Usher of the Fallen – L M Kaplin

3.5 stars

I don’t read much cult horror for some reason, definitely need to seek it out more, so Usher of the Fallen was a bit of a departure from the norm for me. That being said, it was a really fun story to read, and I loved the cosmic elements to it as well. It set the story apart from what I’ve always considered cult horror to be!

Despite everything that she did, I do actually feel really sorry for Willow. She did her best to do the right thing and get away from a horrible situation, but sometimes our best just isn’t enough… especially in the tentacled face of ancient hungry aliens. She never stood a chance, and she felt like one of the real victims of this story to me because of that.

Usher of the Fallen was a surprisingly quick read for me also. Before I knew it, I was reading the epilogue, and the book was done! I do wish I would have gotten to know a little bit more about the other ladies in the cult, though. They were sort of important to the proceedings, but they felt more cardboard cutout to me than actual characters. I’m really curious about them: why did they join the cult, what were their life circumstances, what did they do after everything fell apart?

This story was fascinating, though. I’m glad it went in a different direction than the typical religious zealousness you see in cult fiction in general. That made the story so much more interesting to read and throw myself into!