'Our Fathers' Burden' is another great book by William F. Gray, a true gem from start to finish. I devoured it in a couple of days, and still feel sad it ended. The characters grew on me. I miss the atmosphere of the book, the sense of being in the woods, enjoying the dialogue, dealing with the strong emotions it made me feel. But most of all, I miss the fantastic plot and the haunting situations portrayed in the book: the suspense was palpable from very early on, and only lets up a few pages before the end. Although the premise is something you'd find a Stephen King or an Adam Nevill novel (from monsters in caves to a cabin in the woods and male friends on a mountain trip), Gray's style, sober, straightforward, gritty, always with an eye for the really important things, brought the story to an entirely new level. It goes deep into the characters' minds, with an uncanny insight into their souls. Male friendships (or the lack thereof), father-son relationships, family tensions, are explored in detail, and amidst all this there comes a hungry monster, offering us even deeper glimpses into the characters' lives - I felt this author GETS it; he gets horror, he knows how to do it properly. 'Our Fathers Burden' is a captivating read to say the least.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall Review (spoilers)

This was my first five star book of the year. And honestly, if I don’t get another five star this year, this might be my favorite book this year.

I loved the entire way of story telling. From the multiple character POVs, the tape, the mystery around what was said, the hunting trip itself, to the creature and secret was amazing. My only complaint is that I honestly expected the fathers to be killing people every year and that wasn’t what was happening, but that’s on me for reading so many thrillers.

I think this is one of the best books I have read that discuss the difficulty of fatherhood, being a man, relationships, and childhood trauma. The character growth was amazing, and the ending was exactly what each character needed with the exception of those who died. If you want a book that will keep you on your toes, I reccomend this one.

Plot Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Genre: thriller, murder mystery

Trigger Warnings: sexism, sexual assault implications, child abuse, drinking, torture, death, gore

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. It didn't disappoint! Must read!!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book!
I thoroughly enjoyed "Our Father's Burden" by William F Gray. The exploration of mental illness through the monster metaphor, particularly addressing rarely discussed aspects for men, added depth to the narrative. The use of Wendigo lore was captivating, and I appreciated how the author wove it into the horror genre. Despite the flawed characters, I had a great time getting to know them, making it a compelling read that kept me engaged and led me to finish it within a few days.

Thank you to Wicked House Publishing for giving me access to this book through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I highly enjoyed this novel. I had not really read any horror novel I'd classify as a "creature feature" before, and it was not a disappointing first time! At the end of the book there was added an author's note though, where he wrote about some of his own thoughts of the book and how he sees the story and I must say it made me wish I had the time to re-read it with the author's pov in mind! Looking back on the story though, I can clearly see what he means, even though I did not pick up on it while reading. Reading the author's note gave the story much more depth than what I had realized before.

The character's were not really likeable, but they were realistic and as such, quite flawed. Even if not likeable, they were - in various degrees - quite intriguing though.

At first it did come of as a macho-manly testosterone-fest where the big, strong guys who don't talk about feelings go out on a hunting trip, but it turned into so much more than just that. Sure, the women in the story were all close to non-existent and peripheral characters at best, but that turned out to be quite irrelevant. One of the mayor themes in this book was, after all, how taboo it still is for men to show weakness, to ask for help, to talk about feelings. And I do applaud that as it is something that really should be talked about more!

The one thing I wondered about all through the read was that there did not seem to be much technology around. No cameras, mobile phones, internet. As I understood it, the story took place in this time. So that stood out a bit, but that was just a minor detail.

I recommend this one both to those who just want an entertaining horror-read, people not put of by minor to medium levels of gore and also to those who do want to look for the hidden depths in this one - no worries if you do not though, this one can also be well enjoyed just on the surface level as well!

Another awesome horror by William F Gray!
I enjoyed his previous book, and this one shows that the author can be relied on for deep, hard hitting atmospheric horror. An intriguing story in a creepy setting, it touches on plenty of difficult subjects.
An excellent read.

I’m always on the search for the next great horror novel and this one didn’t disappoint! This is a hard one to review without giving too much away, it’s best just diving in for the ride! The cover is what drew me in and I loved the build up and unraveling of this story without really knowing where it was headed. If you like terror in the woods horror, you’re going to love this one. I can’t wait to recommend on pub day!

This book is filled with tragedy, dread, heartbreak, terror, and horror.

It’s a very powerful, atmospheric book that I think William F. Gray did a phenomenal job in setting the perfect atmosphere for.

Reading this book gave me goosebumps, and filled me with a feeling of absolute panic and fear for our characters as they’re trying to survive.

The writing was absolutely beautiful and flawless. I don’t want to give too much away, but even before I read the authors note, I understood what the author was trying to accomplish with the monster. And, I think he did it perfectly.

I loved the character development. It was beautiful towards the end, we see just how much they’ve grown as people.

Dare I say, this has become a favorite of mine already? Yes, I dare. Because it’s absolutely a phenomenal book that I think everyone should read.

This book comes out February 16th, so keep your eyes open for it, and definitely snag it up because it’s absolutely worth it 👏🏻👏🏻

Following the deaths of their fathers, 5 men gather for a hunting trip, a tradition that their fathers did annually. They have been summoned by their fathers and left cassette tapes which will spell out a secret their fathers have carried for decades. But it might be too late as something dark and monstrous is waiting for them in the mountains.

Our Fathers’ Burden is a fast paced plot which carefully unravels the story using multiple perspectives and clever use of flashbacks to reveal everything. There is a lot of heavy subject matter including police violence, alcoholism, student/teacher affairs and infertility which while not the main plot add crucial depth to all of the characters, and nothing is taken lightly.
There is a good blend of gory shock horror and slower anticipation in the story, and everything flows incredibly well.
I did struggle at times to keep every character straight as it jumped from fathers to sons quite quickly but that is a minor detail and it shows how seamless the transitions between characters could be!

I am a big fan of urban legends and folk horror and this played in to that very well, with the isolated setting and fraught relationships between characters this element was really well developed with a real sense of danger. Look out for this, and be careful going into the woods!

Wow! This book was awesome. Went a totally different direction than I first thought but was definitely worth it. One of the creepiest settings I've read in awhile. I will be following this author for the rest of his career. Read. This. Book.

This was my first book by Gray, but I can safely say it won't be my last. I found Our Father's Burden to be a gripping, entertaining yet devastating read that I tore through over the course of two days.

The story concerns a group of childhood acquaintances, pushed together at the time by their father's friendship, and annual Thanksgiving camping & hunting trip in the Appalachians. After the last of their father's passes away, they honour their requests to get together as a group as adults and to go on that same traditional trip together again.

It's hard to say any more than that without spoiling anything, as the plot unfurls into different directions quickly, and it took me on a bit of a rollercoaster going in blind. If the synopsis appeals to you, I'd suggest you stop reading now and read the book with no preconceived notions - I truly don't think you'll regret it.

This novel deals with loftier ideas and themes than I maybe anticipated going in. Depression, dealing with a burden you can't properly process or handle, generational trauma, regret, self-loathing - all of these and more are implicitly or explicitly there, wrapped in a tense and creepy creature feature. I was thrilled when I realised where the story was going, and loved the monster descriptions throughout.

The aspect that really stood out to me on first read was the quality of the characterisation. Gray's writing gives them such depth and humanity, and despite a relatively large cast - the main group, all the fathers, law enforcement and others they meet on the way all have some level of focus put onto them - I always felt I knew who they were. There are likeable characters, flawed ones who you're rooting for to better themselves and turn their life around, and at least one I intensely disliked, yet no matter how I felt about them there was none that made me wish I could skip past them to the next chapter. It may be an obvious comparison, but it often felt King-esque in the way that I felt connected to a character during their childhood and as the adult they grew into, along with their family ties.

It's clear from the author's note at the end that there are a lot of things of great personal importance that have gone into the book, and I feel that he's more than done them justice. Our Father's Burden is available to pre-order now with a February 16th release date, and I strongly recommend you do so. Meanwhile, I'll be diving into Gray's other work as soon as possible.

Our father’s burden follows five men who set out on an annual camping trip after the recent passing of one of their fathers.

The deceased father left a note with instructions on where to go along with recorded tapes from the rest of the groups fathers that detail secrets that have been kept over many years. Unfortunately for them they don’t follow specific date instructions and set out a week later which is key to the plot and results in being a huge mistake.

What starts as a slow burn picks up pace when we are introduced to horror aspects including creepy creatures and deserted woodland settings.

There’s a lot of subtext to mental health related topics and the author definitely used a unique writing style. I feel some readers will eat this book up and others may dislike if for the same reason.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for an advanced copy!

A group of friends take their fathers’ annual camping trip after tragedy strikes.

Full of action and thrills, this is a great read for fans of creature horror. There was a lot in the background that built the story and led to a lot of guilt that the characters carry. I had a really hard time tracking who was who, and it was impossible for me to recall who was whose son. I would have done well with a character list, although in the end I guess it didn’t really matter.

“What secrets had his father kept? That all their fathers had kept.”

Our Fathers’ Burden comes out 2/16.

At first I wasn't sure this one was for me. Took a while to really start feeling it and wanting to continue. By the halfway point, I realized I couldn't stop reading it and I finished in one sitting. I would have loved to have a bit more depth on some of the characters but overall really liked the interactions and realizations as the night went on and the looks into how they grew and changed.

I really love the hook of this novel, five men going on the annual hunting trip after their fathers passing to learn more about the past is very intriguing. I also loved the creature in the woods aspect, this was the hook that held my attention and made me instantly want to read.

I had a hard time developing enough connect with the five men to care about their relationships with each other and some of their fathers. I think while some of these aspects could have enhanced the novel, for my preference this became a large hindrance to my enjoyment and detracted from the momentum and pacing of other parts. Parts of the personalities of the sons felt more of a tell than a show and for myself, some of the show moments didn't equate to what the characters thought about themselves or their actions.

Some of the choices in prose also were not to my taste, but I think that was more reader specific.

I’d like to thank NetGalley, William F. Gray and Wicked House Publishing for the eARC of Our Fathers’ Burden in exchange for an honest review.

I’d like to thank NetGalley, William F. Gray and Wicked House Publishing for the eARC of Our Fathers’ Burden in exchange for an honest review.

Our Fathers Burden follows five men as they discover a secret their fathers kept for thirty years. In the wake of Harry’s father’s death, he finds a note with instructions for him and the sons of the other men to meet in the annual hunting grounds as a last request. Harry is also left tapes to open with the men all from their fathers explaining why they’ve kept the secret for so long. They’re told to go the Sunday before Thanksgiving, but they put it off until the Friday after, which ends up being the biggest mistake of their lives.

This book is an allegory for mental illness, while also being a spooky creature feature cabin in the woods setting, think Until Dawn but with a creature similar to Alien. This was a fast read, I flew straight through it.

I noted that other people have mentioned it’s hard to follow who’s who. Honestly I get it, five men and five fathers. I kept track in my notes however and it was easier for me to see the dynamics between them all that way. One thing I very much appreciate is how everything is written a certain way for a reason. It adds depth and the authors note really ties it all together.

Trigger warnings I gathered: depression, police violence, body horror, alcohol abuse, alcoholism, child abuse, infidelity, suicide, dementia, child death


Our Fathers’ Burden comes out February 16,2024!

I couldn't put this book down. Great pacing, nice story turns, and engaging characters.

<I>Harry's father and his father's buddies have been going at a particular time to a particular place in the Appalachian mountains every year for decades. Each would bring their son along on the hunting trips but none of the boys kept up the tradition as they reached adulthood.

Now all the fathers have died within the same year and the notes they leave behind encourage their sons to reunite at the campsite one more time. Recorded messages have been left for each of them to listen to once they gather. Harry dreads what shameful secrets might be revealed by the audio tapes but he could never have expected the truth that comes to light.

Harry and his friends find themselves hunted by an unimaginable foe as each must face their own demons as they try to survive.</i>

<b>ARC review</b>

A little slow to start, it had enough intrigue with the tapes that I was curious about what may happen. The characters feel like real people, with real problems, and one ~generational~ problem that was a very unlucky thing to inherit. I'm glad I stuck with reading it despite the beginning, because (most) of the characters are ones you really start to feel attached to in the end and it DID make me cry to see what happened/what is happening for some of them.

I do love monster books and cabin in the woods books, so I recommend this to fellow horror lovers. There was plenty of action and gore to keep a reader engaged.
The problem I had was with the characters. There were lots of flashbacks to fill in their characters and I found it difficult to keep everyone straight, beyond some stereotypes. I also found the premise illogical overall. Still, I found the characters compelling enough that I cared about what happened to them, which is always a huge bonus in a horror novel.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

Our Fathers' Burden is a terror in the woods type creature feature. If you like those you'll probably enjoy this one.
Five men who grew up taking part in an annual hunting trip with their fathers are reunited after the last living father kills himself and leaves behind a mysterious box of cassette tapes with a final wish that his son gather the other men together in the Appalachian Mountains to listen to them at their old hunting spot.

It's hard for me to review this without giving too much away so I will just say it touches on depression, grief, and deep dark secrets on top of the horror aspects. There's a lot going on and much to unpack in this book. Sometimes I lost track of who was who and which son belonged to which father or who was the most dysfunctional. The flashbacks didn't really help me get to know the fathers or sons any better. They seemed nearly interchangeable to the point that maybe one or two characters could have been eliminated from the story altogether.
All in all it is worth a read if you enjoy this type.

3 out of 5 stars