The Awakening

The Darkness of Diggory Finch, Book 1

By: Chris Philbrook

Narrated by: Joe Hempel

Diggory Finch had a mother that didn’t seem to want him and a father that chose to run from every struggle the family ever had. The same father lied about the family fortune.

But now Grandma Beatrice is gone, and Diggory has inherited Finch Island in Twin Falls, as well as millions of dollars, a house, an old mill building, and the profound, evil darkness that dwells at the center of his family’s heart.

Diggory returns home, happy and comfortable for the first time in a home that’s not going anywhere, and starts the process of opening up a game store on his family’s property. He even meets a young lady that makes him want to stop sabotaging his relationships. Could it be love?

Or will the horror that unfolds undo all he’s ever wanted?

The Finch family is surrounded by people who want something from them. They want the dark power that Diggory has access to. They want the doorway only he can open to remain open forever, and if they have to lock him up so the ancient evil he can access can always flow to them, then so be it.

But for the first time, this Finch isn’t running, and he isn’t content to be used to unleash evil on the world.

Can Diggory harness the great darkness within him and defeat the monsters that feast on the people of Twin Falls, or will he lose control and put the entire world at risk?

Enter the world of Twin Falls; a modern day Lovecraftian universe of ancient, eldritch evils, cults, monsters, and one very sarcastic young man that's just sick of being used, abused, and self-destructive.

©2021 Chris Philbrook (P)2021 Chris Philbrook

Home run by the fantastic Chris Philbrook!!!

great story, characters and creativity!! strongly suggest you give a listen. well done Chris

Philbrook does it again

From the start you can relate to Diggory and his mental struggles..then bam....modern Lovecraft style. It was fast paced and engaging. The next part can't come soon enough.

Outstanding

I really liked the story. It had highs and lows, action, mystery, suspense, and humor as well as horror. It made me laugh, scared me, made me cry (read, I’m not crying, your crying), and even had little nuggets of other stories ( got it from Gilbert from back in 2010. I see you Chris. Otis is my homeboy too.) The only downfall is it ended and I have to wait for another. I also really liked the narrator. I believe he executed the characters perfectly. Really well done all around. Keep up the good work!

Inconsistency in storytelling not for me

This series isn’t gonna be for me alas.
I just couldn’t get used to the inconsistency in storytelling.
About half the book is in journal form and the other half is told from a third person perspective of various people. I loved the first and disliked the second.
It just never came together for me/ never felt as 1 whole.

Too much is kept a mystery. You hear entire conversations you can’t possible place or understand.
Even now the book is finished I’m not that much the wiser.

I also had a problem with Diggory’s character development. He changed so much after 1 experience it wasn’t believable to me.

The narration was good.

A very good Lovecraftian novel

This was a very good Lovecraftian style story. Diggory, the MC, has quite a few problems. He is autistic and anxious. His parents were barely tolerable, and suddenly, he found himself the inheritor of his grandmother's house and fortune. Too bad this inheritance came with a secretive town in which really weird incidents are happening. Was Diggory the reason why? As he tried to find the truth with the help of a town librarian, what started out as little incidents turned into a nightmare. This was a fun book. However, I did take off a star because it didn't end. It's book one a what looks to be a trilogy. Therefore, many of the answers I was hoping for were not divulged in this book. But I will continue on to find out what happens.