This horror novella gets to the point quickly and it does so like a chainsaw chewing through bone. The author delivers a chilling breath taking story about a monster but a monster that exists in a way I've never read before.

I was completely drawn into the story and this mystery the boy has to figure out before it's too late. Goat was such an intriguing yet despicable character that loomed large every time he was on the page.

I was thrilled that this is going to be a series of books! I couldn't get enough of the tension in this book and am definitely looking forward to reading the rest when they release.

The beginning was a little slow but once the story picked up, I couldn't put it down. I cannot wait to read more in this series.

A short horror story reminiscent of the old horror magazines of the late 70s. Nothing like some folklore and a monster to bring back memories of what a horror story should be.
Sufficiently creepy and unsettling. Recommended.
Thanks to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this ebook in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Keith Thomas’s “The Dunnie” hits all the right notes in a nostalgic horror novel loosely based on folklore. Beth and her son, Asher, have to go to Pa’s house to help the older man move. His dementia is making it harder for him to live alone. Even worse, his state of mind is making it impossible for him to control the Dunnie, a creature that he’s been feeding and hiding for years. As the Dunnie’s hunger grows and Pa’s power wains, Asher must find a way to destroy the monster, or else its appetite could put more people at risk.

This novella is a tight, well-crafted read. It uses a load of great tropes: creepy basement, old house away from town, a strange man who practices folk magic in the woods... The hero is the kid, which we all love in horror, right? I also appreciate how detailed the descriptions of the creature are. It is easy to picture while reading. There is some graphic gore as well.

Basically, this is a fun read suitable for a weekend which most fans of horror will find satisfying, the kind of book I would have picked up off the wire rack at the Rexall back in the day. I’d even say this would be a good read for middle-school-age kids who want something a little creepy. I received the book from NetGalley in exchange for my review.

“That moment with no words, without any thought - an instant of awe - that’s how we use our soul.”

I’ve always been interested in stories surrounding folklore, and this book is precisely that. I really enjoyed how the author wrote from Scottish mythology but put his own, unique twist on the creature. The being we’re introduced to is very different and much more terrifying than the original lore. Its origin, a detail commonly overlooked in horror, was also well explained. The Dunnie itself was one of my favorite aspects. For a novel with a mere 150 pages, this was paced perfectly. Often, shorter books lack depth and fail to accomplish a well written story. That can’t be said of this book. I didn’t experience a dull moment and this had all the elements of a good horror story. I also thought the writing was good, it flowed nicely and was easy to read. The dialogue was realistic, but I did forget Asher was only 12. Most of his conversations sounded rather mature and would’ve made more sense coming from someone in their late teens.

The atmosphere created within this book was great. I was able to vividly imagine each situation and if I closed my eyes, I could picture everything. This immensely added to my overall reading experience. That being said, I wish the author would’ve elaborated on the dynamic between Beth, her sister Zoe and their father. It’s established that their relationship was strained because he was an angry and abusive man, but how the sisters feel about him was never explored. I didn’t feel a sense of tension between them. I also thought Zoe was included as simply an afterthought. She and her girlfriend were truly only introduced to be targets of the Dunnie. That’s my one complaint as I do feel deeper characterization would’ve added to the story. If you’re like me and find folklore fascinating, I highly recommend you read this. I liked this book and will be continuing the series. Given the author’s background in directing, I’d love to see this and his future novels adapted to the screen.

I appreciate Keith Thomas, Night Platform Book Company and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.

The Dunnie by Keith Thomas is a book I intended to read and review much closer to Halloween (which was also its publication date). Unfortunately, I got sidetracked with life and a few other books I absolutely wanted to read. As usual, so many books, so little time. But now that I've finally read it, I have nothing but praise for this novella!

The Dunnie is a very quick read, packed full of things that make a horror book great: suspense, gore, creepy creatures, mysterious characters, and yes - even a disturbing cover that draws you right into the pages of the book! The story centers around a family with a history of abuse (trigger warning here). Young Asher has been troubled and his mom thinks some time with his grandfather will do him some good. They make a trip to the small town where strange and disturbing events start happening as soon as Asher steps foot outside of the car.

The pace of the book was great. I didn't experience a slow moment at all. The characters were developed well enough for me to care about what happened to them. And here's something that is annoying when it's glossed over - the monster was well explained - its origin, the way it looks and moves, etc. And it was plenty creepy!

There were a few things I wish were elaborated upon a little further. If they had been, this might have been a full novel rather than a novella. I won't go into them here because it will spoil some of the story. But that little bit extra in the story could have taken my rating from four stars to five.

There's a promise of more stories along this theme in the future. I'm keeping Keith Thomas on my radar so I can read them as soon as they're available - I enjoyed this book that much! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Night Platform Book Company, for the electronic review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to @netgalley
Keith Thomas and the publishing company.

What an interesting and creepy read. I loved how folklore was included in this story. Well written. Plan on reading his others in the series when they become available!

Synopsis:
Asher, who along with his Mom, Aunt and her girlfriend visit his Pa to help pack up his house and help move him into a nursing home, due to his dementia.

During the night, Asher keeps hearing breathing and nails scraping inside the heat vents.

His grandfather explains to him it's the Dunnie. Asher at this point is frightened of what this could be. When he asks his Pa at another time, he becomes confused and tells him it's probably just a possum.

As time goes on Asher learns more about what the Dunnie is from his Pa and a local, nicknamed "Goat". The Dunnie had started small and has now become larger, more irritated, very hungry, and on the attack!
Will Asher, Pa, and the rest of the family get away or will the Dunnie get what she wants?
Grab a copy and find out

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy!
The Dunnie is Keith Thomas' debut novella. At 3:30 am on a November morning, Mary Schwob Arceneaux gets woken up by a loud noise. Seeing her husband, Franklin, isn't in bed, she goes downstairs to investigate. From inside the library, Mary hears Franklin talking to someone. Seconds later, she hears the sound of someone being sick and decides to knock on the door. The man who opens it isn't her husband, but a local witch - Terry "Goat" Pratt. He assures her everything is alright, shoves her out of the way, scratches her cheek in the process, and slams the door shut. Before Goat shut the door, Mary thought she saw a black figure next to one of the bookcases. Could she be imagining things?

Flashforward to 14 years later, we are introduced to one of Mary and Franklin's daughters, Beth, and her son Asher. They are on their way to Franklin's place for a visit. He has lived alone for years, and Beth and her sister Zoe think they should put him in a nursing home. Through Beth and Asher's conversation, we learn about Asher's troubles at school and Beth's anxiety about meeting her father. When they arrive at Franklin's house, Asher notices how his grandpa has changed due to his illness. The two of them engage in conversation, and Franklin casually asks Asher if he can hear breathing noises. They fall into complete silence, and the sounds of ragged breathing become louder. Franklin tells Asher that the Dunnie lives in the vents. Beth walks into the room, breaking the tension and ending the conversation. Franklin's mood shifts entirely, and he is his cheerful self again. At first, Asher thinks grandpa is only joking with him, but soon, he will be face to face with the monster.

The Dunnie is an interesting take on English-Scottish folklore. According to Thomas' afterword, dunnies can take many alternative forms: "the terrifying ghost of a 13th-century raider, a shape-changing plough-horse, a devious imp". Thomas admitted that he had to change up the monster to make it scarier in the eyes of modern readers. I think he did a good job.
The writing is the novella's strongest suit. It is descriptive and perfectly sets the overall creepy, condensed mood of the story, but not too much that it clogs the plot progression. The dunnie's descriptions were my favorite parts. "The thing shoved under the bookcase was squished so tight, so crammed in there, that its true shape and size were impossible to glean. Yet the more Asher stared at the Dunnie, the more it sunk deeper into the shadows. There was a sudden flash of wet eyes, a nail, a tooth, and then a sweep of tangled hair before it reversed back into the vent."

The characters are solid. The three main characters get enough backstories, making them feel realistic, but I struggled to care about them. I found it hard to emotionally connect to the story. About halfway into the story, Zoe and her partner Faith show up at Franklin's house. The two of them served almost no purpose in the story. Their arrival is pointless, as they are completely underdeveloped and don't do much to push the plot. That part could've been avoided or further expanded. As much as I enjoyed the story, nothing stood out to me in particular. The Dunnie is a typical monster horror with hints of family issues, verbal abuse, and grief. Horror is a great genre to explore those and other heavy topics with carefully crafted metaphors and analogies, but I think the Dunnie fell a bit short. I understand that not every novel needs to be "deep" and tackle delicate topics, some only serve to scare or shock, but it is my preference. This is not exactly my type of horror, although it is a fun and gripping story.

The prologue and the rest of the book felt like different people wrote it. The prologue had me ready to dive in. However, going forward the writing felt disjointed, and the story underdeveloped. Chapters would end in weird places and metaphors and dialogue were a bit clunky. The concept was interesting but for me, the story was not well told. Scare factor was zero. Thanks NetGalley!

Interesting horror story, just maybe lacking a little something to really hold my attention. It started off strong, but lost my interest throughout. The writing is good, and the story has a good atmosphere.

dark, atmospheric, bloody. the dunnie is the first novella in, according to the author, what is going to be a series.

i was looking for a horror to start my horror reading and i got a copy of this via NetGalley. i guess, this was a good start for me as it was short, yet packed quiet a terrifying punch. i loved that it featured folklore, which is one of the things that fascinates me.

will i read more from this series? yes, would love to give the next story a try.

thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for an ARC. my horror journey starts here.

Rating: 3.5/5

I'm not familiar with English/Scottish folklore, but this book does a great job of simplifying it for readers unfamiliar with it. In my opinion, that and the atmosphere of the book are its strongest points.
It's gripping and downright creepy. Fast-paced, it sucks you in incredibly and by the time you know it, you're done with it.
In a way, it reminded me a bit of Insomnia, mostly because of the dementia management and the images that I was visualizing all the time in my mind while reading.
I didn't like the character's work. In these types of stories, one can easily fall into the common mistake of focusing on the plot and forgetting about character development and I think it happened here. Although, it is understandable due to how short the book is.
I was excited to learn that it's going to be part of a series and I hope that the author exploits the characters much better in future works.
Highly recommended if you like light horror.

Thank you so much to the author, NetGalley, & Night Platform Book Company for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Dunnie by Keith Thomas is an horror story that you won't be able to put down. Following Asher, our troubled main character, his grandfather who might be losing himself in his old age, and a mythological creature, you won't see the ending coming. The Dunnie will drag you on a journey in which myths take on true terrifying life as a family tries to overcome their hardships. Oh and one last thing throw in a devilish farm animal that has a pivotal role to play.

I liked this story a lot and the gruesome imagery that Thomas has written brought the Dunnie to life in nightmarish ways. I absolutely will be picking up the next story in this universe and I cannot wait to see the way that Keith Thomas is going to weave some familiar characters into the fold.

Check out this novella, you won't be disappointed!

As a horror story it wasn't bad but it was somehow lacking something, the start of the story with Mary was way scarier than what came next, the idea of a following series with Goat seems really like a good idea and I say that not with love for the character but he seems scary and mysterious enough to give us a good story.

This one I can’t really recommend for very young audiences, while our main character is a 12 years old, we have some pretty gore parts… like a “foot” of that and I wont say anything else. Hmm Asher our main character is passing a very rough patch in school and I feel he doesn’t know how to connect with his mother since his father died… the grandfather he knows is not the same that his mother and aunt talk about, and in this visit he will get to know a bit better his grandfather true colors…

The story is based in an old English folks tale and that is interesting because it gives us an insight in a legend, and maybe beware of what you wish for, because it may become true…

Thank you NetGalley and Night Platform Book Company for the free ARC and this is my honest opinion.

A spooky tale of a monster living in a senile man's house. Only his young grandson believes the tale that unfolds, and as he tries to help his grandfather be rid of the monster, his mother and her sister get in their way. Would make an excellent movie.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book via NetGalley as an ARC free for an honest review.

What a great short book. The cover art is great and defiantly helped to understand what the Dunnie looked like.

This book was easy to read and follow. Keith Thomas did a great job of describing the scene and what was happening.

the main character Asher a 12-year-old boy who has had a rough time with the loss of his Dad and has gotten into some trouble at school. Beth his mother and Asher travel to stay the weekend with her father who Asher calls"PA" to pack up his belongings and move him to a retirement home due to him having Dementia. The first night is when things start to get interesting. The following day Asher's Aunt and her partner turn arrive to help and then it is full action from there.

This book is fast-paced and a really enjoyable read. I have heard that Keith is going to make this into a series which I am looking forward to reading.

I would say this book is a "Light" horror.

I wanted to thank Keith Thomas and NetGalley for the ARC and for allowing me to read and review this book. it was a pleasure to read and review

This novella had very few reviews and the author's profile on Goodreads left me questioning if this would be any good at all, but to my surprise, was actually very good. Well written, well plotted and well told, this story felt like folklore and campy joined together to create a story that was quite fresh. I believe this novella is meant to be the first in a series, and I would be open to more stories from this world.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this novella.

A fast paced story centred on a boy coming of age, his grandfather who is fading with dementia, and a mythical monster who can no longer be contained.

I loved that the author incorporated folklore & magic into this story. The deer skeleton was creepy and I wondered about it’s story as well.

Despite the trials this family goes through, it was nice to see they mostly get justice in the end (except Mary didn’t really get any). It was seriously freaky when the Dunnie was moving through the vents and Asher kept hearing her nails & her breathing.

The author indicated that this will likely turn into a series, chronicling Yellow Fern and/or Goat! Excited to see what comes next 😊

Thank you so much to the author, NetGalley, & Night Platform Book Company for a copy!

As a husband and father “Pa” was a hostile, verbally abusive, angry jerk. His wife and daughters didn’t know that he hated this constant anger within him and wanted to be rid of it. The local weirdo “Goat” offers a quick fix and Pa takes it. Pa….you should’ve gone to Anger Management classes and therapy instead.
Years later dementia is setting in and his daughters and grandson, Asher, come to transition Pa to assisted living. Pa has indeed been a nicer person all these years, but his anger has never completely left him. It has become “The Dunnie”, it is more dangerous and monstrous than ever and it is hungry!
I thoroughly enjoyed The Dunnie. The last 25% or so was a “real edge of your seat” page turner. Asher really comes into his own as a young teen and Pa’s best ally, for he’s only known the kind Pa. Several times I wanted to crawl into the pages, grab Asher, and yell “go buy a flashlight that runs on batteries, jeez!” I generally steer clear of series’, but with this author I’d definitely sign up for Yellow Fern Chronicles or The Books of Goat and I’m looking forward to viewing the “Pickman’s Model” episode Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, The Vigil and Firestarter. I look forward to reading more from Keith Thomas. There’s just a tease of The Mutter….I don’t see this available yet, but dang it…I want it! Thank you #netgalley for allowing me to read and review #TheDunnie. It’s always exciting to discover an author, and in this case a filmmaker too, who is new to me. I’m seriously looking forward to #TheMutter by #KeithThomas #NightPlatformBookCompany

4 stars!

This is a creepy little novella and my first read by this author. If you like horror without gore, this would be a book for you. It is creepy and unsettling. Ash and his mom, Beth go to visit his grandfather, who is suffering from dementia. Inside the walls of his house, lives the Dunnie, who is hungry and must be fed. This is a well written story about the horrors of human nature and what lives inside us.