The Vessel

The Vessel by Adam Nevill is an eerie folk horror novel published by Ritual Limited on October 31, 2023. This edition spans 168 pages and is presented in English. The story follows Jess McMachen, who, while struggling financially and raising her daughter alone, takes a job caring for Flo Gardner, an elderly and disturbed shut-in. As Jess navigates her new role in the seemingly idyllic Nerthus House, she soon discovers that the home harbors dark secrets and a malevolent presence that threatens her sanity and her child’s well-being.
Readers will find themselves immersed in a narrative that intertwines themes of horror and the supernatural. The labyrinthine interior of Nerthus House, filled with pagan artifacts, serves as a backdrop for Jess’s escalating challenges as she confronts the sinister influences of both Flo and the house itself. The story unfolds as an ancient ritual appears to be triggered, leading Jess and her daughter toward a critical juncture where their fates hang in the balance. This edition offers a gripping exploration of the occult and the psychological toll of fear, making it a notable addition to the genre.
Official synopsis Publisher
An eerie folk horror novel from the author of Cunning Folk, The Reddening, The Ritual, No One Gets Out Alive and the four times winner of the August Derleth Award for Best Horror Novel.
‘A watcher may remark that after sleeping for so long, the building appears to have been roused.’
Struggling with money, raising a child alone and fleeing a volatile ex, Jess McMachen accepts a job caring for an elderly patient. Flo Gardner – a disturbed shut-in and invalid. But if Jess can hold this job down, she and her daughter, Izzy, can begin a new life.
Flo’s vast home, Nerthus House, may resemble a stately vicarage in an idyllic village, but the labyrinthine interior is a dark, cluttered warren filled with pagan artefacts. And Nerthus House lives in the shadow of a malevolent secret. A sinister enigma determined to reveal itself to Jess and to drive her to the end of her tether. Not only is she stricken by the malign manipulation of the Vicarage’s bleak past, but mercurial Flo is soon casting a baleful influence over young Izzy. What appeared to be a routine job soon becomes a battle for Jess’s sanity and the control of her child.
It’s as if an ancient ritual was triggered when Jess crossed the threshold of the vicarage. A rite leading her and Izzy to a terrifying critical mass, where all will be lost or saved.
“You don’t read an Adam Nevill horror novel: you live it” The Guardian
‘In refining the tale of supernatural horror to its essence, M.R. James increased the terror, and among his living inheritors is Adam Nevill’ – Ramsey Campbell
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