Title: The Church In Wildwood: Hell is Near
Author: William Gamsby
Publisher: Author’s Tranquility Press
ISBN: 978-1966972587
Pages: 100
Genre: Religious Fiction
Reviewed by: Subhrajit Saha
Hollywood Book Reviews
Russel Grey, a chosen one, travelled a lot throughout his life. The young man finished his doctorate and went to stay with his folks in China. But luck was not by his side, both his mom and dad met with an accident which took their life. With a broken heart he came to his uncle’s place in Wildwood. Russel’s uncle Gerald Grey was the pastor of the Wildwood church. Before the protagonist reaches there Gerald dies with only a little house left for his beloved nephew. With no one close to him left in this world, Russel decides to stay at his uncle’s place. On the other hand, a part of the Wildwood’s council didn’t like Russell coming there out of nowhere. They were not the believers of God, so after the Pastor died they decided to close the church and provide the property to some business personalities.
Russell started to know the town, its character, its people, its vibe. He befriends Charlotte, an intelligent lady of Wildwood who helps him to know about pastor Gerald and as well is a believer of God. On a simple journey of exploring a small-town of 2531 people, Russel learned there is something very dangerous going to happen in the town. Which might lead to the destruction of the town or its people forever. The more the story unfolds the more we get to know about the dark reality of Wildwood. When the whole town sleeps, the dark reality of the beautiful town awakes with numerous chants, plenty of blood, spine chilling rituals, and so on. At a point in time Russel finds himself in the center of the mysterious, horrific acts and he has no other option except facing it. There are humanity yet inhuman things in Wildwood, there is the presence of God yet Devil is evitable in the fate of the town. Can the protagonist Russell, who did not have any idea about who he is or what the other dimension is all about before coming to Pastor Grey’s town, save Wildwood? How is Pastor Grey connected to this jigsaw puzzle? There are positive attributes, immense darkness, mystery, inquisitiveness and much more to engage the audience with the fascinating tale of William Gamsby.
As far as the storyline is concerned, from the beginning of the book The Church In Wildwood Hell is Near, the author successfully incorporated the eerie vibe. The mysterious ambience of Wildwood made the plot more intriguing for the readers. Those who are fond of adventurous tales with a mixture of stranger things would definitely love the world of Wildwood. The continuous spying on the protagonist or making him stressful with plenty of odd things happening around him helps the reader feel emotionally connected with the central character. A playful yet subtle subplot between Charlotte and Russell provides a breath of fresh air for the plot which is thoughtfully incorporated in the story development. Variation of characters like Chau and his attributes of healing people, knowing the Pastor in bits and pieces by either piece of paper or from the people of Wildwood makes the characters interesting for the audiences. At the end of the plot heavy and fascinating dwellings between Good and Evil or God and Demon it feels like the book ended in a blink of an eye, and that is probably the biggest success of the author. This is a chilling read from start to finish. Gamsby blends horror with theology in ways that will keep you up at night and questioning more than just the dark. Overall, for the religious fiction lovers, The Church In Wildwood Hell Is Near by William Gamsby is a must-read book.