The Exorcist’s House: Genesis by Nick Roberts
Crystal Lake Publishing (September 2024)
Reviewed by Rowan B. Minor
Writer and educator Nick Roberts is a West Virginia native who currently resides in South Carolina. He holds a doctorate from Marshall University and is an active member of the Horror Writers Association and the Horror Authors Guild. Roberts has had work featured in several publications, such as The Fiction Pool, The Blue Mountain Review, Falling Star Magazine, Stonecrop Magazine, and Haunted MTL. His books include one self-published novel: Anathema (2020), and four titles from Crystal Lake Publishing: Mean Spirited (2024), It Haunts the Mind & Other Stories (2023), and The Exorcist’s House (2022), for which the sequel, The Exorcist’s House: Genesis (2024), has just been published.
The Exorcist’s House: Genesis is a supernatural folk horror novel filled with splatter and demonic possession. Best suited for older teens and adults of all ages, Genesis is a continuation of its precursor, The Exorcist’s House, which follows the Hill family as they settle into their new farmhouse in rural West Virginia. However, things take a deadly turn when the family discovers the house’s grotesque history. In Genesis, Roberts invents both a sequel and a prequel by using dual timelines, alternating past and present narratives. Readers learn of what happens to the Hill family three years after leaving West Virginia and returning home to Ohio as well as get insight into the gripping backstories of characters from the first book, such as fan-favorite Merle Blatty and how he became a “backwoods exorcist.”
Roberts quickly summarizes major highlights of the first Exorcist’s House novel pretty early on in Genesis, so it’s fairly easy to follow his straightforward plots, even if you haven’t had the chance to read the original story. Roberts’ raw and unhinged storytelling is fast-paced and wholly developed, sometimes slamming the brakes to create more tension before propelling his readers into the terror at full-speed. His character development is consistent and forward-moving. In some ways, the house itself is its own character, proving to be brutal and unrelenting against its victims, and the setting feels eerily homey and familiar, sucking you in and refusing to let you leave.
Both timeline narratives are engaging and immersive, and the chapters written in present-tense create a sense of immediacy. However, the dueling stories are incredibly dense and might have been more effective if published as two separate books within the Exorcist’s House Universe. With the novel’s visceral and gruesome language effortlessly evoking the senses, it is fair to warn readers that there are scenes with and/or mentions of suicide, the death of a child, and violent animal attacks, but Roberts handles these themes with necessary care. These scenes are skillfully written in a way that contributes to the plot’s execution and elevates the pure terror in each chapter.
While successful as a standalone novel in The Exorcist’s House Universe, as well as the sequel (and prequel) to its precursor, Genesis is captivating and induces the craving to not just read the first installment in Roberts’ petrifying universe, but all of his books. This novel isn’t campy, nor does it contain harmful Appalachian stereotypes like the Wrong Turn film franchise. The Exorcist’s House: Genesis is fresh and feels authentic, even though the characters and plot are fictitious. If you’re a horror aficionado, you’ll appreciate the subtle nods to classics like The Amityville Horror, Rosemary’s Baby, and The Conjuring. While Roberts does skillfully tap into the original horror masterpieces, the author’s concept for his universe remains innovative and contemporary.
