Autumn vs Cults And Monsters

Autumn Leaves Confronts her Deep-Rooted Fear of Cults as She Dives Into “Cults and Monsters” by J. Boote

TITLE: Cults and Monsters

AUTHOR: J. Boote

GENRE: Splatterpunk, Extreme Horror

PAGES: 224

PRICE: Ebook $4.99, Paperback $14.99

Based on the true story of the Ant Hill Cult led by Roch Theriault, “Cults and Monsters” tells the incomprehensibly dark and sickening tale of what can happen when a truly damaged, evil person comes into power for all the wrong reasons. I think that premise is a very interesting and relevant issue to tackle in today’s political and social conditions.

Main character (based on Theriault) Andrew Shaw is a teen living with his overzealous religious parents. They believe that the normal processes and developments which happen to Andrew during adolescence are unspeakable sins and he is punished severely on a regular basis for trying to have a normal teenage experience. After years of physical abuse and humiliation at the hands of his parents, Andrew moves out, gets a job, meets a woman, marries, and has two children. However, due to an ulcer in his stomach which causes him incredible pain, Andrew’s domestic bliss is short lived. After failed attempts to treat his ulcer, Andrew spirals deep into an obsession with sex and having multiple partners, and begins drinking heavily. He meets a younger woman named Lucy in a bar and begins seeing her behind his wife’s back. Eventually, his wife finds out and leaves him, freeing Andrew to be with Lucy. All seems well until Andrew again has to go for emergency medical treatment for his ulcer. This time, he has a vision and believes that God speaks to him and that he has healing powers as a result of this. He then joins a local 7th Day Adeventist church and quickly decides to branch off and form his own following in the forest, in a commune setting, because of his delusional image of himself as a divine Healer, on a mission from God.

Cue the insanity.

It does not take long before Andrew’s delusions and narcissism take a horrifying form. Andrew is no longer satisfied with one partner, demanding that all his female followers marry him and abandon their own partners and spouses. He separates men from women, parents from children, and forces his followers into a mind numbing routine of extreme physical labor and very little food. When people are injured or are unable to work, Andrew brings them to his “operating room” where things transpire that make even the most extreme horror novel read like “Good Night, Moon”.

Andrew descends further and further into his lunacy, with some members trying to escape and some clinging to their misplaced trust in him. He suspects everyone of deceit and doubt, carrying out cruel and bizarre punishments for “sins” that are mostly fabricated by Andrew himself. The worst is reserved for those who try to escape and children are not spared. In addition to the incredible level of violence, Andrew’s sexual obsession also dominates the lives of his followers, with many female members forced into orders and other humiliations for Andrew’s sick entertainment.

Will Andrew’s followers ever be able to escape him? What will it take to bring such an unstoppable man to justice? Is justice for someone like Andrew even possible? You will have to read to find out *wink*.

As I read, the continuous scenes of violence and depravity were tempting to see as just “too extreme to be considered realistic”, and then I had to keep reminding myself…THIS…REALLY…HAPPENED. And it made my blood run cold. Cults horrify me. As a kid born in the 80s, growing up in the 90s, I was exposed to a lot of media coverage on cults (many of us remember the Satanic Panic, David Koresh, and others). I was both fascinated and deeply disturbed by the information I found on what was allegedly really happening in the groups at the hands of their leader. Stories of extreme cruelty, humiliation, psychological torment, and of course physical abuse the likes of which I had never dreamed. There is something about the nature of a cult leader that gets to me in a way that other assailants do not. It is in the fact that they have the trust of the people they torment, assault, abuse, and kill. Their victims often love and revere them…and that makes me nauseous. To have that kind of power and to willfully choose to use it to destroy, to me, is the definition of true horror, and the character Andrew H

J. Boote has been a favorite author of mine for several years now and “Cults and Monsters” is a shining example of why that is. Boote is able to weave an engaging, entertaining story, and shock me to my very core at the same time. After a decade or so of reading mostly extreme content, that is not an easy task. A note to keep in mind…everything in this book actually happened, save for one scene. Let that marinate…

If you like “Cults and Monsters”, I recommend picking up J. Boote’s monster series with book one, “They Are All Monsters”.

Autumn Leaves is a Canadian author and poet. Her poem “Siren’s Song” was published when she was 15. Autumn is in love with the dark and has an affinity for all things horrific and disturbing. Autumn is also an avid horror reader and book reviewer. Her favorite author is Jack Ketchum. She lives with her children and army of fur babies on a small island off the coast of Maine.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing, nor do the views or opinions of Crystal Lake necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or its staff. Thank you for understanding.