Black Stump Ridge

Name: Black Stump Ridge
Price: 17.95 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9781450289160

✍️ John Manning

Reader Score

4.4

(1 review)

$17.95

In stock — ready to ship Ships in 1–2 business days

📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

A reclusive man must face the evil he released during a hunting trip decades ago.

Fred Kyle hides in Austin, Texas, drinking to forget a fatal event from twelve years prior. Amanda Carlyle arrives at his motel door, demanding clarity on her father’s death. She suspects Fred’s account of a hunting accident is false. The narrative shifts to Fred’s perspective as he recounts the ill-fated Thanksgiving trip. He describes releasing something evil with his friends. This act haunts him through memories and the sound of fiddles. Manning structures the story around this confrontation between past and present. The plot does not offer easy forgiveness. It focuses on the burden of truth and the necessity of sending back the darkness they unleashed.

Key Themes

supernatural heritage hunting accident repressed memory

Literary Context

The story is set in Austin, Texas, and draws on American rural traditions involving hunting trips and Thanksgiving gatherings. It engages with folklore elements like fiddle music and ancestral curses, reflecting a period of lingering supernatural dread from the early twenty-first century.

Difficulty

●● Medium

Recommended For Fans Of

Stephen King · Robert B. Parker · T.E.D. Klein · Shirley Jackson

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Horror Fiction

🏛 iUniverse 📅 2011 📖 280 pages 🌐 English 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9781450289160

📝 Description: Black Stump Ridge

John Manning’s Black Stump Ridge follows Fred Kyle, who has spent twelve years drinking whiskey in a cheap Austin motel to escape his past. A knock at the door brings Amanda Carlyle, who seeks answers about her father’s death. Her father was Fred’s best friend and died during a Thanksgiving hunting trip over a decade ago. Fred claims it was an accident, but Amanda demands the truth. The narrative reveals that Fred accidentally released evil with friends long ago. He now faces the pull of fiddles and his own heritage. Manning writes about guilt, memory, and supernatural consequences. The story centers on Fred’s reluctant retelling of events that crippled him. It explores how past actions demand repayment from those who survive them. This book suits readers interested in psychological horror rooted in personal trauma and rural legends. It may not appeal to those seeking fast-paced action or clear resolutions. Manning focuses on the weight of secrets and the inevitability of confronting what was buried. The text examines the cost of hiding from one’s history and the danger of ignoring ancestral curses.

💎 Our verdict on Black Stump Ridge

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Horror Reads editorial team

Horror desk

Manning delivers a tense exploration of guilt and heritage, focusing on Fred Kyle’s struggle with a fatal event from his past. The narrative effectively uses the confrontation with Amanda Carlyle to unravel decades of suppressed truth. While the plot avoids easy forgiveness or clear resolutions, it succeeds in building atmospheric dread through the pull of fiddles and rural folklore. The story is best suited for readers who enjoy psychological horror rooted in personal trauma and dark fantasy elements. It lacks fast-paced action but compensates with a serious examination of ancestral curses and the danger of ignoring one’s history. This is a compelling choice for those seeking a book about the weight of secrets and the necessity of sending back darkness.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

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Why this book is worth reading

Readers who appreciate horror rooted in psychological depth and moral ambiguity will find value here. The book explores the heavy burden of guilt and the inevitability of confronting buried secrets, offering a somber reflection on how past actions demand repayment from survivors. It appeals to those interested in rural legends and ancestral curses rather than fast-paced action. Fans of character-driven narratives that prioritize the weight of memory and the cost of hiding one’s history will gain satisfaction from this examination of supernatural consequences and personal trauma.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Horror Reads —

Reader rating

4.4

Based on 1 reviews

Horror Reads editorial team

Manning delivers a tense exploration of guilt and heritage, focusing on Fred Kyle’s struggle with a fatal event from his past. The narrative effectively uses the confrontation with Amanda Carlyle to unravel decades of suppressed truth. While the plot avoids easy forgiveness or clear resolutions, it succeeds in building atmospheric dread through the pull of fiddles and rural folklore. The story is best suited for readers who enjoy psychological horror rooted in personal trauma and dark fantasy elements. It lacks fast-paced action but compensates with a serious examination of ancestral curses and the danger of ignoring one’s history. This is a compelling choice for those seeking a book about the weight of secrets and the necessity of sending back darkness.