Page Turner: Dark Harvest

Dark Harvest by Joshua Reynolds is a fantasy horror story set in the Warhammer universe. It follows former warrior-priest Harran Blackwood who is tracking a figure from his past after being sent a cryptic message.

Shortly after arriving at the swamp village of Wald, it soon becomes clearer that something darker than the murky water is afoot.

Dark Harvest is, again, a book I have had for a while but only recently got around to reading. In fairness, I ended up reading it at the perfect time. The plot revolves around the harvest celebrations in the village, making this an excellent autumnal horror read.

I know that horror is a year-round thing, but some horror stories lend themself better to certain times of the year, Dark Harvest is one of these books.

Do you have to know any Warhammer lore to enjoy this book? No, not really. Sure, knowing some of the basics beforehand certainly will help but for the most part, everything you need to know is mentioned in passing or can be picked up with context clues.

In terms of horror, it’s not a guts and gore book. Well, there is a fair helping of that, yet it isn’t the focus of the story. Dark Harvest is atmospheric horror. Something is not quite right and it unsettles the reader, rather than just jump scaring the reader repeatedly. 

This is a slow-paced book, it really lets you the reader sink into the swamp and the horrors that dwell there. Again, it’s more of an unsettling read rather than a full-on gorefest. 

I really liked Harran. He has a lot going on under his brooding facade. He is smart, quick on his feet and doesn’t take anyone nonsense. I might be biased as I am a sucker for older characters who are just done with everything. Harran is very much that kind of man.

This is the first fantasy horror story I have read, most horrors I read tend to be gothic or set in the modern-day real world. If the rest of them are as good as Dark Harvest, I think I need to read more.

I enjoyed Dark Harvest. I would suggest familiarising yourself to an extent on Warhammer before reading but as I said, it isn’t mandatory to enjoy the book.

If you are looking for a sinister story set in a swamp, a fantasy horror or just something that will creep you out this spooky season, I recommend Dark Harvest. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.