Blood & Mud

By: John Baltisberger

Narrated by: Sean Duregger

Austin poet and author John Baltisberger (Artifice of Flesh, The Configuration Discordant) makes his St. Rooster Books debut with a powerful kaiju novella full of Jewish mysticism, death, and destruction.

When a good man is senselessly murdered during Chicago's Gay Pride event, Satan summons a horrifying monster of old, releasing both his anger and the monster in defiance of heaven and humanity.

Blood & Mud includes an essay on Jewish occultism and mythology, revealing the rich tapestry of mystery and history that inspired Baltisberger and this harrowing novella.

©2020 John Austin Baltisberger (P)2021 John Austin Baltisberger

captivating story!

I was provided a review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I really enjoyed this story. It was a different take on good and evil. I was drawn into the story from the start. The story is fast paced and action packed.

Narration was excellent. Kept my attention and pleasant to listen to. Overall 4 stars for me.

Angels and Action

If you enjoy religious-themed man versus monster stories, this might be right for you. Plenty of blood and guts, as well as stylish characters. It's Godzilla meets The Prophecy.

It was ok

The story was not as well developed as it could have been. If the audiobook was longer & better developed it could easily been 5 stars. Narration was excellent.

Dark Jewish-Based Horror

Blood & Mud pulls deeply from Jewish Mysticism to tell modern dark horror stories. I love the crwtivity at play here. Not being Jewish myself, I found the blending of horror and Jewish lore both intriguing and informative.
The narrator reads perfectly to the dark mood of the stories. I had a particular fondness for the Golem story.
At times, I stopped listening because some of the storylines become too soul crushing but never off-putting.
This book is a great accomplishment in horror. Perfect for horror fans of any religious persuasion.

Outstanding narration

The narrator does a fantastic job. It’s a delight listening to him voicing Satan and I highly recommend checking out more books narrated by Sean Duregger.
The story drags itself a bit even though short, and at times seems more like a lecture than prose.