Cover Image: The Tower

The Tower

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Title: "The Tower" by William Pauley III: A Riveting Journey

Published on March 21, 2022, "The Tower" by William Pauley III is a captivating blend of mystery and suspense. Set within the mysterious confines of the Tower, Pauley crafts a narrative that keeps readers engaged from beginning to end.

The story revolves around the enigmatic Tower, where characters confront their deepest fears and desires. As they navigate its labyrinthine corridors, readers are drawn into a world that is both familiar and unsettling.

Pauley's skillful blend of science fiction, fantasy, and psychological thriller creates a gripping atmosphere, propelling the story forward with relentless momentum. With its richly drawn characters and evocative imagery, "The Tower" offers a satisfying and thought-provoking reading experience that will linger in the minds of readers long after the final page.

Was this review helpful?

"Sanity is a myth. Sickness is life"

First off, I love horror and bizzaro fiction. It’s such a underrated genre that I have problem with finding good novels or short stories in it. I liked the plot of the radiation in the tower, and all the different side effects of the radiation. Like what’s real, what’s hallucinations.

I just wished it was a little longer. It was kind of slow to get into, and by the time I was really immersed in the audiobook, it was over. Maybe another short story or two would be the difference between a 3🌟 and a 4🌟.

Thank you to NetGalley and Doom Fiction for giving me a audiobook version of the book in exchange for an honest review

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a free ARC. This novella is actually a short story collection; all taking place in the same apartment complex. It makes for a great palette cleanser or short filler book to listen to while doing chores. Perhaps there's a deeper meaning to the stories if you take a closer look but they were entertaining regardless.

Was this review helpful?

In a place where the walls of your home make you different, one never knows what might happen. William Pauley III shares three stories, in which the residents of "The Tower" are confronted with things beyond their control, and one never knows what might happen next.

This was a really good read. I enjoyed the creativity, and each of the stories had a different element, which was fun to dive into.

Was this review helpful?

While I enjoyed the horror aspects of this story and found the murder mystery compelling, there were some aspects of the book that pulled me out of the story. While I felt that all three of the stories conveyed the weirdness of the tower and that combined together they added another layer to the story, all three stories did not feel equal to me. While I enjoyed the middle story the most as it felt the most fleshed out, there were some aspects of this story that felt surprising in a way that didn't seem beneficial to the story. My overall rating for this story is 2.75/5 stars. I received this audiobook ARC free from NetGalley and all opinions here are my own.

Was this review helpful?

William Pauley III is one of most interesting writers I've ever discovered and I've fallen in love with everything he's done. Connor Brannigan is the perfect narrator. His voice suits Pauley's writing so well.

Was this review helpful?

Enjoyed this short but sweet introduction to the Bedlam Bible series. The narrative is split into two sections, both were fun although the murder mystery element of the first one was my favourite. It felt a bit lacklustre as it just sort of ended abruptly and was quite a brief glimpse into the lore of the tower and its residents. Having accidentally read the sixth instalment first, that's what got me hooked into reading the series, whereas if I had only approached it with this first book, I may have been less inclined to continue with the other 6 books. I'm looking forwarding to reading the rest of the series though, the writing style is fun and a good page turner.

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to NetGalley for my copy.

I’m not a huge Sci-fi reader, but this book was pretty good. The first story was bizarre, and honestly if the rest of the book was the same I would have stopped listening. But the other stories were different enough that it held my interest. I still have questions in the end, so I’ll be looking for the rest of the series!

Was this review helpful?

This book is definitely horror and gruesome! The story is a bit confusing at first but you get the idea of what the situation is. I do like the idea, but the building of it could have been a little stronger.

Was this review helpful?

A series of murders have been occurring in the 8th block tower, a strange building with radiation in the walls. The residents have all been driven mad by the radiation and some have even been mutated by it. When Norm finds a strange black pyramid in his apartment in the block, Sam goes back to hers and discovers the same thing hidden behind a mirror, are they being monitored? They trace the wiring into the basement of the block and find equipment, is this being used by the murderer to find victims?

Blurred lines between madness and reality lead to another enthralling thrillride. Excellent world building and immersive hallucinatory scenes keep you gripped from the outset, as everything in Norms world begins to unspool around him. Clones, walls of living tissue and a giant green brain, what more could you want from a short dystopian horror!

I have read these in a random order so it’s interesting to see the first of The Bedlam Bible series and the backstory of the 8th block tower and it’s residents.

Connor does an amazing job narrating these as always, I like the use of the same narrator as it helps keep a common thread when listening to all the books in this series and makes the recurring characters easy to recognise.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Doom Fiction for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The blurb for this book really intrigued me, and I know from having read The Brothers Crunk that I enjoy this author's brand of weird. After reading, my opinion of this book is:

mmmmeh.

It's fine, I guess. I felt like there wasn't enough. This is the first of the Bedlam Bible series, but I didn't feel like I got any kind of a handle on the setting. If you present something as odd, it helps to know what your baseline is. So if I don't have a clear picture of why the Tower is odd, or how, it's harder to understand; there's no contrast to a "normal". If the residents have been here their whole lives, how would they know they live in a place that's not normal?

I liked the interconnectedness of the short stories. Again though, I felt like this wasn't completely thought through or fleshed (pardon the pun) out. Lots of stuff comes out of nowhere to explain plot elements, but not in a good way; more of in a "it was all a dream" or "a wizard did it" way.

On their own and with more worldbuilding or context, each story stands decently well on its own. There are some interesting characters and concepts, and I would have loved to see that more fleshed out.

I want to point out that the narrator of this book does a fantastic job. His pacing is great, clear enunciation, the character voices are distinct and not over the top, just really good work there.

I do still think I'll read more of this series and see what else it offers. It has a lot of good things about it and lots of potential!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an audiobook. This book was a really good experience. I’m usually not into these kinds of books that feel like a fever dream, hence the 3 stars.

Was this review helpful?

The narration by Connor Brannigan is amazing. It was the first reason that I searched whole of the Netgalley and requested every damn book he has narrated. He is amaaazzzzing. There's no way you can hate his narration.

This was my second book by William Pauley III, it is first book in series of Bedlam Bible and as usual his writing was gripping and haunting. He keeps his readers on edge with his prose that is for sure. This has three short stories - Hypnagogia, the invalids and under the green brain.

Hypnagogia is about two residents living in the 8th block apartment. There is radiation in the walls, something weird is happening but then when anything normal has happened in the 8th block apartment ever? This was interesting story but quite vague.

The invalids is my favourite story among the collection. This was brilliant. Someone is killing women and Samantha finds her apartment is rigged with wires but they are not modern day ones instead ancient. The reveal was fantastic and whole story is chilling and nail bitingly creepy. But end was just meh. I wish it was something different, it would have been an amazing end to an amazing story.

Under the green brain is as weird as it goes, but there's a kaiju on the loose and I found it interesting. Our protagonist likes a girl who is bitten by her boyfriend and when it is too much for her she asks him for help. What happens next is unbelievable.

I enjoyed the tower but I felt that it could have been better as I have read author's another book which was really good.

Thank you Netgalley and doom fiction for this amazing audiobook ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

(2.5 stars)

I was hoping to really enjoy this book. I loved the concept of the Eight Block Tower - how much of the madness is ancestral and how much is the radiation. Is the tower really evil or are people just going crazy? The writing was also okay, although I was hoping for more. There was also quite a lot of repetition at times (we get it, there is radiation in the walls..) I, however, absolutely hated the conclusion to one of the stories (which unfortunately was also the one that held my attention the most). I wasn't a big fan of the homophobic undertones nor the misogynistiv ones that preceded it. I found the rest of the book to be less captivating. Is there an audience for this book? definitely! I guess I just went in with the wrong expectations...

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

Shoo, this little book is a RIDE. I would have enjoyed it a lot more had I read it during spooky season. Perfect horror read if you want something totally insane.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ALC

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley for the audio ARC of The Tower by William Pauley III.

The Tower is a collection of short stories that all take place in a place even the police won't go; Eighth Block. The Tower is disturbing, scary, horrifying, bizarre- one big fever dream that will have you feeling disgustingly hooked.

Connor Brannighan the perfect narrator to bring Pauley III's Bedlam Bible to life. He narrates all of the stories with a clear difference in characters and wonderful nuance.

Was this review helpful?

this felt like a fever dream but in the best way possible. it was weird and creepy and disgusting, maybe even a bit confusing but interesting and so original. the best way to describe this book is that it gave off the same vibes as the reddit spooky stories on tiktok and for me that makes it a must read. out of curiosity at least. for sure it wasn't something life changing but the creativity is top level.

Was this review helpful?

"He began kicking the furniture and screaming at the top of his lungs because his frustration was boiling and flowing and the pain in his arm was excruciating and growing and the residents were bitching and moaning and the creature above was howling and groaning."

As expected from the eight block series, it was a juicy, sour and amazing little ride. What I love about this series is the bizarreness and environment. The action is so terribly cool, almost tangible. This book starts off at a really thrilling pace. Even in the small number of pages and the fast paced action, the author somehow manages to get me attached to the characters too. This spooky nonsense is just incredibly wild. I just love everything about it.

The prose is very explicit and thrilling. It is just so casual and conversational which makes the situations seem all the more real. There are endless good things about this series and I will always recommend it.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this book. It’s funny how it was able to stick with me. I started reading this book Back in Oct, got away from reading for quite some time yet I still had this book with me when I picked it back up to finish it.

Was this review helpful?

Un audiolibro intrigante y atrapante desde el primer momento. Es una historia corta, ideal para un día de lluvia y un café en la mano. El libro está bien narrado, estuve todo el tiempo dudando sobre qué era real y qué no, el autor juega con nuestra mente, haciendo que vaciles sobre absolutamente todo y todos. Pero no sólo es una novela que te va a producir intriga y temor, sino que también va a hacer que sueltes algunas risas. Sin dudas fue un libro que me encantó y del cual tengo muchísimas ganas de releer.
Muchas gracias a NetGalley por la copia del libro <3.

An intriguing and engaging audiobook from the first moment. It's a short story, ideal for a rainy day and a coffee in hand. The book is well narrated, I was doubting all the time about what was real and what was not, the author plays with our minds, making us hesitate about absolutely everything and everyone. But not only is it a novel that will intrigue and fear you, but it will also make you laugh a few times. Without a doubt it was a book that I loved and that I really want to reread.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the copy of the book <3.

Was this review helpful?