Thank you, NetGalley, for access to this short novel.
I really enjoyed Polly Schattel's storytelling and pacing. I sometimes feel like shorter novels don't give you time to feel connected to a main character, but I was invested in Hetta and her desire to change her life.
I also love stories that tie together ancient horrors and modern technology, which Schattel did well. And I thought the ending was perfect.
I ultimately gave this story 4/5 stars because I wanted just a little more horror.

A cautionary tale of old re-written for our time. The novella, starts off slowly – describing the politics of a university faculty at various levels – with a foray into those who lived nearby but could not afford to attend classes – and those in charge prohibiting “sitting in” on classes without paying. It becomes a bit of a poignant story. If only our protagonist ran things in an egalitarian society. It might be better if she were in charge, but it doesn’t appear likely in any reasonable timeframe. I thought, “Am I reading a murder mystery?”

Then comes the twist! Demonology comes her way, through a message sent to her phone by one of her mild-mannered non-students. She reads how to do it. She and her intrepid non-student evoke the demon, and put things together using an unlikely combination of modern technology and media, along with storytelling and demonology dating from the dark ages.

The story takes a dark turn into a level of horror and madness that rivals any Lovecraft story when works. It works all too well – with yet another technological twist: It goes viral! As is the saying, “On the Internet, nothing ever dies.” With modern technology, an occult murder plot goes viral, and becomes mass murder. It is a cautionary tale illustrating “Never invoke that which you cannot banish.” Being especially true when media transmits around the world at the speed of light.

A short revenge novella.

A professor works with a young man to create a cursed film. Both of them come from poor backgrounds & have been used and abused by the rich department chair and his cronies. They want their sweet revenge, but things don’t turn out quite how they expect.

An interesting, mostly fast paced read. I didn’t really like the main character, but the premise of the story was great!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and BooksGoSocial for a copy.

I wish I liked this one more! A mean-spirited little novella about a jaded adjunct professor and her pet not-actually-a-student. I found our protagonist too grating to really buy in, but the overall 'evil short film that will kill' concept did land for me. The last third of the novella was definitely the strongest, and the descriptions once things vaulted fully into horror were vivid. I'm open to trying Schattel again in the future, but give this one just a solid 'yeah, okay.'

loved the ending of this novella! It was creepy, definitely didn't see the ending coming. Karma is a bitch!

8:59:29 by Polly Schattel was a super quick horror novella that had me hooked from the very beginning. If you ever want to know what happens to a person that thinks they deserve more than they have and are willing to harm innocent people to get what they want...this is the story for you. I really enjoyed this one!

8:59:29 is a unique novelette that tells the story of a disgruntled adjunct teacher who is fed up with her boss. In order to get rid of him she devises a diabolical plan with the help of a local teenager. Using her knowledge of film-making, she follows online instructions to make a cursed short film.

Overall, this was a good and short read. It reminded me of The Ring movies, but here we got to see how the actual cursed tape was made. I did find that the story did drag a little toward the middle, which is a bit problematic for such a short read, but I was glad I stuck with it. The ending was everything I wanted and maybe a bit more. A very fitting and evil ending!

In "8:59:29" by Polly Schattel, we follow Hetta, a disenchanted adjunct film professor. She embarks on a sinister and darkly humorous quest for revenge against her department head. Along the way, she must confront the challenges posed by technology, creativity, and the infernal realm, culminating in confronting her demons and shortcomings.

At its core, this is a captivating tale of vengeance. Hetta wants to impart her passion for film to those who genuinely appreciate it. However, her students display an apathetic attitude toward the subject, disheartening her. Only Tanner, a local former student forced to drop out due to financial constraints, shares her enthusiasm for the medium.

Hetta permits Tanner to audit her class, a decision that incurs the wrath of her supervisor. When Tanner introduces her to an enigmatic website, Hetta becomes convinced that creating a diabolical short film will rectify all her troubles. Regrettably, her plan proves to be all too effective. Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for access to this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. A film professor at a university filled with rich spoiled kids is being spoken to by her boss because she’s letting a less fortunate student who’s not enrolled but the most interested in the subject audit her class (and told hes no longer welcome) and her boss is irritated that she makes the work too difficult for her students. She teams up with Tanner (the non student) to create a short film of revenge. The original plan backfires in the most horrific way. It got a little confusing in the middle but I loved the ending and the moral lesson it had. Interesting premise.

Hetta Salter is an adjunct member of the faculty who teaches about film making at a small but affluent Appalachian college. The rich kids who take her class are like zombies, while her one promising student is a local poor kid named Tanner who she allows to sit in despite him not being enrolled at the school. When the smug department head gives her grief over how the students complain about how she teaches them, and the fact that she can't allow unregistered locals to study for free, Hetta has had enough. When Tanner introduces her to a sketchy website she gets an idea of how to make her problems, in the form of the department head, go away for good - go straight to Hell, in fact. But will she be able to go through with her plan, and will it work out the way she hopes?
This story probably could have been drawn out to a full-length novel with a lot of padding and subplots. But its short length keeps it on point and makes for a very effective tale. Other than a few too many details about film making and names of auteurs that the average laymen likely won't know, the writing is excellent and keeps the reader riveted to the page, wanting, yet dreading, where the story will go next.

For such a short read this felt like it took forever to me at least. Really slow to get into and then it just kind of ended with nothing really standing out to me at all.

I really loved everything about this short novella, it was absolutely perfect!
The concept of the story was intriguing, it centered around “The Ring” style plot which was fascinating. The ending really surprised me in a good way, I did not see that coming!
I highly recommend this to any horror lover!

Thank you to @netgalley for providing me an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

When a disgruntled adjunct faculty teacher decides to get revenge on the head of her department, she begins a journey into the cracks between modern society and the secret depravity that lies underneath. Our leading lady Hetta, enters into a plot to rid herself of her boss who thinks she is too unlikable, scheming a video that causes death and soul torment. This is where everything works, but works a little too well.
8:59:29 is a gem. It is well structured and well plotted giving even the toughest of horror critics a great read. Our few characters are likable and even fun to read about, even the insight into the demons and demon behaviour was exciting. This read is highly recommended for anyone who wants a fast, horror filled read.
Special thanks to NetGalley, BooksGoSocial & Polly Schattel for an advance copy for review.

I really liked this short story about an adjunct professor at the end of her rope with higher education bureaucracy and entitlement structures. She believes she can change things for the better if she can just “get rid of” her department head.

It kind of reads like a Stephen King short story which is a huge compliment, and the bulk of the story is centered around a cool “The Ring” style plot where there is an attempt to create a video to “deal with” the department head Walt. Of course things don’t go to plan and there is a predictable if not satisfying ending that I really enjoyed.

Thank you NetGalley for making this fine short story available for everyone, and thank you Polly Schattel for the creepy story!