Churn the Soil by Steve Stred is a tale of a broken agreement and violence where the only thing pooling faster than the terror, is the blood on the snow.
Let’s dive in!
My Thoughts on Churn the Soil by Steve Stred
When a girl is brutally murdered on a plot of land called The Border, the locals don’t want the police from the nearby town involved. Unfortunately, someone tipped off the police and now they can’t just walk away from the scene.
When the police arrive at The Border, the locals talk about what the police think are just bizarre stories of creatures that live in the woods. However, understanding the need to be careful here, the police agree when the locals beg them to wait and return the next day. They stated that if the body was still there, the police can then process the scene.
The next day, determined to bring justice to the fallen girl, the police venture into the woods where they’re about to learn that those stories weren’t just fiction.
Right from page one, Steve brings the terror here. My god, my heart was in my throat while reading the prologue. Then when diving into the main story, the dread was still there in full force and there wasn’t a single moment while reading that I wasn’t wary of the horror that may be just out of sight.
Talk about books giving jump scares. The number of times my heart must have skipped a beat while reading this! 99% of the time that occurred out of terror, but a few times it occured out of happiness. On that thought, I will leave this last note before moving on to my favorite passages: Chapter 42!!!
My Favorite Passages from Churn the Soil
Note: I had to be super selective here as many of the passages I wanted to write down contained spoilers.
The daylight was fading, the moon beginning to peak over the mountains, but not yet high enough to offer any light. With that, the snow wasn’t shining, the trees appearing darker, murkier, as though the world was conspiring to keep things hidden from his view.
Instead, the dark figure stood to its full height, the roof seeming to raise up to allow it to loom over him. He couldn’t make out a single detail, other than the graveyard rot that seemingly flowed from where its mouth should be each time it breathed out.
Brown had never felt like he was living in an action movie, not even when they’d been holed up in the farmhouse with bloodthirsty, mind-controlling Forest Guards out in the snow, but walking out of the police station, trailed by two dozen officers, he almost wished it was being filmed so he could watch it back in slow motion.
They got in the SUV, Nancy in the passenger seat, Patrick and Bruiser in the back. They pulled out, followed by the other Basco PD SUVs loaded with officers.
“Man, we should’ve got a drone to film us leaving the station,” Patrick said. “It would look fucking sick to see that footage.”
In the front, Brown laughed.
My Final Thoughts on Churn the Soil
I absolutely love how Steve can write such terrifying horror and gore, and mix it perfectly with so much heart and amazing relationships. That was certainly the case again here.
Horror fans, you need this one. Don’t even hesitate to order. If you enjoy stories that will make you side-eye the edge of the woods and will add to your overall fear of the forest, this will be a hit!
Snag a copy through your local bookstore if you are able or feel free to use my Amazon affiliate link:
Thanks for reading!
And major thanks to Steve for allowing me to buy a signed copy directly! I’m SO excited to have a signed copy of this on my shelves!
That’s awesome he really brings the mixed emotions!
<3