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Posthaste Manor
NEVER TRUST A HOUSE WITH A NAME
Everyone has a story about Posthaste Manor.
None of the stories end well, but that doesn’t stop the hopeful from hoping and the desperate from trying.
This composite novel stands as both history and eulogy of one very haunted house, as recounted by artists, real estate agents, and beloved family pets; by the debauched, the dead and the dying, and anyone looking for one last chance.
Raise a glass in celebration. Just don't linger within its walls for long
Cover art by Trevor Henderson.
Interior illustrations by Alex Woodroe.
About the Jolie Toomajan is a PhD candidate, writer, editor, and all-around ghoul. Her dissertation in progress is focused on the women who wrote for Weird Tales and her work has appeared in Upon a Thrice Time, Death in the Mouth, and Black Static, among others. She is editor of Aseptic and Faintly An Anthology of Hysteria Fiction . Despite all of this, she would investigate a clown hanging out in a sewer grate. Carson Winter is an award-winning author, punker, and raw nerve. His fiction has been featured in Apex, Vastarien, and Tales to Terrify. “The Guts of Myth” was published in Volume One of Dread Stone Press’ Split Scream series. His novella, Soft Targets , is out now from Tenebrous Press . He lives in the Pacific Northwest.
“Un-builds a mosaic narrative from the exquisitely deconstructed corpse of Gothic fiction. Toomajan and Winter kick our expectations out like delinquents smashing windows, then remodel the old bones of the haunted house story to entrap the reader in a joyfully wicked architectural beast.” “Disturbing, yet often tender, thanks to imagery that stuns and creeps and never forgets that a haunted house needs humans inside of it. A refreshing and evil spin on a classic trope by two fierce talents.”
Everyone has a story about Posthaste Manor.
None of the stories end well, but that doesn’t stop the hopeful from hoping and the desperate from trying.
This composite novel stands as both history and eulogy of one very haunted house, as recounted by artists, real estate agents, and beloved family pets; by the debauched, the dead and the dying, and anyone looking for one last chance.
Raise a glass in celebration. Just don't linger within its walls for long
Cover art by Trevor Henderson.
Interior illustrations by Alex Woodroe.
About the Jolie Toomajan is a PhD candidate, writer, editor, and all-around ghoul. Her dissertation in progress is focused on the women who wrote for Weird Tales and her work has appeared in Upon a Thrice Time, Death in the Mouth, and Black Static, among others. She is editor of Aseptic and Faintly An Anthology of Hysteria Fiction . Despite all of this, she would investigate a clown hanging out in a sewer grate. Carson Winter is an award-winning author, punker, and raw nerve. His fiction has been featured in Apex, Vastarien, and Tales to Terrify. “The Guts of Myth” was published in Volume One of Dread Stone Press’ Split Scream series. His novella, Soft Targets , is out now from Tenebrous Press . He lives in the Pacific Northwest.
“Un-builds a mosaic narrative from the exquisitely deconstructed corpse of Gothic fiction. Toomajan and Winter kick our expectations out like delinquents smashing windows, then remodel the old bones of the haunted house story to entrap the reader in a joyfully wicked architectural beast.” “Disturbing, yet often tender, thanks to imagery that stuns and creeps and never forgets that a haunted house needs humans inside of it. A refreshing and evil spin on a classic trope by two fierce talents.”
189 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 18, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
January 17, 2024
What a great setting! A joint novella, along with several short stories, all taking place in the same mysterious and horrifying location, the eponymous Posthaste Manor. There is so much dread in this book, and the story moved so propulsively fast, I could hardly put it down. I would love to see either a.) more stories out of Posthaste or b.) more people doing "experimental" narratives like this.
November 3, 2023
Both authors are responsible for some of my favourite stories ("Elizabeth Frankenstein Is the Saddest Girl on Earth" by Jolie Toomajan and “In Haskins” by Carson Winter) but I was still gobsmacked by Posthaste Manor. The narrative duet that opens the book grabbed my attention and didn’t let go until it was all over.
The book consists of a novella and collection of short stories, all set in Posthaste Manor. Initially, I didn’t want the novella to end, and thought the stories would be a bit of an anticlimax. NOPE. “The Absolutely True and Correct Account of the Honorable Mlle. Cassandra Von Archambault, Affectionately and Begrudgingly Known To Her Friends and Family as Echo” is worth the price of the book all on its own.
Posthaste Manor winks slyly at Jackson’s Hill House and Danielewski’s House of Leaves while still being its own beast. It’s smart, tense, lyrical, funny, and I’m throwing out adjectives here, trying to convey how fantastic this book was, but you really just have to read it.
(Also want to add that the illustrations by Alex Woodroe are a great touch!)
The book consists of a novella and collection of short stories, all set in Posthaste Manor. Initially, I didn’t want the novella to end, and thought the stories would be a bit of an anticlimax. NOPE. “The Absolutely True and Correct Account of the Honorable Mlle. Cassandra Von Archambault, Affectionately and Begrudgingly Known To Her Friends and Family as Echo” is worth the price of the book all on its own.
Posthaste Manor winks slyly at Jackson’s Hill House and Danielewski’s House of Leaves while still being its own beast. It’s smart, tense, lyrical, funny, and I’m throwing out adjectives here, trying to convey how fantastic this book was, but you really just have to read it.
(Also want to add that the illustrations by Alex Woodroe are a great touch!)
October 8, 2023
Review originally on
JamReads
Posthaste Manor is a collaborative horror novella, co-written by Jolie Toomajan and Carson Winter, published by Tenebrous Press. At this point, you might be not surprised that this is a quite weird novella, blending elements from cosmic and gothic horror, with an innovative narrative style; and that goes from really tense moments to even get a laugh from you.
Everybody has a story with Posthaste Manor, a house with a name and a long history of darkness; and effectively, we will soon understand that the characters are just pieces used to create an aura over the real main character: the Manor, in a really cosmic way.
We have a book divided into two sections, with different natures; a first one following at the same time the personal stories of two people, bouncing between timelines in each chapter, creating the horrific atmosphere around the Manor, and a second one telling us the different stories people have lived in relationship with the Manor (and let me tell you, with wildly varying styles).
While the style is really weird, due to the unique nature of this novella, it shows how a collaborative work can bring so much creativity into the table; it's simply mind-blowing (but be aware of reading the content warnings before diving into it, because it gets really dark).
It's true that this structure might not click for everybody, but in my particular case, I felt it increased the impact it caused over me; the two complementary stories in the first half establish the house's figure, preparing you for the absolute madness that is unleashed in the second one.
Posthaste Manor is, simply, a marvelous horror novella, a delightful experience if you are looking for a different kind of horror. Well done, Joolie Tomajan and Carson Winter!
Posthaste Manor is a collaborative horror novella, co-written by Jolie Toomajan and Carson Winter, published by Tenebrous Press. At this point, you might be not surprised that this is a quite weird novella, blending elements from cosmic and gothic horror, with an innovative narrative style; and that goes from really tense moments to even get a laugh from you.
Everybody has a story with Posthaste Manor, a house with a name and a long history of darkness; and effectively, we will soon understand that the characters are just pieces used to create an aura over the real main character: the Manor, in a really cosmic way.
We have a book divided into two sections, with different natures; a first one following at the same time the personal stories of two people, bouncing between timelines in each chapter, creating the horrific atmosphere around the Manor, and a second one telling us the different stories people have lived in relationship with the Manor (and let me tell you, with wildly varying styles).
While the style is really weird, due to the unique nature of this novella, it shows how a collaborative work can bring so much creativity into the table; it's simply mind-blowing (but be aware of reading the content warnings before diving into it, because it gets really dark).
It's true that this structure might not click for everybody, but in my particular case, I felt it increased the impact it caused over me; the two complementary stories in the first half establish the house's figure, preparing you for the absolute madness that is unleashed in the second one.
Posthaste Manor is, simply, a marvelous horror novella, a delightful experience if you are looking for a different kind of horror. Well done, Joolie Tomajan and Carson Winter!
September 25, 2023
My quick note when finishing the book:
What in the world?! This book is WILD!
Review:
Posthaste Manor by Jolie Toomajan and Carson Winter is a tale of a house with a name and a long history of darkness from the energies that have seeped deep into the walls over the years.
Content Warnings:
This book has a beautiful content warning page that breaks things down, but I’ll share this line here: “Being a work of mature Horror, a degree of violence, gore, sex and/or death is to be expected.”
Tenebrous Press has done it again; publishing a killer bizarre horror tale from Jolie Toomajan and Carson Winter that sucked me right in! If I were asked to explain exactly what this book was about, I honestly couldn’t tell ya I knew for sure! What I can tell you is that I enjoyed it immensely.
This is a must-read for fans of bizarre and spooky horror spiked with gore and terror that reads like you’re looking at a giant mosaic far too closely at first. As the read goes on, and you slowly take a step back with each page, you begin to see what the image is. And yet, at the very end, you’re still left a bit puzzled, like you’ve realized the mosaic you were trying to figure out is actually a Rorschach test!
Check out my full review here:
https://www.ericarobynreads.com/posth...
What in the world?! This book is WILD!
Review:
Posthaste Manor by Jolie Toomajan and Carson Winter is a tale of a house with a name and a long history of darkness from the energies that have seeped deep into the walls over the years.
Content Warnings:
This book has a beautiful content warning page that breaks things down, but I’ll share this line here: “Being a work of mature Horror, a degree of violence, gore, sex and/or death is to be expected.”
Tenebrous Press has done it again; publishing a killer bizarre horror tale from Jolie Toomajan and Carson Winter that sucked me right in! If I were asked to explain exactly what this book was about, I honestly couldn’t tell ya I knew for sure! What I can tell you is that I enjoyed it immensely.
This is a must-read for fans of bizarre and spooky horror spiked with gore and terror that reads like you’re looking at a giant mosaic far too closely at first. As the read goes on, and you slowly take a step back with each page, you begin to see what the image is. And yet, at the very end, you’re still left a bit puzzled, like you’ve realized the mosaic you were trying to figure out is actually a Rorschach test!
Check out my full review here:
https://www.ericarobynreads.com/posth...
September 29, 2023
Special thanks to Tenebrous Press for the ARC copy they provided.
I went into Posthaste Manor expecting a typical haunted house story.
I should have known better than to expect anything from Tenebrous Press, who constantly and consistently provides the weird, the unusual, and the unexpected. Posthaste Manor was NOTHING like what I expected.
Not necessarily a bad thing, even if the structure of the book ended up not being one I enjoyed. I’m one for a book that keeps a consistent beat, even if it doesn’t move from beginning to end in one, fluid flow. Posthaste Manor is an incredibly woven tapestry of styles that don’t match, and narrators that are anything but consistent.
Throughout the first half of the book the story alternated between two characters encountering Posthaste Manor, and learning just what a mistake they’ve made in purchasing the house. At the halfway point, all of that shifts into a bouncing shift in perspective every chapter. To me it was jarring, but I believe that was my own personal preference in book style being bruised. I will not deny the authors of Posthaste Manor did striking work in tying all these miss-matched pieces together.
It takes two people of talent, and an amazing publication team, to create a work like this and pull it off.
And, right after stating the style was not for me, I will admit, Jolie Toomajan and Carson Winter pulled this book off spectacularly.
The mad creative, the average family, the young woman fleeing abuse, and yes, even the family cat gets a say in this book’s narrative, and that is something amazing.
Not to mention, I read this book mostly in the dark. At night. When everyone else was asleep.
That was a mistake.
Posthaste Manor gave me the shivers, and made me not want to look in any mirrors for three consecutive nights.
Can you ask more of a haunted house story? I don’t think so.
So, be aware this book will jerk you along like a marionette with faulty strings, but you’ll enjoy it the whole way.
Or, you’ll drop your book and run screaming from that bump in the night.
Whatever comes first.
I went into Posthaste Manor expecting a typical haunted house story.
I should have known better than to expect anything from Tenebrous Press, who constantly and consistently provides the weird, the unusual, and the unexpected. Posthaste Manor was NOTHING like what I expected.
Not necessarily a bad thing, even if the structure of the book ended up not being one I enjoyed. I’m one for a book that keeps a consistent beat, even if it doesn’t move from beginning to end in one, fluid flow. Posthaste Manor is an incredibly woven tapestry of styles that don’t match, and narrators that are anything but consistent.
Throughout the first half of the book the story alternated between two characters encountering Posthaste Manor, and learning just what a mistake they’ve made in purchasing the house. At the halfway point, all of that shifts into a bouncing shift in perspective every chapter. To me it was jarring, but I believe that was my own personal preference in book style being bruised. I will not deny the authors of Posthaste Manor did striking work in tying all these miss-matched pieces together.
It takes two people of talent, and an amazing publication team, to create a work like this and pull it off.
And, right after stating the style was not for me, I will admit, Jolie Toomajan and Carson Winter pulled this book off spectacularly.
The mad creative, the average family, the young woman fleeing abuse, and yes, even the family cat gets a say in this book’s narrative, and that is something amazing.
Not to mention, I read this book mostly in the dark. At night. When everyone else was asleep.
That was a mistake.
Posthaste Manor gave me the shivers, and made me not want to look in any mirrors for three consecutive nights.
Can you ask more of a haunted house story? I don’t think so.
So, be aware this book will jerk you along like a marionette with faulty strings, but you’ll enjoy it the whole way.
Or, you’ll drop your book and run screaming from that bump in the night.
Whatever comes first.
October 5, 2023
Absolutely brilliant, vicious, and disturbing, this haunted house book will have you rethinking this entire sub-genre of horror.
One of the characters best describes the house in this book as not actually being a house at all but simply wearing it like a costume (something to that effect). And, as you'll read, that is an accurate description of Posthaste Manor.
Divided into two sections, we'll get to know this house and what it's capable of. And, let me tell you, if you thought The Amityville House was scary, this one will have you shaking with fear and anxiety. This is one of the best books about an evil building I have ever read.
The characters we meet in the first section will give us a look inside of this house. It's been a cursed place forever and everyone avoids it at all costs. The stories about disappearances, death, and unholy things living in the walls are well known. But that still doesn't stop certain people from buying it. Very unwise people.
A man and a woman are at the center of the first section. Each is in a different timeline but they each buy the house for different reasons. And the things that will happen to them are downright horrific.
The second section tells short stories of past inhabitants of the house and each one just gets more and more terrifying and creepy. These authors put their best twisted minds forward with these and you'll be left with a definitive chill up your spine as you're reading these accounts.
I absolutely loved this book. It's scary, horrifying, delightfully disturbing, and some of these scenes will live rent free in your head for a very long time. I highly recommend it!
One of the characters best describes the house in this book as not actually being a house at all but simply wearing it like a costume (something to that effect). And, as you'll read, that is an accurate description of Posthaste Manor.
Divided into two sections, we'll get to know this house and what it's capable of. And, let me tell you, if you thought The Amityville House was scary, this one will have you shaking with fear and anxiety. This is one of the best books about an evil building I have ever read.
The characters we meet in the first section will give us a look inside of this house. It's been a cursed place forever and everyone avoids it at all costs. The stories about disappearances, death, and unholy things living in the walls are well known. But that still doesn't stop certain people from buying it. Very unwise people.
A man and a woman are at the center of the first section. Each is in a different timeline but they each buy the house for different reasons. And the things that will happen to them are downright horrific.
The second section tells short stories of past inhabitants of the house and each one just gets more and more terrifying and creepy. These authors put their best twisted minds forward with these and you'll be left with a definitive chill up your spine as you're reading these accounts.
I absolutely loved this book. It's scary, horrifying, delightfully disturbing, and some of these scenes will live rent free in your head for a very long time. I highly recommend it!
December 30, 2023
Absolutely incredible read from start to finish. You can tell the authors are horror devotees; Posthaste Manor is an expertly crafted addition to the genre that will delight existing fans and probably create a few new ones if anyone bold enough to make this their introduction to the world of haunted houses and deranged spirits.
The composite format of the novel is perfect- rather than seeing a single incident of the cursed manor destroying a doomed character/family, with flashes of backstory via exposition - we see the breadth and depth of its terror over years of residents, with each one adding a new layer to the myth of Postehaste or giving a glimpse into “what really happened” with an existing rumor we’ve already learned. Of course, with a manor as legendary as this one, we’re never able to get a complete picture, the more that we learn, the more shadows grow to darken corners that only our imaginations can fill.
It’s compelling, it’s scary, it’s smart, and it’s oh so much fun. Heed the content warnings if you need them, but read this book posthaste!
(Sorry I couldn’t help myself)
The composite format of the novel is perfect- rather than seeing a single incident of the cursed manor destroying a doomed character/family, with flashes of backstory via exposition - we see the breadth and depth of its terror over years of residents, with each one adding a new layer to the myth of Postehaste or giving a glimpse into “what really happened” with an existing rumor we’ve already learned. Of course, with a manor as legendary as this one, we’re never able to get a complete picture, the more that we learn, the more shadows grow to darken corners that only our imaginations can fill.
It’s compelling, it’s scary, it’s smart, and it’s oh so much fun. Heed the content warnings if you need them, but read this book posthaste!
(Sorry I couldn’t help myself)
October 22, 2023
Posthaste Manor is like a strange experimental duet between two strong, distinctive voices. Chilling and sometimes shocking, this novel maintains an undercurrent of bitter humor throughout.
July 27, 2024
A hybrid novel arranged almost like a collection, plucking stories out of the timeline of an extremely haunted house and all the people that have gone through it and ended up chewed up and wrecked. The opening novella wasn't really doing it for me, but I'm glad I persevered because the short stories that come after were right up my alley. Overall a very cool collaboration.
October 27, 2023
I cannot stop talking/thinking about this book. A glitteringly terrifying, wildly different example of modern horror.
Posthaste Manor is evil house. The book is like a real estate folio of the house’s history, each section a different voice/viewpoint/short story/list/dream/voyeurism/resident/visitor/repairman/neighbor’s tale of the house. Wild transitions (or lack thereof?) similar to my recent favorite horror movie Barbarian.
Bloody, sneaky, shifty horror. I was reeled in and thrown about. Very cleverly different. A wild ride on a rickety roller coaster through a haunted funhouse.
Posthaste Manor is evil house. The book is like a real estate folio of the house’s history, each section a different voice/viewpoint/short story/list/dream/voyeurism/resident/visitor/repairman/neighbor’s tale of the house. Wild transitions (or lack thereof?) similar to my recent favorite horror movie Barbarian.
Bloody, sneaky, shifty horror. I was reeled in and thrown about. Very cleverly different. A wild ride on a rickety roller coaster through a haunted funhouse.
December 4, 2023
This is not your grandparents haunted house story.
I loved the story, and both writers did an excellent job with their contributions. Part One of this composite novel, however, is pieced together quite roughly. It lacks flow, which makes it very difficult to follow, and there are a lot of crazy happenings to follow, that you want to follow.
Part Two though, pure excellence. The stories from the various inhabitants/neighbors/realtors were bizarre, creepy, strange, and just the right amount of frightening.
"Choose Your Own Reality"
If you like bizarre and spooky - read this.
I loved the story, and both writers did an excellent job with their contributions. Part One of this composite novel, however, is pieced together quite roughly. It lacks flow, which makes it very difficult to follow, and there are a lot of crazy happenings to follow, that you want to follow.
Part Two though, pure excellence. The stories from the various inhabitants/neighbors/realtors were bizarre, creepy, strange, and just the right amount of frightening.
"Choose Your Own Reality"
If you like bizarre and spooky - read this.
Read
September 11, 2024I'd buy that for a dollar!
Very fun, wickedly paced. Entertained me the whole way through, demon sex and all.
Very fun, wickedly paced. Entertained me the whole way through, demon sex and all.
November 13, 2023
The writing is vivid and takes an inventive approach to the typical haunted house story, but I'm not exactly sold on this as a "composite novel." I appreciated the first half of the book, which unfolds a dual storyline about two inhabitants (in different times) of Posthaste Manor. I especially liked the choice to have two Chapter Ones, two Chapter Twos, etc. But the second half of the book, a collection of stories filling in Posthaste Manor's history, felt like an appendix. Not that these stories aren't great--I loved the story written as an interview with a couple who escaped the house, with sidebars from a neighbor and even "quotes" from Posthaste Manor itself. But I can't help but feel that all of this would've been more satisfying if woven into or interspersed with the dual narrative. As it is, I feel like I was handed all the authors' notes for a novel rather than a finished manuscript.
October 14, 2023
“No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Posthaste Manor, really really really f*cking not sane, stood by itself against the hills, holding chaos and specters and some really goopy shit and darkness within.”
-Shirley Jackson Jolie Toomaran and Carson Winter
Posthaste Manor is a haunted house novel co-written by Jolie Toomaran (Death in the Mouth: Original Horror by People of Color, contributor) and Carson Winter (Soft Targets), but this ain’t your typical haunted house story. Far from it. It’s a dark, weird, surreal exploration of local myth-making and the way that the stories we tell one another can blossom into real-life horror.
The first half of the book takes the shape of two concurrent narratives at different times in Posthaste Manor, a (very) haunted home that’s become a local legend in its small Pennsylvania neighborhood. The authors trade off chapters, telling the side-by-side tales of Adira (Jolie Toomaran) and Otho (Carson Winter), both of whom move into Posthaste Manor and experience, uh, weirdness. To put it lightly. I haven’t read a lot of novels cowritten in this fashion, but it reminded me of the switching narratives in This is How You Lose the Time War. Very unique and both authors' voices, albeit very different, mesh well together.
The second half of the novel is a series of short pieces that take on various inhabitants and visitors to Posthaste (before inevitably putting them through the meat grinder). There’s great stylistic variety in these shorts: one is written as a transcript of a husband-and-wife whose lives in Posthaste have driven them apart (and also maybe insane?), another is written in the voice of real estate broker who simply can’t believe Posthaste Manor is still on the market, another about a woman who has, shall we say, bad luck with romantic partners. There’s ghosts, orgies, gore, plumbers, murder—a grab bag of horror that’s great fun and wince-inducing.
I was consistently impressed with the prose throughout the book. As mentioned, both authors have very different writing styles, yet it all gels together nicely. Both keep the surreal weirdness coming and are not afraid of a good ickkk gross-out. One major similarity the two authors share is an acidic sense of humor. Though the content is grim, there are moments in these stories that are howlingly funny. There's a strain of satire through the book, a relatable desperation to the characters brought on by their material circumstances. Nearly everyone knows Posthaste is haunted, yet people keep moving in. In the current, depressing reality of our housing market, the book almost seems to ask whether, if you got a good deal, you wouldn't be willing to move into Posthaste, too?
I’m an absolute sucker for surreal horror done well, and this book delivers. I'd highly recommend this for fans of Kate Koja (The Cipher), Negative Space, and fans of mucky, complex horror in general. Well worth your time!
-
Posthaste Manor is a haunted house novel co-written by Jolie Toomaran (Death in the Mouth: Original Horror by People of Color, contributor) and Carson Winter (Soft Targets), but this ain’t your typical haunted house story. Far from it. It’s a dark, weird, surreal exploration of local myth-making and the way that the stories we tell one another can blossom into real-life horror.
The first half of the book takes the shape of two concurrent narratives at different times in Posthaste Manor, a (very) haunted home that’s become a local legend in its small Pennsylvania neighborhood. The authors trade off chapters, telling the side-by-side tales of Adira (Jolie Toomaran) and Otho (Carson Winter), both of whom move into Posthaste Manor and experience, uh, weirdness. To put it lightly. I haven’t read a lot of novels cowritten in this fashion, but it reminded me of the switching narratives in This is How You Lose the Time War. Very unique and both authors' voices, albeit very different, mesh well together.
The second half of the novel is a series of short pieces that take on various inhabitants and visitors to Posthaste (before inevitably putting them through the meat grinder). There’s great stylistic variety in these shorts: one is written as a transcript of a husband-and-wife whose lives in Posthaste have driven them apart (and also maybe insane?), another is written in the voice of real estate broker who simply can’t believe Posthaste Manor is still on the market, another about a woman who has, shall we say, bad luck with romantic partners. There’s ghosts, orgies, gore, plumbers, murder—a grab bag of horror that’s great fun and wince-inducing.
I was consistently impressed with the prose throughout the book. As mentioned, both authors have very different writing styles, yet it all gels together nicely. Both keep the surreal weirdness coming and are not afraid of a good ickkk gross-out. One major similarity the two authors share is an acidic sense of humor. Though the content is grim, there are moments in these stories that are howlingly funny. There's a strain of satire through the book, a relatable desperation to the characters brought on by their material circumstances. Nearly everyone knows Posthaste is haunted, yet people keep moving in. In the current, depressing reality of our housing market, the book almost seems to ask whether, if you got a good deal, you wouldn't be willing to move into Posthaste, too?
I’m an absolute sucker for surreal horror done well, and this book delivers. I'd highly recommend this for fans of Kate Koja (The Cipher), Negative Space, and fans of mucky, complex horror in general. Well worth your time!
October 10, 2023
I am a huge sucker for haunted house tales and Posthaste Manor was delightful in its use of familiar tropes, gothic/weird themes, and all the batshit craziness Carson/Jolie weaved throughout the book. As I mentioned above, the house’s history is told through a novella and a series of short stories, leading the reader down a deliciously insane background of a house that just won’t let go. Not of the characters or the reader.
The book opens on the novella which tells of two separate characters’ experience with the house. Otho (his sections are written by Carson) is curious about the house’s reputation and just had to have it, Adira (her sections are written by Jolie) is running from her abusive husband and the cheap price tag and looming walls of Posthaste Manor seem to be the perfect haven…at least for a while.
I loved how the two characters’ stories are individual from one another and yet line up and sometimes intersect like a perfectly orchestrated nightmare. It’s the perfect start to the reader’s tour of the hungry haunted house that is Posthaste Manor.
After the novella are the short stories, which drag the reader in the weirdest, brutal, and sometimes gory events in the house’s past that flavour its curse. Each story is delectable, I honestly couldn’t put it down.
I feel like it takes true talent as a writer to be able to collaborate with another. Carson and Jolie did an amazing job of working with each other’s narrative voices, prose, and style, building a haunted house novel with good, nay, great bones. (bah dum tsh)
And the beautiful thing about Posthaste Manor is its so unique. I am struggling to find the right words to describe how you, dear reader, might experience the book. For me, it was like touring the house myself, with a dark and mysterious guide, learning its secrets and shivering.
Besides the novella, I do have some favourites among the shorts:
“Rats and Dogs on the Planet Nowhere” - Carson Winter: a swingers party in a haunted house like no other.
“Everyone’s Just Screaming All The Time” - Carson Winter: a man is called to fix the boiler in Posthaste Manor.
“Conscious Uncoupling” - Jolie Toomajan: a wife and husband are interviewed about the house.
And my absolute favourite: “Mrs. Mutilate’s Husbands” - Jolie Toomajan: a Gothic fairy tale-esque tale a woman with the worst luck in men.
So if you’re looking for a nice little haunted house novel for the coming spooky season, pre-order Posthaste Manor now! I promise, it’ll be nothing like anything you’ve ever read!
The book opens on the novella which tells of two separate characters’ experience with the house. Otho (his sections are written by Carson) is curious about the house’s reputation and just had to have it, Adira (her sections are written by Jolie) is running from her abusive husband and the cheap price tag and looming walls of Posthaste Manor seem to be the perfect haven…at least for a while.
I loved how the two characters’ stories are individual from one another and yet line up and sometimes intersect like a perfectly orchestrated nightmare. It’s the perfect start to the reader’s tour of the hungry haunted house that is Posthaste Manor.
After the novella are the short stories, which drag the reader in the weirdest, brutal, and sometimes gory events in the house’s past that flavour its curse. Each story is delectable, I honestly couldn’t put it down.
I feel like it takes true talent as a writer to be able to collaborate with another. Carson and Jolie did an amazing job of working with each other’s narrative voices, prose, and style, building a haunted house novel with good, nay, great bones. (bah dum tsh)
And the beautiful thing about Posthaste Manor is its so unique. I am struggling to find the right words to describe how you, dear reader, might experience the book. For me, it was like touring the house myself, with a dark and mysterious guide, learning its secrets and shivering.
Besides the novella, I do have some favourites among the shorts:
“Rats and Dogs on the Planet Nowhere” - Carson Winter: a swingers party in a haunted house like no other.
“Everyone’s Just Screaming All The Time” - Carson Winter: a man is called to fix the boiler in Posthaste Manor.
“Conscious Uncoupling” - Jolie Toomajan: a wife and husband are interviewed about the house.
And my absolute favourite: “Mrs. Mutilate’s Husbands” - Jolie Toomajan: a Gothic fairy tale-esque tale a woman with the worst luck in men.
So if you’re looking for a nice little haunted house novel for the coming spooky season, pre-order Posthaste Manor now! I promise, it’ll be nothing like anything you’ve ever read!
November 23, 2023
4.5 stars
Going into 2023, I didn’t intentionally set a reading goal of reading multiple co-written novels about haunted houses, so it's kinda weird that this happened organically. My first was the searing and macabre The Handyman Method by Andrew Sullivan and Nick Cutter, and the second was this one, Posthaste Manor , by Jolie Toomajan and Carson Winter Perhaps I should tackle Straub/King's Black House next. (Is that even about a haunted house?)
I’ve always been curious as to how co-written novels work from the writers’ perspective. Do you take turns with chapters? Do you sit around a campfire, laptops in hand, trading sentences like licks on a banjo? Are you hanging over each other's shoulders nitpicking each sentence? Is there the inevitable blood, sweat, and tears that surely must come when two egos brush up against one another?
From Posthaste’s Manor’s outset, there seems to be something really synergistic going on. The first section is written in such a unique way that you can’t help but smile at what the two authors are doing here. It’s akin to an indie-movie full of quick cuts and whip pans to transition between scenes.
Later, the book settles into a more compartmentalized narrative, the dividing lines more apparent by the use of chapter breaks. You can see the seams, sure, but this section is braided into a tight two-toned rope, each narrative complementing the other.
We have two different residents of the house in two different timelines. Both of these new inhabitants have designs on what they hope moving into the house will yield, but their motivations are completely different. Only the passing of chapters can tell whether their dreams will come to fruition.
The back half of the book finds itself composed of numerous short stories that work to fill in the background and history of the house. We get to see various terrible encounters involving the infamous Posthaste Manor. It was here I found myself guessing–sometimes incorrectly–as to whose section was whose.
One minor issue I had was the book’s shift in the second half to a themed collection. I felt like the forward momentum stalled here as one only had to finish a single story to be satisfied. Blame the fantastic writing, I suppose. It’s not hard to be sated, to feel the need to sit and reflect a bit after finishing each one of these.
Once it’s all said and done, I believe that most readers will feel compelled to go back and re-read the first section to discover what they missed, what they knew all along, and what can never be revealed.
A wild and thought provoking ride full of amazing writing, transgressive elements, Posthaste Manor is something horror fans will not wanna miss, by two authors who have arrived at the top of their game.
Going into 2023, I didn’t intentionally set a reading goal of reading multiple co-written novels about haunted houses, so it's kinda weird that this happened organically. My first was the searing and macabre The Handyman Method by Andrew Sullivan and Nick Cutter, and the second was this one, Posthaste Manor , by Jolie Toomajan and Carson Winter Perhaps I should tackle Straub/King's Black House next. (Is that even about a haunted house?)
I’ve always been curious as to how co-written novels work from the writers’ perspective. Do you take turns with chapters? Do you sit around a campfire, laptops in hand, trading sentences like licks on a banjo? Are you hanging over each other's shoulders nitpicking each sentence? Is there the inevitable blood, sweat, and tears that surely must come when two egos brush up against one another?
From Posthaste’s Manor’s outset, there seems to be something really synergistic going on. The first section is written in such a unique way that you can’t help but smile at what the two authors are doing here. It’s akin to an indie-movie full of quick cuts and whip pans to transition between scenes.
Later, the book settles into a more compartmentalized narrative, the dividing lines more apparent by the use of chapter breaks. You can see the seams, sure, but this section is braided into a tight two-toned rope, each narrative complementing the other.
We have two different residents of the house in two different timelines. Both of these new inhabitants have designs on what they hope moving into the house will yield, but their motivations are completely different. Only the passing of chapters can tell whether their dreams will come to fruition.
The back half of the book finds itself composed of numerous short stories that work to fill in the background and history of the house. We get to see various terrible encounters involving the infamous Posthaste Manor. It was here I found myself guessing–sometimes incorrectly–as to whose section was whose.
One minor issue I had was the book’s shift in the second half to a themed collection. I felt like the forward momentum stalled here as one only had to finish a single story to be satisfied. Blame the fantastic writing, I suppose. It’s not hard to be sated, to feel the need to sit and reflect a bit after finishing each one of these.
Once it’s all said and done, I believe that most readers will feel compelled to go back and re-read the first section to discover what they missed, what they knew all along, and what can never be revealed.
A wild and thought provoking ride full of amazing writing, transgressive elements, Posthaste Manor is something horror fans will not wanna miss, by two authors who have arrived at the top of their game.
September 9, 2024
This was a quick read and very enjoyable. The main theme is about a sentient house (like Burnt Offerings, which I read recently) that basically ruins anybody's life should they choose to live in it. Mysterious and horrible things happen constantly, yet people are drawn to to live there.
The first part is basically 2 novellas intertwined, with co-authors Toomajan and Winter taking turns every chapter. The second part is a collection of short stories about the Posthaste house.
My only quibble was with the formatting. I think the novellas could've been separated out to stand on their own instead of going back and forth. I felt like it broke up the flow and momentum of both. Same for the short stories. They are mostly of the same length but vary wildly in theme. I think a handful in the beginning, some in the middle, and then a few at the end would've helped break up what is essentially a whole other book. Something like Dark Park/Dark Factory by Koja with the interspersed news articles etc. to make the work feel more cohesive.
My favorite story was the very last one, about Mrs. Mutilate's list of dead husbands. Of the two novellas, I preferred Toomajan's tale of Adira and her bestie.
CW: Spousal abuse/domestic violence, graphic orgy in the second part, and lots of gore throughout!
The first part is basically 2 novellas intertwined, with co-authors Toomajan and Winter taking turns every chapter. The second part is a collection of short stories about the Posthaste house.
My only quibble was with the formatting. I think the novellas could've been separated out to stand on their own instead of going back and forth. I felt like it broke up the flow and momentum of both. Same for the short stories. They are mostly of the same length but vary wildly in theme. I think a handful in the beginning, some in the middle, and then a few at the end would've helped break up what is essentially a whole other book. Something like Dark Park/Dark Factory by Koja with the interspersed news articles etc. to make the work feel more cohesive.
My favorite story was the very last one, about Mrs. Mutilate's list of dead husbands. Of the two novellas, I preferred Toomajan's tale of Adira and her bestie.
CW: Spousal abuse/domestic violence, graphic orgy in the second part, and lots of gore throughout!
November 28, 2023
I'm new to the realm of horror fiction and I mainly wanted to read this because I have never read a collaborative novella before and I thought to do this under the terrifying umbrella of the same haunted house was a brilliant idea.
In short: this really is full of horrors and too hardcore for me personally - but gripping you with really unique and fervid writing. I didn't know you could jumpscare from a book until now.
I do agree with one reviewer that it is a lot like a mad dark fever dream that won't let go of you and that is of course a huge achievement by the authors - however I would have liked at least a little more of a hint on what originated Posthaste Manor. The closest we get to its origin is the last shot story, which is also my favourite - but I found the end too apprupt. What happened to the arresting Isa-Belle? How did the hosue become an entity?
Despite that I realize we are probably not supposed to understand the entity's nature. It remains an astonishing feat of an experiment and I think veteran horror fans will absolutely delight in this. Have fun, you steeled souls! Me, I long to feel the sun on me come morning and that shall be my truest chapeau to the authors.
In short: this really is full of horrors and too hardcore for me personally - but gripping you with really unique and fervid writing. I didn't know you could jumpscare from a book until now.
I do agree with one reviewer that it is a lot like a mad dark fever dream that won't let go of you and that is of course a huge achievement by the authors - however I would have liked at least a little more of a hint on what originated Posthaste Manor. The closest we get to its origin is the last shot story, which is also my favourite - but I found the end too apprupt. What happened to the arresting Isa-Belle? How did the hosue become an entity?
Despite that I realize we are probably not supposed to understand the entity's nature. It remains an astonishing feat of an experiment and I think veteran horror fans will absolutely delight in this. Have fun, you steeled souls! Me, I long to feel the sun on me come morning and that shall be my truest chapeau to the authors.
March 23, 2024
Never trust a house that has a name. If you're captivated and drawn into stories about house horror or ever wished to visit a haunted house, this little novella may be just what you're looking for. Posthaste Manor is told by an array of characters from the enigmatic owner of the manor to the unsuspecting visitors who dare to venture within its walls, each character adds a layer of complexity to the narrative. From grisly descriptions of violence to gut-wrenching encounters with the supernatural, Toomajan pushes the boundaries of fear in ways that are both shocking and disturbingly exhilarating.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Jolie Toomajan and Posthaste Manor was my first book that I read of hers, but I can say that I'm definitely a fan who looks forward to reading more of her books in the future.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Jolie Toomajan and Posthaste Manor was my first book that I read of hers, but I can say that I'm definitely a fan who looks forward to reading more of her books in the future.
November 22, 2023
What a fun story. Had the luxury of hearing Carson read excerpts of this at Rose City Pub. A fun concept, executed wonderfully. The alternating voices and styles, really had me hooked. Read the thing in one day, and all the little variations and style switches are mind-blowing. Just a good time. Felt like a horror variety show where there's a little something for everyone, a cohesive whole cobbled together thematically and bound by one location. Give it a read!
October 24, 2023
Great weird haunted house tales that shift between two broken and related worlds. A lot of shocks and scares here, along with poignant reflections on friendship, isolation, and what it means to have a home.
Read
November 16, 2023DNF. I just couldn’t get into it. I made it to 60% but the whole thing felt like a fever dream. I had no idea what was going on so just quit. I did not see some big revelation coming at the end of the book that would make sense of everything
September 26, 2023
I absolutely loved this haunted house book. Multiple narrators through out the houses history and somehow they all connect in glorious violet carnage. I can't wait to read more from these authors.
June 19, 2024
Incredible book. Places believable characters in a nightmare, made vivid by prose that’s at turns phantasmagorical, revolting, and darkly funny. A haunted house novel trying to escape itself.
September 1, 2024
Incredibly creepy and bizarre! Toomajan always astounds me with her prose, and Winter misdirects with the best of 'em. Put them together and it's a recipe for madness!
December 3, 2023
Haunted house story? Haunted neighborhood? Haunted people?
Posthaste Manor is an expertly woven tapestry of feverish, hypnotic vignettes, sewn together with sinew made of a thousand screaming nightmares. Lyrical, uncomfortable, and wholly inescapable, alternately hilarious and disgusting…the expertly written prose is enough to make you wonder if it’s you or the characters that are drifting in and out of a demon’s open maw, perilously close to getting devoured.
I’ll definitely be checking out more from both of these authors!
Posthaste Manor is an expertly woven tapestry of feverish, hypnotic vignettes, sewn together with sinew made of a thousand screaming nightmares. Lyrical, uncomfortable, and wholly inescapable, alternately hilarious and disgusting…the expertly written prose is enough to make you wonder if it’s you or the characters that are drifting in and out of a demon’s open maw, perilously close to getting devoured.
I’ll definitely be checking out more from both of these authors!
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