THE PULSE REMAINS
WRITTEN BY ROB GRIMOIRE
NOVELLA GRAVESIDES READ VOL 1
RELEASED: AUGUST 26, 2025
PUBLISHER: UNDERTAKER BOOK
LENGTH: 47 PAGES
GENRE: OCCULT HORROR
This was one of my honorable mentions for my Indie Dozen list of favorites list in 2025. While I won't say if its #13 or whatever, I will say it got consideration because its really fucking good. I love the old school, almost Children of The Corn-esque feeling with this one. The setting is very familiar in that vein, as we have a town that isn't what it once was because of the evil that permeated it for far too long.
Rob's best strength in this story is how he makes the setting come to life around the aspects of those who live in it, and that "spirit" which dances around its ethereal plane within its borders, which does so invisibly to most of the folks there. The evil that we do see tries to justify its claims to the setting, for which Rob does a marvelous job of showcasing this egregiousness and how the landscapes shift when they are present. There is a nice build-up around their "arrival" through the use of wind, shadows, and that in turn activates our main characters' 5 senses to the point where we, the reader, feel the lump in the other characters' throats, the sweat building on the palms and elsewhere, and the hairs on the back of their necks. Rob does a lot of this through various means to, whether its a little bit of the town's history being told or shown, there's a great moment about a tree that has had blood spilled upon it, or its dialogue among the protagonists and antagonists, or its simply setting us up in place we deem familiar in our own minds thanks to a recent vampire movie or just knowing some American History we might think we know. I love how Rob handles all of that.
There is a very cool moment when our narrator becomes unreliable, and not by their choice; it's a neat twist on that idea. It's also an incredibly astute way to introduce us to the "other side" of existence within this setting. It plays frantically and like a fever dream, but also Samantha's panic and unknowing are right in our face, thanks to her first-person POV.
That is what good horror is all about.
The "monster" here is not what it seems, another great twist, and that is written fairly well that we almost from the outset understand that, but it still plays enough with us to try and convince us otherwise. There is power in that, because it often lets you feel as helpless and concerned as you do vindicated and hopeful. That dichotomy, again, is excellent writing here. Especially when the true villain has no redeemable qualities, almost from page 1.
Where I think this story does lose me a little is after the traumatic incident I mentioned above. There is a shift, and it slows down quite a bit after that moment. So I had a harder time getting back into the way the story began. That eventually happened, so I didn't fall out of it, but I had to reread it to get there. No big deal, that's more on me than the author and I could be the only one who feels that way? I also liked the few moments of internal strife from Samantha, who tells this story, but something we only got briefly here.
Ultimately, there is a lot to like about the future novellas that will complete this series or collection. I am not sure how connected they will be; that might be neat if they are, if not, that's fine too. What this story did was solidify my trust in Rob as the author.
So with this, and the 2 stories I have read in the anthologies, one of which I already reviewed in Dark Spores, and one that will be coming soon in Space Funk, I am really enjoying what I am reading. Rob has a great eye for details, a pension for dread that propels a story into a different, rarified air, and keen use of the five senses to show, not tell us what that dread is or will be.
YOU CAN READ THE PULSE REMAINS HERE
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