Book 36 for my 2026 goal of 36 books for the year – I did it, and early! I will continue to read books through the rest of the year to see how far I get. My link to the book is through my bookshop.org affiliate account, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy from there.
It’s nice that the final book of my goal for the year is the latest book by my friend Jendia Gammon, whose work I’ve featured several times on my blog this year! This time I read her most recent Appalachian horror novella Godfestation that came out in August of this year.
Ivy “Fern” Fernberg is collecting leaves in the Appalachian wilds when she meets her first god. A chaotic collection of bones stitched together, it moves towards her in a threatening manner, making her flee back to her car and back towards populated areas. On the way, however, she sees another, quite different being, and a stop at a roadside diner leads to a brief encounter with a sinister customer who is more than he appears.
Still reeling from the death of her father, Fern realizes that something fundamental has changed around her. There are spirits and gods everywhere, both benevolent and malevolent, and though it appears that only she can see them, she soon recognizes that she is not alone. When she finds that a hostile entity has followed her home, she realizes that the appearance of these beings is somehow connected to her personally and to the death of her father. Fern sets off on a journey to resolve unfinished business and hopefully end the danger around her.
Godfestation is a fast-paced, short novella that starts with the appearance of a god and never really slows down after that! It is fun and atmospheric and captures the spirit of Southern Appalachia. The diner scene evokes memories of my own being in similar places! Along the way, we encounter a large number of strange beings and phenomena and it is a blast to see what Gammon will throw in Fern’s path next.
Godfestation at its heart is a story of grief and the loss of a family member. It manages to handle these themes without dwelling too much on them, and the narrative always stays light on its feet, so to speak.
Like most of the best horror novels, the book never tries to fully explain everything that happens. We are given a glimpse of a strange world unseen beyond our own, and the mystery and wonder of it and its implications are left open for us to ponder — though the book itself definitely comes to a satisfying conclusion!
Jendia Gammon’s Godfestation is overall a great quick read and one that works really well for the spooky Halloween season!
