My Rating 4.5/5

This is a fantastic take on generational trauma, grief, loss, and depression among men. A story of a father's obligation to remain stoic and strong even when things are not at all what they seem and how that way of thinking spells disaster for the sons they leave behind.

I love a good isolation horror and I am a sucker for grief horror. This one hit both of those for me.

I did have a hard time keeping up with which son belonged to which father, but in the end, I don't think it mattered too much. I really wish we would have got to hear each tape, but I can imagine that it might have been a bit too much and maybe a but redundant.

I think Gray did a great job setting the tone and tension. I was happy with the pacing too. When things start to ramp up, they really get going.

Would definitely reccomend and would love to pick up a physical copy for myself.

Thank you to NetGalley, William. F. Gray and Wicked House Publishing for the advance copy. This is my honest review.

A story of secrets. I enjoyed this book well enough. I did find it a little hard to keep the characters paired with which parent, but not a big problem. I was really wanting to hear all the tapes belonging to the men, but only got 2 tapes. Also, maybe the legend of the creature could have been more in depth.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend!

I liked this book well enough but had the author gone into more about the legend about the wendigo my rating would’ve gone up. I also had trouble keeping track of who was who amongst the friends and their fathers’ but that’s more of a me problem.

If you are a lover of Stephen King, then this book is for you! Harry's father dies leaving him with a box of cassette tapes and a request that his only son go on the annual camping trip in the Appalachian mountains that he has gone on for many years with his best friends and their own sons. Growing up Harry had accompanied his father on the camping trips but eventually he stopped altogether. Life got in the way as it does and Harry isn't sure he wants to take the trip. He hasn't stayed close to the other guys and has things going on in his own life but decides to honor his fathers wishes and drives deep into the mountains with the box of cassette tapes addressed to each of the men who have all agreed to honor this request. When they find out about the secret that their fathers have kept hidden this many years, it becomes a life or death situation. A must read! Thank you to William F. Gray, NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for this awesome read! I can't wait to read more by this author!

Our Father’s Burden" intertwines grief, generational trauma, and depression into a formidable entity lurking within the woods. It portrays the struggle of facing one's demons, emphasizing the importance of confronting them head-on. Gray's skillful pacing and character development highlight his prowess in the indie horror realm.

Harry reluctantly honors his late father's wish by joining his friends on their annual camping trip following a series of suicides. Discovering a box of cassette tapes left by his father, Harry and his companions embark on a journey of revelation, uncovering the burdens their fathers carried for decades.

Despite the horror elements, the narrative delivers a powerful message about seeking help and addressing vulnerabilities. It's refreshing to witness characters evolve amidst their encounters with both external and internal monsters. "Our Father’s Burden" stands out as a poignant exploration of masculinity and emotional resilience.

As a visually impaired reviewer, I extend my gratitude to Wicked House Publishing and NetGalley for providing an accessible copy. This book captivated me with its originality, imaginative storytelling, and profound themes. I eagerly anticipate exploring more of the author's works. Whether you're a horror aficionado or crave thought-provoking narratives, "Our Father’s Burden" promises an enthralling read.

This book gripped me from the first chapter. By saying there are no such things as monsters, we can predict there will be. It also shows how the love Don had for his son, Harry. This novel is heavy, addressing grief, mental illness, secrets, guilt and the complexity of father/son relationships. Even with all of that, gray manages to make it very fast-paced! The creature scenes are action packed and I couldn't predict what would happen next. I also enjoyed how it would flash forward, backwards, and to the present. I absolutely love creature features, especially in woodland settings. I highly recommend reading this!

Dive into the intricate web of family secrets, redemption, and forgiveness in William F. Gray's poignant novel, "Our Father's Burden". This gripping story explores the complexities of relationships, the weight of the past, and the power of love to heal even the deepest wounds.

In "Our Father's Burden", Gray masterfully crafts a narrative that delves into the lives of the McAllister family, a family torn apart by tragedy and haunted by the sins of the past. As the siblings come together to unravel the mysteries surrounding their father's legacy, they are forced to confront their own demons and grapple with the true meaning of forgiveness.

Gray's prose is both lyrical and evocative, drawing readers into a world filled with raw emotion and heartfelt moments. The characters are richly developed, each with their own struggles and vulnerabilities that add layers of complexity to the story. As the plot unfolds, secrets are unearthed, relationships are tested, and ultimately, a sense of hope and redemption prevails.

"In the depths of our burdens lie the seeds of our liberation, waiting to be discovered through the power of compassion and understanding."

"Our Father's Burden" is a masterful work of fiction that earns a well-deserved 5 out of 5 rating. Gray's storytelling prowess shines through in every page, captivating readers with its emotional depth and profound insights into the human experience. This novel is a testament to the enduring power of love and family bonds, making it a truly memorable and impactful read.

What secrets do our fathers hold? What knowledge do they choose to keep to themselves? What toll on them is taken as they hold those they love at arm's reach of this darkness? As sons, we'd all love to know what goes on inside our fathers' heads, but how do we handle what we find once those secrets are brought to life?

Underneath the guise of a creature-feature horror romp, this is a book about a group of men coming to terms with a choice their fathers made long ago. It's about the five of them confronting their grief, over not only their father's deaths but also coming to terms with the kind of men both they and their fathers actually are.

Our Fathers' Burden is equal parts an engaging character study and B-movie monster goodness. When the monster action comes, it comes fast and brutal, bludgeoning the reader through a night of terror. Who doesn't like a good monster movie? But where Mr. Gray truly shines is with his character work, specifically with Harry and his strained relationship with his father, Don. He pulls you into the emotional turmoil within the first several pages and sustains that emotion throughout the entire story.

I would like to thank William Gray, Wicked House Publishing, and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review Our Fathers' Burden.

Thank you to the Publisher Wicked House Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC.

This is one’s got it all trauma, grief, fear, camping, monsters, coming of age, different POV,, and horror. This was a page turner for sure!!! Kind of lagged towards the end but still interesting.

4/5 ⭐️

This was my first novel by William F. Gray and I very much enjoyed his straightforward writing style and rich dialogue. But, more than anything, I very much enjoyed reading a horror story that had actual character development (something I find lacking in many a horror novel). I became very attached to the characters and it was wonderful to watch them figure out their problems and grow from their experiences.

Overall, a very fun story, well worth the read!

A group of boys and their fathers take an annual camping trip to the Appalachian Mountains. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until the boys grew older and found out the real reason for the camping trip.

Our Fathers’ Burden is a creature feature packed full of action, terror, loss, and grief. There was never a dull moment in this book. I found it to be atmospheric, which I love. The buildup creates a lot of mystery and all the pieces falling into place reveal things I never expected. The ending also brings another element of surprise that will really make you think.

Harry was my favorite character but all of them were good and added so much to the story. The tension between them was believable, as were their own personal struggles. Gray did a wonderful job with them. This is an author I will definitely be watching, and I look forward to reading more of his work.

Grief is a monster. Literally. A group of men set off to fulfill their respective father's final wishes by taking a trip together into the woods the same yearly "hunting" trip they used to go on with their fathers, with some mysterious cassette tapes, one for each son, and it quickly decends into terror when an unspeakable creature begins hunting them in gruesome ways. This book checked off so many of my boxes. Creature feature? Check. Some gore? Check. It was definitely right up my alley.

Such a great read with rich likeable characters as well as ones you can relate to. I had to go back a few times to reread( the time switches keep you on your toes. Gray keeps getting better and better. His material is quickly becoming a must read. Amazing job!!

So wow… this book. It pulled me in very quickly and I couldn’t put it down. Not my normal genre but I’m trying to branch out and I absolutely LOVED this book. Very well written and I loved how it used both metaphorical and physical terrors to represent the generation burdens etc. The symbolism was on point. I highly recommend this book. I also enjoyed the ending, which is sometimes rare for me. I thought it was a great way to wrap up this story. This was my first book by this author but hopefully not my last!

Our Fathers Burden was excellent! It’s a story that touches on grief, loss, regret and ends with characters that have experienced so much growth. At the end William Gray discusses how the monster is a metaphor for depression and the stigma associated with men experiencing it. I’m normally not very good at seeing the symbolism in stories, but I immediately knew what the author was referencing. So, if symbolism in literature is not your thing, the book is a great horror story with characters that you can really relate to, root for, and I’m sorry to say, not be sad at some of their fates.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Appalachian Horror is one of my favorite sub-genres of horror and Our Fathers Burden hit the mark!
I truly enjoyed this book and wanted more!
Our Fathers Burden follows a group of men who have all lost their fathers, most of them losing their fathers on the same day. The men used to join their dads on an annual camping trip the week of thanksgiving, as the boys grow older they eventually stop coming on the trip due to various reasons. Now, with their fathers gone they reunite for one last trip to respect their dying father’s wishes. Upon reuniting they are given tapes that had their father’s final words and information about their big secret. On this trip they learn more about their fathers’ friend group and themselves as they fight this century old secret.
I loved the premise of this book. I’m not usually into creature features, but when you add Appalachian lore I’m sold. So, even if like me you’re not a creature feature fan I would give this story a go!
I’m someone who has lost their father and so many of the emotions in this book were raw for me. The anger and the grief being so real and raw in the pages of this story was almost cathartic. Traditionally men show little no emotion so to read the inner monologue of men dealing with grief and anger similar to mine was an important part of this story for me.
While I praise this story, it did have a few short comings. The tapes were such a HUGE plot point for this story and part of the reason you’re interested in this story, but for only 2 of 5 tapes to be included was kind of a let down. I understood why one tape was not in the story, but I would’ve loved to read them all and feel they could’ve easily been incorporated. I also would’ve loved more back story from the dads. Flashbacks woven through the story (outside of the first encounter) would’ve given more context and explanation as to why the dads did what they did. Or even weaving in the Warrens family journals. SOOO MUCH could be added to this book to fully enrich it. I rarely think a book could’ve been longer but i think this one would’ve succeeded expectations if it was!
The cover design, section labels, and pages breaks were beautifully designed and truly added to the book.
In conclusion, this was a well written and well thought out story which truly relatable themes, I just wish there was more book to love!

Thank you to Wicked House Publishing and Netgalley!

Another book about things going wrong in the forest, which seems to be a theme for me this year. This was a great book with a good amount of foreshadowing and foreboding that made me a bit nervous to be in the woods with these guys.

Thanks to Netgalley and Wicked House Publishing for this ARC.

Fans of "The Ritual" by Adam Nevill will love this book! A gripping and horrifying read. Five old friends father's die, one by dementia months earlier and the other four by suicide all within 48 hours. They all have the same request, go on their annual hunting trip together and listen to the tapes. What they find out in the familiar Appalachian mountains is a secret darker than they could have imagined.

I love a good wendigo story! This one had a good twist to it that made the story that much more enjoyable. Once Dave finds the other campground there is a constant sense of dread and tension. I was kept hooked and wondering what the next move was. The nursery rhyme was fantastic and will be stuck in my head for the foreseeable future.

"When thanks is given
To the mountain, do not go
Unless you want to get eaten
By the awakened Wendigo."

Some thoughts:
*This would be the perfect book to read while camping or staying in a cabin. I wish I could have had that experience my first time reading it.
*I liked the initial tension between all of the men before everything went down. It felt realistic given the past and current circumstances.
* The hate on Dennis was real. He wasn't the best but damn.
*I get the moral reason why their fathers carried the tradition. But I would be damned if I carried it on. That'd be the last time you would hear of me going up to those mountains.
*Some parts were a bit hard to follow with all different information and characters being thrown at you.
*Given how the Wendigo was "cased" in the cave will there be another one eventually?
*The fathers leaving this huge responsibility without a single mention of it beforehand is pretty screwed up on their part. Killing themselves to try to force that responsibility on the men is even worse.
*I'm glad not everyone had a happy ending. There is no way all of the average men would come out of that situation unscathed.

Would definitely recommend.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Wicked House Publishing and William F. Gray for a copy of the book. All opinions are of my own.

Thank you, NetGalley for the chance to read this book.

Unfortunately, this one was a miss for me. I had a really hard time getting into it. I also didn’t feel like it was organized at all. The author was all over the place.

I had trouble keeping track of the present and past. It would talk about the past and present in the same chapter which is something I don’t like. I would rather have an author dedicate separate chapters for different time periods.

Following the loss of his father, Harry begrudgingly joins the sons of his fathers friends — also deceased — on an honorary camping trip, just as their fathers had all done. Harry is tasked with carrying five tapes— one for each of them. But this was no ordinary camping trip like the ones they’d taken as youngest and eventually quit doing until their fathers begged them to keep doing it. They didn’t know of the secret their fathers kept about their camping spot. If only they had known before they went back. What unfolds between these pages is nothing short of horrifying— grief, unresolved trauma, loss — so much loss… and a creature feature you won’t soon forget. Definitely recommend.