Herman and Janet Erikson are going through a crisis of grief and suffering after losing their daughter in a hit and run. They've given up on each other, they've given up on themselves. They are living day by day. One afternoon, to make a horrible situation worse, their dog goes missing in the coyote-infested badlands behind their property. Herman, resolved in preventing another tragedy, goes to find the dog, completely unaware he's on a hike to the River Styx, which according to Greek myth was the border between the Living World and the world of the Dead. Long ago the gods died and the River dried up, but a bottle containing its waters still remains in the badlands. What Herman discovers about the dark power contained in those waters will change his life forever...
"It happens from time to time...a book grabs you from the opening line and refuses to let you go. Benjamin Kane Ethridge's Bottled Abyss was one of those reads for me. Bottled Abyss is a stunningly sophisticated tale, both in its mythic scope and in its adroit handling of complex, emotional characters. Ethridge is a writer of rare emotional intelligence, developed far beyond his years, but with Bottled Abyss he has outdone even his own considerable promise. There are several writers out there, such as Laird Barron, John Langan and Lee Thomas, that have me chomping at the bit for their next release. Add to that shortlist Benjamin Kane Ethridge, for he has made me a fan for life!" -Joe McKinney, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Flesh Eaters and Dead City
REVIEWED: Bottled Abyss
WRITTEN BY: Benjamin Kane Ethridge
PUBLISHED: June, 2012
This is an epic novel that furthers Greek mythology by bringing it into modern times. Fascinating and thoughtful explanations as well as a rich plot and diverse characters. This is not the kind of book that you can skip a few pages and think you're going to understand what's going on - there's a lot of information and sub-plots the author has woven together, and it takes some endeavor to keep up with the reasoning for events. There were several points that I thought the book would have closed nicely, but then it kept going, taking the reader down deeper and darker levels until the final fantastic conclusion. I personally enjoyed some of the background characters more than the leads, but that is a strength of Ethridge, in that every character is so different and well-rounded.
Four-and-a-Half out of Five stars
nle1
Posted September 3, 2012
In this novel we find a lot of mythology, human beings not exactly in their right minds – at least some of the time and a lot of gruesome mental pictures of the endings of most of them. If you believe in Greek mythology Charon (aka Ferryman) is the dude who takes dead folks across the river Styx and takes a coin from their mouths as payment.
It seems the Styx has dried up somehow and Ferryman and his double, Fury are left (pardon the pun) high and dry. There is a beautiful obsidian bottle with a bit of the Styx left in it and it can heal – for a time – leaving each of its tasters with a hacked-up gold coin and certain death. Unless they give the coin to someone else…..
The Erikson’s lost their daughter a year ago and basically became strangers in the process. Not much else can go wrong until Lester, the family pooch, disappears. Knowing Janet’s attachment to Les, Herman sets out to find him. He does but Les is past caring as he’s been attacked by coyotes. Enter Ferryman/Charon who Herman thinks is named Clarence. Clarence offers to save Les and does. Thus it all begins.
A tale that you might not should read at night unless every light in the house is on of horror, murder, crime sprees and people showing what they would do if left to their own devices is well worth reading. And, I have to say this: How could you not read a book from a publishing house called RED RUM HORROR?
JSWilson
Posted July 27, 2012
In BOTTLED ABYSS, Stoker award winning novelist Benjamin Ethridge proves what we all suspected-- that he is the rising star of Horror Fiction. Ethridge has created a totally gripping tale of Dark Fantasy and has again built for us a complex mythological world which competes with greek mythology in its scope and description. Ethridge makes this world so believable that we are chilled as we consider all we believed about life and death. More exciting, he does it within the confines of our own, very real world through characters that are rich, well developed, and easy for us to identify with. This book pulls us along in a fascinating tale where unfortunate people, driven by their own personal tragedies, unwittingly unlock secrets meant to stay buried and the truth about life after death is revealed.
I could not put this book down as Ethridge builds the story to an ever rising crescendo, not just of terror, but also of human experience. You won't be able to stop reading until you know how it all ends. Perfect story, a fascinating world, rich characters, and pounding pace-- this book has it all.
I can't wait for Ehtridge's next book.
Anonymous
Posted June 13, 2012
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Posted June 12, 2012
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Overview
Herman and Janet Erikson are going through a crisis of grief and suffering after losing their daughter in a hit and run. They've given up on each other, they've given up on themselves. They are living day by day. One afternoon, to make a horrible situation worse, their dog goes missing in the coyote-infested badlands behind their property. Herman, resolved in preventing ...