Bernard Taylor (1) (1937–)

Bernard Taylor’s The Reaping is a deeply subversive horror novel that flips the usual gender dynamics on their head. Tom, the protagonist, is written as a man cast in the narrative role usually reserved for a naïve, overly trusting woman—he’s coaxed into a seemingly harmless domestic space, isolated, ignored, used for his body (and skills), and ultimately discarded. But what makes it brilliant is that Tom isn’t paranoid or sensitive—he’s clueless, self-important, and deeply show more entitled. That contrast makes his downfall not just tragic, but quietly cutting. You watch him drift toward ruin believing he’s in control, when he’s anything but.

Taylor keeps the horror slow-burning and grounded, never tipping into cliché. What unfolds is a story about manipulation that feels eerily plausible because Tom never expects to be vulnerable—he’s a man, after all. That unexamined privilege becomes his weakness. The book lingers long after the final page because it’s not just scary—it’s smart. show less

"The cuckoo chick is born with one deadly instinct - to kill off any possible rival. And it does just that. Kills all of them. It only rests when, at last, it's got the nest to itself."

Alan and Kate Marlowe have the perfect family life. They have a lovely home in a small Somerset village, Alan enjoys his work as a commercial artist, and they have plenty of time and love to shower on their four children, Lucy, Sam, Davie and newborn Matthew. When beautiful baby Bonnie is abandoned by her odd show more young mother, it seems only natural to welcome her into their home too, where she quickly settles into her role as the perfect daughter and the perfect sister. In fact, when Matthew dies suddenly in his crib, the couple are glad to have little Bonnie to occupy their time. Then the next child meets with a tragic accident... and the next... Finally the truth begins to dawn on Alan - but can he convince Kate of his sanity and break through her blind maternal devotion in time to save their last living child from Bonnie's murderous plotting?

As far as scary books go, this was perfect for me. It's probably not one for parents of young children - that would be prime nightmare fodder, right there - but for anyone wanting some suitably macabre Hallowe'en reading without the blood and gore, you could do much worse than this creepy little slice of vintage horror. Of course, the demonic child/cuckoo-in-the-nest device is hardly a new one - I'm thinking of classic stories like The Omen and The Midwich Cuckoos here - but the Marlowes' story is still deliciously compelling, if a tad predictable. It has a quiet kind of menace, devoid of technicolour splashes of crimson blood and overwrought, wailing grief; I think that in a way, the gentle pastoral setting and very close, loving family dynamics evoked by Alan's narration only make the dark plot all the more devastating.

The novel was by no means perfect, don't get me wrong. The opening is quite slow, with a significant amount of time elapsing before anyone starts to link the 'accidents' back to Bonnie and her unusual arrival in the household. The writing itself is a little heavy on the dashes and commas, with some awkward grammatical moments and a few irritating typos. While the VERY end is sort of perfect, right out of the Horror Writing Handbook, the gap between that and the climax a few pages earlier is frustratingly devoid of plausibility; without spoiling anything, it felt like there should have been serious consequences to the climactic moment, but Taylor skips right over the immediate aftermath. I also wanted him to offer some kind of theory or revelation as to the identity of Bonnie's strange birth mother, but this was left a mystery. These minor issues aside, however, I found this to be a very diverting read; I was turning the pages faster and faster as the day went by! Bonnie is so carefully drawn, beautiful and manipulative and completely beguiling even as she tears the Marlowe family apart, and her power over kind-hearted, grieving Kate is pitch-perfect. I thoroughly enjoyed it without feeling like it would haunt me for the next ten years (Pet Sematary, I'm looking at you); what more could I ask for? show less

"If she escaped the death penalty for her daughter's murder she might face a second trial for murdering her mother"
By sally tarbox on 16 September 2017
Format: Kindle Edition
Quite an interesting read, looking at Victorian murderess Elizabeth Berry. Intelligent and with grand aspirations, she nonetheless was unable to escape her humble origins - from working in a mill, she became a nurse, but only in a workhouse. Her marriage to a relatively lowly man didn't provide the lifestyle she craved - show more and produced three children to boot.
The tale begins when Elizabeth - by now a widow, and with just one surviving child - is a senior nurse, and invites the 11 year old daughter to stay for a few days. After a few days fun, the girl becomes violently ill, her lips strangely blistered, and the doctors suspect poison...
Her late mother is exhumed as part of the investigation (Elizabeth received a large insurance payout on her equally sudden demise) and suspicions arose on her dead husband and other children...
A thrilling tale, just a tad repetitive during the court cases, where the often identical witness statements were repeated many times - the suspect's excuse for the deceased's burnt lips as caused be a citrus fruit she sucked, being put forth innumerable times. show less

Bernard Taylor's THE REAPING is an unsettling Gothic tale of seduction, and the myriad ways that seduction can be used against a person. Tom Rigby, former artist-turned-shop owner, is commissioned to paint a portrait in a secluded country mansion. At first reticent, the money offered is too lucrative for Rigby to turn down.

Rigby soon finds himself romantically involved with the subject of the portrait, a young relative of the owner of Woolvercombe House. However, during his stay at the show more mansion, Rigby observes more and more distressing goings-on, and is more than happy to have his leave of the mansion at the completion of the portrait.

Soon, to his horror, Rigby discovers that the commission for the portrait and all that he observed at the manor were all part of a diabolical plot, and that his was a small but integral part in a much larger, more sinister scheme.

Whether of wealth, the flesh, or youth, seduction is at the core of this book. Some plot points seem too contrived for necessity, but the twists and turns will keep the reader guessing. The horror is a very slow build, but once all the pieces of the puzzle start falling into place, the story takes a rapid chase to its chilling and unexpected end. Another excellent addition to Valancourt Books' Paperbacks From Hell series.

Hannibal Hills narration is excellent and easy to understand. An all-around great book to listen to.

I would like to thank Valancourt Books for providing a free audio download of THE REAPING in exchange for a fair and honest review. show less