

“The Moor” will undoubtedly remind you of lots of other novels and films, but it has enough going for it to stand nicely on its two feet and it was an impressive debut novel. In the UK these types of school camping trips are very popular, often with a system called the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme, and there is potentially great material here for good horror writers to go to town with, as Sam Hayson confidently does here.

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Actual rating 3.5 out of 5 stars

A group of teenage boys are on a hiking trip at Rutmoor with one of the boy's father. A ghost story is told at the campfire about a witch that was murdered long ago and some people still hear and see her. Soon, one by one, the boys in the group disappear.

Alternating between past and present, the story is told between several different POV's. Newspaper clippings also adds some mystery to the story. The story was fast paced and held my interest throughout. Missing children, screams in the night and mutilated animals makes this a good suspenseful horror story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Unbound for an ARC of Sam Haysom's "The Moor" in exchange on an honest review.

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A short, but good, chilling story. This book is one that will definitely chill you. I wished it had been a bit longer, because I thought it was quick paced and full of thrills and chills.
Will be recommending in Chapter Chatter Pub!

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