Sacrament by Steve Stred is the third installment in the extreme horror trilogy, Father of Lies. This time, we follow the subject expert, Bianchi, who knew more about this case than he let on previously.
This is the third book in the trilogy that I had originally picked up as part of Rick’s Read Along. After getting through the first and second installments in the series, I just couldn’t walk away.
Content Warnings:
Extreme body horror, sexual violence, cult content, suicide, and more.
Let’s dive into my quick review.
My Thoughts on Sacrament by Steve Stred
In this story, we see Bianchi running all over the place, trying to get information and do what he thinks is right. But can he do what needs to be done, or will he be sucked in just like the others?
This was a wild ride. I had such high hopes for Bianchi and his mission, but I should have known better.
My stomach was still churning at many of the situations that occurred here, and many totally caught me off guard!
Steve also tossed in some other elements here that made me do a double take! This one will certainly keep you on your toes while the tale comes to an end!
Make sure you read the Afterword as well! Steve’s notes on how he did research for this is INSANE. The dedication here is something that I don’t think many would have been able to hold up. Thanks for sharing this, Steve!
My Favorite Passages from Sacrament by Steve Stred
He stepped over a downed tree and saw a rocky path that appeared as though it was placed and not random. At first he was excited. Finding a path to walk on would be far easier than having to bushwack through the forest like he had been. But then he realized this path led somewhere, most likely to where Father would be waiting, which struck him with an unanticipated foreboding.
He shook his head, trying to rid his brain of the exhausted fog that gripped his grey matter.
My Final Thoughts on Sacrament
While this story was as quick as the last two, it really packed a punch! This was such a great conclusion to what had been started here.
This passage from Steve’s Afterword sums it up very nicely:
“The lengths people will go to for power and the lengths others will go to follow. It’s an insane world. But it always has been. More of it is just now coming out into the light.”
Fans of extreme horror that will make you sick to your stomach, this trilogy is a must read!
Get started with the trilogy, snag a copy through Bookshop to help support local indie bookshops:
Thanks for reading!
And shout-out again to Rick for putting this trilogy on my radar through the readathon! I had so much fun with this!
Related Reading:
I picked up Ritual a while back, but haven’t gotten around to reading it yet. I really love when authors include notes, so maybe they’re there will get me around to reading the trilogy a little sooner.
The Father of Lies: The Complete Series is out now if you wanted to snag all three together! 🙂 It’s such a dark trilogy!