The Twisted Ones

Mouse accepts the task of clearing out her late grandmother's isolated house in rural North Carolina. During the cleanup, she discovers her step-grandfather's diary detailing his growing fixation with a mysterious text called "The Green Book." While staying at the property with her dog Bongo, Mouse encounters inexplicable phenomena in the surrounding woods. The remote location and strange occurrences lead her into an ancient supernatural realm populated by entities known as the White People and their Effigies. Mouse joins forces with her neighbor Foxy to navigate this otherworldly territory and confront forces beyond human comprehension. Their quest becomes a race against time as they attempt to unravel the connection between Mouse's step-grandfather's writings and the supernatural entities. The novel explores themes of inheritance, isolation, and the thin boundaries between reality and folklore. It examines how family histories and hidden knowledge can pull people into dangerous territories they never knew existed.

Readers call this a slow-burn folk horror that builds tension through isolation and strange encounters. Many note it succeeds at creating an unsettling atmosphere in the North Carolina woods. Readers appreciated: - The realistic, relatable narrator's voice and humor - The dog Bongo as a fully developed character - Fresh take on folk horror without common tropes - Integration of Arthur Machen's "The White People" Common criticisms: - Pacing drags in the middle section - Some found the ending rushed and anticlimactic - Several readers struggled with the repeated folkloric phrases - Horror elements don't pay off enough Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (17,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (2,800+ ratings) LibraryThing: 3.9/5 (400+ ratings) "The book nails the creeping dread of being alone in the woods," writes one reviewer, while another notes "the humor undercuts the horror too often."

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski A found manuscript leads to the discovery of a house that defies physics and reality, creating a descent into madness through nested narratives and unreliable documentation.

The Twisted Ones by Scott Snyder An isolated cabin in the woods becomes the focal point of ancient folklore and physical manifestations of unnatural creatures from European mythology.

The Fisherman by John Langan Two widowers discover an ancient fishing spot in upstate New York that connects to a realm of cosmic horror and folklore dating back centuries.

The Red Tree by Caitlín R. Kiernan A writer moves to a remote farmhouse in Rhode Island and discovers the previous tenant's manuscript about a mysterious red oak tree with connections to dark local legends.

The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher A recently divorced woman discovers portals to other dimensions in her uncle's museum, leading to encounters with entities that exist between worlds.

🌿 The book draws heavy inspiration from Welsh author Arthur Machen's 1904 supernatural horror story "The White People" 🏠 T. Kingfisher is the pen name of Ursula Vernon, who won the Hugo Award for her graphic novel "Digger" and the Nebula Award for "The Tomato Thief" 🐕 The author drew from personal experience when writing about the loyal dog Bongo, as she has rescue dogs of her own and frequently incorporates animals into her stories 🌳 North Carolina's dense forests, where the book is set, cover about 18.7 million acres - roughly 60% of the state's land area 🎭 Folk horror, the subgenre this book belongs to, emerged as a distinct category in the 1970s with films like "The Wicker Man" and typically focuses on isolation, landscape, and ancient beliefs