The Vessel by Adam L.G. Nevill
Ritual Limited (October 2022)
170 pages; $10.99 paperback; $3.99 e-book
Reviewed by Haley Newlin
In his eleventh book, The Vessel, Adam L.G. Nevill summons readers with another eerie folk horror story with his usual ethereal atmosphere, creative conjurings of terror, and family at the heart of it all. Only this time, Nevill offers a cinematic approach — removing access to the character’s inner dialogue.
The Vessel felt alive, like the novella came with the thudding heartbeat sound effect horror fans hold so near and dear. The Nerthus House, where Jess McMachen accepts a job caring for an elderly patient, Flo, beats to the drum of dread. The walls hum with a malevolent secret, and the air whispers taunts of grotesquerie. But Jess must fight her suspicions and fear of the dark, cluttered home so she and her daughter, Izzy, can begin anew.
However, Flo’s behavior is erratic at best and abusive at worst. And to make matters worse, Izzy seems taken with the old woman who envisions her as a deceased relative.
Nevill doesn’t hold back on this one. The Vessel unfurls its fangs from the first page. The cover says it all: “She’s coming for you.” By the time Jess and Izzy find themselves starring in a battle for sanity and control, readers, too, will discover it’s all but a trap, another ritual of blood at the hands of Mr. Nevill.
This one’s for you: horror fans.
