Lesath

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Pub Date 30 Sep 2019 | Archive Date 29 Sep 2019

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Description

LESATH is a psychological horror novel that pays tribute to gothic fiction.

In it, amateur journalist Greg travels to a remote mountain area to investigate rumors of a sinister building only to find himself imprisoned there. As he tries to escape, he evinces symptoms of a strange affliction, and struggles to remain conscious while maintaining an uncertain hold on reality. 


***


Locked in his dark cell, Greg lay awake in bed, fidgeting with the small cassette recorder, pressing the rewind and stop buttons to listen to the heavy click and spring-loaded clank that initiated and punctuated the faint whirring mechanics. He knew well enough no one was going to come looking for him–not while he was in between jobs, living in a four-door pickup truck, and had traveled to an undisclosed location without telling anyone.

What brought him here were rumors of an abandoned building that was said to be part of a black site–rumors that were circulated amongst truckers and drifters: some exaggerating the sinister aspect of the place, detailing with morbid relish the methods of enhanced interrogation that were being developed or deployed there, while others assumed the contrarian position and downplayed the horrors, if not downright dismissed the whole story as hyperbole.

Questionable as the lead was, the story seemed too good for an amateur journalist like Greg to pass up. All the same, he did not expect there would be some truth to those rumors, that the building is not quite derelict as he had imagined. And that, thanks to a case of mistaken identity, he was now incarcerated there as an inmate.

Greg stopped the rewinding mechanism when he detected rustling and soft thumps coming through the ceiling vent–or thought he did, since the quirky nature of unidentified noise is that they usually cease whenever one stops to listen to them. Like a living body, no running building is without its small, unaccountable bumps and muffled clanks; yet even if they’re mostly benign noise, at night, they’re magnified by the ever-present hush, and their unfamiliarity never fails to inflame the imagination of the sleepless newcomer. 

LESATH is a psychological horror novel that pays tribute to gothic fiction.

In it, amateur journalist Greg travels to a remote mountain area to investigate rumors of a sinister building only to find...


Advance Praise

“Kherbash adroitly conjures an atmosphere of menacing uncertainty” — Kirkus Reviews

“Every page will leave you questioning what is true and what shapes reality, what hides in the dark and what hides in our own inner depths.” — J. Aislynn d'Merricksson, San Francisco Book Review

“Kherbash adroitly conjures an atmosphere of menacing uncertainty” — Kirkus Reviews

“Every page will leave you questioning what is true and what shapes reality, what hides in the dark and what hides...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781733885409
PRICE $14.99 (USD)

Average rating from 72 members


Featured Reviews

This story is claustrophobic and dark. It will mess up your head for sure. This one goes out to people who have already read too many thrillers and would like to level up.

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Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book.
Yes! This is for sure a true horror novel. It was very creepy. I wouldn't want to imagine myself being in that situation.

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Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars, or 5 stars with a caveat: this book is not for everyone. Those looking for a simple, straightforward read where the author explains everything probably better steer clear of this one. Those who enjoy a mind-bending story that reads like a fevered dream (Think P.T. or Silent Hill 1+2, or survival horror by way of David Lynch) will probably like this.

I’m of the second group of readers, and to be honest I’d rather enjoy the experience than lose the mystery by having the author shoehorn explanations or tie things up too neatly. As soon as I finished, I went back to reread some parts, and knowing what I know, some details gain new meaning. I think this story is great for a book club or a buddy read, someone you can discuss or recap things with.

The book is relatively lean (250 pages) and I was tempted to binge read it, but thanks to my schedule I had little time for that. In the end I paced myself and it made reading experience more immersive. The author does a great job layering the tension instead of piling it at the beginning just to hook the reader and letting the plot capsize and sink into an anticlimactic ending. By the second half I was on edge. The writing is interesting and at times lovely, with some scenes described vividly like paintings.

The book’s not part of a series but I hope the author considers a sequel or another book set in the same world.

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Lesath centres around Greg, a nomad in between jobs and living out of his car. He is investigating a strange building out in the sticks, a building surrounded by stories of creepy goings on. Greg believes the building to be derelict, but after falling unconscious outside and finding himself locked in a cell inside the building, he learns that he bears a resemblance to a recently escaped inmate, and will be held there until the inmate is found.

As he tries to find his way out, he starts to believe he is going mad, and things begin to crawl around inside the vents..

Lesath is an eerie psychological thriller that calls back to the Gothic, and really has a feel of Shutter Island about it, where the main character has to navigate the corridors in an attempt to find answers. It’s an expertly crafted horror that will keep you guessing throughout.

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From page one, I really identified with the main character and I literally could not put the book down until I reached the end! A great thriller/suspense/horror novel!

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Lesath by AM Kherbash is an X-Files-esque read tinged with elements of Shutter Island, Inception, and the Agent Pendergast series by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child. We mostly follow Greg, an unreliable narrator if ever there was one. A drifter who lives in his truck, and hopes to create a career in free-lance writing, Greg follows hints to a secret facility in Duncastor (or does he?), where he ends up a captive of the place. The facility director, Dr Carver, tells Greg that he must stay in place of an inmate who escaped, and who happens to look exactly like Greg. There are flashbacks to Greg's childhood that alludes to a twin named Ory, and some nameless abuse. Though most of the story focuses on Greg, there are asides following the enigmatic Dr Carver, as well as Holden, a former staff member turned inmate. Greg agrees, albeit reluctantly, but as the days pass, he discovers this is something more than a special correctional facility. Something sinister stalks the shadowed halls. Something hungry.

It reads like a paralysis dream, that foggy liminal state when the brain wakes, but the subconscious still controls body functions, aware and unable to move. A state that can lead to vivid dreams as real as the waking world. Greg, whose twin 'Ory'- Greg/Ory- makes me think that Greg suffers from DIDS, and 'Ory' is a dominant, yet secondary personality manifested to deal with the childhood trauma. A protector figure that resurfaces as 'Grim'. This mysterious doppelganger makes an appearance (or does he?), interacting with others, but never Greg, except one 'shroom worthy encounter that seems to support the DID.

Much of the story is disjointed, which suits its tone and substance. Every page will leave you questioning what is true and what shapes reality, what hides in the dark and what hides in our own inner depths. The ending, too, suits the book, but it left me going AAAHHHH! I wanted to know if my guesses and suspicions were correct, but like Inception, the ending leaves it open for the reader to continue to ponder the possibilities. Are you brave enough to face Lesath? Are you brave enough to face yourself? Enter the shadowed halls of Duncastor, where dreams are reality, and reality tis but a dream.

Overall, a great read. Recommended for those who like psychological thrillers, especially with hints of X-Files, Inception, and Shutter Island, or those who enjoy Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child's works.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and the author for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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“It began in mystery, and it will end in mystery, but what a savage and beautiful country lies in between.”
― Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of the Senses

I think the quote pretty much sums up my experience. I downloaded the NetGalley ARC a while back and kept putting it off. I don’t know if it’s the ratings that made me enjoy the book more, but holy s*** is it underrated!

I’m guessing this is one of those books that agitates the average reader, like watching your first Kubrick and leaving the theatre going “WTF was that all about?”
Last I felt like this was after watching the finale of Twin Peaks: The Return, which at the time felt incomplete. But after it settled in my mind (and after listening to at least three different recap podcasts) I found that it kind of made sense, and in a strange way I actually liked it better than I thought.
I gave Lesath the same consideration and allowed it to settle because I really did enjoy reading it.

Plot wise, in terms of following the main character’s arc, the story is more or less complete. It’s some of the unanswered questions that the book leaves us with that I think might bother some readers. Then I notice the author had (officially?) announced a sequel that promises to answer some of them and that got me curious.

I think Kherbash has something here. He gives some exposition but holds back from explaining too much. He’s also adept in translating that precarious state of mind of the sleep-deprived. As someone who suffers bouts of insomnia, I found the whiplash moment when Greg falls asleep without knowing it and then snaps back to reality all too familiar.

There’s something raw in the text that’s refreshing to anyone seeking to level up from gelded juvenile writing. There’s also a tactile quality and a haunting beauty to the writing. I can’t paste many examples without spoilers, but the following one is relatively spoiler-free:

Greg ghosted the hallway, his lifted hand brushing against the papered walls, fully cloaked in darkness except whenever the light briefly illuminated his wary profile. The corridors were silent and empty; dark, save for the windows that served as beacons, faintly glowing white with mist-addled daylight, marking the end of a corridor, if not a corner bend. Under his bare feet, the cool wooden boards now and then gave a sleepy groan. Outside, the milky fog swirled. Inside, Greg held the sound of the floorboards as evidence that he still had a physical presence, anchored to the here and now.

I wish I could tell what occurred before this paragraph that made me appreciate it more. Let’s just say it was terrible scene, and to follow it with this quiet moment is like taking shelter from a raging storm.

My final verdict would have been a solid 4, but I gave it an extra star for one reason: Sequel.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Netgalley and the author.

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.


This is for sure a dark and creepy novel. I don't even want to imagine myself in the character's position.. no thanks.

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I loved the plot of this one, and the premises got me right away. However, it took me a while to start, because sometimes you know that you need to be in good conditions to read a book, it was like that for me.

Truely I enjoyed the story, I enjoyed the characters, I enjoyed how the author played with my mind, I enjoyed that at no moment I could guess what was going to happen and why. For a while reading what just for fun and not also my job, so thank you !

Althought, the story is full of mysteries, and raises more questions that it gives answers. Even if I don't mind, I am pretty sure I'll be glad to read the sequel as soon as possible.

I will recommand Lesath to anyone feelling adventurous enough to enjoy te ride, without hesitation.

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I am a fan of psychological horror because it truly brings the tension that I love in the horror genre. This book throws you right into the situation from the beginning. Greg, an amateur journalist, wakes up in a cell. He finds himself to be "captive" due to a case of mistaken identity and though a doctor claims to be an ally, can Greg really trust him? What is going on in this facility and will Greg make it out? WHO IS GREG? With every page, I found myself wondering what was real and what wasn't. Those things Greg claimed to see, were they really there? Because on top of all of this, the inmates/patients/prisoners are also possibly suffering from some sort of disorder or disease or something. You really second guess everything you read. The author doesn't give ALL the answers at the end--and I normally hate those endings--but I believe it tied up enough loose strands to leave me satisfied.

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This books is an odd duck but also a hidden gem.
It gives a sense of induced seclusion with curious readers who want to find out what lurks around every corner.
I had trouble ending this book which for me is a sure sign of complete immersion.
It is a sweet nightmare that you can't wait to escape yet to curious to completely wake up from.
It reminds me off an old story called the Keep. Similarity of an eerie setting. I would not want to reveal anymore.

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This is a tricky one to write. Lesath is one of the most confusing books I’ve read in a long time, and even by the end I was still completely baffled, trapped in an answer-less void, desperate for more information but a little thankful that it was all over.

But that’s Kherbash’s aim, right? Such is the testament to our authors understanding of his contemporaries, the psychological web is weaved to absolute perfection. We waste no time in Lesath, immediately throwing Greg into a medical ward in the middle of nowhere, forced to remain until a nearly identical escapee is found to take his place, rather than cause chaos in the ward. While Greg agrees to the terms, it’s not long before everything begins to unfold and everything (and everyone) isn’t as it seems.

It’s a fantastic setting, and despite sounding a little cliché, it moves fast enough that it doesn’t allow itself to get bogged down with boring, irrelevant details. The ward is gothy and pulpy, as are the nurses and orderlies, and Greg’s exploring unearths some really well described environments that help stop a single location book from feeling stunted.
Lesath won’t be for everyone, especially considering modern horrors focus on immediate and obvious threats, but the book is one big mind game and its perfectly executed. I absolutely cannot fault Kherbash for his work at nailing a bygone era.

Lesath isn’t a colour-by-numbers horror, it’s difficult to digest and sometimes even harder to read, but it’s also clever fiction that deserves attention. Give it a read, maybe read it again after a few months if you’re lost, but whatever you do, don’t ignore it.

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Lesath
by A. M. Kherbash
due 9-30-2019
self-published
4.0/5.0

#netgalley. #Lesath

What a wild ride! This was really creepy, some parts were gory, building atmosphere was really well done. This is a psychological thriller that worked for me, overall.

Greg, a loner living in his car, has heard of an old abandoned building in the forest. Its surrounded by hot wire and broken glass. Curiosity gets the best of him, and he wants to see what's inside the building.
He wakes up inside the building, with gauze on his forehead, in a white room with linoleum floors and a nurse that will not speak.
Eventually Dr. Carver appears to explain to Greh that he was found outside the facility, dressed in a uniform they wear in the building. He resembles a guy that escaped the facility, and to keep everyone peaceful, they tell Greg they want him to stand in as the escaped person until they are found. Greg is given no choice.

Once inside, he learns that this is a facility to house felons you are awaiting parole. They live in a monastery-type environment and are fed red capsules to make lethargic and forgetful. when inmates start disappearing, Greg believes they are being used for an experiment.....
This is just the beginning of Greg's nightmare....
This book will make you think again about what exactly freedom means.
Thanks to netgalley for sending this e-book ARC for review.

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I have no Idea what to say about this book. I loved the story and it kept me on my toes with twists and turns and unexplainable events. However, no loose ends were tied up and it ended leaving me with as many, if not more, questions that I started with which was disappointing. I hope this means there will be a second installment.

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Thank you to the publisher for sending me this ARC. I really enjoyed this read. It reminded me a lot of Shutter Island, in the sense that the story is dreamlike and reality-bending. A very brisk, solid thriller that I will definitely pick up an re-read when it drops on September 30th. Also, really hope there is a sequel. There is an opportunity to carry on the story and I hope it happens!

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This book was very different from my usual. Overall, the bulk of the book is confusing and at times challenging to keep track of the time frame. The ending helped piece together the story line without providing all the answers. The author doesn't give much away, just a few tidbits to enhance the mystery and confusion of the reader. Very well done.
I couldn't put it down - the creep factor is 5/5, suspense 5/5, interest 5/5. Seriously - the creep factor.
I love the cover - definitely grabbed my attention and heightened my slight obsession with this book.
I gave it 4/5 due to my struggle at times to understand and keep up with the story line.

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This is LITERALLY one of the most unique novels I have ever read. While the unanswered questions didn't necessarily sit well with me (I like things wrapped up in a neat little bow) I think the atmosphere was spot on. I do hope the author writes a sequel (for selfish reasons like I won't be able to stop thinking about this book without answers), but can totally understand NOT having one. This book IS enough even if it keeps us hanging by threads!

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Did you read Borne? Read Borne. Then read Lesath. They both fall into that "weird" genre, which is becoming an actual genre for books. I'm finding that I'm drawn to this weirdness. Maybe it's because I'm weird, I don't know. ANYWAY, Lesath starts out with guy who is being imprisoned because he looks like another prisoner who escaped and also looks like him and could he take the place of this guy so no other prisoners know there's been a breakout. Honestly, what the hell is that?

It's a damn good book is what!

Lesath is creepy, kept my pulse up and all out just messed up. There's all these twists and turns and some of them make sense and some don't and man, I loved this book.

Get to reading!

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Whew, what a story. All I can say about this book is that it definitely is a horror story that goes above and beyond what most authors write about. It is not for the faint or those who want their stories tied with a pretty bow. I loved this book but also love movies like it so this one was perfect for me. It is not a very long story so surprisingly the author was able to condense it in a way that what needs to be said is said.

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author/publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

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What the f*** is happening??? This is what I found myself thinking for the majority of the time while reading this book, understanding virtually nothing and not even taking a guess as to what could be going on within this story. For a book that started of relatively normal, normal compared to rest of this book, this book then took a super weird turn. But one that I found myself needing to keep reading.

The confusion added to the overall creepiness of the story, the not knowing what was happening and what could be lingering within, behind or around every corner. The paranoia from the characters leaks off the page, making you question the credibility of the characters and what they're experiencing. Mixed with the creepiness and the goriness that started to take place within, the writing both saved and ruined this book for me. The writing was both great as I was seriously creeped out in parts, reading more and more, devouring this book within 24 hours, but the unknown and unanswered confusion was just straight up disappointing and was my biggest and one of my only let downs of this book. 

Thank God there's a sequel coming out!

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This was a really good read, totally not my usual genre, but I do like to read outside the box ever now and again just so I can discover what I am missing. I'm very glad I chose Lesath as my feeler this time around. It's a horror novel, a psychological one, that gets so deep into your psyche that you will end up questioning everything. That's what happened to Greg who travelled into the mountain to investigate rumours her had heard about an abandoned building. in which prisoners are detained, help captive, questioned and even tortured. A case of mistaken identity results in Greg himself becoming one such detainee. His time there, in captivity leads to him questioning his sense of reality. Many times I wanted to shout at Greg and tell him to get the hell out of there, so invested was I in the plot and its outcome. I really enjoyed this read and would highly recommend it.

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This book was weird. After a while I thought I was going insane because I never knew what was going on completely.

Then I realized, that's the point. So I just sat back, got sucked in, and enjoyed the weird, messy, and creepy ride.

This book is definitely not for everyone, but it was for me. If you like speculative twists, unreliable narrators, and gore, this may be for you as well.

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This was such an interesting read. I loved the atmospheric setting and premise. I found myself getting a little confused as to who was who, but that may have been my problem focusing and not the books problem. Perfect creepy vibe and story. If you enjoyed stories like Shutter Island or Stonehearst, you will like this!

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Great cover. Great plot. Both really grabbed my attention. I wanted to love this book, but unfortuantely I had a lot of difficulty following the story. However, that's probably because it's a little too much of a mind-bender for me (and I wasn't in the right headspace while reading it). I imagine a lot of readers will enjoy the story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

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