Dealing with a breakup and working a dead-end job, all he wants to do is lock himself in his room and wait to find some motivation to get his life back on track. But when his best friend asks him to help clean out his Grandparents’ abandoned house in the middle of the forest, he agrees to go, hoping the trip might get him out of the funk he’s found himself in. The house is a hoarder’s nest, presenting far more work than he and his friends had prepared for, and all the while Travis is still reeling from a broken heart. The house needs cleaning, his spirits need lifting, but something sinister lurks in the basement, just waiting to be discovered.
This was my first read from author Evan Leikam, who’s also a book influencer and co-host of the popular Book Reviews Kill podcast. This is a horror novella perfect for spooky season, especially if you enjoy a slow-burn (insect and supernatural) horror. The entire story takes place over the course of a weekend, when three friends head to one of their grandmothers’ secluded homes to clear it out, only to find dark surprises waiting for them.
The story is told from a third-person POV, following roommates and longtime friends Travis, Richard, and Dan. It opens with some backstory on Travis—the character the story mostly focuses on. His long-term girlfriend just dumped him, and he’s still reeling from the breakup and not over her. When they get inside the worn-down house, they’re horrified by the amount of stuff and garbage everywhere. Travis and Dan immediately realize they weren’t told the extent of what they were getting themselves into. And this is where the creeping dread starts to build. For a novella, there’s good character development and relationship dynamics between the friends, especially when long-held resentments surface.
There isn’t much real horror in the first half, and since I went in blind, I wondered if this was going to be a horror story at all. But there are hints of what’s to come, especially with regard to Travis’s extreme fear of insects (and I mean, look at the cover—it also has some serious spider-horror suggestions!! 😂). When they discover a door leading down to a basement, the story kicks into high gear. Without giving anything else away, poor choices disturb something sinister, and the creeping dread turns to outright horror! 😱
The chapters are very short, and there’s lots of realistic, immersive dialogue that kept me engaged. The writing is very straightforward, which made this a very easy audiobook to listen to while multitasking. I enjoyed the supernatural threads and the dark folklore woven in, which were quite unpredictable, and although there could have been more explanation of small details, it worked well for a novella.
There are multiple possibilities for where the story could go once the horror starts—so don’t expect to predict much. I did predict a big reveal at the end, but the scenes that followed were a bit shocking. The abrupt, open-to-interpretation ending matched the story and left me unsettled—and that’s why I think it’s a great option for your spooky-season TBR!
If you’re an audiobook listener, you’re in for a treat because bestselling author and narrator Travis Baldree does a great job. He creates an atmospheric, creeping sense of dread early on and brings the three very different roommates to life with distinct voices and lots of expression. I thought his voice was a great fit for this story, and I recommend listening to this on audio if you enjoy horror audiobooks!
Narrator Performance
Along With All Malice is narrated by bestselling author and seasoned narrator Travis Baldree, who I thought was a great fit for this horror novella.
Baldree gives protagonist Travis an anxious, restless voice early in the story as we hear how he’s still obsessing over his breakup with Julia while trying to keep occupied. He’s constantly checking his phone and looking at her social media profile, and Baldree does a great job conveying how much Travis’s struggling to move on. The relationship dynamic between Travis and Richard is quickly established as they drive from Portland to the rural destination of Richard’s grandmother’s house. You can hear the familiarity in their exchanges, along with Richard’s attempts to support Travis through his breakup.
When the three friends go inside the house, Baldree emphasizes their shock and horror as they see all the hoarding, junk, and garbage. You can hear how Travis and Dan are annoyed and angry as they didn’t sign up for this much work. Travis has a major phobia of insects, and there are scenes early on where the men discover evidence of insects, and Baldree does a fantastic job conveying Travis’s horror and unease, along with his mounting panic as he worries more insects are in the house.
A highlight of the performance is when the men venture into the basement and a conflict erupts. I found these scenes immersive and convincing, as you could feel the growing animosity leading up to their confrontation. Once they venture into the room behind the green door, the narration is also very well done. I felt terror and curiosity along with the three men as they examined the VERY strange things in the room, and Baldree does a great job conveying the shift in the atmosphere after something unexpected happens.
Baldree’s performance really shines once the insect horror takes over. All the terrifying descriptions of insects crawling up windows, trying to break through the screen door, and swarming outside are vividly narrated, and I was both grossed out and on edge. The scenes involving the spider bite and what happens afterwards were especially unsettling, and Baldree captures the terror of the three men as their paranoia begins to spiral. The final few scenes, when some shocking things happen and the story abruptly ends on a dark, open-to-interpretation note, are narrated with intensity and urgency. There’s also a touch of dark humour in Baldree’s delivery that perfectly matches the story.
Overall, if any of this sounds intriguing or you enjoy horror novellas, I recommend listening to this on audiobook. You can easily finish it in one sitting, making it a perfect choice for your spooky-season TBR. I was quite impressed because although I’ve read books by Baldree before, I’d never heard him narrate an audiobook, and he’s definitely just as talented as a narrator as he is an author!
Narrator Performance
Along With All Malice is narrated by bestselling author and seasoned narrator Travis Baldree, who I thought was a great fit for this horror novella.
Baldree gives protagonist Travis an anxious, restless voice early in the story as we hear how he’s still obsessing over his breakup with Julia while trying to keep occupied. He’s constantly checking his phone and looking at her social media profile, and Baldree does a great job conveying how much Travis’s struggling to move on. The relationship dynamic between Travis and Richard is quickly established as they drive from Portland to the rural destination of Richard’s grandmother’s house. You can hear the familiarity in their exchanges, along with Richard’s attempts to support Travis through his breakup.
When the three friends go inside the house, Baldree emphasizes their shock and horror as they see all the hoarding, junk, and garbage. You can hear how Travis and Dan are annoyed and angry as they didn’t sign up for this much work. Travis has a major phobia of insects, and there are scenes early on where the men discover evidence of insects, and Baldree does a fantastic job conveying Travis’s horror and unease, along with his mounting panic as he worries more insects are in the house.
A highlight of the performance is when the men venture into the basement and a conflict erupts. I found these scenes immersive and convincing, as you could feel the growing animosity leading up to their confrontation. Once they venture into the room behind the green door, the narration is also very well done. I felt terror and curiosity along with the three men as they examined the VERY strange things in the room, and Baldree does a great job conveying the shift in the atmosphere after something unexpected happens.
Baldree’s performance really shines once the insect horror takes over. All the terrifying descriptions of insects crawling up windows, trying to break through the screen door, and swarming outside are vividly narrated, and I was both grossed out and on edge. The scenes involving the spider bite and what happens afterwards were especially unsettling, and Baldree captures the terror of the three men as their paranoia begins to spiral. The final few scenes, when some shocking things happen and the story abruptly ends on a dark, open-to-interpretation note, are narrated with intensity and urgency. There’s also a touch of dark humour in Baldree’s delivery that perfectly matches the story.
Overall, if any of this sounds intriguing or you enjoy horror novellas, I recommend listening to this on audiobook. You can easily finish it in one sitting, making it a perfect choice for your spooky-season TBR. I was quite impressed because although I’ve read books by Baldree before, I’d never heard him narrate an audiobook, and he’s definitely just as talented as a narrator as he is an author!
Along With All Malice is narrated by bestselling author and seasoned narrator Travis Baldree, who I thought was a great fit for this horror novella.
Baldree gives protagonist Travis an anxious, restless voice early in the story as we hear how he’s still obsessing over his breakup with Julia while trying to keep occupied. He’s constantly checking his phone and looking at her social media profile, and Baldree does a great job conveying how much Travis’s struggling to move on. The relationship dynamic between Travis and Richard is quickly established as they drive from Portland to the rural destination of Richard’s grandmother’s house. You can hear the familiarity in their exchanges, along with Richard’s attempts to support Travis through his breakup.
When the three friends go inside the house, Baldree emphasizes their shock and horror as they see all the hoarding, junk, and garbage. You can hear how Travis and Dan are annoyed and angry as they didn’t sign up for this much work. Travis has a major phobia of insects, and there are scenes early on where the men discover evidence of insects, and Baldree does a fantastic job conveying Travis’s horror and unease, along with his mounting panic as he worries more insects are in the house.
A highlight of the performance is when the men venture into the basement and a conflict erupts. I found these scenes immersive and convincing, as you could feel the growing animosity leading up to their confrontation. Once they venture into the room behind the green door, the narration is also very well done. I felt terror and curiosity along with the three men as they examined the VERY strange things in the room, and Baldree does a great job conveying the shift in the atmosphere after something unexpected happens.
Baldree’s performance really shines once the insect horror takes over. All the terrifying descriptions of insects crawling up windows, trying to break through the screen door, and swarming outside are vividly narrated, and I was both grossed out and on edge. The scenes involving the spider bite and what happens afterwards were especially unsettling, and Baldree captures the terror of the three men as their paranoia begins to spiral. The final few scenes, when some shocking things happen and the story abruptly ends on a dark, open-to-interpretation note, are narrated with intensity and urgency. There’s also a touch of dark humour in Baldree’s delivery that perfectly matches the story.
Overall, if any of this sounds intriguing or you enjoy horror novellas, I recommend listening to this on audiobook. You can easily finish it in one sitting, making it a perfect choice for your spooky-season TBR. I was quite impressed because although I’ve read books by Baldree before, I’d never heard him narrate an audiobook, and he’s definitely just as talented as a narrator as he is an author!
