Gothic
Written By
Philip Fracassi
Publish by
CLASH Books
Publication Date
November 11, 2025
This book begins slowly, opening with its protagonist, Tyson Parks, unable to complete a new book he promised to his publisher. Twenty years ago, he was a New York Times bestselling horror author, hailed as the next Stephen King. But the times have changed, and Tyson’s recent books have been failures. His smug Manhattan agent, who works in the corner office due to Tyson’s labor and talent, criticizes him for not keeping up with modern tastes and ideas of the horror market.
Tyson’s latest manuscript, which he brings in, is neither complete nor late, and it diverges significantly from the book he pitched to his publisher. The creative well is running dry, and his business partners are growing increasingly impatient as his debts continue to compound mercilessly.
After coming home, Tyson‘s partner, Sarah, sees him in a dimly lit room with his desk that can even hold all his belongings, and a computer to write on. She desires to help change this for him by getting him an ornate Victorian Gothic-style writing desk as a present for his 59th birthday.
The desk, A smooth, polished stone slab supported by ornate carved rosewood, is a monumental antique intended to reignite Tyson’s creative spark. And it works, beyond Sarah’s wildest hopes. From the moment Tyson sets his fingertips to the keyboard, he is drawn into a fugue state in which the words flow easily and the hours slip by, leaving him with pages of disturbingly compelling tales of witchcraft and human sacrifice.
But while his writing career makes a dramatic recovery, his personal life takes a drastic turn for the worse. After receiving the desk, Tyson a loyal family man finds himself growing distant and dismissive towards his friend, along with his loved ones,he even gradually became paranoid and outright violent. A new, Virulal Muse is his only constant companion. Suppose that wasn’t enough, in addition to the desk’s dark influence. In that case, Tyson finds himself targeted by Diana, the mysterious and ruthless last scion of the aristocrat who originally owned the artifact. For the desk is, in reality, a repurposed altar dedicated to blasphemous occult rituals.
