8:59:29

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!

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.

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

8:59:29 is a novella about a burnt-out college professor who hopes to eliminate her boss by making a movie like the one featured in "The Ring".

Our main character, Hetta, is a burnt-out college professor with the intention of killing her boss, even though he has a wife and a kid. Hetta obviously has bad intentions and is a bitter person, so as a reader, I didn't find myself rooting for her. However, the unlikableness of the character works and makes me want to keep reading. In fact, it adds to the horror aspect of the novel. This is because a lot of creative youth's worst fear is becoming like Hetta. We fear failure and ending up with a dead-end job, like having to teach people that don't care. We also fear our creativity turning to bitterness as we age. Hetta has become so burnt-out, so self-absorbed, and so bitter, that she feels the need to kill her boss and send him to hell in order to be happy. For us writers, filmmakers, and artists, becoming like Hetta is our worst nightmare. That's part of what makes the novel so chilling.

The book was also paced well. It was short, only about 60 pages. In those 60 pages, Schattel got the point across.

I gave this book four stars instead of five because I felt like the side character Tanner didn't do much for the story and took up space. Tanner was Hetta's muse, and it was implied that he was the reason Hetta stayed somewhat passionate about her class. While Tanner gave Hetta the idea for the film, he didn't contribute much otherwise. In fact, at one point he disappeared and it was unclear what happened to him. I think the story would've done better if he wasn't involved because of how passive of a role he played.

The book's ending was satisfying and scary, but it didn't scare me. That's not necessarily the author's fault, though. I don't tend to get scared by Satan and demons. The way this film killed people was that it summoned a demon, caused the victim to become possessed, kill themselves, and then get sent to hell. I feel like that would scare Christians, but as a Jewish person, it didn't terrify me in a way that other horror does.

All in all, this is a book worth reading. I'm glad I read it, and I'll read it again if I feel like looking for more foreshadowing and nuance.

Some books plod on and on and take 500 pages to get to the point. 8:59:29 is a 60-page horror novella that packs a superbly terrifying gut punch. If you've ever wished some ill will on someone, this story reminds you to be careful of what you wish for lest your wish come true. I enjoyed the filmmaking plot and the ode to 80s VHS cameras (yes, I still have a working VHS VCR!), and of course the not so polite warning to perhaps fear the unknown of technology. I think we can all relate to getting not so happy shiny constructive feedback at work or school and the emotions that flood in afterwards. Most of us can also relate to somehow coming up short in how we wanted or expected our lives to turn out and the corresponding desire to prove one's self-worth. How far would we take these emotions? What might happen if we suddenly found ourselves responsible for a shot heard around the world? The prospect is beyond belief.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #BooksGoSocial for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

A tense horror novella. A teacher decides she needs to kill the head of her department to get further in her career. With the help of a young man auditing her class, they decide to use an ancient curse which will kill anyone watching a brief film to its conclusion. Needless to say, messing around with demons doesn't go as planned.

This was a fun novella. Slightly comedic, but it also is very atmospheric. The plotting is tight and the dialogue real. I enjoyed the story, the ending, and the film within the book.

Hetta believes she was destined for more. But, as often happens, life wore her down and now seems to be passing her by. Her dreams were of becoming a renowned filmmaker. Now she is teaching the unteachable; wealthy and bored college kids with aspirations far different from her own. Her boss was once just like them and the privilege she is everyday surrounded with is stifling. Hetta feels forced to make a decision. She will create the film her boss has been pressing her to. A horror film. A short one. One filmed with outdated technology. One crafted for one specific audience member. One with an ending to die for!

This was unnerving, bloody and bleak. Essentially, everything I want my horror fiction to be, all delivered in less than 100 pages. I thought the plot both an exciting and well-plotted one. The particulars of filmmaking were not previously known to me but Schattel delivers her readers a basic understanding and a story is built from there. The ending was not one I could have ever seen coming and it transformed this short horror tale into a desolate and unnerving fable.

The book started with a normal, or very dull plot actually.
But it goes crazy soon, and everything is out of control.
The idea is not new, but the writing is clever.
It's a short but enjoyable reading.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

How often have you said to yourself, “if only so-and-so was g0ne”? Hetta wished that too, Be careful what you wish for Hetta for once granted….some wishes cannot be recanted. When you summon evil into your life to take care of “one” problem you will find that evil will take on a life of its own and stain all of humanity.
In 8:59:29 we see Hetta and Travis, a fellow film lover, follow a recipe for conjuring evil by using the medium of VHS filmmaking. This is like “Ringu” on steroids. I read this book in one sitting. The characters were well defined, and written to be rather unlikable. As the demon Andras says, “Thy heart is blacke, Hetta Slater, and thy aims ambitious. Thou wouldst thrive in the fyery fornaces of my realm”.
#8:59:29 is a creepy slide into the darkest dark. Thank you #netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this horror story.

*Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this novella!*

Holy crap. The story left me rather unsettled, in all of the best ways.

I didn't know what to expect when reading this novella, but the writer knows how to immerse you into Hetta's thoughts and rationalizing her actions. In addition, even with limited words in comparison to a full-fledged novel, I found myself able to envision what the setting was like, how the characters acted from the expressions on their faces to the tones of their voices. This is easily one of the best horror stories I've read, and I'd recommend it to any other horror lover.

This is a disturbing book. It reminds me of "The Ring". You know what the main character is planning on doing to her boss, but you have no idea of what really happens. If you enjoy books that sound like this, give it a read. I highly enjoyed it.
I would recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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.

Ancient horror and modern technology meet in this short novella for a swirl of nothing but absolute goodness.

It was simple, yet intriguing. The plot was bleak, bloody, unnerving, & well-plotted.

However, the ending was not what I thought it was gonna be and that definitely left me sad and wanting more.

After reading this, I had to sit back and wonder what on earth did I just read, and I mean that in the best way possible. It starts off mundane enough, and just when I was beginning to wonder where this was going the story picked up, No spoilers, but you get hit with the most amazing twist before the story is over, and while the first half might go slowly, the second half picks things up. It's hard to believe this is such a quick read, yet contains so much that it leaves you reeling at the end. It somehow manages to entwine classic and existential horror all in one. I'll be adding this author to my "need to read more" list.